Dear St Joseph’s Families and Friends,

With the beginning of the school year well under way and the business of life, schedules, timetables, homework etc., becoming routine, it may be a good time to reflect on our St Joseph’s is our School Mission and Vision statements, which articulate ‘Who we are’, ‘What we value’ and ‘What we stand for’.  They are important statements for all members of the school community to know and appreciate and for your reference, are included below.

Vision

‘Every child succeeding in every classroom every day’

St Joseph’s Parish School Weipa, is a welcoming, inclusive Christ-centred community, that is committed to student wellbeing, student academic success and spiritual growth. Teachers, parents and students work in partnership to maintain high expectations within a positive environment where every student is known, valued and cared for.

Mission

‘Bringing Faith and Learning to life’

At St Joseph's we believe that the essential focus of our school is to be a place of authentic learning where students find meaning and purpose in their life through the integration of faith and culture.

Through our words and actions we will live our vision by:

• celebrating our faith in God
• respecting God, self, others and creation
• enriching our community through service

Core Values

“With… Humility, Justice and Compassion … we journey together”

Everyone involved with the school; staff, parents and students, has a part to play. I invite all of us to work together to make real these statements in our school.

We aim to live out our school motto, ‘Bringing Faith and Learning to Life’, inspired by St Joseph and Mary MacKillop, we strive for to live out the values of humility, justice and compassion.

This year our theme for the year is …’Never see a need without doing something about it.’ This is a great lesson we can learn not only through the life and actions of a saint very dear to our school, St Mary MacKillop, as well as the life of St Joseph and teachings of Jesus.

Building on from our theme of the year, we will also be learning more about our school values during 2023; humility, justice and compassion, which are part of the story of both St Joseph and St Mary MacKillop.

Next week, the season of Lent will commence on Ash Wednesday. On Tuesday we will begin a new tradition for Shrove Tuesday, by holding a Pancake Breakfast. From 8am to 8:30am you can buy pancakes for $1 each at our tuckshop. All are welcome. This will be a bit of delicious fun, before we focus our attention to the importance of Lent and its significance on Ash Wednesday.

Lent is one of the most important seasons in the church calendar. It is a special time for our Catholic Church when we are invited to make a new beginning and prepare ourselves for Easter. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or giving to the needy, are traditional practices of preparation.

Lent is a time of reflection, anticipation for our Lord’s Resurrection, a time of transformation. In life, we are always transforming, evolving, growing stronger and more mature in our skills, our attitudes and our wisdom. In these weeks of Lent, let us look within to see what needs to be transformed in our own lives. 

Have a wonderful week.
God bless,