Dear St Joseph’s Community,
It is with great excitement that I write to you in my very first newsletter as Principal of St Joseph’s. As I have said numerous times over the past week, I am honoured to be part of this vibrant school community, and I look forward to working alongside you—our students, teachers, staff, and families—toward a year full of growth, learning, faith formation, and success.
I feel so blessed with the incredible welcome I have received already from this beautiful community, and this motivates me to work hard every day in ensuring St Joseph’s continues to flourish in many ways.
At St Joseph’s, we are a Catholic school, where everyone is welcome and we are committed to creating an inclusive, safe, faith-filled, and nurturing environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, spiritually, and emotionally. As we continue this journey together, I encourage all members of our school community to feel involved in this important journey.
The strength of our school comes from the collective efforts of everyone involved. Here are a few ways you can engage:
- Opportunities to be involved: We always appreciate the help of our parents and guardians. Please keep an eye out for the many opportunities you can be involved in at St Joseph’s.
- Come along to our Parent Information Night: A wonderful opportunity to meet class teachers and hear all about exciting events this year at St Joseph’s. This will be held on Monday, 3 February at 7.00pm in the School Hall. (Yr 7 parents are invited to a Canberra Fundraising Meeting at 6.30pm)
- Be Really Connected: I am committed to keeping open lines of communication with all of you. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions, suggestions, or concerns. You can email me at: joseph.hicks@stjoclar.catholic.edu.au or call the school at 8842 4400.
Thank you for your lovely welcome. I am confident that together we will create a fantastic 2025 school year for our students. I look forward to continuing to meet many of you in the coming weeks and working together for the benefit of our entire school community.
We pray for God’s blessings upon St Joseph’s for a wonderful 2025.
God bless,
Joe Hicks
Welcome to the 2025 School Year, I hope that all families had a blessed Christmas and time to relax and catch up with family and friends. My role as Assistant Principal-Religious Identity and Mission, involves, but is not limited to; support Joe Hicks in his role as Principal, overseeing Religious Education Curriculum, enhancing our Catholic Identity, Co-ordinating the School Sacrament Program and nurturing our School-Parish Relationships.
We are currently in the Liturgical Season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the colour green. Ordinary time is by no means ordinary, it is a time of growing and to reflect on the wonder of creation, a great season for us to begin our school year with.
The Liturgical Year concludes at the beginning of Advent each year and rotates through a 3-year cycle of readings. We are currently in Year C, with readings focussing on the Gospel of Luke. Each school year is a new beginning and as a faith community, we strive to live by the ‘good news’ of Jesus as we follow in his footsteps.
Information about the Sacramental Program: Sevenhill Parish:
The Sacramental Program in the Sevenhill Parish is run both through St Joseph’s School and through the Parish.
Baptism:
Parents wishing to enrol their Child/Children for the Sacrament of Baptism contact Fr Kieran Gill, the Parish Priest and make a time to meet with him to discuss preparation for this sacrament. If students are attending St Joseph’s School, Helen Hay, the Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission (APRIM) and/or class teachers are happy to help organise the celebration of this sacrament in consultation with the Parish Priest and the student’s family.
If the child is not of school age, or does not attend St Joseph’s School, the Parish Priest will prepare the student for the sacrament and liaise with the family in organising the celebration of this sacrament.
Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation:
Students attending St Joseph’s School are prepared by classroom teachers during school religion lessons, with the support of the APRIM and the Parish Priest.
All children enrolled in a particular sacrament ie: Reconciliation, celebrate the sacrament together as a group. An enrolment form for the Sacraments of Reconciliation (Year 3 up) and Confirmation and Communion (Yr 4 up) can be accessed at the link below.
https://forms.office.com/r/gMzSXz8TWh
Beginning of the Year and New Student Welcome Mass- All Welcome
All families are invited to join us for our Beginning of the Year and New Student Welcome Mass on Friday February 7 at midday in the School Hall.
God Bless
Helen Hay
Assistant Principal- Religious Identity and Mission
Welcome to our new students and families, we trust you find our school welcoming and supportive.
Reception - Harding
Back: Winnie, Alice D, Avery, Oliver, Eadie, Blair, Henry, Miss Alice Harding, Hazel, Olive, Alice M. Front: Grace, Sara, Maliek, Harriet, Zahlia, Sienna.
Reception - Turley
Back: Olive, Maggie, Miss Laura Turley, Lucy. Front: Poppie, Charlotte, Janya, Eden.
Year 2 Lawson/Weckert Year 4 Lang/Packer
Ella & Patrick Florence, Lachlan & Arik
Year 5 Walker Year 6 Ward
Talia & Morgan Thomas
Welcome back to 2025
The year has started off with a splash! As part of our wellbeing week, focusing on setting our students up for a successful year, we took the opportunity to be social and active at the local pool. It was a great afternoon, and the students really got a chance to catch up on what had happened during the holidays and strengthen relationships with their peers. We also undertook some learning on effective computer use, organisation and skills for learning.
I would like to extend a big welcome to our new Year 7s and their families. They have been like ducks to water and settled in well. While it is only down the steps from the Primary school, and we had a great transition program at the end of last year, coming to Middle School is a big change. As assessment tasks begin and work demands increase, it is really important to establish a good home study routine and remember how vital the good NEWS (Nutrition, Exercise, Water and Sleep) is. A routine that includes these aspects really sets our students up for success.
We are all looking forward to seeing you at our Parent information night on Monday and the Real Schools Parent Session on 20 February. 2025 is set to be another fantastic opportunity for learning, sporting and personal success.
New Students - Middle School
Year 7 Weatheral Year 7 Mooney
Joshua Alice
