2025-12 Newsletter - Term 3 Week 2

Principal's Message - School Improvement / Future Direction

As part of our ongoing commitment to school improvement, we thank all families who have taken the time to provide thoughtful feedback through the Annual School Improvement Survey. Parents who completed the survey in 2025 shared the following reflections:

"The school provides a safe and respectful learning environment where students are supported to do their best academically, socially, physically, and spiritually in a way that is meaningful to them. The focus on kindness, forgiveness, and patience helps nurture students into caring, community-minded individuals. Staff are approachable and always willing to listen to any concerns regarding student learning or wellbeing. I feel supported and know my child  is learning the importance of faith in his life. The school grounds are beautifully maintained and create a welcoming environment for all."

We also acknowledge the suggestion that greater consistency in school uniform expectations that could further enhance a sense of pride and unity among students. This feedback has been noted and will be considered as part of our ongoing review of school practices and policies.

We value our partnership with families and thank you for your continued support.

We are always grateful for the thoughtful feedback from our students, not only about what they love at St Joseph’s but also their ideas for making our school even better. Below are some of the recent suggestions shared by students:

• Improvements to the playground surface on the Stage 3 area, such as removing or replacing the current tar, which some students find slippery or uncomfortable if they fall.
  
  
• Expanding the play spaces, particularly the Stage 3 and Stage 2 soccer areas, to allow more room for active play and reduce crowding.
  
  
• Adding moveable soccer goal nets instead of cones, to make games clearer and reduce disagreements about goals.
  
  
• Ensuring the school grounds, especially on Fridays, are free from rubbish and food waste.
  
  
• Suggestions for school growth, including making the school bigger to welcome more students.
  
  
• A few students would like to see more homework, while others feel there is little the school needs to improve.
  
  
• One student mentioned a desire for clearer rules to help everyone understand expectations.
  
  

We thank our students for taking the time to share their ideas and opinions. Student voice is an important part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a safe, inclusive, and engaging school environment. We will continue to consider this feedback as part of our planning for future improvements.

As part of our School Improvement process, staff were also invited to share reflections on what makes St Joseph’s a special place to work and learn. The following feedback highlights the shared strengths and values of our school community:

The staff at St Joseph’s School consistently foster an environment that promotes intellectual growth, creativity, and moral integrity. Working collaboratively as a team, staff are dedicated not only to preparing students for academic success but also to nurturing values that shape compassionate, responsible citizens.

St Joseph’s is more than just a place of learning—it is a warm and welcoming community that truly invests in the potential of every student. Staff place a strong emphasis on wellbeing and inclusion, ensuring all students feel safe, valued, and empowered. The school’s proactive focus on building resilience and fostering healthy relationships is an essential part of this supportive environment.

Staff commended the school’s strong commitment to community and parent engagement. The continued integration of CEDB programs reflects the team’s forward-thinking mindset and adaptability in delivering high-quality education, regardless of the school’s size.

The implementation of the new curriculum has been embraced as an opportunity for deeper student engagement and achievement. Teachers have met this challenge with professionalism and creativity, turning change into growth.

Staff also acknowledged the valuable support provided through the appointment of new staff via Director’s Discretion. These positions—supporting K/1/2 literacy, managing a large composite class, introducing a Canteen Supervisor to align with NSW Food Authority requirements, and transitioning to external cleaning services—have made a significant and positive impact on the daily functioning of the school.

St Joseph’s continues to be a small school with a big heart—a place where dedicated staff go above and beyond to inspire learning, encourage personal growth, and build a strong sense of belonging. It is truly a pleasure to be part of this school family.

Looking ahead, there is a continued focus on strengthening St Joseph’s position in the local community by maintaining its distinctive advantages as a small school, while also positioning itself for future success and growth. A strong commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, and student wellbeing will ensure St Joseph’s remains a viable and attractive option for prospective enrolments.

Supporting and investing in staff remains a key priority to ensure a cohesive and successful team approach that benefits all students.

St Joseph’s continues to be a small school with a big heart—a place where dedicated staff go above and beyond to inspire learning, encourage personal growth, and build a strong sense of belonging. It is truly a pleasure to be part of this school family.

