One sure way to make it feel like time is passing fast is to keep busy - the College has certainly done this in Term 3! Sporting competitions, drama productions, musical performances, choir preparation for Catholic Performing Arts, camps, Friendology and resilience initiatives, parent-teacher interviews, guest speakers, Sacramental programmes, quiz night, Open Night, Science week, Staff Retreat...It is no wonder our Catholic Day falls this Friday 16 August. A day for everyone to take a breath. Ruah - breathe. The Holy Spirit encourages us to be enveloped in the spirit of life.

St Joseph - Pray for us.

Amen

Another busy week for the College but very satisfying to get to Friday.

Only a week ago was the Prefect-run College Quiz Night. It was a fantastic family night and I wanted to sincerely thank the students and staff for their efforts. Special thanks to the amazing sponsors and their generous donations! The event was a reflection of how our youth can coordinate and run things given the chance and encouragement. Thank you Mr Landells and Mr Callaghan supporting them - they raised close to $2000 which will go to St Vinnies and Young House.

Open Night will be upon us in a few short sleeps. Monday 12 August 5:00-7:30pm. We look forward to opening up classrooms and showcasing student talent. The Saints Cafe and P&F Sausage Sizzle will be in full force.

Term 4 uniform changes. A friendly reminder that we are transitioning to the following: Girls navy blue socks for both Junior and Secondary school, College navy shorts for girls and new soft-shell jackets. See Mrs Anderson in the Uniform Shop if you have any questions or the Heads of School.

Keep warm and blessings to you all.

St Joseph - Pray for us.



On Wednesday the 7th of August the Kindergarten Gold children walked up to the Holy Family Church with one of the Year 12 Religion classes. We had a look around at all the statues of Jesus and the Holy Family, looked at the Baptismal Font and said a prayer for our families. Our Year 12 buddies showed us how to genuflect and answered lots of our questions. This was a wonderful time with our oldest students and our younger students connecting and sharing in God's love.

The Year Two students were very lucky this week to have a special visit from Bunnings. The store provided materials for the students to craft personalised picture frames for their dads. The kids enthusiastically painted and decorated their frames, adding their personal touches. The project not only allowed the children to create meaningful gifts but also introduced them to basic crafting skills. This hands-on experience left the students beaming with pride and excitement to surprise their dads this Father’s Day.

A very big thank you to Bunnings for donating not only their time, but all the materials for this fun learning experience.

Each year, the College community generously supports St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) in their annual Winter Appeal.

With over 61,000 Western Australians in need of vital support such as food, furniture, clothing and monetary assistance, St Joseph's College collects food items to assist those in our community as part of our catholic commitment to respect the human dignity of all.

On behalf of the College, I would like to thank you all staff, students and families for your generosity this and every winter to those doing it tough.

Mr Luke Bogoni

Religious Education Coordinator

Mrs Findlay is hoping to borrow a large number of College ties for a Junior School Choir performance at the Entertainment Centre. If you have a spare tie or two hidden in the back of your wardrobe that you are happy to lend to Mrs Findlay, put your name on it and drop it in at the front office. All ties will be returned before the end of term.

THEME: READING IS MAGIC

WHEN: Tuesday 20th August

WHERE: The Gym

TIME: 9 – 10am

An amazing amount of creativity by our students (and their parents/ grandparents) went into last year’s costumes of BOOK characters and we eagerly await even more participants this year. You may want to start thinking about the BOOK character you want to come as. Please choose a character from any BOOK.

The judges will be instructed to choose the most original costume from a BOOK and the student who gets into character in their behaviour and manner in the parade.

Happy Planning!

The Library Staff

St Joseph’s College showcased exceptional talent and sportsmanship at the Great Southern Netball Carnival in Katanning, competing against schools from across the region. The event saw enthusiastic participation from our Year 6 and Year 5 girls' teams, coached by Ms. Hines and Ms. Loveridge, respectively.

The teams departed from school at 6:30 am to ensure timely arrival for the competition, embracing the cold weather with enthusiasm and team spirit. Despite the chilly conditions, the day was filled with exciting matches and memorable moments, highlighting the dedication and hard work of our students and coaches.

Both teams demonstrated remarkable skill and determination, advancing to the grand finals. The Year 6 team played a thrilling match but narrowly missed victory, with a close score of 12-10. Meanwhile, the Year 5 team clinched a dramatic win, triumphing 7-6, thanks to a last-second goal by Nea G.

Congratulations to our players and coaches for their impressive achievements and for representing our school with pride.

Zak Mola - HPE

Saint Mary Mackillop

Feast Day: August 8

Patron Saint of: Australia

Life:

Born in Fitzroy in 1842, Mary grew up looking after those around her. During her late teens she took a job in Penola, South Australia teaching young children and caring for the poor. In 1866 she was invited by Fr Julian Tenison-Woods to open a Catholic school and after doing so, felt called to religious life. Mary founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and by 1967, she had started 21 schools run by over 70 sisters. After a clash with the Bishop, she was excommunicated before being welcomed back a year later and spent her days providing education and care to those in need. She died in 1909, aged 67 and was canonised a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 - Australia's first and currently only Saint.

Prayer:

Mary, your dream in life was to live your love for God in a very real way by serving others. Help us to bring God's love alive in our daily lives through your inspiration. 

Saint Mary Mackillop, pray for us.

Congratulations to Mrs Sam Trichilo and we wish her well in her role on the College Executive. She will continue as Head of HaSS until further notice.

St Joseph's College welcomes author Josh Langley to present to the Junior School students and parents next week.

Students in Year 1-6 will join in student talks during the day.

Parents are warmly invited to the parent session '9 Skills that change a child's life for the better.'

1. Monday August 5th
2. 6.00pm
3. Junior School Undercover Area

St Joseph's College is proud to be a multidiverse community with staff, students and families whom come from different countries, speak different languages and practise different religions.

The data above was collated by the College to celebrate the recent Multicultural Day and shows off the richness that we have here in our community which we hope continues to grow in the years to come.

Twenty four students from St Joseph's successfully auditioned for a place at the About FACE Kids Choir Camp which was held in the second week of the holidays. Students from Years Four - Eight, learnt seven songs in four days and still had time to take on ZONK challenges and play archery tag in the afternoons. The camp concluded with a concert for the general public. Many new friendships were forged with children from as far away as Lake Grace and Perth. Rachel, Angel and Nigiel gave up a week of their holidays to help mentor the About FACE Kids.They were outstanding role models and a great asset to the leadership team. Mr Findlay was a vocal coach and Mrs Findlay was the camp's choral director.

Buy your tickets now for our College Production Sixteen in 10 minutes or less. The show will be on August 10 with 2pm matinee show and 6:30pm evening show. Tickets are only $10 for students/concession, $15 for adults and $40 for Family (2 adults and 2 children). Let's support our Drama club members from Years 7 to 12 and our Cert 2 and 3 Music Industry students. Invite your family and friends too and enjoy the different funny stories of our 16 years old characters! What are you waiting for? Click the link or use the QR code now! https://www.stickytickets.com.au/es4a7/sixteen_in_ten_minutes_or_less_a_st_josephs_college_production.aspx

Ulster Road wastewater pipeline replacement (watercorporation.com.au)

Vinnies WA has launched its annual Winter Appeal for 2024!

The theme of this year's Winter Appeal shines a spotlight on the spiralling cost of living which is forcing 1,600 australians onto the streets every single month.

Each year Vinnies assists more than 61,000 Western Australians by providing vital support such as food, furniture, clothing and assistance with bills and rent and delivers a range of specialised services and programs in the areas of homelessness, housing, mental health, youth services, and financial counselling.

As part of our Catholic commitment to respect the human dignity of all, St Joseph's College works to assist those less fortunate in our community through our annual winter food drive. Collection boxes will be in each classroom and homeroom for any non-perishable food items that you wish to donate. This year we will also be collecting blankets and warm clothing (jumpers, trackies, beanies, scarves) that are clean and in new or good condition - these can be dropped in at either Library.

On behalf of the College, I would like to thank you all for your generosity and commitment each and every year to those doing it tough in our community.

Mr Luke Bogoni

Religious Education Coordinator

In preparation for the Year 7-12 Inter-House athletics carnival scheduled on Monday 19 August there will be several pre-carnival events held at lunchtimes. These events are voluntary for students wishing to enter.

In the event of rain the events may be rescheduled. Students may change into their PE uniform at recess in preparation for the events.

Wednesday 31 July Year 7-12 800m

Thursday 1 and Friday 2 August - Year 11 and 12 Discus and Triple Jump

Monday 5 August Year 7-12 1500m

St Joseph's College Junior School celebrated our Day of Friendship on Tuesday with a friendship pop quiz to start the day, URStrong workshops throughout the day, and a variety of lunch time friendship themed activities. The Undercover Area was abuzz with conversation, joy, and positivity, as students enjoyed snacking on some green 'positivity pancakes' lovingly made by our Yr 6 leaders, whilst beading, playing board games and drawing with their friends. Students were also invited to wear a splash of green with their uniform. Green represents healthy friendships on our friend-o-meter! Thank you to all for your participation on the day, the big smiles in these photos say it all!

