Term 4 - 2021 - Week 7

It is with great news that Dr Neil McGoran announced that Ms. Rosslyn Oates will be St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge’s substantive Principal.  Dr McGoran wrote in his announcement:

“I am pleased to announce that Ms Rosslyn Oates has been appointed to the position of Principal at St Joseph’s School, Murray Bridge. Ros will take up her new appointment at the commencement of Term 1, 2022.

Ros holds the substantive position of Principal at Our Lady of the River School, Berri, a position she has held since 2013. Ros is well known to the Murray Bridge community, and I am confident that her high level personal and professional qualities, skills and knowledge of the school will enable her to successfully lead the community of St Joseph’s School, Murray Bridge.

Ros is an experienced Catholic leader, with a deep personal faith and a focus on the wellbeing of children as a precursor for learning. Ros is looking forward to working with the staff, students, parents and the parish community and I am sure she will find a very warm welcome among you.

Please join me in wishing Ros every success as she commences her new appointment.”

On behalf of our school community I would like to welcome Rosslyn to St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge.  Rosslyn is very excited about returning to Murray Bridge.  In anticipation, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for how I know you will welcome Ms Oates in 2022.  I look forward to seeing the school move from strength to strength in 2022 and beyond.

Mr Brown

It was a pleasure to see Mr Brown come back on Thursday where the Year 3’s held a liturgy to mark his farewell.  Mr Brown explained what retirement was and wished all of the students well in their future endeavours. 

Mr Brown was well and in good health, despite what many students in Year 2 had recently been thinking.

On behalf of St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge we thank Mr Brown for his leadership of the school over the past 4 ½ years.  May retirement offer you time to spend with your family and spend time doing the things you love.

Reports

Semester 2 reports will be distributed on Friday 3 December. If you haven’t received your report by Monday 6 December please see Mr Gates or Mrs O’Neil at the front desk before Wednesday 8 December.

Primary School Graduation

I look forward to seeing our Year 6 and 7’s graduate from Primary School on  Wednesday 8 December.  It has been a privilege to be able to return to St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge to see this cohort graduate having enrolled many of them in my first tenure at the school.  It is the greatest moment to see students grow, learn and mature over their schooling from Reception to Year 6/7.  I know that further information has gone out to our Year 6 and 7 families about the evening.  Personally, I wish to thank all Year 6 and 7 families for their commitment to St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge over this journey.  These graduating students make us proud knowing that each of them takes our motto “in all things kindness” into our world.

Middle School in 2022

We look forward to taking our Yr 6 and 7 students into the new building next week.  I was told today that the handover of the buildings will be on December 22.  What a gift for our community for Christmas!!! 

Also on this day we receive delivery of a new School Bus ready to enhance learning opportunities in 2022.

2022 Uniform

As advised last newsletter I will be writing ASAP about the 2022 Uniform arrangements.

God Bless

Brady Stallard

Here’s a good insight into life: “Life is not about being better than someone else.  It is about striving to be better than you used to be.” (Anon) St Augustine had another good insight when he wrote: “When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold.  When people choose to withdraw far from the light, the light continues to be bright in itself but they are in darkness.  This is also the case when people withdraw from God.”

And withdraw from God we all do, not out of disbelief necessarily, but mostly out of forgetfulness, because we are just too busy with the rest of life.  Take for example the Bethlehem Innkeeper who told Mary and Joseph that there was no room for them in his inn.  This did not mean that he was a bad person; he was just very busy taking care of his customers, providing for their needs and keeping the peace.  Unfortunately, when the most important birth in history took place in his backyard, he missed it entirely, not because he was a bad person, he was just too busy.

With Christmas just around the corner, we might be too busy to give attention to what we are actually commemorating.  Those who live “by the cash register” will do everything they can to keep our attention on our wallets and purses.  The Three Wise Men seem to have had the true understanding of the Christmas event.  They spent many weeks in anticipation as they travelled from their homeland to Bethlehem.  When they arrived, their purpose was to honour the newborn child and out of courtesy they brought one gift each.

We, too, have the opportunity for a period of anticipation in the Season of Advent.  Advent is celebrated every year for weeks before Christmas Day.  Of course, Advent is a constant season for, within our own lives, we are continuously waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfil. hope, struggle, fear, expectations, are all part of our Advent experience.  God does not come to us from the sky, he comes to us in the daily story of our lives in people, places and events.

Advent invites us to prepare for the commemoration of God’s coming by taking time to have a closer look inside ourselves away from the busy outside.  This looking inside is not about remorse or regret, nor about listing ways life over the past year could have been different; it’s not about wishing we were better people.  It’s about forward movement, getting new bearings, relying more on God for directions.  It’s about a fresh start, getting closer to the “fire” and the “light” that are God’s love and compassion.  Advent is a time to “Rejoice, let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is nigh.” (St Paul Phil 4:4,5)

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Congratulations to the following children who have been preparing for and will celebrate their First Reconciliation this Friday night.  Next year they will begin preparation for the celebration of the final Sacraments of Initiation: Confirmation and Holy Communion.

Isaac, Elena, Leo, Patreece, Sam, Jake, Isaac, Fritz and Lulu

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Hello friends and families,

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