St Jude’s Catholic Primary School

A number of our students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this week. This is an important Sacrament in the faith life of our students and focuses on the ability to make good moral choices and building strong relationships with others. This Sacrament also reminds us that we all make mistakes and the importance of restoring relationships when we make wrong choices.

Students from our Year 3 class, joined together with students throughout our school and afterschool classes who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation later in the term. Students took part in a day of retreat held at our school. During the day, students revisited parables about forgiveness and took part in some creative story telling. Students were led through a most beautiful day of prayer and reflection as they took part in a number of activities centred around the Sacrament of Reconciliation, from making a ‘Reconciliation’ treasure chest to creating some beautiful mosaic crosses.

Students from across the school had a blast as they danced the night away at our Term 2 School Disco. Our Kindy to Year 1 students attended our earlier time slot and our Year 2 – Year 6 students took part in a later time slot. During the night, there were several competitions from best dancer, to musical bobs and four corners. Even our teachers had a little boogie on the dance floor. A huge thank goes to our FOSJ for organising such an awesome event!

This week, our Year 4-6 students took part in an Interschool Lightning Carnival comprising of Football, Soccer and Netball. All students represented the school with pride and demonstrated great sportsmanship. It was great to see the marked improvement in skill during the term as students took part in training. Celebrations were had as our Year 6 netball team finished on top and took out the shield, while our Soccer team finished in 3rd place overall. Well done to all our students!

One of our Catholic Social Teachings remind us of the importance to help those in need. Students took part in our annual Crazy Hair, Pyjama and Rice Day this week. During the day, students were reminded of those without food or those in the world that live on only one bowl of rice a day if they are lucky. Grumbling tummies were a reminder of this throughout the day. All money raised will go towards helping those in need in our local communities through our LifeLink agencies.

This week around 54 students, along with their families and a dozen staff starting the day with a bit of fitness as part of ‘Walk to School Day’. The 15 minute journey from the SDNA Netball Courts to school was a great start to the day with each student participating receiving a special ‘Walk to School’ day sticker. This day was about raising awareness of our transport habits and trying to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around.

Our school was fortunate enough to take part in this year’s ‘Act Belong Commit Sing out Loud!’ Incursion which was run by the West Australian Opera. The students had a great time as they explored pitch, tempo, rhythm, dynamics and form with singers from the WA Orchestra. Students raised the roof as they sang along with our opera singers and practised some of the skills learnt during the incursion.

What a wonderful way to celebrate our Mothers and Mother figures at our school. We began the day coming together to celebrate Mass. This was followed by a special morning tea where all attendees received a special flower and candle. Our Pastoral Committee did a fantastic job ensuring that all our Mums and mother figures were looked after. It was great to see the amount of Mother’s, Grandmum’s and mother figures attend our special morning tea. Thank you to all who organised and helped with the preparation for the day!

It was wonderful to welcome our students and families to this afternoon of fun and laughter as they navigated through a variety of activities which included games such as Tug-O-War, Coights, Rob the Nest, Whacky Egg and Spoon and Plumbing Disaster. Students and their families had a ball as they were chased by eagles as they protected their nest in ‘Rob the Nest’ and raced to fill their leaky pipes in ‘Plumbing Disaster’. It was great to see such a wonderful turn out to our first community event for Term Two. Thank you to our Friends of St Jude’s for supplying our afternoon snack packs.

Our Year 6 leaders led us in a most reverent tableau titled ‘By the Cross’, retelling the final events in the life of Jesus. This year, the tableau not only featured the children’s portrayal but also included reflections from both child and adult perspectives. This added depth to the performance, inviting the audience to engage with the story on multiple levels. Moreover, the re-enactment embedded the teachings of the school’s “Making Jesus Real” program, reinforcing the values of compassion, forgiveness, and selflessness.

Students took part in a 3 Day camp in the beautiful surrounds of Nanga Bush Camp in Dwellingup. The camp begun with a liturgy centred around ‘talents and gifts’ which linked in well with the classes RE Unit on ‘Vocations’. This theme was then linked in with ‘leadership’. While there, students participated in a number of activities centred around teamwork and leadership while other activities encouraged students to take risks and challenge themselves!

Raising money for Caritas (Project Compassion), students took part in a 4km Project Compassion Walkathon around the school! Organised by the Year 6 Pastoral Committee with the special ‘blue’ theme chosen this year, the event started with a special presentation about Caritas and included an explanation outlining the purpose of the event and where the funds raised would be going. It was wonderful to see so many families offer to help out during the day which assisted immensely in the success of the day. The vibe was great as students and staff completed each lap.

What a day! Students from across the school took part in our Harmony Day celebrations today. We began the day with a special liturgy centred around belonging and loving your neighbour. This was followed by cultural activities throughout the day centred on the cultures of the students in each classroom. Adding to the festivities was a ‘Bollywood Dance’ incursion which had everyone up and dancing as students learnt a number of Bollywood dance routines.