Year One's are in need of some shoe boxes for a class project. If you have any laying around at home, could you please drop them off to either the office or the Year One classrooms. Thank you for your help!

This week Natalie from UWA met with students participating in the Children’s University program. Students had the chance to share their learning adventures and try on outfits for their upcoming graduation in November 2025.  They are all working hard to complete 30 hours of varied learning activities to qualify for November's graduation. 

The Year 7-12 athletics team travelled last Sunday to compete on Monday at the ACC G Division athletics carnival in Perth. The team stayed the night at Trinity College, East Perth, enjoying an evening of games, basketball, volleyball and a pizza dinner.

On Monday after an early start, they arrived at the WA athletics stadium in Mt Claremont ready for a great day of running, jumping and throwing. The team put up a fantastic effort in the carnival despite being unable to field our strongest team and finished a creditable 7th overall out of the eight schools. Many team members enjoyed excellent individual event results, and the following students did great in the individual overall placings.

Ella Tasila 5th U/19 girls

Jack Heslop 2nd U/15 boys

Andre De Giambattista 5th U/15 boys

Josh Mack 3rd U/14 boys

Richard Opuni 5th U/14 boys

Thank you to Mr Ruck, Miss Markham, Mr Blom and Miss Gill for joining us on the trip and to the team captains, Peter and Abbey, and Team manager, Charlotte, for seating an excellent example for the younger athletes and assisting with student marshaling for events.

Paul O'Donnell

Congratulations to the following students from St Joseph’s who celebrated their First Reconciliation on Thursday evening: Xeno, Patrick, Finn, Imogen, Theo, Leroy, Gianna, Donovan, Paige, Tanzi, Lillian, and Henry.

It was a special and reverent celebration. We extend our gratitude to Father Vince, Father Joel, Mrs Palfrey, Miss Lewis, and Miss Naylor for preparing the students, and to the families for their ongoing support in their child’s faith journey.

Art Competition - Rachel L

I apologise for the delay of this post; there have been some complications, and photos are currently unavailable.

The 2025 Art Competition has finally come to an end, with 55 participants and 12 winners.

Junior School

The Encouragement Award (4^th place): Georgia M (Year 5)

3^rd place: Kiera N (Year 5)

2^nd place: Oliver W (Year 4)

1^st place: Ben M (Year 4)

Middle School

The Encouragement Award (4^th place): Bryn R (Year 9)

3^rd place: Ziv H (Year 9)

2^nd place: Amelia A (Year 7)

 1^st place: Charisma S (Year 9)

Senior School

The Encouragement Award (4^th place): Lachlan H (Year 10)

3^rd place: Josh T (Year 12)

2^nd place: Matilda R (Year 10)

1^st place: Marcus C (Year 12)

Everyone worked very hard on their artworks, from paintings to digital art, mosaics and woodwork. The art pieces were judged by Mrs Bogoni (Junior school only), Mrs Truscott (Middle & Senior School only), Mrs Goodlad, and the Year 12 Arts & Culture Prefect, Rachel Lowry.

From the very start, the students were all very excited about the Art Competition. The art pieces were worked on in both art class and at home. The students had till May 30^th to submit their artworks to either Mrs McGlade or Mrs Goodlad.

Quotes from participants and winners:

‘I think it should be done again because it was fun drawing my picture. I didn’t expect to win 1^st, I hoped a tiny bit that I didn’t win, I only entered for fun 😊’

‘I enjoy painting a lot, so when there was an art competition, I was really happy. I am really excited for the next art competition, and I am happy for the winner.’

‘ I was proud that I won a prize’

‘I think that the art competition was a great idea. Lots of people thought that my work was really good, which made me feel proud. I think that you can learn things from the art competition, I learnt how to make a mosaic.’

‘I felt it was very funny when I had to enter the art competition, and I look forward to doing it again. It was very fun and I love to do it every year.’

‘I am proud of myself for entering the art competition, pushing myself out of my comfort zone for this competition.’

‘The art competition was an overall positive experience, and I enjoyed both creating my piece and seeing the creativity of other students. Winning was a great surprise, and I feel proud that my work was recognised. I’d definitely be interested in taking part in something like this again.’

‘I really enjoyed working on the art when I entered the school's art competition. I entered an Abstract Rose and A Hibiscus. I will definitely be participating in the School's art competition again; I will practice and perfect my drawing skills so maybe I can win next year! Even though I did not win, I am still so glad that I entered because I got to do something that I really enjoy doing.’

‘The art competition that was held this year was a really good addition to just plain regular school. It was very interesting to see other pupils' styles of expressing themselves, as well as seeing different art styles. If it is held again next year, I would happily enter again.’

Quote from Arts & Culture Prefect:

‘It was really amazing to see everyone submit in their hard work and express their creativity. I couldn’t have organised any of this without the help of Mrs Goodlad, Mrs Truscott, Mrs Bogoni, and the P&F Committee, who sponsored the prizes. Thank you all so much for your support!’

I had lots of fun organising this and seeing everyone enjoy the art competition. I hope the next Arts and Culture Prefect will continue this event next year, and it can become an annual school event!

St Carlo Acutis

Feast Day: October 12

Patron Saint of: Youth and the Internet

Life:

Born in London in 1991 but raised in Milan, Carlo loved gaming, football, Pokémon and his dog Billy. While neither of his parents were religious, he asked his parents to take him to Mass from a young age and was particularly passionate about Eucharistic miracles, even starting a website to tell people about them. At 15 he was diagnosed with blood cancer and died shortly after with his funeral attended by the poor and homeless of Milan, many whom he had befriended and assisted with sleeping bags and his pocket money. He was canonised on September 7 2025 and his body is in Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi. He is the first millennial Saint and an example of an ordinary teenager who did extraordinary things.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for giving us Carlo, a life example for the young and a message of love for everyone. You gave him Mary, as a most loving mother and with the rosary, you made him a poet of her tenderness. Saint Carlo, pray for us!

The Secondary School Choir recently entertained students at Australian Christian College and Mt Manypeaks Primary School as part of their one-day concert tour. In the afternoon, the choir sang for senior citizens at a special event at Juniper Community Centre, hosted by the City of Albany. The choir was in top form and delighted their audiences with their wonderful harmonies, choreography and acting. Every audience was enthusiastic in its praise. Comment of the day (from a staff member at Mt Manypeaks school) "That was the best live choir performance I've ever been to."

Please be advised that the date set for Confirmation and all activities have been changed from Term Three to Term Four.

Confirmation Commitment Masses: Term Four, week two, Saturday 25th October, 6.00pm Holy Family Church AND Sunday 26th October, 9.30am Holy Family Church

Parent/child workshop: Term Four, week three, Thursday 31st October 6.00pm - 7.30pm

Retreat afternoon for students and to meet the Bishop: Term Four, week five, 12th November 1.30pm - 3.00pm

Sacrament of Confirmation: Term Four, week five, Sunday 16th November 9.30am Holy Family Church.

Thank you to the families who have sent in their sacramental initiation forms. For other families, if you wish your child to make the Sacrament of Confirmation and have forgotten to complete a form, please let me know and I will forward one to you.

Chris Palfrey - Liturgy and Sacramental Co-ordinator

This term students from Years 5 and 6 participated in two AFL carnivals at Centennial Park. The boys competed in the Docker's Shield competition and the girls in the Docker's Cup.

The boys played their games on Thursday the 21st of August, a cold and windy Albany day. The boys played very well considering the tough conditions and were able to win 3 of their games which was a great achievement. Best players on the day were Mason B, Parker S, Andre D and Corben S.

The girls' tournament was postponed until Tuesday the 9th of September and were treated to magnificent conditions. Through the mud and tough terrain, the girls battled hard all day and finished an admiral 3rd place overall! Well done to Indiana B and Bronte P who were the best for the girls on the day.

Thanks to Mrs. Hines and the Year 10 Sport Coaching students for their assistance over the two days.

Upcoming dates:

Reconciliation Commitment Masses: Week 3, Saturday 9th August, 6.00pm Mass at Holy Family Church OR Sunday, Sunday 10th August, 9.30am, Holy Family Church. Please bring with you the enrolment booklets handed out at the General Sacramental Meeting. 

Parent/Child workshop: Week 5, Thursday 21st August 6.00pm - 7.30pm in the Junior School Undercover Area.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Week 8, Wednesday 10th September 5.30pm Holy Family Church.

If you are unable to attend either of these dates, please contact me to make alternate arrangements.

Chris Palfrey - Liturgy and Sacramental Co-ordinator

Amity Health’s Communities for Children project funded by the Department of Social Services, provides funding and support to local organisations to deliver programs for families and children in the community.

For the October school holidays, Communities for Children has engaged Adam from Armed for Life, a mental health, resilience, and wellbeing mentoring organisation, to deliver two days of free workshop aimed at parents, carers, and service providers (school staff are welcome). We would greatly appreciate your school’s support in promoting these free workshops to ensure maximum engagement.

Adam is also highly experienced in presenting workshops for children and young people, with a strong history of facilitating these through schools. He would welcome the opportunity to connect with your school to offer his services throughout the region, complementing the workshops we are providing.

Adam’s contact details are included below.

adam@armedforlife.com.au

0438 938 049

Tuesday 30th September 2025 Armed for Life - Workshops for Parents, Carers and Service Providers Tickets, Tue, Sep 30, 2025 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite

1. Healthy Men: Being a Role Model - 9:30am-10:30am
2. Managing and improving Kids Mental Health – 11:00am-12:00pm
3. Keeping Your Child Safe online – 1:00pm 2:00pm

Morning tea and lunch provided.

Wednesday 1st October 2025 Armed for Life - Workshops for Parents, Carers and Service Providers Tickets, Wed, Oct 1, 2025 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite

1. Teaching children to make healthy decisions- 9:30am – 10:30 am
2. Bullying – 11:00am – 12:00pm
3. How to engage with children effectively- 1:00pm -2:00pm

Morning tea and lunch provided.

Join Us For The Launch of WA Mental Health Week!

The Mad Hatter Tea Party is a free community event held during the school holidays on Friday 3rd October from 10am-1pm at the Albany Town Square. Everyone is welcome to attend. For the 12th year running, the Mad Hatter event has been a valuable opportunity to unite in celebrating mental health awareness, connecting families and community members with the local mental health organisations available, and breaking down the stigma around mental health – while having some fun with the colourful Best Hat Parade and Competition. At the Town Square you can expect to see more than 20 mental health organisation stalls with free activities, live performances by local performers, interactive games, face painting, and free food including sausage sizzle and cupcakes.

I'm excited to have Paris McNeil joining us in Albany next week to talk about the upcoming social media ban for under-16s — a big change that’s likely to raise a few questions for families.

To help parents and carers prepare, the City of Albany is hosting a free Parent Information Session, and I'd really appreciate it if you could share the details through your networks.

When: Monday 15 September

Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Where: Civic Rooms, City of Albany Administration Building

102 North Road, Yakamia

Cost: Free to attend

This session will break down what the ban actually involves, how it might impact young people, and how parents can best support their kids through the transition.

What parents will take away:

1. A clear understanding of the ban and what it means
2. Tips for helping their child adjust to life with less screen time
3. Practical tools to build healthy digital habits at home

It’s a great opportunity to get informed and feel confident about what’s coming. Hope to see lots of you there!

Registrations are open for the upcoming season.

Below is the direct registration link:

https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/64ed0c

Junior School Disco

September/October School Holiday Events!

To book visit https://www.albany.wa.gov.au/october

Saver Plus is a free, matched savings and financial education program that helps families on lower incomes build their money skills through budgeting workshops and receive up to $500 for education-related expenses.

Participants can put that money towards items such as laptops, books, uniforms, camps & excursions.

Program Highlights:

1. Save just $50 a month for 10 months and receive $500 matched savings
2. Complete up to 10 hours of online workshops (support provided)
3. Flexible start dates – join anytime
4. Must hold a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
5. Income from Carer Payment or Child Support is considered as income.

Beyond financial support, Saver Plus fosters dignity, confidence, and long-term wellbeing.

BLOCKBUSTER BRASS

The City of Albany Band is thrilled to be joined by the Busselton Brass Band for an unforgettable afternoon of musical entertainment! Blockbuster Brass promises to dazzle audiences with powerful performances, showcasing the incredible talent of both bands.

Get ready to tap your toes and clap along to iconic music from well-known movies and TV shows. Experience each band performing on their own, then watch as they come together as one spectacular brass ensemble that will leave you smiling.

Don’t miss this cinematic musical journey – fun for the whole family!

Tickets - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1440199

Saturday 13 September 2025 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Albany Port Theatre home of Albany Light Opera Theatre

256 Princess Royal Drive, Albany WA 6330

With the WACE exams fast approaching, many students are seeking opportunities to consolidate their knowledge and strengthen exam skills. We are running October Holiday Revision Courses in Week 1 & 2 of the school holidays, designed to complement school teaching and provide targeted exam preparation.

Each program delivers 10 hours per subject (2 hrs/day × 5), covering the full ATAR course content while focusing on exam‑style questions and common pitfalls. Courses are taught by specialist ATAR teachers with proven success in guiding students to higher results.

Please feel free to contact us here at Academic Task Force for any further information on 08 9314 9500.

BOOK NOW before all SOLD-OUT!

Albany Light Opera and Theatre Co. (ALOTCo) is hosting some cool theatre workshops during the October school holidays based at the Albany Port Theatre.

‘Capture the Audience’ - Singing Workshop

One of the highlights is a workshop led by Donna Markovic, a vocal and performance coach. The workshops will focus on vocal exercises, characterization techniques, and song performance, encouraging the desire to perform

1. For school aged students 12yrs plus
2. Wednesday, Oct 8th,10:00am to 3:30pm
3. Only $50

https://events.humanitix.com/capture-the-audience-singing-workshop

'Brush Up' Theatre Makeup and Wig Care

Demonstrated by Bonnie Henderson, with a Diploma of Screen and Media with a Specialist in Hair and Makeup, at The Australian Academy of Cinemagraphic Makeup RTO: 31527. A workshop on learning how to apply special aging effects makeup for stage and professionally install wigs for theatre productions.

1. Minimum age 10yrs old
2. Sunday, Oct 5th, 1:00pm to 3:15pm
3. Only $20 plus booking fee

https://events.humanitix.com/brush-up-theatre-makeup-and-wig-care

'Set The Stage' Basics of Stage Management

Presented by Peter Cook who first learnt about Stage Management in a unit at university and then many years ‘hands on’ at ALOTCo and Spectrum Theatres.

Workshop is intended to teach the basics of Stage Management including details of responsibilities of stage managers, assistant stage managers, and stagehands; stage construction and nomenclature; communications between production crews; responsibilities towards actors and performers.

1. Intended for all ages
2. Saturday, Oct 4th, 2 sessions - 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm or 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
3. Only $10/session plus booking fee

https://events.humanitix.com/set-the-stage-basics-of-stage-management

‘Local Film Industry’ Q & A

FREE- Locally written and directed last May 2025 in Albany

Come meet local Writer, Director and producers Adam Morris and Talarah Pedrocchi, and some of the local Crew of 'Low Lie the Fields' and ask questions about the film industry.

Here’s your chance to get firsthand answers on the film industry

1. Intended for all ages
2. Thursday, 9 Oct, 7pm - 8pm

https://events.humanitix.com/local-film-industry-q-and-a

https://www.facebook.com/LowLietheFields

Murdoch University Open Nights are on next week and everyone’s invited!

We have four amazing evenings designed to help students and their families discover courses and explore their future opportunities.

Our Open Nights allow students to engage with their future lecturers and mentors, meet current students who are studying the same course they’re interested in,

tour our facilities and get hands-on with interactive displays.

Come along to one or attend more! Register for your night/s below.

Murdoch University Nursing Open Night

Wednesday 27th August, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Murdoch University Health & Education Open Night

Tuesday 2nd September, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Murdoch University Sciences, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Open Night

Wednesday 3rd September, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Murdoch University Business, Law, HASS & Creative Media Open Night

Thursday 4th September, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Visit the links above to find out more.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Vancouver Arts Centre will be full to overflowing with 4 exhibitions for the 2025 Southern Art + Craft Trail!

Local artists exhibiting printmaking, felt making, painting and photography.

The centre will be buzzing over the school holidays, 27 Sept – 12 October, including Saturdays and Sundays 10am -2pm!

A great opportunity for a family day out.

The Albany Town Hall will present an exhibition of selected artworks from the City of Albany collection.

Post attached and more information here:

https://albany-events.bookable.net.au/#!/event-detail/ev_e5fecf34c0af4312ae664cc72cc994e8