Term One Week Five
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
Ss Perpetua & Felicity
Isaiah 58:1-9. Matthew 9:14-15.
Direct our attention to God
Christian faith invites feasting and fasting. Today’s Gospel reminds us that whether we do one or the other ought to be as a response to Jesus. Living, as we do, between the Resurrection and the Eschaton we experience him both as present and absent. Or we experience his presence in absence. Our seasons of feasting and fasting help us see that we wait for the fullness of the Lord, who in some very important ways is already with us.
We know that we can contribute to the sense of God’s absence both for ourselves and for others. We can fail to attend to God in our own lives. This time of fasting can allow us to pare back a little so we can direct our attention to the God whose traces are all around us.
Schoolzine - Newsletters
We hope you enjoyed the new newsletter format. Schoolzine is the platform used for our school Website. Catholic Education Diocese Bathurst Limited (CEDB) have started moving all schools in the Diocese to this way of delivering their newsletters. Please be patient with us as we adjust to this new system. Any feedback is welcome.
SCHOOL NEWS
NAPLAN
Next Wednesday, Years Three and Five will begin NAPLAN (National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy). The students will complete four online assessments in Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy
Wednesday, 12th March- Writing
Thursday, 13th March- Reading and Conventions of Language
Friday, 14th March- Numeracy
St Joseph’s Day
St Columba’s will host St Joseph’s Day celebrations this year Wednesday 19th March. Children will arrive at school as usual. They will travel to Yeoval by bus and return to school in time for buses and pick ups.
Information and consent forms will be sent home next week.
Uniform Reminder
Children must wear a school hat during Terms One and Four. Unfortunately there are a number of children who do not bring their hats to school. Any children without school hats must remain in the shade under the ‘No Hat, No Play’ policy. Please ensure your children have a school hat to wear to school.
School Fees
School fees have been generated and sent out yesterday. Please contact the school office if you have any questions.
If you hold a current eligible HCC or a PCC please contact the school office to complete forms to receive a 30% discount.
Library News
This week the children received first Book Club catalogue for the year. We have decided to send home Book Club only once a term. Please be aware that the choice to purchase sits with each family. There is no expectation for you to order any books.
If you choose to order please use the online LOOP ordering system. We will not be accepting any cash orders at school.
The Book Club LOOP ordering system link is below.
PRC
Last month was the start of the 2025 Premiers Reading Challenge. Once again this will be a whole school activity. Every child will have the chance to complete the PRC reading and being read the wonderful texts we have at school. Please continue to encourage your children to read at home and borrow from the library each week.
THANK YOU
A big shout out to the generous parents who offered their time to help to cover all the new English Syllabus texts
Ash Garlick
Jane Evans
Michelle Murphy
Tara King
Jacquie Duncan
Liana Elliot
Eve Bowman
Mallory Lawrence
It’s been an enormous job to get hundreds of books covered and into class.
Thank you!
Mrs Giselle Crouch
Student of the Week
SPORTS NEWS
Diocesan Swimming
Next Tuesday, 11th March, Sinclair Dowling, Gil Dowling, Bella Bowman, Digby Bowman, Maisie Evans, Lewis Elliott, Riley Elliott, Dustin Lawrence, Pippa Lawrence, Patrick Murphy, Alf Hawke, Otis Duncan, Elke Brazier, Lachlan Haynes, Bill Ostini, Nash Jeffries, Georgie McKenzie and Sarah Toynton will represent the Southern Region at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival in Dubbo. We wish our students all the best as they compete against the best swimmers in the Diocese.
Cross Country
School Cross Country will be held at the Molong Golf Club on Monday, 7th April. Details will be sent home in the coming weeks. Diocesan Cross Country will be held at Coolah on Tuesday, 6th May.
School Athletics Carnival
St Joseph’s Athletic Carnival will be held on Monday, 19th May. Southern Region Athletics will be held on Friday, 1st August. We are hosting the carnival this year. Planning will begin in Term Two.
EMMY Athletics
St Joseph’s will rejoin the EMMY (Eugowra, Manildra, Molong, Yeoval) Athletics Carnival again this year. Our students will compete in their sporting house groups as Yuranigh and MacKillop.
The carnival will be held on Friday, 13th June in Manildra.
FROM THE REC
Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday
This week, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday by taking part in the tradition of using up our “rich” ingredients to make and enjoy pancakes. A special thank you to the Year 5 and 6 students who helped with cooking and serving, and to our families for their generous contributions to our Project Compassion fundraising page.
On Ash Wednesday, we marked the beginning of Lent with a beautiful Mass, joined by our friends, families, and the wider school community. During this sacred season, we encourage our students and families to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we reflect on how we can turn back to God.
One way to do this is by giving up something for 40 days. Some practical ideas include:
- Sweet treats
- Complaining – Spread positivity instead!
- Screen time
Alternatively, we can "Take Up" something positive, such as:
- Saying a kind word to someone each day
- Helping at home without being asked
- Writing thank-you notes to teachers, parents, or friends
- Donating old toys or clothes to those in need
Each classroom will have a Project Compassion donation box as part of our prayer space. For those who wish to contribute online, our school’s fundraising page will remain active. To inspire generosity, we will be running a competition during Lent to see which class can dig the deepest and play a pivotal role in Uniting Against Poverty.
Shove Tuesday
Thank You Mrs Corben!
A heartfelt thank you to Mrs Corben for using her wonderful creativity to sew new cloths for our classroom prayer spaces and foyer. Your time and effort in creating these beautiful additions to our special spaces is truly appreciated!
Upcoming Masses:
- Week 6 Wednesday, 12th March 2025, 9:30am: Primary Mass
- Week 7: No Mass due to St Joesph’s Day in Yeoval
Miss Taylah Woodhouse
Religious Education Coordinator
STUDENT WELLBEING
Wellness Week
On Thursday afternoon, we spent time engaging in wellness activities. In pairs, we rotated through six different stations, each based on the theme of Lent. The activities included weaving, painting, bingo, a prayer walk, creating paper chains, and making a mural of our hands. It was a beautiful afternoon spent with our friends at St. Joseph's.
Wellness Week - Easter activities
The Resilience Project
P & F / CANTEEN NEWS
Welcome BBQ
Huge thanks to St Joseph’s P & F for hosting the Welcome BBQ on Tuesday. It was wonderful to see so many children and their families attend. The Welcome BBQ has become tradition at St Joseph’s and we are very fortunate that we have great people involved keeping this tradition going.
CEDB INFORMATION
Tell us about your experiences as a Catholic school parent and what you'd like to know more about
We value every parent's thoughts and opinions!
CCSP would like to know how involved/engaged you feel you are in your child's learning at a NSW/ACT Catholic school, how connected you feel in your child's school, and your thoughts on how schools could enhance family-school partnerships.
This data informs our parent learning program and provides us with valuable information about how our dioceses and schools are engaging with families.
Thank you so much for taking time out to give us your feedback.
Please click the link below to go to the survey.
2025 Address Collection Notice
HEALTH MATTERS
COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
