Week 3 Term 2 Newsletter

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff,
As we settle into Term 2, it’s been wonderful to witness the energy and focus our students have brought with them. The beginning of term is always an important time to re-establish routines, set meaningful goals, and reconnect with the rhythm of school life. I’m proud of how our students have embraced this new chapter with enthusiasm and purpose.
It is with great joy and reverence that we welcome the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. This significant moment marks a new chapter for the Church—one filled with hope, renewal, and unity. As a Catholic learning community at St Joseph’s, we are uniquely called to reflect the values Pope Leo champions: the inherent dignity of every person, the transformative power of education, and our shared mission to bring Christ’s light into the world. Let us keep Pope Leo in our prayers, that he may be guided by the Holy Spirit with wisdom, courage, and humility in his new ministry.
On behalf of everyone at St Joseph’s, I warmly invite you and your family to our Community Dinner on Saturday 21 June at 6:30pm. This special evening will be a chance for us to come together in friendship and fellowship. With delicious food, great conversation, and a welcoming atmosphere, it promises to be a memorable event—whether you’ve been part of our community for years or have recently joined us. Details about ticket sales can be found later in this newsletter.

It was with immense pride and gratitude that we recently celebrated the recognition of our outstanding academic results in Years 7 to 9. You may have seen the article in The Plains Producer highlighting how St Joseph’s results ranked ahead of several larger Adelaide private colleges. This is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the dedication of our students, the support of our families, and the unwavering commitment of our teachers and staff. We are proud to be "punching above our weight in all facets.”
Next week, our Year 4 students will head off on camp—an exciting experience that provides rich opportunities for personal growth, faith formation, and building friendships. These moments, often among the most treasured in a student’s school journey, help develop resilience and a deeper sense of self. We are thankful to the staff and parents who help make this possible and give our students the chance to learn and grow beyond the classroom.
One of the things Peter Shearer hoped to do before his tenure finished at the end of 2024 was to establish an Old Scholars group at St Joseph’s, Clare. Peter began the process, working with Tessa Weckert, to develop a database and look at ways of inviting old scholars to reconnect with us.
Tessa has continued to work on the project, and we are now ready to reach out and connect with past students. Included in this newsletter is a flyer with a QR code for old scholars to register their interest. If you are the parent or friend of an old scholar, please pass the information on.
We would love to see some of our old scholars at our upcoming Community Dinner on 21 June – why not book a table and gather your old classmates together for a mini reunion?
May God bless you all,
Joe Hicks

Catholic Education Week 2025
This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. During this week we share our Learning and celebrate what is great and unique about Catholic Education. Like many other staff, I was fortunate to undertake my Primary years in Catholic Education. I love being able to work in the Catholic Education sector, teaching about Catholic values and traditions to support parents in the education of their children. I have loved reconnecting with a few of my past students from other Catholic Education schools in the last few weeks.
The theme for 2025 is Stories of Hope, Shine with Open Hearts.

Year 1CG Liturgy
We had a special Liturgy in the Year 1 class this week celebrating the theme of mothers, in particular Mary, Jesus’ mother. Thank you to Miss Gunn and her Year 1 class for all their preparation.
RecAH, R/1LT, 5HW, 6ER Buddy Mass
The previous week, our Rec, R/1, 5 and 6 classes celebrated their mothers and the special women in their lives at their buddy Mass. The students sang beautifully and shared carefully created flowers with all in attendance. Thank you to the classes for their preparation and reverence for this Mass.







































A Faith that does Justice
Our Yr 8 classes have started a Religion unit this term called 'Faith that does Justice' in particular, they are looking at the Catholic Social Teachings of Human Dignity and the Common Good. They are focussing on our partner parish of St Michael's in Nan Hlaing, Myanmar, who have had to flee their village due to bombing in their region. Mr John Grbin visited the Yr 8 classes to share some background information on Nan Hlaing and to look at the inequality in our world.




