Latest Newsletter Term 4 |Week 3

Key Information

Term 4 - Important Dates

Week 4

• Monday 27th October - Parent Information Evening Respectful Relationships 
• Friday 31st October
  • Term 4 Ride to School Day 
  • Day for Daniel Free Dress (wear red)
  • Assembly

Week 5

• Monday 3rd November - Year 5 Camp - Magnetic Island
• Tuesday 4th November - Thursday 6th November - Life Ed 2nd visit
• Friday 7th November - Aged Care Visit Year 6 (9.40-10.40)
• Newsletter distributed

Week 6

• Tuesday 11th November 

  • Student Leaders - Remembrance Day Service

  • Remembrance Day Prayer in Courtyard
  • SIA Students - Vinnies Visit 3-4.30 pm
    
• Wednesday 12th November - Prep Retreat
• Thursday 13th November 
  
  • World Kindness Day 
  • Assembly
• Friday 14th November - 2025 Swimming Carnival 

Week 7

• Tuesday 18th November - Aged Care Visit 9.40 - 10.40 am Performance
• Thursday 20th November - Prep 2026 Transition Day - 8.30 to 10.30am
• Friday 21st November 
  
  • Move Up Day 8.30-10.30
  • Swimming Awards 2.00-2.40 MMS
  • Newsletter Distributed 

Week 8

• Monday 24th November
  
  • 2026 Student Leader Elections - 11.30am
  • Christmas Free Dress
  • Rehearsal for Christmas Concert & Awards Evening
• Tuesday 25th November - Christmas Concert & Awards Evening 5.30pm Cloncurry Precinct
• Thursday 27th  November
  
  • Year 9 Retreat
  • Year 9 Graduation - The PO - 5.30pm
• Friday 28th  November
  
  • End of Year Mass - 8.30am - MMS

  • Last day for secondary students

Week 9

• Tuesday 2nd December - Y6 Graduation Ceremony & Silent Disco 
• Thursday 4th December 
  
  • Aged Care Visit 9.40-10.40 - Choir Xmas Carol
• Friday 5th December
  

  • Joey's Got Talent - 9am

  • Christmas Free Dress 

  • School Finishes 12pm - Last Day of 2025

Tuckshop News

Please ensure all orders are placed in the My School Connect App by 8:30am on Wednesdays. 

Upcoming Specials

Week 4 Goulash & Yogo

Week 5 Chicken Twisters and Raspberry Coconut Biscuits

Volunteering:
Our tuckshop relies on the generosity of volunteers each week. If you would like to volunteer in our tuckshop please join the school's tuckshop facebook group - St Joseph's Tuckshop Crew. A friendly reminder that a tuckshop volunteer induction must be completed prior to volunteering. 

Please see the office if you need any help with ordering through the app or website. 

Uniform Shop

Our Uniform Shop is open to orders being placed via the app: https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

Please give us 24 hours to organise collection of your order; we usually contact you when your order is ready to collect.

If you would like to try on sizes, the Uniform Shop will be open on Wednesday mornings from 8.10-8.30 and Wednesday afternoons from 2.30-3.00.

Miss Heather 

Office Hours

Mondays 8.10am - 3.30pm (Staff meeting until 8.10)

Tuesdays - Fridays 8.00am - 3.30pm

Principal's News

Welcome to Week 3! 

This week started in an interesting way—I joined fellow Principals from around our Diocese for professional development workshops in Townsville from Monday through Wednesday. It’s always inspiring to spend time with other educational leaders, engaging in discussions that help shape our school’s direction. On Thursday, I attended an additional course focused on transitioning our enrolment forms to a online application known as Enquiry Tracker. We’re working hard behind the scenes, so please watch this space for updates on when these online enrolment forms will be launched.

Celebrating Community: Grandparents Breakfast and Founders Day
Today was a wonderful day to be back at school. It began with our much-loved Grandparents Breakfast, a time to celebrate and honour the important role our grandparents play in the lives of our students. Thank you to all who joined and supported this special event. This afternoon, we brought the energy and colour to our Founder’s Day Colour Run, which was a fantastic way to celebrate the tradition and community spirit of St Joseph’s. We’re truly grateful for the tremendous community involvement at both events—our school is richer because of your presence and support.

