Term Three - Week 5

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

Beyond What I Can Do

Lord Jesus, There is much in this world beyond what I can remedy, And so I come to You in prayer: For peace where there is war And for peacemakers; For the hungry and homeless And those who provide what they can; For the abandoned and abused And for unsung heroes; For the dehumanized and demoralized And for the gentle-hearted who bring hope. Amen.

SCHOOL NEWS

Book Week

What an amazing adventure Book Week 2025 has been. 
We have never had such a wide range of book characters in our parade -  dragons, unicorns, Grugg, hunters, ninjas and some beautiful fairy tale princesses. We also had a wonderful selection of non-fiction characters - Ned Brockman, Nancy Wake, Jessica Watson, Steve Irwin, Ned Kelly- just to name a few. We found it incredibly difficult to select one person from each class to receive a book in recognition of a great effort in dressing up - It has been the toughest voting process we have ever had - Well done St Joseph's.
I challenge everyone to see if you can find Wally or Wanda in our Book Week photos. They are hiding somewhere!

Friendly Reminder – School Fees

Dear Parents and Carers,
School fee statements were sent home last week. This is the final installment for the year and was due on the 15th of August. If you haven’t had a chance to make the payment yet, we kindly ask that it be arranged at your earliest convenience.

If you have any questions or need to chat about a payment plan, feel free to get in touch with the school – we’re happy to help.

The Gruffalo's Child

All students from Kinder to Year Six will attend the performance, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child on Thursday, 28th August. Students will visit the Museum and the Library after the performance. Information has been sent home via COMPASS. Please give consent for your child/children to attend.

Father’s Day

St Joseph’s will celebrate our wonderful dads with a special Father’s Day breakfast on Friday, 5th September. All Dads, Grandads and Uncles are invited to share breakfast with their children from 8:00am at the school canteen area. After breakfast everyone is invited to stay for games in the playground

Music Concert - School Hall

Orange Eisteddfod

Buses will depart school at 9am on Thursday 4th September and head to Orange Function Centre at Eyles Street Orange NSW 2800. Children will take bags with packed recess and lunch and return to school at 2pm. Parents are invited to come and watch.

Kindergarten

Kinder have been reading ‘Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House’ by Libby Gleeson and we were inspired to build our own very fine houses! We collected boxes over the last two weeks and spent this morning constructing all sorts of fabulous things!!!

Student of the Week

Principal Awards Week 5 Term 3

Upholding the Values of the School

Kinder - Hazel Duncan

Year 1 - Candice Dean

Year 2 - Patrick Murphy

Year 3 - Aaliyah Dean

Year 4 - Oliver Druve

Year 5 - Jaxx Neville 

Year 6 - Torsten Ellis

Consistency and Effort

Kindy - Maverick Barrett

Year 1 - Jack Jasprizza 

Year 2 - Isaac Hobbs 

Year 3 - Alf Hawke

Year 4 - Jewill Namacpacan

Year 5 - Mason Jeffries

Year 6 - Bella Dinsdale

Academic Success

Kindy - Huxley Eades

Year 1 - Marnie Lawrence

Year 2 - Clara Ellis 

Year 3 - Sonny Evans

Year 4 - Lewis Elliott

Year 5 - Guy Shannon 

Year 6 - Dustin Lawrence

CRAFT CLUB

Craft club was busy this week making a banner for our school’s Molong Show display. Don’t forget to enter your children’s arts and crafts!

ST JOEY'S COOKING CLUB

Kindergarten Cooking Club – Cornflake Slice

Our Kindergarten students had a wonderful time in Cooking Club this week, making a delicious cornflake slice! With great enthusiasm, the children measured, mixed, and pressed the ingredients into trays before patiently waiting for their sweet treat to set!

SPORTS NEWS

Diocesan Athletics carnival

Today a number of students attended the Diocesan athletics Carnival in Dubbo. Well done to the following students for attending and representing our school:

Lewis Elliott 

Sinclair Dowling

Gil Dowling

Lotte Craig 

Louie Ostini 

Bill Ostini

Nash Jeffries 

Bryson Elliott 

Lacey Murphy 

Lachy Haynes 

Results and outcomes from today will be in next weeks newsletter.

FROM THE REC

Wellness Week: Whole School Prayer 

Wellness Week commenced, as every week does, with our whole school coming together in prayer on Monday morning. We especially focused on the meaning of Wellness Week — caring for the wellbeing of one another.

We listened to the words of John 8:12: “Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”

Following this, we reflected while listening to the song I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin.

I spoke to the students about how this week, Wellness Week, is about looking out for the wellbeing of others. The song reminds us that when we follow Jesus, we choose to live the way He taught us — with love, kindness, and care for one another.

Sometimes this looks like noticing when someone feels left out and inviting them to join in, or showing patience when a friend is upset. Just as the song says, following Jesus means going where He goes and loving how He loves.

This week, we are encouraging everyone to follow Jesus in small ways — through kind words, helping hands, and caring hearts — so that every person in our school feels supported and valued.

Before concluding our prayer, students closed their eyes and quietly reflected on two questions:

• How can I be a light for others this week?
• What small choices can I make to follow Jesus more closely?

It was a meaningful way to begin Wellness Week, centering our hearts on kindness, love, and compassion for one another.

