Week 2 - Term 2 Newsletter 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,

A warm welcome back to what we anticipate will be another enriching term of learning and community. We want to express our sincere gratitude to all the families and students who attended our Maclean ANZAC Day March in the 2nd week of the holidays. We were incredibly proud of the students who represented our school with such respect.

We are deeply grateful for the wonderful Parish School community we belong to. It was truly special to see so many siblings and parents join us for the commemoration ceremony. A special thank you to Jack and Penny for laying the wreath on behalf of our school. Furthermore, we extend our sincere thanks to all the Stage 3 students for their thoughtful leadership of our school ANZAC Liturgy last Wednesday – a vital time for our whole school to reflect on and honor the service of others.

School Improvement - Parent Survey

At St Joseph's, we believe in strong partnerships with our families. To help us continue to grow and improve, we invite you to participate in the Tell Them From Me (TTFM®) Partners in Learning survey. This online survey is your opportunity to share your valuable feedback on your experience of our school.

Your insights are crucial to our school evaluation and future planning. The survey will be available from Week 3 to Week 5 this term, access the survey here when it opens - LINK

We encourage you to take approximately 20 minutes to complete this anonymous survey on your computer or mobile device. Your feedback will directly contribute to our ongoing commitment to enhance student learning and wellbeing together. Our students will also be providing their feedback through a separate TTFM® survey, focusing on their school experiences, engagement, and wellbeing.

Parent Forum - Term 2 Meeting - Your Voice Matters!

Just a friendly reminder that our Term 2 Parent Forum meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27th, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm in the School Library.

It would be fantastic to welcome some new faces! Our Term 1 meeting and AGM saw a great turnout of families sharing their valuable perspectives and hopes for the year. While our Executive positions are currently filled, we are always eager to involve more parents in shaping our 'Parent Voice & Parent Community' – the central focus of our Parent Forum. Please know that all parents are warmly invited to attend each termly meeting.

If you have any questions, would like to suggest an agenda item, or are interested in learning more about getting involved, please don't hesitate to contact Lauren Kirkland, our Parent Forum Chairperson, at lozzacdk@gmail.com.

2026 Kindergarten & Little Joey's Enrolments

Whilst I acknowledge that our Little Joey's program will not be starting until Semester 2, I encourage all families to make contact with the School Front Office immediately, and if you know a family within the community with a child that is school-age in 2025, please encourage them to seek an enrollment form from the school or make a time to have a school tour with me.  

Please be advised that as part of our 2025 Kindergarten enrolment process, that we also require all siblings enrolment applications for Kindergarten to be submitted by Friday 30th May. 

These enrolments are to be completed within Compass and can be found in your 'menu' under settings and using the 'Family & Enrolments' tab, alternatively you access it via our school website.

Currently based on Little Joey's Expression of Interest forms, we will be having a waiting list for Kindergarten next year & I would like to ensure all siblings have a place. Please note that whilst I am currently conducting enrolment tours & interviews for new Kindergarten families, this is not required for current families. If you have any questions regarding this or require assistance with the online enrolment process, please don't hesitate in making contact with the Front Office.

Mother's Day

Lastly, no doubt it was wonderful to come together as a school community through our beautiful Mother's Day High Tea & Mother's Day Liturgy yesterday. My apologies on my absence, as I was down on a School Review Panel at St Augustine's Coffs Harbour, but all feedback received was that is was a lovely celebration.

A big thank you to all the mothers and significant women who could join us in these two school events. We appreciate everything you do for your children and the nurturing presence & guidance you provide them. Also, thank you to Mrs Mead (High Tea) & Mrs Senz (Liturgy) for their tireless work in making these beautiful school events possible. Have a lovely weekend.