Mission Mass and Socktober
While I wasn’t able to be present for Mission Mass and the Socktober Shoot Out this week, I heard plenty of wonderful things from staff and students. Thank you to Ms Nelson and Fr Mick for their leadership of this Mass. Also to Mr Larry, who showed great skills as goalkeeper, and Mrs Delaney-Lovett, who led the creative ‘funky sock’ activity—our students absolutely loved it.

Looking Ahead: LoveBites Program
Next week, our Year 7, 8, and 9 students will participate in the Respectful Relationships program, LoveBites. This is an annual initiative designed to promote healthy, respectful relationships among our young people, supporting their wellbeing and growth. We would love to see our year 7-9 parents at the parent information session on Monday afternoon - 5pm - Library. 

Attendance:
Regular school attendance is vital for every child’s learning and growth. Consistent attendance supports students in building strong academic foundations and developing positive routines that lead to long-term success. As attendance is directly linked to student progress, we ask that parents plan holidays and extended leave carefully. Any planned leave must be discussed with and approved by the school prior to the absence. Although teachers are not expected to provide school work to students who will be absent from school, subscriptions like Writers Toolbox and Accelerated Reader can be accessed from home for your child. As a school we aim for students attendance percentage to be at 90%. Congratulations to our Year 2 families who are currently at our highest attendance rate for the year. 

Our current attendance rates across the school are as follows:

• Prep: 88.1%
• Year 1: 84.4%
• Year 2: 90.2%
• Year 3: 86.7%
• Year 4: 89.8%
• Year 5: 88.7%
• Year 6: 81%
• Year 7: 87.6%
• Year 8: 85.9%
• Year 9: 80.4%

May God Bless you and your families.

Mrs Samantha Kelley,
Principal 

Deputy's News/Curriculum

Parent–Teacher Interviews and PAT Testing Update
A big thank you to all the parents and caregivers who came along to our recent Parent–Teacher Interviews. It was great to see so many families taking the time to meet with teachers and talk about how their child/ren are progressing. These conversations really help strengthen the partnership between home and school and ensure we’re all working together to support each student.

Our PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) have now been completed across the school — with the exception of a couple of make-up tests. The results give teachers a clear picture of how students are developing in literacy and numeracy and help guide planning for future learning. As a whole school, our results were very strong this year, showing consistent growth across year levels and subject areas. This reflects the hard work and commitment of both students and staff, and it’s something we can all be proud of.

The positive trends we’re seeing in PAT data also align with our incredible NAPLAN results earlier in the year. Together, these outcomes highlight the strong teaching and learning practices in place at St Joseph’s and the genuine effort students are putting into their learning. We look forward to building on this success as we continue to focus on high-quality instruction and ongoing improvement.

Reading culture at St Joseph’s
At last week’s assembly, we celebrated 60 students who took part in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. It’s incredible to see that nearly one-third of our students willingly committed to the challenge — a clear sign of their enthusiasm for reading and their drive to improve literacy outcomes.

We’ve seen a similar trend with students engaging in the Accelerated Reader program, where many are setting personal goals, tracking their progress, and developing a real love of reading. This growing culture of reading across the school is a credit to our students’ determination and the encouragement they receive from teachers and families alike.

Writer’s Toolbox 
Our students have reached an incredible milestone through the Writer’s Toolbox program — collectively writing over two and a half million words and making nearly 200,000 improvements to their writing so far. This ongoing achievement reflects the hard work and creativity of our students as they continue to refine their ideas, strengthen their sentence structure, and develop confidence as writers. It’s fantastic to see such sustained growth and enthusiasm for writing across all year levels.

We are certainly moving in the right direction — the hard work of our students and teachers is clearly paying off, and it’s wonderful to see such strong growth and pride in learning across the school.

Mr Dean Kelley
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Humility and Trust
This Sunday’s Gospel teaches that humility is strength, helping us see ourselves and others clearly. When we approach one another with humility and a desire to understand, we open the door to compassion and dialogue. The Gospel calls us to pray with honesty and rely on God’s grace, and encourages us to reflect deeply, listen generously, and grow in virtue.

October is a month dedicated to Mary. As it draws to a close, we recall her humble trust and faithful prayer. Just as this Sunday’s Gospel calls us to turn to God with sincerity, we are invited to seek Mary’s intercession with open hearts. Whether through the Rosary or quiet reflection, may we continue to grow in faith, guided by her gentle presence and unwavering trust in God.

