It is great to see the sunshine this week, the children are enjoying being outside at this beautiful time of the year. Today it was wonderful to have Mass in our new classrooms. A big thank you to Father Joe who came out and celebrated the Assumption with us. Father was also enjoying the sunshine at recess with our students playing a game of footy, where I believe Father scored a try!

Tomorrow we have our Compliance review – which is a process that all CECG NSW schools must undergo and comply. This Compliance Review of Registration (and Accreditation) is undertaken every five years.  Brenda Foley from CECG will be at school tomorrow for the final step in the process.

I will be on leave for Weeks 5 and 6 of this term, attending the National Catholic Education Commission Conference in Cairns with many of my CECG colleagues. The conference will be featuring a broad range of speakers, presentations and workshops focused on Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing. Miss Stacey Braun will be Acting Principal in my absence and Lianna Russell will take the 3/4 class during this time.

Blessings for a great week,

Kirsty Beavan

Principal

The Assumption of Mary 

The Assumption is a Holy Day of Obligation that takes place on August 15 each year. It is a time to remember that when Mary’s life on Earth ended, God took her into heaven, body and soul. 

Thank you to the parents and parishioners for joining us today to celebrate and honour Mary, the Mother of the Church, that lives in heaven with Jesus and shares in the new life He gave us through His death and resurrection. 

 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Please keep Emily Matthews and Emerson Henry in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thank you Fr Joe for meeting with the students today to begin their preparation. 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. It is a sacrament of healing and forgiveness, through which we receive God's mercy and reconciliation for the sins we have enacted after our baptism.

During the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we confess our sins to the priest who is a representative of God and the Church. The priest, in turn, provides spiritual counsel, offers absolution (forgiveness) on behalf of God, and helps us grow closer to God.

Receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to experience the healing powers of God's forgiveness, restore our relationship with God, and receive the grace to lead virtuous life.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be held on Tuesday 19th August at 11.30am in the Parish house.

Stacey Braun

Religious Education Coordinator

A reminder to please ensure Students are wearing their correct uniform to school. 

Students need to ensure they have their school hat, are wearing their tie and have their black school shoes on (joggers are for sports day only) 

Please click here to access the Uniform Policy. 

Next week, we will be running a uniform tally system, where the class with the most points for correct uniform will have a small reward at the end of the week! 

Bullying No Way Week

This year St Joseph’s will be participating in the Bullying No Way: National Week of action which runs from the 11th - 14th of August. The theme for this year is Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.
Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention.
During the week teachers will be engaging students in meaningful discussions and activities aimed at promoting empathy, understanding and respect for diversity. We encourage families to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations with your child about the impact of bullying and what they can do if they need support.
You can visit the Bullying No Way website for more tips such as how to have this discussion.

5/6 have been working really hard this term and lots of wonderful learning is taking place. 

In Maths this week, we have been focusing on converting decimals, fractions and percentages. The use of explicit teaching and our daily reviews have really assisted the students to consolidate their learning and the results have been fantastic. 

We have been reading Once by Morris Gleitzman for our Novel Study which is set in Poland during WWII. This has tied in nicely with our History unit on migration, where the students have studied why people have migrated to Australia from early colonisation, to the Vietnam war, through to present day. It has been nice to link this to the migration that also was happening during Europe post WWII. In Science, we have been looking at circuits and how power is created. This week, we found out that the Snowy Hydro Scheme was built mostly by immigrants who had arrived in Australia after the end of WWII. There has been a lot of wonderful discussions about the reasons people needed to leave their countries and settle in Australia and it has been great to see the students interested and empathetic of the challenges people faced in those times. 

For P.E, we have started Lawn Bowls for sport last week. 5/6 really enjoy chatting to the local Lawn Bowl helpers and sharpening up their skills on the bowling green.

Vanessa still has space for some Piano/Keyboard lessons that are available at school during school hours in 2025. 
Ages: Year 1 upwards.
LessonDuration: 1/2hour individual tuition by Vanessa Edwards.
For enquiries please phone: 0448609479

Our Media Leaders, Amber and Primrose will showcase our Students in our Newsletters! 

Our wonderful Media Leaders have been busy interviewing students to find out what they love about St Joseph's! Click the link below to see their fabulous work. 

What do you love about St Joseph's?

Please use this RSVP Form to let the office know how many will be attending for catering purposes! 

Please see the below important upcoming dates at St Joseph's.

Thursday 14th August - Trent Barrett Gala Day (3/4)

Wednesday 20th August - Bookweek Parade

Thursday 21st August - Archdiocese Athletics

Thursday 28th August - Mortimer Shield (5/6)

Wednesday 3rd September - Kindergarten 2026 Information Night 

Monday 15th September - Kindergarten Orientation 

Monday 22nd September - Kindergarten Orientation 

Keep up to date with events happening at St Joseph's via our electronic school calendar (please note dates can be subject to change).

The following website has lots of useful information for school age children and their families to help keep our community safe, whether it includes walking, cycling or driving to and from school. 

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/parents/school-safety