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| 8 May | Full Winter Uniform |
| 8 May | Student Led Tours for Kinder 2024 |
| 10 May | Dio Cross Country |
| 10-12 May | Year 6 Canberra Excursion |
| 15-19 May | Catholic Schools Week |
| 17 May | FUTSAL Gala Day |
| 18 May | Year 4 Sydney Excursion |
| 18 May | Student Led Tours for Kinder 2024 |
| 25 May | Year 2 Tocal Excursion |
| 9 June | Regional Athletics Carnival |
Dear Parents,
To think we have only just returned to school, and we’ve already had so many special events. Last week saw us celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, commemorate our ANZACS and other defence personnel, welcome Bishop Michael Kennedy to our school and this week saw us participate in a most wonderful athletics carnival. At all these events there was just the right type of atmosphere appropriate for each particular event. This has resulted in a warm and positive start to the term.
We welcome Mrs Shannon Bailey and Mr Woody Strehler to our school this term. Shannon is teaching Year 6 while Ms Parker is on maternity leave (no baby news, yet) and Woody is a student teacher working in Year 4 Gold.
Bishop’s Visit
Last Wednesday, we were honoured to have our new Bishop, Michael Kennedy, visit us along with Fr John, our parish priest. Bishop Michael is visiting all schools and parishes this year in order to get to know his people and their communities. Bishop Michael arrived during lunch time, so was able to meet with the staff, and then following lunch he gathered with the whole school. Katerina and Gus, two of our student leaders very proudly welcomed him to our school and then all grades sang our school song for him with great gusto. We feel that this will help him remember St Joseph’s for sure! Children across all grades shared with Bishop Michael what they thought he needed to know about our school. Many of the comments included thoughts such as how we are a very inclusive community, have challenging and fun learning, along with good teachers and a supportive community. It was lovely to hear their thoughts. The final comment he heard was that St Joseph’s is the best school in the world which bought a lot of agreement with it and lots of laughs. Following this, Bishop Michael spoke to the children about the importance of being kind at school and throughout their lives. He spoke on a level that they could understand and then shared a blessing with us. Our Year Five students then had the pleasure of holding a Q & A session with him. We were most impressed with the sensible and thought-provoking questions they had compiled for him. Please read the Year Five’s report below, on their experience. We appreciate all the time that the Bishop and Father John gave to us and look forward to their next visit.
From the students of Year 5
On Wednesday the 26th of April, the newly appointed Bishop to our Diocese, Bishop Michael Kennedy, visited our school. Year 5 were fortunate enough to engage Bishop Michael up close and personal with Question Time. The students’ intriguing questions allowed them to gain an insight into the person behind the role of Bishop. They learnt that becoming a Bishop takes many years of rigorous study and a minimum of seven years ministering as a priest. They also heard that to become a Bishop you do not apply for the position but rather, are asked by the Pope to take on this religious leadership role in a Diocese. Although Bishop Michael was asked by the Pope, he stated that he had not yet personally met with him.
The students learnt that as a child, Bishop Michael always wanted to be a teacher, which he was for a little while but always had a yearning to become a priest and believed that this was his special calling from God. When considering becoming a priest, his mother once said,” You can do whatever you like. It will be hard, but you will always have fun.”
When asked what advice Bishop Michael would give to those considering the role of Bishop, was to always be kind and loving, just as Jesus was when he ministered to people. He said that praying every day and committing yourself to God’s work was very important.
Bishop Michael was asked what aspirations had for our Church Community, he said he would like to strongly encourage those who are baptised to be active in spreading the good news of Jesus.
We all learnt that Bishop Michael’s favourite scripture story is the Crucifixion of Jesus. As Jesus was dying on the cross, the thief turns to Jesus and says, ‘Remember me when you return to your Kingdom’, and Jesus replies, ‘At the end of this day you will be with me in paradise’.
During Question Time it was revealed that Bishop Michael is a Paramatta Eels supporter, but since his Installation, he has in true Novocastrian style, become a Knight’s supporter!