Kind regards

Dale

Upcoming School Dates

• Tuesday 13th May - Clarence Zone Cross Country (Week 3)
• Wednesday 14th May - S3 & Goori Group Close The Gap (Week 3)
• Tuesday 20th May 5pm - Silent Disco - Maclean Showgrounds (Week 4)
• Thursday 22nd May - Paul Kelly AFL Day (NEW DATE) (Week 4)
• Friday 23rd May - McAuley Year 7 2026 Application Deadline (Week 4)
• Wednesday 28th May - Year 6 GLOW retreat (Week 5)
• Thursday 29th May - S2 & S3 Netball Gala Day (Week 5)
• Monday 9th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday (Week 7)
• Thursday 12th June - School Athletics Carnival (Week 7)
• Wednesday 18th June - Athletics Back Up Date (Week 8)
• Sunday 15th June - School Parish Mass (Week 7)
• Thursday 19th June - School Photos (Week 8)
• Thursday 26th June - Maclean Music Eisteddfod (Week 9)
• Wednesday 2nd July - Clarence Zone Athletics (Week 10)
• Thursday 3rd July - NAIDOC Day (Week 10)
  
• Thursday 3rd July - Last Day of Term 2 for Students (Week 10)
• Friday 4th July - Pupil Free Day/Staff Development Day (Week 10)

Leader of Learning

A Strong Start to Term 2 – Building on New Learning

Welcome back to Term 2!
It has been wonderful to see our students return with energy and enthusiasm, ready for another great term of learning. We’re continuing to build on the strong foundations laid in Term 1, and we’re excited about what lies ahead.

As a staff, we’ve been exploring what a knowledge-rich curriculum means for our school, both in embedding the new English and Mathematics syllabuses, and in preparing for future curriculum changes. This approach emphasises carefully sequenced knowledge that allows students to make connections, deepen understanding, and build confidence as learners.

In the classroom, this means:

• A stronger focus on background knowledge and vocabulary in reading,

• Purposeful writing that draws on what students know,

• Mathematical learning that builds from concept to concept with clarity,

• And a consistent, whole-school approach to what is taught and when.

We’re excited about what this means for student learning, and we look forward to sharing more with you as the term unfolds.

Here’s to a term filled with growth, curiosity, and confidence.

Mrs Mclennan

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Leader of Mission

Mother’s Day Celebration

On Thursday, we celebrated one of the most cherished events on the St. Joseph’s calendar—our annual Mother’s Day celebration. A heartfelt thank you and congratulations to our Year 6 leaders, who demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout the event.

As part of the celebration, students proudly presented hand-drawn portraits of their mums and gifted personalised flower pots, lovingly decorated just for them. It was a beautiful way to honour the incredible women in their lives.

As we look ahead to Mother’s Day this Sunday, we send our warmest wishes to all mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, and the many special women who play a vital role in our students' lives. May your day be filled with love, rest, and recognition—you truly deserve it.

Mercy Value – Service

The role of a mother is beyond measure. Through love, guidance, and daily acts of service, mothers help shape not only their children’s lives but the future of our world. From a comforting hug in the middle of the night to the countless lifts, lunches, and listening ears—these everyday moments are powerful expressions of love in action.

A mother’s care is one of the purest forms of service, freely given and deeply felt. In this, we are reminded of Mary, the Mother of Jesus—our model of compassion, strength, and quiet service. Her unwavering love and faith reflect the very essence of our Mercy value of service.

To all the incredible women in our school community: your sacrifices, support, and nurturing presence do not go unnoticed. You embody the spirit of mercy each and every day. Thank you for all that you do.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Confirmation Workshop

Last Wednesday evening, we welcomed families to our Confirmation Workshop led by Fr Roland. It was a lovely opportunity for both parents and candidates to come together and learn more about the Sacrament of Confirmation—what it involves, its significance in the life of a Catholic, and how we can prepare our hearts and minds for this special step in our faith journey.

Please continue to keep our Confirmation candidates in your prayers as they prepare to receive this special sacrament.

Mercy In Action Award

This week, we are proud to present our esteemed Mercy in Action award to Koa Tasi. Koa receives this award in recognition of consistently demonstrating Hospitality through his genuine warmth and inclusiveness. He makes everyone feel welcome and valued. Through his friendly presence, thoughtful actions, and ability to foster a sense of belonging, Koa embodies what it means to show true hospitality to all. Well done, Koa.

Mrs Senz

Class Awards

Congratulations to the following students recognised at this fortnight's Awards Assembly:

Principal Awards

Class Awards

Class News - Kindy

Welcome to Term 2! I’m delighted to share the latest highlights from our Kindergarten classroom as we continue to make exciting strides in our learning.

