19 August 2025 (Week 5 Term 3 2025)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
It has been a lovely couple of weeks, with some sunshine allowing our students to enjoy the playground more often. Our kinders are loving the new cubby, painted by Mr Wardrop during the break.
I am very proud of our learners and the effort they are putting into their studies. Every day we see students leaning into challenges, showing persistence, and celebrating their progress. Their commitment to learning reflects the positive culture we are building together.
This growth would not be possible without the dedication of our teachers. The work they do to design and deliver high-quality instruction is both thoughtful and deliberate. They are constantly reflecting on student progress, refining their practice, and using evidence-based approaches to ensure every child has the best chance to succeed. Just as importantly, our teachers work hard to create calm, structured, and supportive classrooms where students feel safe to take risks in their learning. These environments allow our learners to stay focused, build confidence, and thrive.
We have recently received our DIBELS data, which gives us valuable information about how our students are progressing in their early literacy skills. DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. It is a short set of assessments used by schools across Australia and internationally to check how children are developing in areas such as phonics, fluency, and comprehension.
The results show steady growth across our school. This helps us see which students are consolidating their skills strongly, and it also highlights where some learners may need extra support. By looking closely at this data, our teachers can dig deeper with certain students to make sure we are meeting their individual needs. In this way, DIBELS acts as both a progress check and a guide for the next steps in teaching and learning.
We are very excited to come together for Family Day this Friday! It promises to be a wonderful community celebration, with our much-loved Book Character Parade, activities for students and families, and time to share a meal together. It’s not too late to RSVP for a sausage sandwich – here is the link.
In Week 3 our students engaged in a variety of social justice activities following our St Mary of the Cross MacKillop liturgy with Fr Max. Inspired by Mary MacKillop’s call to “never see a need without doing something about it,” our students made craft with parishioners to hand out at Mass, visited local early learning centres to play with children, spent time with residents at Maranoa aged care, created gifts to share in the community, and worked on improving our school environment. Thank you to Mrs Jones for coordinating such a meaningful day. We are very proud of the way our students embraced these opportunities to serve others.
On Friday, we also celebrated the Feast of the Assumption. Our Year 5 and 6 students joined the parish community at Mass and represented our school beautifully. We were so proud of their respectful and reverent participation in this important celebration.
Family Day
We are very excited to have Family Day on 22 August this year. The theme for book week this year is ‘Book an Adventure’.
Please see the information below in "Coming Events" about this exciting day. Following the success of last year’s bake sale, which raised money for St Vinnies, we are again calling on home bakers to make donations for a bake sale and volunteers to help run the stall on the day. If you’re able to help, would you mind emailing alstp@lism.catholic.edu.au.
Please RSVP for our Family Day BBQ via this link by Wednesday, 13th August for catering purposes. We also have a coffee cart arranged for parents for the day.
We look forward to a fun day with all our families!
School Community Group Meeting
Our next School Community Group meeting will be held on Thursday, 28 August, 6:30 - 7:45pm. All families are warmly invited to attend and take part in shaping the direction of our school. Parents and Carers are invited to attend in person in the staffroom or via Zoom.
We will share updates on school reading (DIBELS) and Tell Them From Me data, the new uniform, and our Numeracy Fluency Program pilot, and how you can support this at home.
The Zoom link for the meeting is here. (Password: 440119). Please let us know if you can join us by completing this Google Form.
You can view the full agenda for the evening here.
We look forward to seeing many of you online and working together to support the growth of our students and school community.
National Recognition for Our Strategic Plan
We are proud to share that St Joseph’s has been recognised in The Educator Magazine’s Education Awards as an Excellence Awardee for Best School Strategic Plan.
While the award this year went to Marsden State High School in Brisbane, a large secondary college with over 3,500 students, our nomination and recognition are a strong endorsement of the quality and impact of our own work in this space. It reflects the commitment of our staff, leadership team, and community to building a clear, purposeful plan that guides our school forward.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to bringing our strategic vision to life each day.
Scripture Reflection
Last week we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption, a very special day in the Church’s calendar. The Assumption tells us something important: that God cares for the whole of who we are, our bodies, our minds, our emotions and our spirit. Nothing about us is forgotten or wasted; everything is loved and held by God.
For us today, this feast is a reminder of our own dignity and the dignity of every person we meet. God chooses to be close to us in the real experiences of our daily lives, in our work, in our families, in our friendships, and even in times of challenge.
The Assumption also offers us hope. It reassures us that all that is good, true and loving in our lives will always be gathered up by God. In many ways, we already live this out in our school community, in our classrooms, in the care we show to one another, and in the ways we support our students and their families. The Assumption invites us to see all of this as part of the bigger picture of God’s love at work in our world.
