Catholic Leaders Day and Principal’s Retreat

This week we have been participating in the Western Region Principal’s meeting, Catholic Leaders’ Day and Retreat in Bowral. These are the most important days that occur for a Principal (outside of the school) during the year. We had the opportunity to participate in professional learning regarding the strategic direction of Catholic Education, as well as opportunities for networking with other principals and time for reflection on the important role that we hold.

Lunchtime clubs

In addition to our weekly Garden Lunch Club, both Lego and Chess Lunch Clubs recently commenced. Lunchtime clubs can form a powerful

part of whole-school strategies to support social inclusion and wellbeing. They help build student engagement and social skills for all students.

We look forward to continuing to offer the students varied lunchtime activities which cater to all interests. 

Uniform spot checks

Uniform spot checks will occur on a weekly basis, recognising students who are wearing the correct uniform in a neat and orderly manner. These students will receive a raffle ticket, acknowledging their efforts. The raffle tickets will then be drawn at assemblies, with the winning name drawn being given a prize. Thank you for continuing to ensure your child consistently wears the correct uniform.

Staff professional development

This term, staff have been participating in a variety of professional development opportunities to continue to broaden their knowledge about current best practice in education.

Mrs Dione Ryan attended the Aboriginal Contact Day in Canberra recently, and Mrs Loyola Best recently attended the REC and Classroom Support Teacher Network Days.

In addition, Mr Lachlan Martens will attend workshops focusing on the area of High Impact Teaching Practices. Throughout the year, staff will continue to be involved in ongoing professional development opportunities relevant to our students.

Western Region Swimming Carnival - Tumut

Exciting times ahead for our small schools relay team! Our swimming team, consisting of Jed, Charlie, Arabella, and Adelaide, will participate in the MacKillop Championships at the end of Term. 

We wish them all the best in their preparations and we cannot wait to hear all about the experience! 

Thank you - Davina and Andrew Ray

Last weekend, Andrew and Davina Ray assisted with grounds maintenance at school. They volunteered their time to take away rubbish to ensure a clean and safe environment for students. We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to them both for their contributions to St Joseph’s School.

Absences

As the Class Roll is a legal document, parents are required to inform the teacher, on Compass, of the reason for any student absence from school.

This also includes ‘Partial Absences’ such as late arrivals or short visits to doctors etc., whereby you are required to sign your child out and back in on their return at the school office.

If a written explanation is not received, we will send home an absentee form on Compass for you to complete.

Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent

We were very fortunate to have Ms Washbrook and Mrs Best treat the students to pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday) is a way to prepare for the beginning of Lent and dates back to 1000 AD. The students loved being involved in the tradition!

Yesterday the students participated in an Ash Wednesday Liturgy prepared by Mrs Best. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.

Lent is a time to rediscover the meaning of life and prioritise what is important in how we live our lives. We try to simplify our lives, take time out to reflect and pray, and listen and respond to those in need. Please also take the time to pray with your family for those that are suffering and for peace and calm to be brought to our World.

Student arrival time

Please remember that a teacher does not come on duty until 8:45 am in the morning, with school starting at 9:05am. We kindly ask that students do not arrive before this time as they will not be supervised.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN will take place this term in Week 6, starting on Wednesday 12th March, for Year 3 and Year 5 students only. If there are any questions about this,

please do not hesitate to contact us.

Weekly counsellor

We have aweekly counsellor onsite provided by Catholic Care - Danielle Hudson. Individual students can access the counsellor by referral from their class teacher and/or parents. This is a terrific service for our school. Please contact us or your child’s teacher if you would like your child to access this service.

Personal items at school

In regards to bringing personal items to school, students may bring along special items for their show and tell news time in class. They are not to bring along any items to swap or sell.

Students are not to bring electronic game devices, mobile phones, trading cards, footballs or other sporting equipment.

Please be aware that the school is not responsible for any damage or loss to personal equipment.

Calendar

The school calendar is available electronically both through the school website (https://sjpsgrenfell.schoolzineplus.com/calendar) and on Compass. This will enable the school community to keep up to date with planned events.

Music

A reminder that private music lessons are available for students with Mark Corkey, from the Young Regional School of Music. Mark is able to tutor students in a range of instruments of choice. Please make contact with the Young Regional School of Music for further information. Ph: (02) 6382 5735

We wish everyone a lovely weekend ahead.

Warm Regards,

Danielle McFarlane & Chelsea Harveyson

Co-Acting Principal

This week marks the beginning of a new liturgical season in the Church called Lent. Lent is the time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Week that leads up to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Catholics and other Christians spend this time preparing themselves for the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday. They prepare themselves in three ways.

Pray

Prayer can be vocal, such as a prayer spoken before a meal or before bed. Prayer can be meditative such as reflection upon scripture readings through journalling. Prayer can be contemplative through the simple act of being with God in the silence and stillness. At St Joseph’s we have a particular focus in 2025 on Christian Meditation as a form of prayer.

Fast

Fasting from television, social media, gossip and using unkind words can open our hearts to becoming better versions of ourselves. Intentionally avoiding activities that are not helpful in our lives allows us to spend time more productively in the service of others -using a kind word towards another, looking out for each other and spending time enjoying another person’s company.

Give

Lent is a time for giving to others. Giving of our time, providing a listening ear for those in distress or giving money to those less fortunate than ourselves. CARITAS Australia works with people in Australia and overseas to break the cycle of poverty. One way in which they do this is through their PROJECT COMPASSION program. Each family from St Joseph’s will receive a Project Compassion fundraising box. The idea is to place any spare money in the box, no matter how small. These funds, collected towards the end of Lent, are then used to support the many projects CARITAS supports overseas.

We participated in a special prayer service to celebrate the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The students were marked with a sign of the cross on their foreheads with ashes as a reminder that we try to grow closer to Jesus each day.

We again pray especially for improved health for Pope Francis.

Loving God, together we pray for Pope Francis. He is a leader who reminds us to be kind, to care for others and to trust in you. He gives us hope by showing us how to love and help our world. We ask you to bless him with strength. May he feel your love and the love of all the people who are praying for him. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

  Parish News:

 St Joseph's Parish Street Stall. Friday 7^th March and Saturday 8^th March. Volunteers and/or donations (cooking, jams, books and good quality saleable goods) will be gratefully accepted. Contact Deidre Caroll (0403480729)

 Parish Lenten Groups- Mondays 3.30p.m. during Lent in the School Library. All welcome.

Contact Di Franks (63432230 or 0418619740

Next Weeks Readings: 1^st Sunday of Lent Deuteronomy 26:4-10. Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15. Romans 10:8-13 Gospel, Luke 4:1-13. 

Year 1's Storybook last week was Josephine Wants to Dance. The moral of the story was to aim high and you never know what you can achieve. We made this poster to remind us to reach for the stars with our goals for the year. We will be able to look back and see how far we came by the end of the year.