Dear Parents and Carers

As autumn settles over our countryside, we are reminded of the beauty and change this season brings. We continue to pray for much-needed rain for our farmers and families who rely so deeply on the land.

We also find ourselves in a special moment for the wider Church, with the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. His first words to the world were simple and powerful: “Let us return to the heart of the Gospel—love, mercy, and service.”

Pope Leo XIV is the first American Pope from the Augustinian Order and is known for his humble leadership and focus on compassion and justice. He has called the Church to be a source of hope, especially for the poor, the forgotten, and those on the margins of society. As we continue our journey this term, let us keep him in our prayers and be inspired by his call to live our faith with joy and kindness.

Mother’s Day High Tea

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the incredible group of Kindergarten parents who worked so tirelessly to host the Mother’s Day High Tea last Friday afternoon. There was over 160 women who attended the event and I have received so much positive feedback about how much everyone enjoyed the afternoon. So much preparation and organisation goes into an event like this and our St Joseph's School Community is ever so grateful to our Kinder families for providing this opportunity to celebrate the special women in our school community and say thank you.

A special thank you to Mrs Margaret Drum for sharing her story with everyone at the high tea. Mrs Drum is a very special part of the fabric woven here at St Joseph’s past, present and future. Thank you to our staff and students for their assistance in the preparation of the High Tea but also for the performances. We are so grateful for the families and business houses that donated to our raffle which was drawn that afternoon. The winners have been published further on in the newsletter.

The Kinder parents would also like to acknowledge others who assisted on the day such as: Sarah Hedlund and her mother-in-law Merryn Hedlund, Bec Moloney and Kiri Smith who helped in her lunch break while the high tea was on. A tally of the money raised for this event is yet to come but will be published once we know.

Visit from Director of Schools Mr Andrew Watson

On Tuesday Mr Watson visited our school and met our Kindergarten students. He was very impressed with the literacy work and reading the children were doing and he had the opportunity to walk through the other classes as well.

Attendance

There is a flyer attached regarding student attendance. Please ensure that if your child is away for more than 3 consecutive days due to illness that you let their class teacher know. The class teacher will contact you to see how your child is going and if they can assist. You may also be asked to provide a medical certificate.

Mrs Munn: Leave Term 3

Mrs Munn will be on leave for Term 3 and a process is taking place to replace Mrs Munn as Assistant Principal. We will communicate who the Acting Assistant Principal for Term 3 will be once the process has concluded.

Yr 6 Excursion to Wagga

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying our Year 6 students Mrs Gardiner, Mr Pratt and Mrs Huard to Wagga. We started our morning with a tour of St Michael’s Cathedral which Fr Paddy led. The students and teachers not only learnt a lot about the symbolism throughout the church and meaning behind certain structures but they also had a go at ringing the cathedral bell which proved to be quite a challenge. The children have passports which are part of their journey in this jubilee year, to reflect in and write what they learnt.

This was followed by attending the Kildare College ‘High School Musical’ performance Dress rehearsal at the Wagga Civic centre. We all enjoyed the performance and want to thank Kildare for providing us with the opportunity to attend and engage with other students form our Diocesan schools in the audience.

The trip concluded with lunch at the Wagga Beach park. We certainly tired the student out and I imagine they would have had a good night's sleep. Thank you to all involved.

School Uniform

We have now moved to winter school uniform. Although it is still warm, the boys must wear their long trousers. Students can layer their uniform during this time of the year as it can be cool in the morning but warmer as the day goes on. Students can remove jumpers/jackets and still have their short sleeve shirts. Hats are worn all year round.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

God Bless

Angela Scott

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