Term 2 Week 2

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope each of you enjoyed a restful break and had the opportunity to spend time together over Easter. It has been wonderful to see the students return with smiling faces, ready for a new term of learning and growth.

This term is filled with many important events and opportunities for our students. From excursions and liturgies to sporting carnivals and classroom learning, there is a lot to look forward to. I’m particularly proud of the outstanding sporting achievements already taking place, including several of our students representing the Diocese with pride and determination. We will continue to celebrate and share these successes as they come.

This Sunday, we acknowledge and honour the special women in our lives for Mother’s Day. We give thanks for the love, strength, and guidance of our mothers, grandmothers, and carers. As a school community, we look forward to celebrating them this Friday morning with scones and a liturgy. It will be a beautiful way to show our appreciation, and we hope many of you can join us.

Thank You for our mothers and all who care for us with love.
Bless them for all they do each day —
their kindness, their patience, and their hugs.
Help us show our love and gratitude,
not just today, but every day.

Amen.

As the cooler weather begins to set in, a reminder that Winter Uniform will not commence until Week 4, on Monday 19th May. Until then, students may continue to wear their summer uniforms, and we encourage them to dress appropriately for the weather.

Welcome to Our New Staff Members:
We are delighted to welcome two new staff members to our St Joseph’s team this term:
• Mrs. Kayle Dyer will be joining the 6 Red classroom on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Mrs. Stephanie Rochet will be supporting students as a Learning Support Assistant on 
Mondays.
Please make them feel welcome as they settle into our vibrant school community.

Congratulations to Caitlin Morris and Jake on the arrival of their beautiful son, Banjo! We’re thrilled to hear he’s growing well each day and wish your family all the joy this special time brings. We are currently in the process of appointing someone to Caitlin’s position on Year 5 Red and will share an update as soon as it is finalised.

I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of regular attendance. Every day at school matters. Consistent attendance ensures students stay connected with their learning, build strong relationships with peers and staff, and make steady progress. Please continue to support your child in arriving on time and attending each day unless they are unwell.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. I look forward to sharing a wonderful Term 2 with you all.

Green Day & Secondhand Toy Sale – Coming Soon! 🌟We’re excited to announce Green Day and our Secondhand Toy Sale on Wednesday 21st May (Term 2, Week 4) to raise money for our Environmental Committee’s new Recycling Project! ♻️💚Students are invited to come out of uniform and wear something green to show their support for the environment! 💚🌿We’re calling on our school community to donate any pre-loved toys in good condition. Donations can be sent to school from now until the sale. Let’s work together to give old toys a new home and support a greener future for our kids! 🌱🧸

Meet the teacher.

Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all enjoyed a restful holiday break, and you were able to take time to reflect on the significance of the Easter story in our Christian tradition.

Returning to school after a break can be a source of anxiety for some students. To help manage this, it’s important to create a supportive and understanding environment. Establishing a consistent routine can provide a sense of stability and predictability for our children and this can assist them in resettling quickly. Incorporating mindfulness activities and promoting positive social interactions can also help ease anxiety. Please remember that we are here to help, if you have any concerns regarding your child, or their progress, please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance.

As the term progresses there will be many opportunities for you to join our school community for various celebrations. This is a wonderful way for us to continue to build connections with our families and I encourage you, where possible, to join us for these celebrations.

Kind regards,

Maryanne Hacker

News from the Religious Coordinator

Sacramental News- Confirmation

This Friday evening at 6pm we students from our school will be confirmed at St Mary Immaculate Church Charlestown by Bishop Michael. The children being confirmed are Lani, Faith, Charlotte M, Sebastian H, Sienna AW, Rory, Eddie, Ellie O, Ashlyn, Isabelle S, Cameron, Owen and Sadie. Confirmation is an important sacrament where children more fully receive the Holy Spirit to assist them in their lives. We wish these children well as they take this important step in their faith journey.

Mother’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy

This Friday we will celebrate our mums, grandmas and other special role models at a breakfast from 8am and liturgy at 9am let by year 2. We hope you can join us on this special occasion.

