Term 4 Week 1
Principal message
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to Term 4! I hope your body clocks have adjusted to daylight saving time and you have been enjoying the longer afternoons and sunshiny days. Although it is so early in the Spring season, we are reminded of the power of the sun and the impact of its heat on our earth. I have noticed lots of burning off in preparation for the summer months to prevent bush or scrub fires. With that in mind, it is a good time to remind our families to provide the school with updated asthma and/or anaphylaxis plans for students who may be impacted by the allergens around during these months.
Given the high temperatures, it is important that students return this week in their summer uniforms including the school hats. Our uniform review team will continue our work this term to simplify the uniform options for students, and I ask that any families purchasing school shoes buy black polishable joggers as this will be the shoe we use each day of the week moving forward. Students will no longer need a school and a sport shoe, just one black jogger that will be worn by all students every day. No need to go out and purchase these now, just keep this in mind the next time your child needs new school shoes.
Teaching and Learning
As we commence our final term of teaching and assessing student learning growth for the 2025 school year, our teachers will participate in a twilight learning session focused on building our understanding of the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in education. As we begin to engage more deeply with this tool in teaching, we want to make sure we are applying the correct boundaries and ideas in education so that our students are using AI responsibly and creatively. Other professional learning for staff during the term will focus on student formation, autism spectrum disorders, the new Creative Arts syllabus document, effective tracking and recording of student achievement, and strategies to support the learning growth of high potential and gifted students in our classes. Students will participate in the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) and the information from these tests will provide an opportunity for our staff to review the areas of strength in our teaching and the areas we will focus on during the 2026 school year. During this term, our staff will also draft the class lists for 2026. I encourage parents to send an email to their child’s teacher or to our administration office if there are any factors they would like considered as part of our deliberations. We will make contact to discuss these factors if needed.
Kinder 2026 Early Birds program
This Thursday at 5pm, we welcome our Kinder 2026 Parents for an Information Session. We are also inviting any interested families to come along to the Information Session at 5 or to accept our offer of a tour of the school at the same time. Please encourage anyone you know who might be interested, to come along. Our families are our best supporters and greatest advocates! The following morning, the Kinder 2026 students will come together for the first of 5 Early Bird sessions each Friday commencing at 9am. This will include children from both the Thursday and Friday Little Joey’s groups, providing an opportunity for the students to build on their knowledge of our school and our staff as they transition to St Joseph’s.
The Rosary
Aside from being Mission Month, the month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary; a prayer from Our Blessed Mother that draws us closer to Christ through prayerful reflection on Jesus’ life. Praying the Rosary can bring peace, unity, and spiritual renewal. I invite you to take time this month to rediscover its grace, trusting in the power of prayer and the intercession of Our Lady. A copy of how to pray the Rosary is attached.
NATSICC Assembly
During the student vacation, I had the opportunity to participate in the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Assembly. Over 5 days, we listened to stories and experiences, and, as people invested in walking together on the path towards reconciliation, we talked about the ways we can bring the Culture and traditions of our First Nations peoples into our celebrations. For me, it was an opportunity to learn about the natural connections that exist between Aboriginal Spirituality and Catholicism and yarn about how, as individuals and as a Church, we can build on the words of Pope John Paul II in 1986, almost 40 years ago.
Pope John Paul II believed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures were unique and should not be lost. He encouraged the contribution of their cultural gifts to the Catholic Church and emphasised that the Church should welcome these contributions.
“...the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others”. (1986)
At St Joseph’s, we are proud of the diversity that exists within our school community. We are especially proud that 30% of our students are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage. It is important that we continue to look for ways to acknowledge the important place of our First Nations peoples in the history and future of our country, and include their wisdom in the day to day life of our school. I am looking forward to commencing the development of a Yarning Circle on our playground this term and providing an opportunity for student voices to be included as we continue to develop Cultural spaces and ideas at our school.
Family and friends at the NATSICC Assembly
I wish everyone in our community a positive start to Term 4 and encourage your participation in the shared opportunities that our school will provide this term.
Wish best wishes,
Brooke Stephens
Assistant Principal report
Welcome to Term 4!
