Dear Parents and Carers,

We are already into Week 3 of Term 3, and it has been a great start to the term! It has been lovely to enjoy a little sunshine again. Classrooms are buzzing with energy as students dive into new topics and learning experiences. There is plenty happening across the school in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye on upcoming dates and events. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Public Speaking Succes

 Last week, we were proud to host students and families from St Mary’s School, Young, for the School Public Speaking Speak Offs. 

Congratulations to Charlie Knight, Emily Protheroe, Aldhin Prathesh, Isabelle Protheroe,

Claudia McCarthy, Lettie Hunter, and Gus Conron, who represented St Joseph’s with confidence and enthusiasm. The students delivered thoughtful and entertaining speeches, and it was a fantastic event showcasing their public speaking skills.

Following a fair and well-contested competition, Charlie Knight (Year 6) and Claudia McCarthy (Year 4) were selected to progress to the Western Region Public Speaking Finals held at St Patrick’s School, Gundagai. Both students represented St Joseph’s with pride and can be very proud of their efforts and achievements at the regional level.

Congratulations to Charlie, who has made it through to the Archdiocesan Finals at Sacred Heart Central School, Cootamundra.

Staff Professional Learning

Mr Martens recently attended a Professional Development program in Canberra, focusing on the implementation of High Impact Teaching Practices (HITP) in schools. We look forward to Mr Martens continuing to support our staff in refining and enhancing their teaching practices through this valuable framework.

This week, Mrs Best and Mrs McFarlane also travelled to Canberra to attend Professional Development and the Key Leaders Day, further strengthening their professional expertise.

Jump Into Joey’s - Learning Journey

Our most recent Jump Into Joey’s session took place on Wednesday, July 31, and was a wonderful success. Led by our enthusiastic Year 5/6 class and Ms Washbrook, the session embraced the theme “Connect It!” Children from the Grenfell Preschool Star Room joined us and eagerly participated in hands-on activities, including creating marble races. It was a joy to see students of all ages learning together and building meaningful connections through play, curiosity, and collaboration.

By all accounts, the morning was filled with smiles, laughter, and rich early learning experiences. We are so proud of our Year 5/6 students for the leadership and care they demonstrated in welcoming our youngest learners.

Our final Jump Into Joey’s session for the term will take place on Wednesday 13th August from 10:30-11:30am. The theme “Learn It!” will focus on exploring literacy through fun and engaging reading and writing experiences. We look forward to another morning of discovery and connection.

Science Week and Science Fair - Get Involved!

Next week is National Science Week, and we are excited to celebrate with a range of fun and educational activities across the school. We will be kicking things off on Monday with some hands-on robotics sessions led by Mr Simon Maher, our ICT support staff - sure to spark curiosity and excitement among our students!

On Friday during the day, students will also have the opportunity to participate in a series of engaging science activities led by Sally Russell from the Lake Cowal Conservation Centre. These hands-on sessions promise to be both fun and informative, helping students explore science in a practical and interactive way.

As part of our celebrations, we would like to remind all families about the Science Home Challenge. Students are strongly encouraged to complete and submit their projects to be included in our upcoming Science Fair display. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to extend their learning at home, explore scientific concepts, and showcase their creativity to the wider school community.

We warmly invite all families and community members to attend our Science Fair on Friday 15th August, which will take place just prior to the school assembly at 2:15 pm. We are looking forward to seeing the amazing ideas and experiments your children have explored. Thank you for supporting their learning journey!

Kindergarten Information Night
Tuesday, August 28
5:30 pm

We warmly invite parents of children starting Kindergarten in 2026 to join us for our Kindergarten Information Night. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our programs, meet key staff members, and explore our learning spaces.

Please feel free to share this invitation with any families who may be interested - we would love to welcome them!

Healthy Harold Visits St Joseph’s Next Week

We are looking forward to welcoming Healthy Harold back to St Joseph’s next Wednesday as part of our ongoing student wellbeing program. Healthy Harold’s visits provide valuable lessons on health, safety, and positive lifestyle choices in a fun and engaging way. We are excited for our students to participate and continue learning important skills that support their overall wellbeing.

