St Joseph's Newsletter

Each and every child has been an absolute joy to meet and get to know.  It has been a privilege to have witnessed their growth during their time at St Joseph’s.  Each graduation ceremony has not only filled me with a great sense of pride but as I shook each student’s hand I felt confident that the care, attention and commitment from staff had provided each one with a great foundation for future learning.  And I have no doubt that the St Joseph’s values together with their family values have provided a solid foundation for ongoing success, and will lead them to make positive contributions throughout their lives.

I am grateful for the staff, present and past, who have demonstrated not only a deep commitment to their work but also to the wellbeing of all students.  I have strived to build a culture where the student was at the heart of all decisions.  The dedication of staff members who have demonstrated their concern for the wellbeing and academic success of each child has affirmed that I have been successful in achieving this goal.  The words of Charles Schwab strongly resonate with me; he states; "The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement." Whilst I acknowledge that we (the staff) are not perfect, it is in respecting each other, demonstrating acts of kindness and understanding and working in partnership that we achieve the best outcomes, and in doing so, the best staff are nurtured, developed and retained.  This is my greatest hope – that the community continue to appreciate the staff and work in a respectful, professional and harmonious manner giving witness to our motto – In all things love! 

I would like to acknowledge past staff members, Judith Bowden, Dawn Saleeba, Denise Tarrant and Rose Caire who worked closely with me in their respective administrative roles, undertaking their duties with a sense of service and commitment determined that the Spirit of Mary MacKillop was experienced by all in our community. 

I am also grateful for the members of the leadership team who have assisted in the improvement agenda for the school; Kathy Horan, Helen Clark and Rita Garreffa.

I feel blessed to have worked alongside the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priests, Fr Bill, Fr Chris, Fr Paul and more recently Fr Lancy and the parish staff.  I thank them for their spiritual guidance and for the trust they had in me in undertaking my role, always supportive and encouraging.  Thank you.

It has been an absolute privilege to have worked alongside the School Boards since 2006!  The parents who have represented you on the school boards have echoed my sentiments- that the welfare of the students must always be the focus.  All initiatives have been to improve the learning environment and opportunities for the students.  I acknowledge and give thanks for the work of all school board members since 2016 and would particularly like to mention school board chairpersons Anne Burke, Tess Ryan, Richard Ellerman and current board chair Craig Costello.

It was evident since commencing my tenure at St Joseph’s that the parent committees were a strong and vibrant group dedicated to building community and creating an inclusive school environment.  Thank you to past and present members.  I am particularly grateful to the Parent Voice, Parent Engagement and P & F Committees who have endeavoured to building, strengthening and improving the school.  Thank you!

Even before I joined St Joseph’s I was aware of the strong sense of community that existed at St Joseph’s- you are renowned for this!  I have witnessed this continue to grow and my hope is that all new members are embraced and welcomed and feel a sense of belonging.

In closing, heartfelt thanks for the honour and privilege of being welcomed and being part of the St Joseph’s community since 2016.  I have very fond memories and enduring friendships that I will treasure.  My prayer for you is that you continue to ensure that the vision of Mary Mackillop – ‘In all things love” be promulgated and lived.  I wish you and your family many blessings for the future.

To celebrate wellbeing day and the end of term 2 students have a choice of wearing casual clothes on the last day of term.

Here's a bit more information about the day:

📅 When: Friday 8th July

🎭 Brainstorm Production Performance 'Saving Lil and Archie'

👕 Casual Clothes can be worn, no gold coin donation required as it is to raise awareness of well-being

🤗 Throughout the day their will also be many class and buddy well-being activities. 

⏰ Don't forget school finishes at 12.30pm - OSHC available - booking is essential

🏫 Term 3 begins on Monday 25th July

Does your child need to be fitted for a school uniform?Uniform fitters are available by appointment only.

Don’t need a uniform fitting?That’s okay, call into the uniform shop and make your selection. Our uniform sales staff are available to assist with processing your order.

Click here to make a booking

Each year, NAIDOC Week has a theme, and this year’s theme is ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

It is an annual week-long celebration and an opportunity for us to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society. 

It is also an opportunity for our school, St Joseph’s, to reflect on our ongoing commitment and respect of First Nations peoples of the land, seas and waterways and what we have learned and continue to learn about the history & culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on our Reconciliation Journey.

On Monday of Week 9, Miss Taormina along with our school captains, Massimo and Arsema, attended the 'Arch D Leaders Podcasting Day' at Catholic Education Centre. They were joined by ten other schools, with students ranging from Years 5 all the way up to Year 11. Massimo and Arsema were were put in working groups, where they were able to mix with peers from schools all over Adelaide! It was a great opportunity for them to interact and form new friendships. 

The day focused on hearing and learning from some of the best podcast and radio producers in the world - including a live stream from Ira Glass, an American radio personality. Guest speaker, Jodie Oddy, from Nova 919 also surprised them with a visit! She invited some students up to do a 'mock radio' segment where she discussed current world events, some serious and some fun - like what TV shows were trending at the moment! Jodie had lots of advice on how to be confident, deal with making mistakes and how to be resilient. 

Massimo and Arsema worked within their groups to come up with their own podcast, then it was time to head into the recording studio and record! It was a great day and such a fun space to collaborate and create something new! Stay tuned for the podcasts which will be available on the Arch D streaming platforms very soon! 

Year 5/6 Excursion to the ‘Adelaide Botanic Garden’ on Thursday, 30th June.

PROGRAM: Aboriginal Plant Use Trails

Facilitator: Trent Hill, who is an Indigenous storyteller, educator and guide.

Learning Intention: To know, understand and investigate, through the Australian Forest, the traditional uses of trees and plants of Aboriginal people and relating seasonal movements to the surroundings.

for achieving the greatest number of spirit points in Term 2, 178 points!!!

The points were accumulated by receiving the greatest number of ‘thumbs up’ cards during play time this term.

These ‘thumbs up’ tokens are distributed to children (by Year 5/6 School Captains, House and vice- sport captains) who demonstrate positive and respectful behaviours whilst interacting with each other. 

NB House captain, Alessandra & Vice- captain, Ruby absent for this photo.

Each card is exchanged for a plastic lid which equates to a spirit point for their respective House Team.

The best part is watching their House spirit points grow and grow and grow each term, until Sport’s Day! 😊

To celebrate and acknowledge Chevalier’s positive efforts in Term 2, this Thursday, 7th July, all children who are in Chevalier, are lucky enough to wear their sport uniform with a yellow coloured t-shirt or the like!

Well done Chevalier ! 😊

Congratulations to our Preschoolers who graduated this week. They will be starting Reception next term.

We'll miss you next term, all the best for Reception, Claire , Jordan, Jacob, Zainab, Jensen, Eva, Prisha, Stephanie, Deborah, Georgia, Evan, Xavier, Dominik, Jazleen, Xavier, Harper and Charlie!

Congratulations to Tilly in 5/6TDP who made the SAPSASA hockey team and competed a few weeks ago. 

Congratulations to Sebastian in 5/6TDP who was selected as an emergency for the SAPSASA soccer team. Training starts on 28th July.