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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
Today our Year 6B class entertained us with a wonderful assembly item, reliving their Primary school years. There were lots of laughs as the students dressed up as staff members as they recounted their favourite memories. Congratulations to Mr N and the students on their creativity.
Philippines Immersion Trip
Good luck to Mrs Sally Clements and our six Year 11 students who will be embarking on the Philippines Immersion Trip this Saturday. We are sure you will make a significant difference in the lives you touch. Stay safe, and we look forward to hearing your stories next year.
Confirmation
Congratulations to those Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last weekend. The entire school community is very proud of your commitment to your faith.
Step Up Day
The highly anticipated Step-Up Day happens this coming Monday. Students from Kindy to Year 6 all move into their classes for next year and get to spend some time with their new teacher. New students to the school will be joining us so we can’t wait to meet new friends. Our new Year 7 students will also be joining us for their Transition Day.
The list of Primary teachers for next year can be found below:
Classroom Teachers:
| Pre Kindergarten | Jodi Joyce |
| Kindergarten Blue | Jessica Morris |
| Kindergarten Gold | Peta Robinson |
| Pre-Primary Blue | Kym McCarthy |
| Pre-Primary Gold | Beth Ciallella |
| Year 1 Blue | Shell Read |
| Year 1 Gold | Carly Allen |
| Year 2 Blue | Tahlia Skamp |
| Year 2 Gold | Rhonda Oliver / Ruth Adams |
| Year 3 Blue | Peter Matthys |
| Year 3 Gold | Kayla Hyde / Peta Robinson |
| Year 4 Blue | Catherine Naughton / Rebecca Morrell |
| Year 4 Gold | Edward Ewing |
| Year 5 Blue | Krystal Armarego |
| Year 5 Gold | Rebecca Curtis / Helen Sullivan |
| Year 6 Blue | Tim Natkanski |
| Year 6 Gold | Mikala Thomas |
Specialist Staff:
| The Arts (PP-6) | Michelle Smith |
| Auslan (PP-7) | Dayna Christian |
| PE (PP-7) | Cameron Watson |
| Technologies (PP-6) | Ken James |
| Health (PP-6) | Carrie Frost |
A reminder to inform the school in writing if you are planning for your child to attend a new school in 2025. This can be done via an email to admin@sjsnortham.wa.edu.au or via the Departure Form on our school website home page.
With God’s blessings,
Andrea Woodgate
Principal
Dates for your Diary
Week 8
| Monday 25 November: | Primary "Step Up Day" 2025 Year 7 "Transition Day" |
| Tuesday 26 November: | Yr 6 Game Changers Lap-a-thon |
| Wednesday 27 November: | Yr 6 Excursion to Outback Splash Marist Student Leaders Gathering departs |
| Thursday 28 November: | Marist Student Leaders Gathering Early Close |
| Friday 29 November: | Yr 6 Final Asssembly & Morning Tea 9:00am Marist Student Leaders Gathering returns Pre-Kindy Gold Christmas Celebration 2:00pm |
Week 9
| Monday 2 December: | Primary & Secondary Canteen Closed all Week Yr 9 Parliament House Excursion Secondary Leaders Reward Day |
| Tuesday 3 December: | Primary Fun Day 2025 ViSN Camp departs |
| Wednesday 4 December: | Early Years Christmas Concert 9:00am 2025 ViSN Camp returns Yr 11 Philippines Immersion Trip returns |
| Thursday 5 December: | Pre-Kindy Blue Christmas Celebration 9:00am Early Close |
| Friday 6 December: | Thanksgiving & Advent Mass 9:00am Christmas Concert & Sausage Sizzle St Joseph's Got Talent (Secondary) |
This week's clip has a focus on 'The New World' and how the Spirit is revealed.
Year 8 Retreat
The Year 8 Retreat was held on Monday 18 November.
Throughout the day, students were involved in reflection time, games, skits and Q and A sessions with the 24/7 Ministry Team of Western Australia.
The theme for the day was 'God's Creation' and specific topics covered were:
- Appreciating our uniqueness
- The complications of changing behaviour for acceptance and
- Value and dignity
Our school community extends a huge thank you to 24/7 and the students look forward to seeing the team return to Northam in years to come.
Lloyd Reidy
Religious Education Coordinator
Congratulations to...
Congratulations to Jackson Cox for his success racing his Junior Sedan Car at the Perth Motorplex. Jackson received 3rd place at the recent Fast Friday event which saw him receive his first ever podium receiving a trophy.