We’re thrilled to announce that Kindergarten students are now reading words! Our current focus is on blending and segmenting the sounds we’ve learned so far. It’s wonderful to see the children growing in confidence and enjoying the magic of reading.

In Mathematics, we’ve been exploring 2D shapes. The children have been identifying, naming, and describing shapes in their environment, and they’ve had lots of fun creating pictures and patterns using rectangles, circles, squares, triangles, and more.

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic term!

Mrs Bennett

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

NURTURING POSITIVE FRIENDSHIPS

As children travel through primary school, friendships begin to play an increasingly important role in their emotional and social development. Positive friendships not only bring joy and confidence but also help children develop empathy, communication skills, and resilience. As parents, we have a powerful influence in helping our child build and maintain healthy relationships.

Why Friendships Matter

Friendships teach children how to navigate social situations, resolve conflicts, and understand different perspectives. Children with strong, positive friendships tend to have higher self-esteem and are better equipped to cope with life’s challenges, both in and out of school.

Ways To Support Your Child

1. Talk About Friendship
Encourage open conversations about what makes a good friend. Discuss traits like kindness, honesty, sharing, and respect. Ask your child what they value in a friend and how they can show those qualities themselves.

2. Model Positive Relationships
Children learn a great deal by watching how adults interact. Demonstrate healthy communication, active listening, and respectful disagreement in your own relationships. This sets a strong example for how they should treat others.

3. Encourage Inclusivity
Help your child understand the importance of including others, especially those who may be new, shy, or different from them. Inclusive behavior builds empathy and a strong sense of community.

4. Support Social Opportunities
Arrange playdates, attend community events, or encourage participation in clubs or sports where your child can meet peers with similar interests. These settings offer natural opportunities to form friendships.

5. Guide Through Challenges
Disagreements are a normal part of friendships. Rather than solving a problem for them, help your child work through conflicts constructively. Teach them to express feelings calmly, listen to others, and seek fair solutions.

6. Celebrate Kindness
Praise your child when you see them being a good friend. Acknowledge acts of kindness and empathy—they reinforce the value of these behaviors.

When to Step In
It’s important to give children space to grow socially, but if you notice signs of bullying, exclusion, or persistent loneliness, it may be time to talk with your child and their teacher. Early intervention can make a big difference.

Friendships take time, effort, and guidance—but with our support, children can build connections that enrich their school years and lay the foundation for strong relationships in the future.

Jess Jones - School Counsellor

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Mother’s Day High Tea

To all our incredible mothers, grandmothers, and significant women , we celebrate you. Thank you for joining us for our Mother’s Day High Tea. We hope you felt truly special, appreciated, and loved. Happy Mothers Day. 

A heartfelt thank you to Alesha, Ava, Amelia and our SRC Captains for their invaluable help in making the event a success. Our gratitude also goes to the Parent Forum and Botero for their support in bringing this celebration to life.

A very special thank you to Grafton Woolworths for coming to the rescue at short notice and supplying the delicious scones and profiteroles that made our morning tea complete.

You all helped create a memorable and meaningful day for the cherished women in our lives.

Ms Juana Mead - School Chaplain

School Sport

We’re off to another exciting and fast-paced start to the term! There’s a wonderful energy in the air as students dive into new challenges, skills, and sporting opportunities.

Student Spotlight – Jack Kirkland (Year 6)
A huge congratulations to Year 6 student Jack Kirkland, who recently competed in the Damian Martin Challenge at Terrigal on the Central Coast. Jack was selected by Basketball NSW to attend this incredible event, where he and other talented players from across the state were mentored and coached by Damian Martin himself – a former Olympian and NBL Champion. Jack participated in skill sessions, team games, and had the invaluable experience of being coached directly by Damian. We are so proud of Jack’s achievements and wish him all the very best as he prepares for Polding in the coming weeks!

As always, if you know of student achievements in the sports realm, please make contact with me to ensure their feats are recognised at school.

Tennis Coaching with Maclean Tennis Club
In Weeks 2–5, all students will be participating in instructor-led coaching sessions with the Maclean Tennis Club. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity to build foundational tennis skills in a fun and supportive environment. Following this, our dedicated teachers will continue to build on the students' learning for the remainder of the term. We hope this sparks a lasting interest in tennis across all year levels!

