St Joseph's Primary School Molong eNewsletter

Our Vision and Mission

Vision Statement

With Jesus Christ as their role model, all children can and will achieve.

Mission Statement

Inspired by Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and in partnership with parents, our Parish and the wider community, we aim to impart a holistic education on all children in our school. We endeavour to live by the values of our school motto.

Learning, Understanding and Peace.

St Joseph’s is distinguished by a great sense of belonging, where each person is valued and where learning is enjoyable.

Prayer of the day

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Ezekiel 34:11-16. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want – Ps 22(23). Romans 5:5-11. Luke 15:3-7.

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost

I wander off
You notice
I am alone
    You call
I am lost
You find me
I am tired and scared
    You carry me
I am afraid of returning
    You comfort me
I am home
    You rejoice

SCHOOL NEWS

Casual Clothes

Next Friday, 4th July, children are asked to wear casual clothes and to donate a gold coin to the Missions. In conversation with students from year five and six, we have decided that the day will be a State Of Origin theme. Children may come dressed in Blue or Maroon to support their team if they choose to.

Zoo Capers

Kindergarten to Year 2 students will be attending the production Zoo Capers at Molong Central School, next Thursday the 3rd July at 10am. Parents and carers please give permission for your child to go to this event on Compass by next Wednesday 2nd July.

Craft Club

Last week, craft club offered scrapbooking with the help of Ann Wood and Helen Evans (thank you ladies!). Many children were eager to design a page around a photograph using different papers and embellishments! You can see in the photos below how creative they are!! If you have any craft scraps around your home that you are no longer using we would love to make use of them, and just a friendly reminder that there will be no craft club next week as it is the last week of the term.

This week we have been fortunate to have Digby Evans at school, once again. Digby is currently in Year Ten at St Ignatius, Riverview. As part of Year Ten at Riverview, students are required to do a week of Community Service. It has been wonderful having an ex student at St Joseph’s this week. We thank Digby for choosing us and giving of himself to the school community. The boys, in particular, have loved having someone to kick a ball with, to play handball and to play touch with.

Harmony Day

The theme for this year’s Harmony day was….We all have a role to play. Georgie Bowman travelled to Sydney and received runners up for year 6 at Parliament House on Macquarie street. It was a wonderful experience where diversity and a shared vision of living together harmoniously was shared.The objective iwas to make the audience STOP, THINK & CONSIDER the issues and to thereby create a CARING & MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER society.

Reports

Semester One reports will be sent home next Friday, 4th July. Please take time to read through your child’s report with them. Acknowledge the positives and also discuss goals for next semester.

Public Speaking Superstar!

A huge congratulations to Year 3 student, Archie Sullivan, who proudly represented our school at the Intergroup CWA Public Speaking Competition on Monday.

Archie first impressed audiences when he won the Year 3 CWA Public Speaking competition earlier this term. He went on to represent the Central West CWA Group—and was once again victorious!

With his engaging and entertaining speech titled “What’s Under My Bed?”, Archie captivated the judges and audience, showcasing his outstanding public speaking skills.

The St Joseph’s community is incredibly proud of you, Archie!

Dustin Lawrence in HONK

We are so proud of Dustin. What a wonderful thing to be involved in. Come along to the production and see Dustin in action.

Centacare Counsellor Matt Walls

Matt Walls has just started with Centacare and will be providing counselling services to three primary schools; Molong, Manildra and Yeoval and his home base will be the Orange office. Matt is a skilled carpenter with a dream to build his own home someday in the future. For now he is focused on developing a career in the psychology/counseling space. Matt is married and has recently become a Dad for the first time with their 7 week old son, baby Arthur. When not on Daddy duty, Matt enjoys being outdoors in nature and loves a good story whether it be by book or film. We welcome Matt to the St Joseph’s School Community.

If you feel your child/children may benefit from seeing Matt, please contact your child’s teacher.

Student of the Week

SPORTS NEWS

Rugby Gala Day

Unfortunately, the Diocesan Rugby Gala Day, to be held on Tuesday, was postponed due to the rain. For those children involved, the new date is Thursday, 24th July. There could be a change of venue. We will keep you updated as information comes to hand.

Southern Region Athletics

As stated in previous newsletters, St Joseph’s is hosting the Southern Region Athletics Carnival in Canowindra on Friday, 1st August. In the coming weeks we will call for volunteers to help on the day. Notes Have been sent home today with students who have advanced to the Southern Region Carnival.

