Term 2, Week 8 Newsletter - 13th June 2025

From The Principal

It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into Week 8—what a term it’s been so far! There’s a real sense of momentum around the school as we move toward the end of Term 2, and I want to take a moment to thank you all for the continued support, flexibility, and care you’ve shown.

Please take a moment to read through—there’s lots to celebrate and a few things to note as we wrap up the term together.

Staffing Update

It is with heartfelt thanks that we share the news that Miss Stretton will be concluding her time with us at the end of this term as the 4 Gold Teacher. Since joining us from St Kieran’s, Miss Stretton has been a pivotal member of our team—contributing not only in the classroom but also by supporting our students at events such as Jangawala on Sundays, and championing opportunities to ensure that all children, especially those in the west, receive the same rich learning experiences. Miss Stretton is taking some time away from education, and while we are sad to see her go, we look forward to hearing from her in the future—and hopefully welcoming her back one day.

We are also excited to welcome Mr Wallace to our St Joseph’s team. Mr Wallace, who recently moved to Mount Isa with his family, has already become a familiar face as a parent and will now join us in the role of Groundskeeper. We’re delighted to have him on board and look forward to the positive impact he’ll bring to our school environment.

Principal Leave – Term 3

I’d also like to share with our community that I will be taking leave during Weeks 4 and 5 of Term 3 for a very special reason—the birth of our first child. During this time, Mrs Tenielle Blanco will step into the role of Acting Principal. I have every confidence the school will be in excellent hands during this time.

Health and Illness Update

As previously communicated, illness—particularly gastro-related symptoms—has been on the rise across Mount Isa, and this has now impacted our school community more noticeably.

We kindly remind families: if your child is unwell or showing any signs of vomiting or diarrhoea, please keep them at home to help minimise the spread. We understand this can be inconvenient, but these small actions make a significant difference in protecting all students and staff.

To support our school community:

• We have recently disinfected all learning and shared spaces and will continue to do so regularly during this cooler season.

• Our staff are encouraging increased hand hygiene practices throughout the day.

• If a student presents unwell at school, particularly with gastro symptoms, they will be sent home in line with our health protocols.

For your convenience, we’ve attached a Queensland Health “Time Out” poster as a guide for when students should return to school after being unwell.

After-School Playground Use

We kindly ask that all families refrain from using the school playground equipment after school hours. This is a matter of student safety and supervision. While we encourage community use of our facilities in appropriate ways, the playground is not to be accessed outside of school operating hours. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

Athletics Carnival

A big thank you to everyone who made our Athletics Carnival a memorable event! It was fantastic to see so many families cheering on our students and celebrating their achievements. Thank you to Miss Bird for her outstanding organisation and to all the staff and parents who assisted behind the scenes and on the day. Due to the wet weather, today’s races will start slightly later, but we look forward to another energetic and fun-filled day.

7in700 – Final Leg

This Friday, Mr James Coghlan will complete his remarkable 7in700 journey—running 700km across seven mines and returning to Mount Isa. His final leg will finish at Kruttschnitt Oval around 4:00 pm, and we encourage our school community to gather in celebration.

James has always been an incredible supporter of our school and a dear friend to many, and this run honours the memory of Fiona, who was a much-loved advocate for our town and our school.

Kruttschnitt Oval will be open from 3:00 pm with food and drinks available for purchase, and a free sausage sizzle on James’ arrival. We ask everyone to wear yellow as a sign of support. Melissa and I will have yellow balloons and streamers to help us cheer him home.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in all aspects of school life. Let’s finish this term strong, healthy, and together.

Warm Regards,

Scott Murray,
Principal

Education In Faith

National Reconciliation Week

Last week, our school came together to celebrate National Reconciliation Week through a range of meaningful and engaging activities that promoted understanding, connection, and hope. Each class created and decorated ‘Hope Rocks,’ which are now placed throughout the school grounds as symbols of our shared commitment to reconciliation.

The GSCC Emerging Leaders led lunchtime activities that included a Move It Mob-style dance session, library games, face painting, arts, and crafts—bringing fun and cultural learning together. On Friday, we held a special Reconciliation Week assembly, followed by classroom reflections and learning experiences. The morning concluded with a Buddy Picnic at the Yarning Circle, highlighting the importance of togetherness.

Thank you to all who contributed and participated in this important week.

