Happy Feast Day Saint Joe's. I hope you will have a holy and fun day as we celebrate today the special day of our Patron and Protector Saint Joseph. But before we indulge ourselves into the celebration, allow me to share something about the virtues of our dear father, Saint Joseph.

Here are the five (5) things to know about Saint Joseph.

1. SAINT JOSEPH IS ALWAYS OBEDIENT TO THE WILL OF GOD

Saint Joseph's willingness to obey God's commands, even when they were difficult to understand exemplifies the importance of faith and obedience. He accepted the Divine Plan for his family with "obedient docility," demonstrating that true fatherhood involves readiness to follow God's will, even in challenging circumstances.

1. SAINT JOSEPH AS PROTECTOR OFTHE HOLY FAMILY

Joseph's protective nature serves as model for fathers to safeguard their families spiritually and physically. His actions, such as fleeing to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod, illustrate the lengths to which a father must go to ensure the safety and well-being of his family.

1. SAINT JOSEPH IS HARDWORKING AND DILIGENT

Joseph's profession as a carpenter illustrates the value of hard work and dedication. His craftmanship reflects the dignity of labor and the importance of providing for one's family through honest work. Fathers can draw inspiration from Joseph's example of diligence and commitment to his vocation.

1. SAINT JOSEPH IS A JUST MAN AND RIGHTEOUS FATHER

Saint Joseph is described in the Gospel as a "just man." This designation underscores his moral integrity and righteousness, essential qualities for any father. His commitment to justice and virtue sets a standard for fathers to emulate in their own lives, fostering an environment of love and respect within the family.

1. SAINT JOSEPH AS MODEL OF CHASTE LOVE

Saint Joseph's chaste love for Mary demonstrates the importance of respect and fidelity in relationships. His commitment to Mary and his role as husband reflects the ideal of marital love, setting an example for father to honor and cherish their spouses, thereby fostering a loving family environment.

I pray that these simple virtues of Saint Joseph help us to persevere in our vocation as students, teachers, and parents as we all strive to live in holiness.

On Wednesday 19 March (Feast of St Joseph), the College had the honour of being in attendance for the Ordination and Installation of the new Bishop of Bunbury, George Kolodziej SDS.

It was a joyous occasion at St Patrick's Cathedral with over 850 people in attendance including our College representatives, Mrs Samantha Trichilo, Mr Luke Bogoni and Head Prefects, Hoa and Bethany.

Bishop George was emotional as he quoted St Paul, telling the congregation to "Rejoice in the Lord always," words he has also chosen for his motto as bishop. Whilst the new bishop said that he felt unworthy to be a successor of the Apostles, he asked for prayers and said that he would do his very best to lead the people of Bunbury with humility, compassion but most of all, with love.

We congratulate Bishop George and look forward to seeing him in Albany over the coming years!

Good morning everyone,

The last seven days have produced some unique challenges at St Joseph's, however, we are slowly, but surely getting back to normal in the Junior School, whilst many other events have taken place around us.

1. Flooding update I would like to thank all Junior School Parents for their support and flexibility last Friday and Monday, which allowed us to recover from the flooding and resume classes on Tuesday. Carpet has now been removed from most of the impacted rooms and preparations are underway for it's replacement. The timeline for the replacement of carpet will depend on availability of stock and tradesmen. We are not the only place in town impacted, so it may take some time. Importantly, the removal of carpet has removed the smell and dampness from the rooms. There are air purifiers working continually in all impacted areas. Work continues on repairs to the college grounds. Thank you to the staff( Particularly the grounds staff) who have come together to complete what was required to allow students back on site. Thank you to Tom Abbey for the swift repair of the track near the bush area.
2. Illegal Parking Martin Road Martin road continues to be busy at drop off and pick up times. Parents parking on the verges at these times has hampered visibility and there has been one crash and several near misses. The City of Albany has been notified, and Rangers will be patrolling the area. please be considerate of others when parking your car around the college.
3. Bishops Georges Ordination, Bishop George Kolodziej was ordained and installed as the new Bishop of Bunbury yesterday. Hoa, Bethany Mrs Trichilo and Mr Bogoni represented the College at the ceremony and the students were involved in the service. We look forward to welcoming Bishop George to St Joseph's this year and wish him well in his new role.
4. St Joseph's Day Our annual feast day is this Friday 21 March. Mass in the Gym begins at 10.50am (all welcome) Fair starts at 1pm. Parents are welcome to attend. Students from other schools are not to attend.
5. Parking Friday- Funeral There is a funeral at 1pm Friday at Holy Family Church. Staff and students have been asked to park elsewhere. Parents attending the fair, please do not use the church carpark

Have a great St Joseph's Day and a restful weekend.

St Joseph, Pray for us.

Jim Morcom

Acting Principal

Good afternoon parents.

Thank you for you understanding and support of the school over the last few days. This has allowed us to have the school ready for classes to resume on Tuesday. Please take note of the following information.

1. Carpets, the carpets have been dried in all impacted rooms, some are still slightly damp but they are all airing well. We are hoping to replace the majority of carpets in the Junior School as soon as we ca, but there is a backlog already and this will take time. The carpets are clued down, so can't be removed easily. They will be professionally cleaned again in the coming weeks. Rooms may have a slight musty smell but this is reducing with increased ventilation. We are doing everything we possibly can do here.
2. Cunningham Classes The CCLA (centre area) is closed for the time being. Students can enter classes via the outside doors. We would appreciate minimal parent traffic in classes over the next week until full access to the area resumes.
3. Year 4  year 4B go to the Art room tomorrow for the start of the day. Year 4 Gold, the music room.
4. JS Library  Will be out of action this week. You can return books to your classroom teacher, but no borrowing. All books have been removed from the library
5. Year 5 & 6 has had minimal damage.
6. ELC classrooms have had minimal damage.
7. The rooms will continue to be extremely well ventilated for the rest of the term.
8. The Year 4 Assembly will be on Friday March 28 at 8.50am

Thank you for your understanding, see you tomorrow.

Regards

Jim Morcom

Acting Principal

St Joseph’s Day is a special day for our College where we come together to celebrate the feast of St Joseph, our patron Saint. 

With St Joseph's Day to be celebrated this Friday March 21 please be aware of the following information that will help you enjoy your day.  

Mass: Begins at 10.50am, everyone is welcome.  

Fair Information

Fair: Begins at 1.00pm, finishes at 2.45pm, families welcome.  

Waterslide: Students wishing to use the waterslide must change into bathers after mass and change back into uniform before leaving school. 

Money: Most stalls at the fair cost between 50c to $2, some food items may cost up to $5. We encourage students to bring coins as notes are hard to give change for if everyone has them. All money raised is donated to Caritas. 

Other Information

Uniform: Students are to wear their house shirt along with either College shorts or track suit pants, white socks and sports shoes, and the College hat.  

Food: All students are to bring their lunch. There is limited food at the fair. 

Canteen: Only serving food at recess. No Lunch orders.  

Leaving Early: Junior school students leaving early must be signed out by a parent with their classroom teacher. Senior School students must sign out at the office.

Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school, students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time.

Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students are now able to focus on education and improved hygiene.

This transformative story that you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6CLo1sq_0s is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world.

Saint Joseph

Feast Day: March 19

Patron Saint of: Families

Life:

Joseph was the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. He was a good and patient man who always put himself before others. A carpenter by trade, Joseph was a man of action, someone who had complete trust in the Lord but above all, loved God and his family - a wonderful patron of our school and an example to us all of how an ordinary man can have an extra-ordinary love for others.

Prayer:

Saint Joseph, watch over me and care for me just as you cared for the child Jesus; and by your help, may I come to know your Son, and so grow in strength and wisdom and the favour of God. Amen. St Joseph, pray for us.

Lord, on the feast day of your humble servant, St Joseph, we pray for Bishop-elect George as he prepares for his ordination as the 5th Bishop of Bunbury, a new successor to the Apostles that you installed two thousand years ago.

May you bless and guide him with wisdom, strength, and compassion, and may he be a shepherd after God's own heart, serving the people of Bunbury with love and grace. Amen.

St Joseph, pray for us!

These stunning Year 8 pastel landscape paintings have been inspired by the landscapes to which students feel a strong connection; the places that they would deeply miss if they were taken from them. They have been influenced by the works of the children from the Carrolup Aboriginal Settlement.

Carrolup’s children, living in the misery of a 1940s government mission, were inspired by the medium of pastels to create beautiful landscape drawings of the country and culture from which they were stolen. Their artworks gained international acclaim, challenged the government’s racist policies, and inspired four generations of Noongar artists.

Student artworks are currently being exhibited in the St Joe’s Wind Tunnel Gallery in the undercroft of the DeVialar Building. Come and see for yourself just how talented our students are.

Please pray for Bishop-Elect George Kolodziej SDS as he prepares for his Episcopal Ordination and Installation as the fifth Bishop of Bunbury. This is a significant event for the Diocese as we prepare to welcome a new Bishop of Bunbury.

The Episcopal Ordination Mass will be livestreamed on the Bunbury Dioceses’ YouTube channel from 9.30 am this Wednesday, 19 March 2025. You can also download a copy of the Mass booklet on the Diocesan Website.

Please join with other parishioners in watching the celebrations at the College in the Ave Maria Chapel. Alternatively, you can watch the Episcopal Ordination on your own device from the comfort of your own home or workplace.

Let us pray for Bishop George whom will be visiting Albany in the coming months.

Mr Luke Bogoni

Religious Education Coordinator

UNIFORM SHOP

Please note that the uniform shop will be closed

WEDNESDAY 19 March.

QuickCliq orders placed after 9am Tuesday 18 March will be

available after 10am the following Tuesday (25 March)

Preparation for the receiving of the Sacraments of Eucharist, Confirmation and Reconciliation will begin shortly. The first event is an enrolment Mass which will be held in Holy Family Church on Thursday the 27th March. Mass will commence at 6.00pm and is expected to finish before 7.30pm. On the night parents of students making a Sacrament will receive a workbook that is to be worked through as a family, then returned to the College, and a small enrolment brochure with responses that will be needed at Sacramental Commitment Masses.

Sacramental Initiation forms have been sent out to Catholic families from Years 3, 4 and 7 (sacramental years), however, if you wish your child to be Baptised and take part in the upcoming program, this can be arranged. Also, if you missed on getting a Direct Message with the form, please contact myself and I will send one to you.

Any queries please contact me, Chris Palfrey at chris.palfrey@cewa.edu.au

Chris Palfrey

Sacramental and Liturgy Co-ordinator

Do you have a Passion for Creation? ... then the 2025 art competition is for you!

Any artwork created in your free time will be eligible

Separate prizes awarded for Junior School, Middle School & Senior School

YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT

Entries close May 30th – Week 5 Term 2

Winning entries published on Wisdom & the St Joes’ Facebook page

Exhibition of artworks in Weeks 9 & 10 Term 2

For more information, please see Rachel Lowry, your Arts & Culture Prefect, Mrs McGlade or Mrs Goodlad

Thank you for all your support to our College Production last year. This year, we will be doing again 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 15, 22 and 29) from 3:30 - 4:30pm. It is open to all of college community members e.g. students, 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

Last week the Year 7-12 students contested the first major Inter-House carnival for the year with the annual swimming carnival. The students contested a number of traditional swimming events, as well as the greatly anticipated novelty events gaining points for the houses. Congratulations to the participating students and to those who assisted with the running of the carnival.

Congratulations to the following students who were runners up or champions in the year groups.

Year 7 Girls Champion Tess Warren 55 points

Year 7 Girls Runner Up Sadie Best 37 points

Year 7 Boys Champion Mackenzie Stables 52 points

Year 7 Boys Runner Up Henrik Heslop 42 points

Year 8 Girls Champion Abigail Molenda 44 points

Year 8 Girls Runner Up Amelia Mills 43 points

Year 8 Boys Champion Joshua Mack 60 points

Year 8 Boys Runner Up Patrick House 43 points

Year 9 Girls Champion Hope Vrbasso 51 points

Year 9 Girls Runner Up Ellie-May Stables 41 points

Year 9 Boys Champion Jack Heslop 60 points

Year 9 Boys Runner Up Connor Gorman 35 points

Year 10 Girls Champion Lillian Molenda 60 points

Year 10 Girls Runner Up Eva Hack 41 points

Year 10 Boys Champion Reef Pietropaolo 52 points

Year 10 Boys Runner Up Jethro Simmons 37 points

Year 11/12 Girls Champion Abbey O'Donnell 50 points

Year 11/12 Girls Runner Up Kaila Cuthbert 46 points

Year 11/12 Boys Champion Max Vrbasso 60 points

Year 11/12 Boys Runner Up Hoa Nguyen 37 points

A special mention to the following students for breaking a college records at the carnival.

Lillian Molenda Year 10 girls 25m butterfly 16.20 seconds

Max Vrbasso Year 11/12 boys 25m butterfly 12.32 seconds

The results for the overall carnival fluctuated quite a bit through the day but it was deserving winners in the end.

Middle School

1st Cunningham 639 points

2nd Ozanam 511 points

3rd McCormack 510 points

4th DeVialar 438 points

Senior School

1st McCormack 429 points

2nd Cunningham 408 points

3rd Ozanam 402 points

4th DeVialar 361 points

The team for the Year 7-12 Inter-School swimming carnival will be announced soon in preparation for the Great Souther Inter-School carnival on Wednesday 2nd April.

Come and Try Golf Girls Clinic- Sunday 27th April 10-11am

https://www.golf.org.au/mygolf/programdetails/?programId=44845

Albany Golf Club are delighted to offer a free come and try day to hit real golf balls at our club as part of MyGolf Girls Month! All golf clubs, balls and equipment are provided.

This clinic is for girls only and is a great introduction for children 6 years old and above who have never played golf before / are thinking of starting out!

Ensure you have closed footwear (runners) but also don't forget to slip on a hat and bring a water bottle to stay hydrated!

Free 4 week taster Clinics for Girls- 11th May to 1st June 12-1pm

https://www.golf.org.au/mygolf/programdetails/?programId=44846

Albany Golf Club are delighted to offer a free 4 week taster program as part of MyGolf Girls Month! All golf clubs, balls and equipment are provided. This program will go through hitting, chipping and putting to give you the confidence and skills to consider playing more in the future!

This clinic is for girls only and is a great introduction for children 6 years old and above who have never played golf before / are thinking of starting out!

Ensure you have closed footwear (runners) but also don't forget to slip on a hat and bring a water bottle to stay hydrated!

Let’s Empower Families with Financial Literacy and Savings!

Saver Plus is a program designed to help eligible families develop essential financial skills and build savings for education costs.

If parents commit to saving up to $50 a month for 10 months, ANZ will match their savings up to $500 for education costs, such as school uniforms, stationary, textbooks, computers.

For more details, please visit www.saverplus.org.au or join an information session.

The MSWA Albany Swim, now in its 13th year, is a family-friendly event that brings our vibrant regional community together for an unforgettable day at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre. Teams compete in an eight-hour marathon swim, pushing their limits to cover the longest distance in support of West Aussies living with neurological conditions. By getting a team together and participating in our swim, you are helping to make a lasting impact and help our Clients focus on life, not limits.

This fundraising event is for all ages and abilities, and we would love to welcome a team from your school to take part.

How it works:

1. Get a team together:

Form your dream team with family, friends, or colleagues and take on the ultimate swim challenge. Nominate a team captain who will coordinate the swimming roster on the day! (Swimmers do not need to be there for the full 8 hours; they are welcome to come and go.)

Register here: https://mswaswim.org.au/

1. Keep the water alive:

Teams must always have one swimmer in the water for the duration of the event. All swimming styles (including doggy paddle!) and swimming aids are allowed.

1. Count your laps:

On the day, each team will be given a tally sheet to record how many laps you're making over the eight hours. At the end of the day, the team that recorded the longest distance wins!

1. HAVE FUN!

It's also more than just a day of swimming! We’ve got exciting competitions and activities lined up to keep everyone engaged— including a thrilling inflatable race, which is simply for fun!

Prizes are awarded to the Highest Individual Fundraiser, the Highest Team Fundraisers, and Team Most Laps Swum.

We also supply refreshments on the hour to keep everyone energised.

If you have any questions about our event, please feel free to reach out, and I would be happy to chat about all things MSWA Albany Swim.

WANTED WATER VOLUNTEERS – BLUE SHIRT

Last 2 dates for the year

1. 22nd March
2. 5th April

Without volunteers this program can't continue and only happens 4/year.

Summer Fun with 'Let's Go Surfing' mornings for All-Abilities.

