Principals' Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome back to all our students, families, and staff as we begin the final term of the 2025 school year! We hope the recent holiday break provided a valuable opportunity to relax, reconnect, and enjoy time with loved ones. It has been truly heartwarming to see our students return with such energy and enthusiasm, their smiling faces lighting up our classrooms and playgrounds each day.

Term 4 is always a vibrant and eventful time in the life of our school, filled with opportunities for learning, celebration, and reflection. From exciting classroom projects to whole-school events, there is so much to look forward to as we head towards the end of the year.

This term holds particular significance for our Year 6 students and their families, as they prepare to farewell primary school and embark on the next stage of their educational journey. We encourage you to savour each special moment in the coming weeks, whether it's a final assembly or a shared laugh with classmates. These are the moments that create lasting memories.

We’re excited for all that Term 4 has in store and look forward to sharing it with our wonderful school community. Let’s make it a memorable conclusion to an incredible year at St Joseph’s!

Learning Fair

It was especially heartening to conclude last term with our Learning Fair, where many parents and carers joined us to celebrate the incredible work of our students. The strong turnout and genuine engagement from families highlighted the rich partnership we share in supporting student growth and success. Events like this, along with Footy Finals Fever Day, truly reflect the spirit of community that makes our school so special.

Diocesan Pilgrimage (Mrs Holland)

Every 25 years, the Church proclaims a Jubilee Year, a special time of grace, renewal and spiritual growth. As 2025 is a Jubilee Year, I was greatly privileged to attend the Armidale Diocesan Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi during the recent school holiday break. Our group, gracefully led by Fr Damien and Br Allem from Armidale, included Armidale Catholic Schools staff, principals and parishioners from across the diocese.

In Rome, pilgrimage highlights included passing through the Holy Doors of the four major papal basilicas, celebrating Mass daily with fellow pilgrims in beautiful chapels, joining the general papal audience and experiencing Pope Leo’s blessing among thousands of international pilgrims, touring the Vatican Necropolis and Catacombs of San Callisto, and witnessing the breathtaking Sistine Chapel.  Finally, among the charm and beauty of Assisi, highlights included visits to the Basilica of St Francis, the Hermitage, the Basilica of St Clare, and paying respects at the tomb of the recently canonised St Carlo Acutis, a young modern saint known as the Patron Saint of the Internet.

Feeling more connected to the history of the Catholic Church and inspired by the lives of the saints, I return with a renewed sense of faith, hope and peace, and am deeply grateful for the experience. 

Maree Holland & Greg O'Toole

Co-Principals

St Joseph's School - a Faith Filled Community Where Learning Matters