Week 6, Term 3 2024

What a wonderful Book Week we had last week, culminating in both an amazing costume parade on Friday morning, and a fun student and teacher magic tricks talent show on Friday afternoon. Many thanks to our brilliant parents for some very creative costumes which helped to bring the theme of ‘Reading is Magic’ alive for all. See the photo gallery for all the fun! 

Two of our students completed their initiation into the Catholic Church on Sunday August 18, with the celebration of the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist at our 9am Parish Mass. The Sacramental program has taken place in the Hindmarsh/Findon Parish over several months with children and their families, and I thank Seva Maitianos, our Leader of RE, for leading children and their families through this period of preparation. 

Congratulations to Orlando (and his brother Marco) and Leandra, and to their families for accompanying them on this journey towards full initiation into the Catholic Church.

As I am sure you have noticed, our relatively new oval is not at it’s best!  Following further drainage works in the July holidays, our grass is depleted and ground compacted. We are currently seeking quotes for repair and will keep you informed as it will likely require a further period of closure.  We are determined to finally get our oval space to its full potential as soon as possible! 

This Friday our students will attend a presentation from David Chikwuba, founder of Mentoring Coaching Counselling who will speak to us about the effects racism has on people in our society and the importance of being culturally respectful. This session will support the ongoing development of cultural awareness amongst our students, celebrated at our recent International Day and focused on in the classroom though our Health and HASS learning.  

Next Friday, all teaching staff will be attending a professional learning day with Fr James McIvoy who will work with us to help us to better understand, and teach about, Catholic Social Teachings.  These teachings, underpinned by four principles, calls us to ‘see, judge and act’ as a response to injustice, or so as to prevent injustice in our world.  These teachings underpin much of our Religious Education curriculum and are brought to life through social action events at school such as our Vinnies Christmas Appeal, Project Compassion fundraising and Reconciliation Week.  

Care is available for students on our Pupil Free Day at OSHC – please book promptly.  You may wish to take this opportunity to take your children to the Royal Adelaide Show if convenient, rather than taking them from a formal school day.  

Thank you to all our families for supporting the continued learning of our staff. 

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, our students had the opportunity on Wednesday to purchase a gift for their Dad, Grandad or special father figure in their lives. These opportunities do not occur without the generosity of our parents who volunteer their time to purchase, prepare and sell the gifts. Particular thanks to Andrea Boseley, Chairperson of our Parents and Friends Committee, for coordinating this event. 

You may know that this new workplace right has come into effect for most employees in Australia as of August 26, 2024. This right allows employees to not engage with contact from their employer and/ or from another person if the contact is work-related, outside of their designated work hours. 

Thankfully, most of our families are already very respectful of our staff in relation to this and do not expect immediate, or out of hours responses to emails, Seesaw messages or phone calls.  Enquiries and questions should, and will be followed up in a timely manner, however as the employer, I strongly discourage our staff from doing so outside of the business day. This expectation is now supported by legislation. If you ever feel that your enquiries have been overlooked, I am happy to support you with accessing the right person for a timely response. Thank you for your continued understanding in regard to the wellbeing and workplace rights of our staff. 

Wishing you a wonderful week.
Marianne Farrugia

Principal 

Last week we celebrated Catholic Schools Open Week and the rich tradition of Catholic education and the role our schools play in shaping the hearts and minds of our students. Guided by our faith, we aim to inspire our students to be thriving people, capable learners, leaders for the world God desires.

Loving God,

Guide us to know life in its fullness, to raise

our hearts and minds to know God’s love.

Raise our hearts and minds to be inspired

by Jesus, the Catholic faith and tradition.

Raise our hearts to be loving,

compassionate and respectful.

Raise our minds to be inquisitive,

capable and seek truth.

May we be aware of listening to the stirring

of our hearts to prompt action.

Guide us to respond to the needs of others

and all of God’s creation.

In all our thoughts, words and actions,

help us raise our hearts and minds

in creating the world you desire.

Loving God hear our prayer

Amen

On August 15, the Catholic Church celebrated the Assumption of Mary.  This ultimate recognition of the sacredness of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was declared in 1950 by Pope Pius X11 when it was stated that Mary was taken into Heaven, body and soul. The Feast of the Assumption invites us to reflect on Mary's incredible life, whose unwavering faith and devotion have inspired countless generations.

