Dear Parents and Carers

As we say goodbye to the 2021 school year, I would like to take this chance to thank you all for your ongoing support of our staff, our students and each other.  I am sure that many schools would argue that they are special and unique, I would potentially be the most vocal of this group and with good reason. While there are many adages about what makes a good community there is one thing of which I am constantly reminded. It isn't how we treat each other when things are going well, but how we treat each other when they are not.  It is at times like this where true character and intentions come to the fore. This is what stands out for me at St Joseph's.  Things can't always be amazing, calm or perfect.  What makes our school community a special place is how we respond when things aren't like this.  

I am incredibly grateful for the support, the genuine care, dedication and willingness to help one another that is always on display at our school and within our community.  Thank you for your role in this and what you offer to others.

To all those leaving our school, staff, students and families, we wish for you only the best for the future.  You will always be welcome at St Joseph's and we hope you leave us with the same fond memories that we share of your time with us.

I hope you all enjoy the Christmas and New year break and I look forward to seeing you all in the coming year.

May God bless you and keep you safe.

Kind regards

Tim

What is Advent?

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in the church and consists of the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas day.  The word Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming." Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation of His arrival.  While Advent is typically regarded as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation, much like Lent.  Prayer, penance and fasting are appropriate during this season.

Advent is not as strict as Lent, and there are no rules for fasting, but it is meant to be a period of self-preparation.  The purple colour associated with Avent is also the colour of penance.  The colour of the Third Sunday of Advent is rose.  This colour symbolizes joy and represents the happiness we will experience when Jesus comes again.  The Third Sunday is a day of anticipatory celebration.  It is formerly called "Gaudete" Sunday; gaudete means "rejoice" in Latin.

Finally, Sundays during Advent, just as during Lent, should not be given to fasting, but instead to celebration because we celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord every Sunday.  It is important to remember, however, there are no particular rules for how the laity should observe Advent.

Vinnies Christmas Appeal Thank you

Thank you for your generous donations to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. During Wednesday's Christmas Mass, our school community was able to gift our local Vinnies with 15 giant hampers of food donations as well as over $100 in vouchers. The vouchers were purchased with the funds raised from the Pokemon Design Challenge and our Masked Teacher event. 

Our donations will be shared within the Townsville community to families who are experiencing poverty and finding the Christmas period even more challenging. 

Thank you

A quick note to say thank you to all our students, staff and families for making my first year at St Joseph's memorable with many moments of joy and laughter. It has been an honour to be a part of a school community that is so welcoming, kind and generous. 

Hope all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. 

Merry Christmas,

Trina

Semester Reports

Semester Two Reports will be published via Compass today Friday 3rd December at 12pm.  You will need your Compass username and password to access these reports.  Please see the office if you do not have this information. 

Reports for Year 6 students and those leaving St Joseph’s will need to be downloaded before 30th December. This will allow our office staff to facilitate the rollover of data for 2021. 

For instructions on how to access your child's report, please follow the steps outlined in the document below:

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to wish you all blessings for a happy Christmas and a safe 2022. The Instrumental Music program has become a vibrant part of the culture at St Joseph's and I have your wonderfully musical children to thank for this.

I would like to congratulate Georgia Myles and Harry Jamieson for being awarded Credit for their Preliminary Grade AMEB piano exams and Greta Ramsay for being awarded Credit for her Grade 3 AMEB piano exam. Well done to these fine young musicians and To Jenny Hall for guiding them through the exams.

A final reminder about enrolment in the program for next year. If you are considering enrolling your child into the music program, please follow this link and fill out the form as soon as possible as enrolments close at the end of this week. We have filled all guitar places but we still have some places left in singing, keyboard, drums, woodwind and recorder.

If you have any questions about the music program, please reach out to me via email at jbennett3@sjnwtsv.catholic.edu.au

Warm regards

Jason Bennett