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

As we come to the close of another school year and celebrate the Advent and Christmas seasons, I want to take a moment to reflect on the many blessings we have shared as a school community. This year has been filled with growth, challenges and countless moments of joy. I am incredibly grateful for each of you and the role you’ve played in making our school such a vibrant and supportive environment. 

This time of year is a perfect opportunity for us to pause and reflect on the message of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ, a gift of love and peace to the world. In our classrooms, on the playground, and in our church, we have seen the light of Christ shine through the kindness, generosity, and faith of our students, staff and families. From our service projects, Christmas concerts, gift giving and food hamper drives, our community has embraced the spirit of giving, caring for others, and living out our values in meaningful ways. 

We’ve witnessed incredible efforts from our students as they have embraced new learning experiences and taken on challenges with determination and enthusiasm. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our teachers, staff and volunteers for their unwavering commitment to our students. It’s because of your passion and hard work that our school continues to thrive. 

As we head into the summer break, I hope each of you takes time to rest, reflect and recharge. The break offers a well-deserved opportunity to relax, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy all that the summer season has to offer. 

I look forward to welcoming everyone back next year, ready to continue our journey together. May the summer bring joy, relaxation and wonderful memories for all. 

Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable summer!

With God’s blessings, 

Andrea Woodgate
Principal 

Philippines Immersion 

Our six students and one staff member returned this week from an incredible adventure in the Philippines. They met some wonderful people, heard some heartbreaking stories and have very much come to appreciate the gift of growing up in Australia. They will share some of their stories with us next year, but for now we wanted to share some of the beautiful photos of their time. The school is grateful to the Catenian Association of Northam who helped each of the students with some sponsorship money. 

2025 Term Dates

School Fees for 2025 School Year 

The School Advisory Council has endorsed the increase of the school fees by 4%. This is an average figure, with the primary fees not being impacted as much by the increases. This was tabled at the Annual School Community Meeting in November. A link to the 2025 school fees can be found here.

Dear Families & Friends,  

A special thank you to our incredible staff for their hard work and dedication in making the end-of-year events so memorable. A great deal of planning and organising goes into the many concerts, information sessions, excursions and fun events, and your efforts have truly made a difference for our students and families. I appreciate your commitment to creating a vibrant and supportive school environment. Your passion and teamwork shine through in all that you do—thank you for going above and beyond! 

Also as we wrap up a wonderful school year, I want to share my gratitude to all our parents and guardians. Your support, encouragement and involvement have been invaluable in making this year a success for our students. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community. We wish you all a safe and joyful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the new year! 

Spirit of Jesus moments: 

• Singing and dancing with students at the Fun Day Silent Disco
• Watching our beautiful Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students perform at their Christmas Concerts 

• Being astounded at the number of food donations that families have sent in to be included in Parish hampers – thank you! 
• Laughing as students got to dunk their teachers on Fun Day 
• Admiring the creative way classes are celebrating our Catholic faith through decorations and activities 

Primary Fun Day

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday break!  

Linley Waters
Head of Primary

Class in Focus: Pre- Kindergarten

As we wrapped up a wonderful Term 4, our Pre-Kindy class explored the magical world of traditional fairy tales! We delved into classic favourites such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Gingerbread Man. These timeless stories captured our imaginations and inspired us to create our own characters, which brought great excitement and creativity to our learning.

The festive season came alive when Santa’s helper, an elf, arrived in our classroom! Our class voted and named our elf Shiny, while the other Pre-Kindy class named theirs Sparkly. Shiny and Sparkly brought lots of joy and surprises, leaving us exciting activities and challenges each week to spark the Christmas spirit. The children loved discovering what the elves had planned for them!

Another highlight was practicing for our Christmas assembly. The children worked very hard, learning their parts and preparing to perform for you all. We are so proud of their efforts and were so excited to showcase their enthusiasm and talents.

As the term comes to a close, we reflect on all the laughter, learning and precious memories we’ve made. Thank you, parents, for your support throughout this incredible year.

We wish you and your families a joyful and peaceful Christmas!

Harpreet Kaur & Sr Glory
Pre Kindergarten Team

Primary Choir

On Wednesday 13 November, the Primary Choir was invited to perform Christmas Carols to officially launch the K-Hub (K-Mart) Wishing Tree in Northam. The K-Mart wishing tree across the nation donates thousands of hampers and presents to needy families during the Christmas Celebrations in December.

Our choir was thrilled to be invited and performed brilliantly for the Boulevard shoppers who were passing by, yet were drawn in to watch and listen to the positive holiday tunes.

Lloyd Reidy
Choir Master

Year 6 End of Year

Outback Splash

Final Assembly

We Made It! 

The last week of term has been busy and full of exciting activities. 

Year 9 Excursion to Parliament House 
Despite some morning rain during the Amazing Race around the gardens, Monday’s excursion was fantastic. Our students represented the school admirably and everyone learned something new. A big thank you to Steele Davey and Cat Naughton for being our parent helpers and sharing the day with us.

Year 10 ViSN Camp 
Nineteen Year 10 students returned to school on Tuesday to attend an overnight camp at Trinity College (UWA). This camp was an introduction to the Virtual School Network, where they met their teachers and fellow classmates.

Year 7 – 9 Reward Day 
Students had a fun-filled day yesterday, either enjoying the pool and slides or participating in activities back at school. Everyone also enjoyed a delicious sausage sizzle.

