Dear Lord,

We ask you to bless St Joseph's School Community.

We pray that you guide us to be just and to see,

listen, speak and act like St Joseph.

May we be inspired by our Founders to be the best
that we can be.

May we always keep Jesus at the centre of all we do.

St Emilie          Pray for us

St Marcellin      Pray for us

St Joseph         Pray for us 

And may we always remember to pray for one another.

AMEN

Dear Members of St Joseph's Community

Mr Vernede and I have managed to esacpe the heat for most of the week as we spent three days in the beautiful southern highlands of NSW. We spent the time at the Marist Brothers retreat centre, known as The Hermitage, unpacking what it means to be educators in the Marist tradition. It was wonderful to spend time with people from Marist schools all around Australia and to really come to understand one of our founding charisms. 

Swimming Carnival 

Congratulations to those swimmers who competed in the 50 metre events today. You all swam your hearts out with not a lot of time between races to recover and we were impressed with your determination. While we understand that some students may have been disappointed at the decision to alter the format for this year, the extreme heat of the last week meant that difficult decisions had to be made. Hopefully next year’s carnival will be back and bigger than ever! 

De Vialar House Day 

On Tuesday 27 February, we will be celebrating de Vialar House Day. All students from Kindy – Year 12 (regardless of the House they are in) are invited to wear yellow to school for a gold coin donation. If students choose not to wear yellow, they are required to wear their normal Tuesday uniform. Both campuses will have activities and food stalls happening at break times and students are invited to bring money to school that day to take part. All money raised from the day will be donated to the Caritas Project Compassion Appeal. 

Primary Campus Access 

As you may have seen around our campus, our gates and fences are now complete, and our automated front entrance gate is working perfectly. To ensure the safety of our students the front entrance gate will close by 9:30am each morning. All side access gates will be closed at 9:00am, the Kiss & Ride gate will be closed by 8:45am. 

If you need to enter the school grounds after these times, please drive up to the front entrance gate and press the button on the intercom to your right. This will connect you with our Admin Team who will be able to open the gate for you. In the afternoon, side access gates will open at 2:45pm (2:15pm on Thursdays). 

Public Holiday

Remember that next weekend is a long weekend as WA takes advantage of the Labour Day public holiday. School will be closed that day - 4th March. Enjoy the break.

With God’s blessings, 

Andrea Woodgate
Principal 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Kayden in Year 7, Henna in Year 8, Victor in Year 5 and Helena in Year 4, who have been selected to travel to Japan at the end of March with the Avon Valley Shotokan Karate Club for a seminar and a tournament. 

Congratulations to Madison Dymnicki in Year 12, who has been selected to play in the WA Under 18 Country Basketball team and will be travelling to Brisbane in the April holidays to compete. 

Dates for your Diary

Week 5

Monday 26 February:	OLNA Writing
Tuesday 27 February:	De Vialar House Day Combined Assembly at Primary ACC Basketball - Jnr Boys & Girls
Wednesday 28 February:	OLNA Reading
Thursday 29 February:	ACC Basketball - Snr Boys & Girls Yr 10 Reconcilliation Early Close
Friday 1 March:	Herbert Edward & Slazenger Tennis Cup - Years 7-12

Week 6

Monday 4 March:	Public Holiday
Tuesday 5 March:	Primary Parent/Teacher Meetings OLNA Numeracy CPSSA Interschool Swimming Carnival (Primary)
Wednesday 6 March:	Primary Parent/Teacher Meetings Year 9 & 10 Da Vinci Decathlon
Thursday 7 March:	Primary Parent/Teacher Meetings Year 8 Da Vinci Decathlon Year 9 Reconcilliation Early Close
Friday 8 March:	Year 6 Da Vinci Decathlon

Weekly Gospel Reflection

This week's clip has a focus on 'The Desert' and our approach to Encourage others through Lent. 

"Spirit of Jesus" Award

Congratulations to our "Spirit of Jesus" Award winners for this fortnight: Samuel Syred and Patrick Judkins.

Project Compassion - 2nd Sunday of Lent

Dear Families & Friends,  

I would like to begin by congratulating all of your children for a wonderful start to the year. Students are focused, calm and are really trying their best to make Jesus real at St Joseph’s. Considering they have had more time inside than normal, due to the extreme heat, they have taken changes as they come and have shown great resilience and adaptability. 

