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 Oh God, Our Father, |
Over the weekend, events celebrating the canonisation of Saint Carlo Acutis took place across the world. Saint Carlo is the first millennial to be made a saint by the Catholic church. He lived an ordinary teenage life before being diagnosed and then passing away from leukemia at the age of 15. St Carlo’s canonisation is especially significant as it shows that even in our modern world, young people can live lives of deep faith and holiness. He reminds us that everyday actions, when centred on love and faith, can lead us closer to God.
TOMS
This weekend, two of our teams will take part in the next round of the Tournament of Minds competition. We wish them every success as they showcase their creativity and thank them for representing our school with such pride. Thankyou once again to Mrs Fletcher for her ongoing support of these students.
Robo Cup
St Joseph’s have fourteen students participating in the Robo Cup robotics and coding competition this weekend. They have dedicated their own time to preparing for this exciting competition, where they will showcase not only their coding and robotics skills but with rely on their sportsmanship, sharing and teamwork skills. We wish them all the best on Saturday. Thank you to Mrs Groat and Mr McAllister for their support of these students over the weekend.
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Paramatta Archdiocese Visit
Last week, we were visited by school leaders from the Paramatta Archdiocese to observe our high impact teaching strategies. It is always a pleasure and privilege to host leaders and teachers from other schools and showcase our impressive teaching and learning.
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Grandparents Day – Save the Date
On Thursday 25th September, we invite all our Grandparents and special elders to join us for a prayer celebration, open classrooms and morning tea. The prayer celebration will commence at 9:15am in the hall, followed by open classrooms and then morning tea. More information will be shared at the end of the week regarding timings and RSVP.
Canteen
A reminder that canteen orders via QKR must be made before 8:40am. Any orders made after that time will be allocated to the following day. Please refer to Canteen News for the processes around a lost/ missing lunch order.
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Yours in Christ,
Carlo Acutis canonised as a Saint!
On Sunday 7th of September, Pope Leo canonised Blessed Carlo Acutis as the first millennial saint for the Catholic Church. Over 80 000 people gathered for the open aired mass in St Peter’s square.
One of Carlo’s quotes he used to say often to others about why he did what he did was:
| “All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies." |
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How can we explain this to our children?
When you are born, you are special and unique—like your own special picture. You have your own ideas, talents, and personality. But sometimes, people stop being themselves and just copy what everyone else is doing. If that happens, they forget to be the special person God made them to be. We don’t have to be the same, like the same or do the same things as others. It is okay to be different.
I encourage you all to have a conversation with your children about how they can be the person God wants them to be.
You can then pray the following prayer as a family after talking about Saint Carlo’s quote.
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Confirmation
Please pray for the following students as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday the 20th of September.
| Fergus | Mirabel |
| Beau | Isabella |
| Amelia | Mae |
| Sophia | Gonzalo |
| Toby | Evie |
| Teilo | Phoebe |
| Olivia | Delphi |
| Emma | Annabelle |
| Tresa | Harry |
| Kendryck | Atiana |
| Sebastian |
Parish News
Children’s Liturgy
Every Sunday at the 8:30am Mass, Children’s Liturgy is held. This is where children are invited to hear and discuss the Gospel reading in language that they can understand. I encourage you all to bring your children along to hear the Good News of the Gospel.
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Choral Vespers
This Sunday, 14th of September, St Joseph’s Choristers invite you to attend a peaceful moment of sacred music and prayer in the church at 4pm. The performance will be followed by light refreshments in the parish hall.
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Canberra Inner North Catholic Community Assembly – Invitation
You are invited to the Canberra Inner North Catholic Community (CINCC) Assembly on Saturday, 27 September 2025. This special gathering is an opportunity to come together in prayer and discernment, reflecting on how we can:
- Build a deeper sense of belonging,
- Strengthen our faith, and
- Share the Good News with others.
Further details, along with the online registration form, are available in the attached flyer.
We hope you can join this wonderful opportunity to connect and grow together as a faith community.
Religious Education Coordinator
Basketball
We have had a busy 2 weeks filled with Basketball Gala Days and Regional Athletics. The Year 5/6 Girls Basketball Gala Day was held on Tuesday the 26th of August. We entered one combined team with a variety of previous experience and skill levels. All students played with wonderful spirit and sportsmanship throughout the whole day, and it was a pleasure to be a part of.
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The Year 5/6 Boys Gala Day was held on Tuesday the 9th of September. We entered two teams, one Year 5 and one Year 6. The Year 6 boys had some very close games and competed extremely well. They showed great team work and sportsmanship throughout the day. The Year 5 team started the competition with very little basketball experience. They also came up against some very strong opposition. A big shoutout to the Year 5 boys for finishing the day with a smile on their faces and for showing great enthusiasm despite some very tough matches. You can all be very proud of the sportsmanship you showed throughout the competition.
Finally, a big thank you from myself, and the students to all the parent volunteers and supporters throughout the two days. These events do not run smoothly without you all.
