The reason for the season of Advent often gets lost in the busyness of the events of tying up the end of a year, getting ready for holidays or for Christmas day. We usually get to the day exhausted and only then can we begin to find the peace and joy of the reason - the birth of the Christ child.

I ask students to be the ‘present’ for their families to be the peacemakers, helpers, and bring joy to their world. This is the greatest gift you can give to your family, the gift of your presence and yourself. Don’t have them chase you off a device to be with your family. Family is precious and too often unappreciated until they are gone. Be ‘Christ like’ and show your appreciation for everything your family does for you.

Thank you to our Senior SRC for the events of Santa Photos and ‘Christmas in the Cola’ day that occurs next week.

Our carpark is underway and the science labs are in the process of being demolished and services being set up for the new lab design. This work will continue into January.

Parents will be receiving the PAT data as part of the report package that demonstrates your child’s growth over the year in Maths and reading. The overall results for the students are positive with the average growth being above the PAT data norm. This is just one measure of student achievement in combination with the student report and teacher comments, it paints a fuller picture of your child’s growth over the year.

St Joseph’s has high expectations, high levels of support available and high accountability. We are aiming for student attendance to be 95%, regular attendance is deemed to be 90% or above. Please consider this when planning your holidays for 2025. Every day at school counts.