Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the final newsletter for Term 2! It’s been a very busy term full of fun extra curricula  experiences and learning opportunities. With swift shifts in winter weather, we encourage everyone to take time to prioritise their wellness and enjoy relaxation and rejuvenation in the holidays. 

Pupil Free Day

Parents and carers are advised that the last day of Term, 4th July is a pupil free day to allow staff across the Archdiocese to participate in professional learning. The last day for the children this term is Thursday 3rd July. 

Term 3 commences for the students on Tuesday 22nd July. The St Joseph’s staff will be participating in a Spirituality Day on Monday 21st July.

End of Semester 1 Reports

All parents and carers will receive their child’s Semester 1 report via compass on Tuesday next week. St Joseph’s issues annual reports which serve as one aspect of the learning partnership between home and school. Our aim is to ensure excellence in communication and a strong commitment to collaboration between home and school. We trust that you will find the Semester 1 Report informative in providing feedback on your child’s learning, growth and development. 

Teachers are available for Parent and Teacher Conferences on Wednesday 2nd July. Conferences provide the opportunity for any clarifications, and further discussion on your child's progress. You should now have received a Compass notification to book your appointment.

Music Lesson Availability

Join our music lessons with the talented and experienced Mark Corkery from the Young School of Music! Whether your child is interested in piano, guitar or drums, Mark is here to guide them on their musical journey. 

• Personalised instruction
• All skill levels welcome
• Fun and engaging lessons. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the best! Mark is at school on Mondays. For more information contact The Young School of Music - Phone: (02) 6382 5735

Public Speaking Reminder

After the success of the students in the Henry Lawson Drama Day, the annual Public Speaking Competition will build upon this confidence as the children share their own ideas on the topics below:

Year 3

If animals could talk, what would they say?

Year 4

A much needed invention

Year 5

What would I do with a time machine?

Year 6

What mistakes teach us?

The children are busy writing their speeches and will be presenting them to their class on Wednesday the 2nd of July. It would be very helpful for the children to practise at home if the time permits. 

Finalists will be chosen from each year group and these children will present their speeches at the “School Speak Offs” at St Joseph's on Wednesday the 30th July. 

We cannot wait to hear the speeches!

Assembly 

We would like to thank K/1 for presenting us with a warm and vibrant assembly last week!

Our final assembly for the term will be on Thursday the 3rd of July, Week 10. 

Pyjama Day

To reward positive behaviour, we will be holding a pyjama day to celebrate all students’ efforts throughout Term 2. On the final day of term, Thursday the 3rd of July children are encouraged to wear appropriate and warm pyjamas to school. We look forward to a cozy and comfy day!

Warm Regards,

Danielle McFarlane and Chelsea Harveyson

Dear Parents and Community,

Prayer is one of the most important aspects of life as a follower of Jesus. Prayer has many benefits.

1.Prayer can help us focus on what is important.

2.Prayer can help us to stay hopeful in dark times.

3.Prayer can help us feel connected to God on a deeper level.

4.Prayer can help us deal with difficult emotions and situations.

5. Prayer can help us find comfort and peace.

6.Prayer can help us develop a stronger relationship with God.

7. Prayer can help us become more compassionate people.

8. Prayer can give us strength during difficult times.

 9.Prayer can help keep our minds and thoughts clear.

 10. Prayer is a way of communicating with Jesus and asking for guidance and support in our lives.

Prayer is something we can do every single day.

It is important to remember that prayers are not always answered the way we hoped for as this can lead to disappointment and discouragement.

That is why it is crucial to understand that the purpose of prayer is not just to have prayers answered when we want something. Prayer is meant first and foremost to nurture relationship with God, to be in frequent conversation with God who loves all, and to help keep one’s heart and mind open to God’s voice.

Pope Francis once said, “Praying is opening the door to the Lord so that he can do something. If we close the door, God can do nothing.” By ‘doing something’, the Holy Father was not just referring to God giving people that for which they ask, but in providing guidance in making decisions, moving them along the right path, inspiring them with hope and strength in overcoming obstacles, and forming them in faith.

The students and staff at St Joseph’s pray every day in many ways. This practise ‘opens the door’ to welcoming God into our lives.

Warm regards,

Loyola Best

​Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Please pray this week for all of those children making their First Reconciliation on Wednesday evening. 

