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Dear parents and carers,
Happy Easter to all St Jospeh’s families and friends! For those of us able to attend the Easter Hat Parade and Raffle Draw today, we certainly experienced early Easter joy! Do look in the usual places for photos from this event. Congratulations to the raffle winners! Enjoy your winnings! Thank you everyone for your terrific support for this initiative and thank you to the P&F/SCC for all the arrangements to make the raffle happen.
Thank you to Mrs Harveyson and Year 5/6 for leading the school through the Stations of the Cross yesterday. The students helped the school to connect with the true meaning of Easter. Please do see the full report and photos later in the newsletter.
Encouraging Positive behaviour on the Playground
We are extremely fortunate at St Joseph’s to have a spacious playground with a large grassy area, climbing apparatus, cricket nets and a wide range of games and equipment for the children to enjoy. One of the great joys of a small school is seeing the children play across a range of age groups and 2024 has seen games occurring harmoniously in all areas of the playground. Our weekly virtue focus certainly helps with virtues such as co-operation, gentleness and respect encouraging positive behaviours.
We have implemented a Playground Card System to encourage positive playground behaviours. Children ‘caught’ demonstrating positive behaviours such as helpfulness, turn taking and sharing receive a green card which can be exchanged for an orange token inline with our Positive Behaviour program. Students can also receive a warning in the form of a yellow card if problematic behaviour occurs, at the next break/lunch, the yellow card is cancelled, providing a second chance. For negative behaviours such as hands on, a red card is issued, and this means time out from the playground at the next break. The children have responded very well to this system, and are taking responsibility for ensuring the playground is a positive place for everyone.
School Community Council
Thank you to the parents who have expressed interest in being on the Executive Committee of the School Community Council. Your commitment and generosity are greatly appreciated. We will arrange a meeting of parents who have provided EOIs early in term 2.
In the meantime, a meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday 9th April at 5.00pm for two purposes:
- To formally conclude the activities of the Parents and Friends Association
- To provide the opportunity for parents to pose outstanding questions regarding the transition of the School Board and the P&F to the School Community Council.
Please do email questions you would like to raise to louise.grant@cg.catholic.edu.au by Friday 5th April. Thanks!
All parents are welcome to attend this meeting.
St Joseph’s Cross Country – Tuesday 2nd April
First day back after the Easter break is the St Jospeh’s Cross Country. The children should come to school as usual, dressed in the school uniform and sunscreen with a hat, water bottle.
The children will be bused to the Golf Club and we will walk the cross country course at 9.30am. The races will commence directly after this.
Please come along and support our runners! Parents and friends are very welcome!
ANZAC Day
We would like to give families lots of notice that ANZAC day falls within the school holidays on Thursday 25th April. We hope to see as many families as possible join us for the events, and especially for the march past and Main Service. Please see details below:
ANZAC Day Dawn Service:
Thursday 25th April 2024,
Time: 0545Hrs (5:45 am)
Location: Grenfell Memorial Park
ANZAC Day March Pass:
Time: 1030Hrs (10:30 am)
Form up location: Western end of Main St Grenfell
ANZAC Day Main Service:
Time: 1100Hrs (11:00 am),
Location: Grenfell Memorial Park, and
Given the recent change in the weather, the students are asked to wear their full school Winter uniform.
Uniform
We currently have quite a number of orders for the school jumper, and we are expecting delivery any day now. The Winter trousers and skirts have arrived and long-sleeved shirts, jumpers and jackets are expected any day now. We will alert parents when the delivery has been received.
In the meantime, please ensure the children have a jumper/jacket from home. Thanks!
Winter uniform is work from the commencement of term 2 and items can be purchased from the office or obtained from the clothing pool.
Interested in Dance?
We are delighted to be exploring the possibility of offering Dance in Grenfell here at St Joseph's as an after-school activity. Please see the flyer below with details of a ‘trial’ event to gauge interest. We hope to be able to offer this experience to St Joseph's children and children from the wider community.