Hail Mary Prayer

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;

Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Sacramental Program - First Reconciliation commencing - Term 4
This Sunday, following the 8:30 am Mass, we invite families to join us for the second preparation session for children undertaking their First Reconciliation. The celebration of the Sacrament will take place on Wednesday, 29 October, with Fr Will Brennan available between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

If your child has not yet begun the preparation but you would like them to participate this Wednesday, we warmly welcome you to reach out. There is still time to be part of this sacred moment. To express your interest or learn more, please contact me at lnelson5@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au

Aged Care Visits
Last Tuesday, our Year 9 students visited the local Aged Care facility, spending time with residents over a couple of rounds of Bingo. The room was filled with smiles and laughter as students and residents enjoyed each other’s company. These visits offer a meaningful way for students to connect with members of our community and give back through presence and companionship.

Our next scheduled visit in Week 5 will be with Year 6 students.

World Mission Month
Yesterday, our school community gathered to celebrate World Mission Month with a special Mass led by Fr Mick Lowcock.  The 2025 theme, “Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples,” we join Catholic Mission and the wider Church in embracing our call to be messengers and builders of hope. Fr Mick explained to the students that we are all Missionaries when we live with purpose and kindness in our own community. It was wonderful to see that many students wore their silly socks to support this event.

Following the celebration, the energy continued with an exciting shoot-out between Flinders and Kennedy. Classes brought along their created Socktober balls in anticipation of scoring some goals.  Each goal scored earned 5 points, and our lightning-fast goalie Mr Cullen, kept both teams on their toes. In the end, Flinders emerged victorious with 5 goals. Well done Flinders!  

Founders Day Colour Run
The excitement continued this afternoon with the Founders Day Colour Run. Thank you to Miss B for the time and effort put into creating a video to share with students explaining the humble beginnings of our school.  We are fortunate to have Sr Lyn Freestone of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart lead the prayer in this video. If you would like to view the video, it has been posted to our Facebook page.

Assembly next week Friday, 31st October 2025
Next week on Friday, 31st October, we acknowledge Day for Daniel.  Students can wear red to school on this day as a symbol of child safety awareness.  Our school Adopt a Cop, Alice Powell, will attend our assembly to share a message of being safe in our community.

Life Education
In week 5, from Tuesday 4th - Thursday 6th November, Life Education Qld will be visiting the school and spending time with each class from Prep to Year 6 (except Year 5 as they will be on camp).  The program covers topics with health and wellbeing and complements the health component of the Australian Curriculum v9. 

St Colman’s Mass - Upcoming Schedule

 Date                  Mass             Time           Presider

Oct 25, 2025           Youth Mass            8.30 am          Fr Mick Lowcock

Oct 26, 2025          Sunday Mass           8.30 am          Fr Mick Lowcock

God Bless,

Ms Lei Nelson

Assistant Principal - Religious Education 

Pastoral Care

A Special Report: Social Media & Comparison Culture
Young people today are growing up in a world where exposure to other people's lives is constant. Through social media and other platforms, they are regularly presented with curated highlights - from flawless holiday photos and academic milestones to the latest fashion trends and fitness achievements. This continuous stream of idealised content fuels what is known as comparison culture, where self-worth is often measured by how someone stacks up against others.

For children and adolescents, who are still figuring out who they are, this culture can be particularly damaging. Constantly comparing their appearance, achievements, or social standing to friends, influencers, and even strangers can lead to unrealistic expectations and a skewed sense of self-worth. This relentless need to measure up can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety - undermining both confidence and emotional wellbeing.

It's vital that parents and caregivers understand how deeply comparison culture can influence a child's self-perception and sense of value. Left unchecked, it can foster perfectionism and a dependence on external validation, where a 'like' or comment becomes the measure of their worth.

The good news is, families have a powerful role to play in helping young people navigate these challenges. This Special Report will help you empower your child to build the resilience and confidence needed to navigate today's comparison-driven world and embrace their own unique path.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

https://sjctsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-comparison-culture-au

Year 7-9 Parent Information Session - Monday 27th October
Year 7-9 Parents and Carers are encouraged to attend an information session on Monday, 27th of October at 5:00pm in the School Library, where the facilitators will provide an overview of the program and answer any questions.

The program will be facilitated by Judy Anderson (Respectful Relationships Education Coordinator, TCEO) and Cassandra Little (Guidance Counsellor). 

Ride to School Day & Day for Daniel

Friday, 31st October will be our final Ride to School Day for 2025!

Students and families are invited to meet at Florence Clark Park at 7:45am before we ride together to school. It’s always a fun and active way to start the day, and we’d love to see as many students as possible join in.

This event will also coincide with Day for Daniel — a national day of action dedicated to raising awareness about child safety, protection, and harm prevention. Students are encouraged to wear red to show their support and to remember Daniel Morcombe, whose story inspires us to help keep all children safe.

Let’s make this a morning of community spirit, safety awareness, and fun!

Miss Hannah McCall
Pastoral Care Leader

Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry Update

It’s been another busy and joy-filled few weeks in Youth Ministry as we continue to build connections across our school and parish community.

On Wednesday, our Year 2 students took part in their retreat, Stewards of God’s Creation. The afternoon was filled with curiosity, care, and creativity as students reflected on the beauty of God’s world and the ways we can care for all creation. Their enthusiasm and wonder made it a truly special experience!

This week, we also celebrated Mission Month with our Silly Sock Day, helping raise awareness and funds for Catholic Mission Australia. It was wonderful to see so many colourful socks (and smiles!) around the school, reminding us that small acts of kindness and generosity can make a big difference.

Looking ahead, we are excited to invite all families to our Youth Mass on Saturday 25th October at 5:30pm at St Colman’s Parish. This special celebration will be led by our students, followed by a BBQ under the Mary MacKillop Shed. It’s a wonderful opportunity to gather, pray, and share in community — we’d love to see you there!

As we begin to look toward the season of giving, we’ll soon be launching our Christmas Appeal to support local families in need through Vinnies. More details will be shared in the coming weeks, but families are encouraged to start thinking about sustainable ways to give–donating pre-loved items that are thoughtful, practical, and filled with care.

Yours in Faith, Love and Service

Mrs Rachel Delaney-Lovett
Acting Youth Ministry Middle Leader

First Nations

This week, we celebrated Aboriginal Languages Week at St Joseph’s. On Friday, students were invited to take part in a lunchtime activity in the library where they explored local languages by matching words from Mayi-Thakurti, Kalkadoon, and Yulluna languages to their English translations. It was a wonderful way to recognise and honour the richness of First Nations languages in our region.

Last Wednesday, our Emerging Leaders, Kate and Louis, had the opportunity to attend the Emerging Leaders Mental Health and Wellbeing Roadshow in Mount Isa. The day was packed with valuable workshops, conversations, and learning experiences that supported student leadership, wellbeing, and cultural identity. We’re very proud of Kate and Louis for representing our school community with pride and respect.

Miss Leonie Ansell
First Nations Teacher

Prep

Wow, we can hardly believe how fast this term is flying! The Little Leaders have truly hit the ground running, showing incredible energy and focus in their learning. They are becoming confident readers, writers, and mathematicians!

Over the last two weeks, we immersed ourselves in the text Wombat Stew. The students did an amazing job identifying the characters and the setting, and, most importantly, sequencing the key events of the story. We also concluded our work on our final two digraphs of the year: ‘ng’ as in swing and ‘ay’ as in play. 

In the coming weeks, our focus shifts to consolidating this learning to decode more complex words. This is a big step! Students will be blending sounds to create CVCC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant-Consonant) words such as chick and much. We will also be learning the new Tricky Words: down, out, for, and or. We encourage the children to be "word detectives" by identifying the parts they can sound out and the parts that are "tricky" and must be learned by heart.

The Little Leaders continue to build a strong foundation in number sense by combining and working with numbers to 20. Practical Maths: We are focused on representing practical situations involving: Quantifying (counting and grouping), Equal Sharing (division foundation), and Adding and Subtracting to 10.  Students are actively using manipulatives (blocks, counters, etc.) to physically demonstrate and solve these problems, which helps them deeply understand the concepts. We are consistently practicing the recognition and correct formation of numbers from 0-20. This term, we are continuing to develop our understanding that prayer helps believers follow the teachings of Jesus and live according to God's plan.

The students are learning about the different ways people pray, both alone and with others. We are practicing common prayers and actions, including the Sign of the Cross and saying Amen.

Reminders:

Monday: 

• Swimming with Miss Borlase (students to be dropped at the pool and wear sport uniform)
• Mrs Jill Smith will take our little learners for music in Period 5.

