Term 2 Week 5 Newsletter

From the Principal

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff,

Can you believe we have already reached the halfway mark of the term.
On Monday 26 March, as a Catholic school community, we paused to reflect on National Sorry Day — a solemn and significant moment in our nation's history and in our journey of reconciliation.
National Sorry Day is held each year and is a day that acknowledges the grief, suffering, and injustice experienced by the Stolen Generations — the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families through government policies. It is a time to honour their resilience and the strength of their families and communities in the face of profound loss and pain.
At St Joseph’s, as people of faith and as educators, we are called to be agents of healing, justice, and truth. The Gospel compels us to stand with those who have been wronged and to walk humbly with all people in the spirit of reconciliation. This day reminds us that saying "sorry" is not just a word — it is a commitment to action, to listening, and to change.
We also entered into National Reconciliation Week 2025, and this year’s theme, “Bridging Now to Next”, is a powerful call to action. It reminds us that reconciliation is not a destination but a shared and ongoing commitment—rooted in truth, justice, and healing.
Once again in our Catholic tradition, we are called to be people of compassion, courage, and conscience. The Gospel invites us to walk with those on the margins, to be peacemakers, and to seek justice in love. This week, we were reminded of our moral and spiritual duty to listen deeply to the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to honour their cultures and histories.
As a school community we have used this week to engage meaningfully with the stories, experiences, and perspectives of our indigenous brothers and sisters.
Today, our students return from what I’m hearing was a joyful and enriching Year 3 Camp. The camp provided our students with the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, to connect more deeply with their peers and teachers, and to witness the beauty of God's creation.
I am grateful to our dedicated staff and parent helpers who supported our students with such care and enthusiasm, and to our families for entrusting us with your children. These formative experiences contribute deeply to their personal and spiritual development.
May we continue to nurture a spirit of adventure, faith, and community in all we do.

God bless,
Joe

Rec Harding - Eadie, Grace, Zahli, Hazel

Rec Yr 1 Turley - Elle, Zara, Jayna, Lucy, Poppie, Charlotte

Year 1 Gunn - Hudson, Nadia, Izayah, Maisy, Adriana

Year 2 Foulis - Eddie, Will, Logan, Sophie Absent - Delphie

Year 2 Lawson-Weckert - Vinnie, Florence, Milli

Year 4 Lang-Packer - George, Mason, Oliver, Aliya, Mila

Year 4-5 Smith - Annabelle, Stella, Kade, Hunter

Year 7 Weatherald - Tom, Kate, Millie, Nick

Honour Awards - Maddison, Matilda, Milton, Joe HIcks, Tom, Charlotte, Olive, Angus

Previous Honour Award Winners - Syd, Olive, Violet, Luka, Emily, George

Pentecost

On Sunday June 8, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.
Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and ten days after his ascension into heaven.
In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were together in the Upper Room.
A strong wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other.
The Holy Spirit also gave the Apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be "clothed with power" before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.

The main event of Pentecost takes place in Acts 2:13.
After this Feast we change from the Easter Colour of White to Green for Ordinary time.

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

June 11- Parent-Child Session
Home Mass Date and Time TBC
Reconciliation in preparation: (Times to be confirmed)
Thursday June 26
Wednesday July 23
Sacrament Retreat Day- June 20

Upcoming Masses and Liturgy

Our Middle School children will come together for a Liturgy around the theme of ‘A Faith that does Justice’ which is the title of the Religious Education Unit that the Year 8s are currently studying. During this unit, we are learning about Catholic Social Teachings and our partner parish, St Michael’s, in Nan Hlaing, Myanmar. Our Year 7s have also been studying discipleship and how we as disciples continue the Reign of God in our actions, deeds and words.

Myanmar is a country that has been troubled by war for many years, it was also recently suffered a massive earthquake. People constantly live in fear and are unable to speak out about what is happening. Although we are all only one person, we can speak up for these people, offering our prayers and actions as we champion for change in these countries. We hope that the people, especially the youth who are the future of these countries, may see the benefits of a faith that does justice.

We hope that our young people can be the change in the world, and work for peace and justice across our world so that one day- peace will reign across our world.