Looking Ahead – Athletics Carnival
We’re also looking forward to our Athletics Carnival later this term. It’s always a highlight on the school calendar and a great opportunity to cheer on our students as they grow in confidence, sportsmanship, and athleticism.

Thank you, as always, for your support. Here’s to a term full of teamwork, growth, and fun on and off the field!

Anthony Gilchrist - Sports Coordinator

Creative Arts

🎨 St Joey’s Sculpting Showcase – A Celebration of Creativity! 🏆

At the end of Term 1, the St Joey’s community gathered to admire the incredible talent on display at our St Joey’s Sculpting Showcase. Though originally postponed, no bad weather was getting in the way of this much-loved event. It was a vibrant celebration of student creativity, originality, and hands-on artistic exploration over the term.

Each year level wowed us with their unique sculptural creations – ‘puff’ sculptors in Kindy, pipecleaners and straws in Year 1, Alfoil and tape in Year 2, cardboard in Stage 2, clay in Year 5, and wire in Year 6. Our students truly embraced the challenge, pushing the boundaries of what sculpture can be with their fantastic Creative Arts Teachers.

Two awards were presented for each year level, carefully considered by Ms Zietsch, Mr Layland & Mrs Mclennan.

• The Curator’s Claim – recognising the piece that most impressed our panel.
  
  
• St Joey’s Emerging Sculptor – honouring the student whose work showed outstanding promise and artistic vision.

Each winner's overall piece was judged, their skills, polished finish, accompanying ‘artist statement’ and a certain “je ne sais quoi” (a quality that cannot be described or named easily; a bit of ‘wow’ or ‘pizazz’!)

🎉 A huge congratulations to all our students, and especially to the winners in each year group. Your dedication, creativity, and craftsmanship were inspiring to all who visited the showcase, strutting down the red carpet in the Library with pride to show off your work!!

Thank YOU, parents and families, for your wonderful support with engaging and immersive Creative Arts at St Joeys; creativity flows in children so naturally, and it is amazing to be able to show effort, passion and guidance for this important subject! 

Next thing? Lower Clarence Music Eisteddfod - School’s Day - Thursday June 26th

Yours in everything ‘arty - farty’, creative and fun,

Ms Zietsch- Creative Arts Coordinator

Parent Forum

Mothers Day Stall

A huge thank you to Becky Upston for the time and effort she put into buying all the mothers day gifts, wrapping each gift and setting up our stall. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Also a massive thank you to our dad's Rock Bailey, Bilal Khan & Bob Roux who manned the stall today, giving our mum volunteers a well deserved rest!

School Disco

Yay!! A new date has been set for our Silent Disco - Tuesday 20th May 5pm. Please note the location has been changed to the Jim Thompson Pavilion at the Maclean Showgrounds - this will allow us to proceed with the disco rain, hail or shine! If your child/children can still attend this date, you are not required to do anything, your previously purchased ticket is still valid. If you are unable to now attend, refunds can be completed through Compass Tix, please contact the school front office if you require assistance. We look forward to finally seeing everyone at the Silent Disco.

Term 2 Parent Forum Meeting

Our Term 2 meeting is open to all families. You are warmly invited to attend on Tuesday 27th May, 5pm in the school library.

Lauren Kirkland- Chairperson

Free Parent Webinar

Free Online Webinar for Boys & Young Men

Free Parent Webinar: Boys and Young Men Online 27 May 12.30 - 1.15 pm

For boys and young men, the internet can be a place where they seek connection, validation and guidance as they explore what it means to be a man today. However, it also exposes them to risks like concerning content, online exploitation and the growing influence of harmful ideologies.

This free webinar will help parents understand:

• Social and cultural influences shaping boys and young men.
• How boys engage online, build relationships and how they may be vulnerable to manipulation or exploitation.
• The impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on their attitudes, behaviours and sense of identity.
• Practical strategies to build critical thinking, challenge harmful narratives, and create open conversations that empower boys and young men to navigate the online world safely and respectfully.

Register for this webinar here.

Community Notices