Term 2 Week 9 Newsletter

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff, 

As we reach the final week of Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership throughout what has been a big term at St Joseph’s. 

This week marks a time of reflection and gratitude. We have journeyed together through learning, faith, and growth, and I am proud of what our students and staff have accomplished. From our classroom achievements to our community events and liturgical celebrations, it has been wonderful to witness our school values lived out each day. 

It was a real blessing to attend our recent Pedal Prix event.  Our students demonstrated incredible dedication in both training and competition. They supported one another with encouragement, shared responsibility, and celebrated each other’s efforts—whether riding, repairing, or cheering from the sidelines. I also want to acknowledge Mr Tom Gilligan and parent volunteers. The generosity of time, talent, and support you offered helped turn this event into a memorable and meaningful experience for all. 

As I reflect on our recent community dinner, my heart is filled with gratitude and joy. It was more than just a meal—it was a beautiful expression of who we are as a community: united in faith, fellowship, and service.  I was especially moved by the acts of service I saw with Yr 7 students helping, parents volunteering, and staff members going the extra mile to make the evening welcoming for all.  Thank you to all involved in making the event such a wonderful success. 

End of Term Assembly 

We warmly invite you to join us for our End of Term Assembly on Wednesday 2 July. It will be a chance to celebrate student achievements, give thanks for the term, and wish each other a safe and restful break. 

Thank You 

To our dedicated staff, thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students' learning. To our parents and carers, your involvement and encouragement mean so much to us. And to our St Joseph’s students – your enthusiasm, curiosity, and kindness are the heart of our school. 

May God bless you and your families over the school holidays. May this be a time of rest, joy, and peace. 

Warm regards, 
Joe 

Sacraments

On Sunday 27 July, 15 students from our Parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, with 13 of them receiving the Sacrament of First Holy Communion as well.

We would love people to join us for this special celebration in our young people’s journey.

Last Friday, many of the candidates participated in a Reflection and Practice at Sevenhill, where we visited various sites within the College grounds. We also celebrated Mass to commemorate the Feast of St Aloysius whose feast day was last Saturday. Thank you to Mrs Lang, Mr Seymon and Mrs Stanley who joined us for various parts of the day.

A big thank you also to the Liebelt-Seymon family who welcomed us into their home to celebrate a Mass for the candidates and their families on Monday night. A special mention to Tarq for assisting Fr Kieran in explaining the different items that a priest wears to celebrate Mass. The students had lots of great questions and answers in our discussions.

We ask that you keep the following students in your prayers as they continue their preparation

St Josephs’ School: Sachi, Kade, Wilbur, Summer, Jack, Archie, Dulcie, Leo, Oliver, Thomas, Florence

Parish Schools: Violet, Isaac, Patrick and Jimmy

Carinya Visit

Our Reception/One class led a beautiful Liturgy at Carinya last week. After the Liturgy, they shared prayer cards with residents with pictures they had drawn on the back. They had a great chat with many of the residents, including Nick S’s grandma, Patsy. Many of the residents have fond memories of St Joseph’s School and connections to many of our students and parishioners, and they love our monthly visits.

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Today, we observe the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Year 3 and Year 1 classes hosted a Mass to celebrate this feast which is dedicated to the greatest commandment and how much Jesus loves us.

The feast of the Sacred Heart is held on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost and has a liturgical colour of white.

Jesus had “heart” but, more importantly, He had a heart. The word “heart” is synonymous with grit, soul, intuition, love, strength, generosity, and, in its most total sense, the very centre of humans. The feast of the Sacred Heart embraces all of those meanings. Christ’s Sacred Heart teaches us that God loves us as a friend loves a friend, as a parent loves a child, or as a sibling loves his closest brother or sister.

Thank you to Mrs Nield and Miss Gunn and their students for preparing and leading us in this Mass.

Prayer

Sacred Heart of Jesus, You told us to ask and we shall receive, to seek and we shall find, to knock and the door shall be opened. Today, we ask, we seek, and we knock, in the sure and certain hope that you will hear us and answer us. Amen.

