20 May 2025 (Week 4 Term 2 2025)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
A heartfelt thank you to the families who were able to join us for our Stage Mass on Sunday. Your presence and support are always deeply appreciated. These moments of shared prayer and celebration are such an important way for our school and parish communities to come together.
Thank you also to Mrs Jones and the Stage teachers for their care in preparing the Mass. The students read with confidence and clarity, and the choir’s singing was both warm and uplifting—helping to create a truly prayerful atmosphere.
We’re grateful to our parish for their continued welcome and partnership, and we look forward to more opportunities to gather in faith as a school community.
This week and next, we’re looking forward to welcoming back DJ from All Abilities Wheelchair Sports. Students from Years 1–6 will have the opportunity to experience wheelchair sports and spend time in solidarity with those who live with disability. It’s a great way to build empathy and understanding through hands-on learning and fun. Thanks to Mr Seymour for his work in organising this event.
We hope to see families at our Friday assembly this week, commencing at 2:20 pm.
Please see below regarding our Tell Them From Me survey. Your feedback is very important to both affirm our hard work and to help guide our continued improvement work.
Tell Them From Me Survey - Seeking your voice!
Over the next week or so, we will be inviting students, teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole-school evaluation and planning process.
We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to continue our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Joseph's Primary School.
The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Note that most responses are multiple-choice using a scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. It can be quite easy to mix this scale up when completing the survey. Please take your time to read the questions carefully, so we have the most accurate data we can attain. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using this URL: tellthemfromme.com/alstp2025ttfmparents
Thank you for the opportunity to partner with you and your child in their learning; your voice is important to us.
Uniform Refresh Update
We’ve begun exploring options for a refresh of our school uniform. As part of this process, we’ve connected with School Locker to learn more about their services and product range. They have kindly provided some sample garments and have also started designing a few draft uniform options for us to consider. These will be shared with families at the upcoming School Community Group meeting. We’ll also be exploring other suppliers, such as Lowes, to ensure we find the best fit for our school. We look forward to hearing your feedback at the meeting.
Term 2 School Community Group Meeting
Our Term 2 School Community Group Meeting is coming up. We have the start of our agenda below and would love your feedback on additional agenda items.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 17th June, 6:30 - 7:45pm.
At this stage, the school would like to present on:
NAPLAN Results
- Sharing our recent Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN results
The school would love parent feedback on:
The Uniform Refresh
- Feedback from initial conversations with School Locker regarding uniform supply
- Exploring the uniform artworks provided by School Locker for parent feedback
- Examining the uniform samples provided by School Locker for parent feedback
We have also added some suggestions in the form below for learning items, based on feedback at our Term 1 meeting. We'd love your feedback on what parents might be most interested in learning more about.
We'll share the link to the Zoom via Compass closer to the evening.
Thank you so much for coming along to our School Community Group meeting; we really appreciate your input.
Scripture Reflection
In this Sunday’s Gospel, John 13:31–35, Jesus gives his disciples a simple yet powerful commandment: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
It’s a reminder that at the heart of our faith is not just belief, but love lived out in action—love that is patient, forgiving, generous, and kind. In our families, classrooms, and wider community, it’s often in the ordinary moments that this love is most needed and most powerful.
As a school, our mission is to grow through love. This Gospel calls us to remember that real love is more than just a feeling—it’s a daily choice to serve, to listen, to forgive, and to stand with one another. That’s what we hope to model for our children and students, and what makes our community so special.
Let’s continue to walk this path together—imperfectly, but with hearts open to love, as Christ loved us.
You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass.
✏️Writing Competitions- Write On and the Jesse Blackadder Writing Prize
This is a reminder about two fantastic writing competitions that could ignite your child's passion for storytelling and reward their creative talents: the Jesse Blackadder Student Writing Prize 2025 and the NSW NESA Write On Competition.
The Jesse Blackadder Student Writing Prize 2025
This prestigious prize honours the memory of the acclaimed Australian author Jesse Blackadder and aims to encourage young writers across various age groups. It provides a wonderful platform for students to showcase their imaginative writing skills and gain recognition for their efforts.
The Brief
- Write an original short story of up to 500 words on any theme.
Who can enter?
Year 4 to 6 students.
Entrants must live within the Byron Writers Festival footprint, from Taree in the south, Kyogle in the west and Tweed Heads in the north.
Prizes
Winner will receive $300 cash and 1 x Byron Writers Festival Sunday Kids Program pass. The winning story will be published in the Byron Writers Festival member magazine, northerly.
A runner-up will receive 1 x Byron Writers Festival Sunday Kids Program pass and have their story published on the Byron Writers Festival blog.
Key Dates
- Submissions open: Thursday, 1 May
- Applications close: Monday, 30 June
- Winners notified: Tuesday, 15 July
- Presentation of Jesse Blackadder prize at Byron Writers Festival Sunday Kids Program: Sunda,y 11 August.
Jesse Blackadder Application form
Write On 2025
WriteOn 2025 opens Monday 24 March 2025. This year the competition is held in association with the State Library of NSW. For WriteOn 2025, students use a stimulus quote to explore their voices as authors when creating an imaginative text.
The new stimulus for WriteOn 2025 is the quote:
“Could they be changing?”
Please send any entries to the Write On Competition to Mr Crosby
Raising a child with ADHD?
Parents are invited to register for the FREE International ADHD Parenting Summit, featuring leading global experts, practical strategies, and real-life advice to help children with ADHD thrive. Accessible online from anywhere. Register here
Healthy sleep, exercise and diet can make a difference
Healthy sleep, exercise, and diet play critical roles in a student's overall wellbeing, impacting not only their physical health but also their cognitive function, emotional regulation and ability to focus.
Encouraging healthy habits early on sets the foundation for a lifetime of wellbeing. Children who learn the importance of sleep, exercise and a balanced diet are more likely to carry these habits into adolescence and adulthood, impacting their overall attendance and success in school.
Gardiner Chess Comp Term 2 - Registration Open
The Term 2 Gardiner Chess Tournament will be held on:
When: Monday 23rd June
Where: Alstonville Public School
Time: Registration from 8.30am to 9.15am. Start at 9.30am and finish around 2.15pm.
Cost: $24.00 per player
This tournament is open to students in Stages 1-3. We will walk to and from the event.
Registrations are due by Friday, 12th June.
Please complete this form to indicate your child's interest in this event.
