eNews Term 1, Week 5, 2025

Dear Parents, Carers, Teachers, and Students, 

The past few weeks at St Joseph’s School have been busy and productive. Despite the heat, students have settled well into routines. Thank you to those who attended our Middle Years (6-9) welcome evening and provided feedback a few weeks ago. 

Next week we ask families to, please make an appointment for our Meet and Greet Parent Information meetings. You should have received the booking details in a separate letter sent home. These meetings are a great chance to connect with your child's teacher, discuss progress and learning goals, and support their academic success. 

At St Joseph’s School, we value open, honest, and positive communication with families. Your involvement is crucial for your child's academic journey and well-being. If you have any questions or concerns before the scheduled meetings or throughout the year, please make an appointment with your child's teacher. We aim to address any issues promptly and effectively to support your child. 

Road Safety Reminder 

Please follow all road rules around and on school property to ensure student safety. Recently, there have been reports of long waiting lines on McHenry Street and parents parking in No-Standing or No-Parking zones on Florence Street and Mannum Road, disrupting traffic flow during busy times. Please be aware that you will receive a fine if you park on Mannum Road during the week.  

The front bus park (Florence Street) is only for school buses and deliveries.  

Preparing for NAPLAN 2025 

As we commence the new school year, our students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are preparing for the forthcoming NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) assessments. Scheduled for March, these assessments provide valuable insights into students’ literacy and numeracy skills, assisting us in refining our teaching and learning practices at both a whole-school and individual level. 

NAPLAN results aid teachers in identifying strengths and areas requiring improvement, enabling us to tailor instruction to meet our students' diverse learning needs. NAPLAN and other school-based assessment data contribute to a comprehensive understanding of student progress and inform future curriculum planning. 

We acknowledge that NAPLAN is merely one measure of student achievement, and we encourage all students to approach the assessments with a positive mindset. Our emphasis is on growth and learning, and we support students in building their confidence and skills as they prepare for the tests. 

Exemptions and Withdrawals 

While participation in NAPLAN is encouraged, parents and caregivers who wish to apply for an exemption or withdraw their child from the assessments are invited to contact the school leadership team. This process must be completed before the testing period, and we are willing to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. 

The National Assessment Program (NAP) website provides demonstration assessments for students to familiarise themselves with the assessment conditions before the administration period: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site. 

Should you require further information regarding NAPLAN, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Save the Date: 2025 School Board AGM 

Our School Board comprises parent/guardian volunteers who support the school by advising on development and management. Please consider joining with a commitment of about two meetings per term. If wishing to nominate, please contact Mrs Leesa Angove in the front office on 85342000 before Thursday, March 20th. 

Please mark your calendars for our Annual General Meeting on Monday, March 24th, at 6.30 pm. We look forward to your participation. 
 
I want to thank the current School Board members for their commitment to St. Joseph’s school community throughout 2024-25.  
Deacon Arturo, Leanne Maxwell, Sean Ching, Josh Strauss, (staff) Ros Oates, Jamie Mulchay, Deb Holland and Nicki Clifford 
Special thanks to Darren Hollitt for his years of service as Chairperson, during which time he remained calm and true to the school's vision and mission. A number of School Board positions are available at this year's AGM

Pupil Free Days 2025 

Our School will be closed on the dates below for teacher religious retreat and professional learning days. Please put these in your diaries. Camp Australia OSHC bookings will be available. 

Term 1 
Monday 31st March 

Term 3 
Monday 21st July 
Friday 8th August 

Term 4 
Thursday 11th December 
Friday 12th December 

Kind regards, 

Mrs Ros Oates 

Principal 

FROM ASHES TO EASTER

Next Wednesday our whole school will celebrate a whole school Mass in the Auditorium with Fr Philip Marshall and led by our Year 9 students.  This Mass will celebrate Ash Wednesday which begins the church season of Lent.  On this day we receive a sprinkling of ash on our foreheads to remind us that as believers of the Good News we are going to try to live out Jesus message of love and forgiveness.  The ashes come from the palms used at last year’s Palm Sunday celebrations.  We extend an invitation to all families to join us for this celebration at 9:30am in the school Auditorium. 

Lent goes for 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week, the beginning of the Easter celebrations.  The number 40 is very significant in the Bible: 

• The rain lasted for 40 days in the mighty flood – Noah (Genesis 6) 
• Moses stayed on Mount Sinai 40 days (Ex 24:18) 
• Jonah gave the people of Ninevah 40 days to repent (Jon 3:4) 
• Jesus, before beginning his ministry, spent 40 days in the desert in prayer and fasting (Matt 4:2) 

I remember as a child Lent was a time of fasting and going without.  We fasted as a way of helping us understand some of the suffering Jesus went through when he fasted in the desert and as a way of focussing the mind on holy thoughts.  In some ways it was quite exciting because it was one of the few times we had ‘takeaway’, as on Fridays we were only allowed to have fish and no meat.  The local fish and chip shop always did a roaring trade on Fridays. 

Fasting is common among many religions.  The Jews have Yom Kippur, a solemn time to show a need for forgiveness of sins through fasting and praying.   The Muslims have Ramadan, a month when they fast from before sunrise to sunset.  The Hindus fast at festivals and at other times to show devotion to the Hindu deities. 

Strict fasting is no longer imposed but we are encouraged to try to overcome our faults by our good deeds and to try to put aside more time in praying so that we can really let God into our lives.  Another way is giving to Caritas through Project Compassion.  On Ash Wednesday every family will receive a Project Compassion Box.  As a family try to consider giving what you can to support the communities Caritas will be supporting this year. These can be returned to school in Week 11 of this term. 

Ash Wednesday reminds us that God made us all beautiful as we are all made in the image of God.  We may not always be Christ-like in our behaviour though so: 

This Lent, fast by listening to others; 
Pray by opening your hearts to them; 
Give support by holding your hands out to them. 

Shrove Tuesday is the final day of Shrovetide, marking the end of pre-Lent. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalising one's Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes and other sweets.

At St Joseph’s School we celebrate Shrove Tuesday by inviting parents to come into school and cook pancakes for all the students.  They begin cooking at 9am and then classes come one at a time to the Auditorium to receive their pancake.  Several toppings are available, apricot, and strawberry jam, maple syrup, lemon, and sugar. 

In the first few weeks of the year, our Year 1 students have been exploring a variety of exciting topics!

We’ve been learning all about repeating patterns and 2D shapes, developing our understanding of how these appear in the world around us. It has been so much fun being able to create repeating patterns out of all different objects in the classroom and walking around the school finding 2D shapes.

Our focus has also been on trying our best at school, encouraging perseverance and a positive mindset in all tasks. When we talked to the students about how they are going to learn in 2025 this was some of their responses.

Make mistakes so my brain grows - Damon
Spread kindness to everyone - Marcus
Show in all things kindness - Charlotte
In Inquiry the students have been exploring the seasons and how the weather changes, discovering how these changes affect our daily lives.

We are off to a fantastic start and can’t wait to continue learning and growing together!

Congratulations to the below students who have been voted by their peers to represent their team at Sports Day - March 28th! 

Please see The Southern Cross newsletter and the online edition of The Southern Cross March 2025.