February 2nd parent news 2015

Ben Davis, Acting Headteacher Grassyards Rd Kilmarnock KA3 7SL

ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Weekly Newsletter

01563 526144 www.saintjosephsacademy.co.uk Twitter: @StJoAcad

INSPIRE AND TRANSFORM: NURTURING FAITH-FILLED WORLD CLASS LEARNING

Art by James Johnstone, S3

ISSUE 14.3 FEBRUARY 2ND 2015 FOR PARENTS, CARERS, FAMILIES & PARISHES

Around the school this week From left clockwise: fifty S4 - S6 pupils visited the Theatre Royal Glasgow to watch a stunning production of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’; Senior Sports Leaders worked with 80 pupils from St. Andrew’s PS the other night teaching them games and developing their sporting skills; S5 pupil James Stephens got himself suited and booted for his Parachute Regiment Ambitious

interview and is now looking forward to heading to Catterick

Learning

for further tests; pupils in S4 PE enjoyed the new equipment that tests their catching skills.

Audience member in Glasgow…

‘Impeccable behaviour… I’m really impressed with hte wau your puoils concentrated and took in the play for the full two hours’

Engaged Learners

Positive

Pupil

Destinations

Leadership

Anti-sectarian intergenerational event

The pupils from the S6 Personal Development class provided food and refreshments for hundreds of guests to New Farm Loch Community centre last weekend.

This was part of a large scale project involving pupils from St. Joseph’s and James Hamilton Academies. Other pupils from S2 and S3 took part in activities during the week.

Catholic Education Week 2015 Catholic Education Week got off to an excellent start with pupils and staff attending Masses in all parishes across East Ayrshire. Pupils provided readings, psalms and bidding prayers, some spoke at Mass and others gave out specially made leaflets and bookmarks. Pictured here are pupils from St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s Primary School after 11 am Mass in St. John’s Church, Cumnock. This week we have held special assemblies for Catholic Education Week and have more celebrations planned. The next edition of the newsletter will focus on this.

‘Proclaiming the Joy of the Gospel’

Above: pupils welcome Nil By Mouth to the school for an assembly on anti-sectarianism; right: don’t miss several of our talented pupils with their work on display in the Dick Institute.

IMPORTANT DATES...................................................................

February 6th - 11th February Weekend

February 17th Options Information Evening February 24th 4.00 pm - 6.30 pm

holiday (pupils return on 12th) February 14th Ordination of Bishop Nolan

S5/6 Parents’ Evening March 2nd Parent Council 7 pm

WEEKLY HOME ROOM REFLECTION: Catholic Education Week The theme for yesterday’s Education Sunday and for this week is designed to give us the chance to consider how “Proclaiming the Joy of the Gospel” is the mission of every Christian. Pope Francis has made great efforts to remind us that the life of a Christian should be joyful. We should not look like mourners coming back from a funeral, he tells us, or like people “whose lives seem like Lent without Easter”. He encourages us to rediscover our enthusiasm for the Gospel and to share it joyfully with others. The Holy Father invites Christians to “go forth” from being obsessed with our own needs and to “get involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives.” So, what does this mean for us? We all have a great capacity for joy and celebration. But sometimes we can get stuck in the rut of depression and pessimism.

Sometimes we can feel engulfed with bad news – stories of tragic events, natural disasters, inhuman acts, gloomy forecasts. Such events can cause us to be confused by life’s uncertainties and by human frailty and to question our faith in God. They can encourage doubts and scepticism. They appear to leave no room for joyful celebration. But our faith calls on us to overcome such pessimism and to tell another story –a Good News story. As Christians, we can offer a better way of looking at life, a higher challenge, a promise of infinite love. Pope Francis reminds us that we can all tell that story, not by preaching or lecturing, but through the witness of our own lives, through what we say to people, how we speak to them, how we show love and care for them. We first hear this Good News about this in our family homes from our parents and grandparents. We go on to learn much more in school, from our teachers, in our religious education classes. In our parish we learn about it through the liturgy, at Mass, in the Scripture readings and in the homily. And we put into practice the things we learn about the love of Jesus through our own acts of witness, in our contributions to charities such as Young Minds, Ecuador and Cancer Research. We also show this Good News by participating in parish activities and, above all, by showing loving concern for others in our school.

Let us pray: On this day when we remember life lost through hatred, lack of respect and indifference, let us pray for a better future. May we cherish in our hearts the truth that every person is made in the image of God so that we build bridges to those who are different and speak out against discrimination.’ Amen PARISH MASS TIMES St. Matthew’s: 9.30 am, Fr. Chambers St. Joseph’s: 6.00 pm (vigil), 11.00 am Fr. Latham St. Francis Xavier, Patna: 5.00 pm (vigil) St. John the Evangelist: 10.45 am, Fr. McGrattan Our Lady of Mount Carmel: 9.30 am, Fr. McGhee St. Michael’s: 4.30 pm (vigil) St. Paul’s: 11.30 am, Fr. Chambers Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Patrick: 6.00 pm (vigil), Fr. McGrattan St. Sophia’s: 6.00 pm (vigil) Fr. Chambers St. Thomas the Apostle: 9.00 am, Fr. McGrattan