Chosen by God to be the mother God's Son, Mary lived a life filled with faith, kindness, and love for others. Her example reminds us that, like Mary, each of us can make a positive difference in the world through our kindness, generosity, and compassion. Mary's life inspires us to be more loving, patient, and understanding in our own lives.

On Father’s Day, we celebrate the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, and all those who have taken on a fatherly role in our families and communities. We give thanks for the love they generously share.

In the Catholic tradition, we look to St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, as a model of strength, humility, and unwavering faith. His life teaches us the importance of guiding and nurturing with patience, compassion, and integrity.

This week Father Santhosh and the Year 5/6 Team led us in prayer with a beautiful Mass celebrating the fathers and father figures in our lives. We wish all of our dads a Happy Father’s Day, and hope that that they all enjoy their celebrations on Sunday!

St Joseph is the model of the educator and the dad, the father.

I, therefore, entrust to his protection those who are fathers.

Best wishes to you on your day!

I ask for you the grace to be ever closer to your children, allow them to grow, but be close, close!

They need you, your presence, your closeness, your love.

May you be for them as St Joseph was: guardians of their growth in age, wisdom and grace.

May you guard them on their journey: be educators and walk with them.

Thank you for all you do for your children: thank you.

May St Joseph bless you and accompany you.

Pope Francis

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Community Mass, which will be held at Sacred Heart Church, Hindmarsh, on Sunday, 8th September, at 9.00 am. This is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the connection between our school and parish community, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Children are encouraged to actively participate in the Mass by reading the Prayers of the Faithful or being part of the offertory procession.

If your child would like to take an active role in the Mass, please email me at seva.maitianos@sjsh.catholic.edu.au with your child’s name and class by Monday, 2nd September. Members of the School Leadership Team will support the children in preparing for their roles.

God Bless, 
Seva Maitianos  

Leader of Religious Education

Week 5 was a whirlwind of excitement as we celebrated Book Week with a host of magical events! Each day, students eagerly searched for the elusive Yellow Wizard, with lucky finders winning a book prize. The fun continued as students read and voted on their favourite CBA shortlisted books for their year level. Creativity soared in our book cover re-creation competition, while Wednesday brought the enchanting Daniel the Magician, who dazzled everyone with his 'Create the Magic' show. The week ended in a spectacular parade on Friday showcasing brilliant costumes, the announcement of winning book covers, recognition of outstanding efforts in the Charles Sturt Council Literacy Competition, and an amazing magic talent show featuring both students and teachers!

On Tuesday, the 20th of August, twelve nominated students were chosen to represent our school to attend a workshop called Mathematical Marvels by G.A.T.E.W.A.Y.S Eureka, which was held at Dominican school. This program focused on advanced mathematics. The students selected were Maya, Lam, Brook, Mitchell, Jack, Ethan, Alex, Lotye, Grace, Jake, Yahya, and Callan. They were given little booklets and split into groups to use their knowledge to solve challenges. There were three sessions for each year level, Year 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Year 1's focused on year 5 - 6 mathematics, Year 2’s focused on 6 - 7 mathematics, Year 3/4 focused on around 7 - 9 mathematics, Year 5’s worked on 8-10, and Year 6’s worked on 11 - 12 level mathematics. Students around Adelaide learnt Euler’s numbers, probability, Euler’s traversable and Hamiltonian traversable, the periodic table, BEDMASS, and many more facts. All the students involved agreed that they learnt many useful strategies to problem solve at the workshop and they found that the workshop provided enjoyable and engaging lessons. The students are so grateful to be able to be nominated to go to Dominican School and wish to be able to engage in other workshops in the future.

Written by Maya Tran

Families we still have availability for bookings on the upcoming Pupil Free Day - Friday 6th September. Please note we also have availability for before and after school care on Sports Day - Thursday 26th September 2024. 

Warm Regards, 
Maria Cronin 

OSHC and Vacation Care Director
 

At St Joseph’s Hindmarsh, learning is co-constructed and dynamic.  Learners are encouraged to IMAGINE, DISCOVER and CREATE and to make meaningful connections with their world.  

As capable learners they are given opportunities to develop capabilities that build their confidence and skills to engage with the curriculum and ACHIEVE excellence.

56 Albemarle Street, West Hindmarsh SA, Australia
8424 6400
info@sjsh.catholic.edu.au