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Dear Parents and Carers,
On Tuesday, March 4th, our school celebrated Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday. Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, allowing families to use up pantry items they won't consume during Lent. Thank you to Mr Wickham, Mrs Fraser and Natasha who cooked up a feast of pancakes for the school.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period leading up to Holy Thursday. Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, reflecting the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert. It allows us time to reflect on our mistakes, ask for forgiveness and strengthen our relationship with God and with others.
Thank you to Mr Wickham who organised our school’s participation in Ash Wednesday with our Year 3 to 6 students attending Parish mass at the church, and our Kinder to Year 2 students participating in a liturgy at school.
Building Works Update
Over the past two weeks we have completed the installation of the roof over our outdoor learning area and the LED installation in the hall.
The roof over the outdoor learning area is wonderful and adds another space in our school where children can play on wet or hot days.
The LED screen in the hall will make an enormous difference to our whole school events and liturgies and as you can see it looks great.
We are extremely excited to welcome you into our school during Student Led Conferences this week so you can see the improvements made throughout the school.
Enrolments for 2026 now open
Kindergarten Enrolments for 2026 are now open! You can easily complete your enrolment applications online through our school website.
Join us on March 20th for an informative session and a tour of our school. We encourage anyone considering St Joseph’s to attend this event.
Additionally, Year 7 enrolments for 2026 at St Clare’s are also open and can be completed online.
We look forward to welcoming new families to our community!
Student Led Conferences
This week we hold our student led conferences for Years 1 to 6 and our Parent Teacher Meetings for Kinder. Our students in Years 1 to 6 have been busy preparing for their conference with you and they are looking forward to sharing their learning goals and some of their work. If you did not get a chance to book your conference time, please contact the office to make a time.
Upcoming Webinar
On Wednesday the 12th of March from 7.30pm to 8.45pm there is a webinar for parents titled The Big 6 Skills that Create Wellbeing in Children and Teens. It is presented by clinical psychologist, author, speaker and creator of Learning Strengths™, Andrew Fuller. The topics covered as part of this session include:
· Anxiety reduction
· Concentration
· Friendship skills
· Reducing Gaming
· Sleep and rest
· Increasing motivation
Here is the link if you are interested
https://mncatholic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ShlyHy1STeum2Nl5gOohfQ
Today I share the Project Compassion Lenten Prayer with you. Please join me in praying for those who need our compassion.
God Bless
Mel Hunt
RE Focus: The Season of Lent
What is Lent?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (5th March 2025) and ends at sunset, with Mass, on Holy Thursday (17th April 2025). It is a 40-day time of prayer (communicating with God), fasting (Giving up a luxury or taking up an extra chore), and giving to the poor (in time, money or donations) that helps Christians become closer in their relationship with God as they prepare to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter.
Why is Lent important?
For Christians it is a time of reflection and repentance. A time to make right with others and God as they are led to the Paschal Mystery, that is the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Traditionally Shrove Tuesday was an opportunity to use up ‘rich’ ingredients such as butter, eggs, and sugar before fasting for the Lenten season. Pancakes are the most logical thing to cook. It is a tradition that is still popular with many today, especially children.
Why do people have an ash cross on their forehead on Ash Wednesday?
Catholics have been doing this for centuries. In the Old Testament wearing ashes was a common sign of repentance for sins, and a sign of one’s humility before God. Since Lent is a season of restoring relationships it’s appropriate that this ancient sign marks the beginning of the season.
As a school we celebrate these special days of the liturgical year by having Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and then attending mass with the OLPH Wingham community on Ash Wednesday.
Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion is a time when Catholic communities across Australia come together in a beautiful act of solidarity and generosity during Lent. Every year, millions of people unite to support vulnerable communities around the world, and each year we have the opportunity to reflect on the power of our actions and the difference we can make in the lives of others. It’s a time when we can really think about how we can embody our faith through compassion and service.
This year, Project Compassion calls on us to Unite Against Poverty this Lent. It’s an invitation to stand in solidarity with those who face immense challenges every day—challenges that most of us can scarcely imagine. By coming together and sharing our blessings, we can bring hope, opportunity, and lasting change to those who need it most.
Project Compassion 2025 shares the stories of three incredible individuals whose lives have been transformed by the generosity of supporters like you:
First, there is the story of Toefuata'iga (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) from Samoa, whose primary school overcame severe water shortages through the support of Caritas Australia. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, her school now has access to a sustainable water supply, improving the health and education of her entire community.
Then there is the story of Lam, a young man from rural Vietnam who has lived with the challenges of short stature, a disability that often led to societal stigma and limited opportunities. Through Caritas Australia’s support, he accessed education and vocational training that allowed him to overcome these barriers. Today, Lam is thriving and inspiring others in his community to see that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has something valuable to offer.