Wednesday:

•  Miss Pucciarmati will take our Prep students for Technology in Period 5. 
• Coloured house shirts
•  Readers and library books are to be returned so they can be re-issued. 

Thursday: 

• Mrs McConachy will be the classroom teacher

Friday: 

• Every second Friday we will have an assembly at the Mary MacKillop Shed (Week 4,6,8,10)

Literacy Rotations will continue from Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 9:30 am. We would love to welcome parent helpers during these sessions. If you're available to support, please let me know. Your help truly makes a difference.

Yours in fun and learning,

Miss Mae-Louise Brock, Miss Josie Smith, and Mrs Renee McConachy

Year 1

Hello Parents and Carers,

What a fantastic start to the term it's been in Year 1! The students have settled back into school life beautifully and have been busy with exciting learning across all subjects.

We're wrapping up our unit on informative texts, and the students have been incredible! They've used all their acquired knowledge about chickens to create wonderful, detailed non-fiction pieces. It's been great to see them apply what they've learned about structure, facts, and engaging language.

In Mathematics, we're continuing to build strong foundations in addition, subtraction, and place value. Alongside this, we've started a fun unit on data representation and interpretation. The students have absolutely loved creating big, collaborative graphs on the mat and collecting information from the class.

In Science, we've begun exploring push and pull forces. We've had great discussions about the world around us, figuring out what objects and actions involve a push force and which ones require a pull force. We're looking forward to some hands-on investigation next week! 

The students have enthusiastically started our unit on Mary, the Mother of Jesus. They are loving learning about why Mary is important in the Church and how she serves as a model of faith. They are also beautifully learning the Hail Mary prayer and have enjoyed singing songs related to Mary, especially the lively tune, "Mary Said Yes!"

Reminders:

• Swimming Tuesday
• Homework is to be returned on Thursdays to go back out on Fridays. 
• Library Monday’s 

Have a wonderful week,

Miss Erin Haley and the always fun Year 1’s

Year 2

Dear Parents and Carers, 

It has been a busy start to Term 4. We have started the Term learning all about Time. 

In Maths, we have been learning all about Time, exploring o’clock, half-past, quarter-past and quarter-to.  We have also been exploring our unit on Persuasive Texts. Students have been enjoying sharing their opinions on different topics. 

We also participated in our Year 2 Retreat, which was a wonderful experience that the students thoroughly enjoyed. The retreat focused on the sacredness of creation. We began with a prayer and students shared what they are grateful for in creation. Students then created prayer rocks, drawing something they love in creation. 

Over the coming weeks, we will be continuing on with our work on persuasive writing, exploring our focus text Hey, Little Ant. In Maths, we will be concluding our unit on Time and moving into Location. In Science, students will continue designing their boats for assessment. Families can support this by helping students think about which materials might be best for their boat designs. In Religion, we will begin our new units, Reconciliation and Being with God. In HASS, our focus will be on Geography, identifying places that can be spatially represented within different geographical divisions as well as identifying how people and places are interconnected both at local and broader scales. In Math we will be concluding our unit on Time and will begin Location.

Reminders: 

• Tuesday: Swimming and Library 
• Thursday: Homework is due

Kind regards, 

Miss Tess Motti

Year 3

Hi all, 

We’ve already reached the end of Week 3, and the Year 3 students are diving into some key learning areas as we look ahead to Weeks 4 and 5.

In English, the students have been actively practicing writing narratives. They are using the full narrative structure (orientation, complication, sequence of events, and resolution) and incorporating various narrative conventions to enhance their stories, such as time connectives, past tense, third person, descriptive language, dialogue rules, and figurative language.

In Mathematics, students are conducting statistical investigations using both categorical and discrete numerical data. They are learning to collect, record, represent, and compare this data and interpret the results within a real-world context. Additionally, the class is exploring chance and probability through practical activities and experiments, focusing on identifying outcomes, describing the likelihood of everyday events, and discussing the variation in results that occurs when conducting repeated chance experiments.

In Religion, students are exploring God’s presence in creation and how to offer thanks through prayer. They have been practicing the Our Father and The Glory Be, learning that this act of glorifying God is rooted in scripture, specifically Luke 2:14, similar to the Gloria said during Sunday Mass.

Our Science unit is focused on Chemical Science, and over the coming two weeks, we will be emphasising how heat (adding or removing it) causes changes of state between solids and liquids.