Parish News:    SACRAMENT of Reconciliation-celebrated on Wednesday 2^nd July, 5 p.m. St Joseph’s Church

Next Week’s Readings: Sts Peter and Paul, The Apostles: Acts 12: 1-11; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16: 13-19

And they’re Off! On Friday 20th June St. Joseph’s Grenfell sent a team of 16 athletes to the Western Region Athletics Carnival in Young. Athletes competed in events including the 100m dash, 200m, 800m, high jump, long jump, discus and shotput. 

The carnival in Young was great. Good weather, good food, and good races and events.

We are excited to report that 4 kids from Grenfell made it away to the next level  for the Archdiocese Carnival in Canberra on 21st August.

Congratulations to the relay team which includes Charlie K, Jed M, Arabella B and Emily P. 

Well done to Arabella for also being selected in the 11 year girls 100m dash and 200m.

We would like to thank St. Mary’s, Young for organising and running the carnival. They did a good job at setting everything up and packing it up so shout out to St. Mary’s.

That’s the wrap up of the Western Region Athletics Carnival. 

By Charlie K and Jed M

Non-government schools census collection notice 2025
The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to advise all staff, parents, guardians and students (where applicable) that it will collect certain information about your school, its staff and student body as part of the non-government schools census collection (the census).
How and what information is collected for the census?
Census information is provided to the department by your school legal entity (the approved authority) via the SchoolsHUB website.
The census provides information about your school and the number and characteristics of the school’s staff and student body during a specific reference period. Information and characteristics collected through the census include:
•
teaching and non-teaching staff
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students’ year level and workload
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students’ gender and age (as on 1 July 2025)
•
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students
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students with disability
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students receiving distance education
•
day, boarding and overseas students.
v
The names of students and staff are not collected, apart from the name, position and contact details of the staff member nominated as the primary contact for the census.
Census special circumstance applications
Census special circumstance applications may also be made by schools to include a student/s who did not attend during the census reference period but otherwise meets census eligibility. Schools will provide the department with information and documents about the student demonstrating their eligibility. The department does not require personal information about a student and asks schools to de-identify any documents before providing them.
Purpose of the census collection
The information provided during the census is collected by the department in accordance with the Australian Education Act 2013 (the Act) and the Australian Education Regulations 2023 (the Regulations). The Act and the Regulations require the legal entity responsible for the administration of the school (the approved authority) to provide this information to the department to:
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Ensure the provision of Australian Government funding to schools is properly calculated and appropriately managed
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Conduct research, statistical analysis and develop school education policy for the Australian Government
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Meet national and international reporting obligations on school students in Australia
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Publish and provide information about schools to the public.
Use and disclosure of personal information
Your personal information is protected by law under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.
Any use or disclosure of your personal information must occur in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Act and Regulations and any other applicable laws.
Your personal information provided to the department through the census may be:
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Used or disclosed by the department for the purposes outlined above under the heading Purposes of the census collection.
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Disclosed to the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to publish on the My School website and include as high-level data for ACARA's National Report on Schooling in Australia.
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Disclosed to state and territory government departments and authorities in accordance with the Act and Regulations.
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Disclosed to Australian Government departments and authorities in accordance with the Act and Regulations.
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Disclosed to non-government school representative bodies in accordance with the Act and Regulations.
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Disclosed to a contracted auditor where the department decides to audit or verify the information provided by an approved authority about a school. The contracted auditor may use previously collected information or request access to individual student records for comparison purposes. The contractors may pass this information onto officers within the department, if there is a discrepancy in the data provided by the school and the school’s records and further investigation is required. The contracted auditor must handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act.
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Disclosed to its service providers for the purposes of the provision of information and communications technology support services to the department.
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Used to validate data from other collections undertaken by the department.
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Used or disclosed where it is otherwise required or authorised by law including under the Act or Regulations, or otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act.
Other than in exceptional circumstances (for example, investigation of fraud relating to overseas students), the department does not disclose any of the personal information collected to overseas recipients.
You can find the department’s privacy policy on the Department of Education website or request a copy from the department at privacy@education.gov.au. The privacy policy includes information about how to access or correct personal information held about you or your child, how to make a complaint about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how the department will deal with such a complaint.
What do you need to do?
You are not required to do anything. The approved authority of the school is responsible for providing the information to the department.
Contacts for further information
Your school can provide information about data provided for you or your child for the purposes of the census. To find out more about the census collection and reporting, visit SchoolsHUB