Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

As we officially begin the 2025 school year, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all parents for the time and effort you have put into preparing your children for the new year. Thanks to your dedication, we’ve experienced a smooth and seamless transition back to school. 

It is truly wonderful to be back and to see all of the students again. They are full of energy and are enjoying their social interactions. So many of them have gone out of their way to say Hi and as soon as I ask How was your holiday? They come back with How was yours?! You should be so proud of them.

This year we celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year that Pope Francis has themedPilgrims of Hope and I couldn’t think of a better way to enter into a brand new school year with this as our focus - being people of hope. Hope brings positivity, assurance and certainty all of which can help us in challenging times if we are open to it. Pope Francis’ message to Christians this year:  

Day by day, let us fill our lives with the gift of hope that God gives us, and through us, let us allow it to reach everyone who is looking for it.

2025 Annual Improvement Plan 

After thorough reflection and evaluation of our 2024 AIP goal, together with student achievement data, Tell Them From Me Data from students, staff and parents, we have collectively developed our 2025 Annual Improvement Plan:

Goal: Through quality assessment, students will be challenged in their learning, to ensure continual growth and achievement.

Strategies: 

• Developing a shared knowledge and understanding of quality assessment aligned to revised syllabuses
• Reimagining collaborative processes
• Alignment of a Professional Learning Plan
• Implementing consistent High Impact Teaching strategies - Explicit Teaching, Feedback and Worked Examples in English and Maths

We will continue to provide fortnightly updates in this newsletter of our progress towards our goal.

School Newsletters

The school newsletter is published fortnightly on a Thursday afternoon (even weeks). This is the formal mode of all school communication and is where you will find pertinent information regarding your child’s schooling and the life of the school. I strongly urge parents to read the newsletter which is emailed to parents and can also be sourced from the school website, including all archived newsletters. 

Compass alerts will be sent to parents when information is related to individual cohorts, important information that cannot wait for the next school newsletter and important whole school reminders.

School Assemblies

School assemblies are held fortnightly (even weeks) at 2pm in the school hall. Our first school assembly will be held tomorrow, Friday 7 February at 2pm. Entry for parents and visitors is through the Park Street gate.

• Please note that due to Kindergarten students having the option to be collected at 2.30pm this week, Kindergarten will not attend this assembly. Kindergarten students will attend the next assembly on Friday 21 February.

Kaylene Duffin

Principal, 

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Dear Families,

Welcome to the start of another exciting school year! I hope you’ve had a restful and joyous break with your loved ones. I spent my break enjoying quality time with my family, making music together, and now I am feeling refreshed and energized for the year ahead.

As we begin 2025, I am deeply committed to serving our parish school community in my role as Assistant Principal, guided by our Catholic values of respect, love, service, and justice. My role involves working closely with Mrs. Duffin, our leadership team, and staff to ensure our school operates smoothly while remaining focused on our mission to nurture the whole child—academically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally.

I see my role as one of service, collaboration, and support. Whether it’s guiding staff, working directly with students, or partnering with parents and families, I am here to help ensure our school continues to be a place of growth, learning, and faith for all.

I warmly invite you to come into the school and say hello. Whether it’s during pick-up or drop off, a scheduled meeting, or a school event, I would love the opportunity to meet and work with you in supporting your child’s journey again this year. May 2025 be a year of growth, joy, and community spirit, grounded in our shared faith."

Blessings for a wonderful year ahead,

Miguel Aguilera

Assistant Principal

Principal Awards

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

The following students received their Principal Awards tomorrow's assembly Friday 7 February  2025 (Week 2).

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.