This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of fathers, gives us five key lessons that we can reflect upon for Father’s Day and beyond. The following is adapted from The Integrated Catholic Life website.

1. Saint Joseph was obedient.  Joseph was obedient to God’s Will throughout his life.  Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord explain the birth in a dream and then took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-24).  He was obedient when he led his family to Egypt to escape Herod’s infanticide in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-15).  Joseph obeyed the angel’s later commands to return to Israel (Matthew 2:19-20) and settle in Nazareth with Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2:22-23). 
2. Saint Joseph was selfless.  In the limited knowledge we have about Joseph, we see a man who only thought of serving Mary and Jesus, never himself.  What many may see as sacrifices on his part, were actually acts of selfless love.  His devotion to his family is a model for fathers today who may be allowing disordered attachments to the things of this world distort their focus and hinder their vocations.
3. Saint Joseph led by example.  None of his words are written in Scripture, but we can clearly see by his actions that he was a just, loving and faithful man.  We often think that we primarily influence others by what we say, when so often we are watched for our actions.  Every recorded decision and action made by this great saint is the standard for men to follow today.
4. Saint Joseph was a worker.  He was a simple craftsman who served his neighbours through his handiwork.  He taught his foster son Jesus the value of hard work.  It is likely that the humility Joseph exhibited in recorded Scripture spilled over into the simple approach he took to his work and providing for the Holy Family.  We can all learn a great lesson from Saint Joseph, who is also the patron saint of workers, on the value of our daily work and how it should exist to glorify God, support our families and contribute to society.
5. Saint Joseph was a leader.  But, not in the way we may view leadership today.  He led as a loving husband when he improvised to find a stable for Mary to give birth to Jesus, after being turned away from the Bethlehem inn.  He led as a man of faith when he obeyed God in all things, took the pregnant Mary as his wife and later brought the Holy Family safely to Egypt.  He led as the family provider by working long hours in his workshop to make sure they had enough to eat and a roof over their heads.  He led as a teacher by teaching Jesus his trade and how to live and work as a man.

The Parents and Friends group will be holding a stall this Friday to allow the children a gift for special people in their life. We are blessed to have a dedicated group of parents who plan, organise and run events like this for our community.

2025 requests for classes 

All school staff aspire towards providing an environment where the best interests of the child are held paramount. While teachers don’t have the same attachment to a child that a parent does, the staff at St Michael’s care personally for the children in the school. We are starting the process of planning for the 2025 school year. If parents have a genuine reason for class placement requests for next year, could you please email them through to principal@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au by Friday 20th September. 

An enormous amount of time and effort is put into the creation of class lists and many factors are taken into consideration by the staff. A written request will be considered on its merits but is not a guarantee. Who is teaching which grade has not yet been decided so please do not request certain teachers.

At St Michael’s we work on a whole school approach to class planning and are blessed to have a committed teaching staff who collaborate to give the very best learning opportunities to all students in our care. Please be aware that a request has to be made for this current year, we will not be referring to requests made 12 months ago as circumstances change.

If your family situation is changing, we would also appreciate you letting the Office know. An accurate indication of student numbers assists us enormously in our planning for 2025. We have a waiting list for some grades and if we know you are leaving, we can offer them your spot.

All requests are due by Friday 20th September and no further requests will be considered after this time. 

Long Service Leave

I am heading off on Long Service Leave at the end of next week. In my absence Lia DiCorleto will be Acting Principal and Sharon Scholtes will step up into the Acting Deputy Principal position. I thank them both for being willing to take on these responsibilities whilst I am away. Foundation A students will be supported by Jodie Wyers and Christine DiCorleto who have already been working with them at different times this year.

Kind regards,

Jodie

Dates to remember: