St Joseph’s Primary School - O'Connor
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Boronia Drive
O'Connor ACT 2602
Subscribe: https://www.sjo.act.edu.au/subscribe

Email: office.sjo@cg.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 6248 9818
Fax: 02 6247 1792

Week 7 Term 3 2021 Newsletter

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Week 7 Term 3 2021 Newsletter

Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,

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As we continue to move through these challenging times, please keep all in our community in your thoughts and prayers. I trust that you are all doing well and taking things gently as you navigate learning remotely, working remotely and living very much face to face! I know that trying to help with a Year 10 RE assignment, and a Year 7 Science assignment, while at the same time engaging my Year 5 son who had ‘finished everything’ at 10am yesterday, made for a challenging reality check! We will make it through.

Father’s Day

Unfortunately, our plans for a grand breakfast and gathering here at school next Friday to celebrate Father’s Day, have had to be put on hold till 2022… we will make it count when we have the chance. This also means that our planned video with photos that were being sent in, is not able to be created and shared due to some privacy concerns.

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Instead, next Friday 3 September at 9.30am, please join the school community, remotely, to celebrate Father’s Day. We will lead a Prayer Celebration from here at school, and share a video of artistic responses to, ‘We love our dad / pop / uncle / neighbour because…’ The teachers are sending out a prompt for this activity in their daily plans in the next week, so each family is invited to create an artistic response and send it in to be included in the video. More details about the Prayer Celebration, including the meeting link, will be shared early next week.

School Board

The Board plays a vital role in the functioning of the school and is an extremely worthwhile avenue for parents to assist with the success of the school. The Board’s work is dedicated to enhancing all that happens for your children at our school, and we endeavour to work towards our vision of St Joseph’s being an excellent school within a Christ-centred community. 

In recent years, a key priority for the School Board has been overseeing the planning and construction of the new classrooms and school refurbishments that were completed at the start of 2021. As part of this, we were expecting to have an official opening of these building works later this term, but this has had to be held over till we return from lockdown.

Therefore, I do want to acknowledge the work of the Board to support this project, and in turn the support that has been provided by you all as members of the St Joseph’s school community. The final project costs exceeded $3,000,000, of which we received a Capital Grant of $1,000,000 from the ACT Block Grant Authority, an Australian Government contribution to the project. At the local level, our school recently contributed $200,000 to the project. The remaining project costs were covered by Catholic Education, for which we are incredibly grateful.

What is important to know, is that the local contribution of $200,000 was made without taking on any additional loans as a school, while at the same time the Board committing to extensive expenditure in 2021. This has only been possible through your ongoing support of the school by way of school fees, and the good financial management of current and previous members of the School Board. Beyond this planned expenditure in 2021, the School Board has in recent years paid down all outstanding loans relating to prior building works, and ensured a financial position that allows for planning and expenditure into the future.

At the last School Board meeting, 2021 capital expenditure approval was finalised for the installation of additional joinery and fittings to complete our new refurbishments, the purchase of new classroom furniture, the installation of new school signage on both Boronia Drive and MacArthur Avenue, the purchase of additional iPads and laptops for across the school, and approval of design and planning works for extensive nature play spaces on the Boronia Drive end of the oval. All of this expenditure directly supports improved learning spaces and experiences for our students.

This is only possible thanks to the incredible school community that we have at St Joseph’s, and the active support provided by the members of the School Board, past and present.

Current School Board Members:

Fr Paul Nulley Parish Priest Molly Henson ELC Director
Cameron Tarrant       Principal Zoe Cawdron Staff Rep
Pip Cleary Board Chair Rachael Whiteley-Black  P&F / ELC Rep
Si Kayser  Treasurer Kimberley McDonald Parent Rep
Rebecca Jackson Secretary Tom Tokic  Parent Rep
Amy Doszpot Assistant Principal Kieran Fordham Parent Rep

Thank you to all parents for the support that you give to the school, particularly at this challenging time.

Stay safe and go gently.

Yours in Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Principal

cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au 

 

Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday while we have been in lockdown, or will celebrate their birthday this coming week.

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Patrick M
Claire A
Sophia M
Kennedy W
Clemetine C
Emery D
Bridget M
Mia B
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See the St Joseph's Entertainment Guide link here
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