Catholic Identity
Lots has been happening in Year 3!
This week, we recognise the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a beautiful opportunity for us to reflect on the immense love Jesus has for each of us. Symbolised by His heart, this devotion invites us to deepen our own capacity for compassion, kindness, and love within our families and our school community. As we mark this special day, we encourage you to take a moment this week to share in this reflection with your children, recognising the Sacred Heart as a source of grace, comfort, and abundant love in our lives.
The Heart itself: Represents the centre of Jesus’ being, embodying both His divine and human love for everyone.
The Flame: Represents the "consuming fire" of His charity and love, signifying that His love is active and all-encompassing.
The Crown of Thorns: Symbolises the suffering He endured during His Passion
The Cross: Usually depicted at the top of the heart, it represents His ultimate sacrifice and surrender to the Father’s will for our salvation.
The Wound/Piercing: Represents the spear wound from the crucifixion, illustrating that His heart was pierced for our sake, remaining forever open as a fount of grace and comfort. Out from the piercing came blood and water. This connects us to the Eucharist.
Year 3 will attend Mass on Friday. To connect with their learning, students created beautiful artworks on the symbol of the Sacred heart. This week, we also celebrated the students who made their First Holy Communion, Fr Patrick joined us for cake and spoke about how proud he was of each student who made their First Holy Communion and encouraged them to attend Mass regularly for spiritual nourishment.
Well done Year 3!
Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal 2026
On Thursday 4 June St Joseph’s held our annual Winter Appeal to help support needy families in the local area. Students were asked to bring a food item to school, and wear a winter accessory. We had a lovely day staying warm while wearing scarves, gloves, beanies and Oodies!
Thank you so much to all of our St Joseph’s families and staff for generously supporting our local St Vincent De Paul chapter, and raising much needed food for those who are struggling this winter.
SVDP does incredible work in our local community, working to “give a hand up, not a hand out.” Your donations have given many people hope this winter, as well as the knowledge that there are many people in their community who care.
We thank Mrs Parker for leading the important work of Mini Vinnies!
Year 2 Grade Mass
This afternoon, Year 2 attended Mass with Fr Patrick in preparation for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. The students were praised for their reverence, singing and responses. We thank our family members who took the time to attend Mass with us.
World Environment Day
World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June, and this year we celebrated it last Friday. This year's World Environment Day theme is Now for Climate, calling us to focus on the urgent signals the Earth is sending and the signals we choose to send back. The global campaign calls on all of us to step in, to move further, to steer a world already in motion. The question is no longer if change comes, but how we guide it and how fast it happens.
Kindergarten’s special visit to the church
To align with their learning, Kindergarten spent some time in the church looking at all the sacred objects and symbols within it. We took some photos and made our own vocabulary cards. There are lots of important words that Kindergarten students need to remember and to reinforce this, students were able to very reverently touch and feel each object.
Well done Kinder!
What are Years 3-6 Learning about in Religious Education?
In Year 3 Students will:
retell the key events of the Ascension and Pentecost, describe how the apostles and the early Christians continued the mission of Jesus, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, name the Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In Year 4 Students will:
describe times when the Holy Spirit gave courage to the followers of Jesus, articulate how the saints needed courage to spread the Good News, identify situations when they need to speak and act with courage.
In Year 5 students will:
describe the mission of Jesus in Luke 4:16-22, name and describe the ‘fruits of the Spirit’ identify how the good works of individuals reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit
In Year 6 students will:
identify some images in Scripture that reveal God as Holy Spirit, describe the relationship between the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, outline the main structure of the sacrament of Confirmation, identify the main beliefs expressed in the Nicene Creed, explain how the saints have lived the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this learning, the students will be given an opportunity to select their saint for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
I encourage you to ask your children what they are learning in Religious Education and how they can apply their learning to everyday situations.
Quick Quiz
During the Liturgy of the Word, the priest gives a _______ to help us understand the readings. We also listen to the _______, which tell the stories of Jesus' life on Earth.
Gospels, Homily, Bible, Eucharist
Revision of the Old and New Testament
Mr Alexander Walker
Religious Education Coordinator