In HaSS (History), the children are learning to identify significant individuals, events, and aspects of the past. Specifically, in Weeks 4 and 5, we will focus on identifying the importance of Country/Place to the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples who belong to a local area.

Our Health curriculum centers on interpreting health messages and discussing influences on healthy and safe choices. A significant part of this learning will be a visit from Life Education in Week 5. The focus of this visit is Body Safety, which directly aligns with our curriculum goals: learning strategies to manage emotions; rehearsing and refining ways to respectfully seek, give, and deny permission; and describing and applying protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies in both online and offline situations.

Reminders:

• Monday: Swimming, Period 2, sports uniform with Miss Borlase
• Tuesday: Drama with Miss Jill
• Wednesday: Coloured house shirt and Technology, Miss Pucciarmati

Kind regards,
The Year 3 Teaching Team

Year 4

Hello everyone,

It was wonderful catching up with all of you who attended the Parent/Teacher Interviews. These discussions are always invaluable for celebrating your child's successes and charting their progress over the past few terms.

English: Persuasive Power
We're deep into our persuasive writing unit, where students are mastering powerful techniques to convey their arguments effectively. Next week, we'll dive into the specifics of writing to genuinely convince an audience.

This unit includes an oral presentation assessment. If your child is naturally quiet or less comfortable speaking in front of the class, please help them boost their confidence by practicing at home. Encourage them to give you short, impromptu 1-minute talks on a fun, given topic. This casual practice makes a big difference!

Maths: Discovering the Basis of Algebra
This week, we began our unit on number patterns, which forms the essential foundation for algebra. Students have successfully explored growing patterns with shapes and have learned how to quickly determine the number of shapes in the 10th term of a sequence. Impressively, many students are already identifying and solving complex, two-part patterns involving both multiplication and addition.

PatM and PatR Testing- This week we completed our yearly Pat testing. I am extremely pleased with our overall results, particularly in reading. I have told the students how they went in each test, however, if they can’t remember, let me know and I can share their results with you.

We are looking for empty food tins (e.g. beans/tomatoes) for science!!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs Lesley Wall

Year 5

Hi Parents and Carers,

Over the past fortnight in English, we’ve been diving into our class novel Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior. We’ve completed a number of comprehension activities based on the chapters we’ve read so far, with a strong focus on understanding who Wylah is as a character. The students are thoroughly enjoying this engaging story and the cultural connections it brings into our learning.

In Maths, we’ve been exploring units of measurement for distance, mass, and capacity. Students have been learning how to make appropriate unit selections for different objects and quantities, thinking carefully about the most efficient and accurate ways to measure. We’ll wrap up this unit by the end of the week and move on to our next focus: estimating, constructing, and measuring angles in degrees, as well as exploring the nets of 3D objects.

In Religion, we’ve been learning about Mary as the Mother of the Church. We’ve also been exploring how the Rosary is used as a form of prayer and reflection, helping believers to connect with Mary in a meaningful way.

In Science, we’ve been investigating the processes of weathering and erosion. Students have enjoyed looking into different causes and examples of these natural changes to Earth's surface, setting the stage for some exciting hands-on learning ahead.

We are also getting very excited about our upcoming Year 5 Camp! Further information and updates will be shared with families in the coming days – stay tuned!

Have a great week,

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 6

Dear Families,

Great to catch up with many of you at our Learning Conferences to celebrate student achievement this year. You should all be very proud of your children!

In English, we have been finalising our persuasive writing about zoos, personal mobility devices and plastic waste. Students were able to choose one of the themes to write their assessment piece. This is a combination of many weeks of work investigating introductions, writing arguments and conclusions. Students have been given instructions for what to include and a checklist to give themselves feedback. This has helped them to see improvements they have made. In reading, our assessments show that further discussions about reading comprehension skills–especially work on implied meaning (reading between the lines). 

In Mathematics, this week we have been investigating transformations. We began with reflections (flips) using shapes that we had to draw the flipped version of the shapes in a mirror line. Due to previous learning about rotations (turns) in our drones work, students further developed their understanding of rotating shapes at different angles about the point of turn. Translations (slides), when shapes/objects are moved from one location to another; students applied their learning about coordinates and the four quadrants of the Cartesian Plane. Please use our online access to IXL, which has some useful practice with different questions that students can complete at home.

In Science/HASS, our investigation into space has continued. We started with investigating the different layers of Earth’s atmosphere and have moved on to discussing the phases of the Moon. Students have to create a visual representation of one of these areas and have been busy making their models. Please check our Y6 News website for some photos from the first few weeks of term.

