Dear Parents and Carers,

Wow what a week we have had here at St Joseph’s.  The end of last week saw our annual Athletics Carnival which was held at the Townsville Sports Reserve. Congratulations to Faulkner who took home the trophy and to Ryan for winning the Spirit Award. A special thank you goes to Mr Meekin for his unending energy in organising the day.  His dedication and enthusiasm for sports at Joey’s is what makes our carnivals such a huge success. Also a huge thank you to all of the staff and parents who helped ensure that the day ran smoothly.

This week our adopt-a-Cowboy Josh McGuire came for his first visit to St Joseph’s. The kids loved having the opportunity to meet him. Josh spent time out in the eating area before having morning tea with the staff and talking to our Year 6 students.  We can’t wait for Josh’s next visit.

At Assembly on Wednesday we had our 2019 Beachathon Launch - Race for Space. As many of you already know, Beachathon is the biggest fundraising project for our school.  This year we are raising money to purchase flexible learning furniture for our classrooms. A special thank you to Mr Bennett, Sandy Simmonds and Sally Gracie for all of their hard work in organising our launch.  Our very own Man on the Moon and Space Girl also made a special appearance from galaxies away!! Make sure you check out our Facebook page for their encore performance.

As you are aware St Patrick’s has a building project currently underway.  Please find below the Community Notice from St Patrick’s regarding the commencement of the site establishment.   As you can see from the map provided our pick up area will be affected throughout this work. We ask for your patience and vigilance during pick up time to ensure the safety of our children and families.  If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Have a great week

Amanda

Save the Date

Whole School Christian Meditation

Tomorrow, Friday 24th May we will be gathering as a whole school for Christian Meditation at 8:45am to celebrate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. This feast reminds us about Mary's guidance over us and especially as people of Australia, as she is the patron saint of Australia.  We would like to extend this invitation to all parents to join us at 8:45am for this silent, still and simple form of prayer.

Confirmation

On Tuesday evening our Sacramental Program children continued the journey of their faith by being conferred in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  During the Liturgy, Bishop Tim explained to the students that during Confirmation we are calling out the Spirit that already lives in us. He also spoke about that through Confirmation we are called to action to let our faith shine and he gave us the challenge to do something with our faith to help make our Church come alive.  Congratulations to all the Confirmation students on this next step in their faith journey.

First Eucharist

This Sunday our Sacramental Program children and their families will again come together to celebrate Mass with Fr Joseph.  After Mass the children will gather for their Preparation session. Please ensure that your child has some morning tea after Mass.  We will be holding our session in the Music room before heading back to the Church to run through how we receive Communion. Parents can pick their children up from the Church at 12pm.  

The children will then make their First Communion on Sunday 2nd June at a special 10:30 am Mass.  Please continue to keep the children and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Bishop Tim’s Visit

Today Bishop Tim visited St Joseph’s.  During his visit he spent time in some of our Prep classrooms before talking with our Year 4 students.  

Sunday’s Gospel

John 13:31-33a,34-35

Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment: love one another.

Jesus didn't just tell us to love one another. He showed us how to love one another. Loving those with whom we agree with is the easy part. Loving the rest of the world that we come in contact with is a much harder to do. It is a part of the human condition to love and to want to be loved. Reality is … it’s easier to love those who are more loving and lovable.

In the Gospel  the love that Jesus was talking about was not just the sweet sentimental feeling of love. It meant actively loving -- putting one’s love into real world activities. The way Jesus talks about loving each other is a precursor of the spread of Christianity.

Jesus makes plain his call to the disciples. “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples -- when they see the love you have for each other” (verses 34-35).

Jesus was bold and clear then. How much clearer do we need Jesus to be for our own lives of discipleship now?

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Beachathon Fundraiser

We have lift off!

Beachathon 2019 launched yesterday on assembly. 

Rocket Girl raced through space to meet up with Man on the Moon. They talked about the awesome kids as St Joey’s starting their fundraising to make “cool spaces” for their classrooms. 

Fundraising:

Students have received their sponsorship forms from their classroom teacher.

First counting day for fundraising monies is TUESDAY 28 MAY.

(Money will be counted by CCL’s and parent volunteers at 8:30am every Tuesday until Beachathon Day). Please refer to your child’s sponsorship form for additional information. 

Incentive prizes:

Great prizes have already been donated from sponsors for assembly.

There will be a number of prize draws each week for students who have raised over $20.

Names are drawn and each lucky student can pull out their prize from the ‘Rocket Ship’. 

Sponsorship:

Local businesses and families at the school have generously donated fantastic silent auction prizes and financial donations as well – THANK YOU!

Thanks to our major sponsors to date: Crank’D Cycles, The Marketing Factory, Gracie Signs, Performance Physio Group, Jason’s Air & Electrical, Supreme Paintworks, Townsville Equipment Hire and NQ Hydroponics. 

For further information about Beachathon, please email the Sub-Committee at:  info@joeysbeachathon.com

Thank you for your support. 

Regards,

Beachathon Sub-Committee

St Joseph’s Athletics Carnival 2019

Last Friday on a beautiful day in Townsville, students participated in our annual St. Joseph’s Athletics Carnival. The carnival, held at the Townsville Sports Reserve, involved all children from prep to Year 6 in a full program of ball games, sprints, 200 metres, 800 metres, long jump and shot put events. Congratulations to all children who participated in the events for your efforts and enthusiasm. There were many fine performances and great examples of St Joey’s children ‘doing their best’. Thank you to our Year 6 leaders for your team leadership and inspiration to your house groups. The cheering this year was again unbelievable. Faulkner were worthy overall carnival Aggregate champions with Ryan lifting the Spirit Trophy in a close contest with Benjamin. The parent/teacher/Year 6 relay was a highlight with the teacher/parents narrowly holding off the fast finishing Year 6 teams.

Thank you to the many members of the St Joseph’s community – staff and parent helpers who gave generously of their time and talents to make our Athletics Carnival 2019 a success. I reinforce that the carnival would not be the success it is without the efforts of parents who contribute so willingly. We now look forward to the St Joey’s Putney Athletics team representing us at the Interschool Carnival on Tuesday 4^th June. Congratulations to all involved in another successful carnival.