Week 10, Term 1 2025

As we approach the final week of the term, I know our students, staff and families will be looking forward to the upcoming holiday break. Thank you to all families for engaging in our Learning Conversations this week.  This opportunity to share information about your child’s progress is vital to building a positive partnership with your child’s teacher and school.  If you did not book a Learning Conversation, please contact your child’s teacher to set up a time.  

Next Friday, 11 April, our teaching staff will engage in professional learning in the areas of Aboriginal Education and Mathematics. As this is the last day of the school term, our students will have their last day at school on Thursday 10 April. OSHC is available on Friday 11 April.  

On the first day of Term 3, Monday 21 July, our school and OSHC service will be closed to allow all staff to attend a Staff Retreat Day at the Mary MacKillop Precinct in Kensington. During this day, our staff will learn more about St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, who is Australia’s first Saint, and the foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph who started our school almost 100 years ago. Families will need to make alternative arrangements for their children on this day and we understand this may require some significant planning, hence the advanced notice.  

Recently we have appointed several new staff –  

Ayesha Graziani has been appointed as a Curriculum ESO and began with us last week. Ayesha has taken over some of Leah Wilkey and Meka Vizzari’s duties, as both have temporarily reduced their time with us to enable further study.  

Maria Coppola has been appointed as our Mid-Year Reception teacher. Maria will join us to facilitate transition visits in Term 2 as well as performing other temporary relieving teaching roles as needed.  

Pamela Di Rocco has been appointed as our OSHC Assistant Director. Pamela comes to us as an experienced OSHC Assistant Director, and I know she will have much to offer our service as she begins with us in Week 11.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Maria Cronin and her wonderful team, who have enabled our service to run successfully over the past 17 months whilst our previous Assistant Director, Graziella, was on leave.  

As previously communicated, our school uniform is no longer available at Vinnies Croydon, and I thank both the staff of the Vinnies store and Perm-a-Pleat for producing and selling our school uniform over many years. Existing stock has been transferred to Alinta Apparel at 383 Grange Road and will be ready for sale from Monday 14 April.
Information about how to purchase our uniform can be found on our website. Our updated School Uniform Policy is also available on our school website.  

Several of our students took part very successfully in the SACPSSA Swimming Carnival at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre yesterday. See further in the newsletter for our results.
Thanks to Matthew Baird, PE teacher, as well as Mark Thompson, Liam Parker and Demmy Hall, parent volunteers, who supported our team to compete.  Congratulations to the following students for doing our school proud –  

Year 3 - Yahya, Rastin, Coco, Mahtub 

Year 4 – Caterina, Liam, Zoe, Jaeger, Vega, Oscar, Amelie, Erin, Zoe 

Year 5 - Alannah, Sofia, Bruk, Mckenzie  

Year 6 – Grace, Gabby, Toby, Bailey, Lotye 

In his Pastoral Letter for Lent 2025, Archbishop O’Regan invites us to live the season of Lent as a journey of profound renewal, and ultimately a journey to Easter.  

‘May this Lent be a time of deep renewal for you. May we walk together as Pilgrims of Hope, listening, accompanying, and preparing our hearts for the joy of Easter.’ 

To support our preparation for Easter, next week our students will host re-enactments and prayer services to mark the events of Holy Week.  This is a very significant time in the Catholic liturgical year as Lent comes to an end and we enter the Easter season. Families are most welcome to join us for these significant events.  

Please see information below in our Newsletter sharing times, dates and venues of the various Holy Week commemorations in the Sacred Heart Parish.  

I wish all of our families a wonderful week. 

Marianne Farrugia 

In Term 4 last year, a group of students embarked upon the journey of celebrating their Sacraments of Initiation by receiving their first Reconciliation. In Terms 2 and Term 3, these same students will continue their journey by learning about and receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. Please keep them in your prayers.

Any student currently in Year 3-6 (and has been baptised) that is interested in starting the Sacramental Program in Term 4 for 2025/26 should contact me on joshua.rouse@sjsh.catholic.edu.au or via the front office.

Last week, 4/5T led our first Community Prayer of the year. It was a beautiful and intimate prayerful celebration with our Year 3-6 students which included a Gospel reflection written by our students. It was powerful to hear how the Gospel was interpreted by our children and gave everyone present a unique perspective.

Each class this year will be leading a Community Prayer and we look forward to seeing the many ways in which our children connect with God.

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

All Project Compassion boxes need to be returned to school by Wednesday, April 9th. 

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 | Australian Charity | A Not-for-Profit Organisation.  

Finally, I sincerely hope you all have wonderful term break and travel safely for those getting away. Looking forward to seeing you all refreshed and ready for Term 2! 

Josh Rouse
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission 

On the 2nd of April, 21 Hindmarsh students travelled to the SA Aquatics Centre to take part in the SACPSSA Swimming Carnival.
All students represented the school at an exceptional level and everyone who attended should be extremely proud. Now to the results. Our Year 4's won their year level pennant, our Year 5's also won their pennant and our Year 6's DID NOT lose a race the entire carnival. This resulted in our school winning the section 7 shield overall and amazing achievement for the school and everyone who participated. Special mentions go to three students who received a medal as the most outstanding athlete for their respective year level: Caterina (year 4), Alannah (year5) and Grace (year 6).
What a special day with amazing achievements!
Mr Baird
 

This term at Preschool we are enjoying having Rose our resident gardening guru join us as we work on re-establishing our garden after the summer break.

So far, we have been busy removing old plants, nurturing our garden beds with new soil and some much-needed watering. We have started planting some seeds and herbs and look forward to watching these start to grow.

All this attention has resulted in our Butterfly Garden welcoming its first caterpillar! It is with great excitement we have been watching and documenting its growth as we learn about the caterpillar to butterfly transformation.

We were fortunate to witness caterpillars going into their chrysalis, as well as butterflies emerging, drying their wings and flying away. The children looked out each day for the returning butterflies, wondering if it was one we had released.

Throughout the inquiry, we would often find groups of children standing by, watching as the caterpillars ate their leaves, commenting on what was happening and the changes that were occurring. We added magnifying glasses for children to get a closer look, and an information book for children to research the lifecycle. Children learned about the difference between a cocoon (moth) and a chrysalis (butterfly).

We are pleased to share that our butterfly garden is thriving, with at least five new caterpillars emerging from eggs this week!