Dear parents and carers,

Each morning this week as I have braved the cold and darkness while walking the dog, I have longed for the sun to come up to give that incredible sense of warmth that it provides. It never ceases to amaze me just how much of a difference the sun makes on a cold Canberra morning. It is almost instantaneous when we step into the sunlight, often better than the heater we have been huddled around inside. Our faith can perhaps be seen in much the same way; nurturing, comforting, calming, and at times even life changing. As we move through the cold days ahead, may the warmth of God’s love surround each of us, and all those in our community, particularly those who are not able to get warm through the current challenges of life.

Welcome Fr Anthony (Thonn) Riosa

I am very pleased to officially welcome Fr Thonn to St Joseph’s Parish and to St Joseph’s Primary School. From the start of July, Fr Thonn and the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, have been entrusted to the pastoral care of the parish and school. Please see the attached statement from the Vicar General, Very Reverend Richard Thompson for a full statement. I encourage all families to head along to mass in the coming weeks to introduce yourselves to Fr Thonn and to join in the continued history of our parish.

Registration

Later this term we have Registration. This process takes place every 5 years and ensures that the school is meeting all obligations around administration and compliance, Catholic identity, teaching and learning, assessment and reporting, providing a safe and supportive environment, and developing community. A panel of members from Catholic Education and colleagues, visit the school to review documentation and spend time getting a sense of what we are about. This is a wonderful opportunity to share all that makes St Joseph’s special. Thank you to the Leadership Team and all staff for the effort that has gone into preparing for the Registration visit.

As part of our readiness, there is a Working Bee on Saturday 5 August from 8.00am. Please come along if you are able to offer some time to help have the school looking great.

Rostrum

Tonight Olivia D in 6 Silver is representing St Joseph’s at the Quarter Final of the 2023 Rostrum Primary School Speaking Competition being held at Turner School. Olivia was selected as our representative after all students in Year 6 prepared and delivered a speech in the second half of Term 2. Olivia has been practicing for weeks, ready to deliver her speech about 'Going Backwards' with great gusto. Good luck Olivia!

Light Up Lyneham

This Saturday is the annual Light Up Lyneham event. It promises to be a fun afternoon and evening of stalls and performances. Our St Joseph’s Bucket Drummers will be performing at the Lyneham Shops at 4.45pm, so come along and support our drummers!

Car Park

While having my office at the front of the school is a blessing as I get that beautiful Canberra sun, it also gives me a front row seat to some pretty concerning and, at times, dangerous driving. A reminder that there is no such thing as a near miss when it comes to safety in our carpark. The speed bumps are in place to ensure that cars do not move quickly while on the school grounds. Cars are not to avoid the speed bumps by driving between the drop-off lane and the basketball courts. There have been instances where cars have done this, while students have been getting in and out of their cars correctly in the drive through lane.

Slow down… take every care… it is just too important!

St Joseph's Carpark Guidelines

Enrolments

We are continuing to seek new enrolments into Foundation for 2024, as well as into some other grades across the school. If you have the opportunity to share with friends and families what makes St Joseph’s a great school, it would be wonderful to welcome more new families into St Joseph’s in the future.

For our Year 6 families, please let your child’s teacher know the high school they will be attending in 2024 as we need to gather this information before the end of the year.  Likewise, if your child is in another year, and you are leaving St Joseph’s at the end of 2023, please inform the school as soon as possible to assist with planning for next year.

Year 6 Excursion

Year 6 students from our school recently undertook an education learning experience at Old Parliament House and New Parliament House. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit institutions in Canberra as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $5 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Please read two students review of the excursion below:

P&F Trivia Night

Rockstars & Royalty, will be sure to test punters’ knowledge on all things music and monarchs, with awesome prizes up for grabs. BYO food and beverages, and dress in your best Rockstars or Royalty get-up, for a fun night out!

Saturday 26 August, 7PM @ St Joseph's School Hall

Single entry: $20 each 

Table of 10: $180

Tickets available now on Qkr!

Have a great end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au