Habemus papam! We have a new Pope Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was elected pope on 8 May, becoming the first US-born and second American pope. He is the 267th Bishop of Rome.
He has completed a lot of study in Rome, years of ministry in Peru, where he is a naturalised citizen, and leadership in the Augustinian Order.
He was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.
Pope Leo is a multilingual canon lawyer and mathematician, he supports synodality and has served communities on the margins.
His chosen name reflects a commitment to Catholic social justice, and he is a great supporter of migrants, climate action, and abuse survivors. He has an ongoing commitment to key global issues.
In his first message, he called the Church to move forward united, without fear, guided by Christ. (Australia Catholics)
We look forward to hearing much more from our new Pope and keep him in his prayers.
Prayer for Pope Leo XIV
Loving God,
We give thanks to you for our new pope, Leo XIV.
May your Holy Spirit fill and guide him in his leadership of your Church,
May he reflect you, the Good Shepherd,
leading with wisdom, mercy and humility.
Protect him and his ministry under your watchful care,
That more people are drawn to the love of Christ Jesus,
And the faithful inspired to participate ever more in the mission of God on earth.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sacramental Program 2025
The Sacramental Program in the Sevenhill Parish is run both through St Joseph’s School and through the Parish. This term, the candidates for Confirmation and Communion are journeying in preparation as a group with their families, parish and school staff.
Upcoming dates
Home Mass Date and Time TBC
Reconciliation in preparation: (Times to be confirmed)
Thursday June 26th
Wednesday July 23
Sacrament Retreat Day- June 20
God Bless
Helen Hay
Sacramental Program 2025
The Sacramental Program in the Sevenhill Parish is run both through St Joseph’s School and through the Parish. This term, the candidates for Confirmation and Communion are journeying in preparation as a group with their families, parish and school staff.
Upcoming dates
Home Mass Date and Time TBC
Reconciliation in preparation: (Times to be confirmed)
Thursday June 26
Wednesday July 23
Sacrament Retreat Day- June 20
God Bless
Helen Hay
Assistant Principal- Religious Identity and Mission

St Michael’s Learning Centre is Operational!
In 1959, the Clare and Sevenhill Parish undertook the project of constructing St Michael’s Hall. The parishioners of the time saw a need for a meeting place for the Catholics of the Clare Valley. The school rooms had been regularly used for meetings, but a place for more social events was required. Funds were raised, and the building began. Since then, it has been used by the parish, school and wider community and over recent years, the St Joseph’s School Board has taken over stewardship of the building.
The vision of redeveloping this space has been in our Master Plan for the last decade and is another step toward making our school an even better regional school. The plan for this building has taken a few forms throughout the last ten years. At one point, it was potentially going to be the site for a two-story middle school building, however, plans changed.
We are in a unique position with this building project; it remains a shared facility between the school and the parish. There are few parishes that have such a strong connection with their local school as we do. Through this strong bond we have taken custodianship of the building, renovated it and given the space a new lease of life. Through the careful and considered design of this facility and the exceptional quality of build, we have transformed a building that at times, could only be utilised by one student at a time to an environment that can be utilised by two classes, three small groups of students, the uniform shop, the parish and Father Kieran all at once. As you can imagine, we are over the moon!
The potential for this space is exciting and we believe that its current form is truly doing justice to the hard work of the school, but even more so the parishioners, whose vision and hard work has allowed generations of young people to gather, socialise, celebrate and learn.
While the building has not yet been officially opened, we have moved in and have started teaching and learning in this space. This redeveloped facility has enabled us to provide additional music tuition, with students now engaging in private lessons in trumpet, saxophone and flute, in addition to drums, guitar, voice and piano which have been available for many years.
The middle school music class has found a new level of confidence through the ability to quietly learn their craft and develop their own self-assurance ready to perform. Mrs Bell has utilised the space for all performing arts lessons and has made herself right at home.
Mr Harding has introduced Drama Club for the first time, utilising the black box arts space as an area for performance and rehearsal. He has commented that the lighting alone has supported students in moving into performance mode and encouraged students to step outside of their comfort zones.
The maker space is enormous with the potential for all year levels to use this space. We encountered a slight hiccup with incorrect parts being supplied for the work benches which has held students up from using the space, however we hope this will be rectified in the coming days. It was fantastic to have several parents assist with the benches, as well as Barry Ahern (a grandfather at school), whose father played a key role in constructing the hall back in 1959.
Our minds are turning to how all these spaces can be utilised by the wider community, whether it be through Fringe performances, men’s groups or even play groups. We are excited and so are the students.
I truly believe that the opportunities provided by the newly refurbished St Michael’s Hall take us another step further towards our goal of educational excellence.
More information to come shortly regarding official opportunities to see the new life of St Michael’s.
Pedal Prix has commenced and last week our Year 7 students took on their first training ride making it all the way to Sevenhill along the Riesling Trail, which is an enormous effort for their first ride. I commented on how proud I was of them for the way that they responsibly rode on the track and were inclusive of all skill levels.
A few of our Year 8 and 9 girls volunteered their time this week to help set up the Clare Valley Art Show. We approached the committee, wanting to provide our students with an opportunity to see what is involved in an event like this and to also support a community event.

