Stage 3 Crawford House Excursion ‘The Dreadnought Boys’
Our Stage 3 students recently enjoyed an excursion to Crawford House in Alstonville. This excursion was an invaluable part of our current history unit, Australia as a Nation, where we're exploring the experiences and contributions of various migrant groups in the early 1900s and their impact on Australian society.
Learning About the Dreadnought Boys
A significant focus of our visit was a special presentation on the Dreadnought boys, a group of young British teenagers who migrated to Australia between 1911 and 1914. These boys, mostly from impoverished backgrounds, were brought to Australia under the Dreadnought Scheme to work on farms, primarily in regional areas. The scheme, funded by the Dreadnought Fund, aimed to address labor shortages and provide these boys with a new life and opportunities.
The Northern Rivers region has a strong connection to this historical migration, with many Dreadnought boys settling in the Alstonville area. Our students were captivated by the stories and artifacts that brought this little-known part of local history to life. We were even honoured to hear firsthand accounts from some local descendants of a Dreadnought boy, which provided a powerful and personal perspective on their experiences. This unique opportunity helped the students understand the challenges and contributions of these young migrants in a deeply meaningful way.
They will be using the information they gathered and their personal experiences from the excursion to conduct further investigations into the legacy of these early migrants.
A special thank you to Crawford House for giving their time to our students.
First Communion Family Mass this Sunday
Congratulations to all our students receiving their First Communion over the next two weekends.
This Sunday, we are hosting a Family Mass, and we warmly invite all our families to attend. If your child would like to participate in a special way during the Mass, please email me at kathryn.jones@lism.catholic.edu.au, as we would love to have them take on a special role. This Sunday, pancakes are also served after Mass for everyone!
Values Vault Winners
This Fortnight's Positive Behaviour Focus
Fathers Day Breakfast
Family Day
🕘 The day kicks off at 9:15am in the hall with a special assembly featuring prayer, student awards, and a Book Character Parade across the stage.
🍰 Morning tea will run from 10:15am to 10:45am, with delicious options available at the cake stall, canteen, and coffee cart. Please note: cash only for all cake stall purchases.
🎨 Throughout the day, our staff have prepared a variety of fun and engaging activity rotations—there’s something for everyone, so don’t miss out!
📚 This year, we’re excited to offer a new twist to our Book Stall! Students can purchase books to take home as well as choose a book to donate to our school library—a wonderful way to share the joy of reading.
🌭 The BBQ sausage sizzle will be held from 12:15pm to 1:00pm, served outside Stage 1 (weather permitting) and Stage 3. If you or your child has special dietary requirements, their meals will be available from the canteen.
🎈 The day’s festivities will wrap up at 2:00pm. If you’re heading home early, please remember to sign your child out at the office before leaving.
We look forward to a day full of fun, laughter, and community spirit!
Learning growth can occur when your child attends school every day
By attending school every day, students maximise their exposure to educational opportunities, engage in meaningful learning experiences, and lay the foundation for continuous academic progress. Regular attendance provides students with the opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification, and collaborate with others, enhancing their understanding of the material.
Parents and educators play important roles in fostering an environment that promotes and values regular attendance, contributing to the overall success and wellbeing of students.
COMPASS Attendance Notes and Part-Day Attendance
- Please DO NOT use the Compass App for partial absences.
- Only submit an Attendance Note through Compass if your child will be absent for the WHOLE DAY.
- System generated Absentee SMS are sent out automatically at 10am. If you know that your child will be arriving after 10am, you can disregard this message. We will update your child’s attendance record at the time of their arrival.
- (Note: this may differ in a high school situation.)
Medical Certificates
We have had a number of students absent due to illness which is typical at this time of year. If your child is absent from school for 3 or more consecutive days, a medical certificate is required. Please note that this is not meant to be an incentive to return your child to school before they are well enough. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
Medication & Medical Plans
Parents are reminded that Medical Action Plans (e.g. Asthma, anaphylaxis etc.) are required to be updated annually and a copy provided to the school.
If your child’s medication requirements change, please complete a new medication authority using Compass. (Use the Community tab on your desktop computer or the "hamburger"/More button on your phone, to access School Documentation/Parent Resources/School Forms.)
Parents are also responsible for ensuring medications supplied to school for your child are in date. While we endeavour to monitor this at school and remind parents, it is ultimately your responsibility.
Please contact the school if you have any concerns.
Ballina Allstars Athletics – 2025–26 Season
Whether you’re new to athletics or chasing a personal best, there’s a place for you at Ballina Allstars! 
Event Nights: Wednesdays, 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Location: Chickiba Park, Ballina
Season Starts: 8 October 2025
Mid-Season Break: 18 December 2025 – 14 January 2026
Final Club Night: 18 March 2026
Tiny Tots Program (ages 3–5):
Starts 8 October, 4:15pm–5:00pm
10 weeks of play-based movement, games and fun – guided by accredited coaches.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT – Register before 31 August and save $10 with code BAA10
Register Now: www.ballinaallstars.com.au/
