St Joseph's Parish School Weipa eNewsletter

News from the APRE – Term 3 Week 7.

This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day.

Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. The perfect opportunity to celebrate the important role that fathers, stepfathers and other male role-models play in the lives of their children. I hope you were all suitably spoiled, and had a magnificent day filled with love, laughter and celebration.

As I pondered upon the immense contribution that my stepfather had on my life, my thoughts waivered to those who may not look upon this day with such fondness, instead remembering fathers sadly no longer with us. Thoughts and prayers go out to those members of our community experiencing circumstances such as these. I hope that you can draw strength from those around you and find a fitting way to pass the day.

At this time, we also think about our Patron Saint Joseph who is the Father of our Lord and the customary day for the celebration of Fatherhood dates back to the Middle Ages and was traditionally observed on 19^th March. Here in Australia it has always been celebrated on the first Sunday of September, which is the first Sunday of Spring.

A huge thank you must go to the P & F and volunteers for the wonderful organisation of our Father’s Day stall. I have included a reflection below for all those fathers and fatherly figures in our lives.

Reflection: Fathers play a significant role in the lives of their children. Be they living or dead, present or absent, a father profoundly shapes the life of his child and who that child becomes. Traditionally fathers are attributed with some of the God-like qualities such as loving us, protecting us, guiding us, supporting us, being a strong and stable influence and providing for our most basic needs. On this occasion we pause to reflect on the gift of our own father and to honour and affirm the place of human fatherhood in our own family, our society and our world. Take some quiet time to consider the goodness of your own father.

Thank you and blessings for a wonderful weekend,

Amanda

On Friday the 6th of September St. Joseph's Parish School Weipa will be participating in Science Time with Dr. Peter Eastwell.

Dr Peter H. Eastwell - PhD (Science Education), BSc (Honours, Phys. Chem.), DipEd

Peter's experience as a science educator began in 1978. He taught full-time in Queensland state and independent schools for over 17 years, 12 as Head of Science. He enjoyed his work in the classroom immensely, and documented some of it by authoring the textbook Physics Spectrum: Constructing an Understanding of Physics (McGraw-Hill), which promotes a constructivist approach to the learning of Senior Physics. He also completed doctoral studies on the effects of enrichment and extracurricular science activities on secondary students.

Since 1997, Peter has been self-employed as the Director of Science Time, conducting science shows and other programs for students and families and seminars/workshops for teachers. He also founded and edited The Science Education Review, an international journal that brought leading-edge ideas to the attention of busy teachers. Peter is a registered Science and Technology Communicator, an accredited Primary Investigations and Crest Awards trainer, and has authored broadly in the area of science education. With a deep passion for science education that students find contagious, he enjoys nothing more than sharing his fascination for the scientific principles that govern our world.