Term 3 Week 7 - Thursday 4 September 2025

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Blessed Carlo Acutis, a remarkable boy who reminds us that holiness and goodness are possible at any age. Carlo was born in Italy in 1991 and had a deep love for Jesus from a very young age. He attended Mass regularly, prayed often, and was known for helping those in need. Like many children today, Carlo loved using technology—especially computers. But what made him special was how he used his gifts to serve God. He created a website to teach others about miracles of the Eucharist, showing that faith and technology can work together to share something beautiful.

Sadly, Carlo passed away at the young age of 15 after being diagnosed with leukemia. Even in his illness, he showed great strength, peace, and trust in God. He once said, "I'm happy to die because I’ve lived my life without wasting a minute." Carlo's life is a powerful reminder that young people can make a big difference in the world. In 2020, the Catholic Church declared him “Blessed,” which means he is one step closer to being named a saint.

May Blessed Carlo inspire all of us—students, staff, and families—to use our gifts for good, live with purpose, and keep faith at the heart of our daily lives.

Father’s Day Celebrations

We are excited to welcome all our guests to St Jude’s tomorrow for our Father’s Day Celebrations.

The morning will begin with breakfast, followed by a range of fun activities organised by our students and teachers in the classrooms. Classroom visits will conclude by 10:00am.

Afterwards, our ELC students will lead a special Father’s Day liturgy in the Church. We warmly invite all ELC Dads to join us for this meaningful celebration.

We look forward to sharing this special day with you!

St Jude's 50th Celebrations

As we prepare for our 50th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, 8 November, we are reaching out to our alumni families for contributions to a special historical display.

If you have any memorabilia from your time at St Jude’s—such as old school uniforms, report cards, newsletters, photographs, or other items of interest—we would love to include them in our display.

Please contact Katrina or Renee at the school office if you’re happy to share any items.

We also encourage you to spread the word among your networks. We would love to see as many former students and families as possible return to celebrate this significant milestone with our wonderful community.

We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Ongoing Works

Last week, we completed our annual tree audit, during which all trees on our grounds were inspected by qualified arborists. We have worked with Gold Leaf Tree Group for nearly ten years, and over this time, they have developed a comprehensive profile of each tree on our site.

Following each audit, we receive a detailed report, which is carefully reviewed and any recommended actions are promptly taken. It’s important to note that tree audits are a point-in-time assessment. This is why, on windy days, students are reminded not to play near large trees, and our supervising staff remain vigilant in ensuring student safety.

In the ACT, there are strict regulations regarding the pruning or removal of significant trees. We remain committed to following these guidelines while always prioritising the safety of our students and regularly monitoring all outdoor spaces. We are working with Catholic Education and planning to install a shade cloth structure over the Monkey Bars area. This project has been in development for several months, and we’re hopeful it will be completed soon. However, if the shade structure is not installed before the warmer weather arrives, we will temporarily close off the area to ensure student safety and comfort until the project is completed.

Cameron Reed - Principal 

 Students departing St Jude’s at the end of 2025

We currently have waiting lists in several year levels. If your child is leaving St Jude’s at the end of 2025, can I ask that you please let the office know asap by clicking here and completing the online form. This will assist in giving another family an opportunity to join our wonderful community.

Happy Birthday to

Lucas W, Natalie F, Noah S, Rae H, Dempsey V, Margot S, Augustus Z, Bayley M, Timmy J, Patrick F, Nathan M, Grace C, Felix D.  

R U OK Day 

Thursday 11 September is R U OK?  Day. This is an important day where we remember to check in with our family, friends and those round us to let them know we are here for them.

On Thursday 11 September, we are inviting students to wear a Yellow accessory to school (eg ribbon, socks, scarf, hat watch band etc). 

Ask R U OK?  ANY DAY because life happens every day. 

Mini Missions Fete 

On Wednesday in Week 10, Year 6 will hold our annual Mini Missions Fete which will raise funds for Mwamba Academy in Kenya to help build classrooms, supply clean water and schooling necessities. There will be a variety of stalls selling delicious treats and fun experiences to our students.

This year, like previous years, the Mini Missions fete will be cashless. Students will use a 'helping hand' to purchase items from the stalls, which need to be purchased through Qkr! These helping hands will be available for purchase on Qkr! from next Monday, 8 September, until 12noon on Monday 22 September. 

