15 October 2025 (Week 1 Term 4 2025)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
Welcome back to Term 4!
It’s wonderful to see our students returning rested and ready for another exciting term of learning, fun and community life at St Joseph’s. Term 4 is always a special time in our school calendar, filled with celebrations, performances and many opportunities to come together as a community.
Over the holidays, a great deal of work has been happening across our school grounds. Our bathroom renovations are now well underway, with our builders working diligently throughout the break. Once complete, by around Week 5, we’ll be unveiling bright, open, new facilities with updated toilets and wash basins. In the meantime, our temporary toilets are in place, and our students have done a fantastic job meeting expectations for their use. These are not the typical units you might see at a music festival; they’re high-quality, well-equipped facilities provided by Splashdown, a company that specialises in this kind of work.
We’re also pleased to share that the shade sail damaged in the storms earlier this year has been replaced with a brand-new one at the bottom of our playground, offering a welcome spot of shade for students during recess and lunch. In addition, an ongoing drainage issue near the sandpit has been resolved, which means we can finally top it up without losing all our sand in the next downpour. A huge thank you to Mr Wardrop for coordinating all of this work during the school holidays.
This Friday, we are thrilled to welcome our 2026 Kindergarten cohort for the first of six Junior Joeys transition sessions, led by Mrs McCall. These sessions are a joyful introduction to school life, and we look forward to getting to know our newest Joeys as they begin their learning journey with us.
We also wish to advise families that the 2026 School Fee Schedule will be released for the first time later this week via Compass and will also be available on our school website once published.
We have two excellent parent workshops coming up this term. See details in the Coming Events section below.
We are looking forward to another excellent term of fun, learning and faith as we finish the year together.
Vale Father Frank Mulcahy
We give thanks for the life and ministry of Father Frank Mulcahy, our former parish priest before Fr Max, who passed away peacefully in Brisbane at the age of 91.
Ordained in Casino in 1958, Fr Frank served faithfully across Ballina, Lismore, Grafton, and Alstonville. During his years as parish priest in Alstonville, he fostered a strong connection with our schools and reignited the parish’s long-standing tradition of having many altar servers.
Parishioners remember him as a gifted leader with a ready laugh, a welcoming presence, and a pastoral heart that drew out the best in others. At his retirement in 2012, tributes spoke of his warmth, sense of humour, and his deep commitment to making the parish a caring and forward-thinking community. Fr Frank was praised for his close relationships with families, his encouragement of young people, and his ability to bring the love of Christ into daily lives.
He was also deeply committed to Catholic education, playing a key role in establishing Holy Spirit College, Grafton, and working with Sr Mary Cannane to found Trinity Catholic College, Lismore.
Fr Frank was laid to rest on 1 October at St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore. He will be remembered with gratitude for his faith, his humour, and his lifelong dedication to the people of our Diocese. May he rest in peace.
Scripture Reflection
Today we celebrate the feast of St Teresa of Ávila, a remarkable woman of prayer, courage and reform. Born in Spain in 1515, Teresa entered the Carmelite order as a young woman and went on to renew religious life through her example of simplicity, discipline and deep love of God. She was a writer, a spiritual teacher, and one of the first women to be declared a Doctor of the Church for her profound insight into prayer and the spiritual life.
Teresa was both a contemplative and a leader. She is the kind of Christian we hope to foster in our students: strong in faith, wise in action, and attentive to the quiet voice of God.
Our Bishop, Bishop Greg, also a Carmelite, often invites us to live a faith that listens deeply and acts boldly, and Teresa shows us what that looks like. We are blessed, too, to have the Carmelite Sisters who live on the hill in Goonellabah, praying each day for every member of our St Joseph’s community. Their hidden life of prayer links beautifully with the spirit of St Teresa, whose heart burned with love for God and for others.
“Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing; God never changes.”
— St Teresa of Ávila
St Brigid’s Primary School and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish are hosting an upcoming Eucharistic exhibition. The Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibition, created by St. Carlo Acutis, features over 130 scientifically documented Eucharistic miracles from across the globe — some dating back to the 8th century.
This inspiring international display invites visitors to explore the connection between faith, science, and the mystery of the Eucharist, through the legacy of a modern teenager whose devotion continues to inspire millions. The exhibition will also include the opportunity to venerate a relic of St. Carlo Acutis.
New Resource for Families: Supporting Children Through Grief and Loss
We know that grief and loss can be some of the most difficult experiences for children to face. To support families in having these important conversations, a series of videos and resources has been created for parents and carers.
These resources, which focus on bereavement, are now available in the Parent Resource Centre Link.
We encourage you to explore these materials and use them to support your child during times of loss. If you have any concerns about how your child is coping, please share them with us so we can work together to provide the care and support they need.
Free Parent Webinar: Logged Off - Navigating the Social Media Ban with Your Child
Please consider connecting with this free webinar by Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and cyber educator, which will help families navigate the upcoming social media ban. The webinar will help parents:
- Understand why the ban has been introduced and what platforms are included/exempt.
- Explore privacy issues and age verification technology.
- Plan with their teens how to back up digital memories, audit current use, and manage alternatives.
- Anticipate unintended consequences, such as circumvention, isolation, or reliance on riskier platforms.
- Build family technology agreements and digital resilience that extend beyond social media.
Don’t forget to pack a water bottle every day!
Keeping hydrated helps kids stay focused, energised and feeling their best throughout the school day.
For more information on the benefits of water and tips for getting kids to drink more visit Healthy Living
📣 Parent Workshop: Raising Calm, Connected Kids - Part B
On September 9, our Occupational Therapist, Rachael Jennings, offered a session on Raising Calm, Connected Kids. She spent time unpacking how we, as parents, can support our children to regulate their emotions. We had time to discuss how this works in our own family context and to ask advice from Rachael.
We didn't get the opportunity to move into he next part of the session on building healthy boundaries and loving limits.
Rachael has agreed to come back for Part B to lead the session on boundaries, and we warmly invite our school community to attend.
🗓 Tuesday 4 November, 2025
🕕 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 McCarthy Hall, St Joseph’s Primary
This interactive session will offer practical strategies to:
- Set clear, loving boundaries appropriate to your child’s age
- Reduce conflict and create a calm, predictable home environment
- Strengthen communication and connection within your family
It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and gain tools for supporting your child through every stage of development.
🧒 Supervision will be available for students who need to attend with their parents.
We hope you can join us for this valuable evening of shared learning and discussion.
Parent Workshop: Children, Devices & Healthy Development
Our children are the first generation to grow up with digital devices in their pockets, but what is it costing them? Research shows that excessive screen time can have an impact on:
- Brain development – attention, self-control, and creativity
- Social skills – friendship building, empathy, and conflict resolution
- Emotional wellbeing – anxiety, loneliness, and disrupted sleep
We are pleased to offer parents a special information session:
Children and Technology Parent Workshop
- 📅 Tuesday 28 October
- 🕑 Choose a time that suits you: 2:00 pm or 6:00 pm
- 🍎 Light refreshments provided, supported by Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools
At this workshop, you will:
- Explore why devices can be “experience inhibitors” for children
- Hear the latest insights from leading researchers
- Learn how to set healthy and realistic screen limits at home
Every family who attends will also receive a free copy of The Tech Diet for Your Child by Brad Marshall, known as The Unplugged Psychologist — a practical guide for families navigating the digital world.
👉 Register here or scan the QR code on the flyer.
