Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,

On Monday 15 August, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. This important day in the life of the church recognises when Mary ascended bodily into heaven. Mary is seen as the perfect example of service and within our faith, is held as the mother to us all. As we continue throughout the term, we pray to Mary to watch over us all.

Family Support

Over recent weeks, it has been clear just what a remarkable community we have at St Joseph’s, particularly in times of need. I have been heartened by the offers of support and care for the McDougall family and know that this has been very much appreciated. Please continue to keep the McDougall family in your thoughts and prayers, particularly on Friday as they farewell Anthony.

If for any reason someone in our community needs some support, please always reach out to the school. The Food Bank and other supports are always available, just so we can look after each other.

Proposed change to the St Joseph’s sport shirt

Thank you to those who have taken the opportunity to respond to the proposed change to the sport shirt – there have been 70 responses so far!  The designs have been narrowed down over recent weeks following initial investigation by our Uniform Shop Coordinator, consultation with myself and the school Leadership Team, and then the P&F and School Board.

If you haven’t already, you are invited to view the designs, vote and / or make comment using the link below. Voting and comments will close Friday 19 August.

Voting link - https://forms.gle/bc5FDXZBFt9Zf3x66 (There are larger images on the voting form)

Early Learning Centre

Thank you to the St Joseph’s P&F for their generous support of the ELC. Their contribution of $2000 has been well spent on some new outdoor play resources. The new building blocks are very popular!

The ELC are currently accepting enrolments for the remainder of 2022 and for 2023.  If you know any families that may like to join our St Joseph Community, please let them know we are enrolling now. We are enrolling children that have already turned 3 for the remainder of 2022 as well as 3 and 4 year old’s for 2023. Please contact the Director, Molly Henson for more information.

Athletics

Unfortunately, we were unable to hold our Athletics Carnival earlier in the year due to COVID restrictions. At the same time, School Sport ACT (SSACT) indicated the Regional and ACT Carnivals would likely not go ahead.

However, late last term we were advised by SSACT that the Regional and ACT carnivals would in fact go ahead and we planned to hold our Athletics Carnival last Friday 12 August. Unfortunately, Catholic Education adjusted their COVID guidelines for Term 3, restricting all ‘out of school’ activities, so the carnival was cancelled.

As we have not been able to hold our school carnival, this has meant no further representation through the SSACT program has been possible. However, I am now aware that we can submit times / distances for consideration for inclusion in the North Gungahlin team that will compete at the ACT Championships in September. Please contact me if you would like any further information regarding this nomination process.

Save the Date

Father's Day is on Sunday 4 September. To celebrate, we will again host a breakfast commencing at 8am Friday 2 September. Please save this date - more information to come next week. 

Survey Summary

Last term the Tell Them  From Me school satisfaction survey was conducted to garner feedback from students, parents, and staff. This feedback is valued and does provide direction as future plans are developed. Below is a brief summary of feedback received this year.

Students

• Overall, the students feel satisfied with their school and safe when at school.
• They believe they are well known and have a positive sense of belonging.
• Students are interested and motivated.
• Students feel they have someone at home or in the school community who provides support and encouragement.
• Students value the education at St Joseph’s, seeing purpose in what they are doing.
• General comments focus on the offerings of access to sport sessions (many responses wanting more sport), the improvement of facilities (oval, fence, provision of sport equipment, toilets).
• Many students note the importance of friends at school and feel that at St Joseph’s they have friends and are supported and cared for.
• Students feel challenged and accepted by teachers, and they enjoy their learning. Many speak positively about their individual teachers.

Parents

• Overall, there has been a continued valuing of the school and the processes and practices in place.
• Parents want greater communication of student progress and achievement, with more contact with teachers.
• Parents feel they are welcome and valued within the school.
• Parents believe that the school supports their child’s learning, but there is a want for higher expectations.
• Generally, the parents feel their child is safe at school, and included as part of the school.
• The prevalence of bullying has been less reported by parents this year, compared to 2021.
• Parents believe the school fosters a strong Catholic culture, but some question how the Religious Education curriculum is made relevant to their child.
• General comments focus on the quality of the teachers at the school and the belief their child is known and cared for at St Joseph’s.
• Parents note an improved After School Care program.

Staff

• Staff indicate in general, greater collaboration and support from peers and leadership.
• Collaboration across peer and leadership realms has improved, with staff indicating they receive feedback that improves their teaching.
• Staff believe that there is a strong learning culture within the school and that data is used to inform teaching.
• Teachers have indicated that they provide feedback to students on their learning, which improves student outcomes.
• Staff see St Joseph’s as an inclusive school, for students and staff.
• Teachers identify that they can engage parents in the assessment process and seek feedback on student achievement.
• Staff see St Joseph’s as authentically Catholic, with value placed on the identity and culture created across the school.
• General comments are constructive and forward focused, providing ideas that may continue to grow the success of the school.
• There is a want to more carefully manage the extend and speed of educational and school-based change.