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Our theme for 2023 is Walking Together. This week I have chosen an image depicting the scripture passage, Road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-34). In this interaction between 2 disciples and Jesus, it is quite some time before the disciples recognise Jesus, as they are very caught up in the dramatic events of Jesus’ death and the news that His body could not be found in the tomb. It is only once He has left them that they realise they had been journeying with Him.
As we begin a new school year, we too are on a journey with Jesus. Sometimes as a faith community, we also want to see proof and clear signs of Jesus’ presence in our lives but can miss the moments when He truly is with us. During the past week I have encouraged the staff and students to be here now, to be present in the moment and experience the joy and care of Jesus, in the people with whom we are spending time. I believe that within our St Joseph’s community, this is one way we journey with Jesus.
Parent / Teacher Meet and Greet and P&F Welcome BBQ
We are looking forward to seeing all parents tomorrow afternoon for an opportunity to meet with teachers in the classrooms and to discuss the year ahead. As it is an open classroom time between 5.30 – 6.15pm, teachers are not presenting information formally, but more casually introducing themselves to parents and answering any questions.
At 6.20pm under the trees near Foundation and Year 1/2, I will give a brief welcome and provide some information for the year ahead.
Following the Meet and Greet, all parents and children are invited to join the P&F Welcome BBQ under the trees.
Language Program
As the school community will be aware, we currently have not been able to appoint a Language teacher for 2023. At the end of 2021, we began advertising for an Italian teacher and have continued to do so throughout all of 2022. During this time there have been many options investigated and a couple of potential teachers supported in taking on the role.
I have been working closely with Catholic Education, as well as reaching out to other schools and community organisations in an effort to find a qualified teacher to take on the Language Program. It is a requirement for the school to provide a Language Program that aligns with the Australian Curriculum, and is taught, assessed and reported on as part of the Semester Reports. It is not simply about exposing the students to a language and cultural experience.
Over the coming weeks I will continue to work with the School Board and Catholic Education in an effort to ensure St Joseph’s provides a Language Program that meets our needs and adds to our students’ experience of school. I will keep the community informed of any developments.
St Joseph’s Parish
Following the announcement in the later part of 2022 that Fr Paul would be leaving St Joseph’s Parish to study overseas, in December the Archbishop announced that the parish may be entrusted to a new order in the Diocese, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. At the Parish Pastoral Council meeting this week, archdiocesan Chancellor Patrick McArdle provided some background to the announcement and outlined the challenges that are yet to be resolved. A timeline for the appointment of a parish priest, or a definitive plan for the parish in the interim, is still be settled upon. Further information will be provided in the coming weeks and will be shared with the community.
However, I am pleased to confirm that the Sacramental Program for 2023 will still go ahead and dates are currently being finalised. These will be published as soon as possible. It was also reassuring to have the Chancellor state that while 2023 will be a year of uncertainty for our parish, there will be no impact on the school community and certainly not on the day to day operation of the school.
Farewell Fr Paul
Unfortunately, we are farewelling Fr Paul from our community. Fr Paul will celebrate mass for the final time with the school community this Friday 10 February at 12.30pm. All parents and friends are invited to attend this mass, which is also our Opening School Mass for 2023.
Fr Paul’s final mass in the parish will be Sunday 19 February at 9.00am. Again, all within our parish community are invited to attend this mass. There is a farewell lunch following the mass. Please contact the parish to RSVP.
While there are some challenges currently, I am very confident that 2023 will again be a wonderful year at St Joseph’s. I am excited about the priorities for the year and enacting the 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan.
Upcoming Events
- Thursday 9 February 5.30pm - Parent Meet and Greet + P&F Welcome BBQ
- Friday 10 February 12.30pm – Opening School Mass
- Wednesday 15 February 6.00pm – School Board Meeting
- Wednesday 22 February – Ash Wednesday
- Wednesday 22 – Friday 24 February – Year 6 Camp
Yours in Christ,
Religious Life of St Joseph’s
Welcome back to 2023. It is so good to be back in our Christ-Centred Community after a wonderful break over Summer. This year our theme is ‘Walking Together’.
Our theme comes from the writings of Pope Francis on Synodality. Synodality is defined as "the action of the Spirit in the communion of the Body of Christ and in the missionary journey of the People of God."
Pope Francis says, "Synodality is a style, it is a walk together, and it is what the Lord expects from the Church of the third millennium."
