Dear parents, carers and the St Joseph’s community,

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.  The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

This week, I have shared parts of the prayer from the Parent Information Night last week. The prayer, inspired by the faithful service of Archbishop Oscar Romero, speaks to the notion that we are only able to do what we can, to bring about change and peace in our lives and in the service of others. In the end, we are only part of the journey.

At the Parent Information Night, I spoke about many strategic and exciting things happening at St Joseph’s in 2020. However, in honesty, we are only planting the seeds and laying the foundations for all that is still to come not only this year, but in the many years to come. As teachers and parents, this is all we can do, give the opportunity to grow, to learn and to experience; the rest is out of our control.

In a snapshot, this is what was shared at the Parent Information Night;

• Welcome and thank you to our incredible teachers - get to know them and make sure they know your child.
• Be God’s Love – our theme for 2020. We want to have all in our community, experience God’s Love in many and varied ways across the year.
• Strategic Priorities:

• Goals for 2020:

1. To develop a St Joseph’s pedagogical framework for conceptual inquiry that centres learning around the student.
2. To introduce open-ended and engaging; investigations, teaching and learning that promotes the application of mathematical thinking and skills.
3. To use data to inform teaching and learning, identify student achievement and to guide school-wide decisions.

• Communication is key – please ensure you are using SZapp, and maintain and seek open communication with the school.
• Building works – 2020 will be a year of building. The new classrooms, refurbishment and playground updates.
• Parents are wanted and needed in our school – all parents are welcome to be part of the shared responsibility to educate.
• Engagement at home – ask great questions. ‘What was the best thing that happened today?’ or ‘what mistake did you learn from today?’
• P&F / School Board­ – great ways to actively be involved in the school. It is a fete year!

Thank you to all those who were able to attend and join the social gathering at the end. It was a great night.

Swimming Carnival

What a great day today! Thank you to all the students for their positive involvement and competitive spirit at the carnival. From the first event through to the very closely contested relay, it was wonderful to see and hear the enjoyment and effort that went into the day. Congratulations to all the students for challenging themselves! Thank you also to all the teachers and parents who made the carnival a success. It is always lovely to have parent helpers. Thank you to Melanie Stratford and the staff for preparing and running a great day. The winner of the carnival will be announced tomorrow morning at Morning Gathering.

Opening School Mass and Leadership Ceremony

Thank you to Fr Paul for sharing Mass with the school community last Thursday, for our Opening School Mass. Our theme, Be God’s Love, was celebrated and visible in the class prayer mats and in the focus Fr Paul made on ‘grounding’ ourselves in the knowledge we are loved. Congratulations to our Year 6 Leaders and Year 5 Leaders in Training, who were recognised on the day and presented with their leadership badges.

Parent / Teacher interviews

In Week 5 there will be an opportunity for all parents to meet with teachers to discuss the start of the school year and to share important information about their child. The focus is on giving teachers an insight into what you know about your child, that will assist the teachers to support them throughout the year. Many parents may have already met with teachers prior to this, so an additional meeting is not necessary. The expectation is that by the end of Week 5, all teachers have had a purposeful conversation will all parents in their class. A link to the booking platform will be shared in the coming days.

Have a great end to the week.

Yours with Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Principal