Week 8 Term 3 2025

Dear Families, 

Nurturing the culture of our Catholic School

As we journey through this term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the heart of who we are as a Catholic school community. Our mission is not only to educate minds but also to form hearts - hearts rooted in compassion, service, respect, and faith.

Lately, we’ve noticed a few shifts in attitudes and behaviours that don’t fully reflect the values we hold dear. Whether it’s in how we speak to one another, respond to challenges, or show respect for our shared environment, there are moments where we seem to forget the Gospel values that guide us.

This conversation is about perspective, not blame. We need to redirect our focus.

Our school culture is something we all create and value, our staff, students, and families together. When we stray from our shared values, even in small ways, it has an impact on the whole community. At St Joseph's, we are called to be people of kindness, justice, forgiveness, and unity. These are not just ideals; they are daily choices we make in the classroom, on the playground, and in our interactions.

In the coming weeks and term 4, we’ll be intentionally working on rebuilding and strengthening our Catholic identity and culture. This includes:

• Revisiting our core values as a school

• Encouraging open and respectful dialogue

• Promoting restorative practices

• Supporting each other in living out our faith

I ask all families to partner with us in this mission. Talk with your children about what it means to be part of a Catholic community. Ask them how they can live out values like respect, compassion, and honesty in their daily life.

Let’s continue to build a culture where every person feels valued, included, and inspired to grow - not just academically, but spiritually and personally too.

We had a wonderful morning breakfast and Mass last Friday as a way of spending time with and celebrating our dads and those who are like dads to us. Thank you to all who were able to join us. You made our day!  Special thanks to our mum volunteers who cooked up a spectacular breakfast. 

Stage 3 then completed the morning by leading us in a wonderful Mass. Parishioners, dads and mums joined us for the Mass. Thank you Stage 3, Mrs Stormon and Mrs Duncan. 

Junior Joeys next Wednesday, at 9 AM!

The Junior Joeys 2025 Transition Program has been going for 4 weeks now.  Our new tiny brave people continue to give it their all and soak up the new experience at big school. 

Junior Joeys will continue next week on Wednesday from 9 am until 11 am.  Next week will be the last week for Junior Joeys for Term 3. After next week, Junior Joeys will recommence in Term 4 W eek 2  22 October 2025

The SRC President, Jake Cutler, and the Student Representative Council are excited to announce our upcoming SRC Day Mini Fair, happening on Thursday, 25 September 2025.

While many details are still being finalised, here’s what we can share so far:

• The SRC is planning 7 fun game activities for students to enjoy

• A token system will be used - students earn tokens by participating in the games

• At the end of the activities, tokens will be exchanged for a raffle ticket

• Each raffle ticket will reveal which jar prize students will receive from the Timbolo Stall

Stay tuned for more details, including:

• The theme for the day

• The charity that will benefit from the  student's gold coin donation

Thank you for supporting our student leaders as they prepare this exciting event, and thank you to the parent and staff community for providing the Tombolo jars!

• Stage 3, Mrs Stormon and Mrs Duncan, for your wonderful Mass on Father's Day celebration day.
• Our Mums, our chefs extraordinaires for our Father's Day Breakfast.
• Our Dads and those who are like a dad to us, for all your love, guidance and support. 
• Our St Joseph's Community Forum for organising a terrific Father's Day Stall
• Our Junior Joeys for the amazing 4 weeks they have put in at 'Big School'
• Thank you for your time with us, Charlotte Kinsella (Work experience). We loved you being back with us. 

Have a wonderful weekend

Principal 

Our Stage 3 students led this special celebration, as we came together to honour and give thanks for the fathers, grandfathers, and father figures who play such an important role in our lives. The Church was adorned with the children's portraits of their dads- some truly incredible likenesses and lots of love captured in every detail!

Thank you to those dads, mums and parishioners who were able to join us. 

First Eucharist Preparation

Preparation is well underway for our students who will be receiving their First Eucharist (Holy Communion) on Saturday, 20 September 2025, at St John’s Church, Evans Head, at 5 pm.

This year, we are proud to support the following students as they prepare for this special Sacrament:
Abaigeal Ashton, Nancy Butler, Phoebe Jett, Jackson Marsden, Poppy Parkinson, and Eli Walsh.

We keep these students and their families in our prayers as they journey towards receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time—an important and sacred step in their faith lives.

Registrations are now open. 

Nippers is a beach safety program that encourages/guides children in building skills associated with teamwork, water safety, healthy habits, future lifesaving, problem solving as well as building knowledge and understanding of our community and environment. This is an opportunity for children and parents to be involved on our beautiful coastlines in a supportive environment. Please see the attached flyer for details.

On Friday, August 29th, ten apprehensive girls from St Joseph's arrived at the netball court, most of whom had only recently stepped onto a netball court for the first time. Although two students could not participate due to illness, two more joined the team with some hesitation. Our worries began to fade when we scored our first goal. Morale soared as we won our initial game. As the day progressed, the competition intensified, but the girls collaborated effectively to maintain a strong sense of team spirit. We ended the day with two victories—our best results in years! Great job, girls!
Mrs Stormon