Link to song:

Grandparent’s Day
We warmly invite all grandparents to join us for Grandparents’ Day on Friday, 19th September (Week 9). This is one of the most special days of the year, and we look forward to celebrating with you! Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Upcoming Masses:

• Week 6: Wednesday, 27th August, 9:30am - Primary Mass

• NO MASS - Week 7

Miss Woodhouse

Religious Education Coordinator

STUDENT WELLBEING

Wellness Week at St Joseph’s

This week we celebrated Wellness Week, a special time to focus on caring for ourselves and each other. Staff were treated to a delicious lunch ordered from Lime and Stone, a thoughtful way to nurture wellbeing and connection.

Our students enjoyed a homework-free week, giving them extra time for rest, family, and play. On Tuesday, the school was filled with colour and creativity as we held our Book Week Dress-Up Parade. The enthusiasm and effort from every student made it a fabulous celebration of reading and imagination.

On Monday, the whole school came together in prayer centered on wellness, beautifully facilitated by Miss Woodhouse. This was a meaningful reminder of the importance of balance, gratitude, and care for body, mind, and spirit.

Wellness Week was a great success, leaving us refreshed and energised for the term ahead.

“To be it, you must first see it”

On Thursday 14th August, staff from across our region gathered at The Wentworth, Orange for a special wellbeing and support day of learning.

The day focused on how schools can best support students and families, with sessions on:

• Outside supports – connecting schools with services and pathways to mental health care.
  
  
• Understanding behaviour – looking at the functions of behaviour, emotional coaching, and tiers of wellbeing support.
  
  
• Using data – how wellbeing and behaviour information can guide support for students.
  
  
• Reflecting to move forward – responding to the changing needs of young people today.
  
  

Teachers also heard from colleagues in other schools who shared practical approaches and success stories.

This professional learning ensures wellness officers are well-equipped to provide the very best care and support for every child.

I have attached some resources for parents and carers that may be helpful.

Anxiety

•         Small Steps | Wayahead - An education program aimed at raising awareness and improving the recognition of anxiety in children through professional development workshops for teachers and seminars for parents and carers (some fees apply)
•         Fearless Triple P - For parents of children over 6 with anxiety, free to access on demand and includes 6 self-paced modules (30-60 min each), to help children develop their own toolkit of coping skills to overcome anxiety and break the cycle of anxiety and avoidance in a safe and gradual way
•         Raising Children Network - Stepladder approach: child & teen anxiety & School refusal: children & teenagers
  

Body image concerns

•         Body BRIGHT by Butterfly Foundation - Supporting schools and families to build positive body image and nurture healthy attitudes and behaviours towards bodies, eating, and physical activity in every primary school child. Focused on key risk and protective factors for children's body dissatisfaction and disordered eating through six empowering themes: Brave - Resilient - Inclusive - Grateful - Happy – Thoughtful, with free resources and activities for families (there is an annual fee $375 for schools to access the full suite of program resources)
•         Body Kind by Butterfly Foundation – resources to support body image and create safe and positive environments which encourage everyone to be kind to their own body and to others (mostly for secondary school-aged students and curriculum but may still be of interest).
•         Butterfly Foundation - Staff development and student programs about body image and disordered eating for primary schools
•         Attached resource sheet developed by School-Link with information about other supports, websites etc

P & F / CANTEEN NEWS

HEALTH MATTERS

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

Orange CYMS Cricket Club runs two Blasters programs in Molong:

- Junior Blasters: Fun drills and games to build basic skills. Aimed at kids aged 4-6.

- Master Blasters: Modified and safe matches for kids who have the ability to bowl with a straight arm and hit a moving ball. Aimed at kids aged 7-9.

Both programs will be held at 3.30pm on Thursday afternoons. The programs run for 5 weeks in term 4 of the 2025 school year, and 5 weeks in term 1 of the 2026 school year. Blasters programs are priced at $110, which includes all required clothing and equipment, as well as insurance coverage.

The first 100 players registered this season will receive a $50 registration refund, thanks to McDonald's Orange and Cowra. NSW Government Active Kids Vouchers (valued at $50) can also be used when registering.

 School Community,

We are excited to share that registrations are now open for the 2025–2026 season of Cumnock Little Athletics!Our club welcomes athletes from across Cumnock, Molong, Yeoval, and Manildra districts, with programs starting from as young as 3 years old through our Tiny Tots program. Our club offers a fun, inclusive, and encouraging environment where children of all abilities can participate in a variety of track and field events each week.Our weekly meets will be held on Monday evenings at 5:30pm at the Cumnock Memorial Oval, starting Monday 13 October. The season runs for 20 weeks (Term 4 and Term 1), and our Early Bird pricing is now available until 31 August. After this date, registration fees will increase by $10, so now is the perfect time to sign up!When broken down, the registration fee works out to around $5 per session, great value for an evening of fitness, fun, and personal growth.At Cumnock Little Athletics, we focus on:

• Building physical fitness and fundamental movement skills
• Encouraging sportsmanship, teamwork, and community spirit
• Supporting kids to set and achieve their own personal bests in a supportive, non-pressured environment

Please find a poster attached to send home with families and/or display in your school/centre. We would be so grateful if you could share this information with your school community, either in your newsletter, school noticeboard, or through social media. For more information or to register, families can visit our website or find us on Facebook at Cumnock Little Athletics. Thank you for helping us promote health, confidence, and community through grassroots sport. We look forward to welcoming families from your school to the track this season!

Warm regards,

Olivia Atkinson + Cassandra Roberts Secretary/s

Cumnock Little Athletics Committee