St Joseph’s Day activities are important in a holistic development of students. Why? Because it gives opportunities for senior students to lead their peers. It provides an opportunity for interacting with different people, not just your friendship group, in a casual setting and lastly, it is the opportunity for ‘play’. Play is important whether you are a child or an adult. Play for adults is often sport or even a reason why fantasy movies get such a following, as they are playful. Creative free play is one of the strongest ways of developing children. Unfortunately the research is not so positive about play with screen time.

St Joseph was the earthly father for Jesus. He was the protector and followed God’s instruction in taking Mary on, with trust. In the Bible, Joseph is the strong, silent type; no words are attributed to him, but he was a constant, and Jesus and Mary could trust in him to look after them. Today being true to your word is just as important. To be there for your family and friends whilst being true to yourself. So I hope everyone has an excellent St Joseph’s Activity Day.

Congratulations to Ms Behl as we hosted the Diocesan Environmental Network Meeting. Our students have worked hard to establish an excellent bin system and encourage all students to always follow the directions and not get lazy with rubbish. Rubbish and how we dispose of it, can affect our environment in a very negative manner.

Mrs Bell and I went to a Strategic Planning Day for the school on Wednesday, and I am pleased to say we are definitely on track with improvements in learning, facilities and the grounds. I am pleased to see the engagement in the classrooms with the content, and the increased knowledge of staff about their students and their learning needs.

The Year Coordinators are currently engaging in checking in with every student over the next few weeks, identifying their support networks, needs and what their goals are for learning. This data will then help inform the resilience program in the school.

Assessments and report writing is coming up, and all students have the opportunity to grow and develop each semester. We will also be reviewing student grades and growth, and making sure that students are pushed outside their comfort zone - as that is the only way you can develop your learning!

Ms Amanda Wilson