The fingers can then be torn off and used at each stall. There is no limit to the number of ‘Helping Hands’ purchased for each child, however there will be no refunds provided on helping hands at the end of the Missions Fete.  Students will have an opportunity to put any remaining fingers they have left into a raffle which will be drawn at the end of the day.

We are looking forward to the wonderful stalls that Year 6 have planned and thank you in advance for your generous support. 

2025 Dance Concert Video now available 

The video of the Dance Concert 2025 is now available. Pease visit this website: https://www.stjudesps.act.edu.au/dance-concert  to download the file.

Please download the video to your computer. Note that the video file is over 8 GB in size so will take a while.

Alternatively, please provide a USB drive with a minimum space available of 9 GB. The video will be copied to the USB and returned to you. Please enclose the USB in a plastic sealable bag with your name (child’s name) and year to help with the return of the USB.

Seb's Mullet for Cancer

Seb C in year 6 will be cutting his mullet to raise money for the Cancer Council. He has been growing it for the past 4 years! Please click here to support his campaign.

Save the Date - Grandparents Day 

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Blessed Carlo Acutis will become a Saint on Sunday 7 September, you can watch it live from 6pm Sunday 7 September.

On Monday 8 September to mark the celebration, we are inviting students and staff to wear casual sports attire . Carlo loved soccer and was often found in sport clothes. Students can wear any sports jerseys and runners. If they do not have a sport outfit, then a jumper, trackpants and runners.

We will mark the day together with an assembly and activities learning about the first millennial saint.

This week we celebrate Early Childhood Educators Day.  We are so very grateful for our extraordinary, caring and dedicated educators who spend each day supporting the learning, development and wellbeing of the children at our ELC.  It is not an easy job. If you get a chance, remember to say thank you to our amazing educators.

The children have had a wonderful week preparing to celebrate Fathers Day. They worked with great care and creativity to make special gifts, practiced for our upcoming liturgy, and planned a few extra surprises to share with their dads. We look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you on Friday and we with all the dads a very happy Fathers Day on Sunday.

Fathers Day Celebrations – Friday 5 September

St Jude’s primary school and ELC warmly invites step fathers, grandfathers, uncles and special friends to attend our Fathers Day celebration this Friday. Our breakfast BBQ will start at 8:15 followed by classroom visits. 

• 8:15am Breakfast BBQ (in the Primary School shelter shed)
• 9:00am Open classrooms
• Followed by Father’s Day liturgy (run by the ELC children/staff) in the St Jude’s Church.

The Stingrays will have a ‘Stay and Play’ session on Monday 8 Sept from 9am – 10am for Stingray fathers and special friends.

Blessed Carlo Acutis – Sports Day – Monday 8 September

To celebrate the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, children are invited to wear sports jerseys or sports clothes (as Carlo often did) on Monday 8 September. 

For your diary

Friday 31 October - Grandparents Day

Saturday 1 November – SJV Fete

Book Cow Book Fair - last day Thursday 4 September 

Where: St Jude's Library

When:  

• Last Day for the Book Fair - Thurs 4 Sep open 3:10pm - 4.00pm
  

Payment: Cash or card, online payment option here

Many thanks to our community for supporting our Book Fair. It's been lovely to have families visit the library and share the love of reading and books.

Scholastic Book Club

Melissa Garside Author Visit for Year 3

Year 3's Author Pen pal is visiting the library on Friday 12^ September. Our students have an optional opportunity to purchase her books and have them signed on the day.  The Book Cow website is here.

Happy reading.

Mrs Hind - Teacher Librarian 

Uniform shop is next open on Friday 11 September 2:45-3:15pm

For second hand requests please email to: uniform.stjudes@gmail.com. Please include your child’s name and classroom for us to deliver to. **Please do not make payment for secondhand items, until we reply to your request confirming stock is available

Canteen Volunteers Week 8

Wednesday 10 September -  Antonella, Eve & Andy

Back to the Middles Ages

Details are here https://events.humanitix.com/middle-ages-holiday-program and in the attached graphic.

Run by experienced educators, this hands-on program offers a day back in time for students. They will get to play, create and cook while exploring art, science, music and more from the Middle Ages.

The program is suitable for ages 8 to 12 and if this first date fills up quickly, we’d be happy to offer more.

A modified version of this whole-day program can also be offered as an incursion tailored to suit your school’s specific needs.

The program is aligned with the Australian Curriculum, specific curriculum links can be provided upon request.