From the Principal
ADVENT
In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush, I hope you can all take a moment to reflect on what the Advent season really means. There is giving, and then there is giving. The pile of gifts under the Christmas tree is an expression of giving, but more importantly, it is the gift of love, warmth, kindness, and hope. Many in our world need these gifts this Christmas and throughout the year. I am very grateful to Mrs Carr and Mrs Eveleigh, who have continued to drive our connection with the Red Door Community Kitchen. It is so wonderful to see our students volunteer to help serve a hot meal to others in need and watch them interact in conversation, showing compassion and kindness to others. The hot meal and the kind words are received with such joy; it is truly a privilege to stand back and observe the interactions of our students with the Red Door Community Kitchen clients. This is the spirit of Christmas at work all year round and the true sense of giving.
I wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas.
Farewell to Staff
We have a few staff members leaving us this year for various reasons. Some are retiring, others are relocating closer to family, or their contracts have ended.
Teliece Wallace (LOWE/Art) will join St Paul’s Booragul as their Leader of Learning Religion.
Thomas Fairleigh (Maths) will also join St Paul’s Booragul as a Mathematics Teacher.
Amy Foster (PDHPE) contract ended this year.
Julie Neill (TAS) will retire from teaching this week and embark on the role of grandmother.
Susan Walters retired from her administrative position this week.
We wish these staff well on their new endeavours. We are fortunate to have already replaced all of these staff with new staff or additional staff, whom I will introduce to you in our first newsletter next year.
Buildings
Last week, we officially opened our new buildings in E Block and the Collaboration Space between the staffroom and the front office. This week, I can announce that the Catholic Schools Office has approved the commencement of two additional buildings starting next year. The two demountable buildings, H001 and L001, will be replaced with permanent structures, giving us a new science laboratory and an agriculture laboratory. Additionally, the science preparation room will be extended. Although we were glad to see the current construction completed, we will embrace the new builds with excitement; we most certainly need a fifth science laboratory and an agriculture laboratory that is fit for purpose.
Last week, 120 solar panels were installed on the roof of B Block. This should significantly reduce our electricity bill, which seems ever-increasing due to rising costs and climate. It should also be an interesting learning tool for students as we monitor the energy production and consumption of the panels.
Tiny Forrest
St Joseph’s has been chosen to participate in the Tiny Forests program. Tiny Forests are densely packed patches of native bushland the size of a tennis court. Using an established planting method (called the Miyawaki method) that includes soil enrichment, diverse Indigenous plant selection, and a dense planting structure, Tiny Forests are supercharged, growing up to 10 times faster than traditional forests and becoming up to 100 times more biodiverse than monoculture forests.
The Tiny Forest will be planted on the sloping ground at the end of the Trade Training Centre, and planting will start early next year. This is a unique opportunity for our students to watch and study the wildlife oasis that a Tiny Forest will bring. I have a link below if you want to read more about Tiny Forest.
https://earthwatch.org.au/programs/tiny-forests
Presentation Night
Congratulations to all the recipients of the Presentation Night. Thank you to all the families who attended and celebrated your child's achievements with us.
Thank you to the staff who have, as always, supported our school above and beyond with many events. The organisation behind a presentation night is huge, from writing and marking exams to collating the data and creating certificates to ordering and running the BBQ and clean up. It is a huge team effort, and we are fortunate to have such a willing team of staff who get behind such events.
Veronica Rolfe
Principal