Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back.  I hope everyone enjoyed the break and is ready to bring 2020 home in style.  As always Term 4 is a hectic one and this year will be no different as we try to make up for lost time.  Please stay in touch with the school via the newsletter, our social media pages and classroom communications so you know what is happening throughout the term.

Just a reminder that this is my last few days at St Joseph's for the term prior to me taking up a 7-week contract position at Townsville Catholic Education.  Amanda Jones will be Acting Principal in my absence and Jan Oram Acting APRE.  I know both Amanda and Jan will ensure that Term 4 is another great term for the school.

This week I have attached another short article around adjusting attitudes.  There are some great ideas included in the article.  Given that this time of year is always a busy one and everyone has had a challenging year, our attitude is one thing we can control and can set the tone for us and those around us.

Have a great week.

Tim

Welcome back to Term 4!  I hope that everyone had a relaxing break and is ready for the next 9 weeks.  It is hard to believe that we have already hit this point in the year. Keep reading to check out the exciting things happening in the Religious Life of our school over the coming weeks. 

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

October 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  This feast became very special a long time ago when people began to pray to God through Mary when they really needed God’s help.  

The Rosary is a traditional Catholic devotional prayer that honours Mary and at its centre focuses on the life of Jesus Christ.   The Mysteries of the Rosary—the Joyful, Luminous, Glorious, and Sorrowful—invite us to meditate on key occasions in Jesus’ life. The Joyful Mysteries recall Jesus’ Incarnation; the Glorious Mysteries recall his Resurrection, and the Sorrowful Mysteries recall his suffering and death. The Luminous Mysteries recall major events from Jesus’ public ministry, starting with his Baptism.  

The Rosary is closely connected to the Gospels as most of the events recalled in the Mysteries of the Rosary are found in the Gospels as are the primary prayers prayed in the Rosary - The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Apostle’s Creed and the Hail, Holy Queen.  

Praying the Rosary not only draws us closer to Mary, whom the Rosary honours, but also brings us closer to Jesus Christ as we contemplate his life, suffering, death and resurrection.  The Rosary as a devotional prayer is a beautifully simple way to connect with Jesus and his Mother.  

https://www.smp.org/search/?s=resources&q=rosary&x=0&y=0

This year each of our classes will be attending the Church with Fr Siby to say the Rosary.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to engage with this traditional prayer.

World Mission Month

World Mission Sunday is celebrated around the world on the second last Sunday in October. It expresses a commitment to build a better world for all of God's people, a world where everyone has all they need to live a dignified and fulfilling life. This year, World Mission Sunday is 18th October 2020.

This year in his  World Mission Day Message 2020 Pope Francis urges us to continue Jesus’ mission:

 “…. the mission of Jesus in history …. sends us everywhere so that, through our witness of faith and the proclamation of the Gospel, God may continue to manifest God’s love and in this way touch and transform hearts, minds, bodies, societies and cultures in every place and time.”

https://wmm2020.cm.org.au/index.html

In 2020 the focus country is Cambodia, where the Church seeks to provide shelter, food, education, and life-fulfilling opportunities for children in need, especially those with disabilities.

This year we have 2 very exciting events happening to raise money for the Catholic Missions who help support this life fulling work in countries around the world.

Throughout Week 2 and 3, the Year 6 Faith and Services Group will be running a Guess the Number of Lollies in the Jar competition.  Each guess will be 50c.  The Year 6’s will be set up each morning before school ready to take guesses over the 2 weeks. 

Also, on Friday 16th October we will be having Crazy Sock Day where students are invited to wear their craziest socks with their school shoes for a gold coin donation.  We can’t wait to see who has the craziest socks!

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda