Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers

With winter upon us bringing colder weather and some much needed rain, it continues to be a busy time here at St Joseph’s. We are towards the end of Week 7 and it is hard to believe our term finishes in 3 weeks time! 

This week, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, a special time for us as Christians. Pentecost is a Christian festival that takes place on the seventh Sunday after Easter and celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the first followers of Christ, giving them courage and guidance to share God’s message of love with the world. It’s a powerful reminder for all of us to be open to the Spirit’s presence in our lives and to spread kindness, faith, and hope in everything we do.

Baptism Mass

Tomorrow morning at 9.30am we will be celebrating a whole school Baptism Mass in the Church. All classes K-6 are currently learning about Baptism in their class RE lessons, so it is very fitting that we are able to have this special mass. Our Yr 1 friend Mia H will be celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism and it is so special that we can all be there to support her and welcome her into the Church Family. You are all invited to attend this special mass with us. We wish Mia and her family all the very best for this very special milestone in her faith journey.

Fr Paddy Holidays

We wish Fr Paddy a very happy and safe holiday to Canada. Fr Paddy will be away from Monday 16th June to 21st July for some well deserved rest. We look forward to hearing all about his time away. Fr Paddy has organised other priests to relieve him whilst he is away for masses.

St Carlo Acutis Display

There is a display in the hall in honour of St Carlo Acutis. Please read further on in the RE section of newsletter for more information. We will be hosting the display until next Thursday.

MacKillop Cross Country Representatives

Yesterday Indy H, Hamish H and Oliver C represented the Wagga Diocese at MacKillop Cross Country in Sydney. Congratulations to all three students for reaching this level of Cross Country and for all their training and preparation. All three students achieved their personal best time and were wonderful ambassadors for our school.

Deanery Athletics

Wishing all of our students who are competing in the Deanery Athletics next Tuesday all the very best. We have a huge contingent of students attending and a special thank you to Mrs Salmon for her organisation and parents for giving up their time to get their children to this event.

Signage Completed

You will have noticed some new signage around the school. As part of our Positive Behaviours for Learning we have put our three core values - Compassion, Respect and Commitment on display around our school and in the hall as a reminder of what we stand for as a school. There has also been some signage on gates, the bus stop, our Emergency Assembly Area and the front office. A big thank you to Anthony Irvine from Irvine Signs, Temora for his work in creating and installing the signs. 

School Hall Car Park and Vaughan Street Drainage

We are anticipating that Stage 2 of our school hall car park will be completed in the upcoming school holidays. You will have noticed that the Junee Shire Council have improved the guttering along Vaughan Street before the car park gates. The next stage is to add drainage so that the water does not run through the car park and erode the surface. The school is also paying for a cement driveway entrance to assist in the drainage. Once this is completed, we can then resurface the hall car park with fresh gravel.

SJJU Social and Fundraising Committee Meeting

Our Term 2 meeting will be held next Monday 16th June at the Junee Hotel starting at 6pm. We welcome all parents to attend and children are welcome to come as well. We will be discussing and planning the upcoming events and fundraisers for Terms 3 & 4.

80’s Trivia Night: Social Event for Parents and Adults

At the moment we already have two tables booked for our fun-filled 80's Trivia Night. It is a chance to come together as a school community and enjoy a night of laughter, games, and a bit of friendly competition! Organised by Mrs Sheree Ballard and our Year 5 parents, this event is all about connection, and is not a fundraising event. It will be held on Friday 27th June at the Junee Ex-Services Club, with doors opening at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start. An external trivia company will run the evening, and the cost is $15 per person or $100 for a table of 10, which simply covers the event. Tickets are available now on QKR. Feel free to bring along friends to join families and staff for what promises to be a fantastic community night. For more details there is a flyer in this newsletter or you can contact the school.

School TV

We have subscribed to School TV, which is a wonderful resource for parents to nurture and support their child’s wellbeing. I have registered our school to join a School TV webinar next Wednesday 17th June starting at 7.30pm. The webinar is around digital media literacy and safety. In this ever evolving world of technology it is so important for parents to be informed about digital technologies to ensure the safety of their child/ren online and using devices.

An Invitation in the Jubilee Year of Hope

I will conclude with an invitation to return to Mass from the recent  Pastoral Letter from our Diocesan  Bishop, Mark Edwards. 

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, there is no better time to return to the source and summit of our faith. The Church invites each of us to rediscover the beauty and power of the Mass. Whether you are a regular attendee or have been away for some time, come and receive the hope that flows from the Eucharist. In a world longing for peace, healing, and direction, the Mass offers us Jesus, our true hope. Let this holy year be a time of grace. Let it begin with the simple, life-changing step of coming to Mass.

No matter how long it's been since your last Mass, you are always welcome to Confession and the Lord’s table.

Mass is our ultimate highway to heaven. Let us walk it together, with faith, joy, and renewed devotion.

God Bless

Angela Scott