eNews Term 4, Week 9, 2024

Dear parents, carers, teachers, and students, We have reached the final newsletter of 2024, it’s hard to believe the year has come to an end. I would like to extend my thanks to the entire St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge community for making this school year so memorable. There have been countless highlights throughout the year, too many to mention, but they are all beautifully captured in our Annual School Magazine. A special thank you to our Marketing Administrator, Georgia O'Neil, for expertly compiling our 2024 story, and to all the staff for their contributions. This publication showcases the fantastic opportunities our students enjoy at St Joseph’s School, and it’s these opportunities that we should remain focused on, rather than the occasional challenges. Enjoy this year’s publication as a gift for each family.

The end of the year brings a mix of emotions. We are excited for the long holiday break, relieved to have completed another successful year, and yet saddened to say goodbye to staff, students, and families who have been part of our school community. We wish them all the very best in their future endeavours and hope they will carry their memories of St Joseph’s with them, keeping a little piece of our school family in their hearts. Rest assured, we will do the same.

At St Joseph’s, we are fortunate to have a dedicated, caring, and hardworking team of professionals. From our teachers and support officers to our admin and maintenance staff, we work together to ensure every child has the best educational experience. Our staff consistently go above and beyond to provide various activities that enrich our students’ school life. Thank you to each and every one of you for your dedication and effort. As we say farewell to staff members retiring or embarking on new adventures, we wish them well and pray that God will guide them in their new ventures.

I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the parents and guardians of our school community. Your partnership and support are invaluable as we work together to educate your children. The School Board has been a wonderful avenue for parent involvement, and this year, we were fortunate to have Darren Hollitt chairing the board, with many parents joining to ensure strong representation. In 2025, we are looking for more enthusiastic members to join our School Board. Please consider becoming a part of this important group and keep an eye out for nomination forms in the New Year.

I am also deeply grateful to our students. This year, our students have continued to embody the virtues of St Mary MacKillop—courage, faith, and kindness. Your smiles, willingness to learn, and care for others have been a joy to witness. Your actions reflect Mary MacKillop’s example, and you are an inspiration to all who work alongside you.

During the holiday period, many of us will be finalising preparations for our St Joseph’s School 100th Birthday Gala Night. This event will be the first of many celebrations marking this significant milestone and honouring our Josephite tradition of 100 years of primary schooling at our school site. Please stay tuned for further updates on our Facebook page about this and other upcoming special events.

In terms of communication, we will continue to keep parents informed via Seesaw throughout the holidays. Please note that there will be no stationery day before the school year begins. All required resources have been purchased and will be distributed by teachers during the first week of school. I encourage families to review their child’s school uniform and contact St Vinnies in Murray Bridge in early January for any updates. We are excited to be adding smaller sizing in the winter school jacket and a new navy blue skort to the uniform selections, which should be available for purchase in early 2025. Parents are also welcome to purchase navy blue socks of their own choosing, although the school socks will still be available for purchase.

As a reminder, school will resume on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025, following the Australia Day long weekend.

I wish each of you a joyful and Holy Christmas. May your holiday season be filled with safety, peace, and quality time spent with family and friends. We have an exciting year ahead in 2025 with a somewhat new team, and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Mrs Ros Oates 
PRINCIPAL

New Transport Option for 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Beginning in 2025, we are pleased to offer a new transport option to support families with daily to and from school travel needs from Murray Bridge to Mount Barker. This service will provide:

· Transportation for students travelling between St. Francis de Sales College, in Mount Barker and St. Joseph’s School at the beginning and end of the school day e.g. The approximate leave time from St Joseph’s School is 8 am.

· A pick-up service from Callington to Murray Bridge for St. Joseph’s School students at approximately 8.45 am. There will be only one stop.

Initially, the service will utilise a large-seater vehicle, with plans to transition to a dedicated St. Joseph’s School bus as demand grows.

If you are interested in this transport option or would like more information, please email Mrs Ros Oates at ros.oates@stjomb.catholic.edu.au to express your interest and inquire further.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Semester Two Academic Reports are published on the SEQTA Engage App

Times have changed dramatically since many of us attended school. Today, televisions are used in most classrooms, computers are used daily, and tools like Seesaw and Facebook are used to communicate with parents. The same can be said about report cards; they have changed from the A-E grades we received when we were in school.

When I was in school, receiving a "C" was seen as a negative thing, but this is no longer the case. A "C" now means your child is achieving at the expected curriculum level. It takes a great deal of effort to reach this level. A "C" is something that should be celebrated, as it means your child is achieving exactly what they should be! 

