Connecting with St Patrick’s Primary School, Koroit, Victoria!

Our Year 4 students are excited to begin a special pen pal connection with the Year 3 and 4 students at St Patrick’s Primary School in Koroit, Victoria! Through letter writing, we will get to know students from another part of Australia, share stories about our lives and schools, and discover what makes our communities unique. We have exchanged a letter each so far-the excitement was huge when we got to read our first letters!

So where exactly is Koroit? Koroit is a town in south-west Victoria, near the coastal city of Warrnambool (Mrs Cramers home town). It is known for its rich Irish heritage, historic buildings and strong community spirit. The town is also close to Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, a fascinating volcanic landscape where visitors can explore nature and look out for native Australian wildlife like emus, kangaroos and koalas. Our Pen Pals said they even had a koala in a tree at their school recently.

Our pen pal school has a long history, with the “New” St Patrick’s School opening in 1890! There are some exciting things to discover about their school, too! Students can enjoy a nature play area, sensory garden, sports courts and ovals. They even have chooks and seasonal calves!

Although we live in different states, we have plenty in common. We can share our favourite sports, hobbies, books, pets and school experiences while learning about life in another Australian community.

We are looking forward to exchanging more letters, asking questions and making new friends along the way. Who knows what other interesting facts we will discover about our pen pals?

We can’t wait to hear back again from our new friends in Koroit!

On Thursday the 22nd of October, St Joseph's College entered three teams in the GSSSSA Year 7-9 Cricket Carnival, with two girls' teams and one boys' team proudly representing the school.

Despite challenging and unpredictable weather conditions, with heavy rain and strong winds, our students showed off their fantastic cricket skills, along with resilience, sportsmanship and determination throughout the day.

The results were outstanding with all three teams achieving success. Our boys team finished 1st in Division B, remaining undefeated throughout the competition, while our girls teams claimed 1st and 2nd in Division A also remaining undefeated. These results reflect the effort and commitment shown by the students on the day.

A big thank you goes to our year 11 students who volunteered their time as coaches and umpires. Their support and leadership helped make the carnival a positive experience for everyone involved. We would like to also thank Mr O'Donnell for organising the St Joseph's teams and Mrs Keenan for ensuring our students had the opportunity to compete.

Congratulations to all our cricketers on a expectational day of competition.

On Friday, the Year One’s enjoyed a wonderful excursion to the Albany Entertainment Centre to watch the theatrical performance of The Song Catchers.

Through storytelling, acting, music and song, The Song Catchers shared a story that celebrated culture, connection and the importance of listening to and learning from others.

The students were engaged from beginning to end. The performance provided a valuable opportunity for the children to experience the arts in a professional theatre setting while also exploring themes of community, identity and respect for cultural traditions. Following the show, many students enthusiastically shared their favourite parts and reflected on the messages they learned. The Year One students returned to school with big smiles, wonderful memories and plenty to talk about!

Our Year 4 classes had an amazing day exploring the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Museum of the Great Southern! We discovered that there is so much to learn, explore and experience right here in our own town.

At UWA, we split into three groups and took part in a range of exciting activities. We visited the marine biology laboratory and learnt about an innovative wave energy project, discovering how the power of ocean waves could help provide energy for the future. We also enjoyed a guided tour of the university, explored science laboratories, visited the dungeon, heard stories about the resident ghost and even put our knowledge to the test with a pop quiz!

We also became young scientists as we investigated the differences between carnivores and herbivores. We learnt how to identify animals by examining their bones and looking for special features that reveal what they eat. Our visit left many of us feeling inspired about the possibility of going to university one day!

Afterwards, we walked to the Museum of the Great Southern, where we continued our learning in two groups. One group had the opportunity to extract DNA from strawberries and investigate how animals' adaptations help us identify different species.

Following lunch, we explored the Brig Amity, climbing aboard and discovering what life was like on the ship's different decks. We then visited the Residency Building to learn more about Albany's fascinating history and the people and events that helped shape our community.

It was a fantastic day filled with discovery, hands-on learning and plenty of surprises. We had no idea there was so much to see and do in our own backyard!

What an incredible day of learning, exploration and inspiration for our Year 4 students!

Cleaner Part Time and Casual

Monday to Friday

Hours:

School term time 3pm – 7pm

School Holidays: Hours can be negotiated

Commencing ASAP

Martin Road Albany WA 6330 * Phone: (08) 9844 0222

Please direct all applications to: admin@sjc.wa.edu.au.

The Cleaner, under the general supervision of the Cleaner in Charge, is responsible for a range of internal and external cleaning duties. This includes maintaining carpets and hard floor surfaces, cleaning toilets, furniture, fittings, and windows, as well as handling tasks like dusting and rubbish removal. Cleaners are also responsible for reporting faults, maintenance issues, and incidents to the designated supervisor.

The successful applicant will ideally have good attention to detail and will be able to work well with others to ensure a clean and safe school environment. In-addition, the successful applicant will ideally be able to work well both individually and as part of a team and have excellent knowledge of cleaning equipment and safe cleaning procedures, methods and practices.

CinefestOZ- we're a not-for-profit film festival based in the WA South West and this year we are bringing our 'On The Road' series to Albany in late November and December. This means free community film screenings at the beautiful Middleton Beach!

This special program will feature much-loved Australian films alongside a selection of short films made in Albany and hopefully giving audiences the chance to celebrate local stories and experience Albany landscapes on the big-screen and in their own backyard.

We're reaching out to schools across the Great Southern to bring attention to one of our family-favourite screenings!

'H is for Happiness' will be screening from 7 pm on December 11th- this heartwarming tale centres on a 12 year old girl with boundless optimism and a unique view of the world who is inspired by a strange new boy at school and sets out to mend her broken family.

