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

Last week, St Joseph’s proudly presented its production of "Sixteen in Ten Minutes or Less", a hilarious and heartwarming play that showcased the incredible talents of our students. Over the course of four busy days, our actors, musicians, and crew worked tirelessly to bring this entertaining show to life, and the result was truly unforgettable. It was great to see students from years 7-12 step up into the roles of sound technicians, stagehands, makeup artist, photographer, prop makers and prompters. To say it was a busy few days would be an understatement, but it was all worth it to see the outstanding performances delivered by the cast and crew.

Their energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to their craft were evident in every scene, and their hard work paid off in a big way. From comedic timing to heartfelt dramatic moments, our students proved themselves to be talented and capable performers.

Behind the scenes, our Cert Music students, led by Mr. Dougherty, provided an amazing soundtrack that perfectly complemented the action on stage. Their music added depth and emotion to the production, and their skills were on full display throughout the show.

The production would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our staff and students, Mr. Habal's direction brought the play to life. In the capable hands of local stage queen Ms Rowe everything backstage ran smooth, big thank you to our hidden heroes Ms Miller and our parent helper! Thanks also to Mrs Goodlad and the art students for prop design and construction.

A special thank you goes out to Ms. Trichilo and "Expresso One", who kept the cast fueled with delicious sandwiches on show day and to Mr Probert for the amazing photos that he had taken during the evening show.

It was great to see the community come together to support our student talent, and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces in the audience!

Congratulations to everyone involved in "Sixteen in Ten Minutes or Less" on a fantastic production!

Cass Swarbrick

Arts and Culture Prefect 2024

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 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.

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

Year Two Gold were very lucky this week to have a visit from three tiny chicks. Alakai brought the chicks in from home which his family had receive from his Nanny and Pop. The chicks captivated the children as they each got to hold the chickens and ask interesting questions about them. Special thanks to Alakai and his mum for bringing the chicks to school for us all to enjoy!

This morning the Year Six leaders treated the Year One students to some fun in the sun with the parachute, as a part of morning fitness.

We were thrilled to welcome Josh Langley, the celebrated Australian children’s author, to our school last Monday!

Throughout the day he gave talks to Year One through to Year Six.

During his visit, Josh shared insights into his creative process and inspired students with his messages of resilience, showing kindness, building empathy, and the power of imagination. His presentation was filled with humor and enthusiasm, making it an unforgettable experience for everyone. Students were delighted to hear about how his stories came to life and had the chance to participate in activities that sparked their own creativity.

In the evening, Josh returned to give a talk on the importance of teaching social and emotional skills and the positive impact it has on our children. This session was for parents/guardians and was hosted by the P&F. Josh’s visit was also a wonderful reminder to us all of the importance of imagination and self-expression. His passion for writing and his ability to connect with young readers left a lasting impression on our school community.

A big thank you to Josh Langley for inspiring our students and sharing his love of storytelling.

We are very grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of the author visit. A special thanks goes out to the dedicated members of the P&F. We also want to extend our appreciation to Albany Waves for providing excellent accommodation for our visiting author, ensuring his stay was both comfortable and enjoyable.

https://albanywaves.com.au/

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!

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.

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

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.