Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,

God of all creation hear our prayer;

Bring us rain to renew the ground, to replenish our dams, to activate seeds, to bring the possibility of some reward to those who have worked so hard. We turn to you in faith and hope.

We pray for all those who live under the shadow of drought. We pray for those who work with the land, for farmers and their families, for those who rely upon the land for their life and relationships.

Give them not just a sense of renewal, but a sense of hope and purpose for lives that are finding the journey hard.

Bring us rain to renew us, Lord.

Amen.

Sustainability

Last Friday we welcomed the Actsmart Schools Eco Bus Tour to St Joseph’s. Students from a variety of other government and Catholic schools toured a number of schools to see the wonderful actions being taken to improve sustainability practices. As part of the tour’s stop at St Joseph’s, the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Shane Rattenbury, visited the school and met with the children. Congratulations to Mrs McGee and all the students involved in making a change around our school!

As I left Boorowa early in the day last Friday, I knew it was going to be a tough day for our students, parents and staff due to the conditions. What a day it was! Congratulations to the students who competed so well throughout the day. By all accounts, even with the wild weather, it was a great day. Thank you to the parents who managed and coached teams and to those who were able to head out to support the students. Thank you also to the staff who spent the day at the carnival. Everyone came home with stories to tell… and lots of dust!

2020 Classes

This week all students in Foundation – Year 5 have been given a Sociogram to take home which allows them the chance to consider 3 friends that they would like to be in a class with in 2020. The intention is to ensure that each student is paired with at least one of their friends they nominate. Sociograms are to be returned to classroom teachers by Friday 8 November.

A reminder that if there is specific information that parents would like to advise me of to assist the composition of classes for 2020, then this must be done so in writing to me either via email or letter by no later than Friday 8 November. This does not include requests for particular teachers, nor does it include considerations other than the learning needs of your child. Each year is a new start for all students, and teachers, and therefore only information provided this year is taken into consideration when putting classes together for 2020.

Have a great end to the week.

Yours with Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Principal

cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Religious Life of the School

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Last Thursday was a perfect day for our community to come together to celebrate our grandparents and special friends. Foundation led our school in prayer with a reverent and meaningful prayer celebration. Thank you to all those who worked behind the scenes to make this celebration memorable. Thank you to those who came from near and far to share it with us. The atmosphere in our community as our special guests spent time in classrooms and shared a picnic under the trees was a testament to the value we place on our time together. Leading up to the day we prayed for fine weather and we were blessed abundantly with a glorious fine day.

Family Mass Sunday 3rd November

This coming Sunday we have our second family Mass at 9am. This Mass will be led by Year 6 students and their families. All are encouraged to join us for mass and afterwards for morning tea and a walk through our garden art gallery.

Prayer and Worship

Student Led Christian Prayer

Each Friday after first break Year 6 lead classes in prayer with a focus on the Gospel for the coming Sunday.

Liturgical Season: Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Liturgical Season Colour: Green

This week the focus is on the Gospel: 19:1-10

Jesus went to a town called Jericho, where a man called Zacchaeus lived. Nobody liked Zacchaeus because he was a tax collector who cheated people to make himself rich. When Jesus arrived, crowds gathered to see him, and Zacchaeus was among them.

Zacchaeus was very small and could not see Jesus because of the crowds, so he climbed a tree to get a better view. As Jesus passed by, he looked up and said, “Come down, Zacchaeus! I want to visit your house today.” Zacchaeus almost fell out of the tree with surprise. Hearing this, the crowd began to grumble and complain. “How can Jesus speak to such a wicked man?” they said.

Then Zacchaeus turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, I know that I am a dishonest cheat, but I want to change and put things right! I will give back half of everything I own to the poor and pay back everything I have stolen four times over.”

Jesus smiled at Zacchaeus and said, “I have come to find and save anyone who has lost their way. Now change your heart and make a fresh start.”

At home we invite you to read the upcoming Gospel as a family and discuss our focus question for the week.

1. What did Zacchaeus have to do to see Jesus?
2. When people grumbled that Jesus was staying in the house of a sinner, what did Zacchaeus do?
3. How does Jesus respond to this promise?

Celebrating Liturgy and Sacraments

Social Action & Justice

Action For Justice

Lip Balm Pop-Up Shop

Year 6 will continue to open their Pop-up shop on Friday during break 1.

Catholic Mission

Religious Identity and Culture

Ethos and Charism

Our strategic priority to deepen our St Joseph’s identity means to deepen our understanding of our Josephite Charism.  We can learn much about our Josephite Charism though quotes from Saint Mary Mackillop. The quote for this week is:

Evangelisation and Faith Formation

Faith Formation

St Joseph’s Parish has begun its annual Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).

If you are curious about God or the Catholic Church, were baptised as a child but did not receive Eucharist or Confirmation, visit the parish one Sunday and speak to Fr Paul.

If you have questions about the RCIA process, please email Alwyn Dantis on alwyndantis@yahoo.com or ring 0467 243 363.

Yours in Christ,

Melanie Stratford

Religious Education Coordinator

melanie.stratford@cg.catholic.edu.au 

SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION!

Last Friday, St Joseph's students hosted nine other schools in a sustainability event which also featured a special guest speaker, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, Shane Rattenbury.  Year 5 put on fantastic songs and dances with sustainabile messages, while other grades showed off our sustainable initiatives throughout the school.  Participating students were prideful, eloquent and excellent representatives of our St Joseph's.  I could not be more proud of our kids!

We are now collecting old mobile phones in the Recycling Station located in the Sustainability Corridor. Actsmart is attempting the world record for most collected mobile phones for recycling. 

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." – Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Ryan McGee

Sustainability Coordinator

ryan.mcgee@cg.catholic.edu.au 

From the Defence School Mentor

Some of our Defence families are gearing up for a posting out of Canberra which is very exciting. We have been updating the children’s School Posting Passports to help them keep track of the many schools they may enrol in. If you have not yet let the school know you are moving, please get in touch. There will be 3 families that we know of on the move at the end of 2019.

2019 Veterans Community Day

The ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Veterans and their Families is hosting Canberra’s Inaugural Veterans Community Day at the National Arboretum Canberra.

Join the Council for a Remembrance Day commemoration, tour the Turkish Pine Forest, hear the story of Canberra’s first Anzac, meet members of the new Council and enjoy the stunning surrounds.

When: Sunday 10 November 2019
Time: 10am to 1pm
Venue: Margaret Whitlam Pavilion, National Arboretum Canberra, Forests Drive, Molonglo Valley

A traditional Ngunnawal welcome to country smoking ceremony will be conducted prior to formalities.

While this is a free event, registrations are required through Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/veterans-community-day-at-the-national-arboretum-canberra-tickets-75774404283?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Sally Adams

Defence Support Mentor

sally.adams@cg.catholic.edu.au 

CLICK HERE TO HELP

stjosephscanteen@gmail.com 

Happy birthday to these students celebrating their birthdays this week:

Oliver A

Ian C

Bonnie P

Evie P

Dexuan K

Lachlan S

Adam S

Ashley F

Drina K

Connor J

Maia J