Welcome back to Term 4!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break and are ready for the last term of 2025.

Over the holidays we had a wonderful group of families and parents from our school at the Working bee. A HUGE thank you to you all, our new plants and trees are amazing and our grounds are looking fantastic.

The Community Council over the holidays organised for turf to be laid around parts of the school grounds which looks amazing.  Thank you for your continuous support of our school and its improvements.  A new concrete path was also laid and has made a positive change to getting on and off the buses.

The calendar for the rest of the term is packed with many events, please ensure that you are checking the school calendar regularly and are up to date with all that is happening at St Joseph’s.

We look forward to our next two Kindergarten Orientation days – Friday 24^th October and Friday 31^st October.

Blessings for a great week,

Kirsty Beavan

Principal

Welcome back to Term 4! I hope all our families enjoyed a restful break, ready for the exciting term ahead.

Socktober – Mission Month

This October, we celebrate World Mission Month — a time to recognise and support the life-giving work of missionaries around the world.

At St Joseph’s, we are participating in Socktober for Mission Month to help children in Zambia gain access to nutritious food, education, and healthcare. You can learn more about this important initiative by watching the information link provided.

To celebrate Socktober, students are invited to wear crazy socks with their sports uniform on Friday 31st October and bring a gold coin donation.
Additional donations are also welcome anytime between now and the 31st. We understand that every family’s situation is different — even the smallest contribution can make a big difference in the lives of others.

Month of the Rosary

October is also the Month of the Holy Rosary in the Catholic tradition — a special time to honour Mary and grow closer to God through prayer. During this month, we are encouraged to pray the Rosary. The Rosary helps guide our reflection and reminds us of Mary’s love and intercession. It's a time of reflection, unity, and growing in faith together in prayer.

Upcoming Dates

All Souls Day Mass – Tuesday 4th November, presented by Year 3/4, at 12:15pm in the 3/4 classroom.

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 the correct coloured socks (white for girls, grey for boys) and have their black school shoes on (joggers are for sports day only) 

Please click here to access the Uniform Policy. 

Reminder: if you have not yet completed the form, please do so. 

Royal Life Saving NSW has received funding from the NSW Government to deliver Project Elevate, a Learn to Swim initiative.

St Joseph's have been lucky enough to be provided funded lessons for all Students in our school.

The program will be free of charge for participating schools.

As part of the program and its reporting requirements, parents of the students will be asked to complete a pre-program survey at enrolment and a post-program survey after the final session. All responses will be collected in a de-identified format, meaning no personal information will be shared.

Please use the link below to complete the pre-program survey. This must be completed before Students can take part in this program.

As we have all of our students participating, please fill out the form for each of your Children.

https://forms.office.com/r/ZqyW4HAFjq

Starting from the 10th of December, Australian children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to access age-restricted social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube.

As part of their role in implementing these new age restrictions, eSafety has recently developed a Statement of Commitment to Children’s Rights. This Statement outlines eSafety’s dedication to upholding and advancing the rights of all children and young people.

Their commitment includes:

• Listening to children and young people by consulting with them and valuing their views in the creation of policies, programs and resources.
  
  
• Recognising diversity as a strength, taking an inclusive and strengths-based approach that celebrates children’s different identities, circumstances and experiences.
  
  
• Creating child-centred, age-appropriate resources that support digital literacy and online safety through a children’s rights lens.
  
  
• Engaging with their Youth Council to ensure children’s voices help shape eSafety’s work and priorities.
  
  

For more information, please visit: eSafety Statement of Commitment to Children’s Rights (v 16 Sept 2025)

Save the Date for our important upcoming events! 

End of Year Mass and Awards Ceremony - Tuesday 9th December, 2025

Matinee Performance - Tuesday 16th December, 2025

Evening Performance - Wednesday 17th December, 2025

Last day of Term 4 for Students - Thursday 18th December, 2025

More information, such as times for these events, will be posted closer to the date. 

The 3/4 class have had a busy and exciting start to Term 4!

Last week, we began our gymnastics program run by Little Champions. Students enjoyed rotating through a variety of activities practising skills such as swinging, jumping and balancing.

We’ve also been busy rehearsing for our school play, with everyone working hard to learn their lines.

Here are some photos of the students in action!

Last Friday we welcomed Ms Saunders back to help 5/6 students get our vegetable gardens set up.  It was a really hot day and we achieved a lot. We put a layer of geo tec fabric over the roadbase and sand then lined the beds with a pond liner. Next we had to put the wicking system together in each garden bed and make sure that it was level and joined together perfectly. We have a few more steps to go and can’t wait till we can plant some seeds and get some vegetables growing. Thank you to Ms Saunders for helping us – there have been many steps involved with our gardens and the 5/6 students are doing a fantastic job.

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

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 Southern Sports Academy is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for our 2026 sporting programs. We are especially excited to announce that Skateboarding is being offered for the first time in 2026, providing a new pathway for athletes in this emerging sport.

Sports now open include:

• Basketball
• Future Stars
• Golf
• Hockey
• Rugby
• Skateboarding
• Netball
• Netball Officiating

We invite your students to apply for selection in their chosen sport. We are seeking talented and enthusiastic athletes to participate in our programs. Full details, including program information and nomination forms, are available on our website: www.ssa-nsw.org.au.

We would appreciate your assistance in sharing this opportunity with your students and their families. Participation in our programs provides young athletes with access to high-quality coaching, skill development, and pathways to higher-level representation.

The Academy sincerely values the strong support we receive from schools across the region, and we acknowledge the important role you play in developing young athletes.

If you have any questions regarding the nomination process or our programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us.