Your child’s teachers have completed assessments for Semester Two, and the overall grade on the report is the combined grade for the whole school year. These reports will indicate how your child is progressing on their learning journey. Classroom teachers devote hours to observing, collating data, and ensuring the report accurately reflects how your child is achieving at this point in time in their learning. If you need assistance accessing the SEQTA report, please call the administration office of the school and Mr Luke Woods will be able to assist you.  

As part of our Catholic Social Teachings our mission is to reach out and serve the most vulnerable. This year we will be supporting the St Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We will be asking for generous donations of children’s toys (keeping in mind children from 12-16 years of age). Please remember not to wrap any items. 

Late donations can still be brought into the administration office. We thank you sincerely for your support and generosity. 

 
2025 Term Dates 

Term 1 - 28 January to 11 April 
Day 1: Tuesday, 28th January 2025 
Term 2 - 28 April to 4 July 
Term 3 - 21 July to 26 September 
Term 4 - 13 October to 12 December 

The 1988,89,91 and 92 artifacts time capsule has been unearthed with only minimal water damage. 

Personal letters written to families are listed below! These are available to be collected at our Centenary Gala, if not at the front office after. 

TIME CAPSULE FAMILY LETTERS - 1988/1992

BALANCING TURMOIL AND PEACE

One of the most popular activities of the Advent and Christmas seasons is the singing of carols. We have “carols by Candlelight”, “Carols in the Park”, “Carols in the classrooms” and all express happiness and joy. However, not all carols were composed in happy or joyful circumstances and the “Twelve Days of Christmas” was one such carol. When Henry V111 had his falling out with Pope Clement V11, he set about to dismantle the Catholic Church and to establish the Church of England. Catholics were not permitted to practise their faith openly or even in private; if they were caught, the consequences were severe: heavy fines, imprisonment, even death.

So, Catholics devised a “coded” carol as an instruction tool for their children. It was called the “Twelve Days of Christmas” and its images covered the essentials of their Catholic faith. The “True love” is God; the “me” is every baptised person; the “partridge in a pear tree” is Jesus and his cross; the “two turtle doves” are the New and Old Testaments”; the “three French hens” are faith, hope and charity; the “four birds” are the four Gospels; the “five golden rings” are the Pentateuch which were the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture that contained the “law” or teaching and instructions; the “six geese-a-laying” are the six days of creation; the “seven swans” the Gifts of the Holy Spirit; the “eight maids” the Beatitudes; the “nine ladies dancing” the fruits of the Holy Spirit; the “ten Lords” the ten commandments; the “eleven pipers” the eleven faithful Apostles; the “twelve drummers” the twelve articles of faith in the Apostles Creed.

This year children in Reception and their Year 6 buddies, shared the story of the first Christmas in their own unique manner. The Mini Vinnies Committee prepared the ‘Giving Tree’ and collection of food items for St Vincent DePaul’s Christmas hampers as well as the money raised from our Christmas dress up day. A big thank you for your generous support as this will allow a child or family to also share in the joy of Christmas Day.

This time of the year also brings sadness as we say farewell to friends and colleagues who are moving onto new pastures. Some we have known for many years and others but a short time. Our Year six and nine students are possibly feeling several conflicting emotions; happiness at graduating from Year 6 & 9, anxiety about what it could be like at Middle / Secondary School and sadness at moving away from some friends. We thank and farewell colleagues who are moving to other adventure. I hope and pray they all take away fond memories of their time at St Joseph’s and that they will remember that God will always be there for them and to let the wonder of God’s love come through their lives and allow it to be available to other people.

GOD’S BLESSINGS, PEACE AND BEST WISHES FOR A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS.

Congratulations to Renzo, Michael, Natasha, Jaydee, Isabelle, Luke, Wayne, Minh, Anh, Harley, Lavinia, Amalia, and Johanne who celebrated their First Reconciliation last Friday night with Fr Philip and Fr Richard.  Next year these students will prepare and celebrate their Initiation into the Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion.

Thank you to our wonderful St Joseph’s Community for your kind generosity in supporting our Giving Tree, Food collection and Casual Day fundraiser for Vinnies Christmas Appeal, which raised $300.  Vinnies are very appreciative and  ensure that it all goes to very worthy families as we celebrate the birthday of Jesus at Christmas.

See images below of our wondeful last week: