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.

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.

A group of enthusiastic young students from Years Five and Six made waves last week, taking home the Innovation Award at the First Lego League competition held in Mount Barker. Competing against 18 other schools, including high schools from around the district, the team achieved top points for their STEM Innovation Project on artificial reefs.

The students dedicated weeks to researching reef designs and exploring ways to reduce coastal erosion. Their project focused on the development of artificial reefs capable of slowing waves before they reach the shoreline, aiming to preserve coastlines and, in the future, create safe snorkelling areas for other young adventurers. Each team member designed a reef model, and after extensive testing, Coop’s design was selected as the most effective in reducing wave impact.

The team’s success was greatly supported by the guidance of Mrs Michelle Hassell, who worked with the students weekly to help develop their ideas and refine their designs. Michelle also coordinated with the University of Western Australia (UWA) to borrow a wave tank, which allowed the students to test their designs in real-time conditions.

We are both incredibly proud of what the kids achieved. They showed remarkable dedication, creativity, and teamwork throughout the project, and their hard work really paid off.

The students’ project demonstrates the positive impact young people can have on solving real-world environmental challenges. They also did excellently in the Robotics challenge coming 6^th overall.

Congratulations for your outstanding achievement and for paving the way for future STEM innovators in the region.

Mrs Cav

Stage 6 of the Ulster Road Wastewater Pipeline Replacement will begin on Friday, 11 October and will involve the northbound closure of Ulster Road between North Road and Bardley Road.

On Monday 11 November, Remembrance Day was acknowledged in Junior School classrooms with some classes creating beautiful poppy art. Lest we forget.

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

We’re visiting Albany this month to connect with the community, to build on the knowledge of support services, discuss how to access services, and learn how to begin and manage some challenging conversations - all in support of suicide prevention and improving positive well-being.

With booklists going out soon and parents planning back to school costs, this is a great time to remind parents about Saver Plus and the $500 they can receive to help with their child’s education costs. The money families receive from the program, and the budgeting skills they gain, help kids to be prepared for school with all the right gear.

If families would like to check their eligibility and receive a call back, please enquire here - Saver Plus - Enquire Now or call our national number 1300 610 355 and a local coordinator will contact them directly.

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.

The Australian Air Force Cadets in Albany are now recruiting for February 2025.

A few quick facts:

1. Cadets between the year they turn 13 and up to 16. Your local Squadron is 705 (City of Albany) SQN which is located at corner of Spencer and Serpentine Roads.
2. We parade on a Wednesday evening from 5.30pm to 9.15 pm during the school term.
3. As well as undertaking a range of leadership training courses, cadets can undertake learning about aerospace, drone flying, adventure training, flying, camping, parades, firearms training, drum corps, promotional activities, visits and overnighting at military bases.
4. Cadets can earn up to 10 WACE accreditation points through being a part of our organisation.
5. The cost is minimal, and uniforms are supplied.

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

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

Tara Academy of Irish Dance in Albany is performing Alice in Wonderland at the Albany Town Hall on November 16 & 17, this project has been in the works since November last year and the kids would like to show Albany our Irish version of Lewis Carols favourite tale.

Southern Edge Arts will be presenting our latest Aerial and Dance work: Traps and Ladders, A climate story of life, loss and restoration.

This will be held at Emu Point on Saturday 16th November at 6:30pm to 9pm, and is a free family friendly event.

We have our annual spring fair coming up on 16th November (Saturday) 10am – 1pm.