COOKING CLUB

Cooking Club Update – Spinach Cob Loaf Delight!

This week in Cooking Club, May and Henry helped harvest fresh spinach from our school garden — a wonderful way to connect with where our food comes from!

Our Year 4 boys then rolled up their sleeves and had fun preparing a delicious Spinach Cob Loaf. On Wednesday at recess, all students got to enjoy the creamy, cheesy spinach dip served with chunks of fresh bread. It was a big hit, with many children asking for the recipe!

We love seeing our students excited about cooking and trying new foods. Stay tuned for more tasty adventures from Cooking Club!

FROM THE REC

First Holy Communion

Last Sunday morning, seven of our Year 3 students received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. It was a joyful celebration, marking a very special moment in their faith journey. The students approached this milestone with great respect and reverence, as they received the Body of Christ for the first time.

Thank you to Father Augustine for leading this celebration, and to our school and parish community for their support and presence.

Congratulations to Louie Ostini, Aaliyah Dean, Chevy Neville, Liam Riach, Sonny Evans, Alf Hawke and Max Wood on this significant step in their journey of faith.

Whole School Prayer

Each Monday morning, straight after recess, our whole school gathers in the hall for prayer.

This time of prayer is led by our school leaders, Georgie and Bryson, and focuses on themes drawn from the liturgical year, special feast days, and other significant celebrations.

This week, our prayer centred on Corpus Christi – the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Students are actively involved each week, taking part by reading the Prayers of the Faithful or sharing a reflection on the Gospel story. We also incorporate music and videos to support thoughtful reflection and create a meaningful prayer experience for all.

Connect@Home!

Discover Connect@home – A Daily Companion in Faith

Have you heard of Connect@home? Many haven’t – but once discovered, it quickly becomes a treasured part of the day.

One parishioner recently shared:

“I now receive it and read it daily. I am most impressed by the short reflections written by our clergy. They are brief, to the point, and thought‑provoking… Connect@home has been a best‑kept secret – I can't ever recall reading about it in a Church bulletin.”

Connect@home is a daily email from the Diocese of Bathurst offering a short, meaningful reflection written by local clergy. It’s especially appreciated by those who may not be able to attend Mass regularly but still want to stay connected with the faith community.

Whether you're housebound, busy with life, or simply looking for a moment of spiritual reflection – Connect@home is for you.

Sign up today by visiting the link below!

SIGN UP NOW

Upcoming Masses:

Wednesday, 3rd July (Week 10): Whole School Mass - 9:30am

Miss Woodhouse

Religious Education Coordinator

STUDENT WELLBEING

PARENT WEBINAR

Next term in conjunction with The Resilience Project there will be a webinar for parents designed to empower parents and carers by equipping them with practical strategies to practise Gratitude Empathy and mindfulness (GEM) at home.

Please click the link below to register for the zoom. The zoom will be on Thursday 31st July 630-7.30pm

FAQs

Will it be recorded? Yes, and the link will be sent to you to share with your parent and carer community for those who cannot make it or would like a recap. Can we change the date or time?

As this webinar is presented with other school communities, so unfortunately cannot alter the date or time. What if someone forgets to register? That’s okay! A recording link following the event will be available for you to listen to. Thank you to those parents who have completed the wellness surveys that were sent home last week in a large white envelope. If you still have not completed one we would love your feedback when you have a minute.

Exciting News – Buddy Benches Are Coming!
We’re thrilled to share that St Joseph’s will soon have not one, but two new Buddy Benches! These beautiful benches, generously delivered this Sunday by the Bennett family, have been purchased by our amazing P&F and will make a meaningful addition to our playground.

A special thank you to Alicia McDonell—our talented teacher's assistant and professional signwriter—who has kindly offered to paint the “Buddy Bench” signage during the holidays.

We can’t wait to share photos of the finished benches.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

P & F / CANTEEN NEWS

Street Stall

A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the baking and volunteering for our street stall – whether you whipped up cakes, cookies, slices, or any other treats, your contributions made all the difference!

Thanks to your generosity and hard work, we had an absolutely fantastic turnout. The stall was buzzing with visitors, and the baked goods were a real hit. It was a wonderful day full of community spirit, and we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. The total funds raised from the stall and raffle winner will be in next weeks newsletter so keep a look out.

Thank you again for your time, effort, and amazing baking skills. We’re so grateful!