We've made some exciting updates to our preschool yard! The cubby now has soft curtains, creating a cozy space that sparks imaginative play. We also painted a birdhouse with the children, which now hangs in a tree. It’s been a great way to connect with nature and has already sparked lots of curiosity and conversations outdoors.

Preschoolers have also been exploring shapes through painting and drawing, using stamps and blocks to create circles, squares, and other forms in their artwork.

Catholic Identity

Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week.

Catholic schools give students opportunities to:

• learn about prayer in the Catholic Tradition
• listen and respond to God
• embrace the beauty and richness of prayer in the Catholic Tradition
• develop skills for personal and communal prayer and Liturgy.

In our Catholic school communities, everyone is encouraged to set aside time for personal prayer and to pray together with others. As part of Catholic Education Week this year we created a Kindness Wall located at the entrance to our school library. Community members (parents, caregivers, grandparents, children, and staff) have had the opportunity to write messages of kindness along with statements around what it means to be kind to one another both here at school and in the wider community. We also came together as a whole school on Friday morning to celebrate communal prayer accessing the prayer resource for Catholic Education Week made available to all schools. Classroom teachers were also provided with the Catholic Education Week information kit to use with their classes.

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

Draw a clock and show on it the time you get out of bed on Saturday mornings. 

What things could you do that take about 15 minutes?

Years 4-6

Imagine that you are allowed to watch five hours of television on the weekend. What might be the television programs that you watch this weekend?

A soccer match takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. What might be suitable starting and finishing times?

Happy inquiry.

Reading is another core learning area here at St Joseph’s School. Our staff use an agreed set of practices around children’s development of reading skills, knowledge and understanding. These practices shape our reading programs across the school.

Children develop their reading skills, knowledge and understanding by reading regularly. At St Joseph’s School regular reading at home forms a major part of homework set each evening. Why not create regular timeslots throughout the week whereby all electronic devices in the home are turned off and members of the family spend 15 minutes reading together. 

Happy reading.

Teaching and Learning

In Literacy (English) and Numeracy (Mathematics), teachers and co-educators are working with students in targeted learning groups. Literacy is an uninterrupted 2-hour block and Numeracy lessons are 1 hour.  The groups are devised using ongoing assessment data and ensure that teaching meets every student’s needs.  Each of our Reception to Year 3 classes have two full time co-educators and each Year 4 to Year 6 class has one full time co-educator. School leadership are also involved with Trish Pfeiffer and Simon McCullough working in Literacy Blocks and myself working in Numeracy Blocks. 

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Thank you to all the mums and grandmothers who attended our Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday May 9. The breakfast was held in our parent centre space. The space is open to parents daily 8:30am-9:30am and 2:30pm-3:30pm to meet informally and get to know each other. Coffee and biscuits are available in the parent centre free of charge.

Pupil Free Day Monday June 16

Monday June 16 will be a Pupil Free Day. The focus of the day will be on Indigenous Education, particularly the connections between Aboriginal Culture and Christian Values. The day will be facilitated by Australians Together. As part of the day, the school will receive Curriculum Resources and 12 months of ongoing support from the Australians Together team.

OSHC will be available on the day. Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting Mieke or the Front Office.

School Master Plan Update

We have gone out to tender for Stage Three of our School Masterplan (refurbishment of downstairs classrooms, relocation of canteen and student toilets). Building works are scheduled to commence in July beginning with the new canteen space. This will allow the two downstairs classrooms to remain where they are until Term 3. Once the new canteen space has been developed, Rebecca will move into the space and building works will then be focused on developing the two new downstairs classrooms and new toilet block.

Why is Play Important?

Play is important for learning the social skills (including language and communication) that develop over time and will be the foundation for future relationships. 

Through play, children learn about:

• the give and take of relationships with friends (negotiating)
• how their behaviour can affect others and to develop empathy
• how to lead and follow
• repairing relationships.

Play helps children develop emotional skills. Through play, children can express their feelings, even before they have the words to say how they feel. Play also fosters imagination and becomes the basis for creativity in art or music or other ways of self-expression. These ways of personal expression can help people cope with the range of feelings humans feel as they journey through life. Play can also help children learn impulse control. They learn to think about what they want to do, to plan and to be patient. If they’re building a castle and get frustrated and knock it down, they have lost their castle. In these ways, children gradually learn they need to control their impulses to achieve what they want. 

Play is a way that children can work through and resolve problems. For example, a child whose family has separated may feel very anxious about what’s going to happen to them. These feelings and possibilities can be explored through play. The child can practise having two homes set up with two houses and different dolls. There’s no need for you to take part but being near while the child plays shows support and acceptance.

Play helps children develop physical skills. Children like games that test their physical abilities (motor skills) - running, climbing, jumping and exploring. These games bring children happiness and build their confidence.

To learn more about how you can support the wellbeing of your child, visit Be You (formerly Beyond Blue). The website also 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.

School Start Time 8:45am

I encourage you, if possible, to ensure your child/children are at school by 8:45am each day. This will ensure that your child is present during key explicit teaching moments at the beginning of Literacy and Numeracy Blocks. This will ensure your child is well informed and ready to be a successful learner.

