Our new school buildings are open and to say that staff and students are excited would be a huge understatement.  It has been so wonderful to watch the build from the very first sod being turned to its completion and splendour today.  Our students are so blessed to have such such modern and inviting classrooms that are conducive to learning.

On Monday 28^th April St Joseph’s hosted the Spirituality Day for St Mary’s Batlow and St Patrick’s Gundagai.  The day was facilitated by Catholic Education and was timely that our day was titled Pilgrims of Hope, in 2025 the jubilee year declared by Pope Francis.  The day focused heavily on Pope Francis’ writings and what it means to be hope filled people.  We thank Anne Staines for her wisdom and input in running the day.  Staff were so impressed with our new spaces and were very excited with our state of the art learning facilities.  All St Joseph’s staff were present on the day.

Students on the first day back of Term 2 participated in an unofficial opening of our buildings.

Our school captains Alice and Ollie cut the ribbon and our 5/6 students joined in on the festivities.  There was a fantastic article about our new school in the Catholic Voice if anyone missed it https://loom.ly/W4JYPSM

I have had many enquiries about the official opening of the school.  There is no date set at this time as there are many official parties that need to be invited, protocols followed and dates to be confirmed.

A very successful Western Region Cross Country was held in Batlow on Friday.  The day was a combined effort between St Joseph’s and St Mary’s and would not have been such a success without the support of both our wonderful Community Councils.  A BIG thank you to all our parents who worked in the canteen, cooked the bbq, made cakes and slices, donated eggs and other goodies.  Our community chair Jenna Roots did an enormous amount of work not only on the day but prior to the event with planning and preparation, ensuring the day ran smoothly.

We congratulate all of the students who represented St Joseph’s on the day and special mention to Kruz, Billy, Jack and Alice who have progressed to the next level in Canberra on May 16.

A big thank you to one of our wonderful dads Dan Hobbs who not only poured the slab for our new garden shed, but also constructed the shed for us.  It looks fantastic and we wanted to thank you for giving up your time to help us out.

The working bee is coming up on Friday 16^th May starting @ 2 pm.  The plan was to try and get as many jobs done as possible and to finish up around 5 pm with a sausage sizzle. If you can’t make it that afternoon – perhaps there is a job that you would like to do at a time that is more convenient to you.  We will send out a google form next week – where families can RSVP if they are going to attend and if not if they would like to do a small job.

Blessings for a great week

Kirsty Beavan

Principal