APRE
A note from the APRE
2025 Student Leaders
As announced this term, our School Leaders will be Lala-Sue Bowie, Rowan Christie and Aiza Naizi. The House Leaders will be Ella Mitton for Pine, Claire Dore for Mission and Kaylee Hofman for Embley. We congratulate our new student leaders for 2025 and all Year 5 students who nominated for a leadership position.
Remembrance Day Liturgy
On Monday 11th November we had a liturgy to remember all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our Australian Armed Forces. We paid respect and acknowledged how their sacrifice over 100 years ago has meant that we are able to live in a country free of war today.
World Kindness Day
On the 13th November we acknowledged World Kindness Day. It was a good reminder that kindness is a universal language that transcends boundaries. By embracing and promoting kindness, we can create a more compassionate and connected community. We need to celebrate the good in humanity and spread kindness every day. A smile. A hug. A kind word. They are all free and take only seconds. But the difference they can make in someone’s life is unmeasurable. Try to do small acts of kindness each day and be the change you want to see in the world.
Puberty Teaching Guide Launch
St Joseph’s students delivered an Australia-first in health teaching this term! Our students played an important role in the launch of a teaching guide that was developed over years of work with local community and The University of Queensland. Western Cape College and St Joseph’s students participated in puberty and menstrual health education sessions. These have been run by local company, Embley, in collaboration with The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health.
Together, we have created the first menstrual health teaching guide developed on Country and involving majority Indigenous students. It was important for the relevance and usefulness of this guide that it covers questions, topics and information derived directly from discussion with our students. This ensures that the guide aligns and covers the information students from the Western Cape are wanting to know. Discussing health topics that have previously been taboos, such as menstrual health/periods, can be challenging for individuals. Engaging in open and honest conversations around menstrual health can help remove existing stigma and is essential to promoting the overall health and wellbeing of individuals and society.
The teaching guide is free for download from this website: https://public-health.uq.edu.au/mind-your-body. We anticipate that teachers across the country will learn from ideas, thoughts and feedback contributed by our students. The guide was launched in a special assembly this term for our Year 5 and 6 students. The guide’s authors- Minnie King (Embley Contracting and Women on Country), Associate Professor Nina Lansbury and Olivia Milsom (UQ)- presented printed versions of the guide to Ms Kath Porter on behalf of St Joseph’s. Two of the student artists whose work was selected to illustrate the guide were former students of St Joseph’s: Chelsea Steele and Sharli Wallace. Well done, students!
Farewell Mass
On the 18th November Fr. Dariusz helped us to say farewell to our Year 6 students, families and staff leaving our St Joey’s Community at the end of the year. We understand that we are a very transient community in Weipa but it is always sad when we have to say goodbye to our friends. We ask God to keep them all in the palm of his hand, protecting them and always guiding them in the right direction. We hope they always live their lives by our St Joey’s values of Humility, Justice and Compassion.
Advent
Advent is the season that precedes Christmas. It varies in length from 22-28 days. This year it begins on the 1st December. During this season, Catholics, and other Christians, enter a time of hopeful anticipation and joyful preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Advent and Christmas offer us the opportunity to prayerfully commemorate the birth of Jesus, to become more aware of God’s presence in our everyday lives and to reflect on the second coming of Jesus at the end of time.
2025 Sacramental Program
At St Joseph’s Parish School we hold a Sacramental Program for our students every two years. We had one last year, which means our next one will be in 2025. An expression of interest form will be sent to families asking if you are interested in your child participating in the Sacramental Program.
The Sacramental Program includes receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, First Eucharist (Holy Communion) and Confirmation.
The Sacramental Program involves students participating in a 10-week program, one afternoon session a week, followed by receiving Reconciliation at a Saturday liturgy and receiving First Eucharist and Confirmation at a Sunday Mass the following day. Mrs Dore will help the students to prepare for the receiving of their sacramentals through the Sacramental Program. This will likely run from June to August.
Baptism is available to all students under 16 years, one parent must be baptised Catholic. (Students can receive this sacrament and participate in the sacramental program to receive Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation later in the year). Any adults or children over 16 years wanting to be baptised will need to go through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process. Baptisms will likely take place when Fr. Dariusz visits each month from April to July next year.
Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation are all available to students who have been baptised as Catholics or are going to be baptised in 2025 (as above) and are in Years 3-6.
Farewell to Miss Edmonds & Miss Backhouse
This week we say farewell to two of our amazing teachers, Miss Edmonds and Miss Backhouse. From all the students and families whose lives you’ve touched over the years, we wish them all the best with their new teaching adventures in Cairns. The schools that they are going to are very lucky to have them, and we will miss them very much. We thank them for their years of service to the Weipa Community and we hope they know that St Joey’s will always hold fond memories of them both. Until we meet again...
Thank you all for a wonderful year and I wish you a safe and joyful holiday break. I look forward to all the new adventures we will have in 2025.
Mrs Julie Dore
Assistant Principal Religious Education (Acting)