Recently in Preschool we have been exploring the importance of caring for our environment as part of our sustainability focus. Through hands-on experiences, the children have been learning that the choices we make can help protect our planet.

One of our favourite experiences was planting trees in our outdoor space. The children learned that trees give us oxygen to breathe and provide homes for animals, helping us understand why it is important to care for and protect nature. The children took great pride in watering and looking after the plants, developing a sense of responsibility for the environment.

We also worked together to create a beautiful, recycled mural using collected bottle caps. Instead of throwing these materials away, the children discovered how everyday items can be reused to create something meaningful and colourful. This experience sparked many conversations about recycling, reducing waste, and making thoughtful choices to help our Earth.

Through these experiences, the children are developing an understanding that even small actions can make a big difference. Our sustainability focus links closely with the Early Years Learning Framework, particularly Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world, as children learn to respect the environment and understand their role in caring for it.

It has been wonderful to see the children show curiosity, teamwork, and pride as they work together to care for our environment. We look forward to continuing our sustainability journey together throughout the year.

Catholic Identity

The season of Lent lasts for forty days and is a reflective time of fasting, prayer, and penance in the lead up to Easter. The official liturgical colour for the season of Lent is violet. During Lent, our school has been participating in Project Compassion which is Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal bringing thousands of Australians together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. This year the theme for Project Compassion is once again “Unite Against Poverty”. Classes have had the opportunity to share stories that reflect this year’s theme. These inspiring stories tell how the lives of people in need have changed through our schools’ support of Caritas Australia's development programs.

Curriculum News

I have included two mathematical tasks which you might like to have a go at with your child/children.

This week’s Mathematical tasks:

Reception to Year 3

How many different ways can you make 10?

Years 4-6

I am thinking of a number where the digits go odd, even, odd, even etc. When I add all the digits together, the total is 18. What could my number be?

Happy inquiry.

Children develop their reading skills, knowledge and understanding by reading regularly. Below are some strategies you might like to try at home to support your children’s learning:

• Encourage and model reading in the home
• Listen to your child read their reading material and ask specific questions related to what they have read
• Read with your child
• Share what you are reading with your child
• Read your child a bedtime story
• Talk to your child about the different situations you find yourself in whereby you are required to read texts.

Happy reading.

Our learning this term looks like this:

Year 3/4H - B Higgins

It’s been wonderful working in our new classroom. It feels fresh and welcoming, and everyone has settled in really well. The students are clearly enjoying it, and there’s a great amount of enthusiasm in the room.

We have had a successful start to the year and have now moved into more structured units of work. It’s been great to see the children’s focus and teamwork.

We’re lucky to have such strong support in the classroom from our ESOs - Miss Amanda, Ms Tran and Ms Vi. They do an amazing job supporting students, and myself, each day. There are also many other staff members who help meet individual student needs.

We had a fantastic turnout at our Parent Information Night. Thank you as well for the support for our excursion to Tusmore Park — it’s always appreciated and makes these opportunities possible.

2026 NAPLAN Testing

NAPLAN Testing for our Year 3 and Year 5 children took place on Wednesday March 11, Thursday March 12 and Monday March 16. All NAPLAN testing was conducted online apart from the Year 3 Writing Test which was a paper test. NAPLAN is a nationally developed program that provides schools, states and territories with information about how education programs are working and what areas need to be prioritised for improvement. NAPLAN tests are administered simultaneously in all schools across Australia and the content of the tests are aligned to the Australian Curriculum; English and Mathematics. NAPLAN Tests are just one of many assessments conducted at our school.  NAPLAN test results will be made available to the school and the families of participating children in Term 2.

Student Social Wellbeing and Restorative Practice

Children and young people’s ability to understand others and take their needs and views into account develops over time. Young children are naturally self-focused. They often play beside, rather than with, other children and tend to think that everyone sees things the same way that they do. In early primary school, children learn that others may see things differently from them. Then, as their thinking skills develop, children and young people are more able to understand another person’s point of view and, ?nally, to appreciate multiple ways of looking at the same event or situation. 

Teaching children how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes helps them to relate better to others and manage con?ict more effectively. It promotes caring, respect and fairness. Research shows that children and young people who’ve learnt to value others are more likely to include and appreciate people who are different from them or who are viewed negatively by others.

We use Restorative Practices to support children when they are in conflict with one another. A teacher or member of the leadership team will conduct a Restorative Conversation which involves asking the following 5 questions, allowing all those involved to share their view of what took place while also listening to the views of others:

• What Happened?
• What were you thinking?
• Who has been effected/upset?
• What needs to happen to make things better?
• What needs to happen if there is a repeat of this behaviour?

