Principal's News

On the final day of the school year, we have much to celebrate and many people to acknowledge as 2022 draws to a close. 

And what a year!!

 Whilst it was a HUGE relief that we were no lockdowns this year, and NO remote learning, the relentless nature of primary school saw our staff and students in ‘full swing’ throughout 2022: excursions, camps, the Art Show, sporting events, social nights, fundraisers, more excursions, Grandparents’ Day, Mothers/ Fathers/ special people days and celebrations, a full sacramental program, the pre prep playgroup, working with architects, Italian Day, Book Week etc etc…the list goes on!

Along with the full program of events (in addition to the delivery of a rigorous curriculum and LOTS of learning!) came the feeling that life was ‘back to normal’. 

Whilst we all welcomed this normality, I don’t think we realised how much our collective stamina, energy and resilience would be tested!

But we made it! Our children have grown in their resilience and academic capabilities throughout the year, and again, these positive outcomes are a result of the strong partnership between parents and our staff. I thank you all for your support throughout the year.

I wish all of our staff a relaxing and much-needed break and thank each of them for the way in which they have embraced the ‘back to normal’ this year. It is a privilege to work with you and I thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to our students and school community. There is so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make our school such a thriving community; attendance at camps, preparing and planning lessons, analysing data, providing a loving and supporting environment- again the list goes on. Sometimes, the job description includes removing unwanted visitors:

 I asked the staff to give me a snapshot of the last ten days of school life. Rather than put this into words, the photographs came rolling in. Ten days in the life of St Joseph's:

The final day was a delight, with lots of music, dancing and our final assembly to announce our 2023 Captaincy Roles. 

Also on the last day, our Year 3s found a creative way of using up the scrap paper from their classroom:

The Friday disco was a blast...students (and staff) couldn't resist a final Christmas dance:

Congratulations to our 2023 Captains!

We are so very fortunate to have this fine group of young people lead our school next year. Congratulations to the following students:

Thank you and Farewell!

We thank all of our departing staff who have contributed to the life of the school in so many ways and I hope they are richer for the experience of being a part of the St. Joseph’s school community:

To Mahla Davies, Siobhan O’Dwyer, Jessica Chan and Vink Curtain: we thank you for your years of service to our community and students and we wish you the best of luck with your future endeavours. 

At the end of the year we also farewell families who have been an integral part of our school family for a very long time. We thank you for your support and many contributions over the years and I hope you all look back on your experiences and time with us with fondness.  Thank you for all you have done:

Carrol, Catalan, Cuscuna, Ellis, Emmerson, Fera, Ferres, Graffeo, Guirguis, Kidman, Lewis, Mawzoon, McLaren, O’Flynn, Panozzo, Sahin, Shevlin, Smith, Song, Spear, Wells, Wiatr, Wiggins.

And finally, to the most important people in our community: the students!

I congratulate you for your humour, hard work, enthusiasm, commitment, risk-taking attitudes and artistic skills! It has been a pleasure and joy to work with you all.  You have shown determination and perseverance this year and you deserve a BIG REST!

To our departing Year 6 students, we thank you for your leadership of our school this year; we wish you the best of luck in your new schools, and we ask that you please keep in touch in the future. I am certain you will excel as you move into secondary school.

To all other students leaving us at the conclusion of the year- we will miss you all. We thank you for your contributions to our school community and please remember that we would love to have you come back and visit us.

On behalf of all the St. Joseph’s staff, we wish all of our families a happy and holy holiday ahead, may it be filled with lots of rest, relaxation, fun and precious family time.

Thank you,

Michelle

Father, I pray that you will turn our hearts toward you as Christmas approaches. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season this year and miss the chance to celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas. That first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. 

Amen.