.Athletics
Last week on Thursday the 4th of September, 40 students participated in the Regional North/Gungahlin Track and Field Carnival. There were a number of outstanding individual performances:
- Harriet B 1st overall 10 Years Girls 800m;
- Harriet P 1st overall in 8 Years Girls 70m and 100m;
- Amelia B 3rd overall 9 Years Girls 100m;
- Gwen V-F 1st overall 11 Years Girls Discus;
- Beatrice J 2nd overall 11 Years Girls Discus;
- Billy T 1st overall 9 Years Boys 100m and 2nd overall 70m;
All students gave 100% and can be extremely proud of themselves. St Joseph’s also placed 6th overall in terms of points earned on the day, out of 26 schools who participated. A great achievement for our smaller sized school. Well done to all involved!
.Andrew Reynolds
Sports Coodinator
andrew.reynolds@cg.catholic.edu.au
We are delighted to welcome some new additions to our Defence School Community. Welcome to Cloudi, our Airforce Bear, Pineapples, our Army Bear and Hope, our Navy Bear. These bears have been a source of joy these past two weeks as names have been suggested, voted upon and they make a great cuddle companion on a sad day. Our bears will now be available to join our Defence families each week so watch this space for a delightful bear to be accompanying your child home on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.
I’d also like to thank Mrs Hawkes, Fergus’ Dad, Ati’s Mum and our Year 6 Defence students - Fergus, Elena, Mirabel, Jeremy, Kendryck and Atiana for joining me in attending the Battle for Australia Commemorative Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial last Wednesday. We were very proud of the students showing great reverence and respect during the ceremony, what wonderful representatives you were of St Joseph’s School.
Resources
Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation
Upcoming events include: 14 September - Rock climbing: 27 September - National Zoo: 4 October - Alpaca Magic: 17 October - Outward Bound Camp. For more information visit: Defence Kids | Kookaburra Kids
Duntroon Community Centre
Upcoming events include: 13 September - Axe Throwing: 31 October - Halloween at Duntroon. To find out more about programs, activities and events and to register please visit: Events | Duntroon Community Centre | TidyHQ
Kings Trust Australia
Join a chartered accountant and business lawyer for a free online session covering the legal and financial essentials for ADF community entrepreneurs, including Defence partners and spouses. Whether you are just starting out or need a refresher, this two-hour seminar offers practical, no-nonsense advice to help you run your business with confidence. Presented by The King's Trust Australia in partnership with the ADF Financial Services Consumer Centre. When: Friday 19 September 2025 Time: 10am – 12pm Where: Online. Tickets are free and can be purchased here: Small Biz Must Knows: Your legal and accounting questions answered
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Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Lisa Bauer
Defence Support Mentor
Hi Parents and Families,
We are more than half way through the term, not long left!
We have seen an increase in errors with lunch orders on Qkr!
- missing the cut off time of 8:40am that day
- ordering for the wrong day
- not finalising the order
These things happen, and can be fixed.
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So a quick reminder that if your child is supposed to have a lunch order and has not received it by first break, and we are made aware, we will check on Qkr! to confirm if there was anything ordered.
If there is no order on Qkr!:
1. You will recieve a call to confirm that you are happy to have lunch provided to your child/children at second break.
2. A slip will be sent to home with what they have eaten and how much to pay.
Congratulations to the Week 8 award recipients:
| Foundation Red |
Zalia S Liliana W |
Foundation White |
Calissa M Isaac E |
| 1 Purple |
Noah K Elise C |
1 Teal |
Goch K Agatha T Sonam W |
| 2 Magenta |
Eli T Alice G |
2 Yellow |
Olivia M Yoenten Y |
| 3 Black |
Billy T Thinley C Rory S |
3 Navy |
Brigid M Joel S |
| 4 Gold |
George P Melissa B-A |
4 Green |
Poppy Z Dominic O-H Abi S |
| 5 Blue |
Zara J Rinisha G Rishaan M |
5 Orange |
Samphel N Samuel N |
| 6 Lime |
Isabella M-P Delphi U Gonzalo O-H |
6 Silver |
Olivia R Atiana B |
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Sport Spanish |
Alex B Mason I |
Defence |
Fergus M Elena S |
 Constable Kenny Koala’s Birthday Party at Floriade Come and join ACT Policing as we celebrate 50 years of service for Constable Kenny Koala! There will be FREE activities running as well as two special ticketed sessions each day where Constable Kenny will talk about everything he’s learnt over the last 50 years and celebrate this impressive milestone. Constable Kenny will only be at Floriade for the opening weekend, so make sure to come and visit on 13 and 14 September. We can’t wait to see you there! Dates: 13 and 14 September 2025 Time: Free activities from 9:30am – 5:30pm Ticketed Sessions 11:00am and 2:00pm each day Where: Ferry Gate Tickets: This event takes place during Floriade and is a free event, registrations are required for the ticketed sessions. To register, or find out more about Constable Kenny at Floriade, please visit https://floriadeaustralia.com/program/kenny-koalas-birthday/. |
