From the Principal

Japan Visitors 2024

Welcome to our very special visitors who arrived from Japan yesterday:

Mr  Miura 

Ms Okisaka 

Ms Kayoko Kitamura 

the students from Niiggata International School

and Ms Sofia Costantino who is travelling with them as their translator.

Firstly, I would like to thank Mrs Tanya Chapple, who has worked many hours to organise a week of activities for our visitors and their host families. As we all know, Mrs Chapple is very passionate about everything Japanese.

This is an important cultural event for our school and the students and teachers from Niigata International School for several reasons:

Culturally, we now have the unique opportunity to experience different cultures, customs, and traditions with each other. Our students who travelled to Japan earlier this year with Mrs Chapple would appreciate what I am referring to: differences in so many everyday things we do, from our schools to food, cars, homes, television, and religion. 

Academically, we hope that the students from Niigata take the opportunity to improve their English-speaking skills. Similarly, the students of St Joseph’s will get to practise their Japanese-speaking skills. Communication is so important for helping us understand each other and share thoughts and ideas. 

Socially, we hope that this week, you will be able to build lasting connections with each other and make life-long friendships that can extend beyond this week. In 2011, when my eldest daughter was in Year 10, a Japanese exchange student stayed in our house. We went back to Japan to visit her in 2013, and she still keeps in contact with my daughter.

Thank you to the students and their families who have opened their homes to our visitors, making them feel welcome and helping them truly experience life in Australia.

We hope our special Japanese visitors have a wonderful week here with us all at St Joseph’s Aberdeen.

Community Day

Congratulations to the SRC for a successful and colourful Community Day on Friday. It is remarkable that the students put so much effort into raising funds for our local charities but it is equally significant to see the students working together and having fun as a community. A huge thank you to Mrs Marika Eveleigh, who is the driving force behind each and every Community Day. 

InterActs 2025

At our Community Day Assembly on Friday, the Year 12 Leaders launched InterACTS 2025. This is a significant event in our school calendar each year. In conjunction with Chic Taylor and the local disability services, our students volunteer to organise and run InterACTS for about 50 clients and their carers from several different disability services. 

The week of 13 – 16 January, the students hold workshops for the clients, ranging from arts and crafts to Zumba and drumming. The program concludes with an onstage concert for the families of all the clients to come and enjoy. Last year, about 60 students volunteered to be part of the InterACTS program. The clients look forward to InterACTS all year, and with the support of the BHP Benefiting Your Community Program, we have grant money to help us put the event on.

This year will be our 19th InterACTS event. So, students, please consider joining us for the week of January. We need help with the catering, client buddies, workshop runners, and having fun with some very special people in our community.

Veronica Rolfe

Principal