An Advent Prayer

Loving God, ever faithful to your promises, all of creation rejoices in hope that Christmas brings us.

Prepare our hearts to hear and see You at work in our lives and our world.

In this third Week of Advent, may we notice and celebrate the joy in our lives. Let us enjoy your creation and let us rejoice together. In the lead up to Christmas, may we be inspired by hope and joy so that we may truly live your Good News.

Amen.

Thank you

Thank you for the gift of your children.

The staff here at St Joseph's thank you for sharing the gift of your children with us. Our lives are so much richer because of their presence. We are grateful for the trust you have shown in us and wish you all a merry Christmas.

To the Staff

Your generosity, flexibility, enthusiasm and professionalism help make our school such a joyful and vibrant place.  This year you have continued to be challenged by unforeseen events yet, together you have continued to create inclusive and engaging learning communities.  On behalf of our school community I thank you for all that you have done for our children and wish you a merry Christmas and a long, relaxing holiday.

School Board

Thanks to Mark Koch (Chairperson), Peter Furphy, Chris McGrath, Donna Monaghan and Mel Happ for their leadership and support throughout 2021.  Let us all hope for a few less surprises in 2022!

Parent School Association

To all of the parents who have joined us virtually and then finally in person this year, thank you for your ideas and contributions. A special mention to Adrian Benson who has chaired this group.  May 2022 will be filled with plenty of opportunities to welcome our parent community back to the school.

On a personal note

Thank you to the families and staff who have welcomed me so warmly and generously to St Joseph’s. I am fully aware of the privilege that I have in leading this school and am grateful for this opportunity.  I would especially like to thank the children of St Joseph’s for their cheerfulness. I am a very lucky person to be greeted with smiles and “Hello Mr O’Brien” as I head down the corridor or yard.

Thank you.

Staffing Update

Farewell

Our school community extends its gratitude to Sheila Murphy, Jim Guinan, Kym Lyons, Tegan McDonald and Mary Lane who are leaving our school at the end of the week.  We are thankful for the contributions they have made to our school and to the wider educational community. We wish them every success and happiness in their future endeavours.

Naomi Foster begins maternity leave at the end of this school year.  We are looking forward to sharing her good news with you all sometime in the new year.

Marcia Miller will be teaching in B8 with Clare Stacey in 2022. We welcome Marcia to our staff.  Marcia has been a regular CRT at St Joseph’s and her son Harry is in Year Two.

Louis O’Connor is taking leave for 2022 to travel. We wish him well for his adventures.

Graduation

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 who celebrated their graduation last Thursday. We wish all of these children every success and happiness in their endeavours. My prayer for them is:

 “Whatever you do and wherever you go in this world, make it a better place just from your presence”.

Leaving Families

Thank you to the following families who are leaving the St Joseph’s community this year. Thank you for your support and for entrusting your precious children to us.

We especially thank these families who are leaving our school.  God Bless you all.

Final Assembly

12:0pm, Tuesday 14th December

We will conclude our year with a range of farewells (staff and students), prayer, songs and awards tomorrow at the final assembly.  The event will begin at 12:00pm however please arrive early as QR codes and vaccination status checks will slow down the entry process.

Reports

The students’ progress reports will be available on PAM this Wednesday 15th December. I commend the students for their efforts and growth this year.

Regards
Matthew O'Brien, Principal