The Toodyay Theatre Group are currently staging 'Game of Tiaras' and several St Joseph's students are involved.
Congratulations to Milly Davey, Keeley Bell, Kaizer Winch-Buist and Tasanee Vine from Secondary, and Islah Mainard, Jarvis Dayman, Ella Jenkin and Leah Jenkin from Primary.
In Cricket, Northam defeated Upper Great Southern in the Rutherford Shield. Parker Byfield scored a century not out off 92 balls. Campbell Allen took 2 wickets off 4 balls. Cameron Clements bowled 2 maiden overs and Xavier Sibley scored 25 runs. The team was also well supported by Nash Forbes, Jack Clements, Harry O'Driscoll and Sam Clements. Jackson Byfield in Year 5 took 4 wickets in 4 overs with 3 maidens.
Congratulations to all the boys!
Ella Branch in Year 11 will be leaving St Joseph's to take up an apprenticeship with Shell as an Inlet Electrician. Congratulations, Ella!
If your child has achieved something special outside of school, please let us know so that we can celebrate with them.
Dear Families & Friends,
What a busy few weeks we have had!
Year 5, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 1 (phew!) have all been on excursions. I have heard of the adventures at the Scitech Planetarium, the amazing gold pouring at the Perth Mint, how reverent students were when tidying up the cemetery, and the long bus ride to the Gravity Discovery Centre.
We have many more exciting events towards the end of term, so keep an eye out for information about Step-Up Day, Fun/FunD Day, and Christmas Concerts that will be shared soon.
I would like to congratulate our Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last weekend. This is the first sacrament where students truly get to choose for themselves if they would like to participate by selecting a sponsor and Saint’s name to be blessed with and is the final Sacrament of Initiation into the Catholic Church.
As we come into the Christmas season, the story of the Holy Spirit appearing to the Apostles at Pentecost and sending them out into the world to spread the Good News is a timely reminder of how we too can share the message of Jesus with those in our lives.
Spirit of Jesus moments:
- Listening to Year 1 students as they excitedly told me how much their weight is worth in gold
- Meeting many new and current families at our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Parent Information Sessions
- Reading about the wonderful progress our students have made as I edit End of Year Reports. These will be available online in Seqta in Week 9
Linley Waters
Head of Primary
Class in Focus: Kindergarten Gold
To start Term 4 in Kindy we learnt about transport and all the different ways we can travel and see the world. We loved learning about big transport like diggers, monster trucks and cruise ships. We also learnt about the different ways things move, like sailboats using the wind and cars using engines. We learnt that most land transport uses wheels to move. We even got to build our own ramps and rolled some cars and trucks down them. When we started learning about air transport, we wondered how helicopters could fly. After learning about the engines and rotor blades, we made our own paper helicopters and flew them in the playground.
Next, we explored water transport. Our wonder questions included “How do boats move?” and “I wonder how they stay on the water?” We delved into the world of water transport and learnt a new word – buoyancy. We then built our own boats and tested them in water. We even blew into the sails to watch them move.
After we finished with transport we started learning about the nativity and the special reason we celebrate Christmas – Jesus’ birthday. We talked about the angels, the star and how special Mary was to be chosen by God. We made a mural about the nativity to help us consolidate our learning. We learnt lots of new words and were excited to hear about how Jesus was born and that we all celebrate his birthday every year.
We also got to talk about all the special traditions we do at home to celebrate Christmas, like going to mass, putting up our Christmas tree and spending time with our friends and family. We shared these with our classmates and learnt some new Christmas traditions. We explored the way different cultures celebrate the holiday and were excited to discover that all over the world people go to church just like us.
Next year we will all be big Pre-Primary students, so we went down to explore and familiarise ourselves with the Pre-Primary classrooms. This was very exciting for us! We had a lot of fun exploring the space and look forward to learning there next year.
Rhonda Oliver & Sheryl Thompson
Kindergarten Gold Teacher & Student Teacher
Class in Focus: Year One Gold
Term 3 was filled with exciting activities and special events. The term started off with a whole school open night were students were proud to show off their amazing work to their families. The Book Fair and parade was also a fun day for students and teachers to dress up as their favourite book character and buy some exciting new books.
Then the Year 1 students led a liturgy which centred around baptism and they did a wonderful job! Towards the end of the term we celebrated Father’s Day with a BBQ breakfast and the Junior Athletics Carnival. The Junior Athletics Carnival was Year 1 Gold’s favourite day of the year.
