Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week, an opportunity for all 309 Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos.

Catholic Education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

We have a number of events planned for the week including Mass on Sunday, the Athletics Carnival on Thursday and Bishop’s Inservice Day for staff on Friday.

I extend an invitation to all students and families to attend the Catholic Education Week Mass on Sunday (25 July) in St Joseph’s Church at 8.30am.

We all are looking forward to the Athletics Carnival on Thursday. Hopefully we get good weather, and I am looking forward to seeing families there on the day to cheer their children on.

Next week we also celebrate and thank a number of staff for achieving milestones in their service to Catholic Education. My thanks and congratulations to:

• Josephine Gangemi – 40 years
• David Fleming – 35 years
• Andrea Shatte – 20 years.

It is a wonderful effort by these staff.

Finally, I would like to congratulate two staff who have been nominated for awards.

Assistant to the Principal Primary, Sarah Yates, and Year 3 Teacher, Johanna Campbell, were nominated for a Spirit of Catholic Education Award for their service to Catholic Education. Further, Johanna is one of three teachers from across the Toowoomba Diocese who has been shortlisted for the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Expert Primary Award. Johanna will attend the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards Ceremony on Thursday night next week where the winner will be announced.

My thanks to all staff for their dedication to Catholic Education and great work at St Joseph’s School.

God Bless