Palm Sunday – the beginning of the Passion of Jesus.

We now enter the most holy week of the year for Catholics and the challenge for us is to make sense of everything that will unfold. In all Religious Education classes across the College, students will be learning about the Paschal Triduum or “Three Days” beginning with Holy Thursday and closing with Easter Sunday – celebrating Christ’s passage through death and to new life.

Families are welcome to join us for our annual Easter Liturgy on Thursday at 2.15pm in the College gym.

Thank you to the Junior School parents who attended interviews with classroom teachers last week. For Secondary School, Interim Reports will be made available via SEQTA on Thursday. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with teachers in Term Two, Week Two.

A reminder to Secondary School that Terms Two and Three will require students to wear the College winter uniform. For all students, the College tie must be worn. For Senior students (Year Ten to Twelve), the College blazer.

Term Two resumes Monday 24 April. ANZAC Day (public holiday) falls on the Tuesday, but we hope to have excellent participation by St Joseph’s students at the York Street parade.

Last call for both Easter eggs donations and ticket sales for the wonderful P&F Easter fundraiser. Thank you to the P&F who run the raffle with such enthusiasm and aplomb!

Term One is almost done! Have a wonderful Week Ten.

St Joseph – Pray for Us.

Ms Rachael Keenan

Fifth Sunday of Lent – hold on to faith.

Pray, fast and give alms - Students have been learning about Lent in Religious Education classes this Lenten season. We are encouraged to set aside time to share our hopes, joys, fears and frustrations with God through prayer, fasting reminds us of our hunger for God, and almsgiving means making the needs of other people our own.

I wish our swim teams in Secondary and Junior School all the best this week at the Inter-School carnivals this Tuesday and Wednesday. Thank you to the Staff and Certificate II students who will helping on the days out at ALAC.

Junior School Parent Interviews this week will provide parents with an opportunity to discuss areas of celebration and concern with classroom teachers. Please be mindful of the time allocated and if needed, continue important conversations at another time.

Code of Conduct – Students and Parents. This week I will be sending the Code of Conduct to parents. Every year, College staff sign off the Code, which outlines expectations and standards of school community members. I would encourage you to read through this document as it includes guidelines and examples for staff, students and parents.

I hope you have a great week.

St Joseph – Pray for Us.

Ms Rachael Keenan

The Synergy Schools Solar Challenge is a joint initiative between Synergy and the Science Teachers’ Association of WA (STAWA) held annually to engage students in STEM and renewable energy concepts through the activity of building small solar powered cars to race. As part of their learning in science, students built these cars to race against their peers and to learn more about energy efficiency. Additionally, student teams with the quickest builds from the Year 6 and Year 8 classes were then selected to compete with the best builders from other schools from the Great Southern region in the Synergy Solar Car Challenge.

On March 16th, St Joseph’s College was lucky enough to host the Solar Challenge on our home turf. Due to the temperamental Albany weather the Solar car challenge was moved indoors, though luckily students had prepared to wire up batteries to the car motor. The teams were tasked with building a solar operated car in 40 minutes after which they would go head-to-head racing the cars along a 20m strip. After many close calls, pit-stop battery swaps and disconnected wires, the finals came around. St Joseph’s College was not only represented in both Year 6 and 8 divisions as finalists, but also took home both division’s 1^st place trophies due to some excellent car builds from the teams.

St Joseph’s College has also developed quite the reputation, winning three consecutive Solar Challenges, so there’s a bit of pressure on future teams to keep the title. However, the students always have a fantastic time interacting with other schools, cheering on their friends and challenging themselves to rapidly solve any problems which arise during the competition. Here’s hoping the teams at the next Solar Challenge have just as much of a good time.

There is no doubt that everyone in our community looks forward to St Joseph's day, it's not just the soft drink and fairy bread, but also the community spirt and comradery.

Together, we started the day with mass lead by Fr Joel in the gym to honor our patron saint. Following the mass, and in the spirit of St Joseph, we acknowledged a number of hard-working staff who have reached significant milestones in their years of service, some more than 25 years!

The staff and students then rallied together to get their stalls and food ready for the start of the fair. It was wonderful to see the smiles on faces as students, staff and the community enjoyed all of the games, treats and activities on offer. A special mention to Ms Keenan for keeping the ever-popular tractor train running like clockwork.