And finally, there is Irene from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a country plagued by instability and poverty, Irene’s faced immense challenges in her life. But with the help of Caritas Australia and its local partners, she was able to gain new skills that empowered her to provide for her family and build a more stable life. Her story is one of hope and transformation - a testament to the profound impact of your generosity.
Today, I would like to encourage you to reflect on how you can participate in Project Compassion. You can make a donation, no matter how small, to support life-changing programs like those that helped Toefuata'iga, Lam, and Irene. Donation envelopes are available in the pews, and you can also take home a Project Compassion box to fill throughout Lent. You can also donate online at: projectcompassion.org.au
The 2025 Sacramental Program
Parents or Carers of children turning 8 or older this year who are baptised and would like their children to be Confirmed, receive their first Eucharist and first Reconciliation this year, are invited to attend THE INTRODUCTION TO SACRAMENTS session being held at school in the hall on Thursday 13th March 2025, beginning at 3:30pm. This session will outline the commitment for families for the sacramental program as well as give a brief introduction to each sacrament. Following from this, the session dates for 2025 are listed below:
Information and registration afternoon – Thursday 13/3 @ 3:30pm in the school hall.
Reconciliation preparation – Sunday 30/3 @ 3:00pm in the school hall (Followed by mass @ 4:45pm).
Sacrament of Reconciliation – Tuesday 8/4 @ 5:30pm - OLOR Taree.
Confirmation preparation – Sunday 18/5 @ 3:00pm in the hall (Followed by mass @ 4:45pm).
Confirmation practice – Friday 23/5 @ 5:30pm - OLOR Taree.
Sacrament of Confirmation – Sunday 25/5 @ 9:30am - OLOR Taree.
First communion preparation – Sunday 14/9 @3:00pm in the hall (Followed by mass @ 4:45pm).
Sacrament of First Communion – Sunday 21/9 @ 4:45pm mass – OLPH Wingham.
Parents or Carers of children who are not baptised and are interested in having their children baptised in the church, this sacrament can be done throughout the year and arranged by contact the Parish Office on 0436 312 222 Tuesday – Friday between 9:00am – 3:00pm.
If you have any questions regarding this or would like more information, please contact Mr Buchtmann or Mrs Hunt at school.
Prime Minister Award
‘Being a steward of creation’, ‘Trying your best’, ‘Speaking with kindness’ and ‘Being a responsible learner’ are some of the qualities that teachers consider when awarding ‘Prime Minister’ at our weekly assembly. It is an acknowledgement of the student’s efforts and they have the privilege of wearing the badge with honour, of suggesting a focus the school can work on, award Gotchas to other students at lunch time as well as earning Gotchas for themselves. Congratulations goes to Isaac Ungaro (week 6)
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system ,we acknowledge that the following students; Jarmirrikai Clarke - 50 Gotchas. IzacXuerub - 100 Gotchas Well Done!
Behaviour Management at St. Josephs – PB4L and MJR
As mentioned in our previous newsletters, our PB4L system uses a points system to reward positive behaviour. “Gotchas” are given to students for positive social behaviours in the classroom and playground and for individual acts of great respect. These behaviours relate to our school-wide expectations of being safe, respectful learners and stewards of creation. These expectations are set out on a matrix to provide consistency across the school. Students are explicitly taught the weekly focus area, however they are also taught about expectations in the various school settings.
Each Gotcha, which students collect, equals a point. These points are collated each week in the classroom and students can redeem these points for special privileges each Thursday. To celebrate positive behaviour, students receive a badge for each hundred milestone reached. Our process this year is for admin to contact you to invite you to attend the weekly assembly if your child is receiving a milestone badge.
In Math, we have been learning to identify patterns, add and subtract two-digit numbers using various strategies and identifying key words and numbers within worded problems.
The students have been blessed with new classroom facilities and equipment over the holiday period including one to one device. This has been very exciting for the students and will only add to the learning experiences within Year 2 this year.
Mr Knoke
Year 2 Classroom Teacher
On Wednesday 26th February 2025 Eleanor Healy, Kai MacMillan and Samuel Ungaro attended the Diocesan Swimming Carnival at the Forum in Newcastle. The best swimmers in the Newcastle/Maitland Diocesan were assembled. The students had a great day at the event competing hard in their respective races and representing St Joseph's Wingham well. A big thank you to Sheree Ungaro and Alissa Healy for transporting the students to the event. It was a wonderful experience and achievement for the students!
Mr Knoke
Year 2 Teacher