The Passing of Pope Francis

It is with sadness we acknowledge the passing of Pope Francis. During his time as pope from 2013, he walked in the footsteps of Jesus having a profound impact on communities across the world. His Holiness was a beacon of compassion and his relentless call to action to impact social justice causes and he was an inspiration to people of many faiths and backgrounds.

Tomorrow we will reflect on Pope Francis at our morning assembly.

Catholic Schools Week- Pilgrims of Hope

Every 25 years the Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee Year. This year’s theme is Pilgrims of Hope. The core idea behind a Jubilee is to encourage people to live better lives, filled with kindness, compassion, and a deeper connection to something bigger than themselves. It's a chance to hit the pause button on our busy lives and ask ourselves some important questions. Where are we going? What truly matters? How can we make the world a better place?

The theme Pilgrims of Hope is focused on the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation. At St Joseph’s we will celebrate this hope we find in God at our Catholic School’s Week Open Day and Liturgy. See below for details

Catholic Schools Week - Wednesday, 4th June

Open classrooms from 9:15am until 10am

Liturgy at 10:15am. Please join us if you can.

Office of Safeguarding

School Refusal

Primary Coordinator

At our school, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) is at the heart of creating a safe and supportive learning environment. This week, our focus is on the importance of students striving high to ‘Learn and Let Others Learn’.

Being prepared to learn means coming to school each day with the right tools, a positive attitude, and a willingness to engage. Whether it’s having the correct materials – pencil case, hat, library bag and drink bottle, or simply being ready to listen and engage in their learning, small actions make a big difference. Families can support this at home by encouraging routines like packing bags the night before, getting enough sleep, and talking about their child’s learning and interactions with classmates.

Equally important is showing respect for others by allowing them to learn. When students support one another’s learning and genuinely want their classmates to learn and do well, it creates a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. This means encouraging others, celebrating their successes, and helping when someone is stuck. At St Joseph’s we integrate teamwork skills by grouping students so they can listen to others’ ideas, solve problems together, and respect different points of view. Learning becomes more powerful when it’s shared and valued.

Kiss and Ride changes

This term we are trialling family name tags for cars in the afternoon kiss and ride pick up. This is to help identify family cars quickly and move students to the right position for pick up. We try to have four cars loading at a time, so we ask that you hold the name tag up for the teacher at the telegraph pole or place in the sun visor, as you are waiting in the turning circle. Two name tags will be issued to families this week for multiple cars. Please contact Mrs Yi in the office or at admin@charlestown.catholic.edu.au if you require more than 2 name tags, or you misplace yours. Thank you for your cooperation.  

Kind regards,

Frances Courtney - Primary Coordinator

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.

Garden Group.

Aboriginal Education

Aboriginal Education 

What a lovely start we have had to Term 2.

Towards the end of last term, we had a few exciting things happen at our school in the space of Aboriginal Education.

Our Year 5 students welcomed Jimmy from ‘Deadly Science’, a proud First Nations organisation specialising in student STEM activities. Joining Jimmy was Elizabeth, a marine scientist and creator of the awesome game, ‘Marine Invaders’. Jimmy and Elizabeth shared knowledge about the impact of introduced marine species. Students loved all the awesome knowledge Elizabeth has on our oceans and marine life and students peppered her with insightful questions!!!

Jimmy and Elizabeth then introduced our students to the fun educational game, ‘Marine Invaders’.

Students were really engaged throughout this game and Elizabeth hopes it will build knowledge around protecting our oceans, just as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have protected them for thousands of years.

Another exciting event was our first quarterly Powaikaliko Malang Junior AECG meeting, held at St Mary’s Catholic College Gateshead. Two representatives from our St Joseph’s Junior AECG joined Junior AECG members from other schools in the Powaikaliko Malang community for this important gathering.

We thank the dedication and hard work of Mrs Dannielle Peachey (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Education Teacher, St Paul’s PS Gateshead) for driving this fantastic initiative. We also thank our Year 10 Powaikaliko Malang Junior AECG members for leading our meeting. This experience proved such a valuable space to build connections and reflect on the role our Aboriginal students can play in enhancing inclusivity and Aboriginal education in our schools.

