Newsletter No.5 - 4th June 2025

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Last week, I attended a gathering of over 350 Principal delegates from all corners of NSW including more than 40 from our own diocese. We heard from some amazing guest speakers from China, UK and New Zealand as well as those in Catholic Education throughout Australia. This year's conference provided an exceptional professional learning experience for Principals, with an inspiring theme: Living Waters: Leading with Hope, Inspiring Faith Communities. The power of the speakers, the focus of the master classes and the networking with other Principals across the state have given me great confidence in knowing that we are strong as a Catholic School community, within our own gates, within our diocese and within NSW. I return with key learnings in my toolkit such as: 

1. Listen, Pray and be Patient! 
2. Find moments of joy and hope... ‘our hope has strong roots, which no storm of life can uproot’. 
3. Fix the past or Invent the future?
4. Systems do not innovate, but people do!
5. Brief moments have big impact.
6. More doesn’t equal better!
7. Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved.

Obviously, it would be redundant for me to unpack this list for you given it took me a lot of listening and talking over three days to even compile it (and this is but a fraction of what was covered – just those that struck me). However, I leave it here as acknowledgement of my time at the conference, my learnings I now bring back to school and my renewed commitment to the work we do here. I also leave it here with acknowledgement and thanks to the staff, especially the executive team who led the school so wonderfully while I was away, especially in the extreme weather conditions we faced! 

Catholic Schools Week Liturgy (CSW): Pilgrims of Hope

Last Friday, schools from across our diocese gathered at the Cathedral to celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a special liturgy, united under the theme Pilgrims of Hope. The event beautifully highlighted the vital role Catholic education plays in nurturing faith and fostering community spirit. As pilgrims on this shared journey, our school councillors reflected on their commitment to hope, service, and the core values of Catholic education. We look forward to welcoming you this Friday for our CSW Open classrooms and Liturgy commencing at 1:30pm.

Aspire News

Congratulations to our talented Year 3 Blue students who performed their original song, "How Are You Feeling?", at the Aspire Songwriting Competition last week! Mrs. Pockran expressed how incredibly proud she was of their courage and creativity, especially as they overcame some nerves to represent SJKB so beautifully. A heartfelt thank you to Miss Vinson for her unwavering support, from extra rehearsals to being there on the night—your dedication made a big difference!

Athletics Carnival

Last Wednesday, we held our annual Athletics Carnival at the Fearnley Dawes Athletics Track, and what a fantastic day it was! It was inspiring to see every student giving their best and participating enthusiastically across a range of events. The spirit of sportsmanship and encouragement shown by all students truly made the day special, creating a positive and joyful atmosphere. A huge thank you to our amazing parent helpers who generously volunteered their time to assist with official duties—we are so grateful for your support!

With every blessing,

Nikki Norley

(Principal)

Message from the Assistant Principal

Assessment and Reporting

In week 9 this term, Semester 1 reports will go live on Compass. Teachers have begun to write your child’s reports and there will be an opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher in week 10. Information about this will go out shortly.

Individual performance is measured against stage appropriate outcomes, with achievement determined by the administering of quality assessments.

In Kindergarten students receive an ‘above’, ‘at’, or ‘below’ stage level for each Key Learning Area

For grades 1- 6 the common grade scale is used to determine grades.

25 Years of Service

Last week, we proudly celebrated a very special milestone for our wonderful Principal Nikki who has dedicated 25 years to Catholic education!

For a quarter of a century, she has inspired students, supported families, and led with faith, kindness, and commitment.

We thank Nikki for her dedication to helping students grow in both their learning and their love for God. What a blessing it is to have such a passionate and caring leader at the heart of our school community!

Congratulations and thank you!

Rock and Water

This term, our Year 3 students have been eagerly participating in the Rock and Water program and they're having a blast! This engaging program is designed to help students build confidence, resilience, and strong social skills, all while having fun through movement, games, and reflection.

Each week, the Year 3 class takes part in a range of activities that explore the ideas of being like "rock" — strong, firm, and standing up for yourself — and like "water" — flexible, calm, and cooperative. The students are learning when it's best to use their inner strength and when it’s better to go with the flow.

From fun team challenges to thoughtful discussions, students are growing in self-awareness and learning how to manage their emotions and relationships in a positive way. They've especially enjoyed the physical activities, such as partner games and strength-building exercises, which help reinforce the lessons in a hands-on and active style.