De Vialar House Day  

Our Year 6 de Vialar House leaders will be running activities at lunchtime and selling treats such as yellow ‘spiders’ and honey joys. Treats will range from 50c through to $1.50. Students are asked to bring coins if they would like to purchase items and all money raised will be donated to Project Compassion. 

Term One Parent/Teacher Meetings

From Tuesday 5 March - Thursday 7 March, we will be holding Parent/Teacher Meetings for students in Kindy – Year 6. These meetings will provide you with the opportunity to meet with your child’s classroom teacher and discuss how your child has started the year. If you are not able to attend during the times available, please contact your child’s teacher directly to arrange an alternative time to meet. 
 
Families who have a child on an IEP will be contacted by Ruth Adams to organise a time to meet in Weeks 6 or 7. These families are not required to book in for an additional meeting with the classroom teacher. 
  
Interviews are strictly 10 minutes and can be attended in person or held over the phone. If you require more time with your child’s classroom teacher, or if you would like to meet with a Specialist Teacher, please email them directly to arrange a meeting time.

To book in for your face-to-face or phone meeting please follow the below directions. 

1. Go to www.schoolinterviews.com.auand enter the code mmzge
2. Enter your details
3. Select the teachers you wish to see
4. Select the appointment times that suit your family best

Michelle Christian
Head of Primary

Class in Focus: Year Three Blue

Starting off a brand-new school year is always a challenge for everyone involved. New teachers, new students, a different classroom, different classmates, new routines to learn, expectations to meet, and not to mention a brand-new curriculum that is harder than last year's one. 

Because of this, the first few weeks in Year 3 Blue were focused on getting to know each other and finding our way around our new classroom. We began by reading "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr Seuss and thinking about where we would like our year to take us. Students then wrote down their goals for the year on balloons and posed as if they were being carried away by their balloons. They turned out great!   

Other activities we did included self-portraits, classroom bingo, a classroom treasure hunt, and a brain break activity called ‘Beans.’ Each student had to act out different ‘beans’ when they were called out, such as string beans (joining up with people around us to make a string), jumping beans, jellybeans, long beans (stretching out as long as you can), broad beans (making yourself as wide as you can), baked beans on toast, and Mr Bean, among many others. We also learned about the daily classroom routines such as the IT specialist and office runner. 

Over the next few weeks, we are going to be delving deeper into our writing topic for the term, which is suspense narrative writing. We are using the text "Kassim and the Greedy Dragon" to explore writing conventions for suspense narratives and have already created dragons. We've started learning our text with a story map and actions. We can't wait to see where this story takes us. 

Overall, we have settled in well and are ready to see what the year brings! 

Peter Matthys 
Three Blue Teacher 

Class in Focus: Year Five Gold

Welcome back to 2024!

The Year 5 Gold students are thrilled to be back and have already dived headfirst into working hard and creating incredible work.

A big thank you to Mrs Everett for her wonderful care during the initial two weeks; we're truly fortunate to have you.

Our class is so lucky to have an incredible outdoor area that we'll be utilising frequently throughout the year. While it's open to everyone, we're lucky enough to have front-row seats every day.

The Year 5 students have been busy crafting graffiti names, 'All About Me' projects using maths, and 3D sculptures that offer intriguing clues about their identities. They've even created delightful postcards sharing tales of their holiday adventures; it was so lovely to read about all their adventures over the long break.

We are eagerly looking forward to showcasing more of their exceptional work and collaborating with these delightful, hardworking students throughout the year.

Wishing everyone a happy Week 4.

Helen Sullivan & Samantha Rodgers
Five Gold Teachers 

Beverley Tennis Tournament

Congratulations to those Primary students who took part in the Beverley Tennis Tournament on Wednesday 21 February.

Join the St Joseph's Equestrian Interschools Team!

Are you passionate about horses and riding? Do you dream of competing against other schools in thrilling equestrian events? St Joseph's School invites both Primary and Secondary students to express their interest in joining our Equestrian Interschools Team!

