The College is seeking suitable applicants for a Science Lab Technician. Details of this part-time position is available on the Catholic Education WA and College website.

Year 9 Camp was filled with memories that we will never forget. We were separated into four group, each with their own name of picturesque areas in Albany; West Cape Howe, Two Peoples Bay, Torndirrup, and Gull Rock. Each group participated in four activities over the three days; canoeing, photography, surfing, and team building and leadership. On our last day we spent it in the sun, playing volleyball and going down to the beach for a swim, building sandcastles, while some people did a bit more hands-on fun like burying each other in the sand, or digging holes till they struck water.

Each activity had its own sense of fun and adventure. On the first day of canoeing, Torndirrup had the pleasure of going to Torbay Inlet. We were able to canoe in very nice weather with the current being our only challenge apart from the sand banks. We managed to avoid capsizing, but karma soon came after Gary, Luke and Zach as they tried to splash Mrs Trichilo and Miss Wallace during our canoe race. Instead of getting the teachers drenched, they had the pleasure of tasting the water themselves! Regardless, we all had lots of fun and made our way back down the inlet, lugged the canoes back onto the trailer, and after a masterclass in reversing a bus full of kids and trailer full of canoes, Mr Mola got us back to camp safely.

On Day Two, each group had three rotations through the remaining activities. In the Team Building/Leadership activity, we focused on what teamwork actually is and how we are able to work in a team.  We were separated into groups with people we generally won’t talk to or work with, we then continued to go through various activities testing our team work, such as the spaghetti and marshmallow towers, locked together in rope, newspaper fashion show, egg drop with special modifications and beer pong minus the beer. These activities were lots of fun and really showed everyone how to work as a team and communicate with each other. Mr Bogoni and Mrs Coutts did a wonderful job helping everyone to see that there really is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.

The next rotation was surfing. We had the honour of going to Mutton Bird Beach for this activity, which was one of the most anticipated events on camp. Many of us spent our time trying to stand up on our boards, while some could do it with ease. The waves started to kick in and we got some really good waves. Everyone got involved and gave it a go, it was great to see that no one sat out and everyone was in the water trying to catch a wave. A big thank you to our own College surfing guru, Mr Lemmes, and Miss Wallace, Mr Ruck, and Year 11 student Romy, who also came along to help out and make sure we were able to catch a wave and either get really close to standing up, or achieving it and riding the wave like a pro.

Finally we had Photography, and although it might not sound like quite as much fun as surfing or canoeing, it really was a good chance to slow down, chill out with our group members and enjoy a slower pace. During the photography walk along Perkins Beach, we were encouraged to take lots of photos and try out ideas and ‘zoom in’ to nature and enjoy the fine details that we take for granted and walk past every day.  Now after all the lectures about the risk of snake bite from Mr Probert, the only person that got injured was him, with an angry bull ant finding itself stuck in his sock, the poor thing (I’m talking about the bull ant, of course.)

After our walk we all made it back to camp and got ready for some wonderful dinner made by Mrs Leusciatti, who we all appreciated so much for all the wonderful food she prepared. After dinner we all enjoyed a night of fun with Mr Bogoni’s famous quiz night. We were all set on a sugar high from all the chocolate that was up for grabs, but in the end had lots of fun even with the full on day of activities, camp was truly a pleasure and without a doubt everyone enjoyed it.

The weather was perfect for our final day of camp, which was spent between activities on the beach, and the grass volleyball court. Then it was time to pack the buses and head back to school. Overall, it was a wonderful camp, with many memories from the time spent getting outdoors and off screens and chilling out together! Special thanks to all the staff who either organised or attended camp.

Chiara Simon

Congratulations to Emilie in Year 11, winner of the 2023 Lorraine Harrison Youth Sculpture Prize. Emilie was blown away when her name was announced at the opening of the Viewpoint Elements exhibition on Friday: "I actually won first place in the youth category, which was kind of crazy." But her sophisticated concept and impeccable technical skills were clear for all in attendance. You can catch Emilie's amazing sculpture at the Eclipse Gallery in the Albany Museum until December 15.

Congratulations to our Year 7-10 Athletics team who competed at the Inter-Schools Carnival on Tuesday. Special mention to Year 8 student Ella who broke the longest standing inter-school record for Year 8 100m which had been held since 1998!

https://www.raffletix.com.au?ref=bke46

Got to be in it to win it!

