2025-13 Newsletter - Term 3 Week 5

Principals Message

As we reach the midpoint of Term 3, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank our students, staff, and families for their ongoing commitment and enthusiasm.

Firstly, congratulations to all students who represented our school at the Eastern Regions Athletics Carnival. Your sportsmanship, teamwork, and determination were truly outstanding, and we are very proud of the way you represented St Joseph’s.

Our school musical preparations are also well underway, and it is wonderful to see the creativity, talent, and teamwork on display as students rehearse and bring this production to life. Thank you to staff and families for the support you are giving our students as they prepare for what promises to be a memorable event. The date for our musical will be October 30th 2025 at the Crystal Theatre Portland. We are still waiting for confirmation from Lithgow Council but please write this date on your calendars. 

This term has already been filled with many exciting activities, with more still to come. It is heartening to see our students engaged in such rich opportunities for learning, growth, and celebration of community.

I would also like to acknowledge our Year 6 students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, 31st August 2025. This is a very special milestone in their faith journey, and I warmly invite our whole school community to join us in prayer and support by attending the 8:00am Parish Mass on the day.We continue to pray for Callie, Isabella, Lori and Blair as they complete the final stages of their preparation. 

Finally, thank you for your continued support of our school and St Vincent's Parish. We were able to donate $520 last week to the parish as a result of our social justice contribution made through our Hot Chocolate and soup fundraising. Together, we  can make a difference in our community. May we continue to make Term 3 a successful and joy-filled time for all. 

In Faith & Truth 

Simone Taylor

Reflection - The Assumption of Mary

On August 15, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast reminds us of the special place Mary holds in our faith as the Mother of Jesus. The Assumption means that, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into Heaven to be with God. It is a sign of the deep love God had for her and the role she played in His plan of salvation.

For us as Catholics, the Assumption is a message of hope. Mary’s life shows us what it means to trust completely in God and to say “yes” to His call. Just as God welcomed Mary into eternal life, we are reminded that our own journey of faith also leads us to the promise of Heaven.

As a school community, we look to Mary as a model of faith, humility, and courage. She teaches us to be people of love and service, always ready to care for others and to place our trust in God. We pray that we may follow Mary’s example in our daily lives.

Loving God,
On this feast of the Assumption,
we thank You for the gift of Mary,
Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church.

May we follow her example of faith, courage, and love,
and trust always in Your promise of eternal life.

Mary, assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Amen.

Mary, Mother of God, assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Special Message from Fr Reynold - Feast Day of Mary MacKillop Mass:

I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for today’s Mass. I was deeply impressed by how beautifully and reverently the children read — it was clear they had prepared with great care and intention.

Their poise, clarity, and sense of respect throughout the Mass were truly moving. Please extend my gratitude and congratulations to the staff and students involved. It was a meaningful and uplifting celebration and I’m very grateful to have been part of it.

May God bless you. 

Reynold Jaboneta

BMEC Excursions - Imagine Live & Viv

Congratulations to our students and staff on a very successful excursion to Bathurst Memorial Entainment Centre (BMEC) last week to enjoy the Imagine Live stage show.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to experience live theatre, and they represented our school with pride, enthusiasm, and excellent behaviour. Thank you to the staff who supported and supervised the excursion, ensuring it was such a positive and memorable experience for all. We thank VIVA Cafe for the delicious morning tea enjoyed by all at Machattie Park.

We now look forward to returning to BMEC this Friday to watch VIV! Following the performance, our students will enjoy some time at the adventure playground and share in a wellbeing pizza lunch — a special way to finish off what promises to be another exciting day together. We thank Mrs Nicholson (Wellbeing Officer ) for organising our Wellbeing lunch as part of our Wellbeing Program at St Joseph's School. 

We are very grateful to BMEC for providing our students with the opportunity to experience high-quality stage productions so close to home. Having such a wonderful venue locally means our students can access live theatre without the need for long travel.

There are also a number of upcoming shows in Bathurst that may be of interest to families. Please see the images below for further details and tickets are available on the BMEC webpage. 

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Father's Day Stall

The P&F will be holding a Father’s Day Stall on Wednesday 3rd September at lunchtime. A variety of gifts will be available, priced between $3 and $10.

If you would like your child to purchase a gift, please remember to send money with them on the day.

Thank you for your support!

CSYMI Year 5 Retreat at La Salle Academy

Yesterday, our Year 5 students had the wonderful opportunity to attend a special Retreat Day at La Salle Academy, as part of our ongoing collaboration as a feeder school. The retreat was led by the inspiring Year 10 La Salle student leaders and focused on spirituality, reflection, and connection.

We were also joined by students from St Patrick’s School, Lithgow, making it a meaningful day of shared faith and friendship. The presence of youth ministers and La Salle leaders helped create an engaging and uplifting experience for all.

A big thank you to La Salle Academy for hosting such a memorable day!

Eastern Region Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Eastern Region Athletics Carnival in Bathurst on Thursday, 7th August.

We were proud to take 15 students who competed in a range of track and field events against schools from across our Eastern Region. It was wonderful to see such strong representation from our school. Congratulation to all students on their 'have a go' attitude and the efforts they applied to their given events on the day. We had some excellent results in 2025. 

A special congratulations to:

• Amitty – 3rd place in 800m and 2nd place in High Jump

• Max – 2nd place in 200m

• Noah – 3rd place in Discus                                                                                                                                                   
  These three students have now qualified to represent the Eastern Region team at the Bathurst Diocesan Athletics Carnival in Dubbo this Friday, 22nd August.