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Spirit of Catholic Education 

Congratulations to Mrs Stretton, our Townsville Spirit of Catholic Education (SOCE) Award Nominee! Mrs Stretton gives her time tirelessly, is always willing to lend a hand, and is an integral part of our Joey’s family. We are so grateful for the way she brings our community to life through her generosity, care, and quiet leadership. The SOCE Awards, including the Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award, will be presented as part of Catholic Education Week (CEW) celebrations in week 3 of Term 3.

Art Competition

As part of our 2025 school theme, "Learning to Love, Loving to Learn: A Year of Hope," we recently launched our Year of Hope Art Competition to encourage students to reflect on and express what hope means to them.

Students from all year levels have been invited to create artworks that capture their personal interpretation of hope, through symbols, colours, people, places, or moments that inspire them. The response so far has been incredibly creative and thoughtful, and we’re looking forward to seeing even more entries.

All artwork is due by Thursday 19th June so it can be prepared for judging. Winners will be announced on Monday 23rd June, with our overall school winner to be submitted to the Townsville Catholic Education Office’s Year of Hope Art Competition.

First Holy Communion

Over the past few weeks, a number of our students have been preparing with great excitement and reverence to receive their First Holy Communion. This is a very special step in their faith journey as they receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. We are incredibly proud of the way these students have approached this sacrament with thoughtful reflection, prayer, and a deepening understanding of God’s love. With the support of their families, and the parish community, they are ready to take this important step in their relationship with Christ.

We wish each of them every blessing as they prepare to celebrate their First Holy Communion in the coming weeks. May it be a joyful and faith-filled experience that stays with them for years to come.

Tenielle Blanco,
APRE

Foundations In Education

We’re excited to announce that ICAS Testing will once again be offered at St Joseph’s in 2025 for students in Years 2–6.

The ICAS Assessments are world-renowned, online academic competitions designed to assess students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in the areas of English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies. These assessments celebrate student achievement and provide valuable opportunities for recognition and academic growth.

Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report.

How to Register:

To register your child for ICAS this year:

1. Learn more about the ICAS subjects and pricing: ICAS Assessments Information
2. Visit the Parent Portal: ICAS Parent Portal
3. Enter our school’s access code: DNE584
4. Provide your child’s details, select the assessments you wish to purchase, and proceed to payment. Please note: All registrations and payments must be completed online. The school is unable to accept payments.
5. Return the attached permission slip to the school office by Monday 28th July.

To review the full terms and conditions, visit: ICAS Terms and Conditions

Testing Information:

All ICAS assessments at St Joseph’s will be held in the San Jose Library starting at 7:30am. 

We are proud to offer this opportunity to our students and look forward to celebrating their achievements later in the year. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Save the Date! - Term 2 Learning Breakfast

Our Term 2 Learning Breakfast is coming up on Thursday, 19th June from 8:10–8:30 am! Join us for a bacon & egg roll and celebrate all the amazing learning our students have been doing this term.

We can’t wait to share their wonderful work with you! We’d love to see you there!

St Joseph’s - Under 8’s Day

Join us for a fun-filled celebration of curiosity, creativity, and discovery at our 2025 Under 8’s Day, where this year’s theme is "Unleashing Scientific Thinking Through Play."

Inspired by the United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we’ll be celebrating the many ways young children explore, question, and make sense of their world through play.

We’re excited to partner with the early years sector to create engaging experiences where children can observe, predict, test, and uncover scientific concepts, all through child-led learning and joyful exploration.

Families, friends, parents, and carers, we’d love to see you there! 

War Regards,

Karlia Ryan,
APPL

In The Library...

📚 Library Learning Highlights at St Joseph’s!

In the library, we’ve been busy upskilling with our Year Fives! Students have been learning the importance of the returns trolley and how to use it — not only to help keep our space organised but also to support Mrs Stretton with shelving. They’ve also been honing their reading-aloud skills, building confidence for future oral presentations. We’re so proud of our brave readers, who have all done a fabulous job! 🌟👏

We’ve also seen some brave book choices from students across the school, stepping outside their comfort zones to try new genres and authors. It’s all part of expanding our reading brains and avoiding getting stuck in a reading rut. To borrow one of Mr Bower’s favourite phrases, we’ve been working hard to find ‘good fit’ books. Well done, everyone! 📖

