Newsletter 38 – Term 4 Week 8 2019

Somewhere, out at the edges, the night
Is turning and the waves of darkness
Beginning to brighten the shore of dawn.

The heavy dark falls back to earth
And the freed air goes wild with light,
The heart fills with fresh, bright breath
And thoughts stir to give birth to colour.

I arise today

In the name of Silence,
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness,
Home of Belonging,
In the name of the Solitude
Of the Soul and the Earth.

I arise today

Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.

May I live this day

Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.

The beautiful prayer of Matins by John O’Donohue enables us to prepare, with a sense of hope, for what life gives us – the suffering and delight, the anxiety and the wonder. It is hard in the midst of darkness to believe that light will again reign but life teaches us this lesson as well. As we move as a community into Christmas, we pray for peace and gentleness to nurture us all.

I wish to acknowledge the commitment and service of three long-serving College teachers as they commence retirement at the conclusion of this term;

• Mr Michael Murtagh: member of R5 PC and French teacher spaning the last 42 years,
• Mrs Anne Willett: St Joseph’s Canteen assistant for the last 15 years,
• Mr Geoff Gibbon: House Leader of McAuley and English teacher at St Joseph’s for the past 34 years.

We thank each of these members of our St Joseph’s College community for all they have been and all they have given.

Advent Reflection

Precious Lord, as I embrace this Advent Season, please open my eyes to see the great value and blessing of Your birth. Help me to discover Your hidden presence in this world and within my own soul. I desire to see, understand and experience the profound effects that Your vision has on my life and I desire to receive those effects more fully this Advent. May I become a sanctuary in which You dwell so that I, like Your dear Mother, may bring Your presence into the world.

60th Birthday Celebrations for Dan O’Neil

Last Day of School Year – Day of Celebration

Today the school participated in a day of celebration.  Students and staff dressed up in their finest Christmas attire. Activities included Skipping rope Challenges, instrumental ensembles, Karaoke, Trivia, a Talent quest and a sausage sizzle.  The day ended with a Advent liturgy, Christmas carols and farewell to staff and students.

Breakfast Club

Thank you to all of the staff and students involved in the final week of Breakfast Club for the year. It was an extra special, Christmas themed morning with our students donning some festive Christmas accessories to boost holiday spirits. We also gifted the Clifford Park students with a small Christmas decoration to say thank you for their companionship throughout the year. The Year 11 co-ordinating group were also fortunate enough to receive a certificate of thanks and a small gift from the Clifford Park students for all the hard work they have put in during the year. It has been a successful and rewarding year at Breakfast Club and we look forward to doing it all again next year!

For many people, the festive season is an enjoyable time of year to connect with friends and family, to celebrate the year that has been, and look forward to new beginnings. That being said, it can also be a time where many will struggle with a range of issues which can lead to increased stress and unhappiness.

Why people get stressed at Christmas

While it would be lovely if this time of year was completely relaxing and smooth sailing, Christmas and the holidays can be an exceptionally busy and challenging time. There are a range of stressors that people can face, which include:

• working long hours to get things finished before the holidays
• worrying about the financial cost of buying Christmas presents
• getting all the Christmas shopping done in time
• expectations of how things ‘should’ be at Christmas time
• missing loved ones who are no longer with us
• dealing with family conflict
• children having to go between parents who are separated
• overdoing it with too many family, work or social events

Below are some suggested tips by Beyond Blue and Reachout to help minimise stress and make the Christmas holiday period more fun and fulfilling:

Plan ahead

As the end of the year fast approaches, it’s OK to feel overwhelmed or a little burnt out. So be kind to yourself when you’re planning what you will do. Christmas can be a difficult day, but it’s what you make it.

Change your expectations

Being invited to social events and the pressure of living up to expectations can increase stress for people. You do have a choice in how you spend your holiday season and it may be that you simply need to change your expectations for the day; change Christmas to meet your needs and spend time with people who are supportive.