Our focus scripture in 2023 is Luke 24:13-35- The Walk to Emmaus
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.[b] 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[c] who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.[d] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah[e] should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[f] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
As a staff, we began our journey of Walking Together in a shared search for Christ on our Spirituality Day at the Arboretum where we spent the morning unpacking our scripture and walking together in prayer. We also began a journey walking together with Marymead and St Vincent de Paul, as all staff went out in teams on mission in the community.
On these missions, our teams cooked meals and created personal care backpacks for those in emergency situations for Marymead, created Back-to-school packs for St Vincent de Paul and served at the St Vincent de Paul Dickson shopfront.
Social Action and Justice
The Junior Joeys group will be running a Games Challenge this Term at Break 1 on
Tuesday and Wednesday from Week 3-10 in the Courtyard weather permitting, or Library if needed. The Games challenge supports the Catholic Social Teaching Principle of The Common Good, which is closely intertwined with Human dignity and leads to solidarity. The Games Challenge is aimed at helping students develop their social skills and sense of belonging in a supportive environment. The main point of the Games Challenge is for students to work together to celebrate and benefit from each other’s strengths. In this way, the teaching of Common Good is experienced in a fun and empowering way and has the potential to extend this experience of Common Good to others.
Games challenge Teams are made up of 4 students in mixed grades/classes. In the Games Challenge, teams come together to play games on rotation throughout the term. The Games Challenge will be open to students in all grades. There will be prizes for the teams that complete all 9 games in Term 1.
Melanie Stratford
Religious Education Coordinator
Sustainability in Action
Welcome to our super sustainable community! There are many ways your family can get involved, and here are two that are powerful everyday options that make a BIG difference to our world.
First, we love when our school community contributes to our unusual recycling collection. This year you can bring in your old:
- Batteries- We will take them to Aldi for you!
- Oral Health Care- old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss sticks are accepted and sent to Terracycle.
- Writing Tools- We can have these recycled through Officeworks’ recycling program
- Lids and bread clips- These are donated to Lids4Kids. We ask that you clean and dry your lids before your drop off. This might include taking the foam insert out as well.
- Disposable face masks!
WE NO LONGER ACCEPT COFFEE PODS. In the meantime, you might look into compostable or reusable pods to eliminate aluminum waste that is here forever.
The Special Recycling Centre is located outside the staff room near the school entrance.
Also, packing lunches that consist of ‘nude food’ and unpackaged items is another way to make a big difference at our school. By buying food in bulk and placing it into reusable containers, you are eliminating mass amounts of waste for our school and planet! Using reusable drink bottles and ditching juice boxes/ poppers will keep our turtles happy and oceans free from plastic straws.
“Recycling is good, but reducing is better!” -Mrs. McGee and all Joeys
Ryan McGee
Sustainability Coordinator
ryan.mcgee@cg.catholic.edu.au
Welcome to the Library for 2023.
Here is a list of all the class library days. Each student must have a library bag to be able to borrow. This can be just a shopping bag but from experience it is better to have a bag especially for borrowing.
|
Class |
Library Day |
Class |
Library Day |
|
F White |
Monday |
F Red |
Wednesday |
|
1 Teal |
Wednesday |
1 Purple |
Tuesday |
|
2 Magenta |
Monday |
2 Yellow |
Tuesday |
|
3 Navy |
Monday |
3 Black |
Tuesday |
|
4 Green |
Friday |
4 Gold |
Monday |
|
5 Orange |
Tuesday |
5 Blue |
Monday |
|
6 Lime |
Tuesday |
6 Silver |
Monday |
Welcome to Scholastic Book Club for 2023.
Term 1, Book Club Catalogues were sent home in Week one. There is a fabulous selection of books available to purchase.
Every order will earn points so we can order new resources and books for our school.
All orders need to be submitted through the Scholastic LOOP online platform or you can place your child’s order via the Scholastic website. No cash orders will be accepted.
The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to submit and pay for your order online. Your child’s order is sent directly to school and the books will be delivered to their classroom.
The LOOP app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Please submit any orders by Monday 20 February (Monday Week 4)
This year I am again looking for people to help cover books. This is one way in which you can help the school from home. I will send home a bag of books for you to cover in your own time, and you can return them when they are complete. It's a great way to look at the new books coming into our school too. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out.