Significant Cultural Events

5^th April: Bringing Them Home Report

The Bringing Them Home Stolen Generations report was released in 1997. It reported on the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. This report raised awareness to the Australia Public of historical policies of forced removal, as well as on the ongoing impacts.

Click HERE for more information about The Bringing Them Home Report

25^th April: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans’ Diggers March (ANZAC day celebration)

The diggers march is a key commemorative event on ANZAC Day that recognises all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and servicewomen who have served, or continue to serve, Australia.

Click HERE for more information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Veteran’ Diggers

Danielle Shaw

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Education Teacher

Walk To School.

We’re taking it in our stride on Friday, 16 May 2025 !

Well it’s that time of year again when our school seriously starts talking about walking!

Walk Safely to School Day asks that we all consider our transport habits and try to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around. And although walking all the way to school isn’t realistic for many of us, it’s quite easy to figure out how you can build a walk into your family’s daily routine.

You can teach your child the healthy habit of walking more by:

• Walking with them the whole way to school
• If they get the bus or train, walk past your usual stop and get on at the next stop
• If you have to drive, park the car a few blocks away from the school and walk the rest of the way.

Regular exercise like walking with your child not only helps them (and you!) beat chronic problems like obesity, heart disease, behavioral and mental health issues and diabetes. It also gives you a great opportunity to teach your child safe ways to behave around roads and traffic.

Remember, Active Kids are Healthy Kids so we would love to have you join us for our SJC Walk Safely to School journey on Friday 16 MAY 2025!

Students, parents and younger siblings of SJC are welcome to either join teachers at Kahibah Park Playground at 8:00 OR the Charlestown Netball courts carpark at 8:00am for a walk to school.

Our canteen will have a healthy breakfast of fruit and yoghurt available from 8:30 am at school.  Please order and pay on QKR before the day. Everyone is free to order, even if you are not walking.
 Looking forward to a sunny walk to our great school!

Happy Birthday to the following students

We wish the following students a very happy birthday.

Sport News

Congratulations to Lochlan O'Brien who made the AFL Polding team.  The competition was very tough, but he made it through!  

PSSA Swimming: Billie won the 50m backstroke. 🥇 We are so incredibly proud of her. She swam 32.81 & is now off to nationals in October. She also placed 6th in both Freestyle, Breaststroke & 8th in Butterfly. Leni was 23rd in her 50m freestyle. Since winning the 50m state title Billie will now swim at Nationals in the 50m & 100m backstroke plus swim the backstroke leg in the medley relay for NSW in the senior team. What an amazing opportunity!

Both Frankie and Otto did a great job representing the Maitland/Newcastle Diocesan Polding Team in Bathurst. They both made the possible and probable's match. Otto unfortunately didn't make the team this year, but Frankie was successful and selected in the Polding Team to play in the NSWPSSA championships to be held in Newcastle 19th-22nd May. 

Jeremy and Daniel worked incredibly hard to secure a gold medal at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships (nationals) against the Sydney University Team.  Well Done, Boys!

School Fees

Dear Families,

I hope this message finds you well.

As we approach the middle of the school year, I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support in paying school fees. Your commitment plays a vital role in ensuring that we can provide the best possible education and resources for our students.

For those families who have not yet had the opportunity to begin payment, we kindly encourage you to start as we are quickly approaching the mid-year point.

Your timely support helps us maintain the high standards of education and community engagement that make St Joseph’s such a special place for our students.

Thank you again for being such a wonderful part of our school community. We deeply appreciate your support to the education of our students.

Thank you

Amale Yi

FACE- Family And Community Engagement

We are seeking parent volunteers to assist with our Mother’s Day Stall this Thursday from 9:00–11:00am. If you’re available to help during this time, we’d love to have you involved. Please contact the school office if you’re able to assist — your support is greatly appreciated!

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.

 Volunteers need to be registered with our CSO, by following this link: https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/

Thank you 

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 Taylor for further information.  

Taylor Richardson  
NOMINATED SUPERVISOR | ST NICHOLAS OOSH    
P 0429 435 571     M  0429 435 571   
Email taylor.richardson@stnicholasoosh.org.au Visit us online www.stnicholasoosh.org.au  

Lunchbox.