Manage conflict

Christmas can be stressful if there’s tension between your family or friends or an unrealistic expectation to just ‘put on a smile’. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, try to be as understanding as you can of other people’s situations; most people are under stress to some degree too. If you find that things are getting on top of you, talk to someone you trust about how you feel. You might even talk to the person or people causing you stress to see if you can work something out together.

Be financially festive

The gifts, food and expectations can all start to add up. If you’re not able to spend money comfortably, don’t spend it as it will only add to stress in the new year. Instead do something meaningful for others and give gifts such as a handpicked care package, a babysitting voucher or offer to help with the huge pile of dishes after Christmas lunch.

Give back

Volunteering is a great way to boost self-esteem and support people who may be going through a difficult time.

Take time out

Being constantly on the go or spending a lot of time with someone you don’t often see can be tough. Taking some time out for yourself might help you to enjoy the festive season. Maybe chill out by listening to some music, going for a walk or chatting with a friend.

Reflect and set goals

You can choose to forget the year altogether or take the opportunity to look back on your journey and celebrate your achievements.  Consider planning for the year ahead and come up with positive and achievable goals that contribute to making you feel positive, healthy, confident and fulfilled.

Stay in the present

Being mindful can be an effective way to cope with holiday stress. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, try to bring yourself back to where you are and slow your breathing down. Consider doing some regular relaxation exercises and practicing mindfulness.

Work out a Christmas plan with separated families

Talk about how you’re going to split your time at Christmas. If parents live close to each other, you might negotiate to do lunch at one place and dinner at the other (swapping each year). Where there is a good deal of travel involved, consider alternating where the children spend Christmas each year.

Reach out if you need to

Occasions like Christmas can also bring up feelings of sadness and grief for people who have lost someone special. If you feel you can, talk about your loved one, share memories, and tears. You may also like to spend some time alone so you can think about your loved one. It’s also OK to enjoy yourself, don’t feel guilty, it doesn’t mean you don’t miss them.

The Garden City has three new Queensland rugby seven stars and one of them belongs to St Joseph’s College. We would like to congratulate Jada Ferguson who will line-up for the under 17 Reds on the Sunshine Coast in the Queensland national titles this weekend. All three players have developed through the South West Rugby and Darling Downs 7’s competition. All three have played together and look forward to the championships.

This has been a long hard task for Jada who spends most of her time travelling backwards and forwards to Brisbane for training and games. A dedication that has truly been worth it.

We wish her the best for a great championship and hope that they bring they can bring home the title.

2019 was a year of innovation and creativity in the SJC Religion Department. Alongside our mission to enhance the spiritual understanding of our students, we also challenged their critical thinking embedding new forms of technology. The merging of these areas will hopefully equip our students to participate thoughtfully and effectively in faith contexts and the wider society.

The College’s LMS, Canvas, is a remarkable tool of learning.  The Religion Department took full advantage of its ability this year. A great deal of work behind the scenes by key teachers led to the creation of Blueprints and Year Level Courses.  Students quickly learnt how to upload their assignments and participate in class discussions.  Having access to their whole course content has been an advantage for many students this year and they have frequently commented on how Canvas assists their learning.  This is only the beginning for our use of this fabulous tool and we look forward to how we can continue to enhance students’ faith education with its help.

In each year level, students also experimented and utilized a range of technology in their assessment creation and study.  Year 7 students have been introduced to the online Bible access through BibleGateway and have filmed and edited promotional videos for positive relationships. Year 8 students used Publisher to create trading cards on the movers and shakers of the Church in the medieval period.  Our Year 9 students took on one of our greatest challenges. They participated in a design thinking project and applied the principles of design and problem solving to the issue of declining practice of prayer in teenagers. The results were incredible. From functional websites to café floor plans, phone apps to full day workshops; our students created incredible ways for teenagers to learn and participate in prayer experiences.  These were only some of the examples of the opportunities students have had to combine their learning of Religion curriculum with technology and digital skills.