In Conclusion…
We are delighted that St Joseph’s has been invited to entertain the guests at the Meals on Wheels lunch this coming Wednesday 3rd April at the Bowling Club. The 5/6 children will walk to the venue and the younger children will travel by bus. The children have been rehearsing two songs and we look forward to an enthusiastic performance. Please watch this space next week for a full report!
Easter is a time for us to thank the Lord for his blessings and on behalf of everyone at St Joseph’s, wishing you an Easter full of joy and peace!
With best wishes,
Louise Grant
Acting Principal
Sports News
Mrs Washbrook is on leave this week and we thought that this is an opportunity to highlight one of the sports a number of our students participate in outside the school program. I had the pleasure to drop in at the Pony Club gathering at Harden recently and to see some of our students competing and showing their skills.
We do love to hear about the children’s achievements outside of school so please do let us know and send in a photo when your child is involved in sporting pursuits outside of school. Thanks!
Congratulations to Willa, Georgia and Adelaide!
Reflection: Stations of the Cross
The fourteen Stations of the Cross symbolise the events on the route to Jesus' crucifixion. They help us all to think about and meditate on the suffering of Christ and his place in our lives.
This week 5/6 led the students on a gallery walk around the school grounds to experience and reflect on the Stations of the Cross.
The gallery walk consisted of some quiet music and beautiful stained-glass windows that all the children had created with the help of Mrs Green over the past few weeks.
It was a special morning, and everyone participated with such respect and reverence as we went on our journey with Jesus.
Prayer for Holy Week and Easter
Matthew 21:1-11
Jesus, we’re thankful for Palm Sunday, one of Your few days on earth when the world glimpsed Your identity as King. Celebrations with donkeys and palm trees don’t begin to give You what You deserve.
But most of those who celebrated You on Sunday deserted you by Friday, the day of Your death. You weren’t the King who would do what they wanted. It can be hard to follow You when You don’t immediately relieve our pain, defeat our enemies, or give us what we want most.
Cause us to be loyal to You, choosing You as King every day, from the inside out. Even when we don’t understand.
John 20:11-18, Job 19:25-27
Thank You that You really are alive and that, someday, we’ll see You with our own eyes. Help us understand how astounding this day is and all that means.
We love that Your resurrection isn’t just an ancient miracle. You defeated death, our greatest enemy, and You continue to give us victory over every other enemy and threat, including things we’re afraid of or feeling defeated by right now. Your Holy Spirit helps us defeat the ways of sin and death every day of our lives.
Give us Your power to conquer, as You did.
“Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the powers of death and prepared for us a place in the New Jerusalem. Grant that we, who have this day given thanks for your resurrection, may praise you in that city of which you are the light and where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.”
Grenfell Parish Mass Times:
SUNDAY: 8.00am Mass (2nd & 4th Sun) 8.00am Communion Service (1st & 3rd and any 5th Sunday)
RECONCILIATION: Sunday (7.30am - 7.45am)
WEEKEND MASS TIMES AT YOUNG AND BOOROWA
YOUNG: 6.00pm (SAT) & 10.00am (SUN)
BOOROWA: 5.00pm (SUN)
Chelsea Harveyson
Religious Education Coorindator/ 5/6 Class Teacher
St. Joseph's Cross Country
A reminder that our St. Jsoeph's Cross Country is being held on Tuesday 2nd of April at the Grenfell Country Club. This is the first day back after the Easter break. Students will need to wear sports uniform or a t-shirt in their house colour. Transport to and from school will be by bus. Students need to be at school at the normal time and we will be walking the course at 9:30am. Further details and permission can be found on Compass.
Rugby Union Gala Day
We are excited to announce there is a Rugby Union Gala Day on Tuesday 9th April at the R.B Bembrick Field. We will be joining forces with St Mary's War Memorial School West Wyalong. For those students in Years 3-6, both boys and girls, who have previous experience playing Rugby Union and would like to be part of the Gala Day, please register your intent to attend via Compass by Wednesday 3rd April. Please be advised that all students need to have footy boots, mouth guards and head gear. Further details are on Compass.
Cindy Washbrook
Year 5/6 Teacher and Sports Coordinator
