Week 6, Term 1 2025
This week the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent was marked by an Ash Wednesday liturgy attended by all students. Thank you to Joshua Rouse, our APRIM for preparing the liturgy and supporting students to engage prayerfully. Thanks also goes to Josh and our wonderful volunteers for coordinating our Shrove Tuesday celebration the day before, providing each student with a pancake and guiding them to understand the tradition of preparing for Lent, a time of self-control, reflection and giving.
Last weekend also marked the beginning of Ramadan, and, for our Muslim families, we at St Joseph’s School wish you a blessed Ramadan.








This week our Semester 1 Student Representative Council were presented to the community and received their badges. Each student was elected by their peers to represent them at the regular SRC meeting and contribute to making our school a better place for all. We congratulate:
RF – Michael and Evelyn
RCK – Angelo and Astoria
1/2I – Isabel and Xavier
1/2BR – Eleanor and Julen
1/2RR – Angus and Michaela
3N – Sam and Aaliyah
4/5BM – Colette and Nathan
4/5O - Monique and Hamish
4/5T – Jaeger and Freya
6DG – Olive and Orlando
Our Year 6 Sports Leaders were also presented with their badges this week.
Congratulations to:
MacKillop Captains – Italica and Lotye
MacKillop Vice-Captains – Auri and Delilah
Tenison Woods Captains – Sophie and Lila
Tenison Woods Vice Captains – Alex and Justin
Chevalier Captains – Chelsea and Phoenix
Chevalier Vice Captains – Gurfateh and Scarlett
Joseph Captains – Naty and Sienna
Joseph Vice Captain - Sadie
We look forward to all that our student leaders bring to our community in the coming months.
The National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy will take place for our Year 3 and 5 students from 12 March.
This is a nationwide measure through which parents/carers, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.
The tests support monitoring and evaluating of the performance of schools and school systems in these fundamental capabilities. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education approaches are working, areas to be prioritised for improvement, and those schools requiring support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.
NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress. Parents/carers can use NAPLAN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher.
More information can be found at the National Assessment Program website.
Our partnership with families is important to us and communication is a key aspect of a successful partnership. A reminder to our families to please contact teachers directly with any queries or concerns related to the classroom and learning rather than front office staff. This can be done via email in the first instance and if necessary, teachers can follow up with a phone call or to arrange a face-to-face conversation.
Our teachers’ emails are as follows:
Our partnership with families is important to us and communication is a key aspect of a successful partnership. A reminder to our families to please contact teachers directly with any queries or concerns related to the classroom and learning rather than front office staff. This can be done via email in the first instance and if necessary, teachers can follow up with a phone call or to arrange a face-to-face conversation.
Our teachers’ emails are as follows:
We will open our gates again to prospective families who may wish to access our play space and find out more about our school and what we offer on March 22 between 10:30am and 1:30pm. If you know someone who would like to know more about our school, please let them know about this event. School tours will be available as well as some playful activities which promote our playgroup and preschool. If you are one of our registered volunteers and are able to come along and help for an hour on the day to cook sausages or sell ice blocks/ drinks, please contact me at mfarrugia@sjsh.catholic.edu.au. This is a great way for our parent community to help promote our school.
The new School Board met for the first time on February 25, and I am pleased to announce that Rebekah Walton has been elected as our chairperson for 2025/2026. Bek, who has previously been Chairperson of both the Parents and Friends and Finance Committees, has generously given her time over many years to lead and support in our school community. I look forward to working in partnership with Bek in her new role. I would also like to welcome and thank Ben Thompson who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Finance Committee and Dimi Stavropoulos as Secretary of the Board. Other board members are Laura Morris, Catherine Tiani and Ben Hall.
Registrations are now open for 2025 directly with Children’s University via this link 2025 CU Membership Registration Form. Once registered, we ask you to pay the annual fee via the QKR app and the school will make the final registration payment to CU. All registrations must be finalised by March 28. Please contact Gail Smith for more information – gailsmith321@hotmail.co.uk.
The first two sessions of this valuable series of workshops have now taken place and a number of our parents have taken up the offer to learn how to take a strength-based approach to their parenting. Across our school we focus helping students to recognise strengths in themselves and in others, and to use them to help them to do hard things and build new strengths.
Wishing all our families many blessings.
Marianne Farrugia
This week has been a very busy week here at St Joseph’s as we ring in the season of Lent. On Tuesday March 4th (Week 6) we celebrated Shrove Tuesday by eating pancakes. It is a significant day in the Christian calendar, and was no doubt a memorable day for all involved.
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is the day before the start of Lent, a 40-day period of reflection and preparation leading up to Easter. Traditionally, it was a time for people to use up rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar before the fasting season began—hence the tradition of making pancakes!
With the support of our fantastic parent helpers, we cooked nearly 300 pancakes which brought many a smile to our children’s faces. A huge thank you to Kate, Jessica, Georgina, Shannyn and Diana for offering their services to cook and serve, as well as Rita, Rose and Margaret for helping serve.














On Wednesday, March 5th, we gathered together as a whole school for a special Ash Wednesday Liturgy. It was a peaceful and meaningful time when we joined in prayer and reflection. During the service, we learned that Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent—a season in which Christians prepare their hearts for Easter by thinking about ways to be kind, caring, and forgiving.
Ash Wednesday is named for the tradition of placing a small mark of ashes on our foreheads. This act reminds us that we are all connected and that we should always remember to be humble and grateful for God’s love. The liturgy taught us that Lent is not just about giving something up, but about growing in our faith and becoming better friends, students, and community members. We are thankful for the opportunity to share in this special day together, and we look forward to continuing our journey of learning and reflection throughout Lent.
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. Consider making a Lenten commitment as a family, or help your child to make one of their own, such as helping with the dishes or limiting screen time. Personally, I’m committing to having cold showers 5 days a week to feel more grateful for access to hot water. What could you commit to do this Lenten season?
Fun fact: While Lent actually lasts for 40 days leading up to Easter, each Sunday is considered a day free of fasting. The 40 days is connected with how long Jesus wandered the desert. So the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter is actually 46 days.
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.
As Marianne mentioned, the formation of the new school board occurred at the end of February and I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself as the Chairperson, in addition to the role of the St Joseph’s school board.
Our board serves primarily in an advisory capacity, supporting Marianne and school leadership in decision-making. While our board has no role in governing the school, the board is instrumental in sharing the community voice, acting as a bridge between families, the parish community, and the school. By representing the perspectives and needs of parents and the broader school community, the board helps ensure that decisions align with Catholic values and the best interests of our students.
If you would like to speak with me at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact me on M: 0421253010 or E: rebekahwalton28@gmail.com
We look forward to working with this great school community to make St Joseph’s great!
Thanks
Bek
The vacation care program is up and running and you can book your children in as of now. We are having 1 excursion which will be to Adelaide Oval and then finish off the afternoon with a ride on Popeye.
You can get hard copies from the OSHC centre or the front office. Remember, bookings can only be accepted once you have filled out the consent form.
There is a pupil free day on Friday, 11th April. We are open from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm. Our theme is” crazy hair day”. Again, bookings can be made online via your app, or if you are having difficulty, please call the OSHC office on 0408 809 107 for any extra help you may need.
Here are some photos from last holiday's vacation care program.











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