Click on the above link to purchase tickets in the P & F's last raffle of the year! Some great prizes to win, just in time for Christmas - including $1000 as first prize!

Only $5 per ticket.

Thanks for your support throughout the year!

Merry Christmas x

Last Thursday, the Junior School and Secondary School Choirs entertained staff and clients at the Albany Community Care Centre. The afternoon was a resounding success and several of the audience were moved to tears by the beauty of the singing. The Junior School began by singing five songs; Dream, Christmastime Again, The Prayer, Holiday Jazz and May a Rainbow Run Beside You. The Secondary Choir, including five Year Sixes who joined the choir this term, took the performance to even greater heights when they sang Connected, Count on Me, Fly Away Home, and Carry the Light. The performance of the afternoon was undoubtedly the Secondary School Choir’s hilarious rendition of Deck the Halls which included some serious ballet moves by Natale and Boe.

We thank Mrs Palfrey and Mrs Keenan for helping on the day, and we sincerely thank Mr Watson for accompanying the choirs so beautifully at all our rehearsals and performances.

Parents are invited to come and listen to both choirs at the Whole College Assembly on Thursday 7 December at 9.00am.

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. St Joseph's College works to assist those less fortunate in our community through our annual Christmas appeal. 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 St Joseph's 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 WAATI Student Exchange Program is an 8-9 week cultural and academic full immersion program, run in partnership with AFS Intercultura (Italy). It is one of WAATI’s most successful programs which offers students the opportunity of a lifetime and opens a world of possibilities to all involved. The program began in 1981 and has grown massively over the last 35 years. Last November 44 students stayed in various parts of Italy for two months and we are currently hosting 68 Italian students until late August 2016.

The first stage of the program is hosting. In late June students arrive from Italy for a 2 month stay. The students are hosted by an Australian family throughout the metropolitan area as well as country towns like Bunbury, Busselton, Australind and Esperance. At times students have even been hosted as far away as Canberra. They attend school and are totally immersed in Australian family life. It is an opportunity for them to improve their English and really experience what life is like as an ‘Aussie kid’!

Stage two is sending and this offers students here the opportunity to spend two months in Italy. Students leave in late November and return in January. They attend school and many experience a white Christmas for the first time. For students studying Italian it is opportunity to immerse themselves. For those that go simply for the cultural experience, it is the opportunity to experience the Italian way of life and explore the culture.

I am looking for expressions of interest in hosting a student in 2024 with the intent of sending St Joseph's students at the end of 2024.

Students need to be 15 years or older at the time of sending and there are costs involved.

If you are interested in hosting in 2024, please send me an email by Thursday 7th December.

hiedi.rowe@cewa.edu.au

Dear Junior School Parents and Guardians,

The Junior School Presentation Night and Christmas Carols Concert will be held on Wednesday 6 December at 5.00pm in the College Gymnasium. All students in Kindy to Year Six are required to attend. Families are invited to join us to recognise the efforts of students in the Junior School and to celebrate the end of a wonderful year. Please read the following information carefully.

CLOTHING

1. All students in Kindy-Year 6 are asked to dress in something Christmas themed. This can be as simple as a Christmas shirt or a red/white/green coloured shirt. Students are not permitted to wear a hat/headband, however, hair clips and scrunchies are fine. This is so that all students can be seen on the stage.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP

1. All students are required to be dropped off at their classroom between 4.30pm and 4.45pm.
2. Students in Pre-Primary to Year Six will sit with their class for the duration of the concert and can be collected from their classroom after the conclusion of the concert. 
3. Kindy students will return to their parents/guardians after their item and must be collected from the carpark side of the gym directly after their item.  

Please contact your child’s class teacher if you have any questions. We look forward to a wonderful evening and appreciate your cooperation with the above matters.

Kind regards,

Michelle Lister & Jim Morcom

Heads of Junior School

The Saver Plus team wishes you a safe and happy holiday season.

Keep an eye out for our 2024 Back to School Promotion, coming soon.

The Hall is excited to have Thea presenting a special FREE educational session for families, about how to help children stay safe around the dogs they know. This is especially pertinent as we approach the busy Christmas season, with families visiting each other and sharing the season with furry friends!