📖 National Simultaneous Storytime 2025 was a big hit! This year, we experienced The Truck Cat by Deborah Niland in our classrooms and enjoyed special NSS activities in the library during first and second breaks. 🐾 The feedback was just wonderful — a heartwarming story that truly resonated with our school community. With its themes of acceptance, belonging, cultural diversity, friendship, and community, The Truck Cat was a perfect fit for St Joseph’s.  It beautifully reflected the inclusive spirit of our school, parish, and our beautiful Mount Isa community. Check it out on Story Box Library. 💛📚

💻 This term, we’ve also been exploring the amazing digital tools available through our Destiny library platform. Our Year Fours recently spent time logging in and exploring Story Box Library and ClickView, which are generously provided by Townsville Catholic Education. If you’d like to explore these and more resources at home, please refer to the emails sent by Mrs Stretton. If you’re having trouble logging in, feel free to send her an email — she’s happy to help! 

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Our Year Threes are also stepping up and beginning their journey towards greater independence in the library. They’ve started checking in their own books and are giving the returns trolley a go — great job, Year Threes!

We’ve also loved having Mrs Munns using the library space at lunch for her learn-to-crochet sessions. It’s been a lovely, calm way for students to build new skills and enjoy a creative break in their day. 🧶

And finally, a big shoutout to our Kindy Friends, who borrow from the San Jose Library twice a week! We love having their energy, joy, and curiosity in the library — it's a beautiful reminder of how a love of reading begins early and grows with us. 💕📚

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Sport @Joeys

MISSA & NW SPORT TERM 2 UPDATE

This term, we have again had a number of students attend Mount Isa District and North West Regional trials for different sports. All students who attended represented our school with pride and showed great sportsmanship. 

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent the Mount Isa District:

• Soccer: Lilly F, Parker S, Atipaishe M, Finlay S, Jahquin D
• Touch Football: Mahli D, Marty J, Liam M (shadow)

Congratulations to the following students who were selected as part of the North West team for their respective sports: 

• Basketball: Charlie S, Myki N
• Cross Country: Flynn P, Finlay S
• Soccer: Lilly F, Finlay S, Jahquin D, Parker S (shadow)
• Touch Football: Mahli D, Marty J (shadow)

School News

Community News

Enrol Now for Year 7, 2026 at Good Shepherd Catholic College!

At Good Shepherd Catholic College, we are excited to welcome a new group of students into our caring and vibrant community for Year 7 in 2026. If your child is currently in Year 6, now is the time to begin planning for their secondary education journey with us.

Our enrolment applications are open now and are available on the College Website. We encourage families to submit their applications early as Round 1 applications close at 12pm on Friday 27 June 2025. If applications are not received by 12pm on Friday 27 June, families will be placed in Round 2 of enrolments, and there is no guarantee there will be positions available in the second round.

We offer a range of engaging transition opportunities, including:

• Open Day – Join us on Friday 13 June for a first-hand look at life at Good Shepherd.
• Transition Days – Set for Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September, these days help your child feel comfortable and confident as they prepare to start high school.

Round 1 interviews will be held from Monday 28 July to Thursday 7 August, with offers released on Friday 15 August.

Please note: Siblings of current students do not receive automatic enrolment. A separate application must be submitted for each child, and we encourage families to do so as early as possible to avoid missing key dates.

If you have any questions or need assistance, our friendly team is here to help guide you through the process.

Regards,

GSCC

enquiries@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

RAISING HEALTHY MINDS APP

The Raising Healthy Minds app is a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information.  

You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships.  

The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt-in to receive helpful tips.  

Raising Healthy Minds provides simple-to-use information at your fingertips with clear actions you can start today.  

Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind.

MOUNT ISA SHOW

Feeling Artistic? That’s good – we would like to show off your talent to our community….

Or maybe you love gardening, then we would love you to enter your best produce!

Have you been snapping away taking photos of the countryside, family, friends, pets, constructions or events. Then why not share them with us.

Or for those that love to cook, then stir the pots, crank up the stove and get the Judges taste buds hopping with your entries in our cooking categories.

We encourage all ages to enter, check out our extensive list of categories, from lego to quilting; cooking to needle work; woodwork to photography; art to macramé, to collectables to scarecrows – there is something for everyone to enter.

See below for full schedule...

Lead Alliance's 2025 Backyard Improvement Program - $4000 prize money up-for-grabs in the LeadSmart Learners category!