The community dinner is fast approaching, and this year’s event is shaping up to be excellent. The decorations committee has been in measuring up the hall for a new look. Our committee met in Week One and planning is on track. Start getting your tables organised for 21 June!
Finally, there have been a few chilly mornings, and we still have a few loads of firewood available for this year’s fundraiser - so get in quick before you miss out on some high-quality firewood at a great price.
Late last week, we had a visit from Harry Mead of the Plains Producer. I’m not sure what he was expecting but he got to experience the Middle School in full swing. He received a tour from our communications ministers and Charlii, followed by a Q and A where the Year 8 students got to hear all about his journey as a student and now as a journalist. It was great to have Harry come into our school and see what we are all about. I was really proud of our students and also Harry, who is a former student of mine. I have not yet seen the article, but I hope it captures what he experienced at St Joseph’s, Clare.
Tom Gilligan
Assistant Principal & Leader of Middle Years (7-9)


This week Hugo and Edwina talk about the new St Michaels Hall, Pope Francis and School Camps.
PODCAST LINK
What can I read next? Is this appropriate for my child to read?
This excerpt from Megan Daley, Children’s Book Daily https://childrensbooksdaily.com/ gives some great tips for helping your child choose books to continue their reading journey.
Sometime within the first three years of schooling, most children start to read somewhat independently, and they start looking beyond classroom readers*, and early chapter books, to the great ocean of books in their school or public library.
Once your child hits a certain reading competency, they start to crave books with more complex storylines and ones in their area of passion: sharks; fairies; engineering; horses; family relationships; magical tales or true stories of heroes. This is a time when things can come unstuck for parents: ‘what on earth can I give them next?’; ‘how do I know what’s appropriate?’; ‘I know they are only seven, but they can read Harry Potter’; ‘they should read the classics that I read as a child, they are safe reads’…and so on and so forth.
For what it is worth, here are my thoughts:
- Reading material should always be age appropriate. Yes, your child can read the words in Harry Potter, but really, do they understand the content? Same can be said for Wind in the Willows or Black Beauty. Books are only great when they are read by the age group for which they were intended. Your child will enjoy Harry Potter much more when they are 10-12 years old…so I say leave it until then! Of course, this is up to the discretion of the parents – if you are happy with them reading anything and everything, go for it.
- The ‘classics’ or books you read as a child are probably fabulous, but for children of this generation the language can be quite inaccessible, and the classics contain terms that they may never have heard of. I throw in a classic every now and then to mix things up, but young readers can become disillusioned with them if they find them inaccessible.
- Follow independent bookstores, blogs, favourite authors and publishers on social media, and suss out what your child and peers are reading and enjoying…this will give you a great indication of what is popular and appropriate.
- Continue to encourage your capable reader to still engage with their classroom readers as these are designed to teach specific skills and even if they appear ‘too easy’ for your child, they serve a purpose*.
- Visit your library and get to know the librarian. Chat to them…they love having our brains picked about ‘where to from here’ with reading.
- Please never let your children leave picture books behind when they ‘move on’ to chapter books. Why would you want to leave picture books behind anyway? They are works of art and the best way to encourage visual literacy. We live in an age of visuals; picture books teach visual literacy like no other teaching tool and every child should always have picture books on the go. The language in picture books is often very complex and the storylines sophisticated and thought provoking.
- Ensure your child reads a very wide range of genres and styles. I see so many young readers ‘stuck’ on the dreadful colourful fairy books (which shall remain nameless, but I know you know which books I mean) or a particular genre. Encourage young readers to read fiction, non-fiction, biographies, historical fiction, fantasy, graphic novels…
- And finally? Don’t push the reading thing too much. Hands up to being guilty of this myself, and it really serves no purpose, in fact it can turn reading from a pleasure to a chore. Make reading a joy and your child will be well on their way to developing into a life-long reader.
*A word on ‘classroom readers’ v ‘library books’. Classroom readers are designed as teaching tools, with high frequency sight words, simple sentences, predictable storylines, pictures which help to de-code the text and a sequence where books increase in difficulty as reading mastery is achieved. Classroom readers are for teaching the mechanics of reading.
Books borrowed from a library or purchased from a bookstore are self-selected, recreational reads and are how young people develop an emotional attachment to reading and develop lifelong reading habits. Picture books and ‘beginner’ chapter books are complex interplays between words and text and require young people to think deeply, imagine, wonder and interpret. They contain sophisticated language which requires discussion and increases your child’s vocabulary, and they are full of images which add to the text and tell a whole other side to the story.
To become an ‘independent reader’, young readers need both classroom readers and recreational reads – each support the other and each have a distinct purpose.
For more information about books for your child hop onto Megan’s website https://childrensbooksdaily.com/ or pop into the library and ask about what could be a suitable next read for your child.
Michelle Edmondson
Literacy & Inclusion Leader
Winter Hub Netball
On Thursday May 1, 18 St Joseph's girls participated in the annual Mid North Winter Hub netball carnival at Blyth. There were 8 teams participating on the day from Clare, Burra and Balaklava hubs.
All players demonstrated great sportsmanship, and it was wonderful to see their skills develop across the day. Teams were very even with several draws on the day and some games ending in a 1 goal margin, Clare 1 team ended up overall winners.
Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected to trial for the Mid North District team to participate in the State Carnival later in the term. Matilda M, Ruby K, Sophia D, Ruby M, Wiolet W, Clara O, Penny R & Maya B.
A big thank you to our parent helpers who volunteered to team manage, umpire, coach or score on the day. Along with students from Clare High School and Riverton District High School for umpiring.
Absent in photo: Ellie Meaney
Mid North Cross Country Burra
On Monday May 12, 20 primary school students from Years 4 to 6 and 4 Middle School students travelled to Burra to participate in the Mid North Cross-Country event. It was a lovely day in Burra with all students putting in their best efforts to tackle the challenging Burra hills.
Some fantastic results were achieved on the day including the following: 1st Clara O (U12 girls), Thomas M (U11 boys), 2nd Violet W (U12 girls), Brodie R (U11 boys), Kade L (U10 boys).
The following received 2nd place in their age group - Charlotte S (U12 girls secondary), Kate R (U13 girls), Cody W (U13 boys), Dale H (14 boys).
Congratulations to the following primary school students who will now represent the Mid North district at the Cross Country event at Oakbank later this term. Summer Mc, Kade L, Luka Z, Thomas M, Brodie R, Elroy C, Clara O, Violet W.






