Dear families,

I hope you are well as we start the mid-way point of Term 2. You may have heard that Catholic Education South Australia has recently appointed a new Principal to St Joseph’s Kingswood. We warmly welcome Mrs Jodie Higgins who joins us from her substantive position as Principal at Our Lady Queen of Peace, and her previous position at Galilee Catholic School which she held for a long period of time before that. We are all looking forward to meeting and getting to know Jodie from Term 3. To read the full announcement, please CLICK HERE.

NAPLAN is complete for 2021! Besides a couple of technical hiccups, all has gone well and the students feel as though they have given it their best. In then end this is all we ask for. I thank Belinda Medlow, Maria Perrone, Graham Connor, Kirstie Wicks and Emma Begg for ensuing all the Year 3 and 5 students were prepared and making the children feel comfortable to take the tests. Results will be shared with individual families late in Term 3.

On Monday of last week, I attended a special Mass at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral in the city. The mass celebrated 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia. Masses were celebrated in each diocese in the country at the same time. The first Catholic School started in 1820 in Parramatta NSW, and the first Catholic school in South Australia opened 173 years ago. Emily Sayer and I joined our school captains Adeline Carman and James Slape at the mass. These two wonderful leaders represented our school very honourably and were happy to receive a free lunch on the way back to school.

On Thursday of last week, Anna Principe and a number of other staff members put on an amazing Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for Cancer research. Anna’s goal of $800 was quickly surpassed as our generous staff chipped in to raise $1981! All the food was kindly donated by Anna herself. A huge thank you to her and all the other staff that contributed funds, donations and time to support this very worthy cause. I am sure all of us know someone who has been affected by cancer.

Just a reminder that on Friday of Week 7, June 11^th, we will be having a staff retreat day and this means it will be a student free day. As all staff are required to attend, and therefore we will be unable to offer OSHC before or after school on this day. I apologize for the inconvenience, and hope you all enjoy an extra long weekend.

Our school is currently looking the best it’s ever looked and I always receive positive comments from visitors and families on school tours. We are very lucky that we get to come to such a beautiful school each day. I would like to personally thank the State Government for supporting our school with a capital fund grant that we used in conjunction with other financial sources to facilitate such a well-designed and contemporary build.

I hope you all have a great few weeks, 

Take care,

Jamie Deverson