Joseph, just man of God,

Clear mirror of the beatitudes –

Poor in spirit, meek, gentle and merciful,

Man of peace, no stranger to sorrow,

Pure of heart and seeing God daily at your side,

Persecuted for Jesus’ name –

Aid me by your example and your prayers

To shape my life after so perfect a pattern.

Amen

Opening School Liturgy

Whilst we were unable to hold our Opening School Mass, today we gathered as a school community to celebrate the beginning of our school year and to formally recognise our 2021 Year 6 Leaders in a beautiful liturgy held in our school hall.

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph” and we, in turn, are focusing on our patron saint with the theme of “With a Father’s Heart”. During the liturgy, Father Paul explained to us that by coming to know the heart of Jesus means that we come to know the heart of Joseph. As Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph showed Jesus how to live, how to trust in God and how to give our lives to God

Our school hymn for the year, Song to St Joseph by Michael Mangan encapsulates what is meant by “With a Father’s Heart” describing the call of Joseph and his acceptance of what was asked of him. You can listen to the students singing the hymn here.

Swimming Carnival

Thank you to Mrs Allan for her phenomenal organisation in getting our Swimming Carnival up and running on only the sixth day of the new school year! It was a wonderful day and we were fortunate with some very kind Canberra weather (for early February), but more importantly, we were blessed to be able to share the day with so many parents who came to help out on the day.

Congratulations to Madonna who were the winning House and thank you to all the students for the spirit and enthusiasm in which they participated.

Parent Information Night - TONIGHT

This afternoon at 5:30 we will be holding our Parent Information Session via Zoom. To join the session, follow the Zoom link https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/96022057619 If you are unable to ‘join’ us, we will be recording the session and will send out information on how to access the recording in the coming days.

Meet the Teacher

Next Monday, we will hold open classrooms for you to meet your child’s classroom teacher from 5pm to 6pm. This will be an opportunity for you to drop into the school to have a chat with classroom teachers and collect information about your child’s learning. It is also a great excuse to have a look at the amazing building works that have been completed!  

There will be no formal presentations from teachers so please feel free to pop in at any time between 5pm and 6pm that suits you. To assist with Covid restrictions, we ask, where possible that children do not attend.   

P&F Meeting – TONIGHT

The first P&F Meeting for 2021 is being held tonight from 7.00pm. The meeting is being held here at the school, allowing any parents who would like to attend to see the new classrooms and building works. Any parents unable to attend in person are welcome to join the meeting virtually using the Zoom link; https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/98852565623 

School Counselling

As part of the pastoral care program for students, St Joseph's Primary has access to a Student and Family Counselling service provided by CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn. There is no fee to access this service.

The role of the counsellor is to focus on the emotional, social and educational well-being of students. Counsellors welcome contact with students having difficulty with some part of their life, whether or not it affects their school work. Some typical concerns that Student and Family Counsellors work with include: anger, anxiety, behavioural problems, depression, eating problems, family breakdown and family conflict, grief and loss, learning and educational challenges, parenting challenges, peer and other social relationships, school avoidance, stress and study skills. As well as individual sessions with students, counsellors can run groups, do family work, consult with parents and teachers and make referrals to other services and supports.

Our Student and Family Counsellor is Kerry Marshall. Kerry is onsite at St Joseph’s on a Thursday and Friday from 9am to 5pm. Kerry can be contacted via email at kerry.marshall@catholiccare.cg.org.au or please speak to your child’s teacher if you think this service may be something your child could benefit from.

School Photos

A reminder that school photos are taking place next Monday, 15 February. All students are asked to wear their full summer uniform.  Photo envelopes were sent home earlier this week and are due back to school by Monday.

A Place for Everyone - by Miss Bonner

Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy Chinese New Year! Did you know the date of the Chinese New Year depends on the cycle of the moon? This year it falls on Friday 12th February. There are many families in our school community who will be celebrating the Chinese New Year this Friday. Luerice G in 3 Black says that her family will be celebrating by going to her grandparents' house and eating dumplings and moon cake. Her lǎo lao (grandma) and lǎo yé (grandfather) will give her a red envelope with money inside to symbolise good wishes and luck for the new year. 

St Joseph’s is a place for everyone. Does your family participate in a cultural celebration? If so, please let Miss Bonner know via email at courtney.bonner@cg.catholic.edu.au. We would love to acknowledge it within our school community.

I hope you have an enjoyable end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Amy Doszpot

Assistant Principal

amy.doszpot@cg.catholic.edu.au