Dear Students, Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

As we enter Week 7, we are ever mindful of our journey through Lent as we are now deeper into this sacred season of reflection, prayer, and penance. These forty days, which began with Ash Wednesday, are preparing us for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery during Holy Week. It’s a time to reflect on the journey we have taken—individually and as a community—and the grace we have experienced through our Lenten practices.

Lent is a time of transformation. We are called not to only give up certain comforts but to open our hearts to the radical love of God. Let us allow these days of Lent to be a time of deepening our faith, renewing our commitment to one another, and preparing ourselves spiritually for the joy of Easter.

NAPLAN

This week has seen the beginning of NAPLAN testing for our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students.  I want to take a moment to remind everyone of the importance of maintaining a balanced perspective and supporting our students throughout this period. While NAPLAN is a significant assessment tool, it is just one aspect of our students' educational journey. At St Joseph’s, we are always so proud of our students’ results, that they do their best, so we are committed to creating an environment where students feel supported, confident, and comfortable throughout the process.

Understanding NAPLAN

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) is an important tool that helps measure the literacy and numeracy skills of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It provides valuable data that helps us identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in our teaching and learning programs. However, it is essential to remember that these tests are only one part of a much broader educational experience. NAPLAN does not define the entirety of a student's abilities or potential, and our focus at St Joseph’s remains on nurturing each child’s overall growth.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

I would like to invite you all to an important event in the life of our school community — our AGM.

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 25
Time: P & F AGM begins 7.00pm, School AGM 7.30PM
Location: Middle School Building

Our AGM is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a school community to reflect on the year past, share updates, and plan. It is a time when we review our 

achievements, celebrate our students' successes, and discuss the ways we can continue to grow and nurture our students together at St Joseph’s.

During the meeting, we will be discussing:

• Highlights from the past year, including academic, extracurricular, and community activities.
• Plans for the upcoming year and any new initiatives.
• Financial updates and our budget for the upcoming school year.

As always, your feedback, involvement, and prayers are invaluable to the continued success of St. Joseph’s, Clare. We welcome your participation and hope you can join us for this important gathering.

School Crossing

Can we please ensure that we only cross the road at the school crossing and not in other areas  of the road, therefore walking in front of cars outside of this designated area.  There are  multiple buses travelling through, and sometimes cars not slowing down properly in front of the school, so it is essential to be as safe as possible and ensure that crossing the road occurs at the designated school crossing.

Road Safety Around Schools

 Family Mass

It’s always great to gather as a parish/school community so you are especially invited to our ‘Family Mass’ this Sunday, March 16 in St Michael’s Church, Clare. There’s a special morning tea after Mass and all are welcome.

May God bless you and your families this week. Let us continue to pray for one another as we walk this Lenten journey together.

Assembly

On Thursday March 6, we gathered at our first assembly for 2025 to celebrate and congratulate students on their achievements so far. Please see the recipients of all awards below.

God Bless

Joe Hicks - Principal

First Week of Lent

(Week beginning Monday 10 March)

This Lent, we’re invited to Unite Against Poverty with Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. This year is especially significant as we celebrate the Jubilee Year - a time of renewal and solidarity.

Project Compassion 2025 shares three stories from around the world. We’ll meet Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) a young student from Samoa who faced severe water shortages at her school. Thanks to Caritas Australia and the generosity of supporters like you, her school now has a 10,000 L water tank improving hygiene and allowing the teachers to prioritise education.

We’ll get to know Lam from Vietnam, born with short stature, Lam faced social exclusion and limited employment opportunities – through the I-SHINE program, Lam is now a freelance graphic designer.

And we’ll meet Irene from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who faced immense challenges after losing her father to war and raising her children in poverty. With support from Caritas Australia, Irene received vocational training in sewing and farming and can now support her whole family.

Second Week of Lent

(Week beginning Monday 17 March)

Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school, students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time.

Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students are now able to focus on education and improved hygiene.

“Now that we have the water tank, things are so much better, we can stay at school all day, and I get to spend more time learning and playing with my friends. I’m happy that we don’t have to go home early anymore.” – said Toefuata'iga.

This story is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world.  Watch Toefuata'iga’s story here.

Will you stand with students like Toefuata'iga this Lent?

On Wednesday 19 March, we honour the feast of Saint Joseph. St Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus and patron saint of the Sisters of St Joseph and therefore our school.

He took loving care of Mary and Jesus. Saint Joseph was a patient and kind person who trusted God in all things, just as we should. He was always faithful to what God asked of him.

