25 February 2025 (Week 4 Term 1 2025)

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Dear St Joseph’s Community

A huge thank you to all those who were able to make it to our Parent Information Night and Welcome BBQ. We were blessed by the weather and there was a great spirit among the families that joined us for a sausage and a chat on the playground.

This week, we have our Kindergarten Parent Teacher interviews from Tuesday to Thursday, with Years 1-6 Parent Teacher meetings to follow next week. We have these early in Term 1 as they allow us to share your child’s early Maths and Reading data and to share how your child is settling into school in these early weeks. These sessions are now open for booking in Compass, and we hope to see you there. 

On Friday, we look forward to our annual Cross Country event, hosted by our close friends at St Joseph’s Coraki. Kindergarten students will stay at school for a special Kinder Cross Country later in the term, supported by their buddies once they’ve settled in. Details are in Compass for permission and payment for the bus for this excursion. Parents are welcome to join us for this event at Coraki to cheer their children on! More information is below about where to park for the event. If you are collecting your child from the event, we do ask you to email the office at alstp@lism.catholic.edu.au to let us know ahead of time. Here is the link to the run sheet for the Cross Country, which is also available on the Compass Event. 

Wishing you all an excellent week.

Kurt Challinor

2026 ENROLMENT TIMELINE AND OPEN MORNING

School tours are available throughout Term 1 for families considering Kindergarten enrolment in 2026. To book a tour, simply email us at alstp@lism.catholic.edu.au.

If you know any families who may be interested in St Joseph’s for their child, we’d love for you to share our enrolment timeline below with them! 

OPEN MORNING 2025

We’re excited to welcome prospective families to our 2025 Open Morning on Sunday, 6 April, from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

If you know any families who may be interested, we’d love for you to share this information and the registration link with them. You can register via bit.ly/joeysopenmorning2025

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

In Luke 6:27-38, Jesus calls us to a radical kind of love—one that extends beyond those who are easy to love. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” These words challenge us, especially as parents, to model a love that is patient, merciful, and generous.

Raising children means guiding them to be kind, even when it is difficult. It means teaching them that forgiveness is not weakness, but strength; that generosity is not about keeping score, but about giving freely; that treating others with dignity, even when it is undeserved, is a reflection of God’s love.

As parents, we set the example. If our children see us showing compassion instead of resentment, kindness instead of retaliation, they will learn what it means to live as followers of Christ. Let’s teach them that love, given freely, always multiplies.

You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass. 

FIRST SCHOOL COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING 2025

We have our first School Community Group Meeting for 2025 coming up this term. This was originally scheduled for Tuesday 11 March, but we now have the Sacrament of Reconciliation scheduled for this night. We have moved the SCG Meeting to Wednesday 12 March from  6:30pm - 7:45pm. Please feel free to attend in person in the staffroom or via Zoom.

We would love as many parents to attend as possible to share their voice. 

At this stage, the school would like to present on:

• An overview of our 2025 school improvement focuses
• How we are teaching a Pastoral Curriculum using the Friendly Schools Program 

We would also love parent feedback on:

• Opportunities to 'refresh' our school uniform beyond 2025
• Our school uniform shop beyond 2025

Does this time not work for you? Please share times and days that might better suit you to attend via the survey.

Here is a link to register to attend and to contribute to the agenda. 

Supporting Reading at Home

Reinforced Reading involves guided reading with "Pause, Prompt, Praise" to build reading skills. This helps students decode and understand with positive reinforcement. Open the link for further information. 

Skill Reinforcement

• It reinforces sight words and phonics within real reading.
• The goal is to improve accuracy, fluency, and confidence for struggling readers.

Supporting Readers’ Comprehension

Encourage Verbal Explanation: 

• Asking children to explain the text in their own words verifies understanding and reinforces comprehension.

Use Targeted Questioning:

• Guide children's understanding by asking specific questions about the text's content, context, and vocabulary.

Allow Processing Time: 

• Resist rushing to provide answers; give children ample time to process information and make connections independently.

Promote Deeper Thinking:

• Utilise comprehension questions that go beyond literal meaning, encouraging analysis of the author's purpose and locating evidence in the text- Use questions like
•  “Why do you think that?’
•  “ Show me where in the text shows this”
•  “What makes you say that?”
• “Why do you think the author did that?”

Think-Aloud  (Number one tip!)

Make Your Thinking Visible:

• When you're reading with your child, don't just read the words. Verbalize your own thoughts and questions as you go. For example, "Hmm, this character seems sad. I wonder why?" or "This part reminds me of when..." This helps your child see how good readers actively engage with the text.

Model Problem-Solving:

•  If you encounter a difficult word or confusing passage, show your child how you work through it. Say things like, "I don't know this word. Let's see if we can sound it out," or "This sentence is a bit confusing. I'm going to re-read it and see if I understand it better." This demonstrates that reading is an active process and that it's okay to struggle sometimes.