Not only was it a day of fun, but it was also a very generous day of giving. This year the fair generated a new record of over $4,000 for our charity, Project Compassion.

Thank you to all the students, staff and families for all your hard work and donations.

On Thursday staff were encouraged to bring a meal to share for lunch as part of the 'Taste of Harmony' initiative. Taste of Harmony is a celebration of cultural diversity, using food as a way of bringing people together and to learn about each other's cultural heritage. Sitting down and sharing a meal, helping with serving and cleaning and chatting with each other was a wonderful way for the staff to check in on each other and catch up with people we may not get to spend time with. We all agree that lunch-time needed to be longer and that Mr Polette makes an incredible Pulled Pork Taco. What I learned about us is that we all love dessert. There was an entire table of it!! It was agreed that we should do a shared lunch each term. Everyone had a wonderful time trying all the different dishes that the staff had prepared and learning a bit about each other. We are also now well informed on the world wide problem of fork and spoon disappearance in workplaces.

P & F Easter Raffle

One week left to purchase tickets! The raffle will be drawn NEXT WEDNESDAY morning!

Gotta be in it to win it! See link below, visit the P & F's Facebook page or use the QR code.

We appreciate your support!

https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=38gbm

This year, we introduced you to the story of four inspiring people whose lives have been transformed with your generous support: Laxmi, Tereesa, Priscilla and Thu.

Today, they are creating a better world for their families, their communities and for all future generations.

Project Compassion is a demonstration of the faith, empathy and generosity of our supporters. It is the lifeblood of Caritas Australia – without it, we could not do the vital work we do. Thank you for helping transform lives today and for all future generations!

"Tapitas" will continue this Wednesday at lunchtime next to the Canteen stairs. Donate any spare change that you may have and display your name on our "running water" collage to showcase our commitment to this worthy cause.

Please donate where you can to the class/homeroom boxes. Thank you for your generosity and support this Lenten season!

Mr Luke Bogoni - Religious Education Coordinator K-12

Saint Oscar Romero

Feast Day: March 24

Patron Saint of: El Salvador & persecuted Christians

Life:

Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 until he was assassinated in 1980. In a time of civil war, he became outspoken about the the human rights violations in El Salvador. He became a voice for the poor with his weekly radio broadcasts and denounced the violence. After urging soldiers and police not to kill the innocent, he was shot dead the next day while offering Mass. The world today needs more figures like Romero - leaders with the courage, faith and love to stand up for the poor against injustice.

Prayer:

Loving God, Give us the strength, to be humble, to be faithful, to stand with our sisters and brothers. Give us the strength, to be like our brother Oscar, completely committed to Christ. Amen. St Oscar Romero, pray for us.

This Morning SJC students gathered at Middelton Beach to partake in the 2023 Ride to School Day. This day promote safety on roads as well as providing an opportunity for students to be physically active in a fun, social setting.

We encourage students to continue to travel actively and safely to school when they can.

SJC Physical Education Department.

Thank you for all your support to our College Production in the past few years. This year, we will be doing Celebration of Talents (A Variety Show). We know that we have lots of talents in the college that we can showcase and celebrate. Auditions will be on Term 2 Weeks 3 - 5 Thursdays (May 11, 18 and 25) from 3:30 - 4:30pm. It is open to all of college community members e.g. student, parents, family, staff. We would love to see you unleash your talents so start rehearsing now and see you on the auditions. Thank you in advance for all your support!

Mr Richard Habal, Ms Hiedi Rowe and Mr Mark Collins

Event Coordinators

On Tuesday St Joseph's College hosted the Division 1 Inter-School swimming carnival at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre. A huge thank you to the student volunteers who assisted with timekeeping, tabulating and other duties. The racing was tight from the first event against the swimmers from Albany SHS and Great Southern Grammar with St Joseph's team definitely shining in the medley and freestyle relays.

Congratulations to the following students who received recognition for their individual efforts at the carnival.

