Term 3, Week 8 Newsletter - 5th September 2025

From The Principal

Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,

Yesterday, staff and students came together to host a wonderful Father’s Day celebration. It was a timely reminder of the importance of family, and it was heartening to see so many fathers and father-figures join us for the morning.

In conversations with students and families, it sounds as though many are looking forward to making the most of the long weekend. Today, our staff are in Cloncurry, working alongside colleagues from St Joseph’s Cloncurry in professional development focused on curriculum implementation. Please note that today is a Pupil Free Day, and that our next scheduled Pupil Free Day will be on Tuesday, 7th October 2025 (Week 1, Term 4).

This week also saw our Learning Conferences take place. Staff and parents have provided positive feedback about these valuable conversations. As always, it is important to remember that communication doesn’t need to wait for formal meetings—teachers are available via email and are happy to connect with you at any point during the term or year. If you have not yet been able to meet with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to reach out and check in on their progress.

Our students also represented the school proudly at the Mount Isa School Sport Touch Gala, supported by Miss Tanisha Bird and Miss Tahlia Bird. It was fantastic to see the excitement of the students and the enthusiasm of staff—particularly when Miss Tanisha Bird dashed into the office to share the good news and hold the trophy high. Congratulations to all involved!

From next week, I will be attending a conference and will have limited availability. During this time, Mrs Tenielle Blanco will serve as Acting Principal. Please feel free to approach her with any matters that may arise.

Finally, a reminder following on from last week’s message: we continue to see an increase in illness among both students and staff. In recent weeks, we have had confirmed cases of Influenza A and B, RSV, and gastroenteritis. Please take note of the important information below regarding symptoms and exclusion periods.

If your child presents at school with symptoms of any of the above illnesses, families will be contacted and asked to collect them immediately.

I hope you all enjoy a safe and restful long weekend.
God bless,

Scott Murray,
Principal

Education In Faith

GSCC Year 12 Ministry

The Year 12 students from Good Shepherd Catholic College have been running Outreach Ministry sessions with our Year 3 students. We’re so grateful for the leadership, energy, and faith these senior students bring.

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Multicultural Festival 

This Friday, our parish will come alive with colour, culture, and community as we celebrate our Multicultural Festival! The festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, share in the richness of our diverse backgrounds, and enjoy an evening filled with delicious food, music, dance, and friendship. There will be a variety of cultural performances and stalls to explore, as well as plenty of fun for families and children. We encourage everyone to come along, bring your family and friends, and celebrate the beautiful diversity that makes our parish community so special. We look forward to seeing you there!

RU OK? Day

Thursday 11th September we mark R U OK? Day, a national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that a simple conversation can make a big difference. The message is simple: “Ask R U OK?, listen, encourage action, and check in.” It’s about noticing when someone might be struggling and having the courage to reach out with care and compassion. To help raise awareness, students are invited to wear yellow.

Community Christmas Evening

Planning for our Community Christmas Evening is well underway, and we are looking forward to a wonderful celebration to round out the year. Our organising team is always grateful for extra hands and volunteers are most welcome! If you would like to get involved, please come along to our planning meetings or contact the office for more details.

We are also seeking sponsors and donations for our Cent Sale and raffles. If you, your family, or your business would like to contribute, we would love your support.

50/50 Raffle Tickets: Students brought home tickets last week. If you require additional tickets, please see the front office.

Deadly Choices

Our Year 5 students had enjoyable visits from  Deadly Choices! Year 5 learned all about healthy eating and food safety, including hand washing, keeping a germ-free kitchen, and preparing balanced meals. Students also practised their kitchen skills by making their own delicious wraps with ham, cheese, tomato, and lettuce. A big thank you to Shi-Lee and Deadly Choices for helping our students build knowledge and skills for healthy living!

Save the Date - End of Year Mass

Please mark your calendars for our End of Year Mass and Awards Ceremony as we come together to celebrate the achievements of our students and give thanks for the year that has been.

