Hi everyone and welcome to Week 3!! I hope you had a great holiday period and were able to spend some enjoyable moments with your children. We didn’t go away this time as my son was rehearsing to be a part of the Wizard of Oz Arena Spectacular. Unfortunately, he came down with a fever and was ill the night before the shows so he was unable to perform. He was very sad that he missed out but is feeling better after a recent birthday!  

In week one this term, I spent most of the week with the Year 6 students in Canberra. As always this was a fantastic trip and the students had a lot of fun exploring our capital city. Our students received positive feedback wherever they went. Our guide at the Mint told us that he was very happy that we supported the growth of wonderful young Australians. We stayed at the AIS and were very fortunate to be blessed with an array of wonderful food. We were also blessed with a wonderful bus driver who went above and beyond to support our tour. He took us to places that weren’t on the itinerary, including a number of great playgrounds where we had a small break, went back to another facility to get a lost jacket while we were at another venue, and took us to the movies after hours, to name just a few of the things that made our trip even better than intended!

I enjoyed watching the students gain a real sense of independence as they had to think, plan, and budget for themselves. These are great life skills that they will take with them on their journeys into high school. The Year 6s were also very supportive of each other and enjoyed deepening their engagement and friendships with each other.

This term our Eco Warriors will start the initiative ‘When in doubt, throw it out!’. This is because our Yellow recycling bin is quite often being filled with the wrong waste. This leads to contamination and recycling trucks then need to dump their loads into landfill rather than the recycling depot. It is really important that children know how to get rid of their waste and recycle if they can. If they’re not sure though, it’s actually better to put it in the general waste bin.

Our Year 4/5 class and our Eco Warriors are also working on developing no waste days for the remainder of the term. We had a Zero Waste Day earlier in the year which was a great success. We are going to ask families to support us in doing this on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s each week. We are hoping that children and parents can work together to think of ways to develop less waste from their lunch boxes. Children are very aware that they can make a huge difference just by limiting waste and putting things in the right bins.

In Week 7 this term we will hold our St Joseph’s Got Talent competition. Auditions will be in Week 6 during recess and lunch and we will have an audience come along and watch the children perform. Students have a few weeks now to prepare and get their acts ready. I have had many discussions and requests already and I know this is an occasion the students really enjoy. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

In Week 4 this term students from Year 3 and above will start the Sacramental program with Reconciliation. Last week at mass these students were presented to the community with prayers and well wishes. We will hold workshops in Week 4 this term for students and their families to attend. If your child is in Year 3, 4 or 5, it’s not too late to join the program if you wish. If you are interested please let me know asap and I will support and/or direct you to where you need to go and what’s involved.  

Take care,

Jamie