Seed Bombs
This week the students were starting to make Seed Bombs ready for the Fete. They are easy to make and are a great way to get the children out in the garden, be warned it is a bit messy!!!!
Once they are done you can throw them in the garden and wait for rain or plant in a pot with soil, compost and water.
Following is the recipe for you to use, add whatever seeds you like
Happy Gardening
Jen Vine
Seed Bomb Recipe
You will need :
- 1/4 cup of mixed seeds
- 1 cup of soil
- 2 cups of air-drying clay
- 1/2 cup of water (may need more or less depending on consistency)
Method:
1. Mix the soil, clay and seeds with a little over half of the water to make a dough, keading it hently until smooth. You should end up with a texture llike modelling clay or plasticine. Add more water a little at a time if the mixture is too stiff or doesn't come together.
2. Shape the dough into balls, using a little extra water if the misture is too flaky. Moistening your hands a little can help the balls to form evenly but avoid making the dough too wet and mushy.
3. Place the shaped balls on the bron paper for a day or two to dry out.
4. Once dried, wrap in colourful material, tie it around the top and add the tag.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Q. What did the drummer call his twin daughters?
Day On Country
Last Friday, May 9, the Year 4 class went to Sevenhill Playground to have a “Day On Country” with Miss Shekle, Mr Slattery and some parent helpers. When we arrived, there was a lady called Beck, and she told us that the country is very important to her. We set up our camp chairs while Beck told us stories. After we did that, we all went on a bush walk, looking for spear sticks and bush medicine. We climbed up to the Riesling Trail and we found so much stuff for bush medicine. Evie B found some water plants to make the bush medicine wet. After we found what we needed, we headed back to grind up our ingredients. When we finished making our bush medicine and ochre, we made spears and damper. We made damper with water and flour; it was a fun experience that involved getting our hands dirty. We had the choice to cook it on the barbecue or in the fire. The damper was fluffy on the inside but crunchy on the outside. The spears were awesome; Lachie made the sharpest one that got stuck in a tree. We started off with a stick then sharpened it, then we put the tip in the fire. After we made the spears, we speared cardboard boxes that we pretended were animals. We played boys vs girls in the bush trying to invade the boys’ base. The bus ride was amazing because everyone was chatting about the great day we had! Most kids were allowed to take their spears home hoping to use them again!
By Charlotte O and Collins C














Important Dates
Year 8/9 Pedal Prix Tailem Bend
Year 4 Camp - Glenhaven 19 - 21 May
P&F Breakfast Meeting 7.30am
R-6 Mass
National Sorry Day
National Reconciliation Week
Year 3 Camp 29 & 30
7/8 Basketball Balaklava
CSMF Choir Rehearsal with Denise Rothall 1.30pm
Assembly 9.30am
Year 1CG On Country with Bec
4/5 Class Mass - Midday
Pupil Free Day
St Joseph's Old Scholars

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