St Joseph’s Got Talent 
A huge thank you to the wonderful Mrs. Nicki Parker for organizing both the pool reward and St Joseph’s Got Talent. We were treated to some very enjoyable acts.  

End of Year Reports 
The End of Year reports were released yesterday. If you have been unable to access these reports, please let the school know, and we will assist you. 

Thank You, Parents! 
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the parents who have helped out over the past year at sports events, excursions and other activities. Your support makes it possible to run so many events. 

Holiday Wishes 
Please have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year vacation. We look forward to seeing you next year. 

God Bless.

Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary

Curriculum News

Year 9 HASS Excursion

On Monday 2 December, the Year 9 HASS classes undertook an excursion to the Parliament of Western Australia to consolidate learning in the Civics and Citizenship component of their studies. Students were given a tour of the building, including the ‘wall of women’s firsts’ where they were told the story of Edith Cowan, a woman who overcame significant personal tragedy to become the first woman elected to any parliament in Australia.

Students were also given a tour of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council chambers. As this was not a sitting week for parliament, students were able to take the seats of Members of Parliament including the seats of the Premier, Leader of the Opposition, and Speaker of the House. Students enjoyed proposing a Bill, to pay high school students for attending school, debating its merits, and ultimately voting on its passage (it passed with near unanimous approval).

We were also fortunate to be able to meet with our local member, Mia Davis, who briefly addressed the students on her own experiences in politics. Students also participated in an ‘Amazing Race’ around the grounds of the Western Australian Parliament and the adjoining Constitutional Centre.

Altogether it was an engaging excursion where some important knowledge about our State government was imparted to our students.

Daniel Matthys
Head of English, Languages & HASS

2024 Virtual School Network (ViSN) Camp

On Tuesday 3 December at 6:45am, 19 Year 10 students, accompanied by Mr Vogel and Ms Cusack, departed Northam for Trinity Residential College in Perth to participate in the Virtual School Network (ViSN) Camp.

The camp aimed to bring together students enrolled in Year 11 ViSN courses for 2025 and the teachers delivering these courses. This live-in experience, facilitated by Peggy Fitzgerald (ViSN Coordinator) and Kylie Kingdon (ViSN Consultant), was designed to foster connections between staff and students, provide guidance on key aspects of online learning, and offer an introduction to the students' courses of study.

Over the two days, the students had an amazing time, forming meaningful connections with peers from various Catholic schools across the state. They gained valuable insights into their 2025 ViSN courses, with some even getting a head start on next year’s content.

Some of the activities the students participated in included:

• Team-building and "Get to Know You" activities
• Class content lessons
• Recreational and creative activities such as yoga, giant games, board games, LEGO building, a river walk, and other creative sessions
• A virtual escape room

The camp was a fantastic experience for all involved. The students departed camp at 2:00pm on Wednesday 4 December to return to Northam, feeling excited and prepared for their Year 11 ViSN journey.

Gerhard Vogel
ViSN Coordinator

News from the VET Office

Careers Week

Year 10 students not sitting exams participated in Careers Week from Monday to Thursday of Week 7.  The week included guest speakers, fun career activities, careers information and career pathway planning. 

Industries in the spotlight included Mining, Health Care, Tourism, Heavy Diesel Mechanics, Law Enforcement, the Australian Defence Force, Electrotechnology and Fashion Design. 

Other topics included Entrepreneurship, Apprenticeships and Traineeships, Women in Business, Technology Advances and AI.

Try-a-Trade

The Careers Week culminated in a Try-a-Trade day for interested students at Central Regional TAFE.  The students spend half the day in the timber workshop using carpentry equipment to build pine scaffold and half the day cutting and building with limestone blocks.  All the students were surprised to see a real world application for their maths knowledge and had a wonderful time working in teams to complete set tasks.

Caroline Marriott
VET Coordinator

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

PLEASE NOTE: 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. When requesting an appointment, please give a couple of days and times, and Mrs James will get back to you within a couple of days.

January Uniform Shop Days Opening Days & Times:

• Tuesday 28 January: 9.00am – 4.00pm **morning fully booked; couple left in the afternoon
• Wednesday 29 January: 9.00am – 4.00pm **morning almost fully booked
• Monday 3 February: 9.00am – 4.00pm

Online Shops

Friday 10 January 2025 - The online shops for Perm-a Pleat (Years 3-12 formal uniform) and St Joseph’s school (PP – Year 12 sports uniform, kindy items, and current uniform items WHILE STOCKS LAST), 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

PLEASE NOTE: orders to our St Joseph’s 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 usually be delivered within three days. 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.

During the term, once these items arrive, they will be sent home via your child’s class or homeroom basket. If you have students at both campuses, the order will be sent with your primary student.

The best address to use is: 1 Lance Street, NORTHAM WA 6401.

PLEASE NOTE: The Primary Admin will be open for the collection of Perm-a-Pleat orders from Wednesday 22 January 2025.

Week 1 2025:

Bookings via our normal online appointment booking system will commence for in-term uniform shop days & hours 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.

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 either Perm-a-Pleat or the St Joseph’s uniform shop are to be made within 14 days of initial purchase.

More information to come regarding return/exchange of Perm-a-Pleat items.

Michelle James 
uniform@sjsnortham.wa.edu.au
9621 3524

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

Both Canteens will reopen in Week 2 of Term 1 2025.

A big thank you to all of this year's Year 6 Canteen helpers.

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

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.

Christmas Mass Times