St Joseph's School Newsletter

Inspired by Mary MacKillop, we strive to achieve excellence in education and pastoral care, foster well being, develop strong values and include all cultures and community members.

Following Jesus' example, we support all cultures and needs by building trusting relationships and fostering high expectations that inspire and empower our children to be compassionate, lifelong learners.

As we come to the end of another busy and rewarding term, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our dedicated teachers and staff for their continued commitment to our children.

Your professionalism, care, and willingness to go the extra mile each day make a profound difference in the lives of our students. To our children, congratulations on a term of hard work, we are very proud of all that you have achieved.

This term also marks the conclusion of an important chapter for two valued members of our staff. Di Brooks, our Administration Officer, will be retiring after serving the school with remarkable generosity, meticulous attention to detail, and outstanding expertise. Di’s calm presence and dedication have been a cornerstone of our daily operations, and she will be deeply missed.

We also farewell Janine Roach, a wonderful educator who has nurtured countless children and consistently brought out the very best in each of them. Janine’s warmth, wisdom, and passion for teaching have left a lasting legacy within our school community.

We warmly wish both Di and Janine good health, happiness, and an adventurous retirement filled with new opportunities and well earned rest.

Looking ahead, we are pleased to welcome Madison Lawler, an experienced junior primary practitioner, who will be joining our community while Sian Moncrieff is on Long Service Leave. We are confident Madison will be a wonderful addition to our classrooms.

We also welcome Ainslee Wright to our office administration team. Ainslee brings valuable experience, having held administrative roles within the town library, and we are delighted to have her join our school community. Georgie de Candia will be working with in the school’s financial space going forward.

Thank you to all families for your continuing support throughout the term. We wish everyone a restful and enjoyable break and look forward to an exciting term ahead.

Greg Green

Principal

As we prepare for Easter, our students have been learning about this important season through their Religious Education lessons. To help bring their learning to life, each class will be presenting a short reflection on part of the Easter story during morning prayer. We warmly invite you to join us as our students share their understanding of these key moments in the life of Jesus.

All classes are currently engaging in a Religious Education unit focused on the Easter story.

Beginning Friday 27 March, classes will present different parts of the Easter story during morning prayer. These short presentations will take place each morning at 8.15am in the library and will run for approximately 10 minutes.

Presentation Schedule:

• Friday 27 March – Palm Sunday

Miss Jess & Janine’s Classes

• Monday 30 March – The Last Supper

Miss Tanya & Mr Steve’s Classes

• Tuesday 31 March – Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Miss Olivia’s Class

• Wednesday 1 April – The Garden of Gethsemane

Miss Sarah’s Class

• Thursday 2 April – Good Friday

Miss Megan’s Class

Families are most welcome to attend these presentations.

On the last day of school, Thursday, April 2nd, children are encouraged to wear black or dark clothing as a sign of the sad time for Jesus.

On the first day of Term 2, Monday, 20th April, children are invited to wear bright clothing as we celebrate the Resurrection with great joy!

Next week, our Boab value focus will be Respect. Throughout the week, we will be working with students to explore what respect looks like in the classroom. This includes moving quietly when people are working around you . Remember to walk quietly into classes and on time. Listen to the speaker and let others do their work. Use friendly and kind words when talking to everyone. These simple actions help create a positive and welcoming environment where everyone feels valued.

We are absolutely blown away by the generosity and support shown by our sponsors and the incredible Kununurra community.

Truly… we don’t even have the words to express how much this means to our little school. Your kindness, donations, and willingness to get behind us have made such a difference, and we are so grateful.

A huge thank you to our amazing parents and friends of St Joseph’s, and to our dedicated teachers who gave up their time and weekend to organise and set up such a wonderful event, we appreciate you more than you know.

This event is all for our children, and it only happens because of every single person who contributes, supports, and shows up. We value each and every one of you who helped make this special night possible.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Last Thursday, we celebrated our school feast day of St Joseph. We began the day with mass led by Fr Ernest and learnt about the importance of St Joseph as a loving, family man. After Mass, the school sat together in the undercover area and had icy poles. In the afternoon, students played games from 'St Joseph's time.' A big thank you to Fr Ernest for leading us in mass and Sr Julianne for coordinating the day.

In Terms 2–4, children cover a unit of work on one of the Sacraments. At the end of the unit, if requested, children of the Catholic faith are prepared to receive the Sacrament at St Vincent Pallotti Church.

Fr Ernest will be available for Baptisms at any time throughout the year. Baptismal forms can be collected from the school office and returned to Sr Julianne with a preferred date, or by contacting Fr Ernest directly on 9168 1027. Please also let family and friends know about Baptisms if you are aware of pre-school children needing to be baptised.

Other Sacraments this year will be celebrated as follows:

First Eucharist: Term 2 (Year 5 children)

Confirmation: Term 3 (Year 6 children)

First Reconciliation: Term 4 (Year 4 children)

We are aware that some children may have missed receiving a Sacrament with their class in previous years due to absence, sickness, etc. This is not a problem and can be catered for as part of the program.

Families are the first educators of children in their faith, and our staff look forward to partnering with you in your child’s faith journey.

Please contact Sr Julianne or Miss Sian at the school at any time if you have any questions or concerns.

Mass is held each weekend at St Vincent Pallotti Church on Sundays at 8:30am.

Weekday Mass times are Wednesday and Friday at 5.30pm.

On Sundays, Children’s Liturgy is included during Mass.

Fr Ernest is available for Reconciliation on any day, usually from about half an hour before Mass.

When possible, each class will visit the Juniper Aged Care Facility to share an activity with the residents (e.g., singing, Lego, painting, reading, etc.). A permission form and additional information will be sent home prior to the visit.

The School Bus leaves at 7.00 am each morning, to pick up children in town.

At Approximately, 7.30, the bus then goes out to Ranch, Reserve & Garden areas.

Children MUST be out the front ready for the bus. With an increase in bus numbers this year, even a one-minute delay at each stop—such as children searching for shoes—can significantly extend the bus run time.

Please ensure that an adult is visible at home when we drop children off at the end of the day, otherwise this can delay the bus with staff having to get out and knock on the door or make phone calls to find you. Just a simple wave to the bus driver is all we need.

St Joseph’s white school bus only

Old Town students: 7.00 -7.30am

Ranch, Reserve & Garden students: 7.30-7.40am

Role of the Director General

Schools are required to publish information about the role of the Director General and the following is recommended: “The Director General of the Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that the school observes the registration standards, including the standard about its complaints handling system. Any student, parent or community member is entitled to contact the Director General with concerns about how the school has dealt with a complaint. Information is available on the Department of Education website. While the Director General may consider whether the school has breached the registration standards, she does not have power to intervene in a complaint or override the school’s decision.”