School Newsletter

You may have noticed a good deal of activity on our construction site as the finishing touches are being added. I am very excited to say that we have a project completion date set at next Friday 3 March.  This may well mean that the children can access the remaining space from Monday 6 March! Rest assured, the play equipment and spaces will be available for all children to use, however we will need to put some mitigations in place to ensure everyone isn’t trying to access the same equipment at the same time.  As was the case with the previous playground, the play equipment will not be accessible for children to use before and after school as adequate supervision is not available at that time. Please support us with this if you are on school grounds with your children.  I am sure our teachers will ensure children utilise these spaces throughout the day for fitness time, outdoor learning activities or as a quiet reflection space, particularly as the new plants and trees grow and provide cool shady areas.

After 9 years as a member of staff, Helena Kojevnikoff has taken the decision to resign from the position of Canteen Manager, effective at the end of Term 1. We thank Helena for her dedicated service to our community over this time and wish her all the best for future endeavours. 

Our School Board are currently exploring models for how we can continue to provide a quality service in a cost-effective way. As you will be aware, costs have risen significantly over recent years, and volunteers, who help offset the costs, are much harder to come by.  Whilst we are not looking to make financial gain from the canteen, we must ensure that the service can cover its own costs, and this has not been the case in recent years. It is likely that we will go the way of most similar sized primary schools and look to outside providers for our daily lunch orders, also providing a small amount of items for sale over the counter.  Such a model would rely upon volunteers to donate a half hour of their time at either recess of lunch for over the counter sales.   The School Board will consider all options in coming weeks, and we will advise you of any changes to the service nearer the end of Term 1. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself, or one of our School Board members if you would like to discuss further.

St Joseph’s School OSHC continues to provide a quality service for our families and is well accessed by our students, with peak times having enrolments of up to 60 students.

Currently though, our cost incurred are significantly more than income received, and for this reason the Board have voted in favour of an interim rise in fees.  This will be implemented in the first term Vacation Care program in April and will be revised again in coming months as the financial situation of our OSHC is further investigated. Our OSHC fees haa not been increased since February 2019.

Please note, that, as of July this year, the federal government is providing a higher CCS (child care subsidy) percentage to families to support them in childcare fees. This should provide some offset to families in relation to our necessary fee increases.

The fee rises will be as follows:

• Before school care $12.50 (Currently $10.00)
• After school care $25.00 (Currently $22.00)
• In house and incursion $65.00 (Currently $55.00 for an in-house $60.00 for an incursion)
• Excursion $80.00 (Currently $60.00)
• Pupil free days $65.00 (Currently $55.00)

A number of our students and staff have tested positive for COVID recently as case numbers in SA rise again. Please be vigilant in testing children if they display any symptoms and keeping unwell children at home. As a school, we are required to report all cases to CESA and to SA Health, so please inform us if your child tests positive. 

An opportunity exists for parents and carers to attend a forum with the intent of strengthening the partnership between the Commission, Catholic Schools and Parent and Carer communities. With the launch of the Commission’s new strategy on February 9 2022 Towards 2027: Expanding Horizons and Deepening Practices – Strategies for Catholic Education in South Australia, the Commission warmly welcomes Parents and Carers to attend the forum. The forum is an opportunity for the Commission to provide an update on the Strategic Direction of Catholic Education, and importantly, hear feedback from Parents and Carers. Dr Neil McGoran, Director of Catholic Education South Australia, will present an update on the strategy as well as the developments, challenges and opportunities facing Catholic Education. Other speakers will provide updates on a range of topics including Catholic Identity and Infrastructure Developments. The forum will be held on Thursday March 23 from 6pm to 8:30pm  at the Catholic Education Office Conference Centre 116 George Street Thebarton.  An option to join via video conference will also be available to enable Parents and Carers to join online to maximise accessibility and attendance.  If you would like to attend, please let me know and I can register your attendance.

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who helped to ensure our students had a pancake or two to celebrate Shrove Tuesday this week. As we have now begun the liturgical season of Lent, we can all take this opportunity to draw closer to God, through prayer, fasting and outreach to others. This is an opportunity for us all to find practical ways to help others – sharing God’s love through our actions.

‘Loving God, may we stand in solidarity today with all our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering. May we be united in your love, and may we work to build your kingdom here on earth.

Amen’

Go in God’s peace this week,

Marianne Farrugia

Principal

Tuesday, 21st February was Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday, in the Christian calendar, is the day before Ash Wednesday. ‘Shrove’ comes from the Roman Catholic practice of confessing one’s sins and being absolved of them, or “shriven”. Shrovetide feasts were designed to use up the food that could not be eaten during the Lenten fast. 

It was wonderful to have a number of parent volunteers help cook the pancakes for students to enjoy on Tuesday. Thank you to Amera, Angela, Jessica, Paula and Loretta.

The money raised from pancake sales will be donated to Project Compassion as part of our fundraising for this outreach program. In total we raised $306 which is a great start to our Project Compassion appeal.

Thank you for your support in purchasing pancakes this year.

This week we celebrated the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Liturgy led by our SRC class representatives. Parents/caregivers, grandparents, other family members, staff, and students received ashes on their forehead as a reminder of our humility. This symbol calls for us to turn away from sin and to become closer to the Gospel and God. It is also an opportunity to remind us to show more compassion and kindness to each other and our earth.

The students will continue to learn about the special season of Lent in their Religious Education lessons as we move closer to Holy Week and Easter.

At the Ash Wednesday liturgy this week we launched our Project Compassion fundraiser for the term. Every Lenten season the St Joseph’s Community, led by the Class SRC Representatives raise funds for Caritas Project Compassion. Caritas support communities around the world, including Australia, to upskill people and to create solidarity and dignity of the human person.

Each family will receive a Project Compassion box to go home, and each learning space will also have one on their prayer table. We ask for your support with this opportunity to help others in need by donating any spare change you may have.

Wednesday was a busy day this week with our school leaders being presented their badges and receiving a blessing. This was a special moment for these students and the community and we look forward to the leadership they will show in our community. 

House Leaders

SRC Reps - Semester 1

Georgia in Yr 3 will Nova's Official Weather Kid on Wednesday 1st March. 

She'll be reading their weather reports in the 7.30 am, 8.00 am and 8:30 am news.

Make sure to have a listen!

This is designed to give our community the option to engage in meetings and volunteering opportunities where they are able to do so, rather than committing to a year of meetings and events. We hope this will also broaden the pool of volunteers and support we as a committee can draw upon to continue making this community great, not only for our children but for everyone who is a part of it. If you have not yet obtained your CESA volunteer clearance and would like to help, please enquire at the school office.

Congratulations to Natalie Bampton who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl – Zoe - on 10th February. Wishing all the best to Natalie and her family on the arrival of their newest family member.