God of the prophets you gifted Mary MacKillop with vision and courage.
In her we see one who was not afraid to speak fearlessly your gospel of love.
We pray for the sensitivity and imagination to read the signs of our times, and to articulate new possibilities for our own day. Like Mary, may we learn to confront all that is oppressive and unjust, and empower others towards true freedom and integrity. Spirit of wisdom, be with us as we face new horizons. 

Amen

Dear parents and carers,

This week I have chosen a prayer in the spirit of St Mary MacKillop. As a Josephite school, St Joseph’s finds its true charism in the life and example of Mary MacKillop, and the work of the Sisters of St Joseph who founded our school. To continue this deep connection, this week Kirstie Buckley and Esther Coghlan are attending a Mary MacKillop Colloquium in Sydney. The Colloquium is a three-day residential experience for people who work and minister in the tradition of Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods. It provides an opportunity for individuals to explore and share the stirrings and challenges in their own hearts and lives, as they respond to this call in a new age. 

We pray this week that we can all respond to the stirrings and call in our world.

Principal Development

Throughout this year I have been privileged to be part of a principal professional development program facilitated by Stephen Brown from The Brown Collective. This week I spent two days in Adelaide with principals from around Australia, including a number of colleagues from Catholic schools in Canberra, hearing from experts in the areas of fostering student voice in decision making, managing complex organisational and educational situations, corporate responsibility, and even media training. This program has been professionally very rewarding. I am particularly keen to bring some things back into what we are doing at St Joseph’s in the area of student voice and advocacy.

Dr Allana Weir

Last night, we were fortunate to have Dr Allana Weir from Kindred Psychology Services present a parent session. Allana shared information about anxiety as a normal emotion and how to recognise when support might be needed. She spoke about practical strategies to support young people and parents when anxiety is starting to impact family life and school. 

Thank you to the School Community Council for supporting this parent engagement initiative.

Year 6 Leaders

Last Friday, our ELC hosted their Grandparent’s Day with a prayer celebration and then some very special time with loved ones in the classrooms and enjoying the outdoor areas of the ELC. As part of the day, eight Year 6 students gave up their time to help the ELC children and their visitors. It was lovely to receive the following message from our ELC Director, Beth Lehmensich –

Thank you so much for supporting us with some amazing Year 6 leaders on Friday for Grandparents Day.

We are incredibly grateful for the leadership, kindness and warmth they brought to every moment. Their intuition, helpfulness and thoughtful presence made a meaningful difference, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all of our Grandparents and the children who did not have grandparents able to attend. They really stepped up and stepped in with grace and heart and truly made an impact.

Thank you again and please let Toby, Fergus, Gio, Teilo, Olivia, Mirabel, Phoebe and Tresa know how grateful and impressed we were.

I also asked our Year 6 leaders to reflect on their time in the ELC –

The ELC grandparents were amazing people, and it was a great experience for both us and the grandparents. The day was filled with fun activities like a photo booth, planting plants with the grandparents, and other enjoyable things. Everyone was very respectful and friendly towards us and each other. As a result, Grandparents Day turned out to be an amazing experience not just for the grandparents and ELCs, but for us as well.

St Joseph’s Interschool Ski and Snowboard Team

Last week, the St Joseph’s Ski and Snowboard Team competed at the annual Interschools Competition at Perisher. It was a mixed big of sun, ice, rain and powder over the week. Our kids did an outstanding job of representing St Joseph's and competing in the spirit of participation.

A huge thank you to all the parents who took their kids along to this event, braving the conditions to support them doing what they love. Rumour is that St Joseph’s nabbed a prime spot outside the café to set up a team stand for all the families to return to after each event.

There were wonderful results by individuals and the team as a whole, but most important is the attitude of the kids during the week. I am told that there were some outstanding efforts to manage difficult conditions and some heavy falls that took a couple of kids off the mountain early.

In summary -

Ski Cross:

Bea J - 27th total / 12th ACT – Best Athlete (Female) Skiing Award

Gwen V F - 63rd total / 28th ACT - St Joseph's Team MVP Award

Hamish M - 40th total / 22nd ACT – Best Athlete (Male) Skiing Award

Bastien S – Toughest Competitor Award

Alpine:

Bea J - 35th total / 16th ACT

Gwen V F - 67th total / 28th ACT

Hamish M - 22nd total / 12th ACT

Bastien S - 46th total / 18th ACT

Snowboard Cross:

Sophia M - 11th total / 1st in ACT - Best Athlete (Female) Snowboarding award

Gwen V F -  came 24th total / 5th in ACT

Patrick M - 43rd total / 4th in ACT - Best Athlete (Male) Snowboarding award

Snowboard GS:

Sophia M - 6th total / 2nd in ACT, 

Gwen V F - 24th total / 5th in ACT, 

Patrick M -  30th total / 3rd in ACT.  

Our female St Joseph's team of Sophia and Gwen did amazingly well with 6th overall and 1st in ACT ! We may see some national invites for snowboarding as a result. We also had top 5 results in the ACT by Gwen and Patrick, and a 1^st and 2^nd in ACT by Sophia!

A really impressive week – well done to all of our competitors.

Thank you to Matt McDonald for taking the lead in bringing the team together and providing the details for this report. All awards will be presented in the coming week.

Breaktime Clubs

Each day there are breaktime clubs that students can join to build new friendships and to foster some personal interests. Please feel free to print the timetable out and remind your child/ren to come along. Thank you to our wonderful teachers and Classroom Support Staff who are facilitating many of these clubs.

Happy Families

A reminder that St Joseph’s is subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership!

URL - https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/stjosephs

Password – happysjps

Please make the most of this membership by accessing and perusing the great articles and past webinars. If there are resources that you find useful, please share these with other parents and let me know, so I can promote them across the school.

This week I have included the most recent Insights article on ‘parenting through the pushback’

Sometimes, parenting can feel like pushing a boulder uphill—especially when it comes to getting kids to do the things we know are good for them: going outside, joining family time, getting off screens, trying something new.

But here’s the truth: kids don’t always know what’s good for them—and it’s our job, as parents, to gently guide them anyway.

Parenting Through the Pushback

Have a great end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Cameron Tarrant