Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all had a fantastic week. The term is passing quickly, and it will be Easter before we know it!

At the moment, there is a lot of energy around the school. Our students have been involved in a number of sporting events, and we have several upcoming Church events that we will be celebrating alongside our St Andrew’s Parish in Wee Waa.

One of the upcoming feast days is the Feast of St Joseph. This is a special feast day as it is the patron saint of our school. We will be celebrating this on Tuesday 21 March.

The following is an extract from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland in the United States of America. It has a good description of St Joseph and his connection to the ordinary man:

The mention of St. Joseph conjures up thoughts of a holy man, the spouse of Mary, earthly father of Jesus and a hard-working carpenter.

Although he’s one of the most-recognized saints, little is known about him.

In the Bible, he is referred to as a “just man,” which was considered a high compliment in his time. It also meant that he was willing and open to do whatever God asked of him, including taking Mary as his wife, despite her unusual – and blessed pregnancy (Matthew 1:19). He also loved and cared for Jesus. There also is a reference that St. Joseph was a descendant of King David.

St. Joseph protected his family, heeding the Lord’s direction, which came in a series of dreams and messages from angels.

After being instructed not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, he did. They traveled to Bethlehem, where he found a safe place for Jesus to be born. In another dream, he followed the angel’s direction to flee with Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to protect them. Later, when those who wanted to harm Jesus were gone, an angel instructed Joseph to return home.

After that, there is little mention of St. Joseph.

Churches, schools and religious orders are named after this beloved saint. He has two feast days: March 19 is the traditional feast day of St. Joseph, husband of Mary that has been on the liturgical calendar for many years – dating to about the 10th century. May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, was established in 1955 by Pope Pius XII.

St, Joseph is known as the patron saint of the Universal Church, a happy death, families, fathers, expectant mothers, explorers, pilgrims, travelers, immigrants, home sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers and working people. Also, many cities and countries are dedicated to him.

Canteen

Our canteen needs volunteers to operate effectively. If you have a couple of hours available on a Wednesday, please consider volunteering to help our Canteen Coordinator, Kathleen. The days and the form are available to view via bit.ly/3EPBz1H

Uniform survey

Just a reminder about our summer uniform survey. We have had very few responses and would like to hear from more of our families. Please give your feedback via bit.ly/3KEj4SB.

ADPSC Winter Trials

Last Friday, 3 March, students travelled to Tamworth to participate in the ADPSC Winter trials. Well done to all the students for their efforts and sportsmanship!

Congratulations to Jag Carroll, who has made the Diocesan Team for Rugby League Polding, and a special mention to Jack Wilson for making the Probables v Possibles.

Annual Improvement Plan 2023

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week myself, Elise Baird, Elise Avery and Karlee Hatton travelled to Tenterfield to present our Annual Improvement Plan for 2023. It was an excellent opportunity to discuss strategic direction with leaders from Armidale Catholic Schools (ACS) and other leadership teams from schools around our diocese.

We were also privileged to do a learning walk through St Joseph’s Tenterfield and discuss the system and common practices amongst our schools and that we are all striving toward a common goal.

Netball NSW Cup

On Wednesday, 8 March, two teams of Stage 2 and 3 students travelled to Narrabri to participate in the Netball NSW Cup. They played very well, and it was great to see their confidence and ability improve throughout training. A huge thank you to Lorna Gleeson, who helped prepare the students and our parents for your support.

Welcome BBQ

The St Joseph’s P & F will host our annual start-of-year Welcome BBQ on Wednesday, 22 March (following the Stage 2 Lake Keepit Parent Information Night). All families are welcome to attend. If you and your family would like to join us, please complete the following RSVP form via bit.ly/3m4jBCX to help with catering.

School Closure Day

Please note that the school will be closed on Friday, 31 March, while our staff attend a Big Write/VCOP Workshop for Professional Development.

Have a great weekend.

God Bless,

Alistair Stewart

Principal

St Joseph's Primary School

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Issue 3 · 10 Mar 2023

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