Welcome back to 2025! We hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year spent with family and friends. It has been wonderful to invite all students back this week and to hear about their exciting holiday adventures!

New Students and Families

On Tuesday we welcomed our new Kindergarten students and their families to our school. While starting Kindergarten is a big step for these children, there were plenty of smiles and laughs to be seen and heard. We know a great year ahead, making new friends and memories, will be had by all!

Acting Religious Education Coordinator (REC) 2025

Mrs Loyola Best has been appointed Acting REC for the 2025 school year. We extend thanks to Loyola for her leadership, support and commitment to our school.

Last Friday, our staff participated in the 2025 System Day (Faith In Learning). We

joined schools across the Archdiocese in an online format to

engage in insightful presentations, including those given by Natalie Wexler and Prof Daniel Willingham. The content presented will assist teachers as we continue to strengthen and reinforce the journey we are on in transforming lives through learning. For more information about Catalyst, please visit the following link: https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/

On Monday staff were involved in Professional Development based on the Religious Education curriculum. Bernadette Scott (CE Religious Education and Faith Formation Officer) worked collaboratively with teachers to examine in detail the scope and sequence of teaching and learning in Religious Education and to develop their understanding of this in the context of their classrooms.

Curriculum

We are pleased to announce the following changes, commencing in 2025:

• Religious Education

Catholic schools in the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese have moved to adopt a new Religious Education sequence of learning for students. Students will be taught Religious Education in their normal class groupings, with the exception of Year 2 who will be taught by Mr Martens.

• Mathematics

In 2025, students will be introduced to Ochre Mathematics, specifically targeted to meet the needs of students and advance student outcomes. The Ochre Maths approach will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the Mathematics curriculum and incorporate High Impact Teaching Practices, including Daily Review of key concepts taught to embed learning. We are confident our commitment to high-quality teaching will effectively support the diverse needs of our students. Rocket Math will continue as normal. This is a supplemental learning program that teaches students addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fraction. Specifically, it teaches Mathematics facts–the basic building blocks of all Mathematics. Mathematics will be taught in the following class groupings:

- Kindergarten: Mrs Caruana/ Mrs Harveyson

- Year 1/2: Mr Martens/ Mrs Best

- Year 3/4: Ms Ryan/ Mr Martens

- Year 5/6: Ms Washbrook/ Mrs Green

Please contact us if you would like to find out more information about any of the above.

Garden Project - Grenfell Community Produce

It has been a productive time over the school holiday period with the garden project. We are excited that the garden beds are now ready for our students to begin planting. The produce grown in our gardens will be donated to the Grenfell Food Hall and will also be used to teach some culinary skills to all students. A big “thanks” to the Grenfell Food Hall for donating the soil for the garden beds. We also thank Andrew and Davina Ray, Glenn Gault, Melanie Cooper and Mrs Caruana for giving up their time to have the beds ready for the first day of school. This morning all of the students will be planting the first of the seedlings. We can’t wait to see them grow!

Hall Remediation Works Update

The scope of works in relation to the treatment and remediation of the identified lead paint in the school hall has been completed. The contractor has communicated that the remediation works and re-painting of the building has removed potential risk to students and staff.

Calendar

The school calendar is available electronically

both through the school website (calendar tab  https://sjpsgrenfell.schoolzineplus.com/calendar) and on Compass. This will enable the school community to keep up to date with planned events.

Sports Day

Sports day this year will be Fridays. Students are to wear their Sports uniform every Friday.

Music

We are excited to be continuing our partnership with the

Young Regional Conservatorium for classroom music lessons and music tutoring. There are still places available for guitar tutoring, so if you are interested please contact them directly. Music will occur weekly, on Mondays. 

Swimming Carnival

The St Joseph’s Swimming Carnival will be held on Thursday 13th February from 9:15 am to approximately 12:30 pm. Please see the Compass Event to respond and provide con

sent by Friday. If students do not wish to participate in any nominated events there will be novelty games in the smaller pool on the day that they can join, along with the K/1 students.

We appreciate if any parents/ carers are able to come along on the day to volunteer. Please remember that we need to have a current WWCC to volunteer at the school, including sporting events.

Library

Our excellent library with a large number of fiction, non-fiction and r

eference books is very popular with the children and reflects our strong focus on literacy. All children need a library bag for borrowing. Weekly class library days are as follows:

• K/1: Monday
• 2/3/4: Wednesday
  
• 5/6: Tuesday

Teacher Contact Details

Communication between the classroom teacher and home is essential. We would like all parents to be actively engaged in their child’s learning and encourage you to contact your child’s teacher regularly for updates or questions you may have throughout the year. Teacher details are as follows:

• K/1:

Natalie Caruana - natalie.caruana@cg.catholic.edu.au

Chelsea Harveyson - chelsea.harveyson@cg.catholic.edu.au

• 2/3/4:

Ms Dione Ryan - dione.ryan@cg.catholic.edu.au

Mr Lachlan Martens - lachlan.martens@cg.catholic.edu.au

• 5/6:

Ms Cindy Washbrook - cindy.washbrook@cg.catholic.edu.au

Mrs Deborah Green - deborah.green@cg.catholic.edu.au

• Co-Acting Principal:

Chelsea Harveyson - chelsea.harveyson@cg.catholic.edu.au

Danielle McFarlane - danielle.mcfarlane@cg.catholic.edu.au

We look forward to another successful year of teaching and learning with our staff and students.

Kind Regards,

Danielle McFarlane & Chelsea Harveyson

Co-Acting Principal

Welcome back to the beginning of a new school year. Like all beginnings, many of us, including our students, come to the start with a little nervousness. We also come full of hope. Hope for all we can achieve throughout the year.

Pope Francis has chosen the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope” for the Jubilee Year which occurs every 25 years throughout the worldwide Catholic Church.  He states that, “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and outcome of good things to come.” Personally, I hope for a wonderfully fruitful and joyous year for all members of our school, our parish and our wider Grenfell community.

We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to all of you to our upcoming school Opening Mass on Wednesday, 19th February, at St. Joseph's Church at 10 am. This special occasion holds great significance as we come together to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year filled with hope.

During this special mass, we will take the opportunity to acknowledge our 2025 School Leaders, we will welcome all the new families and students who have joined our community and the staff will be provided an opportunity to witness to their commitment to the education of your children.

This opening mass is a time for reflection, a coming together to support one another in our hopes for the future year ahead. As we journey together as pilgrims of hope, may we continue to show love and compassion for all those we meet.

 See you all on Wednesday, 19th February, at St. Joseph's Church at 10 am.

Warm regards,

Loyola Best

​Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

NOTE: Despite the scheduled rest day for kindergarten, we strongly encourage kindergarten students and their families to be present at the mass.

 Parish News: St Joseph’s Parish will be holding a street stall on Friday 7^th March and Saturday 8^th March. Volunteers and/or donations (cooking, jams, books and good quality saleable goods) will be gratefully accepted. If you are able to assist, 

please contact Deidre Caroll (0403480729)

Next Weeks Readings: 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11, Luke 5: 11