Term 3 ended with Naidoc Week, where we got to investigate the culture and traditions of The First Nations people, through art and story telling activities, and Year 1 Gold even won a pizza party for their classroom door display.
Term 4 has been a fun term where we have been investigating money and the worth of Australian coins. Our class has been curious as to how money is made, why the coins look like they do and how they came about, so to investigate further we visited the Perth Mint to deepen our understanding.
We are also looking forward to ending the year with some fun Christmas activities to celebrate our success in Year 1!
Carly Allen
Year 1 Blue Teacher
Year 8 Retreat and Camp
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful parent volunteer, Rebecca Gordan, for her invaluable support during the Year 8 Retreat and Camp. Congratulations to our Year 8 students who behaved exceptionally well overnight and showed incredible determination in overcoming their fear of heights to conquer the High Ropes and Crate Climb at the beautiful Swan Valley Adventure Centre. We are so proud of you all!
Last week, our Year 7 students had a fantastic excursion to Caversham Wildlife Park for their Science studies. The students enjoyed learning about the diverse wildlife and had a memorable experience exploring the park.
End of Year Exams
We are pleased to announce that all of our exams for the year are now complete. Congratulations to all our students from Year 9 to Year 12 for your hard work and dedication. We are confident that the extra study you put in will yield successful results.
Year 9 Food Trucks
Thank you to Mrs Carol Farson and Mrs Michelle O’Driscoll for all of your hard work to create a successful Food Truck experience at Recess on Wednesday. The Year 9s produced some delicious food for both staff and students to try.
Upcoming Events
On Monday, we look forward to welcoming our 2025 Year 7 students to the Secondary Campus for their "Day in the Life of a Year 7." Those who attended last Monday for the morning familiarisation were feeling very confident about moving to high school, and we are glad our House Coordinators were able to make you feel so comfortable. We have a lot of fun activities planned and look forward to having you for the full day on Monday.
In Week 9, our Year 9 students will travel to Parliament House for a guided tour and an 'amazing race' around the grounds. The Year 9s have been learning about Civics and Citizenship this term, and this excursion will complete their coursework for the year.
The Year 7 to 9 students will have an afternoon at the pool on Thursday, 5th December. They will enjoy a 'sausage sizzle' and then have time on the slides and in the pool.
God Bless.
Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary
Curriculum News
Year 7 Science excursion
The Year 7 excursion to Caversham Wildlife Park in Week 6 was a great experience for all involved. Located in the heart of the Swan Valley, the wildlife park offered a unique opportunity for the students to get up close with some of Australia’s most iconic animals. After the bus ride, the students were eager to see kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and a variety of birds and reptiles. From the moment they arrived, the students were immersed in the lush surroundings and the diverse range of wildlife.
During the visit, students participated in several interactive activities. One of the highlights was the chance to feed and pet the kangaroos, an experience many had never had before.
The aim of the excursion was for students to learn interesting facts about each animal's habitat, diet and behaviour. The koala encounter was particularly memorable, as the students were able to observe them up close, noting their slow movements and their sleepy nature. The students gained a sound understanding of Australian wildlife and the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship.
Overall, the excursion was a great success. Students returned with an appreciation for wildlife, along with a deeper understanding of Australia’s unique ecosystem. The trip allowed the students to learn outside the traditional classroom setting, engaging their curiosity and encouraging a hands-on practical approach to education.
Mark Bundock & Mark Gargano
Science Excursion Teachers
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
Term Time Opening Times: Mondays - 3.15pm to 4.45pm
Thursdays - 2.45pm to 4.15pm
New Uniform
We are excited to announce that the sizing guides for the new uniform items will be available from Week 9, Monday 2 December. We have added additional uniform shop opening times both at the end of this year and the start of next year.
Online Shops
Thursday 28 November 2024 - Our current online uniform shop & physical uniform shop will close at end of business to allow for a changeover to the new systems as well as stocktake.
Friday 10 January 2025 - The online shops for Perm-a Pleat (formal uniform) and the school shop (sports uniform) will both open for ordering. Links to both of these shops will be on our school website under the Uniform Tab: https://sjsnortham.wa.edu.au/uniform
NB: orders to our school online shop placed between 10 January and 28 January will be ready for collection from the Primary Admin after 1:00pm on 30 January.