Simone Taylor

Principal 

Reflection

On the 8th of August, we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first saint and a woman of deep faith, courage, and compassion.

Mary MacKillop reminds us of the power of living with purpose, kindness, and a strong trust in God. Her famous words, “Never see a need without doing something about it,” continue to inspire us in our mission at St Joseph’s — to be people who notice others, act with love, and work together for the good of all.

Mary believed in the importance of education and worked tirelessly to bring learning and hope to children across Australia, especially those in country towns like ours. Her legacy lives on in Catholic schools today, where we continue to follow her example of service, faith, and care for others.

As a school community, may we reflect on her life and ask:

• How can I be more like Mary MacKillop in my words and actions?

• Where can I see a need — and how might I help?

Let us honour her by living with open hearts, generous spirits, and the same trust in God that guided her every step.

A Prayer for the Feast of Mary MacKillop

Loving God,
We thank You for the life and example of Saint Mary MacKillop.
Help us to be kind, courageous, and always ready to help others,

just like she was.

May we trust in You as she did, and use our hands, hearts, and

words to make a difference.

Saint Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Amen.

"You are warmly invited to join us on Wednesday, 13th August at 9:30am, as our school community gathers with the parish to celebrate Mass with Fr Reynold in honour of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and to commemorate her lasting legacy."

Pupil Free Day - Monday 4th August

A reminder that Monday 4th August is a pupil-free day for staff development. Staff will be attending professional development on this day and there will be no supervision at school. Teaching Staff will spend the day with presenter Dan White and Support Staff will continue their online learning modules on the Teacher - Aide Online Learning Platform.  

As part of our ongoing commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, we have set aside several Staff Development Days across 2025. These pupil-free days provide valuable opportunities for staff to participate in professional learning that directly supports student outcomes and school improvement.

We understand families appreciate advance notice to help with planning, and we aim to schedule these days in a way that is both practical and purposeful. In some cases, dates are shaped by the availability of expert facilitators working with our team.

The following Staff Development Days for 2025 have been approved by Catholic Education – Diocese of Bathurst and are published on the 2025 Compass Calendar:

• Monday 4th August – Breathing Life Into the RE Curriculum with Dr Dan White

• Monday 22nd September – Science and Technology Syllabus

• Thursday 18th & Friday 19th December – Strategic Direction, Planning and Training

Thank you for your continued support as we invest in the professional growth of our staff.

Book Character Parade & Book Fair 2025

What a fantastic day we had at last week’s Book Character Parade and Book Fair! The students’ costumes were absolutely amazing—it was clear how much time, effort and creativity went into them. It’s always such a fun day, and we love being able to share it with our families.

This year’s theme, “Books an Adventure”,  truly inspired our students to bring their favourite characters to life. The enthusiasm and effort shown in every costume today is a credit to our students and the wonderful support of their families. Thank you for helping make this such a special occasion.

Getting up on stage can be a big deal, but as always, our students took it in their stride and made us all proud.

A successful event like this is only possible through teamwork, and we would like to take a moment to thank the dedicated staff who have made today so vibrant and memorable:

• Mrs Clancy, our wonderful librarian, for leading our Book Week celebrations and nurturing a love of reading in our school.

• Mrs Nicholson, for her creativity in designing the beautiful Book Week display.

• Mrs Slattery, for her delightful musical tributes to favourite book characters.

• Nikki, for her coordination of the 2025 Book Fair.

• Katrina, for her support in the Book Fair today.

• Holly, for making sure our students are well-fed with today’s delicious sausage sizzle lunch deal.

• And Annika Taylor, for her organisation of this afternoon’s exciting tabloid event — a fun way to wrap up our Book Week celebrations.

As you can see, it was truly is a team effort here at St Joseph’s to ensure a successful and enjoyable day for our students.

The Book Fair was another great success, with total sales of $1,676—which means the school received over $500 worth of new books for our libraries as part of the commission. A huge thank you to our families for your continued support. And yes—we do hope all those books are actually being read! 

A special thank you as well to those families who purchased books to donate directly to our library. Each donated book has been labelled so future readers will know who made their reading experience possible.

More photos soon on Facebook.

2025 Book Week

Confirmation 2025

What is Confirmation?