St Pius Visit
At the end of last term, Hugh and Harry, two of our Year 6 student leaders went to St Pius primary school at Windale, to donate Easter eggs to all the students on our behalf. Hugh’s father, Chris, and Scott McShane, our P&F President accompanied us. When we arrived, we were given a tour of the school, by their principal, Mr Steve Pride, and we were made to feel very welcome indeed. The boys then spoke to the St Pius community, explaining what they were there for and wishing them and their families a happy Easter. The visit was very enlightening for us all, as St Pius is quite a different school to ours. We came away feeling very humbled and very grateful. We hope to continue forging our relationship with the St Pius community. They were very grateful for our Easter donation and the children were most excited about what they would be taking home to share with their families.
Athletics Carnival
Despite the wind, our athletics carnival on Wednesday was a fabulous day. We had a fantastic bunch of parent helpers; a great group of family spectators; staff who tirelessly ensured that all children were involved, and that the day ran smoothly; and a wonderful bunch of children, whose behaviour and sportsmanship were exemplary. Thank you to everyone who made it such a special and uplifting day.
Mother’s Day Celebrations
You will have noticed that our Mother’s Day celebrations will be held on Monday 15th May, the day after Mother’s Day. The reason for this is due to the fact that our Year 6 students are in Canberra the previous week and being their last year in primary school, we didn’t want them and their mothers to miss out on this special morning. We will start with a breakfast from 7:30am - 8:30am followed by the drawing of the raffle and then our whole school Mother’s Day liturgy. If you haven’t yet completed your form indicating your attendance and number of people joining us for breakfast please do so as soon as possible in order to assist with catering.
Morning Drop Off
It has been noticed that a number of our infants parents (Kinder – Year 2) are escorting their children to their classrooms each morning. If you are coming into the school grounds to drop your children off, we ask that you say your goodbyes on the playground. Our school procedures require the children to carry their own bags to their classrooms, place them on their bag hooks, and then come back to the playground to play, or, if the bell has already gone, to enter their classrooms. This is the procedure if your children arrive late as well. The main reasons for these procedures are, to help to develop independence, and reduce heightened separation behaviours, along with WHS and child protection reasons, as there are no teachers on duty in the corridors. Please don’t take offence if a staff member asks you not to go to the classroom with your child. Thank you for your understanding and compliance with these procedures.
Contemporary Dance Group
Chelsea Cole of CC Choreography is starting up a St Joseph’s School Dance group for both girls and boys. She will be offering both Hip Hop classes and Contemporary Dance classes before school on a Wednesday and Thursday. To find out more please go to CC Choreopgraphy. Once the group are established there will be occasions where the dancers will be able to perform for the school and at special events.
Student Council Update
The student council have been busy sharing the student voice and putting their heads together to come up with new initiatives during our fortnightly meetings. Here are some of the ideas they have been able to action so far this semester.
- Handball court respray
- Cultural cuisine served in the canteen on Harmony Day
- The purchase of mounted netball rings for use outside the hall and netball safety pads so that the current netball posts can be moved to the small field near Tookoliba
- The return of ‘Joey’s Got Talent’ to be held in late Term 3 in non-musical years (stay tuned for further details)
- The upcoming addition of new healthy recess snacks for sale in the canteen
- Suggested Disco themes to share with the P&F
We are very proud of their efforts and all they have achieved in this short space of time. We look forward to sharing further updates across Term 2.
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)
Act Safely: Be in the right place at the right time.
Being in the right place at the right time means everyone in our school community makes safe choices and acts responsibly. This fortnight students will explore the characteristics of being in the right place at the right time including keeping yourself safe, having good manners, being respectful, being friendly to all, listening to the teacher and arriving on time.
They will consider what “Being in the right place at the right time” look like and sound like at St Joseph’s? Some examples include:
- Ensuring you are on time and where you should be.
- Speaking to a teacher if you need to go somewhere away from a designated area.
- Listening to teacher instructions.
Safeguarding – Privacy Awareness Week
Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) is an annual event that highlights the importance of protecting personal information and helps organisations, agencies and the public navigate the privacy landscape. There are some valuable privacy tips for parents and carers available at the following website:
In addition, eSafety’s Term 2 webinar on parental controls helps parents and carers learn about software tools and other strategies for taming technology at home.
The webinar explores the benefits and limitations of parental controls and covers how to safely set up devices and popular games and apps like Roblox and Youtube.
Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week is fast approaching with this year’s theme being “Encounter: Journeying Together.” This reminds us that we are called to be Easter people – those who are committed to building joy-filled communities who are constantly seeking unity and belonging. Such times call for us to accompany others along the road, meeting them where they are at, hearing the things that set their hearts on fire, and those that express their disappointments and anger. Like the two disciples heading towards Emmaus (Lk 24:13:35), Jesus does not tell them to turn back, rather He walks alongside them and listens deeply. He doesn’t just talk to them at a distance, He meets them and encounters them.
Our mission is to live within the tension between the convictions of the Church and the questions of the world. As we accompany one another, we become Christ for one another, opening up together the mysteries of life and faith. This is at the heart of our theme this year.
Sacramental Program 
This year we have 18 students participating in the sacramental program, they are: Max D, Ivy S, Harrison C, Chris M, Riley B, Jai B, Hamish M, Vinnie M, Jack W, Harry F, Luca O, Charlotte H, Poppy D, Lila K, Joyce H, Jimmy H and Juliette S. Please keep our students in your prayers as they work through this sacramental preparation with their families by praying this prayer:
Confirmation Prayer
Lord, You send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all people,
so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent.
Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation
as they listen to Your voice.
Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring to fulfillment
the good work that You have begun in them.
As we prepare these children for Confirmation,
make each of us an instrument of Your love.
Teach us to appreciate what is holy in others,
and to be patient with what we do not understand.
Deepen our faith in the Gospel
and help us to pass it on by our example.
We pray that You will continue to guide us and sustain us.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Donna Morgan
REC
Class News Feed
In Term 1 we introduced a Class News Feed for each class, which shared a snapshot of learning from English and Religious Education. This term, we will put the spotlight on Mathematics and History from the Key Learning Area, Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE). We are very grateful for the positive feedback about the Class News Feed at the recent P & F meeting. Parents expressed gratitude and thanks to our teachers for the sharing of information, photos and the time taken to prepare the Class News Feed.
Our Week 5 Class News Feed will have a focus on Mathematics.
In Mathematics, students:
- make connections across mathematical concepts and other subject areas to enhance students’ ability to understand the purpose of learning mathematics and to develop a deeper conceptual understanding.
- recognise the role of mathematics in solving problems in the world around them, applying their understanding to familiar and unfamiliar situations.
- develop essential numeracy skills and number fluency, while nurturing the ability to think logically, critically and creatively.
- learn about patterns and reason about relationships, creating opportunities to generalise their solutions and to solve non-routine problems.
Our Week 10 Class News Feed will tune into History
The aim of the K-6 History syllabus is to stimulate students’ interest in and enjoyment of exploring the past, to develop a critical understanding of the past and its impact on the present, to develop the critical skills of historical inquiry and to enable students to participate as active, informed and responsible citizens.
In History students:
- develop knowledge and understanding about the nature of history and key changes and developments from the past.
- develop knowledge and understanding about key historical concepts and develop the skills to undertake the process of historical inquiry.
We look forward to sharing our students' learning with you.
Term 2 Learning Overview
During Week 3, which runs from Monday 8 May to Friday 12 May, every grade will provide a Learning Overview for Term 2. This overview will outline the essential concepts, knowledge, and skills that each grade will be studying in every Key Learning Area (KLA). Each class Learning Overview will be available in the Class News Feed on Compass, and you will be notified via email once it has been published. We aim to provide you with a glimpse of the school curriculum and what your children are learning through this information.
