As we enter the holy season of Lent, we are reminded of the significance of Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of our 40-day journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The ashes we receive on our foreheads are a powerful symbol of repentance, calling us to turn away from sin and embrace the Gospel. Thank you to Mrs Hunt and students for the Ash Wednesday Liturgy.

Lent is a time for deep reflection, an opportunity to grow in faith and renew our relationship with God. Through acts of sacrifice and service, we unite ourselves with Christ's journey to the Cross, preparing our hearts for the joy of Easter.

Ways to Observe Lent:

Prayer: Strengthen your spiritual life through daily prayer, Scripture reading, and attending Mass.

Fasting: Abstain from indulgences and practice self-discipline as an offering to God.

Almsgiving: Extend kindness and charity to those in need, embodying Christ’s love in action. We ask all students and families to contribute to Project Compassion during the weeks of Lent.

As students of St Joseph’s I ask that you look towards the ‘other’ and embrace difference rather than always looking towards yourself. Let us walk together in faith, embracing this season with humility and devotion. May the Lord guide us in our Lenten journey, leading us to a deeper understanding of His grace and mercy.

A new Attendance Policy and Procedure has been introduced across all Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) schools to promote regular student attendance. Schools, in partnership with families, are responsible for encouraging and supporting consistent attendance.

Our school has developed specific processes for these attendance levels and will contact parents in various ways to encourage and support regular attendance. This communication may include: daily absence notifications, weekly reminders for unexplained absences, telephone calls, emails, and letters. Targeted and Intensive Interventions will involve parent meetings and the creation of Individual Plans to improve attendance.

Monitoring Attendance

We are tracking attendance on a fortnightly basis using monitoring spreadsheets. These will help assess overall school and individual student attendance levels, guiding actions and communications with parents.

As parents, you can now see your child’s current attendance percentage through the Compass App.

We encourage you to regularly monitor this percentage throughout the year. Our aim for all students is an attendance rate greater than 95%.

Travel

To minimise disruptions to student learning, we strongly encourage parents to schedule travel during the 11 weeks of school holidays each year wherever possible.

• If a student will be absent for more than five days, parents must complete an Extended Absence Form well in advance of the planned trip.
• Travel absences of less than five days will be recorded as an ‘Unjustified Absence’ in accordance with CEDOW policy and government regulations.

Extended Absence

Year 7 2026/2027 Enrolment Applications - ENROL NOW!

We’re enrolling now for 2026 and 2027! Applications are fee-free and can be made online. If your child is due to start Year 7 next year or the year after, the best time to make your application is in Term 1 this year.

We ask that applications be submitted before Friday, 4 April.

We will be processing Year 6 applications in Term 2 and Year 5 applications during Term 3.

Learn more about our school and the enrolment process here: http://www.sjchsdow.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/