Welcome to our first newsletter

We have started the year with enthusiasm and wonderful learning. We were so impressed with how the children transitioned back to school or for our foundation, the first day of school. The first week was so hot. While we have had a settled start to the school year here on site, we keep those affected by the recent bushfires in our thoughts and prayers.

As a relatively new person to Benalla, I did not know all the areas and families who may have been impacted. Joe Mount from FCJ and the staff here at St Joseph's were wonderful in keeping me informed.

Please let the school know if there is anything we can support you with, as I know it is not always easy to ask for assistance.

NEW Newsletter Format & Communication

We hope this is more user friendly on all devices. Being our first newsletter, we will develop and align the content on each page as the year progresses. There are a number of avenues for communication including the PAM/SIMON Everywhere weekly Principal message, Facebook post, and the newsletter. PAM/SIMON Everywhere also has a calendar of events. You will see a Term 1 PDF calendar attached for those who like the visual displayed in the home. Just a reminder, that this PDF format may change from time to time, and the newsletter and PAM calendar are always an up to date source of information for school calendar dates.

LENT & EASTER

The beginning of LENT is a special time for Catholics and our school. We begin preparation for Easter. Thank you to those staff who made Shrove Tuesday a beautiful experience. It was lovely to see some parents join us.

There are many times we do not see some of the hours and work behind the scenes. I do not always know either. These 'extra' acts are what LENT is all about. Not always giving something up but 'doing' something. I am seeing this every day! This is why Catholic schools are special. This is why St Joseph's is a special educational institution.

Fr Vijay is away at the moment, and we hope he is having a peaceful holiday. Fr Joe Taylor said mass last weekend and again this Saturday and Sunday. Fr Joe was my parish priest for my 10 years at St Luke's Shepparton. We welcome him to our Parish.

Morning Routine

Starting Monday seniors will be permitted to play basketball on the senior 1/2 court in the morning before school. Families entering the Goomalibee entry need to be mindful that basketballs may bounce past. We will review after a week.

Open Classrooms

Grades 1-2 will have their Open Classrooms on Thursday 26 February between 3:30pm-4:40pm, and the Grades 3-6 will have theirs on Thursday 5 March between 3:30pm-4:30pm. If you are arriving towards the end of the session, it may be worth coming at 4:15pm, so you get 10-15 minutes in the room with your child. This is an opportunity for your child to proudly show you their room, working space, some early learning from Term 1 and for the teacher(s) to say hello. At times the classroom space is quite busy at drop off and pick up. This one hour will hopefully be a slower 'pace'.

Open Days

We will confirm these two opportunities ASAP. Your support in communicating this to new families will be appreciated.

150 Year anniversary

St Joseph's Parish celebrates 150 Years in 2026. We have a School Parish Mass on Sunday 22nd March at 9:30am. We would love to see as many families attend as possible.

Sport

We welcome Brae Young into the PE/Sport role. She helped us out with taking Year 1 until we employed a replacement. Any sport related questions to be emailed to Brae at:

byoung@sjbenalla.catholic.edu.au

I am really enjoying my casual visits to the classrooms. From reading to the Foundation students and seeing what novel our senior students are reading. It is very rewarding!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

David Keenan (Principal)