Term 1, Week 8

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we move into Week 8, I am filled with gratitude for the fantastic start to the year. Walking through the school, I am continually impressed by the way our students engage in quality learning, collaborate in their classrooms, and enjoy our beautifully learning spaces and natural play areas. Their happy smiles and respectful greetings are a true reflection of the positive culture we nurture at St Joseph’s.

As we prepare to celebrate St Joseph’s Day (19^th March), we take inspiration from St Joseph the Carpenter, a humble and hardworking man chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus. His life was one of quiet strength, dedication, and faith. As a carpenter, he worked with patience and skill, providing for his family through honest work. More importantly, he was a man of deep trust in God, always listening and responding with courage and love. At St Joseph’s, we strive to follow his example by working diligently, showing kindness to others, and placing our trust in God’s guidance. On this special day, let us reflect on the values St Joseph lived by—humility, service, and perseverance—and how we can bring them into our daily lives. May his example continue to inspire our school community to build a world of faith, love, and respect. Happy St Joseph’s Day!

We are proud to celebrate Harmony Day (Friday21st March), a time to recognize and embrace the rich diversity within our school community. This special day reminds us that everyone belongs, encouraging respect, inclusion, and understanding among all cultures. Through activities, discussions, and shared experiences, we reinforce the importance of kindness and unity. Let’s continue to build a school where every student feels valued and celebrated.

As the school is growing, we have noticed increased traffic congestion particularly in the afternoons. We do have staggered dismissals to alleviate the congestion and ask that children follow the expectations to be dismissed in groups based on alphabetical groups. Some children are joining the first group even though it is not their group and telling teachers their parents tell them to ‘jump the queue’. Parents, I ask that you be respectful of the systems we have in place to ensure safety of our students and be mindful of the road rules and only park in designated spaces, not blocking neighbour’s driveways or the bus stop. I have been in consultation with Lake Macquarie Council, traffic management and police liaisons as well as our Catholic Schools Risk Management team to look at further solutions moving forward. I also encourage families to investigate other options such as walking, catching the bus or car-pooling some days with neighbours. The congestion is only for a short time in the afternoon, so please follow the rules, street signage and demonstrate respect for each other and the processes in place as well as patience. We can all work together to ensure safety for our children and each other.

Each week during Lent, we open our hearts a little more to receive the light of Christ. In the second week of Lent, we listen for the voice of God, who calls us ‘Beloved’ with Christ. It is this God who lives and speaks within our hearts.

This newsletter includes our Meet the Teacher section introducing our Stage 1 teachers (Years 1 & 2). 

Deepest sympathy to the Isaac’s family on the loss of Sadie’s grandmother. We keep you all in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. May almighty God bless us with his peace and strength. Amen

Warm regards

Kathryn Hill
Principal

School Improvement Plan

2025 School Improvement: At St Joseph’s, we are committed to continuous improvement and growth in all areas of school life. In 2025, we will be focusing on our three School Improvement Goals, which will guide our efforts to enhance student learning, well-being, and engagement, ensuring the best possible outcomes for all.

Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe how quickly this term has flown! By the time you are reading this newsletter, we will be part way through Week 8 and NAPLAN will be all but over. I extend a huge thank you to the Years 3 and 5 students for the remarkable way they approached these important assessments over the last week. I also thank their teachers for showing such care and compassion to the students in preparing them to complete the NAPLAN assessments. They simultaneously encouraged the children to do their best, while ensuring that they knew that the tests were just one moment, on one day and the results do not define them as people.

Procedures for Administering of Medication at School

Our school is dedicated to supporting students, which sometimes includes administering medication. To ensure safety and proper care, we follow these procedures based on the Catholic Schools Administering Medicines in Schools Policy:

• The administration of any medication, short or long term, is authorised by a parent or guardian in writing.
• Medication is prescribed by a registered medical practitioner (with instructions either attached to the medication, or in written form from the medical practitioner).
• It is best practice that medication is provided in a Pharmacist Webster Pak®.
• Medication has the original label clearly showing the name of the child and the dosage.
• Medication is before the expiry/use by date.
• Medication has not been cut, crushed or otherwise altered or removed from its original packaging (other than in a pharmacy supplied Webster Pak®)

We thank you for your assistance in providing the highest quality of care for your children.

Warm regards,

Maryanne Hacker
Assistant Principal

Office of Safeguarding

News from the Religious Co-ordinator

Jubilee- Year of Hope One Call- One Mission

Yesterday, across the Diocese Catholics responded to the call to come together for the Jubilee year of Hope. It was a joyous morning, marked by a pilgrim walk from Nobby’s Beach to the Cathedral, the sharing of Mass and a celebratory festival with food, face painting and an array of stalls. As Christians we are called to be people of hope. To put our trust in God as we face the joys and hardships of life. We pray that as a community we may listen and respond to the call to live lives of hope as we journey together.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,

may the faith you have given us

in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled

in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

reawaken in us the blessed hope

for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us

into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos

in the sure expectation

of a new heaven and a new earth,

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,

your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee

reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,

a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread

the joy and peace of our Redeemer

throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed,

be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Sacramental Program

The Mackillop Parish is now at the stage of organising the Sacramental Program for this year. The sacraments are a very momentous time in our lives as disciples of Christ, and we are very excited to journey with you and your family as your children take this step.

To register your child for the sacramental program, please follow the link to complete the  Sacramental Program Form. It can also be found on the Parish Website. The sessions will be held on Monday evenings, at 6:30pm, at St Mary Immaculate Church, Charlestown. Please see dates below.

Dates for Sacramental Program 2025

Reconciliation

• Session 1 – 17th March @ 6.30pm
• Session 2 – 24th March @ 6.30pm
• Sacrament – FRI 28th March @ 6.30pm

Confirmation

• Session 1 – 28th April @ 6.30pm
• Session 2 – 5th May @ 6.30pm
• Sacrament – FRI 9th May @ 6.00pm

First Communion

• Session 1 – 9th June @ 6.30pm
• Session 2 – 16th June @ 6.30pm
• Sacrament – 21/22 June @ Mass

The cost to cover the books for the entire program is $25. Banking details are below:

BSB: 066739 A/C No: 100012059 A/C Name: CCF Reference: Please use your child’s surname followed by ‘Sacrament’ i.e. Voigt Sacrament

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Parish Office.

Blessings, Bridget Voigt Sacramental Convenor – Mackillop Parish

ST MARY of THE CROSS PARISH HUB

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 4.00pm

PO Box 107 (7 Milson Street) CHARLESTOWN NSW 2290

T: 02 4943 4153 E: stmarythecross@mn.catholic.org.au

W: mackillopcharlestown.org.au

Save the date

19^th March-  St Joseph’s Day. Come and join us at school for a liturgy on tar at 10:15am including our annual St Joseph’s Day art contest and picnic following.

2^nd April- Stage 1 will attend the Parish Mass at  9:30am at St. Mary Immaculate Church, Charlestown. Families welcome to attend.

St Joseph’s Feast Day

Primary Co-ordinator

As we enter into the last 4 weeks of term, we will focus on playing fairly. This is not only at times on the playground but also for classroom play and interactions at sporting events. We will revisit the elements of fair play throughout the next few weeks including:

• Play should always be fun and safe
• Choosing to cooperate at all times
• Following established rules 
• Being resilient and adapting to the changes within the game
• Reflecting on how the play went, whether it was fair/unfair and what could be done differently next time

When children follow the rules, take turns, and show good sportsmanship, everyone has a chance to participate and enjoy games without conflict or frustration. Playing fairly also teaches essential life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience, which help students build positive relationships both in and out of the classroom. It supports a culture at St Joseph’s of kindness and respect.

Kind regards,

Frances Courtney - Primary Coordinator

News from the Classroom

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander News

Aboriginal Education 

We have certainly been busy at St Joseph’s!

I have loved building on the inclusive environment we have at school and being able to teach specialised lessons to our students.

Recently, I had the pleasure of teaching 4 Blue where we explored traditional cultural practices of Aboriginal peoples, particularly from Awabakal Country. To complement our learning, students watched clips from the 2023 documentary, ‘The First Inventors’. This was quite fascinating and proved a valuable resource for their learning. Click  HERE for more information about this incredible documentary series.   

Students also enjoyed exploring native plants and animals that are colloquially known as ‘bush tucker’.  This activity linked perfectly with past NAIDOC days where students have had the opportunity to taste, feel and smell many different types of bush tucker with Aunty Steff.

I also recently had the pleasure of teaching 5 Blue. We learnt about the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal peoples- spreading from Eora nation in Sydney, right across the continent after the arrival of the First Fleet. It was fascinating to see artworks by convict, Joseph Lycett who painted scenes he witnessed of the local Awabakal people around Newcastle.

