St. Josephs Catholic College Katherine eNewsletter Term 03- Week 10
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The following story is not true – thankfully!
Two friends flew to Canada on a hunting trip. They chartered a small plane to take them into the Rockies to hunt moose. They managed to bag six, but as they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could carry only four. The friends objected: “Last year we shot six, and the pilot let us take them all. He had the same plane as yours.” Reluctantly, the pilot agreed. Unfortunately, the plane couldn’t handle the load and went down crossing the mountains. Miraculously, only the two friends survived. Climbing out of the wreckage, one said, “Any idea where we are?” The other replied, “I think we’re pretty close to where we crashed last year!”
This amusing tale reminds us that not every error counts as a mistake. A true mistake is an unintentional error or misunderstanding. Mistakes can be painful in the moment, but with time they become valuable experiences-if we are willing to learn from them.
Thomas Edison famously said after countless attempts at the light bulb, “I have not failed. I’ve discovered ten thousand ways which do not work.” Failure, then, is often the forerunner of success. Mistakes help us learn, grow, and mature-provided we take responsibility for them and reflect honestly on what went wrong.
The same is true for our children. When mistakes happen, the most powerful approach is to guide them gently to reflect, problem-solve, and learn. By allowing them to experience natural consequences, we help them develop responsibility and resilience. Our example as parents and educators is just as important—when we show grace, humility, and determination in our own mistakes, our children have a model worth following.
As we approach the end of Term 3, I cannot believe how quickly the year has flown by. It has truly been an action-packed term filled with learning, events, and growth for our College community.
A special thank you to Mrs Hand and Mr Lachaiya for leading the trip to Tasmania. From all accounts it was cold but absolutely amazing-a memorable experience for our students.
On behalf of the College, I wish all families a safe, restful, and joy-filled holiday break. May it be a time to recharge, ready for the final term of 2025.
Peace and best wishes,
Sunniva Antonucci
Principal
Primary News
Meet The Primary Inclusion Team
T-2 excursion to the Gorge
2026 Transition Orientation Sessions
Secondary News
Meet The Secondary Inclusion Team
Celebrating Science Week: K-Town way!
National Science Week was between the 9th of August to the 17th of August this year. To celebrate, Years 8 and 9 went to the Katherine Research Station to explore Agricultural Science.
Over 60 St Joey's students attended: exploring 7 different stations- including learning how to test the pH level of soil, acidity of various fruit juices and extracting DNA from strawberries. A delicious buffet lunch was also served.
One Year 8 student said, "I loved extracting the DNA from strawberries! Who knew Science could be so fun? I won't look at strawberries the same way anymore." A Year 9 learner added, "It's good getting out of the class and seeing Science in action. Lunch was tasty, too."
Thank you to the team at the Katherine Research Station for organising this memorable and educational science experience.
yr 8/9 - Tasmania Excursion
The Year 8/9 students thoroughly enjoyed their Tassie excursion! They kicked off the trip with a chairlift ride at Cataract Gorge and a visit to the museum in Launceston. They braved the snow at Cradle Mountain, explored the murals in Sheffield, and took a side trip to Davenport. The following day, they headed to Port Arthur for more adventures.
Highlights of the trip included Tasmania’s oldest bridge at Ross, Pirate Bay lookout, Tessellated Pavements, Fossil Bay lookout, feeding wild rosellas, hand-feeding kangaroos, spotting Tasmanian devils, and ending the day with the Ghost Tour at Port Arthur.
They also explored the south coast on the Pentecost tour, experiencing 2.5m swells, lighthouses, and picturesque landscapes, before diving into the rich history of Port Arthur.
The views from Mt Wellington were stunning despite cloudy skies and a touch of snow. The group visited the Cascade Female Convict Factory, the museum, and Mawson’s Hut replica.
Before heading home, they checked out the famous Salamanca Markets.
Everyone loved every minute of Tassie — even the cold!
Year 11 SRM Vinnies Christmas Food Drive
The Year 11 Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning (SRM) class recently had a bake sale on Tuesday, the 16th of September 2025, to support the Vinnies Christmas Food Drive. Thanks to the generosity of spirit of both the Year 11 students and the Katherine community who supported it, over $160 was raised for this worthy cause.
A special thank you goes out to everyone who donated baked goods, from cupcakes and brownies to pizza and finger buns. Your support made this fundraiser a success! A big shout out to Ms Lisa Orcher for her invaluable effort in assisting on the day.
The money raised is going directly to the St Vincent de Paul Society to provide local families with food and essentials this upcoming festive season, helping to spread Christmas cheer.
“The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to live the spirit of Christmas every day.” – Saint Mother Teresa
Little Joeys News
A Term Full of Fun, Friends, and Firsts!
These past few weeks have been busy and full of exciting moments! We said goodbye to the dry season and welcomed the warmer weather.
We celebrated our wonderful team of educators on Early Childhood Educator’s Day with a special lunch and thoughtful gifts. A big thank you all of our families who contributed to the day with kind words or thoughtful gifts. I would also like to thank Education Minister Jo Hersey and her team for their kind gesture in providing a beautiful platter on the day.
We also enjoyed a surprise visit from Miss Tegan and her new baby, Maverick. This sparked the children’s curiosity, leading to wonderful play in our baby-themed home corner. The children dressed baby dolls, fed them bottles, and proudly took them on stroller walks. We also welcomed the wonderful news that Miss Raman’s baby boy was born into the world last week—warm congratulations to her family on their newest arrival!
We had the pleasure of welcoming talented local author Courtney Jeffery, who shared her beautiful new book ABC of the Top End. It was a special experience to enjoy this story with Courtney and her daughter Isla, one of our very own Little Joey’s children.
In the art space, the children experimented with printmaking, using emotion stamps, balloons, and even flowers we collected. Following cues from the children, we expanded this exploration to include footprints in a collaborative group artwork, celebrating creativity and teamwork.
Out in the garden, we’ve been patiently waiting for our tomatoes to ripen, while our eggplants and sunflowers are beginning to bloom. The children take great pride in watering our garden beds each day with hoses and watering cans.
Our pre-writing activities have been exciting too. The children explored their names through “magic writing” with crayons and watercolours, and practiced their cutting skills to strengthen fine motor confidence.
The preschool group also set sail into the world of pirates—discussing what makes a pirate and imagining the essentials needed for adventures on the sea.
Our physical play has been equally adventurous. The children challenged themselves on the school playground and tallest climbing frames, while frisbee and vortex ball games encouraged teamwork, turn-taking, and relationship building.
It has been a wonderful end to Term 3, and we look forward to welcoming Term 4 with more learning, play, and community connections.
-The Little Joey’s Team
Library News
Sports News
Softball NT, Soccer NT and AFL NT clinics
This term we were thrilled to welcome Soccer NT, AFL NT and Softball NT in to run sport clinics with our primary and secondary students! 
It was fantastic to see so many students getting involved, learning new skills, and most importantly—having a great time. Huge thanks to the coaches for bringing the energy and expertise!
Golf gala day
On Wednesday 3rd of September we had an exciting inter-school Gala Day hosted by Golf NT. Students enjoyed practicing on the driving range before heading out to play six holes on the golf course. It was a fantastic day for everyone to learn new skills, work together as a team, and have lots of fun. Congratulations to Hunter, Mason, and Wade for being the overall winning team—well done!
Join Our Growing Team
Community News and Events
Apprenticeships NT Vacancies