From the Middle School

This past fortnight has been rich and full. We experienced great interactions with the environment and with experts in their fields and have achieved success in the sporting arena.

Mr Harding and I spoke with the Year 8s about what our culture is at St Joseph’s. We set the parameters that culture is everything we do and everything we say. It was interesting to see what the students had to say about our school. There were some clear themes that emerged from our conversation.

Opportunities. The students felt that they had a vast number of opportunities at their feet and that they leap into these opportunities with enthusiasm and effort.
Punching above our weight. The students recognised that we are a smallish rural school that does exceptionally well as a whole, whether that is in the sporting area, academically or as a cohesive community.
Public speaking. Our community values the ability to confidently speak in front of groups of people
Effort/Care. We put effort in and care about what we do.
Reconciliation. Our school values and cares about reconciliation and we live it out in lot of ways.

This is just a glimpse of some of the Year 8 students’ thoughts. We are looking forward to broadening our understanding of what our students believe our St Joseph’s culture is all about.

We have seen these aspects of our culture in action over the past fortnight. Each of our MS classes have been out on country, working with Mr Coulthard in restoring native vegetation, exploring regenerative farming, tasting native ingredients and taking part in artistic activities involving ancient dyeing techniques.

Our Year 7/8 Basketball teams punched above their weight at the recent knockout competition with the girls finishing 3rd and the boys going through undefeated.

Patrick and Hayley got to further their pedal prix training in Adelaide, accessing a tandem Pedal Prix trike while all Year 7 students have been training their hardest ready for the upcoming race in Adelaide on June 15. We are particularly grateful to the Clare Valley Aerodrome Committee for allowing us to use their runway for our practice sessions.

The Year 9s were highly engaged in a session with Sarah Castine and Tom Weckert regarding the importance of trees on farms and regenerative grazing practices. This is an introduction into the tree planting partnership our Year 3 and 9 students will be taking part in early in Term 3.

God Bless
Tom Gilligan

Literacy & Inclusion

Reading aloud – we should all do it!

I often get asked why we recommend students continue to read aloud once they can read independently. Reading out loud builds important skills for readers at all grade levels. Even adults can benefit from reading aloud – and what’s not to love about snuggling up in front of the fire in this weather, hamming it up with your favourite accent and a fun story? Here are five reasons from the science of reading that explain the importance of reading aloud.
1. Reading Aloud Builds Vocabulary
When students read aloud, they encounter new words. They also learn to pronounce unfamiliar words, which isn’t something they’d necessarily learn while reading silently. You can also pause at challenging words and discuss what they mean. Several studies on literacy have linked strong vocabulary to better school performance.
2. Reading Out Loud Improves Comprehension and Active Listening
When reading out loud or listening to others do it, your mind concentrates on both the sounds words make and their meanings. This is a hefty cognitive workout that strengthens comprehension.

3. Reading Aloud Reduces Stress and Makes Us Happy
Reading aloud has measurable mental and emotional health. Reading out loud can reduce stress and generally makes us feel more appreciative and relaxed. It does this through narrative transport, when we forget our surroundings and engage in visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, and emotional time travel. Narrative transport makes us more receptive to deeper learning, helps us practice empathy, and builds emotional resilience.

4. Reading Aloud Strengthens Fluency
Fluency is a word we hear a lot, but it can be hard to define. Reading fluently means reading effortlessly, at the proper rate, accurately, and with appropriate rhythm and expression. Fluency is often called the bridge between decoding (understanding the relationship between letters and sounds) and comprehension.

5. Reading Out Loud Can Improve Working Memory
Working memory significantly impacts how we develop literacy skills, and reading out loud improves working memory. Psychologists have researched the impact of reading out loud on memory, finding that people consistently remember words better if they read them aloud.

These are the reasons we ask all our students to practice reading out loud for homework -it does help you to become a better reader! Try it for the next week or two – share the reading out loud with your child and see how their fluency and comprehension improves. And it gives you a great opportunity for a discussion about what they are reading, what to read next and what you read.

If you want to know more about how to support your child to practice reading, have a chat with Michelle Edmondson, Literacy & Inclusion Leader.