I wish everyone a safe and restful holidays.

God Bless
Helen Hay
Assistant Principal- Religious Identity and Mission

What a fortnight it has been in the Middle School!  

Pedal Prix

Our Year 7s took on Pedal Prix at Victoria Park in Adelaide. I was so proud of this group of students, they all got in the cars and did their best. The teamwork in the pits was outstanding and the atmosphere was full of healthy competition. Throughout the day, you could see the students grow in confidence and take on more and more of a challenge.  

All our teams were successful and completed an impressive number of laps. As a combined school, we were able to ride to Canberra and back, which is an impressive feat.  Our mixed group of Year 7 and 8 students achieved particular success, winning the Mixed Middle School team category. Sebastian also set the lap record for the day in a blistering 1:57, just 2 seconds quicker than Josh's fastest lap. 

Languages Day

We have had a week of Indigenous languages with Mr Coulthard. The students learnt about culture through art, food and formal classroom lessons. These sessions are integral in preparing our students for the Journey to the Heart Year 9 Camp to Uluru. 

These meaningful experiences have been a huge asset to our community. Unfortunately, Mr Coulthard will be stepping back from his teaching role at school to pursue different opportunities. We wish him all the best on his new adventure but are glad that he will remain a part of our community as a parent of a new reception student. 

"As part of the Aboriginal Cultures and Languages Program, all Middle School students participated in "Languages Day". Some classes were offsite and others were on the school grounds.
Last Friday. the Year 8 students ventured to our beautiful "St Joseph's Patch" to cook Lemon Myrtle Fried Chicken, Lemon Myrtle Soup with Cauliflower and twisties on a stick". 

Follow the link below to see our beatiful school garden and enjoy the photos below.

20250620_012457000_iOS 2.MOV

Community Dinner

Finally, the community dinner. This was a wonderful event and showcased our community’s spirit and generosity. The culmination of many months of planning and preparation was evident on the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed by the 183 guests on the night. A huge thankyou to all parents and community members who assisted in anyway. Thankyou also to Kira, Charlii & Clinton Schunke who designed and put together the amazing balloon garland.
Proceeds from this night support the school and contribute to sending our Year 7 students on their six-day camp to Canberra later this year. However, this event and the woodchops contribute much more than just the money. What they do is bring our community together. I hope that this sets our students an example of what being a member of a community can be like and instils some of our important values in them. If you have not yet attended a community dinner, or have not been to one for a while, I highly recommend it and encourage you to put it in your diary for June next year!

Tom Gilligan
Assistant Principal + Leader of Middle Years (7-9)

eSafety

Did you know the eSafety Commissioner website has a range of free information sheets, articles and webinars for parents and caregivers? These resources can help you to learn about how you can keep kids safe on devices and when using the internet. Use the tabs across the top of the webpage to find helpful information for kids of all ages, from 5 to 18 years. Sign up to eSafety news to stay updated with practical tips to help you and your children navigate the digital world.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's digital technology use, feel free to get in contact with Maddie, Student Wellbeing Officer.

eSafety website
 

Holidays – keep the learning going by having fun together

How do I get my child to continue practising their reading and writing skills in the holidays?

Make it fun!

• Read a recipe together and then get into the kitchen for some cooking.
• Write a letter to a grandparent or relative and wait for a reply. It’s so exciting to receive a letter in the post!
• Write a shopping list for some special holiday shopping.
• Keep a diary about your holiday adventures and share with family members. Turn your diary into a holiday book.
• Visit the local library – there are some fun activities happening at local public libraries all over the state during the holiday period.
• Read a classic from your childhood together or read a book and then watch the movie.
• For those at the beginning of their writing journey, practise letter and number formation skills with a pencil, texta, paints, chalk or fingers.
• Download some free decodable readers for your child to have a go at independent reading, using the skills they have learnt to say the sounds and read the words.
• Snuggle up somewhere cosy and read stories together – a page each, choral reading together, or enjoy telling each other stories.
• Listen to an audiobook on a family car trip.