Hope Vrbasso 7 Girls Runner Up

Jack Heslop 7 Boys Runner Up

Connor Gorman 7 Boys 3rd

Lillian Molenda 8 Girls Runner Up

Ambrose Clayton 8 Boys Runner Up

Reef Pietropaolo 8 Boys 3rd

Lilly Fiegert 9 Girls 3rd

Storm Pietropaolo 9 Boys 3rd

Abbey O'Donnell 10 Girls 3rd

Max Vrbasso 10 Boys Runner Up

Chantelle Heslop Open Girls Runner Up

Laura MacNiven Open Girls 3rd

Lachlan Gorman Open Boys 3rd

In the divisional shields St Joseph's placed 2nd In Middle school girls, 2nd in Middle school boys, 2nd in Senior school girls and 3rd in Senior school boys.

The overall carnival result was the closest in many years with only 49 points separating 1st to 3rd place. The final results were:

Albany Senior High School 1st 1063 points

Great Southern Grammar 2nd 1023 points

St Joseph's College 3rd 1014 points

The swim team and St Joseph's swim club members will enjoy a team lunch next Thursday to celebrate a successful Term One swim season.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Year 9 and Year 7 History classes were fortunate enough to enjoy some hands-on learning about the historical period they have been studying this term. The Year 9s have been learning about World War One and were able to feel the weight of a standard issue backpack, which at capacity would have weighed over 50 kgs! They also tried on a replica jacket, puttee, helmet and gas mask to fully appreciate some of the items our soldiers wore.

The Year 7s were transported back to Ancient Rome and had a go at playing ‘knuckles’ and writing with a stylus on a wax tablet. Some students even dressed up as a roman soldier, wearing the chest plate, helmet and shield. However, the item most students found fascinating was the Roman toilet brush – oh how things have changed!

Thank you to the Museum of the Great Southern for organising the handing boxes so our students can examine some replica artefacts.

Selection trials for the Term Two Great Southern High Schools Inter-School Netball carnival will occur after school during week 10. All trials will take place in the gym from 3.30-4.30pm.

Year 7 and 8 girls Monday 6th April.

Year 11 and 12 girls Tuesday 7th April.

Year 9 and 10 girls Wednesday 8th April.

Triallists are asked to direct message Mr O'Donnell their preferred playing positions. If you are unable to attend the trials please speak to Mr O'Donnell before the trial day.

Students and parents who are interested in coaching or umpiring a team are asked to contact Mr O'Donnell to register their interest.

Last Friday, our Year Eleven and Twelve students had the opportunity to hear from Darren Reynolds of Destiny Rescue Australia. Destiny Rescue is a Christian organisation that works to abolish human slavery and trafficking around the world. Founded in 2001, the Charity has rescued over 11,000 people from all parts of the world and continues to do so today. The purpose of this incursion was to provide our students with an opportunity to learn about these issues and what they can do to help fight them.

As part of the Religion and Life course, the Year 11 and 12 students study displacement, social issues, and the fight for justice. This experience was both educational and informative, opening the students’ eyes to the world and providing them with an opportunity to learn about the interplay that occurs between religion, societies, and people.

We thank Darren for sharing his experiences with us and showing us how his faith continues to guide him as he lives out his vocation today.

Mr Luke Bogoni - Religious Education Coordinator K-12

On Wednesday the 29th of March the JS jumped on a Loves bus and headed down to ALAC to compete against Great Southern Grammar, Bethel Christian School & Parklands School in ADPSSA carnival. The day started off well with our Year 4 swimmers smashing the 50m Freestyle. As the day progressed we saw some excellent swimming from all schools and age groups. We finished the day with the highly anticipated 4 x 50m Freestyle relay. Cheered on by the Saint Joe's squad in the stands the Year 5 Boys and Year 6 Girls managed a win!

Well done to all swimmers on representing the college. We would like the recognise the special efforts of:

1. Indi (Year 4): Runner Up Champion Girl
2. Mackenzie (Year 5): Champion Boy
3. Henrik (Year 5): Runner Up Champion Boy
4. Abi (Year 6): Runner Up Champion Girl
5. Benji (Year 4): Record Breaking 3 x 25m I.M Swim

Saint Joseph's finished second in total points for the carnival, which is an impressive result!

Thanks to all parents & teachers for assisting on the day and ensuring a smooth running carnival for all schools involved.

Zak Mola - Junior School HPE

This morning the Year Ones went on a little wander around the beautiful grounds of St Joseph's College, identifying natural and man-made resources. We found trees, flowers, grass, chickens and two cheeky pink and grey galahs to draw in our natural category, and the church, gym, basketball courts and Trade Training centre to draw in our man-made category.