Wishing you all a great week,

Kindest regards,

Mr Mike Tarleton & Mr Larry Cullen

UMY Subject Spotlight

Whole School PE - Making a Splash in Term 4!

Our students are absolutely loving their Water Safety lessons this term! These sessions focus on developing confidence, coordination, and safety awareness in and around the water — important skills for all ages.

With our Swimming Carnival coming up in Week 6, students are putting their energy into refining their technique and stamina, with a special focus on survival backstroke. In the weeks following the carnival, we’ll extend these skills by practising some basic water rescues and safety sequences.

A friendly reminder for families to please help us promote sun safety by applying sunscreen before school each swimming day, ensuring students have their school hat packed, and that they wear a sun-safe swim shirt.

It’s been wonderful to see so many smiles, splashes, and growing confidence in the pool!

Miss B
Sport & Extra Curricular Leader

Maths with Mr. Grehan

Year 7 Maths
In term 4, Year 7 students will engage in the mathematical concepts of measurement and geometry. Students will solve problems involving areas of simple and composite shapes using formulas algebraically by substituting in values to find unknowns and demonstrate understanding and reasoning. Students will investigate π and its relationship with the circumference, radius and diameter of a circle. Students will extend their knowledge to solve problems of volume and capacity of 3D shapes. The study of 2D shapes in Geometry will cover the classification of angles, triangles, angles formed by transversals and geometrical reasoning in establishing the size and classification of angles in a variety of shapes e.g. size of interior and exterior angles of triangles, quadrilaterals and other polygons. Geometrical algorithms will be used to solve problems specifically related to types of angles formed by transversals across parallel lines.  

Year 8 Maths
In term 4, Year 8 students will engage in the mathematical concepts of measurement and geometry. Students will solve problems including perimeter and area of irregular and composite shapes using appropriate units of measure and formulas. Students will investigate and solve problems to evaluate volume and capacity of right prisms using appropriate units. 3D shapes including triangular prisms, rectangular prisms and cylinders will be used to determine capacity. Pythagoras’ theorem will be studied to find unknown sides of right angle triangles. Time measurement will be used to determine 12-24 hour time across multiple time zones. The study of Geometrical reasoning will cover congruence and similarity of shapes using the rules for congruence and similarity and describe how the algorithm works to solve problems.  

Year 9 Maths
In Term 4, Year 9 students will engage in the mathematical concepts involving problem solving using Pythagoras’ Theorem and trigonometric ratios of right angle triangles. Students will investigate properties of angles, scale, similarity and congruence. Students will apply sine, cosine and tangent ratios for a given angle in right-angled triangles. 

Mr. Grehan

Rockpop!!!

On Friday night, our students absolutely shone on stage at the APEX Rockpop Mime show! Their energy, teamwork, and creativity lit up the stage, and it was clear that every student performed with confidence and joy. It was a true celebration of the arts and the power of performance to bring people together.

At St. Joseph’s, we value opportunities like Rockpop because the arts allow students to express themselves, build confidence, and develop important skills in collaboration, communication, and creativity. Events like these remind us how vital it is to nurture the whole child — not just academically, but artistically and emotionally as well.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our dedicated staff who supported students throughout weeks of rehearsals, and to our wonderful parents and carers for their encouragement, costume efforts, and enthusiasm. Your continued support makes experiences like Rockpop possible and so meaningful for our students.

We are incredibly proud of every performer and grateful for the community that helps make this event such a highlight on our school calendar.

Rockpop Gallery

A big thank you to our Rock Pop team that made this possible - Mrs Delaney-Lovett, Miss Jill, Mrs Renee McConachy, Miss Ansell, Mrs Wall, Miss Humes, and Miss Charlotte. 

QCoal's Foundation Scholarship - Year 12

Please see below information regarding QCoal's Foundation Scholarship. This information may be beneficial for parents or family members with children in Year 12 who may wish to apply. 

NDIS:

The following information may be useful for families who would like to learn about NDIS. NDIS is an Australian government program designed to provide needs-based funding and support for families who qualify. NDIS can also support families with children in the Early Years, as their programs are designed to assist children under 7 years old who have a disability or developmental delay. Children do not need a formal diagnosis to receive help and can be referred by health professionals, educators, or directly by families. 

Community Notices