Whatever you do, make sure to role model how much you need reading and writing in your everyday life, so your child sees the value in learning these skills.

What about maths skills?

Again, make it fun!

• Play Yahtzee, cards or Monopoly.
• Learn a new card or board game together.
• If you’re on a road trip, discuss the distances travelled, prices of fuel, fuel efficiency, or time taken to travel a certain distance.
• Read a map together, plan your trip or follow the map as you go along.
• Use car numberplates or road signs to add, subtract, multiply or divide as you’re going along.
• Give your child a budget for the days activities and see how it is spent!
• Maybe even let them loose in the supermarket for the weekly shop!

Whatever you do, think aloud your maths strategies so your child/ren can see that maths is an important skill used in everyday life.
Our children learn so much from how we think, say and do things – it’s important that we show them how important literacy and numeracy skills are no matter what job we do, or how we live our life. Rather than saying “I was never good at maths” or “I don’t really like reading”, show them how important those skills are in whatever you do. After all – you are their most important role model!

Michelle Edmondson - Leader of Literacy & Inclusion

Equestrian Interschool Selection

A huge congratulations to Sophie & Ellie M who have both been selected in the "Equestrian Stable Designs SA Interschool Squad" to compete at the Australian Interschool Championships to be held n Sydney at the International Equestrian Centre (SEIC)  from September 23 - 28. 

The SEIC is the home of the Sydney Olympic equestrian competition and is an exciting experience for all interschool riders.
Sophie will compete in the following events : 
Intermediate Preliminary and Novice Dressage
Intermediate Show Horse
Ellie will be competing in:
Primary 80cm Combined training
Primary 70 & 80cm Show Jumping
As part of this selection they will be riding in Royal Adelaide Show in an Interschool Extravaganza to help prepare them for the big environment competition at nationals.
Once again, congratulations to you both.
 

Special Olympics

Hayley competed at the Special Olympics SA Interclub meet.
Winning 3 First for Beam, Bar and floor, One Second for Vault.  This now qualifies Hayley to go Brisbane to compete in July school holidays.
Well done, Hayley.

Fundraising for a Cause

During June, I took on the Push up Challenge to raise awareness for Mental Health.  My target was to do 1607 push ups in 23 days.  During the challenge Mum, Dad and I had some really good conversations about mental health and I understand it all a bit more now, including how some people really struggle, even sports stars! 

I also was able to raise $355 for The "Push For Better Foundation" who educate people on how to improve their mental and physical health, thank you to everyone who donated.  Thursday 26 June was the last day of the challenge and I had managed to do 1406 pushups.  I did get some help from friends, family and Mrs Murphy even did 10 for me! This meant I was still short by 200.  So I contacted Mr Slattery and asked if he could help me achieve the last 200.  My whole class got together on Thursday to help me achieve my target and we did 200 push ups altogether.  
Thank you to everyone who got involved, I really appreciate the support of my classmates to reach my goal. 
Cody W
 

Martial Arts

On the Sunday June 15, Holdyn went to Adelaide to grade from a yellow belt to a green belt. He did  a fabulous job and he was very pleased with the result.

Div 1 Champions SAPSASA Netball State Carnival. 

After an exceptional 3 days of netball, in very trying conditions, the Div 1 Mid North side were able to take out the Championship going through with 8 wins and 1 draw for the carnival. Representing St Joseph's  in the team was Matilda M, Maya Beart, who made up our formidable defence line, along with Clara and Sophia who played through the Mid Court. The team was coached by Kylie Murphy and she said it was an absolute honour to coach the team, although a little stressful at times when scores became close.We were very lucky to get over the line in a couple of the games and this was a credit to the girls on the court.

Also representing St Joes in the Div 3 team were Ruby K, Ruby M, and Violet W. All 3 girls played some exceptional netball throughout the carnival to finish in 3rd place, with 7 wins and 2 losses.
Max Jaeschke also represented the school in the combined Central team learning some new skills and gaining a greater appreciation for the game of netball. Great work, Max.

A big thankyou to all the parents for your assistance and support, it was much appreciated.

