Week 7 Term 4 - 2022
Dear Families,
Happy New Year! This Sunday we celebrate the first day of the Church's liturgical year-the first Sunday of Advent.
Like Lent, Advent is a time of waiting, thus it makes sense that these seasons share the common colour, purple. Unlike Lent, which draws us into a more sombre time of preparation for the death and ultimate new life of Jesus, Advent is filled with anticipation as we await the coming of Jesus into the world.
Many of us would have already seen the Christmas decorations that fill shopping centers and streets, and have begun purchasing presents for friends and loved ones. While we look ahead with eagerness to Christmas Day, let us not lose sight of the importance of this period of preparation, and what lies at the heart of the celebration we look forward to.
Each week we will light a candle on the advent wreath to encourage us to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
The Psalm for this week at Mass speaks of ‘peace’ for all people. Who are those who most need peace today? Are there any troubled people that we know who need this kind of peace? Let's think of those people this week and hold them gently and kindly in prayer.
Parent Engagement Meeting
I want to take this opportunity to thank the large number of people who attended the Parent Engagement meeting last Wednesday evening. It was evident that this meeting was important to our community.
For those who were unable to attend, the evening started with John Wilson (Regional Service Leader- Catholic Schools Office) providing an explanation of the Lismore Diocese School Review Commission led by Bishop Greg Homeming and went through some frequently asked questions and answers in relation to the process and current situation. We thank Kym Griffiths, Executive Officer to the LDSRC, and Peter McLoughlin Acting Director of Schools, Lismore Diocese for attending and providing support information.
Parents were then invited to work in groups to provide answers to the following questions:
- What do parents and students value about St Joseph’s Primary as a school, that the Lismore Diocese School Review Commission needs to know about?
- What are your concerns around the Evans Head site? What are some opportunities to improve things for staff and students at Evans Head? If St Joseph’s Primary were to move from Woodburn to a flood-free location, what are some things that would make it the right
location? - Thinking about the Woodburn site - what were some of the things that worked about this location as the home of the school? What things didn't work that well in Woodburn?
The discussions that followed were open, honest, passionate, and heartfelt. Our community's love of all things St Joseph's was genuine and affirming. The concerns in relation to the Evans Head site and areas to be worked on were clearly and specifically articulated.
The input provided by our community will be forwarded to the LDSRC. The next step involves forming a working committee of key stakeholders. I will keep you informed as soon as we receive information in relation to the committee.
If you did not have the opportunity to attend the meeting but would like to add your thoughts please email them to jeanette.wilkins@lism.catholic.edu.au
CHRISTMAS GET TOGETHER
12 December 2022
APPLE DAY - STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2
WOODBURN CHRISTMAS CAROLS
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY- PUPIL FREE WEDNESDAY
30 NOVEMBER 2022
Coming Events
The Term is racing by and we have a few important events happening at our school throughout Term 4. Please be aware there is a Pupil Free Day in Week 8 on Wednesday the 30 November, staff will be completing a full day of First Aid.
Upcoming Events
November | December |
Wednesday 30th PUPIL FREE DAY - STAFF FIRST AID COURSE |
Monday 5 Year 5 Leadership Speeches Tuesday 6 Intensive Swimming Evans Head Aquatic Pool School Leaders Thank you Afternoon Tea at 2 pm Wednesday 7 Wildfire- Lismore Diocesan Worship Band workshop with the students. Afternoon liturgy. Thursday 8 Swimming Carnival Evans Head Aquatic Pool Reports are published on Compass Monday 12 2023 School Captains and Vice Captains announced Christmas Celebration 6 pm Thursday 15 Graduation Dinner Friday 16 Graduation Mass Last Day of School for 2023 for all students Saturday 17 Woodburn Carols by candlelight 6 pm |
IN WEEK 7 OF TERM 4 WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL FOR:
- Our wonderful musicians
- The Apple Educators
- JJPurton Jones (Catholic Schools Office) for organising and funding our Apple Days
- Stage 2 students for an absolutely beautiful Mass
- PIE DAY FRIDAY
Have a wonderful weekend!
Principal
SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTION:
Gospel Reading: First Sunday of ADVENT Year A
Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus tells his disciples that they are to always be ready for the day of the Lord.
