Time is ticking...

I hope the Year Eleven students can look back on the year with pride and a sense of achievement. As many of them sit their final exams or workplace experiences today, I wish them all the best and I look forward to seeing them as the leaders of the College in 2025.

Speaking of 2025, I will be taking long service leave in first term. I will be at school for our Staff preparation week in January and in Week One to welcome everyone back including our new students. Mr Jim Morcom has been appointed Acting Principal and Mrs Kelly Meyer will be Assistant Head of Junior School. Congratulations to them both. I am very certain the College will be well-taken care of in my absence.

I am writing this article in Perth because I have quite a number of Catholic Education events and meetings to attend on your behalf. But I am thrilled and so proud of the achievements I am reading on our Wisdom feed. To the Junior School Athletics - WOW! To the Lego Legends - WOW! To the Secondary Brilliant Basketball Teams - WOW! I can't stop smiling because I am so very chuffed to be principal of the greatest school on the planet.

Take care and see you next week (but probably not the Year 11s).

St Joseph - Pray for Us

Amen.

During Week Six selected Year Nine students attended SRTAFE to participate in the Try-a-Trade program, designed to provide opportunities for school aged students to explore the world of Carpentry, Engineering and Electrotechnology. Students completed a variety of activities with varying results from making wooden mallets to welding dices provided a great lead into our Certificate II in Construction and Engineering courses, available to all Year 10s at the College in 2025.

Hear from the students:

Gianni, "At TAFE we learnt a lot about being a chippy and an engineer. Being an engineer was actually good and being a chippy was pretty sick. We did a lot of stuff."

Oliver, "It was a good learning experience and good to see what trades are like."

Jethro, "TAFE was really fun, lots of hands on activities like welding and carpentry activities. the TAFE-taster really helped me find my passion in the trade industry."

Beau, "I had fun and enjoyed the trade experience, especially the woodwork/carpentry trade on Tuesday. I liked the carpentry the most was making the mallet and I like dealing with wood. I liked the canteen as well because the food was good."

Hudson, "The try a trade day was fun because we got to try out different trades my favourite part was the welding because it was fun. I made a frying pan with a mate it held water and had no leaks so that was good."

Matilda, "The try a trade for three days was a real eye-opener for me, as it helped me to know what I definitely want to do as a career."

Each year, the staff, students and families of St Joseph's College generously support St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) in their annual Christmas Appeal.

With the cost-of-living increasing, Vinnies focus on assisting the vulnerable in our community whom may be struggling financially or facing other challenges in their lives as we approach the Advent season. As we prepare for the birth of Jesus, we are called to reflect upon how we can bring a little hope, peace, joy, and love to those around us.

Collection boxes will be in each classroom and homeroom for any non-perishable food items that you wish to donate.

This year Vinnies has asked for more of the following, if possible:

1. Christmas puddings, cakes and fruit mince pies
2. Long life custard and milk cartons
3. Cereal, chips, and sweet and savory biscuits
4. Long life Juice cartons
5. Canned Vegetables

For more information or if you would like to make a monetary donation to the Society, please visit: https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-wa/christmas-appeal-wa

On behalf of the College, I would like to thank you all for your generosity and commitment each and every year. For many people, Christmas is about creating precious memories with family and friends and your support will ensure that this upcoming festive season is far less stressful for some of the families in our local community.

Mr Luke Bogoni - Religious Education Coordinator

The uniform shop will be closed all of Week 8 (24-29 November) and Tuesday 3 December. Apologies for any inconvenience. Quickcliq is still available but orders will not be processed until 4 December.

St Joseph's College celebrated a thrilling victory at this year's ADPSSA Athletics Carnival, claiming the shield for the second consecutive year. The two-day event showcased the school’s athletic talents, with students competing in both field and track events. Day one saw fierce competition in the jumps and throws, setting a high standard for the main track events that followed.

Special recognition goes to Mason from Year 5 and Luke from Year 4, who excelled in their individual performances to earn the title of champion boys in their respective age groups. The depth of talent at St Joseph's was on full display during the 4 x 100m relays, where the school dominated by winning all but one of the events. The relentless efforts of both individual athletes and relay teams were instrumental in securing the school’s victory and lifting the shield once again.