Sapsasa Golf

On Tuesday 17 June, six students from St Joseph's participated in Sapsasa golf trials at the Clare Golf Club. Year 6 students Jobe, Max, Brodie, Henry and Year 5 students Charlie & Eli, played 9 holes of golf after a 1 hour skills session with helpers from the Clare Golf Club.

There were 20 students trying out for the 4 spots available to progress into the Sapsasa team. The holes were from 100 to 200 metres in distance and some were quite difficult. It was a nice day but there were a couple of drizzly showers.  The competition was to pick up the ball after 8 hits and then write  9  strokes on the score card, this is to keep the ball moving and not take up too much time.

We had a great time playing and we thank all the parents and coaches who helped and walked around the course with us.

Eli S & Charlie J

Year 7/8 State Basketball

Well done to the Yr 7/8 St Joseph's  Boys Basketball team that played in the State Finals at Wayville Basketball Centre on Tuesday June 24.
The boys had a very successful day winning 3 of their 4 games, they played fantastic team basketball. A huge thanks to Aaron Ackland who coached the team and Adele Agars and Laura Davidson who scored throughout the day.
Results
Game 1:  St Joseph's 14 lost to Murray Bridge 25 (Eddie 5, Lucas  2, Joshua  2, Mitchell  2, Kieran  2, Riley 1)
Game 2: St Joseph's 20 defeated Seaford 13 (Mitchell  6, Lucas  5, Joshua  4, Eddie  3, Lachie 2)
Game 3: St Joseph's 16 defeated Roma Mitchell 11 (Eddie  8, Mitchell 4, Lucas 2, Riley 2)
Game 4: St Joseph's 45 defeated Balaklava 39 (Eddie 12, Lucas 10, Riley 9, Mitchell  6, Joshua 4, Lachie 2, Kieran 2)

Chris Slattery

Knock Out Netball

On Wednesday June 18, a group of Year 7/8 girls travelled to Nuriootpa to compete in the Knockout Netball competition. Games were played against Balaklava, Faith, Riverton, Burra and Nuriootpa. We came third overall, winning 3 out of the 5 games. We had a lot of fun playing together and worked well as a team. Thank you to the Year 9 students, Maddie, Alliahna and Ella for coaching, scoring and team managing on the day. Thank you to parents for assisting with travel and Molly Ross and Emma Meaney for umpiring.

Pedal Prix

Two Saturday’s ago, Hayley and I rode in the Community Pedal Prix race. We rode in a tandem pedal prix car, which is like a normal Pedal Prix car but twice as wide with two seats and two sets of pedals.
I was riding with a man called Laurie. He asked me a few questions like what grade I was in.
When I first got there, I felt excited, but we had to wait for a little bit until we could cross over the track and join my team. We got some hot chips since it was freezing and I was hungry. Then we went to sit with my team. Then not long after that I had to get myself ready to get in my car and start riding. It took me a little while to get into the car, because it was my first time in the car with the roof on. When I finally got in I clipped my shoes onto the pedals, then I was ready. Then Laurie got in and the roof went down and we were off within minutes.
It was a lot of fun in the car, it felt exciting to feel how fast it went around the corners. When I finished my first lap I was enjoying it a lot. By the time we had finished our six laps we had passed 8 cars in total. I was also saturated because it was pouring with rain, and the water was flicking up off the tyres all over us. I was tired after my riding and I was cold. I nearly fell asleep on the chair, so not long after that we went home.
At the end of the day, I learnt that you have to have confidence and resilience to keep on pedalling even though I was very tired and cold. I learnt that you had to do a LOT of pedalling as well.
Patrick Tilley, Year 7

Today's Drama Club Performance Years 4/5/6 - Peter Pan

 Peter Pan 2025.MOV

This week in the garden

Lots of helpers in the garden today and their reward was Radishes !!
Wilbur chopped out the hollyhocks and then planted some succulents, Lexi
loved the fresh silver beet and we all planted and chopped and  got our hands dirty.
Such busy bees.

Jen Vine