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th April (Easter School Holidays)
• Location: State Equestrian Centre 303 Cathedral Ave Brigadoon
• Events:

• Dressage
• Eventing
• ShowJumping
• Combined training (Dressage & Showjumping/no cross-country)
• ShowHorse (Hacking)

Requirements:

• Students must be a member of EWA (Equestrian Western Australia), either as competitive or participant members.

Most competitive interschool classes require a qualifying event (except prep dressage and showhorse). Participant classes do not need qualifications.

Expression of Interest: Interested Primary students should talk to Ms Thomas in Year 6 Gold or email mikala.thomas@cewa.edu.au for any inquiries and to express their interest.

Welcome to Secondary Campus, 

I’d like to make a special welcome to Mrs Amy Bennett, our new Teaching and Learning Coordinator. Amy has been busy the last four weeks getting to know our Year 11 and 12 students to ensure they are organised and on track to gain their WACE Certificates at the end of Year 12. She is also loving her Year 11 Chemistry class and Year 10 Maths class. Amy will also be coordinating NAPLAN and OLNA. Welcome to St Joseph’s School, Mrs Bennett.

 

Week Three was very busy with the school celebrating Shrove Tuesday and St Valentine’s Day. Mr Reidy’s pancake Flip-off was very popular and students were also able to get a free pancake from the student leaders while being entertained by counting pancake flips. Special mention should go to Mrs Woodgate’s skill with an egg slice. For Valentine’s Day the student leaders encouraged students to come to the library at lunch time to make a friendship bracelet for a friend. Miss Suckling also got to make a lovely bracelet for her lovely fiancé.

 

I’d also like to thank Mr Reidy for a moving Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Students behaved beautifully and it was lovely to be together in the quadrangle. 

Thank you to those parents who attended the Digital Technology evening in Week 3. I hope you learnt a lot, but please remember to contact us if you are unable to log in to any of the platforms we use or have any questions that we can help you with. 

If you have a Year 11 or 12 student completing OLNA in the next two weeks, please see below the schedule. Those students completing one of the assessments have been informed.

Writing	Reading	Numeracy
Mon Week 5 26th Feb	Wed Week 5 28th Feb	Tue Week 6 5th March
Period 4	Period 4	Period 4
Boardroom	Boardroom	Room 20

Coming up next week we have the Junior and Senior ACC Basketball, the Herbert Edwards & Slazenger Tennis Cup, the Interschool Swimming Carnival, a couple of da Vinci Decathlons and Mrs Woodgate’s birthday! A very busy couple of weeks!

God bless

Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary

Curriculum Matters 

News from the English Department

Year 7s:

We are looking forward to beginning high school with our new Year 7s. Students will begin by looking at short stories and will learn some of the tricks and techniques of creative writing. We have the additional challenge of NAPLAN Testing, which was moved to Term One last year, and are slowly preparing students for their first round of NAPLAN testing in high school. We are happy to report that the Year 7s seem to be settling well into their English classrooms.

Year 8s:

The Year 8 students have begun the year with a study of poetry. Students will be introduced to a wide array of poems and will analyse writing techniques including figurative language, rhyme and rhythm. We have been engaging with a wide variety of poems and poetic styles form the irregular rhyme schemes and complicated metaphors of Robert Frost to the entertaining invective of Roald Dahl. Students have already shown some of their creative potential in crafting similes and using alliteration in their classwork.

Year 9s:

Year 9 students have begun their English studies by looking at the representations of war and conflict across a number of different texts. Students are looking at the modern classic by Australian author John Marsden, Tomorrow when the War Began, which explores how ordinary teenagers might react should conflict ever reach Australian shores.

Year 10s:

Race and prejudice are the themes of study for the Year 10s at the start of this year. Students are reading a number of short stories by well-renowned authors including Shirley Jackson and Tim Winton. These stories explore the nature of prejudice and the human tendency to secure social status by putting down others. The assessments for this unit of study will challenge students’ analytical and creative skills with students critically analysing and then creating their own short stories.

Year 11s:

The Year 11s begin their last two years having selected either an ATAR, General or Foundations pathway. Students have been introduced to their varied programs and will receive every support to achieve credit towards their WACE Certificate. Year 11 General and Foundations students have begun with a unit that looks at sales and advertising with students to prepare their own sales and advertising pitch for an “impossible” object. Year 11 ATAR students meanwhile have begun their study exploring the role of technology in society through the classic short story “The Pedestrian” and a far more contemporary treatment of the same theme in the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive”.

