Week 6 Term 1 2024

Dear Families,

As we come up to the fourth Sunday of Lent, we continue to talk to the children about it being a season of reflection and change. How can I become a better person to others through fasting, praying and giving?

Last week we acknowledged the Anniversary of the 2022 floods with some quiet reflective time. As a community, we will continue to acknowledge the flood event that changed lives, recognise the new experiences that have weaved into our lives and give thanks to the many, many people, schools and groups who were supportive along the way.  We will always acknowledge the incredible strength, resilience, love and hope of all of our community who were impacted and pray for their ongoing healing and support as we walk beside them.  

Our Parent-Teacher interviews will be held next week. For Kindergarten, the interviews will be on Tuesday 12 March. For Years 1-6, the interviews will be held on Wednesday 13 March 2024 between 3 pm and 7pm.  We apologise for the different nights. Bookings are open and available to be made through the Compass App. 

These meetings provide the opportunity to meet individually with teachers to discuss any goals, concerns or queries you may have regarding your child’s education and I urge you all, if possible, to avail yourself of this opportunity. We look forward to sharing this time with you to further support your child's progress. Thank you for your cooperation.

We wish our Year 3 and Year 5 all the best as they commence NAPLAN tests next week. We know that they will demonstrate determination, resilience and a positive attitude throughout the tests.  NAPLAN gives us a snapshot of your child's learning journey.  It backs up the important information we already have about the best ways to support your child's learning in the areas of English and Maths and we will use the data gathered from these tests to continue to support our teaching.

Good attendance in primary school is a fundamental building block for academic success and overall wellbeing, and it sets the stage for success in high school and beyond. Primary school is the foundational stage of a child's education. Regular attendance ensures that children build a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and skills that serve as the basis for more advanced learning in high school.

 By recognising the long-term benefits and reinforcing the importance of regular school attendance in primary years, students are better equipped to succeed in high school and beyond. Attending school regularly instils a sense of responsibility and work ethic in students and participating actively in class are essential components of success.

The following days have been set down as Staff Development Days for St Joseph's for 2024. We thank you for supporting us in our Professional Development/Learning 
opportunities.

Students do not attend school on these days

Friday 22 March- Week 8	The Learning Collaborative -Lyn Sharratt
Friday 12 April- Week 11	School Review
TERM 2
Monday 29th April	School Review
29 May	Staff Proclaim
Friday 5th of July	Staff Retreat Day
TERM 3
Monday 22nd of July	New Curriculum
Friday 27th of September	New Curriculum

Wednesday 13 March	NAPLAN YEARS 3 & 5 Parent Teacher Interviews
Thursday 14 March	NAPLAN YEARS 3 & 5
Monday 18 March	NAPLAN YEARS 3 & 5 Parent Meeting Parent Forum Models
Tuesday 19 March	The Feast of St Joseph celebration at Coraki
Friday 22 March	Staff Professional Learning Day Pupil Free Day
Monday 25- Friday 29	HOLY WEEK
Friday 29 March	GOOD FRIDAY

           

• Our Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 Assembly last week. 
• Our Diocesan Swimming Representatives - Chase and Archie Martin
• Our Vice Captains Mission for encouraging us to help others through Project Compassion
• Our student leaders who continue to lead the way
• Our incredible Kindergarten for completing 6 weeks at Big School. 
• Our student Award Winners for showing us the way. 

Jeanette Wilkins

 Principal

SUNDAY GOSPEL READINGS - 4th Sunday of LENT John 3:14-21  Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man will be raised up so that those who believe in him will have eternal life.

Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as someone who had come from God and seemed to want to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus greeted Nicodemus with respect and compassion. 

When we have done something wrong, we are often tempted to hide what we have done from others. Because Jesus died for our salvation, we should not hide our mistakes from God. Instead, we confess our sins to God, confident that God forgives us. During Lent, many people take the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that they can experience the joy of God's forgiveness, healing and peace.

FEAST DAY OF ST JOSEPH – Tuesday 19th March 2024

On Tuesday 19th March students, staff and parents of St Joseph’s Coraki and St Joseph’s Woodburn, and parishioners will gather on the great Feast Day to celebrate and honour the Patron Saint of our schools and parish, Saint Joseph. 

Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, was a faithful man of God. He worked as a humble carpenter and cared for his family as a loving father. The special qualities of Joseph are human qualities that we too can aspire to in our own lives. Jesus would have learned so much from Joseph, especially how to be faithful, just and honest. 

Our students will travel by bus to Saint Joseph's Catholic School Coraki and participate in the Holy Mass at St Joseph's Catholic Church Coraki at 10:00 am.

After Mass, both schools will enjoy various fun activities. There are two water-based activities - Slip and Slide and a Ballina Fitness Kids water pistol session. All students will need sunscreen, swimmers and a wet shirt.

Students need to wear their sports uniform, and hat and take their drink bottle, fruit snake and lunch if not ordering.

Please complete the student permission note which will be shared on COMPASS.

Sacrament of Penance - Preparation for Celebrating First Holy Communion

We believe that the passing on of our Christian faith, values and traditions is a true gift that our parents can share with their children.

Our students and their families preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance - First Reconciliation are

Katy Hull, Eva Flanagan, Elian Piccini, Isabella Salmi, and Indiana Stahl.

Please keep these students and their families in your prayers.

May this time of preparation be filled with many blessings.

Family members of students preparing for the Celebration of the Sacrament of PENANCE are invited to the three sacramental family meetings on Mondays at the School at 3:15 pm. The next Sacrament of Penance meeting date is  Monday 11th March

  The celebration of the Sacrament of Penance will be on Saturday 16th March at 4 pm in the Anglican Church Evans Head. All Welcome to attend.

LISMORE DIOCESE STUDENT DISCIPLESHIP RETREAT  - INCITARE

Last Week Sophie Flanagan and Meluca Jett from Year Six attended the Lismore

Diocese Student Discipleship Retreat at Tullera Hall, Lismore.

Mrs Cronan was very impressed with how both girls engaged with the event by making new friends, sharing their stories and being active participants throughout the day.

From Sophie and Meluca: We had so much fun! We got to meet so many other kids from other schools and learn about our faith. The theme of this retreat was ‘Courage’. We watched a video about two young boys bravely standing up and singing about bullying. This show was recorded on Britain’s Got Talent where the audience would be 100 million. This showed us that you can stand up for what is right and what you believe in. 

We worked in small teams with Year 10 Woodlawn Ministry class students who were the leaders of the groups. Our leader was Max and he bravely stood and faced the crowd he talked about how he never liked public speaking but he faced his fear and got up and talked about himself and his faith journey anyway. 

As we walked out of the hall we felt energised and inspired to go out into our school and spread the message of Jesus. One other memory was when we shared lollies on the way home in Mrs Cronan’s car.

We are now planning a Mini Incitare retreat with Eliza and Oliver (Ministry Officers of the Diocese) to include activities we have learnt and share the fun we had.

PROJECT COMPASSION

As a school family, we will support Project Compassion - Caritas Australia this Lenten season, to help support vulnerable people around the world, now and for all future generations.

With your support, Caritas Australia has been able to support communities around the world in tackling poverty, food security, education, water and sanitation and disaster risk reduction.

Project Compassion 2024 reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow for all future generations.

You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes which will be sent home on Ash Wednesday or, by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion. Please return Mission Boxes to school by Friday 22nd March 2024

PARISH MASS TIMES 

SATURDAY -St John’s Anglican Church Wattle Street Evans Head at 5:00 pm

SUNDAY- St Joseph’s Catholic Church Coraki - 9:15 am

ALL WELCOME

Important Dates;

Sacrament of Penance - 16th March at 4 pm at the Anglican Church - All Welcome

St Joseph's Day at St Joseph's School Coraki Tuesday 19th March

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK 11:  INNOVATION AND FAITH

Sacrament of Confirmation - Monday 20th May at St Joseph's Church Coraki 6 pm

CONGRATULATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS

All orders need to be on paper bags with the child's name, class and what they would like to order clearly written on them with the money enclosed. 

ORDERS ARE TO BE IN BY THURSDAY - THANK YOU