It was such a lovely atmosphere across the playground today as our students returned to school after the break. There were lots of smiles as they reconnected with friends... both old and new! The students were full of excitement, sharing stories about their holidays and catching up after their time away. In true St Joseph’s style, our new students were welcomed with open arms. What a wonderful start to Term 4!
Teaching and Learning
Later this term, students from Years 1 to 6 will take part in the PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) for Maths, Reading, and Spelling. These are standardised assessments used in schools across the state to help track each student’s learning growth over time. The results provide teachers with valuable insights into how students are progressing from year to year and help us plan lessons that best support their individual learning needs. The information from the PAT assessments also contributes to our Semester 2 reports, adding to the data that gives us a clear picture of each child’s achievements and next steps in their learning.
PAT assessments are one of many tools we use throughout the year to monitor student growth. As a staff, we analyse this data collaboratively and work alongside our Gifted Education Mentors, Pedagogical Mentors, and other knowledgeable colleagues from the Catholic Schools Office to celebrate achievements, reflect on our impact, and set strong foundations for 2026.
Religious Education Coordinator report
Sacramental Program
On Saturday, 21st September, we celebrated with our Sacramental Program children as they made their First Holy Communion. It marked a special milestone in their faith journey. This celebration was particularly meaningful as it marked the final sacrament for these students in this year’s Sacramental Program.
Some of our students from the Syro-Malabar Catholic rite were also able to celebrate this important sacrament on Friday evening with Fr Joyis Kolamkuzhiyil CMI.
We congratulate each of these students and thank their families, teachers, and the parish team for the support and guidance they have offered throughout the program.
Student Formation Days
At the end of last term, some of our students took part in formation days designed to deepen their understanding of faith and explore what it means to live it out in daily life. These days provided opportunities for reflection, discussion, and practical activities that helped students connect their beliefs with their actions.
Year 6 explored the theme “Grounded in God’s Spirit, Growing for the World,” reflecting on how they can be guided by God’s Spirit in their daily lives and as leaders within our school community. Year 5 focused on “Real Friends – Real Choices,” engaging in activities that highlighted the importance of friendship, respect, and making choices that reflect their values and beliefs. Years 3 and 4 joined together for their day, themed “Together in Faith: Serving with One Heart,” where they considered how their faith inspires them to show service, kindness, and unity, both within the school and in the wider community.
These formation days were a wonderful opportunity for our students to pause, reflect, and grow in their faith. They encouraged meaningful conversations about how we can live our beliefs in practical ways, helping to build a school culture that values compassion, integrity, and community.
Primary Coordinator report
Primary Coordinator's Report
At the end of last term, we celebrated the learning growth of our students within our classrooms. We were so proud of our students' achievements, and I know quite a few classrooms had a fun day or a celebration to recognise all the hard work the children had put in across the term. As classroom teachers, we looked at their work samples with the students to acknowledge how they met their learning goals for the term and set new individual targets for term 4. It has been exciting to see the joy on the children’s faces when they are aware of their success.
PB4L focus for Term 4
This term we will begin to use our new PB4L matrix with our students. All classes will work towards understanding it in the context of their classroom and it will become the shared language we use across our school.
Dolly’s Dream workshops
Earlier this year we learned that we had an opportunity to have an expert facilitator to visit our school to run a series of workshops with our students. This will take place next week. We are all looking forward to this learning opportunity for our students; if any parents or carers wish to withdraw their child from one of the sessions, please let your child’s class teacher know.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
Venue- Hall | Self worth | Kindness | Bullying | Digital Safety |
9.15- 9.55 | Year 5 & 6 | Kinder & Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 2
|
10-10.50 | Year 4 | Year 2 | Year 1 | Year 3 |
11.35-12.25 | Year 3 | Year 3 | Year 5 & 6
| Year 5 & 6 |
12.25- 1.05 | Year 2 | Year 5 & 6
| Year 4 | Year 1 |
1.40- 2.25 | Year 1 & Kinder | Year 4
| Year 3 | Year 4
|
2.45-3.40
| Venue- creative arts room | Parent Workshop | ||
We are also offering a session for parents on digital safety, which will be delivered by Dolly’s Dream facilitator Dave Hyde.
A form has been created for you to let us know if you would like to attend.
Awards