Delivery from Perm-a-Pleat
Perm-a-Pleat have told us that online orders will have a 3-day delivery turn around (usually). Delivery can be made to residential address and roadside mailboxes only. Unfortunately, they will not deliver to a PO Box so families who only have a PO box can choose to have their uniform sent to the school and these will be sent home with your oldest child once they arrive. The Primary address of 1 Lance Street is the best one to use.
NB: The Primary Admin will be open for the collection of Perm-a-Pleat orders from Wednesday 22 January 2025.
Uniform Shop Opening Times:
APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL TIMESLOTS LISTED BELOW. To book an appointment or for any enquiries please email Michelle James at uniform@sjsnortham.wa.edu.au
25 November 2024: Step Up Day
Uniform shop open to NEW primary families ONLY between 8.30am – 1.00pm.
Week 9: SIZING appointments ONLY:
There will be NO normal in-term shop times during Week 9 or 10
- Monday 2 December: 8.00am – 12.00pm
- Tuesday 3 December: 8.00am – 12.00pm
- Wednesday 4 December: 1.00pm – 4.00pm
- Thursday 5 December: 1.00pm – 4.00pm
We will add additional timeslots on these days if we run out of spaces.
January Uniform Shop Days Opening Days & Times:
- Tuesday 28 January: 9.00am – 4.00pm
- Wednesday 29 January: 9.00am – 4.00pm
- Monday 3 February: 9.00am – 4.00pm
Week 1 2025:
Bookings via our normal online appointment booking system. Normal in-term shop days & hours will commence on Thursday 6 February 2025.
Please note that we are no longer accepting donations of preloved uniform at school. Current uniform preloved items will still be available outside the uniform shop on Monday and Thursday afternoons, until the end of this year.
Families wishing to access the Uniform Shop are advised that the online shop is the preferred method of ordering uniforms. Please note we cannot accept email or telephone orders.
If items are required to be tried on, then an appointment should be made through our online booking system. As the Uniform Shop is a small space, we continue to limit numbers, so an appointment is required.
For details of our new online Booking System for Uniform Shop Appointments, please see the attached flyer.
Please keep in mind when ordering that items will be sent home within 2-4 days of ordering.
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
The Primary Canteen is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Please see the updated Primary Canteen Menu below.
The Secondary Canteen is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The Primary and Secondary Canteens will both be closed in Week 9.
You are encouraged to please order online. If we experience connectivity issues with the online ordering, please revert to using lunch bags to place orders for that day.
When ordering online, make sure you don't close the page before your order has been competed or it may not be processed.
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: here.
We look forward to working with you. If you have any queries, you are always welcome to contact the Canteen on the numbers below.
Angela Sandrini (Primary) Desrae Smith (Secondary)
9621 3525 9621 8104
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.
Nativity Play
St Joseph's Parish will be holding a Christmas Nativity play at the children's Mass on Christmas Eve.
For more information, or for your children to take part, please contact Sr Glory (0415 545 529) or Alphy Thomas (0457 583 993).
Better Health Program Online
"You say all the right things to your kids, but they don't always listen to you. So I think hearing it from someone else and hearing so much of the reasoning why all of the different healthy choices we make are important, coming from someone else makes such a big difference."
"I felt like I knew a lot of stuff about being healthy but I didn't quite know how to package that up into a way that I could explain it to the kids and so I wanted to come and learn with them so that we learnt together." – Alex, mum of 3.
The Better Health Program is a free 10-week initiative focusing on healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, and screen time for primary-aged children. Each child receives free resources, and families are supported by a dietitian or nutritionist each week.
- Online places are available for immediate start!
- Visit betterhealthprogram.org/wa or call 1300 822 953
- FREE
Children must be between 6-12 years old and above a healthy weight unless referred by a health professional."
For any aspiring authors!
2025 Book of the Year Award
The Children’s Book Council of Australia
Details: https://awards.cbca.org.au/
Entry Dates:
Entries for the 2025 Book of the Year Awards close November 30, 2024
All books must be received at the National Office by December 14, 2024
Mental Health Resourses
For more information, visit headspace Northam or see their website.
School Dental Therapy Centre
Please note that the School Dental Therapy Centre is available to see school-aged children from Pre-Primary to 16 years of age at their Northam Centre, located on the Northam Primary School campus. If any students require Dental Care, please contact us at the following:
Northam Dental Therapy Centre
c/- Northam Primary School (entry via Duke Street)
0458 644 530