Leanne Skinner
Primary Co-ordinator and Pedagogical Mentor
Athletics Carnival
I think this year's Athletics Carnival was one for the history books! It was simply just such a fun day. Our students are always excited. Excited to compete, excited to dress up and cheer on their team, excited to be outside, out of the classroom and doing something different. But this year, it wasn’t just the children who were excited. The hype was very much felt by staff and parents as well. So many parents and staff commented on how much fun the day was. These carnivals are definitely about showcasing our talented athletes and are a platform for them to progress to regionals and beyond. However, it is also a fantastic opportunity to get together as a school community and enjoy each other’s company and have a fun day. And that we did.
The parent vs student vs teacher event will definitely become an annual event. It was a bit of fun for the ‘big kids’, with some playful rivalry and banter before the event. However, it is a great example for students to show that even though some of us are not very skilled in the area of sprinting 100m, especially those that needed to dust off the joggers and haven’t ran in a good 10 years or more, we may not feel confident at times but it is important to have a go and display resilience when faced with a challenging and daunting task. I really hope this has inspired some children to think that they can give anything a go, whatever their age or ability!
As a spectator, I was in awe of some of our students. Watching the determination on their faces, the exceptional form and skill they displayed and just how fast they were, was thrilling to watch. Even more, witnessing those entering themselves in races they wouldn’t normally compete in and pushing themselves to their limits, to be encouraged to dig that bit deeper to finish the race was just as equally rewarding to see.
Congratulations to all of our competitors. To those that didn’t quite make it to the next round, to those that gave it a go and to those that have qualified for Regionals. We are so very proud of you all.
We will share results soon and provide information to those that have progressed to the next level. We will also share this news on the ‘Sport News Board’ near the Buddy Bench outside the library.
A massive shout out to Renee Mantle and Anna Graham, who have offered their support in assisting in not only this carnival, but other upcoming sporting events throughout the year. They are both passionate about sport, not only for their own children but for all students at St Joseph’s. Renee and Anna have spent a lot of their own time seeking interest from parent volunteers and organising rosters and ways they could help staff. So many teachers commented on how much of a help and support the parent volunteers were, and we all mentioned that it was a successful carnival BECAUSE of this help. We really do appreciate it more than we can say. Thank you so much, Renee and Anna, and also to each parent who volunteered on the day.
Paul Kelly Cup
Last year we were quite successful, making it all the way to the state finals in Sydney at the Giants Stadium for the Paul Kelly Cup. This year, we have also started off with a bang!
We started off with three basic principles:
- Respect for our team mates, officials and opposition
- Enjoy the day, have fun
- And to stick together as a team
I am so unbelievably proud of this team. We have a mixture of students who currently play AFL, and have so for a while, students who have engaged with the sport in recent years, and others who have never played. At St Joseph’s, it is important to provide opportunities for all to experience new sports (and familiar ones) and I feel honoured to be a part of a team of students who genuinely look out for each other. There were no egos. No judgement. These boys came together and worked as a TEAM. They supported each other with words of encouragement, lifted each other up when they might have been down and generally enjoyed each other’s company. I think they all had the best day.
St Joseph’s were undefeated all day. However, this didn’t mean that every game was easy. It was not. There were times where we were on the backfoot and we needed to reset, refocus and after our half time chats, we were always able to bring home the goods.
After our final game, which was one of our hardest and was the deciding factor if we made it to the next round of the competition, was probably my favourite to watch. They did not become complacent. They dug deep and fought hard. At the end of the game, when they all knew they had won and were therefore making it to Regionals, they did not boast or gloat in front of the opposition. There were a few high fives and smiles, but they ultimately kept their composure, went straight to their opponents, shook their hands and congratulated them on a great game. They came back to their coaches, took a knee and debriefed on the game. This is a team who are destined for greatness.
This team were gracious in their wins. They were respectful of not only each other, but the refs and opposition. They kept their cool when things didn’t go their way. They were outstanding to watch. They had all the parents urging them on from the sidelines. It was a brilliant day.