We'd also like to reach out to your older students who may be interested in volunteering with us- we have a thriving internship program and this is a great opportunity for young film buffs to get involved with the arts community outside the metro region.

We're requiring a small team of volunteers across three dates to assist with greeting, ushering and assisting our audience members- of course, enjoying the films is an added perk!

If any of your community is interested; registration for these free screenings is available here; https://cinefestoz.com/sessions/

And registration for volunteers is available here; https://cinefestoz.wufoo.com/forms/2026-cinefestoz-albany-movie-crew-registration/

Scholarship support session will be running here in Albany at the Great Southern Universities Centre in late November.

The scholarship support event is at the study hub in Albany on the 18th of November 2026 from 3.30-4.30 pm.

Here is the weblink to the event https://events.humanitix.com/scholarship-support-session

You may be aware that the country education foundation has recently been set up here in Albany. They have 6 x $ 5000 scholarships to give away this year. If you have students who have had an early offer into a university course, perhaps you could encourage them to apply. The only catch is that the applications close tomorrow on the 30th of October 2026. https://cef.org.au/foundations/albany/

We come down to the south coast twice a year and host free surfing events for the Neurodivergent community. We'll be running over November 21st - 22nd in Denmark and Albany and always looking to spread the word of our free program to new families.

Are you interested in going straight into the workforce? Do you have initiative and a great work ethic? Might you not necessarily want to follow the university path?

Main Roads is currently looking to recruit a receptionist into the Business Services team.

If you are motivated, keen to work, keen to learn and keen to earn, we are looking for you!

Business Services covers all aspects of administration function including, but not limited to reception duties and utilising a customer relationship management system, running the security system including issuing swipe cards and gate remotes, reconciling corporate credit card payments, managing a complex records management system, dealing with customers and incoming correspondence, being part of a team, learning aspects of the road building industry and doing corporate purchasing for office items.

Early next year, the successful candidate will also have the opportunity to apply for the Business Traineeship towards a Cert IV in Business, which will run from March 2027 for 18 months.

Computer skills, a willingness to learn and a “can do” attitude are necessary but all other duties will be taught.

For further information, please contact Business Manager, Susie Chapman on the email address susie.chapman@mainroads.wa.gov.au or on 9892 0555.

Alternatively, please send me your resume before 13 November, and we will interview possible candidates over the coming weeks.

Saver Plus is a free program that helps eligible families build their savings and receive up to $500 in matched funding for education-related expenses such as school uniforms, laptops, textbooks, camps and extracurricular activities.

The final term is a great time for families to get started, build their savings habits, and work towards education costs for the year ahead.

P&F Volunteers Needed for 2027

Our club, ADHOC, has 5 events coming up in quick succession through Oct and Nov which *anyone* can come along to. Exactly the same sort of deal as what the kids did in Denmark except that you start at your own time.

Entries close Thurs midnight prior to the event so we have enough time to print enough maps etc.

Smith Thornton Accountants - Gap Year Opportunity 2027

TOPIC 1 >>> Build Your Child's Best Self & Beat Bullying with Brain-Science (True Confidence/Kindness/Self-Acceptance/Resilience)

DATE/TIME >>>Tues 3rd November, 5.30pm - 7.30pm via Zoom

TOPIC 2 >>> Help Your Child Love Challenges & Cope with Mistakes (A Genuine Growth Mindset/Perseverance/Resilience to Difficult Tasks)

DATE/TIME >>> Thurs 5th November, 5.30pm - 7.30pm via Zoom

FOR >>> Parents, Teachers, EAs and Carers of Children & Teens aged 5 - 18.

REGISTRATIONS ESSENTIAL >>> https://abovebeyondeducation.com/greatsouthernwebinars

The Albany Light Opera & Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that our next big musical is ANNIE!

Want to audition or get involved? We’d love to hear from you!

We’re looking for a cast aged 8 and over, and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved both onstage and behind the scenes. Find out more HERE!

Director - Lachy McLean

Co-Musical Director (Vocals) - Lilli Lee

Co-Musical Director (Conductor) - Lily Turbill

Rehearsal Pianist - Evie Swann

Assistant Musical Director (Vocals) - Susie Chapman

INFORMATION NIGHT - Tuesday 10 November - 6:00pm @ Albany Port Theatre

AUDITION WEEKEND:

21 & 22 November 2026

PERFORMANCES:

May 2027 – 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, 29th, 30th

AUDITION MATERIALS & INFORMATION PACK: HERE

Albany Agricultural Show is just around the corner — Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November!

Entry is FREE for all children aged 16 and under, with six fun and creative categories to choose from and some fantastic prizes generously donated by our local business sponsors.

We'd love to encourage as many children and families as possible to get involved, have some fun and experience the excitement of seeing their very own exhibits on display at the Show.

Your support in helping us inspire the next generation of gardeners and keeping this wonderful Show tradition alive is greatly appreciated.

Let's make the 2026 Children's Horticulture Section our biggest and brightest yet!

Grow It, Nurture It, Show It!

P&F End of Year Raffle Donations

Pioneer Health is seeking applications from graduating year 12 students for our gap year program for 2027.

This is an opportunity for a suitable young adult to work alongside a dedicated team of health professionals and gather valuable exposure to these role models. This position involves junior medical reception duties so applicants with a broad range of skills are sought. Personal characteristics that are suited to this role include;

◾ a positive attitude

◾ good communication skills

◾ a patient and caring nature

The intention of future study in the health sciences is favourable but not essential. The application package, including how to apply, is downloadable from the Careers page of our website.

If you have any questions regarding the Gap Year Program, please call Tracey Robinson on 9842 2822.