Dear SJMS Community
Tomorrow we will celebrate the Feast Day of St Joseph. Our day will begin with Mass celebrated by Fr Paul Mullins at 9:15am and end with the students gathering at the pool for a great celebration.
St Ignatius Church will be at capacity with our Preschool to Year 6 students, for this reason Mrs Vassallo Wakefield has organised for Year 5/6 parents to sit in the Piazza during the event to view a live stream of the Mass and presentation of Leadership Badges.
St Joseph was often portrayed as a simple carpenter within the Scriptures. But as our students could tell us through their learnings, he was anything but this. The little we know about Joseph from the Scriptures shows us a man of faith, honour and courage. He believes Mary even when he might have chosen to reject her story about the angel. He stands by her. Joseph is a man of integrity and truth. We live in a society obsessed with rights and a world that seems to reward the brash, pushy, and selfish. Joseph stands in stark contrast. He is a man characterised by compassion, strength, trust, respect, honesty, integrity, self-sacrifice and courage.
St Joseph is the patron of families, expectant mothers, fathers, workers, travellers, immigrants and of the dying.
I have already begun receiving many emails from Josephite schools and centres around Australia marking and celebrating this significant day in the Josephite calendar.
Student Leadership
I was recently reminded that Leadership is the most widely researched field in academia. While it is difficult for researchers to agree on a definition, one common element that is referenced by most is the trait of “courage”.
Leadership is valued our school and it is fitting that our leaders are announced on St Joseph’s Day. St Joseph, father of Jesus must have been influential for Jesus to be the leader he was.
At St Joseph’s Memorial School the opportunities to develop leadership skills are valued and varied. Leadership is a quality that all students are encouraged and supported to develop. Students from Reception to Year 6 take on the role of leaders of their own learning. Through the curriculum and extra curricula activities, all students are encouraged to develop the skills necessary to be a leader.
This ensures that all students perceive themselves as leaders and have the courage, opportunity and confidence to take on leadership roles.
Student leadership roles challenge individuals to develop a sense of vision and purpose as they take on responsibilities. They develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills including communication, negotiation, team work and reflection.
Through their courage and actions, St Joseph Memorial School Student Leaders reflect and demonstrate the characteristics of St Joseph and our school’s values: trust, respect, honesty and integrity.
In our next newsletter I will announce our 2021 St Joseph’s Memorial School Leaders. Each role will importantly allow students to become actively involved in making decisions and problem solving in the community.
However, having said this, each of our students have a leadership role in our school whether they are in Year 6 or any other year level. There are many ways that each child can set an example for those around them, little things like; showing love in all actions, being a pillar of compassion and strength, to the more simple things like wearing their uniform with pride, putting their rubbish in the bin, moving to class on time after the bell, listening patiently to those around them, being kind to others; all are small but very important examples where students provided leadership to ensure our school continues to be a loving place.
Ride Your Bike to School Day
Tomorrow is National Ride2School Day (19 March 2021).
Bridge Street Playground
Today work commenced on the Bridge Street Playground. There was a lot of enthusiastic observers watching today’s dismantling. There were also lots of questions about the process. However, most surprising were those students who said they were going to miss the old playground, interesting the same students have been asking on a regular basis “when’s the new playground coming?”.
William Street Playground
Architects, Swanbury Penglase, have recently drawn up concept drawings of the William Street Playspace.
Please view the Concept Landscape Sketch here with Look and Feel images for the proposed Nature Play Area.
We would love to hear your thoughts. Please follow the link here to leave any thoughts on the proposed Concept Landscape Sketch.
P&F Welcome Drinks
I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the newly formed Parents and Friends on their first event for 2021. We had a wonderful turn out last Friday for our beginning of year community gathering. It was an excellent example of an inclusive gathering. Thank you to everyone who came along – a night enjoyed by all.
Cathy Woods – Long Service Leave
In Term 2, Cathy Woods will be taking a much deserved 10 weeks Long Service Leave. We have appointed two teachers to replace Cathy during this time, Miss Mae McGee (Monday to Wednesday) and Miss Alessandra DiChiera (Thursday and Friday). Miss McGee taught our Year 5/6 class in 2020, while over the past two years both Miss McGee and Miss DiChiera have been regular relief teachers at SJMS.
God Bless
Brady Stallard
Social