The Year 11 cohort has also had to apply their skills of innovation and critical thinking.  The introduction of the new ATAR system has meant many changes for their year level.  In Religion, these changes brought great possibilities.  Religion and Ethics students embarked on a new program that included meaningful topics on Australian Indigenous Spiritualities and the heroes and role models in our students’ lives. Study of Religion students stepped into the world of objectives, investigations and ISMGs.  It was a steep learning curve, but with the help of Canvas, they have been able to keep track of the extensive educational journey through Units 1 and 2.

There is so much more to look forward to in 2020 as we continue this path of discovery and innovation.

This would never be possible without the hard work, willingness and individual talents of the department. I give my heartfelt thanks to the teachers of Religion for taking on the task of walking with students in their faith journey and equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to live in faith in our modern world.

click here to find the lists

Several pairs of glasses have been handed in.  Please check at student entrance to see if we have yours.

Next Meeting

February 4 – 7 pm – College Library

Come join the fun.

Minutes for November

Minutes Meeting 5 November 2019

November Treasurer’s Report

Treasurers Report 5 November 2019

Property Report November

Property Report 5 November 2019

AGM Minutes 2019

AGM Minutes 5 November 2019

President’s Report AGM 2019

PF President Report 2019

Treasurer’s Report AGM 2019

Treasurers Report 2019 AGM

Property Report AGM 2019

Property Report AGM 2019

Friday – November 29

Saturday – November 30

Sunday – December 1

Monday – December 2

Tuesday – December 3

Wednesday – December 4

Thursday – December 5

Friday – December 6

Full 2019 Calendar

Click here for all upcoming events…

https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/calendar/

Farewell to our beautiful Anne Willett.

S incere

I nvigorating

S weet

T errific

E ngaging

R eliable

What else can you say!!

Thanks for the journey.  Fifteen years of Blood, Sweat and Tears.

I am going to miss you everyday.

Deb xx

Canteen Roster January 2020

Monday           27  Public Holiday

Tuesday           28  Toni Burton

Wednesday     27  Jayme Kidd

Thursday         28  Adul Lual

Friday              29   Shinny Owen

Volunteers needed for Canteen Roster 2020

Please contact office@sjc.qld.edu.au

Trading Hours 

Tuesday – 8 am to 12 noon

Wednesday   –  8 am to 4 pm

Thursday   –  8 am to 12 noon

Uniform fitting Appointments are still available in December and up to January 24th.

Opening hours, price list and online ordering available through the school App, select Uniform Shop (bottom left) and follow the instructions. Your order will be filled when the store is next open.

Donations of clean secondhand uniform items can be dropped into the uniform shop during opening hours and are greatly appreciated.

Formal hats compulsory for ALL students next year.

School bags are compulsory for Years 7, 8 and all new students – optional for all other students

Holiday trading hours

College Uniform Price List 2020

https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/College-Uniform-price-list-2019-2020.pdf

Second hand uniforms are also available at the Uniform Shop.

If you have used uniform items that would like to donate, please drop off to the Uniform Shop during opening hours.  Donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have used uniform items that you would like us to sell for you, please call into the uniform shop and collect a “Used Clothing” form. Used uniforms items MUST be in good condition, hems intact, no holes, stains or missing buttons. They also need to washed, ironed and be the current uniform.

If you have any questions, please call us on 4631 8514 during opening hours.

Please remember to send a note with your child, to show the classroom teacher, if they need to leave the College early for any reason.  Parent/Guardian are required to be physically present to sign out and collect a student.

Student Absentees

If your Child is absent please notify the College before 8:30am by either phoning, 4631 8500 using the new App or emailing office@sjc.qld.edu.au 

When phoning, please remember to speak clearly and leave the child’s full name and PC class.

Are your details correct in our system?

Is your information up to date?
Will your report card go to the right address?
Don’t miss important messages and updates on excursions send through the email system or App notification.

Please email any changes to office@sjc.qld.edu.au