CONFIRMATION- Strengthening of faith through the Holy Spirit
Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation that involves the anointing with holy chrism (oil) by a bishop, conferring the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the recipient. This sacrament strengthens the recipient’s faith and commitment to the Church, often performed during adolescence as a conscious affirmation of one’s faith.

Signs and Symbols of Confirmation

LAYING ON OF HANDS
One of the primary symbols in the liturgy is the ‘laying on of hands’. From ancient times, to impose hands on someone or to extend one’s hand over the person’s head was the sign of calling down the Holy Spirit. All seven sacraments employ this symbol. 

DOVE
The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It represents peace, purity and the presence of God. A dove descended on Jesus during his baptism, which symbolised the Holy Spirit.

FIRE/LIGHT
Fire is a symbol of God’s purifying presence At Baptism Catholics are given a lighted candle to symbolise the light of Christ. This is the transforming light of faith that drives out the darkness of despair. Christians are to be the light of Christ in the world.

OIL
The word Christ means the Anointed One. Catholics are anointed in Baptism using oils which are blessed during a special Mass called a Chrism Mass. The priest draws the Sign of the Cross in oil on a person’s forehead as he says special words
according to the sacrament. Oil is also used for Confirmation, Holy Orders and for the Anointing of the Sick.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Seven qualities or graces (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the
Lord) bestowed upon the faithful, particularly in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Confirmation 2025 

We keep our Confirmation candidates (Callie, Blair, Isabella and Lori) in our prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday 31st August at St Vincent’s Church, Portland.

This special celebration will be led by the Bishop, and we warmly invite our school community to come along and support these students as they take this important step in their faith journey.

Light refreshments will be served afterwards, and we would love to see as many of our families and friends there as possible.

Eastern Region Athletics Carnival

We would like to wish the very best of luck to our student representative who will be travelling to Bathurst on Wednesday 7th August to compete in the CEDB Eastern Region Athletics Carnival.

We would like to wish the very best of luck to our student representative who will be travelling to Bathurst on Wednesday 7th August to compete in the CEDB Eastern Region Athletics Carnival.

Congratulations to the following fifteen students who will be progressing ont the next representative level:

Oliver B, Fletcher, Lexie, Grace, Max, James H, John , Blair, Lori, Noah, Callie, Jesse, Oliver S, Amitty and Hazel

We will be cheering you on. 

Mrs Jessica Bettison will attend this event as our Team Manager, also accompanied by Annika Taylor. 

We'll be cheering you on. 

What's Happening in ..... K/1/2

Religion: 

In the Stories of God’s People unit, students will explore the Bible and understand why it is considered a sacred and special book within the Church. They will read and reflect on stories that highlight people’s experiences with God, including the story of Moses and the Burning Bush.

The second unit, Creator God, focuses on the Creation Story. Students will also be introduced to the concept of prayer and will have the opportunity to compose simple prayers of thanks, praise, and sorrow.

Mathematics:

This term, students will be engaging with the following Mathematics units: Data and Chance, Measuring Length and Fractions, Combining and Separating Quantities, Making and Using Equal Groups, and Place Value. These topics will be explored through a range of hands-on learning experiences. Today, the class showed great enthusiasm by suggesting we investigate the most popular milkshake flavour among all students at St Joseph’s, linking real-life interests to our data collection unit.

English:

This term, we are exploring a selection of engaging texts including The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Molly the Pirate by Lorraine Teece, I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff, and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. Through these texts, students will develop their understanding of sequencing events, story writing, and script writing. We will also explore key print features and discuss how illustrations contribute to and enhance storytelling.

HSIE:

HSIE will continue to be taught by Mr Matheson. This term, students will explore how people are connected to places and communities, with a particular focus on Aboriginal Peoples and their deep connection to, and responsibility for, Country.

Science And Technology:

Science and Technology will continue to be taught by Mrs Clancy. This term, students will be learning about the Physical World, with a focus on identifying light, sound, and heat energy, and understanding how these forms of energy are produced and sensed.

Creative And Practical Arts:

Students will be busy preparing for the upcoming whole school concert "The Billabong Prank", learning songs as well as accompanying actions and dances. In addition, they will create artworks inspired by the texts explored in English and the seasonal themes of winter and spring.