Year 12s:

Year 12 students are being offered every support as they begin their final year of high school. The ATAR English class has begun their course with a study of genre and has focused specifically on Detective Fiction. Students have begun reading with the classic stories of Sherlock Holmes and will investigate how the genre has changed and adapted itself throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Year 12 General students have begun their year looking at persuasive texts and the contemporary debate surrounding the date of Australia Day. We wish all our Year 12 students luck as they begin this important year in their schooling.

Daniel Matthys
Head of English & The Arts

Year 9 and 10 Physical Recreation

During Physical Recreation this week, students learnt the importance of staying active and being involved in some community service. The year 9 and 10 students walked almost 5km along the Avon River towards Burlong, collecting rubbish along the way and cleaning up the trails we walked on. Although it was hot, the students felt a sense of accomplishment and charity at the end of the walk. In the following weeks we will be going to Northam pool to cool off and learn fun ways to stay active in the water.

Adrienne Suckling
Head of Health & Physical Education

Religious Education

In Religious Education, the Year 10 classes engaged in a Zoom call with Deacon Paul, the administrator of Project Compassion in WA and SA. Included in the call was the Caritas representative from Asia to talk about the Project Compassion story of Ronita from the Philippines.

Students were lead through discussion about how Caritas helps those in need and students then engaged in asking some deep-thinking questions on where our donations go.

Lloyd Reidy
Head of Religious Education

Interest Study Program (ISP)

Upcycling

Over the last two weeks in ISP, we have been working to recycle and upcycle old materials and give them a new purpose. Students were given Denim and cotton-based materials and a few basic ideas on how to give them a new life. Most students chose to expand on the basic ideas and personalise their own items. Projects include bags from jeans, a photo frame desk top organiser, pot plant holders, coasters, bowls, bunting and even a shirt.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at household items and giving St Joseph’s op shop a visit to repurpose some items from the store. Well done to all the students involved; you have been working very hard to get your projects done.

Adrienne Suckling
Teacher

MaJEC – Cooking for Charity 

Over the past couple of weeks through the Interest Study Program (ISP), we have been cooking and packaging up cookies for St Joseph’s Care Tuesday Food Hampers. 

So far we have made ANZAC Biscuits and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The students have been having fun cooking, helping a charitable organisation and earning hours towards their MaJEC Program. 

Last week Sr Zita came and helped us package the cookies and then took them over to the Pat Kirby Hall ready for Tuesday’s collection. 

Kathy Pollard
Teacher

From the VET Office 

ASDAN

The Year 10 ASDAN students returned to the Pre-Primary garden this term to see how everything survived over the school holidays. Luckily, the pumpkins had grown to shade all the plants, trees and the soil, so there was still plenty to harvest in the first week back. This year, the focus of the course will be on sustainability, both upcycling and recycling materials to house helpful insects to increase pollination and our food crops.

Caroline Marriott
VET Coordinator

Join the St Joseph's Equestrian Interschools Team!

Are you passionate about horses and riding? Do you dream of competing against other schools in thrilling equestrian events? St Joseph's School invites both Primary and Secondary students to express their interest in joining our Equestrian Interschools Team!

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th April (Easter School Holidays)
• Location: State Equestrian Centre 303 Cathedral Ave Brigadoon
• Events:
  • Dressage
  • Eventing
  • ShowJumping
  • Combined training (Dressage & Showjumping/no cross-country)
  • ShowHorse (Hacking)

Requirements:

• Students must be a member of EWA (Equestrian Western Australia), either as competitive or participant members.

Most competitive interschool classes require a qualifying event (except prep dressage and showhorse). Participant classes do not need qualifications.

Expression of Interest: Interested Secondary students should reach out to Ms Natalie Williamson-Holley at natalie.williamson-h@cewa.edu.au for any inquiries and to express their interest.

School Calendar

The school calender is accessed via the School website or the Schoolzine app. Please ensure that you keep refering to this calendar throughout the year.

You are encouraged to check the calendar for upcoming events that may involve your family.

Andrea Woodgate
Principal

Parent Participation Scheme

Did you know that the School offers a reduction in your school fees?

Families have the ability to work off a portion of their fees through voluntary help at the School. This is a great way to get involved and set a wonderful example of vollunteering for your child.

Whilst assisting in the Canteen is an obvious way to help, other activities encouraged include:

• Classroom assistance
• Reading assistance
• Officiating at swimming & athletics carnivals
• Gardening
• Running or assisting with fundraising activities
• Covering books for the Library

Forms and pamphlets are available from the Primary Office or to download from the website at https://sjsnortham.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/86/parent_participation_card.pdf

Once completed, please hand in to the Business Manager, Ms Quinn, by the end of Term 3 - the forms can be dropped into either the Primary or Secondary Admin Office and Ms Quinn will arrange for the deduction of the Levy from your School Fees Account.

Sharon Quinn
Business Manager

The Primary Canteen is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 

The Secondary Canteen is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Recess or snack items ordered online are available for students to collect from the Canteen at their Recess break. Milo pops and icypoles can be collected from the Canteen following the second lunch bell.

Canteen Support - Volunteers Required

Due to high demand on our quality food and service we need helpers to ensure that our kids get their lunches on time. In order to function to our highest potential, we ideally need 2 or more volunteers a day. Volunteering is a great way to teach your kids about giving, modelling them for the future. Also, every shift you do at our school helps you towards qualifying for a Parent Participation discount on your annual fees.  

We would love to welcome you into our fun and busy environment and see the smiles on your children’s faces when they see you in their school. If you are able help, please send back your Canteen Assistance form or, for Primary, sign up online: the new Term 1 Volunteer Sign-up Page is now up and running - click here.  

I look forward to working with you. If you have any queries, you are always welcome to contact the Canteen on the number below.

Angela Sandrini (Primary)    Desrae Smith (Secondary)
9621 3525                                   9621 8104

Term Time Opening Times:           Mondays - 3.15pm to 4.45pm       
                                                             Thursdays - 2.45pm to 4.15pm    

During Term 1, students are required to wear their summer uniform.

Please also keep in mind when ordering, that your items will go home Tuesday and Friday of each week, as Monday and Thursday are the days the Shop is open.  When placing an order via the Online Shop, it will appear on a report the following day.  For example; if you place your order on Monday, the report issues on Tuesday which means it will not be organised until Thursday, and will go home on Friday.

Disclaimer:

All returns and or exchanges of uniforms to be made within the school term (3 months) of initial purchase.

Michelle James 
Primary - 9621 3524

I hope everyone is settling in to the start of the school year and haven’t been disrupted too much by illness! 

Thank you to all parents and caregivers who volunteered for the sausage sizzle for the swimming carnival. Although it didn’t go ahead I still greatly appreciate your time! 

We still have more events coming this term. More information on these events, including how you can help out will be released closer to the date.  

Our next meeting will be held on Monday 18th March at 6.00pm in the PAC at the Primary campus.  

If you require more information or would like to discuss any school or P&F issue, you can contact me at anytime 0424 288 354. No question is too silly, I am here to help in any way. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out!  

I wish you all a great first term and I look forward to working with you all! 

Class/Library Book Covering

Ever wanted to help from the comfort of your home?

We have boxes of books processed and ready to be covered, all supplies (tape and plastic) provided. Pick-up is from our Primary Campus Library.

We welcome anyone, and grandparents and friends can cover on your behalf.  All support and help is appreciated.  

Please remember to complete your parent participation form.

Email Kylie Dymnicki, Education and Library Assistant: 8605svc_library@cewa.edu.au

Follow us on Facebook

To stay up to date with the P&F please follow our Facebook page for more updates. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1764507137145087

Casey Pearse
P&F Chair

Parish Priest - Fr Stephen Jean Paul Victor

Assistant Priest - Fr Rubenson Cardona

Mass Times ~ Saturday Vigil @ 5.30pm

                      ~ Sunday Mass @ 8.00am  

Presbytery Phone: 08 9622 5411
Email: northam@perthcatholic.org.au *
Website: www.northamchurch.com

Parish News ~ Children's Liturgy 
Children’s Liturgy sessions are held during the 8.00am Sunday Mass.

*Please note the new email address.