St. Josephs Catholic College Katherine eNewsletter Term 01 - Week 10

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we come to the end of what has been a busy and productive Term 1, we can all look forward to a well-deserved break. With a week off followed by the Easter long weekend, this is the perfect time to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with loved ones.

One of the highlights we are eagerly anticipating is the Easter Bonnet Parade on Thursday, 17th April. This is always a delightful event, showcasing the creativity and enthusiasm of our students as they don their beautifully decorated bonnets.

It has been a fantastic term, particularly in the area of learning. So many great things have been happening across the College, and it’s wonderful to see students thriving. A major milestone this term has been the completion of our new Administration Block, which we are excited to move into at the start of Term 2. This will provide a fresh and functional space for our staff and community.

Looking ahead, we are also excited about the upcoming refurbishment of the old Administration Block. This transformation will include a multipurpose room, an engine and sensory room to support student needs, and a designated STEM room to enhance our science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs.

On a personal note, it is great to be back after three weeks of long service leave. I had a wonderful time exploring South Africa, experiencing its breathtaking landscapes, incredible wildlife, and rich history. From seeing the majestic Big Five on safari to visiting historic sites like Robben Island, it was an unforgettable journey. This time away was truly revitalising, and I return with fresh energy and enthusiasm for the exciting term ahead.

As we take this time to pause, it’s important to remember that rest is not just a luxury but a necessity. The wisdom of Aesop reminds us:

"If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually. But, if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it."

In today’s fast-paced world, we can sometimes feel the pressure to be constantly busy. However, even Jesus understood the importance of stepping back to rest and reflect. In Mark 6:31, He said to His disciples:

"Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest awhile."

Balance is key to a fulfilling life. We are not designed to operate 24/7, and taking time to recharge allows us to return with renewed energy and perspective. As we head into this holiday period, I encourage everyone to find moments to slow down, enjoy simple pleasures, and reconnect with what matters most.

A sincere thank you to our wonderful staff, parents, and students for all your hard work and dedication this term. Wishing you all a restful break filled with joy and renewal.

Peace and best wishes,

Sunniva Antonucci

Principal

Primary News

Boat that floats - Transition

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Throughout Term 1, our Transition students have been investigating materials and their properties. They have explored, constructed, and created with a variety of materials to demonstrate their understanding.

For their final assessment, students were challenged to construct a boat that floats using the materials provided. With clever and creative thinking, they designed, built, tested, and improved their boats.

Please enjoy the photos, showcasing our students and their incredible boat creations!

Gardening Fun - Year 1

Year 2 - Katherine Discoveries

This term in Year 2 we have explored and researched our local Katherine community. We have looked at the natural areas, such as Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park), the man-made places, such as Pop Rocket Café, as well as some local people who were born and live in Katherine.

For our assessment task in week 9 the students chose an important person in their life and designed a building, statue, sign or house in their honor, that could be placed/made somewhere in Katherine. They wrote about their person and then drew and wrote about the monument. They wrote some beautiful, heartful responses and their monuments were a lovely reflection of their person. Well done Year 2, you should be proud of your work!

Secondary News

Rod & Rifle sausage sizzle fundraiser

We are excited to share that our Year 12 Rod & Rifle sausage sizzle fundraiser, held on Saturday, the 22nd of March 2025, was a resounding success! Thanks to your generous support, we raised over $385 for the Year 11 & 12 formal.

Attendees enjoyed delicious sausage sizzles and refreshing soft drinks, as well as entering into our Yeti raffle. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the wonderful members of the St Joseph's Catholic College community who helped make this fundraiser possible and who supported this event. Special thanks to Mrs. Joy, Mrs. Otto, Mr. Fielding, Mr. Forster and the team at Rod & Rifle. Your support means so much to us.

We would also like to give a special mention to our incredible Year 12 barbecue and sales team who worked tirelessly to ensure everything ran smoothly. Your enthusiasm and hard work truly shone through.                           

Mark your calendars! The formal is happening on Friday, the 2nd of May 2025, and we can't wait to celebrate with everyone. 

Year 12 school-based sausage sizzle fundraiser for the Year 11 & 12 Formal

Well done to the Year Twelve Class of 2025 for another successful sausage sizzle fundraiser! Over $280 was raised to go to the Year 11 & 12 formal happening on Friday, the 2nd of May at the school hall. 

Thank you, Jo Hersey, for the generous donation of the sausages for the sausage sizzle. 

Little Joeys News

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News from The Little Joey’s Group

This month, we celebrated Harmony Week with a focus on the importance of diversity and inclusion. Harmony Week gave us the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the different cultures that make up our community.

• Wearing Orange:
  We had fun wearing orange as part of Harmony Week’s theme, symbolising unity and respect for all cultures. The children embraced the opportunity to show their support for inclusivity.
• Exploring Stories of Diversity:
  We read stories from around the world that taught us about different cultures, traditions, and the beauty of diversity. These stories sparked thoughtful conversations about respecting others and learning from each other.
• Community Handprint Mural:
  As a special activity, the children worked together to create a community handprint mural. Each child contributed their handprint to represent their place in our preschool community. It was a wonderful way to celebrate how each person brings something unique to the group.

Emergency Vehicles and Community Helpers

The children have been very interested in exploring the emergency vehicles that were recently donated to our preschool. It has been such a great opportunity for the kids to learn about these important vehicles and the role they play in our community.

We are excited to take this learning further and would love to organise a Community Helper Visit in the future. If any of our families have connections to the fire, police, or ambulance services, we would love to hear from you! A visit from one of these community helpers would be a wonderful way for the children to learn firsthand about the vital roles these helpers play in keeping our community safe.