Junior School students are invited to wear a splash of green with their uniform on Tuesday 6th August as we celebrate a Day of Friendship. Think socks, hair ribbon, scarf, tie, or the like, please no face paint or hairspray. Green represents 'healthy' friendships on our friend-o-meter! Students will partake in URSTRONG workshops and friendship themed activities throughout the day as we focus on wellbeing through the lens of friendship.

"Research shows that relationships are the heart of wellbeing & learning. When we get friendships right in schools, children flourish!"

To help your students to prepare for their exams, we have a number of programs available that are relevant to your students, including one-day ATAR Exam Boost Workshops for Years 11 & 12 and ATAR and Year 7 - 10 Holiday Revision Programs.

Seasons for Growth is a grief, loss and change education program for young people. It is the core offering of the federally funded Seasons for Life initiative available to all secondary schools across Australia.

It's free and runs through August. It's fine if students do not attend every session.

We are very excited to have Mike Dyson visit Albany as he tours WA in August with two free parent workshops on Growing Good Blokes.

Here are two short videos from Mike’s Instagram, discussing the upcoming tour:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C91VA53vunp/?igsh=MTM1ZWRoazBvb3ZnNw==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9_ZF6WvOon/?igsh=dnloNHdtcXhuMjhw

Mike is more active on Insta than FB but has done a few posts for us on his FB page @goodblokesco.

Many children will have a positive experience starting school or moving from primary to high school and despite some initial nervousness, most will settle in very quickly. However, we know some parents/carers may be very concerned about the upcoming changes e.g. buying uniforms, books or devices and that's where we can help.

What is Saver Plus: Saver Plus is a free online money skills program for people on lower incomes and matched savings program. It’s about strengthening financial skills, to build and develop (and keep) good savings habits.

Saver Plus encourages parents to save $50 a month (for 10 months). Savings are then matched - a free $500 for education costs.

Now accessible to any eligible Australian – no matter where they live.

It's Dental Health Week next week from 5th to 11th August.

Albany PCYC Out of School Hours Care are seeking casual staff for School holidays. We are pretty flexible with hours to suit your needs, shifts available are fully days, half days and lunch covers.

Please email Talissa.meehan@wapcyc.com.au with your resume.

VacSwim offers fun swimming lessons over the October and summer school holidays. It aims to give children across Western Australia the skills to stay safe and confident in the water.

As we head towards summer, a lot of families are starting to get back into the water or planning holidays by the beach, rivers, or swimming pools. It is important we help them support their child to stay safe and confident in the water.

VacSwim provides children aged five to 17 years with the opportunity to develop and progress their swimming and water safety skills during the October and summer school holidays. We offer programs for beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmers at over 175 locations across Western Australia.

The easiest way to enrol is online.

Brand new Royals Basketball Club!

Summary of Meeting Held 16th July 2024.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) Open Day is nearly here! It’s the perfect opportunity for your students to find out more about the unique academic opportunities and life at ADFA. This year you can attend in person at the ADFA campus in Canberra, or if you can’t make it in person, you can experience all the action online.

Online: Register at adfcareers.gov.au/events

Free parenting workshops offered in Albany starting in August. One for Dads of children 3-10years and Circle of Security for families with children 0-6 years.

Our upcoming science week event on August 16 and 17 Matt the Feral Cat - a play about what shouldn't be for dinner. With the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre we will be running two puppet making workshops and a performance and song, which will be filmed for a video clip, and we would love to have the whole community involved!

Are you currently studying for exams?

Join us at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre every Tuesday in August 2024 for FREE Yogalates and Meditation sessions. These are aimed to assist you in reducing your stress and fatigue around exam time, while helping you increase your strength and flexibility.

Register for as many sessions as you like as each one will build on the previous!

Bring a water bottle and towel, mats will be provided. Open to ages 15 – 25 years.

Register here https://albany-events.bookable.net.au/#!/event-detail/ev_ab5566e184fc4399b65e7479a1978261

For more information contact Community Development on 6820 3000 or commdevel@albany.wa.gov.au

This is a City of Albany run event proudly supported by Rio Tinto.