Congratulations also to Oliver Baird who made the 8 year boys 100 metres final - a tight race against some tough competition. 

We thank all our parents and families for transporting and supported our team on this day. It is lovely to have you present with our team to share the excitment and cheer us on. 

Mrs Bettison 

Sports Coordinator

Tour of the National Capital - Canberra

Our Year 6 students will soon be undertaking an educational tour of the national capital. During this excursion, students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs focused on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy.

This tour is part of the students' Civics and Citizenship education, and the Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians having the opportunity to visit the national capital as part of this learning.

To assist families in meeting the cost, the Government is contributing $45 per student through the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) Program. This rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion and has already been factored into the excursion charge included in your annual school fees.

This year, the excursion will again be undertaken in collaboration with St Patrick’s Lithgow, another school from the Bathurst Diocese, as part of our annual combined excursion.

We sincerely thank the Australian Government for their support through the PACER Program.

Wellbeing Report

It was great to check in with all the students last week and chat with them about how they are going at school. Every single child told me how happy they are and how much they are enjoying school – well done kids!

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY

International Friendship Day was celebrated a couple of weeks ago and each class completed some learning tasks about the importance of friends and made a variety of colourful bright wind spinners. Unfortunately, the weather hampered my plans, and we have not been able to display them in the garden at the front of the infant’s playground yet. It is planned that they will be displayed in Week 7 so keep an eye out for our eye-catching, wind catching, sun catching display.

I attended a professional learning day last week and I found the following visual interesting.

Emotional coaching is a technique that focuses on helping children understand, manage, and appropriately express their emotions. It involves recognising, validating, and responding to a child's feelings, rather than just focusing on their behaviour. By guiding children through their emotional experiences, emotional coaching helps them develop emotional intelligence, resilience, and healthy coping mechanisms. 

Mrs Nicholson - Wellbeing Officer

Music Therapy

Thank you to Miss Washbrook who has begun our Music Therapy - Guitar and Ukulele sessions with some students this week as part of wellbeing. These sessions will run weekly and we look forward to seeing some wonderful musical arrangements in the near future. The students are all very excited to be part of this wonderful wellbeing initiative. Thank you Miss Washbrook!

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

K1/2 had a wonderful time on their excursion to BMEC to see Imagine. The performance inspired lots of creativity back in the classroom. Students wrote recounts using their senses to describe the experience and created colourful self-portraits that captured their amazing imaginations.

In Mathematics this term, we have been exploring addition and subtraction in fun and practical ways. Students created their own number stories and used hands-on materials to help solve them, building both confidence and understanding.

In Religion, we have been learning about the Parables from the Bible and discussing the Kingdom of God and what it means for us in our own lives. We also explored the story of Joseph the Dreamer, reflecting on the importance of forgiveness and the special plans God has for each of us.

What's Happening in 3/4

We’ve had a very busy and exciting first half of the term!

Mathematics – Time
This week we have started our new topic on Time. Students are learning to read clocks and apply their knowledge to real-life situations. To support this at home, you might like to integrate clock reading into daily activities — for example, pointing out the time for meals, bedtime, or regular events.

Bullying No Way Week 

Last week 3/4 participated in Bullying No Way: National week of action, focusing on the importance of student voice in standing up to bullying.

As a class we explored the concept of being an upstander, someone who speaks up or acts when they see bullying, and shared examples of the trusted people in our lives, linking closely to our current Health unit.

Students listened to real tips from other young people around Australia, reflected on their own experiences, and shared thoughtful ideas on how to make our school a safe and inclusive place for everyone.

To finish, students created their own Chatterbox of Tips, a fun and interactive way to remember strategies for dealing with bullying and supporting others.

We're proud of the thoughtful conversations and ideas shared by our students during this activity!

The Billabong Prank – School Play
We are counting down to our upcoming musical The Billabong Prank! Many of our class members have roles in the production. Students have their scripts and are encouraged to practise their lines at home so they feel confident and prepared.

English – Ned Kelly
In English, we continue to explore the life of Ned Kelly through our class text Ned Kelly and the Green Sash. We have been discussing the different points of view around Ned Kelly’s life — was he seen as a hero or a criminal? The students are enjoying debating and considering both perspectives.

Project Reminder
A reminder that the Ned Kelly project is due this Friday. We are looking forward to seeing the wonderful work students have put together.

What's Happening in 5/6

The students have just completed a unit in English investigating fake news and the impact it can have on people. We looked closely at what makes a news article ‘real’ or ‘fake’. This is a very valuable skill to have as the students get ready to move on to high school. The unit has also allowed us to become investigative journalists and research the proposed Sunny Corner Wind Farm. We have had to take out personal opinions and biases and just present the facts.

The students have also completed a slide show for the CWA International Country of the Year competition. The country of study was The Republic of Korea (formerly South Korea). According to one travel blogger the capital city Seoul has 70 000 coffee shops and 28 000 karaoke bars. Each student had to research an aspect of Korean life and society and then create a slide to display their information. Students can log into their Google account at home and show their parents their wonderful work.

Rehearsals are well underway for this year’s whole school musical “The Billabong Prank”. The students are starting to build their confidence and developing their characters. A reminder that all students are required to practice their line to support their acting and scene development. 

Congratulations to Amitty and Lexie whose Christmas Story artworks were selected for the CEDB annual art competition – good luck girls!

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