Hello to Families and all in the St Joseph's School Community,

Tomorrow officially marks the end of Summer and with the conclusion of the Swimming Program, students have now settled into the daily routine of their classrooms. Staff have been busy completing beginning of year assessments, logging data and discussing ways of how to best cater for each individual student. In the coming weeks, teachers will be available for Parent-Teacher Meetings, which are an important part of the shared journey we take in the education and overall development of the students at St Joseph’s School (see below).

We extend a warm St Joseph's welcome to Amelie Hellard as she joins the Grade 3 students in Miss Thompson's Classroom. We hope Amelie and her family find their time at St Joseph's School very rewarding. Welcome!

There are many items on the March calendar; Dental Van visit, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, NAPLAN Assessments; School Nurse visit, School photos, Harmony Week, School Feast Day & Hot Shots Tennis (Grade 4/5/6)! Please tune in to all newsletters, Facebook posts and PAM messages to keep up with all that is happening at St Joe’s.

Next week marks a change in the seasons of the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, with the beginning of the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday, on March 5^th, marks the beginning of Lent, a time when Christians reflect, pray and prepare for Easter. We will attend Mass at 2:15pm on Ash Wednesday and during Mass, we receive ashes on our foreheads as a reminder to turn our hearts toward God during the Season of Lent. We warmly invite all family members to join us for this special Ash Wednesday Mass as we begin our Lenten journey together.

Shrove Tuesday, often called Pancake Tuesday, marks the final day before Lent begins! The eating pancakes on this day comes from the practice of using up rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar before the traditional fasting period began. On Shrove Tuesday (March 4^th), pancakes will be available at recess time for all students.

A reminder that the school is closed tomorrow as staff take professional learning in our new Languages commitment to Auslan (Teachers as C0-Learners) AND next Friday as all staff gather for a professional learning day on our Catholic Identity, including the review of our Vision & Mission statement. 

Enjoy the weekend,
Warm regards in faith & learning,
Mary