Here’s what some of the students had to say:

“I like how we get to play games.” – Ezekiel
“It helps me to feel brave when I have a problem.” –Adelyn
“I’ve learned how to stand up for myself and I like the boxing’’– Ollie

Keep up the great work, Year 3!

Lakes Regional Maths and Spelling Bee

Congratulations to the following students who will be representing our school in the Lakes Regional Maths and Spelling Bee!

MATHS:

Stage 1: Madeline Reeves

Stage 2: Arthur Heffernan

Stage 3: Braxton Bain

SPELLING:

Stage 1: Arturo Torrevillas

Stage 2: Matilda Whitworth

Stage 3: Audrey Tuck 

Our school is hosting these bees on Friday 13^th June. Parents of our champions are invited to come along as spectators and information will be sent home directly with these students. 

Message from the REC

Reconciliation Week

Late week, our school community came together to honour National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3), a time to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation.

To begin this important week, on National Sorry Day, our students and staff gathered for a special Morning Prayer, reflecting on the 2025 theme: “Now More Than Ever.”

Together, we paused to:

• Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we learn and grow.
• Offer our prayers for healing, truth-telling, and unity across all cultures.
• Reflect on how we can listen, respect, and walk forward in partnership with First Nations peoples.

Catholic Schools Week & launching our new Vision and Mission Statements:

This week is Catholic Schools Week—a special time across our diocese to celebrate the unique gifts and strengths of our Catholic school communities. It’s a moment to reflect on how our school helps each of us grow not just in knowledge, but in faith, kindness, and service.

At SJKB, we know that learning goes beyond the classroom. It’s also about how we live out Jesus’ message—loving others and making a difference in the world around us. Catholic Schools Week invites us to look to the future with faith, hope, and action.

That’s why this week is the perfect time to launch our school’s new Vision and Mission Statements!

Last year, we invited our families, staff, students, and parish to share their thoughts on how our Vision and Mission could better reflect who we are as a school community. Thank you to everyone who contributed through surveys and conversations. Using all this wonderful input, our staff thoughtfully created new statements that are simple, meaningful, and true to the our core values: love, learning, and service.

You’ll also notice our Mission Statement includes the phrase “Immersed in the beauty of God’s wondrous creation.” This was inspired by our school’s unique setting—surrounded by trees, open spaces, and close to the lake. We’re truly blessed to work, learn, and play in such a beautiful part of God’s creation, and we wanted that reflected in our school identity.

Guided by the teachings of Jesus, we look forward to bringing our new Vision and Mission to life every day at SJKB.

We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating Catholic Schools Week and the launch of our new Vision and Mission on Friday, 6 June 2025.
Liturgy at 1:30pm in the church
Open Classrooms to follow back at school after the liturgy.

We hope to see you there!

News from The Leaders - Matilda

Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal

Library News

Class News - 2M

Year 2 have been busy writing narratives for the last week. We studied the book Nian the Chinese Dragon and looked at how the author used descriptive language to describe the characters in the story. We learned about Chinese traditions and culture and how this is represented in the book.

Year 2 then created their own mythical dragons and came up with a problem for their story. They wrote an introduction using noun groups to describe their dragon and the setting. The students then used paragraphs to set out the events of their story.

We have been revising and editing our work each day - reading it aloud to a partner to see if it makes sense. The students use a purple pen to make any changes or edits. They have highlighted their punctuation (capitals and full stops) in green highlighter as part of VCOP, to make sure there are none missing.

Well done to Year 2 for working hard! We can't wait to see the final results!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

Stage 3 Camp News

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 14

Next

Gifted Education News

CoGAT Testing for students in Years 2 and Year 4 is now complete. The CogAT is a valuable tool designed to support differentiated practice in education. Its primary purpose is to assist teachers in adapting instruction to better meet the unique needs and abilities of each student. It provides insights into cognitive strengths and areas for growth.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report card grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The reason behind not sharing CogAT scores directly with parents is to maintain the focus on tailoring instruction rather than labeling students based on cognitive abilities. Our goal is to foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment for every child.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or specific educational needs, please feel free to schedule a meeting with your child's teacher. They will be more than happy to discuss your child's individual strengths and areas for growth based on various assessments, to ensure a well-rounded understanding of their academic journey. Additionally, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor (GEM) John Hession john.hession@mn.catholic.edu.au or Education Officer - Gifted Education, Maree Karaka maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au for further assistance.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait islander Education

Our Aboriginal Students in Kinder have enjoyed learning about the different types of bush tucker and medicines that are able to be found within our school environment. Supported by some of the older students, our Kinder students explored plants in our school grounds, around the bus bay area, school carpark and outside the church.