There has also been lots of wonderful learning such as colour sorting, exploring dinosaurs and playdough, practicing mindfulness and movement with Yoga, being creative with glue in our collage construction and exploring roles and communication in our office home corner.

Ramanpreet & Amber 

News From Preschool 

What a fantastic and busy term it has been in Preschool!

Building Fundamental Movement Skills

This month, we’ve been focusing on fundamental movement skills in our PE sessions. The children have been practicing balancing, galloping, skipping, and crab walking, helping them develop coordination, strength, and confidence.

A highlight has been our weekly visits to the big school playground, where children have worked on their gross motor skills by climbing, jumping, balancing, and using their upper body strength. These experiences have been wonderful for building resilience and independence.

Exploring Numbers

We have been concentrating on number recognition, focusing on numbers 1-5 and developing one-to-one correspondence skills. Over the next few weeks, we will continue this learning and gradually introduce numbers 5-10 for children ready for an extra challenge.

Book of the Fortnight: The Rainbow Fish

To help foster kindness and sharing, we explored The Rainbow Fish. The children loved learning about the importance of sharing and how it brings happiness and friendship. They also created clay and paper fish, decorating them with sparkles and blue paint to reflect the beautiful illustrations in the story.

Helicopter Excitement!

Helicopters have been a huge area of interest in our classroom, especially with some families in the aviation industry. With Miss Tegan, the children helped build a cardboard helicopter and shared what they knew about helicopters in the NT and their important roles. Families were invited to bring in photos of their children with helicopters, which were added to our classroom display.

Library Visits & Book Borrowing

Our weekly library visits have been a highlight for the children, and they are even more excited to begin borrowing books to take home next term! This will be a great way to encourage a love of reading and storytelling at home. Each cjild will require a library bag to take a book home and these can be bought in from home or purchased from the front office. 

It has been a fun-filled Term 1, and we are all looking forward to the Easter break. Thank you for your ongoing support—we can’t wait for another exciting term ahead!

Tegan & Laketa

Sports News

Tennis Gala day

On Tuesday the 1st of April, 12 primary students participated in the Redball Tennis Gala day in Katherine. They had to work as a team to play mini games against 5 other schools. They also learned some Ball kids skills and had a lot of fun. They finished 2nd out of 8 teams, so a great result. Well done!

AFL Primary Gala Day

On Wednesday 2nd of April we had 27 students from primary participate in an AFL gala day. We had an under 10 and under 12 team. Students had lots of fun learning the rules of AFL and playing with their friends. There were 6 different schools who also participated in the day. The under 10 team made it to the final but sadly lost by 4 points, such a great effort. The Under 12 team came third. Awesome effort by all involved.

Library News

School Events and News

HILDA Report – Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling

Research mirrors what we witness daily. The Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling Study, leveraging the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) Survey reveals Catholic school graduates are more likely to secure jobs, earn higher wages, serve in ‘public-good’ sectors, enjoy better health and life satisfaction, and give back through charity.

Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at St Joseph Parish Church

On Tuesday, 25th March, St Joseph Parish Church joyfully celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This special occasion was particularly meaningful for two St. Joseph’s Catholic College students who received the sacrament in preparation for their First Holy Communion.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Confession, is a time of grace and renewal, allowing individuals to experience God’s mercy and forgiveness. It was a beautiful moment for the students, who took this important step in their faith journey with great reverence and sincerity.

We congratulate these students and pray for them as they continue preparing for their First Holy Communion. May they grow in their love for Christ and deepen their understanding of the Eucharist.

If any students would like to receive their First Holy Communion, please contact Ms. Emily Wardeiner at emily.wardeiner@nt.catholic.edu.au.

St Joseph’s Student Represents NT at National eSafety Youth Council

St Joseph’s College Year 10 student Tracey was selected from students across the Northern Territory to be a part of the eSafety Youth Council.

The eSafety Youth Council gives young people, aged 13 to 24 years, an avenue to influence issues that matter most to them, by engaging in meaningful discussions and sharing their knowledge and experiences with eSafety. The Council was established in 2022 and offers an opportunity to share insights for policy and program design on online safety education and issues now and into the future.

Youth representatives from across Australia met in Canberra to discuss issues relating to young people, particularly around internet use and online safety. The representatives were divided into four groups, with Tracey’s group focusing on the issue of Sextortion. Together her group produced a PowerPoint presentation, with Tracey contributing an overview of Katherine Glasgow’s book “You’d Be Home Now”, explaining the themes and messages put forward by the author. All groups presented their topics to the eSafety Executive while also providing a youth perspective.

As part of the residential aspect the eSafety Youth Council had the opportunity to meet with the Minister for Communications the Honourable Michelle Rowland MP to present their research and discuss possible solutions.

St Joseph’s are very proud of Tracey’s involvement both locally and nationally.

SA/NT Pharmacist of the Year Jaimee Anderson MPS

Jaimee Anderson MPS, SA/NT Pharmacist of the Year and former St. Joseph's student from Year 3 to Year 7, is making a significant impact in remote healthcare. Providing diabetes education to clients attending her local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service, as well as a General Practice in the remote hometown of Katherine, Ms Anderson is also a pharmacist vaccination trainer. She now specialises in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients with youth onset and pregnancy-related type 2 diabetes as well as gestational diabetes. 

Community Events & News

Music Workshop - Katherine Regional Arts

Good Life Tour - Katherine

School Holiday Program 2025