Register here, Participants, carers/parents and volunteers: https://events.humanitix.com/let-s-go-surfing

Or if unsure say you’re going, then the event will remind you. https://www.facebook.com/share/c9zsJu2EPFhxxHoK/

Disabled Surfers Association Great Southern will hold four surfing days on Saturday mornings in 2024 at Middleton Beach in front of the Albany Surf Lifesaving Club

Registration is now open for St Joseph's Soccer Club

Please click on the link below.

https://www.playfootball.com.au/

Currently seeking Year 7 players to join.

Just to advise that from Monday 17th March 2025, service 734 will be deleted and replaced by service 733.

Students currently using the 734 will be able to use the 733 instead.

There will be two 733 services operating two minutes apart in the AM and PM due to the loading to and from Albany SHS.

Hockey is a fun, safe and inclusive sport that has children from Year 2 upwards, participating in competition during Term 2 and Term 3. Hockey is a life-long sport and locally we have over 800 players of various ages participating throughout the winter season. Albany and its surrounds boasts a high standard of competition and has even had representatives at State and International level. Imagine playing at the Olympics!!

Our facilities include a recently upgraded synthetic turf, upgraded lighting to a National standard, warm clubrooms, a friendly atmosphere and good coffee for spectators. Our Board of Directors are committed to growing the game and make your child's experience a fun one.

There are no trials or grading days to join in with hockey and we are Kidsport Voucher friendly.

If your child would like help to find a team please contact Dinah tel: 0429 130 953 email: do@lgshockey.asn.au

Dinah can also help answer any questions you have about introducing your young person into hockey.

Find us on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lower%20great%20southern%20hockey%20association

Or our website:

https://www.lgshockey.asn.au/

The City of Albany is excited to let you know that our April School Holiday Program has officially gone live!

St Joseph’s College P&F are SO EXCITED to announce that MAGGIE DENT is coming to St Joseph’s College on Saturday 24th May from 10am-12pm to present her “Mothering our Boys” seminar!!

Tickets are on sale NOW via https://www.maggiedent.com/events/mothering-our-boys-albany-wa-may-2025/

Get your tickets early as this event will no doubt, sell out!

Our P&F will also run a raffle leading up to this fabulous event - with Free Tickets!!

I’m reaching out to let you know about an exciting opportunity at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre (ALAC). We have secured the Swim Teacher Course by Royal Life Saving, which will be held at ALAC from 7th to 10th July (inclusive).

This four-day course equips participants with the necessary skills to complete their required practical hours here at ALAC. Once they have fulfilled these hours and obtained their Swim Teacher License, they will be eligible to apply for a position through our recruitment team. This course has the potential to be free for students aged 16 years and 9 months with a requirement being that they attend the course during school holidays. Hence why we have tried and successfully secured dates during the school holidays between terms 2 and 3.

For school students, work hours would be 3:45 PM – 6:00 PM, offering a great opportunity with competitive pay.

Here is the link for more information or to book now.

https://shop.royallifesavingwa.com.au/products/axRLSSWA-SwimTeacherbyRoyalLifeSaving4day-84298?booking-date-start=2025-07-01&booking-date-end=2025-07-31

We warmly invite you to join us for the Stations of the Cross, which will begin this Friday, 7th March, and continue every Friday throughout Lent at 5.30 pm in St. Joseph’s Church.

This special time of reflection and prayer offers us a chance to walk with Christ through His Passion, deepening our faith and preparing our hearts for Easter.

We hope to see you there as we come together in prayer and unity during this Lenten season. God bless!

I’m delighted to announce that Murdoch University’s Open Day 2025 will be held Saturday 5th April from 10.00am to 3.00pm. We’ve got an action-packed program with the opportunity to:-

1. Explore courses, pathways and scholarships
2. Meet with our friendly Academics and hear from our current students about their experience of studying at Murdoch
3. Tour our world-class facilities, and of course chill on our beautiful Bush Court!

Please visit this link https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/open-day

GET READY: Careers Expo will be here before we know it. Returning to the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in May. Formal school group visits scheduled for Thursday 15 and Friday 16 May 2025.

The Australian Air Force Cadets in Albany are now recruiting for F2025. Attached is a poster with information about 705(City pf Albany)SQN of the Australian Air Force Cadets.

A few quick facts

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. We parade on a Wednesday evening from 5.45pm to 9.15 pm during the school term.

As well as undertaking a range of leadership training 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.

The cost is minimal and uniforms are supplied free.