We took some photos of the experience and created an eBook to share our learning. Parents and students are able to download this book for their eBook Reading Devices or Computers, Laptops and Tablets

Pastoral Care

All children experience worries from time to time. Whether it's feeling worried or nervous about schoolwork, friendships, changes at home, or simply navigating daily routines, it's completely normal for children and young people to feel overwhelmed occasionally.

At St Joseph’s Primary School, we recognize that emotional wellbeing is just as important as academic success. We aim to create a safe and supportive environment where children feel comfortable expressing their feelings. Sometimes, a small worry can feel like a big one to a child and having someone listen and reassure them can make a huge difference.

Parents and carers play a key role, too. Taking time to talk with your child, listen to their concerns, and help them find positive ways to cope can strengthen their resilience.

For children just becoming aware of their feelings and verbalising how they are feeling can take the power of the BIG emotions away. This helps them process those big emotions. Emotions pass (just like a storm), children can get through them. In time children can start to see that they are not their emotions, even though they feel their emotions.

The key point is to talk instead of react!

Simple strategies to help children manage their emotions could be:

• keeping a routine
• Breathing exercises
• drawing/colouring in
• journalling
• quiet and calm space
• reading a book
• encouraging play and physical activity
• modelling calm responses

See more coping strategies further in this article suggested by Mindfulmazing. More information can be found at Mindfulmazing.com.

If your child is feeling especially worried or anxious, please know that we’re here to help. Our Diverse Learning Team are available to offer support and guidance.

Together, we can help children learn that worries are a part of life—but with care, understanding, and the right tools, they can be managed.

I am here to offer support to all students, and their families. If you feel there is anything I can do to support your child at school, please feel free to have a chat with your child’s class teacher or our learning support teachers- Mrs Courtney Albury & Mrs Courtney Porter, and they can get you in contact with me, or you can contact me via email at melissa.dobosz@mn.catholic.edu.au or via the school office on 4959-1355.

Wishing you a lovely week

Mel Dobosz

Pastoral Care Worker

Garden Club

St Joseph's gardens are looking brilliant thanks to Garden Club! 

The carrots are growing, the snow peas have just finished being harvested and the flowers are blooming. Garden club have been working hard to ensure our compost bins are ready to start whole School composting again soon. 

We are so excited for the carrots to grow to full size (we had to have a peak at how big they are now!). It has been a great experience to see how long it takes vegetables to grow from seed to the full, mature plant. 

Well done Garden Club! We are always taking donations of seedlings or cuttings; we love learning how to care for different plants! 🌱 🌻🌷

Sport News

School Fees Information

The collection of school fees is crucial to our ability to effectively provide quality education for our students. The fees go directly to paying for new technology, resources for the classroom, experiences for students such as excursions, costs of buses etc.

As always, if a family is experiencing financial hardship, it is imperative that you contact the school to make an appointment to meet and discuss school fees, so that a payment plan can be arranged and families are supported.

Thanks

Susie and Gina

Volunteering at SJKB

We regularly need volunteers for various roles within our school. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at our school, please follow the instructions on the link below:

PLUS

We are urgently in need of Volunteers for the PLUS shop! 

If you have any time to help at the shop situated in the school hall or fill in orders that come through on the online ordering system, the P&F and the school community would be very grateful.

Please contact the school office or the P&F through joeyspandf@hotmail.com.

We have wide selection of secondhand uniforms available. All uniform items are $5 and jackets are available for $10. All payments can be made via Qkr! After your order has been received, we will attach the amount owing to the order.  

In the meantime you can order by sending an email to joeyspandf@hotmail.com and we will send your order home with your child as soon as we are able to fulfil it. 

Hats can also be ordered through the email or alternately via the school office.

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CHILD'S NAME AND CLASS in the message as our volunteers do not have access to the different family surnames to make connections to students - therefore use your child's name first, then your name, especially if different surname.  Payment is via the Qkr! app. 

Thank you

THE PLUS TEAM

Canteen News – Including Volunteer Roster

We are seeking new volunteers to help in the canteen.  With our new lunchtime the volunteers are only required to be here between the school drop off time and 11.15am. We ask any new or current Parents or Grandparents if if they could offer a couple of hours once or twice a term in the canteen so that the children can receive this service. They will love you being here too!

Qkr cut off times have been changed recently so please ensure Qkr orders are placed before 8.00 am each day.

If you would like to volunteer please call or email admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au

Term Planner

Swap It

Guitar Lessons