Date: Tuesday 2nd December

Time: 9:00am

Location: Penola Centre

This special occasion is a time to gather as a community in prayer, gratitude, and celebration. We warmly invite all families to join us.

More details will be shared closer to the day.

Tenielle Blanco,
APRE

Foundations In Education

PAT Testing Years 2–6

Over the coming weeks, students in Years 2-6 will complete the PAT Adaptive Reading and Mathematics assessments. These assessments create a personalised test pathway for each student, adjusting the level of questions based on their responses. This provides a more precise picture of individual achievement and offers greater diagnostic insights into learning needs. Teachers will use the results to inform their planning and guide future teaching directions, ensuring that learning programs continue to meet the needs of all students.

Learning Conferences Term 3

Thank you to all the parents, carers, and families who took the time to attend our Learning Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. We truly value the effort you made to be part of these important conversations. Building strong relationships between home and school is vital, and these conferences provide a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your child’s progress, share insights, and work together on their future learning goals.

ICAS Testing 2025

ICAS Testing for 2025 has now been completed. Congratulations to all the students who took part in this academic extracurricular challenge. Each student demonstrated determination and a positive attitude throughout the tests, and they should all feel very proud of their efforts. Hard copy certificates will be sent to the school and presented at a future assembly. Parents of these students will be notified once a date for the presentation has been set.

Karlia Ryan,
APPL

Wellbeing & Diversity

School Refusal

School refusal, sometimes called school avoidance or school phobia, is not uncommon. It is different to ‘wagging’ or truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. School refusal may start gradually or happen suddenly. Although it is normal for a child to occasionally miss a day of school, parents should only be concerned if a child regularly complains about feeling sick or often asks to stay home due to minor physical complaints.

School refusal is a complex issue as there is rarely a single cause. It affects children of all ages across primary and secondary levels. It can often occur during times of transition at school. More recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the educational experience of all students, affecting some more than others. Dealing with a school refusal child can affect the whole family, adding pressure to an already challenging time. School refusal is not considered a formal psychiatric diagnosis. It’s a name given to an emotional and/or behavioural problem.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will learn how best to approach this issue and work towards a solution.

Here is the link to your Edition  https://sjmtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-refusal

Cassandra Little,
Guidance Councilor

In The Classroom...

Earlier this week, our Year 1 students were treated to a visit from our local firefighting heroes! The visit offered a hands-on opportunity to learn about fire safety and the important role firefighters play in keeping our community safe.

Students explored the difference between good fires—like candles on a birthday cake—and bad fires that can be dangerous. They also learned the number to call in an emergency: 000.

One of the highlights of the visit was learning how to respond in the event of a fire. With memorable safety tips like “Get down low and go, go, go!” and “Stop, drop and roll,” our students now have tools to stay safe if the unexpected happens.

The students even got the privilege of seeing a firefighter suit up in their protective gear!

A huge thank you to our local fire crew for visiting and helping our students become fire safety superstars!

In The Library...

Thank You St Joseph’s for a Fantastic Book Week!

What an amazing week we’ve had adventuring into Book Week at St Joseph’s. From the excitement of the parade to listening to stories and exploring new books, it was wonderful to see our students, staff, and families having such a great time.

A big highlight was welcoming our three special guest readers who generously gave their time to share stories with our students – we loved having Deputy Mayor Coghlan, Cr Coghlan and Fr Namekka bring even more excitement to the week. Students also loved the activities in the Penola Centre, where they could explore some of our CBCA short listed books in creative and hands-on ways.

A huge thank you to our parents and carers for supporting the week so well. The effort that went into the costumes this year was fantastic, dressing up is such fun and I appreciate your efforts.  Dressing up sparks many conversations at school and is a very viable way of starting conversations and encouraging a love of books. 

 Book Week is always a highlight of our school year, and this year’s celebrations reminded us just how special it is to adventure into stories together. Thank you for helping to make it a week to remember!

Check out our Social Media for the full video!

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