A team’s success is always about how well they work together, but in addition to this, it's their leaders. Dave Flynn and Mark Van Huisstede have a way of being able to get the best out of this team, motivate them, inspire them, upskill them and bring them together to bond as a team, and this is exactly what they did. Their knowledge of the game was outstanding and how they were able to direct the players into positions, provide advice on how to improve their game and generally their motivational speeches at half time were next to none. Our coaches for the day were definitely part of our success and I am so grateful St Joseph’s have willing parents who have exceptional skills and are willing to give up their time. A million thanks to you both – from me and from all of the parents.
Sporting Achievements
PSSA Pathway Sports
AFL
Please congratulate Callum V and Jacob F who have both made it to the State Championships, playing for the Polding Team. This is an unbelievable achievement from both of these boys and a really exciting opportunity. They both have exceptional skills and we, as a school community, wish you all the very best. Callum and Jacob will be away in Week 5 from Tuesday to Friday competing at Batemans Bay. Go get 'em, boys!
Rugby League
Sidney M and Max L have both made it far in their Rugby League journey and competed well at the Polding trials in Tamworth earlier this term. Huge congratulations to both for making it this far, and a special congratulations to Sidney M who has made it into the Polding Team, playing for state in Wagga in June. Good luck, Sid!
Soccer
Darcy W, Evan B and Felix P all ventured to Tamworth in Week 1 of this term to compete for a spot in the Polding Team. They played extremely well, with the team being undefeated the whole day, only conceding one goal. It is with great pleasure to inform you that Felix P has made it to the next round with soccer, making it into the Polding Team. Well done, Felix! Good luck on the next leg of your journey.
Upcoming Events
Futsal
Date: 17th May
Location: Genesis / Howzat Darby Street Newcastle
Managing teacher: Alison Collins
Cross Country
Date: 10th May
Location: Maitland Park
Managing teacher: Mrs Anne-Maree Mantach
Regional Athletics Carnival
Date: 9th June, 2023
Location: Fearnley Dawes Track
Rugby Union Dio Trials
Date: 24th May, 2023
Location: Marcellin Park, Lorn.
We have had such a successful start to the year in the garden with many of our summer crops holding out well into the depths of Autumn. This has meant that our Garden Club gardeners have had the opportunity to harvest produce to sell at our Garden Club stalls. Money raised at our garden stalls goes back into purchasing seeds and other items for our gardeners to use, so thank you for your support!
Our gardeners have been busy this term. They have planted carrots, snow peas and sugar snap peas, harvested our delicious pineapple, cucumbers and mint. Our current project is transplanting strawberry plants into our new vertical strawberry wall. Our strawberry plants may look a little sad over the coming days, but with the right love and care from our Garden Club members, I’m sure they’ll be producing some delicious fruits before too long.
We have much to look forward to in the garden, even during the winter season. We hope to harvest our butternut pumpkins and use them to make some hearty pumpkin soup later in the term. The Garden Club is open on Thursdays at recess. All welcome.
Leah Temple
Garden Club Mentor
We are very excited in the Library at the moment.
National Simultaneous Storytime is on again this year, and we are participating! Last year we were part of the 2.18 million participants at over 59, 000 locations. Hopefully, we can help break that record this year. The book this year is “The Speedy Sloth” by Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie. On Wednesday 24th May at 11:30am all students will ‘read like a sloth’ somewhere around a school. Students can bring a cushion or pillow and a book and find a quiet place to read. Hopefully, we get a nice sunny day to enjoy our reading! Teachers will also share the book during class time.
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is on again this year, and we have set ourselves an ambitious goal of every child at St Joseph’s completing the challenge.
CAN WE DO IT? YES, WE CAN!
Kinder, Year 1 and 2 have to complete 30 books. The children can read books on their own, read them with someone else, or have someone can read them to them.
Years 3 to 6 have to read 20 books. They must read books on their own, but someone can help them choose the books.