Kiss and Drop Zone Speed Limit 10km per Hour.

A reminder that the school Kiss and Drop Zone along Rosewater Terrace has a speed limit of 10km per hour. Please ensure you observe the speed limit when using the Kiss and Drop Zone as this is an area where children are entering and exiting the school in large numbers.

A reminder also that the school Kiss and Drop Zone is not a place to park your car if you need to enter the school grounds as this holds up all incoming and outgoing traffic. It also leads to children exiting their cars on Rosewater Terrace and having to manoeuvre between traffic, raising further safety concerns. If you need to come into the school grounds, parking is available along Rosewater Terrace and on Ina Avenue.

Thank you in anticipation of your support with these important safety matter.

Audiri App

To keep up to date with what is happening within our school along with upcoming school events why not download the AudiriApp from the App Store on your mobile phone. Once downloaded simply search St Joseph’s School, Ottoway and add to your Audiri page. Many of our families currently use the Audiri App to keep up to date with what is happening across our school.

May the love of the Risen Lord continue to be with us during this Easter Season.

Working in partnership with you.

Shaun O’Leary.

Please make yourself comfortable and help yourself to tea, coffee and biscuits.

The room will be open most days 8:25am and 2:30pm

Mass this term:

• Tuesday 24th June St John the Baptist 10am
• Friday 27th June Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 10am

A Community Prayer theme for Our Lady Help of Christians (Saturday 24th May) and for Sts Peter and Paul (Sunday 29th June) as these celebrations fall on weekends.

Sacrament Program

The children have been prepared for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and will celebrate this in the Church with Fr Marek over the next few weeks.

School Fees Due

Invoices for 2025 school fees were distributed in term 1. If you are requiring a payment plan or needing to complete
a direct debit form please contact Kali in Finance. 

If you are eligible for School Card, the forms can be found in the front office or application can be submitted online. 

ONLINE School Card Application

Welcome to the Community Portal!

We are pleased to introduce the  Community Portal, a centralised platform designed to enhance communication and engagement within our school community. This portal provides easy access to important school information and updates.

Key Features of the Community Portal include:

• Online financial statements
• Student demographic details and medical information

More features will be rolled out overtime. The roll out will occur by classroom with
the aim of being completed by the end of term 2. 

Clear communication between school and home is key to your child's success. We encourage you to explore the various sections of the portal.

Welcome aboard!

Bathroom Murals

Students may have noticed a bright new addition to the toilets—two new colourful murals designed to inspire and uplift!

Created by local artist Gen, the murals feature vibrant imagery and positive messages "Kind hearts make happy schools” and "It's cool to be kind". The murals are in place to improve wellbeing and school pride.

Check out Gen's Facebook page "Gen + Tonic Art" to see a short video of the completed murals.

Here is what Gen has to say about her creative designs- 

"Bathroom #1 for St Joseph’s Ottoway - and this one’s sure to capture more than a few hearts! Student ideas, inspo, and original illustrations came to me, and together with the teachers, we chose the perfect quote and final design: a colourful, floral, heart-filled wonderland!"

"Bathroom 2 - St Joseph’s Primary, Ottoway

Big block shapes, every single one drawn from student illustrations. A bright, bold message to carry through the day: It’s cool to be kind. This mural wraps around the walls of the junior primary bathroom- adding colour, joy, and a daily nudge toward kindness in one of the most frequented spaces at school. It’s a playful and powerful way to celebrate student voice and create a feel-good environment from the ground up." - Gen

We agree, those murals are one of a kind! If you would like to get in contact with Gen you can visit her Facebook page 'Gen + Tonic' or email her at gen@genandtonicart.com

A huge congratulations to all our students, staff, and the wider school community for making Sports Day 2025 such a fantastic success! From the spirited competition on the field to the incredible teamwork and encouragement from the sidelines, the day truly showcased our school’s vibrant spirit.

More photos and a short video can be see on our school Facebook page.

Well done, everyone!

Daniel Nguyen

Sports Coordinator 

Catholic Education Week 2025: Raising Hearts and Minds

This year, Catholic Education Week May celebrated the theme “Raising Hearts and Minds” The week was celebrated from May 12th -18th 2025.

Catholic schools are more than places of learning; they are communities of faith, compassion, and growth. The 2025 theme invites us to reflect on how we inspire academic excellence while forming young people with strong values and caring hearts.

Throughout the week, our school marked the occasion with a Hope and Kindness Wall, and some of our students celebrated by answering the question - how does your school make you shine? — all showcasing the vibrant life of Catholic education.

Each year we need volunteers to work in our Canteen to prepare hot and cold lunches for our hungry growing children (and staff as requested) and to serve over the counter at recess and lunch. As a canteen volunteer you can help out either for a full day, 9.30am to 2.00pm or part day to cover either the morning collation of lunch orders and recess, 9.30am-11.20am, or the lunch period, 12.00pm - 2.00pm.

Canteen Volunteer Duties 

• assisting with preparation of foods -

• serving children over the counter at recess and lunch

• general canteen tidy up after lunch

Please see Alissa in the front office to express your interest.