Significant Cultural Dates

17^th – 23^rd March: Harmony Week

Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and the importance of making our society inclusive and respectful so everyone can feel a sense of belonging.

Click  HERE for more information about Harmony Week.

20^th March: Close the Gap Day

National Close the Gap Day is an initiative of the National Close the Gap Campaign for individuals and organisations to pledge support for achieving Indigenous health equality by 2030.

Aboriginal people have a gap of almost 10 years in the average life expectancy than non-Aboriginal Australians.

Click  HERE for more information about Close the Gap Day

Danielle Shaw

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher

Garden News

Happy Birthday to the following students

We wish the following students a very happy birthday.

School Fees

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this email finds you well.

As we are fast approaching the end of Term 1, we would like to kindly remind all families that fee payments should now have started, as per the school’s payment schedule. For families who have already started making payments, we sincerely thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Your continued support is deeply appreciated.

For those who have not yet started payments, we kindly ask that you start making regular payments moving forward. The Catholic School Office requires a steady payment schedule, and timely payments are essential for maintaining the smooth running of the school.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the payment process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you once again for your support.

Warm regards

Amale Yi

FACE- Family And Community Engagement

As the leader of our school, I deeply support the role of parents and carers as first educators and prioritise partnering with our students’ caregivers to ensure each child is nurtured to their potential.

To this end, I seek to incorporate family voice in our school’s operations and at a diocesan level.

As part of the upcoming FACE Forum, I will be calling for nominations for the role of Federation Representatives for our school (ideally, two representatives will be elected).

If you are interested in taking on this role and would like to know more about what it entails, please refer to the attached document. 

Our First meeting will be held on Wednesday 2nd April at 5pm in our Staffroom. 

If you would like to nominate but cannot attend the meeting, please email me via CHL-Admin@mn.catholic.edu.au. You are also welcome to contact me to ask any questions about the role and what it entails.
Warm regards,
Kathryn Hill

Hall of Fame

We love celebrating the achievements of our students both in and out of the classroom! If your child has recently accomplished something special in sports or any extracurricular activity, we encourage you to share their success with us. Whether it's a competition, performance, or personal milestone, we'd be thrilled to feature their accomplishments in our school newsletter. Please let us know so we can celebrate their hard work and dedication!

Congratulations to Lochlan, Kai, Daly and Sam who represented St Joseph's at the Diocesan AFL event. 

Billie competed in Sydney all weekend at the NSW state swimming championships. She swam brilliantly & came away with 3 medals..

1st 🥇 200m Backstroke & NSW state champion.
3rd 🥉100m Backstroke
3rd 🥉 50m Backstroke ( 0.37 faster than the DIO record she set 2 weeks prior)

Sporting News

Warners Bay Auskick- First night will be Monday 28 April at 5pm with a welcome BBQ after. For those that would like to come and try that night before committing, everyone is welcome. It's a great community. There is also a $50 off discount code of: F47E9F34 for local kids to sign up to the club. 

Matt Haines: Participation Coordinator ‑ Hunter Region   matt.haines@afl.com.au    0498331163

Motiv8sports Super Camp

Canteen News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well! As we continue to provide a welcoming and efficient canteen service for our students, we are reaching out to ask for your help.

The canteen plays such an important role in our school community, and we rely on the support of volunteers to keep it running smoothly. Whether you can spare an hour or two a week or just help occasionally, your contribution will make a big difference. Tasks may include serving food, assisting with preparation, or helping to keep the canteen tidy.

Volunteering in the canteen is a rewarding way to get involved in school life, connect with other parents, and support our students.

If you’re able to help please contact Kelly on Kelly.brands@mn.catholic.edu.au

or our admin staff.

 Thank you so much for considering this opportunity. With your help, we can ensure our canteen remains a happy and efficient place for our students.

 Amale Yi

Uniform Shop

Normal Shop Hours - Every Tuesday and Thursday 8am-10am

See Elaine and Ian from Wearitto for all your uniform needs.

Our uniform shop is run by Wearitto: 

OOSH

The before and after school care at St Joseph’s is provided by St Nicholas OOSH, Diocese of Maitland Newcastle.  Open form 7am-8:30am and 3:00pm-6:00pm. 

Please contact OOSH for further information.  

   Visit us online www.stnicholasoosh.org.au  

Gifted Education Mentor

Meet Our Staff

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