Learning Happens Here Everyday

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Families,

This term, our focus on ensuring excellent instruction, every day, for every student, has been lived. Even with the interruption of a cyclone, we have continued to build the knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith traditions across our school community, and maintain our pledge to work towards improving student outcomes for every student.

Throughout the term we have participated in many spiritual, curricular and non-curricular events. This term, our students have experienced several sporting opportunities including, swimming, Rugby League, Rugby Union, cross country and winter sports trials. It is great to see our children compete in these events and more importantly, be good sports and have fun.

In February the school attended its first whole school mass of the year with our Opening School Mass, which saw our 2025 School Captains commissioned. Throughout the term, we also celebrated Parish Masses as class groups, Ash Wednesday to begin Lent, and this weekend the Parish will celebrate Palm Sunday to begin Holy Week. NAPLAN testing was completed by our Year 3 and 5 students, and our Year 2 students went on an excursion to Timbertown, and our Kinders and Year 1 saw the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Glasshouse in Port Macquarie.

To celebrate Harmony Day on the 21^st of March, our fantastic canteen ladies extended the menu to include yummy treats. This was a great celebration by the whole school and the kids had a great lunch.

As we conclude this term and head into the Autumn Holidays, I realise how quickly the term has flown, and how much has been achieved. When I reflect over the last ten weeks, I am so thankful for the relationships made, and for the happy smiling children I see at the gate, both in the mornings and afternoons. We are truly a team which I am grateful for each and every day, and I thank you for your ongoing support of this great school.

Looking Towards Easter

With the end of Term One now upon us, we are quickly moving closer towards our Parish Easter celebrations, which this year falls within our Autumn school break. Holy Week begins with our Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday the 13^th April, beginning 9:30am at the All Saints Catholic Church Kempsey. Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before Easter, marking both the first day of Holy Week and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

We would love to see many of our St Joseph’s families participating in this Mass. Whether you are Catholic or still questioning the presence of Christ in your life, sharing such moments together with your immediate family as well as with your St Joseph’s community is a way to acknowledge the importance of family and faith in our wider community. Family and faith is what stabilises a community, shapes who we are and instils us with values that define what we consider to be normal and abnormal. There are several Easter Masses scheduled over the Easter weekend, I hope to see you at one of them.

Winter warmth

As we head into Term 2 and the colder weather, we usually see a few non uniform items, such as beanies, scarfs, jumpers and jackets worn into school.

In order to keep the high standards of St Joseph's a matter of pride within our community, I ask that all students begin the new term wearing the school uniform Track Jacket or Fleecy Jumper. Both of these items, as with all St Joseph's uniform, are available from Team Spirit. Please note that beanies and scarfs are not school uniform and therefore are not to be worn.

It is my expectation that all students not wearing the correct uniform will have a note explaining why, and when the issue will be rectified. 

New Assembly and Newsletter schedule

Beginning Term 2 2025, St Joseph’s will hold School Assemblies in term weeks 3, 6 & 9. Newsletters will also follow this schedule.

The purpose for the Newsletter change is a response to the change in the way the school distributes information, including good news stories, to our community. Utilising Compass, emails, the school calendar, and Facebook, removes a lot of the need for a more consistent news source. It is hoped that three newsletters per term will produce a more robust and engaging product, more worthy of the time put into its production.

The purpose for the assembly change is to increase in-class learning time and decrease disruption across learning weeks.

Assembly start times will be adjusted from 1:05pm to 1pm.

As always, I thank you for your support in regards to your child’s ongoing learning and growth.

Guy Campbell
Driving Excellence in the Macleay

Today we begin the journey with Jesus into Jerusalem. Today the people are excited to see Jesus. He enters the city similar to royalty but not in fine garments and beautiful steeds but as a rabbi and on the humblest of animals, the donkey.

Jesus knew his time was “at hand” and he knew that this jubilation will turn very sour in a few moments. How does Jesus lovingly wave to a crowd who will deny and discard him so lightly and call for his death before the palms which they wave have dried up.

He “emptied himself”; “He humbled himself by being obedient unto death”. He empties himself of all claims to divine glory and honour to become a human being — not a human of high status and honour, but a lowly slave serving other human beings. He humbles himself even to the point of dying a slave’s death, for the shameful and tortuous form of execution by crucifixion was reserved for slaves and rebels against Roman rule.

Jesus is not a passive victim rather he enters fully and willingly into his mission. On this Sunday marking Jesus’ passion, we might ask ourselves does our life together reflect “the same mind that was in Christ Jesus”? Are we looking to the interests of others rather than our own interests?

Jesus emptied himself and took on a human; incarnate, he was not just wearing a human mask but entering into our humanity in all its fullness and sometimes bitterness.

Fr Ronald Rolheiser puts it beautifully; “To “self-empty” in the way Jesus is described as doing means being present without demanding that your presence be recognised and its importance acknowledged; it means giving without demanding that your generosity be reciprocated; it means being invitational rather than threatening, healthily solicitous rather than nagging or coercive; it means being vulnerable and helpless, unable to protect yourself against the pain of being taken for granted or rejected; it means living in a great patience that doesn’t demand intervention, divine or human, when things don’t unfold according to your will; it means letting God be God and others be themselves without either having to submit to your wishes or your timetable….that’s the invitation”.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, help us: to be present without demanding our presence be recognised; to give without demanding; to be invitational rather than threatening, to be vulnerable; living in a great patience that doesn’t demand intervention, divine or human, when things don’t unfold according to my will.
Amen

Sourced from: https://cms.vinnies.org.au/media/esollqua/1124-spiritual-reflection-guide-jan-2025-web.pdf?folder=nsw__publications-nsw__spiritual-reflection-guides&path=esollqua%2F1124-spiritual-reflection-guide-jan-2025-web.pdf