Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
This Sunday, our faith community will come together to welcome our Confirmation Candidates for 2020. This is a special occasion for those students involved, and I ask that we keep them in our thoughts and prayers. In working with my own daughter in recent weeks to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, there were many questions that allowed me to consider my own faith and how best to share this with her. Often we can become concerned about saying the wrong thing, especially when speaking about our faith, or own questions. As a teacher, and now as a parent, I strongly believe that talking ‘with’ our children about faith, and how we define it for ourselves, gives reassurance as they form their own questions. The Holy Spirit empowers our children to be visible and active examples of Jesus in the world today.
Staffing
Congratulations to Michelle Vuli on her appointment as Acting Religious Education Coordinator at St Joseph’s for 2021. Michelle has made a wonderful contribution to our school this year and will continue to do so in her new role. An Acting Coordinator for 2021 will be appointed in the coming weeks. All other staffing for next year is being finalised and will be shared before the end of Term 4.
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Thank you to all those in our wonderful community who were able to join us last Friday for our Prayer Liturgy. It was great to see so many grandparents and special people in the lives of our students, ‘visiting’ our school, some that would have not been able to attend under normal conditions. I hope all of the handwritten letters written by the students have arrived safely!
2021 Classes
A priority in coming weeks is to begin placing the students into their new classes for 2021. This is always a very carefully considered process that begins with the current teacher and what they know of each student and, first and foremost, their learning. At the same time, all social aspects of friendships and new opportunities are taken into account. All students in Foundation – Year 5 will be given the chance to consider 3 friends that they would like to be in a class with in 2021. The intention is to ensure that each student is paired with at least one of their friends they nominate. This Sociogram will be sent home Monday Week 6.
If there is specific information that parents would like to advise me of to assist the composition of classes for 2021, then this must be done so in writing to me either via email or letter by no later than Friday 20 November. This does not include requests for particular teachers, nor does it include considerations other than the learning needs of your child. Each year is a new start for all students, and teachers, and therefore only information provided this year is taken into consideration when putting classes together for 2021.
Canteen Manager 2021
Our canteen is now up and running, thanks to the efforts of Sarah and the P&F Canteen Committee. We are now looking for someone to continue this great work in 2021. Please see below a link to the position of Canteen Manager at St Joseph's Primary School.
https://careers.cg.catholic.edu.au/cw/en/job/496865/canteen-manager-st-josephs-primary-oconnor-act
Family Photos
Do you want to get a start on your Christmas shopping? What better present to send to family and friends than a family photo of your children! Family photos are available to purchase from the Front Office for a mere $15.
Have a great end to the week.
Yours in Christ,
Cameron Tarrant
Principal