This week is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of a new liturgical year for the Church. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas. It is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we prepare our hearts and homes as we await the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
During Advent, we have the Advent Wreath. It is a circle it has no beginning and no end. The shape of the wreath reminds us of God’s unending love for us. The greenery reminds us of the new life that Jesus brings us. The Advent wreath has four candles, three purple and one rose coloured. Sometimes a white candle is added. This white candle is a sign that Jesus’ light has come into our world. We light this on Christmas Day.
St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers
Each Monday we will celebrate an Advent Liturgy to reflect on the significance of Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas. During these liturgies, the children will be reminded of the importance of being generous and giving to the poor and needy in our community. This year you may like to donate items to place in the school Christmas hamper that will be given to our local St Vincent de Paul Society. Donations of non-perishable food and Christmas treats may be left with Mrs Feros at the school Office.
Xavier Catholic College Ballina Student Discipleship Visit
On Monday twenty Year 10 Ministry students from Xavier Catholic College visited our school to facilitate an ADVENT Retreat for our Stage One and Two students.
Our students participated in fun games and activities led by the wonderful Xavier College ministry students. They supported our children in acting out the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan and lead small group sessions where they shared their faith and understanding of the Gospel. The Xavier student band taught us a new song with actions. They also supported our students in making Advent Wreaths using pipe cleaners. It was an enjoyable experience for all.
We thank Mr David Eyles and the Xavier Catholic College students for their generosity in giving up their time to visit us, and for sharing their faith and talents with us by being living disciples of Jesus.
School Leadership Thank You Afternoon -Tuesday 6th December 2:15 pm
On Tuesday afternoon the School Leaders - that is the School Captains, Vice Captains, Events Management Team, Sports Captains, Mini Vinnies Leaders, and all of the Student Representative Council will participate in a retreat experience to celebrate and reflect upon their roles as student leaders of our school community. Jesus taught us that it is always important to be thankful and we are very appreciative of the efforts of our student leaders this year.
St Joseph's Woodburn - SPIRIT OF JESUS AWARD
Last term our school was visited by Mr Peter Mitchell "Mitch" who
wrote the "Making Jesus Real" books. He spoke to our students about the Spirit of Jesus and how we can be living disciples of Jesus. He explained that "spirit" can sometimes be a difficult word to understand but the spirit of Jesus is something that we can feel in our hearts and see through other people.
If we have the spirit of Jesus in our hearts, then we are kind, compassionate, welcoming, cheerful, friendly, encouraging, giving, forgiving thankful, and respectful
Our SPIRIT OF JESUS award recipients this week are Max Ferrier and Hazel Johnston.
Bee Hotels
Kindergarten and Stage 1 worked in teams to design and make bee hotels. The students had to research bee hotel designs and use recycled materials to create their model.
Students then worked cooperatively together in small groups to make their designs.
Students shared their designs with the whole class and received feedback from their peers.
We look forward to putting them in our garden to see if our bees enjoy our new bee hotels.
Water Awareness Program.
The students will participate in a Water Awareness Swimming Program at the Evans Head Aquatic Pool. The four sessions will occur on Tuesday 1st November, Tuesday 8th November, Thursday 10th November and Tuesday 6th December 2022. This program develops the children's water awareness strategies which are aligned with the PDHPE syllabus. Parent helpers are more than welcome to assist, please contact the office to leave your name and the classroom teacher will be in contact. Unfortunately, younger siblings will not be able to attend if you are helping a group.
All students will need a permission note and payment completed on Compass before Tuesday.
If you are experiencing difficulties please call Gayl in the office - 66822468
Important Dates
Water Awareness - Tuesday 6th December - Evans Head Aquatic Pool
Swimming Carnival - Thursday 8th December - Evans Head Aquatic Pool 10am
KINDERGARTEN | Lola Collins & Kobi Flanagan |
YEAR 1 | Poppy Parkinson & Archie Martin |
YEAR 2 | Brooke Cameron |
YEAR 3 | Ollie Handford-King & Jake Cutler |
YEAR 4 | Holly Barnes & Nick Felsch |
YEAR 5 | Brie Marsh & Beau Jubber |
YEAR 6 | Kimberly Campbell & Clancy Newman |
Mini Vinnies Award | Huntah Edwards |