Term 4 - 2021 - Week 9

Parents, Friends, Colleagues, students of 2021, I have considered it a tremendous honour to return to St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge.  However, as I wrote 5 years ago it is now time to say farewell.

Mrs Oates Visit

Our new Principal, Mrs Ros Oates visited our school on Monday and Tuesday this week.  She is very excited to commence her role and feels blessed to be leading such an amazing school as ours.

Thank you from departing staff

I would like to say a big thank you to all of our community for you support during my time here.  I know that these words would also be echoed by those staff who are also leaving at the end of this year Mr Thomas, Mr Dong, Mrs Jong, Miss Harms, Mrs Halliday-Wynes, Miss Pappin, Miss Barrett, Mrs Ramm and Mrs Law (on leave in 2022).  Many thanks and I look forward to our paths crossing again in the future – may the spirit of Christ be with you until we do.

Year 6 and 7 Graduation

I feel very privileged for the honour to celebrate the dual graduation of Year 6 and Year 7 tonight, especially as I was, for many of these students, here on their first day in primary school – now their last day in primary school.

I feel privileged because St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge is a great school full of great students.

At tonight’s graduation I will acknowledge the support and relationship that I have had with the parents over my journey at St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge. 

Reports

I trust that you received your child’s report emailed last week and were suitable impressed with their growth.  If you haven’t received this please see Mr Gates or Mrs O’Neil at the front desk.

Holiday Office Hours

The School Office will remain open until December 24th and re-open Monday January 10th. Over the school holidays the office will be closed for lunch between 12noon and 1.00pm each day.

Thank you

On behalf of our staff at St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge, thank you for a great year in 2021.

Please have a safe and happy holiday. 

Merry Christmas.

God Bless.

Brady Stallard

Middle School Building

The Middle School building will be completed on 21^st December and surrounding landscaping will be completed by 10^th January in preparation for the 2022 school year.  Although leaving I look forward to returning for the opening of the new Tenison Woods building in Term 3 next year.

Most importantly today I have spoken to all students and said that I most look forward to seeing them in 6 months’ time and seeing how much they have grown and hearing how much they have grown as a learner.

I am writing to inform you of a change to the school uniform for students from Reception to Year 8 in 2022, and Year 9 in 2023. 

After consultations with representation from families, staff and most importantly students themselves, a decision was made to change to a Smart Play uniform for student in Reception to Year 6 and a smarter formal uniform for students in Years 7-9, in addition to a new sports uniform. All items of the uniform will have the school logo. New navy-blue school socks and a compulsory school bag have also been introduced.

The School Board has approved this positive change and support the introduction of a versatile and quality made product with a 12-month transition period commencing in February 2022.

All new students to our school in 2022 can now be fitted for uniforms at Grandisons, located in Bridge Street, Murray Bridge. The expectation is for all new Reception and students in Years 7 and 8 to be wearing the new uniform at the commencement of the 2022 school year.

Current students from Year 1 to 6 next year can continue to purchase and wear the current uniform until 2023. All children should be dressed in either the new or current school uniform, not a combination of new and old.

The new Smart Play uniform for students in Reception to Year 6 includes a polo shirt, rugby jumper, shorts, track pants, navy school socks, hat and optional soft-shell jacket. There are two varieties of track pants, one more suited for younger students with reinforced knees. This is also the sports uniform for students in Years 7 -9. Footwear for Smart Play and the Sports Uniform will be suitable sports sneakers. 

The new Year 7-9 Formal Uniform allows middle years students to choose items of uniform they are comfortable to wear 12 months of the year. There will no longer be a summer or winter uniform. We refer to as trans-seasonal and as educators understand the importance of supporting all students being comfortable to ensure they have a greater sense of belonging and ownership. On Friday 3 December during the transition day, students were fitted for their new formal uniform.

The Year 7-9 Formal Uniform includes a dress, navy skirt, shorts, long pants, short or long sleeve shirt, jumper and soft-shell jacket. Plus, the navy school socks, hat and bag. Footwear for the Formal Uniform will be black polished school shoes.

All items can be viewed in the School Office and families can purchase the uniform directly from Grandisons.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself.

One of the most popular activities of the Advent and Christmas seasons is the singing of carols.  We have “carols by Candlelight”, “Carols in the Park”, “Carols in the classrooms” and all express happiness and joy.  However, not all carols were composed in happy or joyful circumstances and the “Twelve Days of Christmas” was one such carol.  When Henry V111 has his falling out with Pope Clement V11, he set about to dismantle the Catholic Church and to establish the Church of England.  Catholics were not permitted to practise their faith openly or even in private; if they were caught, the consequences were severe: heavy fines, imprisonment, even death.

So, Catholics devised a “coded” carol as an instruction tool for their children.  It was called the “Twelve Days of Christmas” and its images covered the essentials of their Catholic faith.  The “True love” is God; the “me” is every baptised person; the “partridge in a pear tree” is Jesus and his cross; the “two turtle doves” are the New and Old Testaments”; the “three French hens” are faith, hope and charity; the “four birds” are the four Gospels; the “five golden rings” are the Pentateuch which were the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture that contained the “law” or teaching and instructions; the “six geese-a-laying” are the six days of creation; the “seven swans” the Gifts of the Holy Spirit; the “eight maids” the Beatitudes; the “nine ladies dancing” the fruits of the Holy Spirit; the “ten Lords” the ten commandments; the “eleven pipers” the eleven faithful Apostles; the “twelve drummers” the twelve articles of faith in the Apostles Creed.

Lynne Liebich through our Performing Arts brings the Christmas message to all in our community through the plays and singing of our children.  Children in Reception, shared the story of the first Christmas in their own unique manner.  The Mini Vinnies Committee prepared the ‘Giving Tree’ and collection of food items for St Vincent DePaul’s Christmas hampers as well as the money raised from our 10c recycling collection and our Christmas dress up day.

This time of the year also brings sadness as we say farewell to friends and colleagues who are moving onto new pastures.  Some we have known for many years and others but a short time.  Our Year six and seven are possibly feeling a number of conflicting emotions; happiness at graduating from Year 6 & 7, anxiety about what it could be like at Secondary School and sadness at moving away from some friends.  We thank and farewell Gen Jong, Ciara Pappin, Sian Halliday-Wynnes, Charlotte Harms, Pengfei Dong, Sarah Barrett & Lyndall Ram as well as Rowan Thomas and Brady Stallard.  I hope and pray they all take away fond memories of their time at St Joseph’s and that they will remember that God will always be there for them and to let the wonder of God’s love come through their lives and allow it to be available to other people.

GOD’S BLESSINGS, PEACE AND BEST WISHES FOR A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

Murray Bridge Catholic Parish Christmas Mass Times

CHRISTMAS EVE

Mannum 4pm

Murray Bridge - 7pm ( Outside Mass)

Meningie - 6pm

Tailem Bend - 8pm

CHRISTMAS DAY

Murray Bridge - 9am

Every year, Arch D Radio & Podcasting celebrates outstanding achievement by Catholic school students.  This year, they have created a new awards category, the "Principal's Podcasting Award".  

This award is presented to the podcasting team that the Principal believes stood out the most in reference to the Living Learning Leading capability "self-aware, collaborative & socially adept" 

and how this teamwork assisted in creating a great quality podcast in their own Arch D school student cohort.

Congratulations to the 2021 winners:    Lilliana, Layla and Summer for the "Tropical Triplets" podcast.

Hello friends and families,

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