Georgina Jaram
DEFENCE SCHOOL MENTOR
My name is Emily McFarland. I am the Defence School Mentor (DSM) at St Joseph’s Primary School. The following information is about how my role as DSM can support Defence families as well as some background about myself. DSMs are funded by the Department of Defence through the Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) and employed as a member of the school staff by respective education systems within each State or Territory.
In my role as DSM I can assist with:
- Settling in: Transitioning into a new school can be stressful for some children. Understandably, the reasons are often not knowing anyone and having to make new friends or adjusting to a different educational system. I will work on helping your child feel that they are an important member of the school community and develop friendship and support networks as quickly as possible. I can provide information on educational allowances provided by the Department of Defence, should your child require extra tuition.
- Parent Deployment: Family separation affects all members of the family and children’s behaviour can sometimes alter as they try to adapt to the changes in home life. Often children enjoy and benefit from being in the ‘Defence Kids Club’. This is a support group held Thursdays at first break for all children who have a parent in the armed forces. We do activities such as journaling, playing board games and craft. This is a completely voluntary arrangement where the children can choose on the day whether they wish to come along. It is highly recommended for you to notify your child’s teacher when a parent is away so your child can be monitored.
- Posting out: Most children adapt well and see moving as an adventure. Other children need extra encouragement and positive thinking strategies. I work with children who are posting out of Canberra to farewell their current friends and talk through preparing for their new school. We can also gather a portfolio of their school work for their new school.
I host Defence Kids Club twice a week, one for years F-2 and one for 3-6 where we do different activities each week. The children are welcome to bring a friend. The aim of Defence Kids Club is to provide an opportunity for students to relate to other students and to assist in building resilience and coping skills.
With regards to my background, I grew up in an Army family, my Dad served for 24 years and he was often away for long periods. Because of this, I have a strong understanding of what being a Defence kid entails. I also have a strong connection to St Joseph’s school as I am a past student, and my mother was a teacher here for many years.
If you require assistance or would like to chat, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You can call me at the school on 6248 9818 or come and chat any time you see me around the school.
My e-mail address is: emily.mcfarland@cg.catholic.edu.au . My days at school are Thursday and Friday.
Kind regards,
Emily
DEFENCE-RELATED LINKS
|
Name |
Website |
Phone |
|
Defence Community Organisation (DCO) Defence Family Helpline |
1800 624 608 |
|
|
Defence Families of Australia (DFA) Official body appointed by the government to represent the views of Defence Families. |
1800 100 509 |
|
|
Duntroon Community Centre Supports the development of social networks and common interest groups |
02 6265 9411 |
Sporting News
At St Joseph’s we have so many students excelling in sporting activities both individually and as part of a team. If your child has made a great achievement in sporting events this year, please email me for a shoutout in the newsletter.
This week's shoutout goes to Olivia O in 6 Lime. Olivia has been selected for the under-14's Canberra United Team!! We wish Olivia all the best for this season.
Swimming Carnival:
The 2023 St Joseph’s Swimming Carnival will take place at Dickson Pool on Tuesday 7 March for children in Years 2-6. The carnival acts as a selection for the North Gungahlin District Swimming Carnival held later in the term. A permission note will be sent out via compass with all information and a link to fill out a form for each participant. Forms are due back before 28 February. If you would like to volunteer to help, please email me.
Foundation and Year One will participate in water fun activities during that day at school. More information to come from the Foundation and Year One teachers later in the term.
Cross Country Carnival:
The 2023 St Joseph Cross Country will take place at the O’Connor District Playing fields on 31 March from 11:40 am - 1:25 pm. More information to follow during the term. If you would like to volunteer to help, please email me.
Mel Moore
Uniform Shop News
Congratulations to the Week 2 award recipients.
|
1 Purple |
Archie A Lachlan T |
1 Teal |
Thinley C Joel S |
|
2 Magenta |
Ryder W Ella S Sophie P |
2 Yellow |
Dion B Abi Smith Nathanial Melvin |
|
3 Black |
Isaac K Madeline O |
3 Navy |
Isla C Daniel W |
|
4 Gold |
Giovanni B Sara S |
4 Green |
Sophie D Beau W |
|
5 Blue |
Sinclair D Luerice G Genevieve G |
5 Orange |
Holly H Sophia R |
|
6 Lime |
Eleanor C Louis P |
6 Silver |
Esmee Fahad A |
Happy birthday to these students who celebrated their birthday this week:
| Mae T |
| Aundrei T |
| Edmund G |
| Jack S |
| Aria K |