To finish off the students used their newly learned labelling skills to complete their drawings. We have a lot of little Scientist and Town Planners in the making!

Beast Quest, written by Adam Blade

"I like the knights. They are heroes and they capture the dragon!"

Mikayla

Flip Flop Farm, by Axel Scheffler

"It's funny! When you turn the flaps you can make different (mixed up) animals. It even makes different names for the animals you make"

Kelsey and Tanzi

Dog Man - A Tale of Two Kitties, written by Dav Pilkey

"It's really funny and I really like the illustrations. I enjoy reading graphic novels"

Claudia

Popcorn Recount

Today Mrs Naughton and Miss McCann's Year Two classes did something a bit different in their Literacy session!

We watched popcorn being made and discussed the various steps we needed to follow to end up with a big, yummy lot of freshly cooked popcorn.

After we watched the popcorn maker make batch after batch of delicious popcorn, everyone waited patiently to fill their bags before going outside to enjoy their sneaky snack! We then went back into the classroom and worked hard on recounting the steps that we watched and recorded everything in our beautiful writing!

We shared our leftover popcorn with the Kindy class!

Thank you to the P & F for lending us their popcorn maker.

Heze, Ben, Lenny & Vaughn from Year 2 love Maths! They are little dynamos with numbers and are currently learning multiplication of 2 digits by 1 digit! It is a tricky concept to master but they are giving it their best!

The boys enjoy challenging themselves when they come into Mrs Loveridge's little classroom and are always full of excited chatter as they help each other work through the answers to some pretty complex sums!

They are also learning their multiplication tables at home to help when they come to class.

Great work boys!

Please visit the link below for more information.

Upcoming Events | Denmark Arts Council

Summary: Hands-on workshops and tours for Year 11&12 students to explore the various courses offered at Murdoch

Date and Time: Tuesday - Wednesday 11^th-12^th April 9am-3pm

Venue: Murdoch University South Street campus

*Registration is essential

Spencer Park Dental Therapy Centre will be CLOSED from Friday 7^th April, re-opening Thursday 13^th April. If you have a dental emergency during our closure please contact Albany General Dental Clinic Phone: 9842 2211.

All appointments are now sent to your home address. If you have moved in the last few years we may not have your correct address and your child could miss out on their check-up. If you no longer intend to use our service please let us know as soon as possible as your valuable appointment could be given to someone in need. Your child is eligible to attend a Dental Therapy Centre from ages 5 to 17. Don’t forget to return your enrolment forms to your school by Monday 3^rd April.

Please contact us to update your details either by phone: 9841 3967 or e-mail: spencerparkdtc@ health.wa.gov.au

The staff at Spencer Park Dental Therapy Centre would like to wish all children and parents a happy and safe break J

For some it’s the technology and rewarding challenges. For others it’s the friendships, teamwork and work variety. Every submariner has their own reasons for loving the job they do and the place they do it.

If you are interested in becoming a Submariner in the Navy, this is an exciting opportunity to secure your place to tour a submarine as it docks at Albany.

Discover the rewards of working in Defence, a ship visit is a great opportunity to learn more about the trade, communications, IT & intelligence, combat or leadership roles available in the Navy.

When: 10:00 - 4:00pm, Saturday 1st April 2023

Where: Port of Albany, 85 Brunswick Rd Alban WA 6330

RSVP: You must be at least 16.5 years of age to register and be able to self-travel to Albany. Register your interest now by clicking below:

Defence Jobs Australia - Albany: Submarine Tour

Summary: Academics will be there talking to students about careers and study opportunities in Animal Health, Animal Science, Crop & Pasture Science, Biosecurity, plus pathways to transfer to Veterinary Science.

Date and Time: Wednesday 5^th April 6pm

Venue: Claremont Showgrounds

Bayswater Soccer Club registrations Sunday 2nd April 1 - 4pm.

North Road Soccer Clubroom.

If you are interested in Girls Brigade, please contact the Chaplain at waalbany@girlsbrigade.org.au

The West Coast Eagles are offering a football program for boys and girls interested in advancing their football. Please see the attached flyers for further details.

Registrations are now open for Pre-Primary to Year Six Players.

To register, visit www.playfootball.com.au

Registrations close 31 March