PCYC Police Cyber Safety Session for Years 2–6

Finally, next Friday, students in Years 2-6 will participate in a PCYC Police Cyber Safety Session focused on promoting safe and responsible online behaviours. This important program aims to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the digital world confidently and responsibly. By engaging in this session, students will learn practical tips to protect themselves and others while using technology, fostering a safer online community.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of the many rich and varied learning opportunities offered at St Joseph’s. We are proud of the way our students continue to engage, grow and shine.

Warm regards,

Danielle McFarlane and Chelsea Harveyson

Walking in Faith and Trusting God’s Call

Welcome to another wonderful fortnight at St. Joseph’s! As we journey through Term 3 together, we are reminded through scripture of the importance of faith, trust, and placing our hearts in the right place.

The following beautiful verses from the weekly mass readings are guiding my reflections this week:

“You made us glorious by calling us to you.” (Psalm 4:3)

God has called each of us—students, teachers, parents—to something special. He has made us all unique and wonderful. When we follow God’s call with love, kindness, courage and compassion we become part of His beautiful plan. Whether it's trying our best in class, being a good friend, or helping others, we glorify God by living the way He calls us to live. Last Sunday at Mass ten children and their families celebrated a wonderful faith-filled milestone-their First Holy Communion. We wish all the children congratulations on their efforts and participation.

“He set out without knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)

This verse reminds us of Abraham, who followed God with trust—even when he didn’t know exactly where he was going. At school, we often try new things that might feel scary or uncertain, like a new subject or making new friends. God wants us to trust Him, just like Abraham did. He will guide us every step of the way.

“All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them.” (Hebrews 11:13)

Sometimes, we don’t see the results of our hard work right away. But just like the people in this verse, we are asked to keep going in faith. Whether it’s learning something new, practising patience and compassion, or growing in kindness, God sees our efforts and celebrates them—even when the reward is still far away.

This verse reminds us to think about what we truly value. At St. Joseph’s, we treasure faith, love, learning, and kindness. When we place our hearts in God, our lives reflect His light. Let’s continue to treasure what matters most: our relationships with God and with one another.

? As we move through the rest of this term, let us keep encouraging our children to walk in faith, trust in God’s guidance, and live with hearts full of love. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

Wishing you all a blessed and joyful fortnight

Warm regards,

Loyola Best

​Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

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  Parish News:    SACRAMENT of Confirmation Preparation Meeting Three- 4pm Monday 11^th August, School Library.

Next Week’s Readings:

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 32(33):1,12,18-20,22; Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19; Matt 24:42a,44; Luke 12:32-48

Jump into Joeys with 5/6!

On Thursday the 31st of July the Star Room came to St Joseph's school to learn to connect science concepts to real- world experiences by making marble mazes out of pizza boxes,straws and lego. Two students made a marble run out of gravi-trax and shared it with everyone. After the star room played and explored the mazes we all went outside to play Pacman on the lines under the COLA.  One team was ‘it’ - the tagging team and were chasing us around. Eventually two teams were the winners. We finished the session by all going out to recess and to a snack and a little play.

We really enjoyed sharing our learning and being able to be great leaders.

Written by Jack F and Aldhin P

We are excited to offer Breakfast Club every Tuesday and Thursday morning before school! Children can enjoy a selection of toast, cereal, juice, and hot chocolate to start their day right.

From time to time, we’ll have special treats like hot breakfasts and pancakes, a fun surprise for the kids!

This wouldn’t happen without the continued support of our wonderful parent volunteers. Your time, energy, and kindness mean the world to us. Thank you for making this possible!

We are very fortunate to have the support of our amazing local cafés and bakeries, who help us provide lunch orders for our students three days a week.

To ensure they can prepare enough food for everyone, all lunch orders must be submitted by the day before. This gives our local businesses time to plan, prepare, and deliver fresh meals for our children.

Lately, we’ve had several orders coming in on the morning of. Unfortunately, we can no longer accept or pass on any late orders. We understand that mornings can be busy, but to be fair to both our staff and the businesses, we kindly ask that everyone sticks to the cut-off time.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support in making this partnership a success for our school community.