Dear St Joseph’s Families,

Welcome to our Week 4 newsletter. It has been an incredibly busy and rewarding start to the term, filled with sporting triumphs, community celebrations, and professional growth. As we move further into Term 2, it is wonderful to see our students embodying the spirit of St Joseph’s in everything they do.

School Notices & Reminders

Daily attendance for all students is vital for both academic success and social development. Missing just one day a week can have a significant impact on a child's progress. If your child is absent, please notify the school office or submit an absence note via Compass. The Leadership Team along with Stage Teaching Teams will be holding attendance meetings in the coming weeks aimed at helping improve student attendance at school. We look forward to working with families to ensure success for every student.

Book Fair

It’s time to clear some shelf space—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school library from June 9th to June 12th!

Whether your child is a graphic novel enthusiast, a fantasy fanatic, or just looking for the coolest new scented eraser, the Fair is the highlight of the school year. Here is everything you need to know to get ready:

📅 Fair Schedule

Tuesday 9th June – Friday 12th June: Open for student browsing and shopping during school breaks. Also open before school 8:30-8:50am and after school 3pm-4pm.

📚 Why it Matters

Every purchase made at the Book Fair earns Scholastic Dollars for our school. These funds go directly back into our library and classrooms to buy new books, technology, and learning resources for all students.

Walgett Show

Congratulations to all staff and students for an outstanding display of school work. We were thrilled to receive Second Place in the Primary School Work section with our display celebrating 130 years of St Joseph’s in Walgett. A massive thank you to Sharon, Aunty Fay, Reburdah, and Casie for the mammoth task of collating and arranging all the student work into such a beautiful display.

Mother’s Day

Thank you to all the mums and motherly figures who joined us for our breakfast last Friday. Photos have been uploaded to our school Facebook page. We hope you all had a wonderful weekend being celebrated by your families.

ANZAC Day

Staff Professional Development

At the start of this term, our staff engaged in two days of intensive professional learning:

Spiritual Reflection: A day of faith formation held at the showground. We thank Leonie and Anne from the Spiritual Renewal Team for guiding us.
Co-Teaching Cycle: Staff worked with Jen and Leisa from St Xavier’s Gunnedah, learning how their co-teaching models have achieved great results. We look forward to implementing these insights at St Joseph’s.

GRIP Leadership

Well done to our Year 6 leaders who traveled to Moree today for the GRIP Leadership Conference. We look forward to seeing you put your new leadership and confidence skills into action!

Health & Wellbeing

Thank you to the WAMS staff for visiting last week to conduct an influenza vaccination clinic for our staff. We truly appreciate your support in keeping our team healthy.

Sporting Success & Achievements

Our students have been shining on the field lately!

Cross Country: A huge congratulations to all students who participated in our school Cross Country. Your effort and persistence were great to see. Special mention to those students who have now qualified for the Diocesan Cross Country Carnival in Barraba on Friday 22nd May - we wish you the very best of luck!
Rugby League: Huge congratulations to Oliver VB on his selection for the Diocesan Rugby League team and his fantastic participation at the Polding Carnival.
Rugby Union: Well done to our Stage 2 and Stage 3 teams who competed in the Coonamble Cup. A particular shout-out to our Stage 2 team, who were crowned the Under 10s Champions! All students displayed outstanding sportsmanship on the day!
Netball Leadership: We are very proud of Mrs. Schiller for her role as the Armidale Diocesan Netball Coach and Manager at the Polding Carnival. What a fantastic achievement!

Important Dates

14th May - Kindergarten Vision Screening
19th May - School Photos - full winter uniform required
22nd May - Diocesan Cross Country Carnival - Barraba
25th-29th May - Catholic Schools Week
28th May - Moree Deanery Mass
8th June - Public Holiday
9th - 12th June - Book Fair
10th June - Open Classrooms
15th-19th June - Wii Gaay Camp
30th June-1st July - Parent Teacher Interviews
2nd July - NAIDOC Day
3rd July - Ridley Trudgett Netball Carnival Warren
3rd July - Last day of term 2

Blessings for the week ahead,

Donna

Our Catholic Community

May is the Month of Mary