St Joseph’s College extends congratulations to all participants, whose teamwork and spirit have cemented this year’s memorable success.

Ocean Heroes is a charity which provides free surf experiences for neurodiverse individuals. We will be running events in Albany on the 23rd and 24th of November.

To register for a session, go to:

Free ticket link - https://events.humanitix.com/ocean-heroes-albany-november-2024-two-day-event

Volunteer registration link - https://oceanheroes.rosterfy.co/invite/getonboardgreatsouthern

Previous event video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZSV1Hddf7Q

Also feel free to check out our Instagram/Facebook @oceanheroes

Recent outbreaks of whooping cough have put case numbers up.

Please see article with more info on whooping cough.

Whooping Cough

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a bacterial infection that spreads easily, especially among children, but can occur at any age. The infection

is spread by droplets that are coughed or sneezed out. The illness usually starts with a runny nose, a low-grade fever, and a mild cough.

Over 1-2 weeks the cough may progress to severe coughing spells and may sometimes end with a high-pitched ‘whoop’ or vomiting. The

coughing spells will start to subside after several weeks.

People with whooping cough are infectious to others until around 3 weeks after onset of the cough.

If your child has symptoms of whooping cough or becomes unwell after contact with someone with whooping cough, please see your doctor. Make

sure that your child eats and drinks enough while they are sick.

Children with whooping cough should stay away from school until five days after starting treatment with an appropriate antibiotic. If they

are not treated, they will need to be excluded from school for three weeks from the start of the cough.

For more information on whooping cough, read through the information provided by Healthy WA

(https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/U_Z/Whooping-cough-pertussis) and Raising Children Network (https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/a-z-health-reference/whooping-cough).

Cheers,

Amelia Jefferis |School Health Tue, Thu every second Wed

WA Country Health Service Great Southern

PO Box 252, ALBANY WA 6331

T: (08) 98427567

E: amelia.jefferis@health.wa.gov.au | W: www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au

Christmas services at Holy Family Parish 2024.

For more information please contact:

Holy Family Catholic Parish

154 Aberdeen Street

Albany W.A. 6330

Office Hours:

9.00 am – 12.30 pm

Tuesday to Friday

PH : (08) 9841 1129

Email : albacath@iinet.net.au

Headspace Albany wants your art on our walls!

Headspace Albany is excited to launch Blank Walls Youth Art Competition & Exhibition to acquire 2D original artworks to fill the walls of the refurbished headspace Albany centre and to celebrate Great Southern young artists with their artwork professionally exhibited from 31st March until 17th April 2025 at the Vancouver Arts Centre as part of Youth Week.

The two themes of the art competition and exhibition are Hope and Connection. There is no entry fee and winners will be awarded cash prizes of $250 or $400! Find out more including who is eligible to enter, how to enter, and the terms & conditions here: https://headspace.org.au/albany/blankwallsart/.

You can enter a maximum of one artwork. Online submissions close on 24th March 2024 and only the first 40 entries will be accepted.

There are five award categories with two prizes awarded in each category: Ages 12-15. Ages 16-19. Ages 20-25. Ages 26+ (must have been a previous client of headspace Albany). Community’s choice (community members will vote for this award during the exhibition).

If you need some support and guidance with creating your artwork entry, the Vancouver Arts Centre in conjunction with headspace Albany is holding FREE school holiday workshops on 13th and 14th January 2025 between 11am until 3pm. Just bring along a canvas and we will supply you with the art materials during the workshops!

You are also welcome to have a tour of the headspace Albany to familiarise yourself with the feel of the centre and see where your winning artwork could be displayed. Please call us or email to arrange a tour.

If you have any questions about Blank Walls, need support to enter, or you would like to register for the school holiday workshops, please contact headspace Albany by calling 08 9842 9871, email info@headspacealbany.com.au, or you can drop into the centre and speak with a member of the team.

This art project is hosted by headspace Albany and is proudly supported by Youth Focus and the City of Albany Arts & Culture Team.

To register visit www.prsc.com.au/events