We also honour the work of the Sisters of St Joseph for their work in many communities around the world. We wish Sr Kerry and all in the Josephite Community a happy St Joseph’s Day.

Please join us for Mass celebrating our patron saint, which will be held in the Hall at 9am.

Prayer to St Joseph for our family

Sacramental Program 2025

The Sacramental Program in the Sevenhill Parish is run both through St Joseph’s School and through the Parish.

Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation: Enrolments

Information about the 2025 Sacrament Program went out to students in Years 3 and 4 as a hard copy this week. There are also copies available in the Front Office.

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.

The celebration for Confirmation and First Holy Communion will be held on Sunday July 27 at 10am at St Aloysius Church, Sevenhill. Reconciliation will be celebrated mid week in late Term 3 at St Michael’s Church, Clare.

https://forms.office.com/r/gMzSXz8TWh

God Bless

Helen Hay

Assistant Principal- Religious Identity and Mission

Student Leadership

Our Communication Ministers have been busily at work producing their first pod cast; again, Edwina and Hugo have been highly motivated driving this process on their own.

Charlotte, our ATSI leader, has been leading a group of students in creating artist statements to be displayed with our recent artworks created in conjunction with local Adnyamathanha and Ngadjuri artists.

Learner behaviours

If your child has received an award at our last assembly, you would have noticed that they look a little different. This change has been made to bring them in line with our learner behaviours. There are 4 behaviours our students and staff have identified that contribute to improved effort and positive learning outcomes. These behaviours include:

• Behaviour – Appropriate conduct and positive attitude that is conducive to learning, both for self and peers.
• Application – Due care and rigour applied in all learning situations and appropriate completion of set work.
• Engagement – Active participation and focus that help maximize a student’s learning potential.
• Grit – The resilience, motivation and determination demonstrated by a student leading them to take pride in, and responsibility for, their learning.

Congratulations to all students who received one of these awards, which complement the new Learner Behaviour reports coming home next week. These reports provide families with feedback on the “effort” students are applying to their schoolwork.

Firewood

The Year 7 students at St Joseph's School, Clare, are once again fundraising for their excursion to Canberra in October this year. The trip forms part of their Civics & Citizenship learning. You can support their efforts by buying a load of wood using the link below. Please return this form by 28 March 2025 with payment, to St Joseph's School.

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Swimming

On Friday February 28, a group of students travelled to the Marion Leisure Centre for the SA State Swimming Carnival. Throughout the day, we had students earning impressive results, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. In the boys' category, we placed 7th, and the girls' category also saw us finishing 7th.

As a school, St. Joseph's came in 7th overall. It was a great day filled with great competition and sportsmanship!

God Bless

Tom Gilligan - Assistant Principal

Golf

Congratulations to Edwina, who recently competed in the Secondary Schools State Golf Championships at the Sandy Creek Golf Club. Edwina came 1st in the B grade mixed (boys/girls) competition with an incredible 44 stableford points over 18 holes. A great achievement Edwina, we might see you on the pro tour one day!  

Riding

On Friday 28 February, Mum and I travelled to Waikerie to compete in a two day horse event. I rode my new horse of 4 months, Chip, and also took my 10-week-old pup, Delilah, for support. Getting there was very stressful as we were unaware that we had to cross the river on a ferry until we arrived at the ferry ramp. We were worried my horse would get a bit spooked in the horse float, but he behaved like a pro, just like he did the rest of the weekend. 

On Saturday morning, Chip and I participated in two dressage tests placing first and second. I then completed in three rounds of showjumping achieving a second and third place.   

On Sunday, we participated in a ghymkhana consisting of three rounds of showjumping and mounted games.  We placed in most of our classes and had an awesome day.

It was a great weekend and I am so proud of my new horse Chip, not bad for a horse who had just been sitting in a paddock for the past 2 years and only ever trail ridden before that. He still has a lot to learn but tries his best all the time and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together over the next little while.

Maya

Netball

Congratulations to Maddie W, Millie D, and Sophie W who have been selected in the  2025 Adelaide Thunderbirds Talent Academy. They will be part of the Jamestown Development Academy Squad where they will be coached by Katie Liebelt and Lauren Amey.

Trials were conducted across SA in recent weeks and the selectors were faced with some tough choices. Netball SA were excited to see the talent coming into the pathway and look forward to watching the next generation of players develop within the program.

Congratulations also to Old Scholar Macy A, who has been selected in the Emerging Academy for Adelaide Thunderbirds. Macy is currently playing in Adelaide for Contax Netbal Club.

 'Footy Colours Day'.