PDHPE:

What's Happening in ..... 3/4

Welcome to Term 3!
We hope you all had a restful break and are ready for another fast-paced and exciting term of learning. Term 3 is always a busy one, and we’re looking forward to all the wonderful things in store!

English
Our new topic in English is Ned Kelly and the Green Sash. Students will explore the life of Ned Kelly, with a strong focus on understanding his story from his own point of view. Through reading, discussion, and writing activities, students will examine key events in his life and consider the choices he made. The class is already highly engaged and enthusiastic about this unit — we’re in for some excellent conversations and thoughtful reflections!

Mathematics
In Mathematics this term, we are focusing on Multiplication, Division, and Fractions.
Students will build on their understanding of Multiplication and Division strategies, applying these to a variety of problem-solving situations. We will also be deepening our understanding of Fractions, including recognising and representing fractions of shapes and collections, as well as comparing and ordering them. These are important and foundational skills, and students will be encouraged to use hands-on materials, visuals, and real-world contexts to make connections and strengthen their number sense.

HOMEWORK REMINDERS

• Homework has now been handed out. Each week, students will take home their homework folders containing an A3 sheet with either Mathematics or English revision activities, along with a weekly spelling list.
• The spelling list provided covers the entire term. Students are required to complete one page per week, focusing on the spelling patterns we are currently learning in class.
• The A3 sheet will be updated weekly, so it is important that folders are returned each Friday, even if the work is not completed, so new homework can be added.
• In the coming weeks, a Project will be assigned to replace the weekly A3 task. More details will be shared closer to the time.

Eastern Region Athletics Carnival
A reminder to parents of students attending the Eastern Region Athletics Carnival next week — please ensure Compass permission has been completed to confirm your child’s attendance.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re looking forward to a fantastic term ahead!

What's Happening in ..... 5/6

HELLO FROM THE YEAR 5/6 CLASSROOM

Our English unit ‘Fake News’ has us looking closely at news articles and reference websites (print and online), and how to assess the authority of the content. We have to ask questions such as “When was it written?’ “Who wrote it and why did they - what is their agenda?” “How has it been published? Is there any spelling or grammatical errors in the article?” 

We are also looking at how to develop sustained arguments for or against an issue, and how our writing cannot be too biased and it must contain facts and details to support our opinion. 

We looked at the topic of space travel versus solving world issues. Below are some of the writing samples from the students who were happy to share their text with the whole class.

THERE IS SOME GREAT RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE ESAFETY COMMISSION WEBSITE
https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/fake-news

I believe that world issues are more important than space travel because here on earth people are dying from things like cancer and other illnesses that need a cure.

I strongly agree  that because we also have climate change and other things disrupting our world. Yes it would be nice to be able to travel to space and find new places  and things, but we need to work on things here on earth first like: World hunger, homelessness, increase of taxes, world fighting,conflict, inequality,food insecurity, education, displacement in people and crime, the money that all the people spend on the aircrafts to be built and to actually get up into space they could be spending fixing the things that are important down here where there are more people living. - Amitty 

It’s clear that Earth has a LOT of problems. And scientists are spending lots of time and money on space exploration. I strongly agree that we should definitely put more time and effort into the world’s countless problems. Space navigation must be held up because our economy is falling apart. Homeless people are wandering the streets, desperate for even a crumb, people are struggling to find homes, the ocean is heating up, killing innocent animals and taking Antarctica with it. Researching space has to be stopped for now because we have world crises are happening and we are spending all our time in space looking for new life that has made little progress. We must put more effort into the worlds incidents and less effort into space. - Grace 

I don’t think space travel is necessary because we can’t just leave our beloved Earth to sit and rot away with the problems we’ve made, animals that will live there still won’t be able to survive because the food chain will start to disappear and animals will start to starve. Also I strongly believe that we should leave other planets untouched because we don’t know what lives on mars or another kind of planet and we could make them upset by destroying their habitat by using petrol, coal and other fossil fuels. It will also be very expensive to grab everyone from earth and put them on a great big spaceship. - Millie

FUN IN YEAR 5 MATHS

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