Please note: this is a people only session.

https://www.facebook.com/dogsatheartalbany

Spencer Park Dental Therapy Centre will be closed from Thursday 21^st December until Monday 29th January 2024. If your child requires emergency dental treatment during our closure, please contact Albany General Dental Clinic on 9842 2211 from 8:15am to 4:30pm. For emergencies outside of these hours, please contact your own private dentist or Albany Regional Hospital on 9892 2222.

Your child will be eligible to attend a Dental Therapy Centre from ages 5 to 17. If you no longer wish to use our service, please let us know as soon as possible as your valuable appointment could be taken up by someone else.

All appointments are now sent to your home address when your child is eligible for an exam appointment, if you have moved house in the last few years, we may not have your correct address and your child could miss out on their check-up. Please contact us to update your details either by phone: 9841 3967 or e-mail: spencerparkdtc@dental.health.wa.gov.au

The Dental Therapy Staff wish you a Merry Christmas and a Safe Happy New Year!

Bluff Knoll hike on Dec 17 with an art session

https://events.humanitix.com/ogs-family-hike-bluff-knoll

3 Day Expedition Hike in Denmark

https://events.humanitix.com/expedition-3-day-hike-jan-15-17-2024

We are inviting everyone to join us and celebrate the Simbang Gabi (Evening Masses) which is a Filipino Christmas tradition. It is a series of nine masses on the days leading up to Christmas with this year's theme "Keeping the Spirit of Pinoy Bayanihan through sharing the Joy of Faith".

We are accepting new enrolments for 2024 for our Out of School Hours Care program.

Academic Task Force - January Head Start Program

ATAR January Head Start Program - ­Enrolments Open - Increase your understanding and boost your confidence for Year 11 and 12. 6 hour subject courses where you will gain an overview of the syllabus, receive expert teaching from ATAR subject-specialist teachers and preview important concepts.

Year 7- 10 January Head Start Program - ­Enrolments Open - Get a flying start to the new school year with engaging courses in NAPLAN Preparation, Maths, English, GATE Preparation, Learning Skills and Essay Writing.

Enrol online: www.academicgroup.com.au | Phone: 08 9314 9500.

Email: learn@academicgroup.com.au

The University of Newcastle is conducting research to develop a well-being program to improve teenage girls' physical and mental health, as well as support fathers to nurture their bond with their daughters.

We are hopeful this program will achieve similar success to our multi-award winning Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered program which targets primary school aged girls and their fathers for improved wellbeing, sports skills and physical activity.

We have developed a short survey for high school aged girls to complete and another one for father/father figures of high school aged girls. The surveys ask questions about well-being, sport, physical activity and family relationships and have been approved by the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee.

Dads of high-school aged girls.

Have your say in developing a program that aims to enhance the father-daughter connection & wellbeing of your teenage daughter.

Complete a 10-minute online survey - https://redcap.link/DDteens_fathers_survey

Chance to win one of 6 x $50 gift vouchers!

Parents of high school aged girls, we need you!

Register your daughter to complete a survey to help us develop a program to support teenage girls’ wellbeing, physical and mental health https://redcap.link/DDteens_teens_survey

Your daughter will go in the draw to win one of 6 x $50 gift vouchers!

GAP YEAR STUDENT OPPORTUNITY

A position is available within the Department of Communities - Housing for a school leaver to be based in Albany, work business hours and earn a great wage!

The role is as a Customer Service Officer, Level 2, with a starting wage of $70, 432 per annum and includes four weeks of annual leave, five additional leave days and 15 days of personal leave, plus a range of other great benefits.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be trained on the job, build your skills, and be part of something bigger.

You don’t need to be pursuing a future career in the housing industry to be suitable for this role.

We have had school leavers complete a gap year of work, then progress to further university or other study, with the option to transfer to an office in the same Department in a different region. We have flexible work options in multiple locations and the opportunity to try different roles.

For further information or to apply, please contact Meg Slattery at meg.slattery@communities.wa.gov.au or 6414 2183 or visit the link below.

https://search.jobs.wa.gov.au/page.php?pageID=160&windowUID=0&AdvertID=315939

Off the Beach Sail Training Program. Sailing provides such a rich and interesting experience for those children and teens who take it up.