Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

Our annual Staff Spirituality Day was held on Friday 22 August. This year, the focus of the day was, The Eucharist - A Call to Be Bread Broken for the World, and it was an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the Eucharist and how it leads us to actively live out our faith. As Catholics, we understand The Eucharist to be the source and summit of our Catholic faith. That is, is where our faith comes from (source) and a way of being in the world (summit), and it is this ‘way of being’ that resonated with us on Friday. 

When we receive Jesus at communion we are participating in a transformative encounter that calls us to be Christ's presence in the world – bread broken for the world. Our response, AMEN, is our pledge that ‘we agree’ to living in the way of Jesus - being committed to the poor and most vulnerable and to be of service to others.

Thus this transformation - faith into action - through participating in The Eucharist must remain central to our purpose for attending mass.

What is your transformation at Eucharist?

National Child Protection Week 7-13 September

The theme of this year’s National Child Protection Week, highlights that while open discussions are crucial, words alone are not enough: we must turn dialogue into meaningful action.

To acknowledge this important week, we are inviting our Parents and Friends to join us for an information session facilitated by Catholic Care Counsellours titled, Understanding and Managing Anxiety: Practical tools for parents and carers 

This session will be held at 12.45pm - 1.45pm on Friday 12 September, just before our Week 8 Whole School Assembly. 

2025 Annual Improvement Plan 

Update of Progress

• Teachers have continued their professional learning, focusing on the High Impact Strategy of EXPLICIT TEACHING. This work is designed to minimise cognitive overload, ensuring students can better retain new knowledge and skills.

   

  In each grade, teachers are collaborating with their Instructional Coach to enhance a specific Explicit Teaching strategy or technique. Examples of their focus areas include chunking learning into manageable parts, checking for understanding, providing feedback, differentiation, flexible groupings and concise teacher talk.

   

  Teachers will sharpen these strategies/techniques through a Teaching Sprint over the remainder of the term.

Recent Staff Professional Learning

Research tells us that the quality of the teacher is the greatest in-school influence on student achievement. Therefore high quality professional learning for teachers must be a priority to ensure improved teacher practice that leads to improved student learning growth. Professional learning undertaken by our staff over the past fortnight includes:

18 August 2025 - School Strategic Improvement Plan 

Mrs Duffin, Mr Aguilera, Mr Walker, Ms Clarkson, Miss Boyd-Skinner

20 August 2025 - Senior School Support Officer Network Day

Mrs Gallagher & Mrs Reilly

25 August 2025 - Collaborative Planning - Explicit Teaching (Half Day)

Miss Wragge, Miss Papaleonidas, Mrs Matthews, Miss Boyd-Skinner

Mrs Greenwood, Mrs Clark, Miss Gemmill

26 August 2025 - Collaborative Planning - Explicit Teaching (Half Day)

Mrs Kalinikos, Miss Negus, Mrs Liplyn, Miss Boyd-Skinner

Mrs Lantry, Mrs Parker, Mrs Rollestone, Mrs Walls

26 August 2025 - High Potential and Gifted Learners

Mrs Pirie 

27 August 2025 - Collaborative Planning - Explicit Teaching (Half Day)

Ms Clarkson, Mrs Fursey, Mrs Walls

27 & 28 August 2025 - Assistant Principal Retreat

Mr Aguilera

28 August 2025 - Speech Pathology & Occupational Therapy Reconnector

Mrs Kalinikos & Mrs Liplyn

28 August 2025 - Collaborative Planning - Explicit Teaching (Half Day)

Mr Matthews, Miss O’Donoghue, Mrs Smith, Mrs Walls

School Assemblies

Due to the Soccer Gala Day tomorrow, our next whole school assembly will be held next Friday, 5 September at 2pm.  All are welcome!

Kaylene Duffin

Principal, 

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Principal Awards

Our Principal awards are presented to students fortnightly on the even week.  

The following students received their Principal Awards at our whole school assembly, Friday 5 September 2025 (Week 7- note change of date) 

How does my child receive a Principal's Award?

Class teachers nominate students for Blue Merit Awards which are presented at the weekly assembly.  When five Blue Merit Awards have been received, students send them to the school office to be recorded and are then eligible for a Principal’s Award. When students attain their 4th Principal Award, they are awarded a Principal’s Medallion at an assembly. End of Term awards can be included as part of the 5 awards.  Please see the "School Handbook" for a full list of eligible awards.

Acknowledgement to Country

St Joseph's Bulli acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people past, present and emerging the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built