Other guidelines, and a list of books can be found at https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html. This is also where the children record the books they have read. Each child has been given their username and password, but if you are having any issues contact us at the school administration email and we will get back to you.
New Laptops
We are feeling very lucky in the library this year. We have just received a delivery of new laptops for the students to use during their regular lessons. We will now be able to have one laptop per student, which will provide students with a greater opportunity to practise and therefore improve their ICT skills. It’s an exciting time for the Library.
We held our first meeting for Term 2 on Monday 1st May. It was great to see around 13 parents come out for a wine, cheese and some very productive chats about how to enhance the learning and social opportunities at our school. We would love to see new faces at our meeting, so don’t be shy.
The P&F has had a busy start to 2023.
- Welcome to our new canteen manager, Donna Mansour (St Joey’s parent). We’re thrilled to have you on board and can already see some great new ideas, like the nachos at the athletics carnival. Please keep placing those canteen orders! Did you know the P&F funds the staffing of the canteen (15 hours per week). The canteen is a great service for busy parents and helps to be profitable for the P&F. One of our goals is to grow the canteen revenue, so we can keep making a positive difference to the school community.
- Thank you to Gina, Kristy Hatherly and Angela for helping run the canteen recently!
- The new Events Committee (Julian, Claire and Andrea) met to lock in the fundraising and social events for this year. Stay tuned as the calendar will be released soon.
- The Parents’ Sports Committee (Renee and Anna) did a fabulous job in getting 28 parent helpers to volunteer for the athletics carnival. This is almost double the volunteers in previous years, and shows the power of parent engagement – thanks to all the parents who helped out, cheered on and served in the canteen, legends! The student vs parent vs teacher race was one of the highlights of the day.
- Mother’s Day Breakfast is Monday 15th May 7.30-8.30am. It’s on a Monday as Year 6 will be in Canberra the week prior. Thanks to Year 3 for helping organise. Don’t forget to RSVP by 10th May.
- We’re looking at a school disco in Week 8 or 9, Term 2. We’re asking the student council to suggest a new theme. We can’t wait to see what they come up with. We’d love to see plenty of parents to help with supervision at the disco, so you’ll need to be cleared as a volunteer.
- The Easter raffle was a huge success raising $3240 and it was great to see Year 6 leaders attend St Pius Windale to donate surplus eggs.
- The P&F wrote to the school to respond to a story in Daily Telegraph regarding St Joseph’s student-teacher ratios. We’re actively working with the school administration to ensure that our students receive the best possible. If you are interested in the P&F’s letter and the subsequent CSO’s response, please see the meeting minutes when they are shared with you via Compass.
- Our next meeting is in Week 7 at 6pm in the school library– we’re trying a Wednesday night to see if that’s better for more people to attend. Minutes and agenda will be sent out the week prior. Bring a friend, enjoy a drink and chat with friends and offer your ideas.
If you’d like to raise anything, please email: sjpandf@gmail.com
P & F Executive
2024 Enrolments
We are happy to announce that enrolments for the 2024 school year are now open.
If you have a younger child, that will be starting Kindergarten next year, or you know of any families with children whose youngest is due to start Kindergarten, please click here to request an enrolment pack or refer to the Catholic Schools Office website for further information.
Student lead tours are currently underway and we will be commencing interviews with families in the coming weeks, with offers being sent out towards the end of the term.
School Fees
2023 School Fees have been invoiced for the full school year.
As per previous correspondence, if paying fees by instalment, your weekly, fortnight or monthly frequency needs to have already commenced, and we ask that fees are paid in full by 30 November 2023. Thank you to those families who have already made a payment.
If paying fees ‘in full’ as one payment, please finalise prior to 30 June 2023.
Our preferred method of payment is either BPay or direct debit. For Fee Payers wishing to establish a new Direct Debit. Please do not use Compass to pay for your school fees as the school incurs large fees using this option.
We have now commenced the school fee management process.