At this point in the conversation the teacher or leader may decide to work through the definitions of Rude, Mean and Bullying to determine where the behaviour sits:

Rude:When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful, and they do it once.

Mean:When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful, and they do it once.

Bullying:When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful, and they keep doing it even when they are asked to stop.

At this point the teacher or leader will draw from those impacted that they would like the behaviour to stop and emphasise to those displaying the behaviour that if it continues, it becomes Bullying and that is when their parents will become involved. The conversation is also documented for future reference if required.

From my 35 years’ experience of working in schools, the behaviour almost always stops here as children do not like to be labelled as bullies.

For the Restorative Practice process to work, it is important that children inform a teacher or a member of the leadership if they feel upset over something that has occurred at school.

To learn more about how you can help support the wellbeing of your children visit Be You (formerly Beyond Blue). The website provides a range of resources and ideas to support the mental health and wellbeing of our young people. I encourage you to visit the website at https://beyou.edu.au/and have a look for yourself

Term 3 Preschool and Reception Intake

St. Joseph’s School will once again have a Pre-school and Reception intake at the start of Term 3 this year. Our Term 3 new Pre-school children will replace those moving into Reception as part of our Term 3 Reception intake. The criteria for starting Pre-school or Reception on the first day of school in Term 3 is that a child will have turned 4 (Pre-school) or 5 (Reception) between 1 May and 31 October in that year. During Term 2 we will hold three transition visit mornings for our new Pre-school and Reception children with the aim of supporting their new start.

May God’s love continue to be with us during the season of Lent.

Working in partnership with you.

Shaun O’Leary.

Audiri App is transitioning to EdSmart

As you may be aware we have commenced the move away from using the Audiri App to using EdSmart which is an email-based product. Information regarding what is happening within our school along with upcoming school events will now be communicated to families using EdSmart. Be sure to monitor your email inbox for school updates.

At this stage we will continue to use Audiri to allow for parents to complete absentee slips.

St Joseph’s Feast Day Celebrations

This Thursday 19^th March will be celebrating St Joseph’s Day. Please join us for Mass in the Church at 10am.

After Mass, Children will be offered a free chocolate donut after Mass at about 10:40am

Children can wear casual clothes, and we ask that they can make a coin donation which will go to Caritas Project Compassion and the Catholic charities the school supports throughout the year.

On Friday at 8:45am, members of the Joseph House group will be leading community prayer, St Joseph’s Team Captains for 2026 are William and Tania.

Masses in Term 1 - all families are invited to join us

• St Patrick's Tuesday 17/3
• St Joseph's Thursday 19/3
• The Annunciation of the Lord Wednesday 25/3

Holy Week Liturgies - 30/3 - 2/4 - There will be a daily liturgy and we would love for you to join us.
 

Holy Week Liturgies 2026

Dear Parents and Caregivers.

Welcome to OSHC. Last week we explored Bagpipes and made wooden boats, which the children coloured then floated in water and took home to play in the water at home.

OSHC uses the Xplor Platform for enrolments, bookings and payments. Xplor can be downloaded onto your phone using the QR code, allowing you to complete the enrolment process. Families will need to follow the prompts to complete online enrolments.

Families will then be billed weekly through the app via direct debit from your account. Receipts showing payments can be viewed on the app.

 SCAN THE QR CODE TO START THE ENROLMENT PROCESS

Childcare Subsidy is available for families to assist with the costs of care in OSHC. This can be completed through your personal myGov app and Centrelink.

All parents/caregivers, whether they have permanent or casual bookings for their child or children, must complete the enrolment online.

In OSHC children are in a safe supervised environment; learning happens while children play, have fun, and make new friends. Please feel welcome to visit.

Parents/caregivers are welcome to read the OSHC Policies, feel free to ask and I will make copies available for your perusal.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Mieke   

OSHC Director   

National Playgroup Week at St Joseph’s School

This week we are proud to celebrate National Playgroup Week and the important role playgroups play in supporting young children and their families as they begin their learning journey.

St Joseph’s Playgroup is held in our Preschool learning space on Friday mornings during the school term from 10.00am to 11.30am. Children from birth to five years of age and their families are welcome to come along and enjoy a relaxed and friendly environment where everyone feels part of the community.

Each session offers opportunities for creative activities, sensory play, outdoor exploration, music, and shared learning experiences that help children build confidence, curiosity, and social connections.

Playgroup is also a wonderful time for parents and caregivers to connect with others, share experiences, and spend meaningful time learning and playing alongside their child.