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

Our prayer today, as read by Josie S and Amy D, on Monday at the Remembrance Day Commemoration:

To all who have served our nation in wars, in conflict and peacekeeping operations, to those of you who serve to this day here or all around the world, we owe you a debt of gratitude as a nation and as individual Australians. In silence today, in remembrance, we commit ourselves to standing by those who have returned home and in silence today we pray for peace and we honour the Australians who have lost their lives in war for us.

Lest we forget.

Supporting the School – The P&F and School Board

Last Thursday we welcomed 33 new students and their families into Foundation for their Orientation. While the students spent time getting comfortable at ‘big school’, their parents came together to hear more about our great school. Kate Osborn from the P&F and Dan Miller from the School Board, spoke to the new parents about the wonderful contribution these two parent bodies make to the success of our school community.

As we head towards the end of 2019, both our P&F and School Board will undergo elections and renewal. At this time,  we offer a great vote of thanks to Tiffany Fletcher, our outgoing P&F President, who has worked tirelessly over recent years ensuring all community building opportunities have been a huge success. At the same time, Kylie Eves has fulfilled the role of P&F Treasurer, overseeing wonderful support and contributions to the school community.

The P&F works to support and build the wider St Joseph’s community. It’s key purpose is to promote the role of all parents within the school and the support of fundraising to provide resources for the students. The P&F operates and oversees the Canteen and Uniform Shop, at the same time offering an opportunity for all parents to contribute to community events and the school in general.  

Therefore, please consider nominating yourself to join the P&F. All parents are members of the P&F, and can attend the upcoming AGM on Wednesday 20 November at 7pm. All positions on the P&F are declared vacant each year, so any and all nominations are welcome.

We also thank Iain Slatter and Ruth Arkell who finish their current two-year terms on the School Board. Iain is our current Board Chair, while Ruth has held a position as an elected Parent Rep. We also thank Tiffany Fletcher (P&F Rep), Felicity Loftus (ELC Rep) and Skye McPadden (Staff Rep) who have been members of the School Board in 2019.

The Board plays a vital role in the functioning of the school and is an extremely worthwhile avenue for parents to assist with the success of the school. The Board’s work is dedicated to enhancing all that happens for your children at our school and we endeavour to work towards our vision of St Joseph’s being an excellent school within a Christ-centred community. 

Unlike the P&F, the School Board is comprised of elected members, voted in if necessary, who take on a two-year position on the Board. Members can only serve three consecutive terms. Please see below a link to information relating to nominations and elections for the 2020 School Board.

School_Board_Nomination_Form_2020.pdf

On behalf of the St Joseph’s community, we thank all of our parents who take on the many and varied roles to promote and support the success of the school. As a way of thanking our parent community, and to celebrate another wonderful year, please save the date – Wednesday 4 December when we will host a Thank you Morning Tea. More information to come.

Book Launch

On Saturday 30 November, one of our St Joseph’s parents Krys Saclier, is launching her very first book! Please see the attached flyer promoting the launch of Super Nova.  

School Orienteering

Tomorrow morning before school, St Joseph's is hosting the final round of the School Orienteering competition. Over the past month we have had a team entered into the competition, and we wish Ewan G, Will P, Ella O and Amelia M all the best as they compete in their 'home round'. Please be aware that this event will take place around the grounds of the school from 8.00am and will conclude by around 8.40am. All are welcome to come a watch and cheer on the students. 

In closing, a big thank you is extended to IGA O'Connor who very generously donated the corn chips for our special nacho lunch today. 

Have a great end to the week.

Yours with Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Principal

cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Advent is approaching at lightning speed. It is easy to get caught up with the busyness of Christmas preparations. Have you thought about how you will prepare your heart for the birth of Jesus? Are you looking for ways to centre yourself on Christ in the storm of busyness and distractions particularly with this time of year? Formed offer a daily email with meditation, formation, and motivation to create a space in your day and in your heart for Christ.

You can sign up for the daily email at https://formed.org/advent  

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-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Liturgical Season Colour: Green

This week the focus is on the Gospel: Luke 21:5-9, 12-19

Jesus was at the temple in Jerusalem when he overheard some of the crowd talking. “This temple was built to last forever!” they said. But Jesus told them, “One day everything, including this temple, will be destroyed.”

“When will this happen?” they asked him. “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus, “the time for this to happen is still a long way off. Before then many will suffer because they are my followers. I will give them courage and strength; they will be rewarded for their faith and goodness by my heavenly father.”

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

1. What are some things that you do that show that you are following in the ways that Jesus taught us to live?
2. What are some other things you can do to use your talents to turn bad situations into good situations?

Celebrating Liturgy and Sacraments

Social Action & Justice

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

This week students will bring home information about donations for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas appeal. Donations of Christmas food can be brought in from week 6.

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 through quotes from Saint Mary Mackillop.

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!

Once again, Year 1 Planet Protectors are caring for our environment all over Canberra! By creating an Environmental Action Plan, these students are thinking deeply about the needs of our community, and ways they can actively participate in a brighter future. I challenge all Joeys to add 1 action to their lifestyle, whether it's pouring unwanted drink bottle water into plants like Holly, turning the tap off while brushing like Marcos, composting weeds like Sophia R. or recycling soft plastics like Lara. 

Saviour Lip Balm has 2 exciting new flavours! Passion Fruit and Strawberry lip balms are ready to go for this Friday during first break. Ready for a refill? Please bring your last balm container to the Saviour booth and your $2 refill will be returned the following week. Try a new flavour, or stick with our yummy vanilla original!

Year 1 enjoyed a friendly visit from Wildlife Ranger Joel last week. As Year 1 prepares their animal research reports, we learned so much about survival and different species of Australian animals. 

"Koalas only eat gum leaves" - Maddison

"Male Platypuses have spikes on their back legs to keep predators away" - Henry 

"(Current live) Australian animals were here before and are still here today because they have special defences to keep them alive" - Aaron

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."- John F. Kennedy

Ryan McGee

Sustainability Coordinator

ryan.mcgee@cg.catholic.edu.au 

From the Defence School Mentor

It was with great pride and reverence the Defence children hosted our Remembrance Day Prayer Service on Monday. Thank you to the children who took on a specific role, to all the Defence kids who helped to set our prayer space and to the RMC cadets for their role as the Catafalque party. We were blessed to have so many parents in attendance, and I was so proud of the whole school community coming together and taking time to remember the sacrifices made by others in all wars.

Community news

The Australian War Memorial has a new exhibition now open.

The Courage for Peace tells the stories of Australians serving in diverse roles around the world, from Somalia and Rwanda to Cambodia, East Timor, Bougainville and Solomon Islands. The exhibition commemorates the service of these men and women, highlights the importance of their work, and honours their sacrifice.

Sally Adams

Defence Support Mentor

sally.adams@cg.catholic.edu.au 

stjosephscanteen@gmail.com 

Happy birthday to these students celebrating their birthdays this week:

Jack S

Ewan G

Anna J

Aidan M

Josephine S

Nevaeh M