Teddy Bears and Prayers

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) 

Next week, we will celebrate Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday, which marks the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent in the Catholic tradition.

To mark this special occasion, all students will enjoy delicious pancakes at school! We will also cater to dietary needs, with dairy, lactose, and gluten-free options available per your child’s enrolment information.

If your child has specific dietary requirements not already on their enrolment records, please contact Patricia or Caroline in the front office to update their details or let them know if you would prefer your child not to receive one. 

If any parents would like to help us cook pancakes in the canteen, please contact Kate Jones. We will begin cooking at 8:30am.

We look forward to celebrating together as a school community!

Ash Wednesday & Project Compassion

To mark the beginning of Lent, we will hold an Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the school hall at 2:00pm. All families are warmly invited to join us for this special occasion.

Fr Max and our Year 6 Mission Leaders will lead us in prayer and reflection as we consider how we can grow closer to Jesus during this sacred season.

We will also launch Project Compassion 2025, which carries the powerful theme: ‘Unite Against Poverty’. Our Year 6 Mission Leaders are already busy planning fun social justice and fundraising activities throughout Lent to support this important cause.

We look forward to coming together as a community to begin our Lenten journey with faith and generosity.

Harmony Week

Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and promotes the message that ‘Everyone Belongs’. It’s a special time to learn about and appreciate the many cultures that make up our community.

As part of our Harmony Week celebrations, we also invite families to share about their family culture with their child’s class. If you are interested, please fill in this quick form and your child’s class teacher will contact you to organise a time to visit. 

We would love you to join us!

Values Vault Winner

Positive Behaviour Focus

ZONE SWIMMING

We congratulate Jack Kubils who will be representing our Zone at the Diocesan Swimming carnival on Tuesday 4 March. Jack will be swimming in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly. Good luck Jack!

WINTER SPORTS TRIALS

We congratulate the following children who will be representing our Zone at the Diocesan Winter Trials later this term.

Rugby League: Enid Murgha.
Soccer: Henry Buchanan, Orlando Speidel and Ava O’Bryan.

Hockey: Rory Quinlan

CROSS COUNTRY

This Friday, 28 February students from Years 1-6 will be travelling by bus to Coraki to compete in our combined Cross Country event.
Children will be running the following distances:
6-7 years: Modified course at St Joseph’s Coraki.
8-10 years: 2km
11+ years: 3km
Please check resources in the Compass Event for any additional information.

Consent & payment is due by Wednesday 26 February

Canteen Closed on Friday 28 February

As we are offsite at Coraki, the canteen will not be operational this Friday; thank you to everyone for sending through orders for the Coraki canteen for Friday, or packing lunch for your children to enjoy at the combined Cross Country event.

Canteen Next Week (Week 5)

Mrs Thrum is unable to staff the canteen next Friday due to a prior appointment. 

Instead, the canteen will be open:

• Monday 3 March (ordering via Compass is already set up and ready to go) and 
• Wednesday 5 March 

Thanks for your understanding of the need for these changes.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Help your child to learn that going to school on time, every day is important.

Reinforcing the idea that attending school regularly is crucial for a positive school experience. Foster a love for learning by encouraging your child's natural curiosity. 

Help your child to see school as a place to explore new ideas, discover interests, and develop a lifelong passion for learning. Foster positive social connections at school by encouraging friendships. Knowing that they have friends to look forward to can motivate children to attend school regularly.

Reminder - Boom gate Closing Times

Our school boom gate forms an integral part of our Safety Procedures, keeping our students safe at times of higher traffic movement around our school, especially when arrived to and leaving St Joseph's.

The boom gate is closed between:

8:30am - 9:15am

3:00pm - 3:45pm

Please remember not to park in our school carpark if you intend to leave during these times.  Additionally, if dropping your children at School by car, please proceed to the Parent Pick Up / Drop Off drive-through zone located at the rear entrance to the School on Perry St.

Our Uniform Shop is open weekly on a Friday - between 1pm and 4pm.  Mrs Ali Hall welcomes you during this time if you'd like to size uniforms and purchase in person.

Additionally, you can now order and purchase School Uniforms online using the Compass app.  All orders are completed weekly and sent home with your student on a Friday.

Dream Big free careers webinar for primary school parents and carers

This webinar helps parents spark early career curiosity in their children by encouraging them to explore a wide range of professions, dream big, and see the world of work as exciting and full of possibilities. 

Through storytelling, books, role models, and hands-on activities, parents will learn practical ways to nurture their child’s interests and imagination. The session also introduces them to interactive tools and resources designed for young learners.

When: 12:30pm - 1:30pm, 5 March 2025  | Register via the QR Code in the PDF below.