Week 8, Term 1 2025

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of St Joseph. Joseph was Jesus’ foster father and the patron saint of the Sisters of St Joseph who founded our school. The little we know about St Joseph is found in the Gospels where he is shown to be a humble, caring, compassionate man who, along with Mary, parented Jesus to be a faithful and loving man who undoubtedly changed the world as he knew it. We marked the feast day of St Joseph with a wonderful Mass led by our Year 4 and 5 students in Miss O’Neil’s class.

A small number of our families took advantage of this wonderful opportunity over the past few weeks to learn more about how to take a strength-based approach to parenting. Presented by Courtney Quigley and based upon Professor Lea Waters book, ‘The Strength Switch’, this course supported our families to build and apply the same understandings that our students are exploring through the Visible Wellbeing framework over the past year. I have a copy of ‘The Strength Switch’ if anyone would like to borrow it – just let me know!

Over the past months, we have been working with Alinta Uniforms to take over production and trade of our school uniform. Alinta, who can be found at 383 Grange Road Findon, will begin trade of our uniform from Monday 14 April. Our current provider, Vinnies at Croydon, will cease trade of our uniform on Friday 28 March 2025. This will allow two weeks for the remaining stock to change hands and be prepared for sale at Alinta. Please note, there will be no sales of our uniform for approximately two weeks between these dates.

Whilst our uniform will largely remain the same, Alinta have been working on improving cut, look and fabric of our pieces. This will mean that new stock sold from their store will have some subtle differences from current stock. This is not a uniform change and, therefore, there is no expectation that families will need to purchase new pieces within a time frame. This need only occur as your existing uniform pieces become too small or worn out. Alinta will also supply school bags, hats, hair accessories and socks. A price list will be shared with families when these details are finalised, however, you will notice that the prices largely remain the same, with only some small changes as necessary to accommodate the improved fabric.

I have recently noticed a small number of students wearing non-school hats or with no hat. Please ensure your child has a St Joseph’s School hat at school every day. These are still available to purchase at the Vinnies store until cease of trade on March 28.

Booking information has now been sent to families for our upcoming Learning Conversations taking place between 31 March and 3 April. Please check Audiri for your link. These meetings are an important part of the partnership between parents and teachers and provide opportunity to work together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.

Happy St Joseph’s Day to all of our families!

Marianne Farrugia

On Wednesday, March 19th we celebrated the Feast Day of St Joseph, a significant day in our school year. The St Joseph Feast Day is what’s called a ‘solemnity’, a special type of mass that carries extra significance. St Joseph is the patron saint of the whole church, as well as the dying, fathers, carpenters and refugees. We were led in song beautifully by our Year 6 members of the choir which was enjoyed by all, particularly our preschool students. We thank Father Santhosh for saying Mass with us and to 4/5O who ran the mass so reverently. Classes then joined together with their buddies to eat their recess. It was wonderful to see our older students “breaking bread” with our younger ones in the spirit of community.

It has been two weeks since Lent began and many of our staff and students have undertaken a Lenten commitment. During the season of Lent we are encouraged to sacrifice or “give up” something, or do something we don’t normally do. The idea is to help make our world a better place. Personally, I’m committing to having cold showers 5 days a week to feel more grateful for access to hot water. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but it has fostered a sense of gratitude I didn’t previously have. Continue to support each other in keeping your Lenten commitments, and don’t be discouraged if you have fallen short. There is still time to keep at it.

Throughout Lent we will be raising money for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. This began with a gold coin donation on Shrove Tuesday.

All families have now received their own Project Compassion box for any notes or loose change. If you would prefer to donate electronically, you can do so through our school page at St Joseph's School - WEST HINDMARSH • Project Compassion 2025. Further information regarding who Caritas Australia supports can be found here Caritas Australia.

The Year 1/2 team has begun teaching the Coping module as part of our Visible Wellbeing program. This term, we have been learning about how our brains work and exploring the different types of thoughts we have every day.

Students have discovered that our minds are constantly thinking, and these thoughts can take many forms. We explored funny thoughts that make us laugh, thoughts about songs that get stuck in our heads, and memories that remind us of special moments.

By recognising our thoughts and understanding that they come and go, students are learning how to manage their emotions and build healthy coping strategies.

This year, we are thrilled to introduce a new whole-school approach to Mathematics through the Learning Through Doing program. This innovative program focuses on hands-on learning, using concrete resources to help students and understand consolidate key mathematical concepts.

Learning Through Doing blends Inquiry-Based Learning with Explicit Instruction, ensuring that students not only explore mathematical ideas but also receive clear, structured guidance. Lessons are filled with rich discussions, cooperative learning, and active engagement, creating a dynamic and supportive learning environment.

Students are already enthusiastic about the hands-on components of the lessons, and we are excited to see their mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills develop throughout the year. We look forward to sharing this journey with our school community and seeing the positive impact on student learning!