School News

Wishing all our students a very happy birthday who celebrated their special day the last fortnight.

12 August -  Rozalia G Kinder

14 August - Rocket O Year 1

15 August - Mia P Year 1, Ashleigh C Year 2, Charlie P Year 2, Isobel B Year 3 and Ossian A Year 6

16 August - Zara P Year 4

17 August - Arlo S Kinder

18 August - Indianna G Year 6

21 August - Montana D Year 1 and Isabelle E Year 2

23 August - Abigail R Kinder and Lachlan C Year 3

Tournament of Minds

On Sunday, 23 St Joseph’s students competed in the Tournament of Minds. This is an academic competition focusing on collaborative problem solving and critical thinking. We had four teams across three disciplines; Language Literature, STEM and Social Sciences. These students have been working hard on creating a 10 minute presentation to respond to a Long Term Challenge question, they have been working on this for the past five weeks over lunch times, afternoons and also on weekends. 

We are so proud of all the students who participated in this competition and wanted to give a special mention to our Year 6 STEM team who won their discipline and will be continuing on to the State Finals in three weeks time, at UNSW.

Father's Day and Father Figures Celebration: Thursday 3 September

We are looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with our fathers and father figures on Thursday 3 September, 2026. The morning will begin at 8am with breakfast, followed by classroom visits and concluding with a brief Celebration of Fatherhood on the grass area. 

Our P&F representatives will host our Father's Day Stall and students are invited to bring in $10 to purchase a gift.

Years 3 students will purchase a Father's Day gift from the stall prior to leaving for their excursion. 

When do students go into summer uniform?

Students change from winter to summer uniform from Week 9 Term 3, Monday, 14 September 2026.

NOTE:  Parents may use their discretion during Weeks 9 & 10 should the weather be too cold or too hot.

Girl's School Uniform

Summer

Blue school pattern tunic, white above ankle length school socks,  black polishable leather shoes.

Alternate Option: This option includes a navy coloured culotte (now in stock at Lowes) and a custom school blouse with a school logo (see diagram).

Sports

Navy shorts, school sports polo shirt with crest, school tracksuit (jacket and pants), white above ankle-length socks and predominantly white joggers with white laces.

NOTE: The sports jacket is only to be worn on sports days with the sports uniform. On very cold days it may also be worn with the summer or winter uniform but over the school sloppy-joe. The school sloppy-joe should be the first choice for warmth.

Boys School Uniform

Summer

Grey shorts (not cargo type), blue short-sleeved shirt with school logo, grey socks, black-polishable leather shoes.

Sports

Navy shorts, school sports polo shirt with crest, school tracksuit  (jacket and pants), white above ankle-length socks, joggers

2026 Spelling Bee

The School Junior/Senior Spelling Bee Competition will be held Friday September 4 (Week 7). 

The Junior School Spelling Bee (Kinder - Year 2) will take place at 9:30am. The Senior School Spelling Bee (Year 3 - Year 6) will take place at 11:30am. An unseen word list will be used for the Junior/Senior School Spelling Bee Competition. 

Say It, Spell It, Say It! 

In the School Spelling Bee competition the Master of Ceremonies will pronounce the word, use it in a sentence, then repeat the word. The competitor must say the word first. This is done to let the MC know that the competitor has heard the word correctly. This also begins the 15 or 20 seconds of timing depending on age group. The competitor will then spell the word. A scribe will write the letters on a whiteboard as the competitor says them. During this time the competitor can self correct. When the competitor says the word a second time when spelling is completed, this tells the MC that they are happy with their spelling choice and no further changes can be made. The competitor has 15 seconds (Junior) and 20 seconds (Senior) to spell their word. 

The process is as follows:

MC: “snowflake… The snowflake fell to the ground….. snowflake.” 

Participant: “snowflake… S-N-O-W-F-L-A-K-E….. snowflake.” 

RULES

• A participant is eliminated from the school spelling bee competition as soon as they incorrectly spell a word.

• Once the word is said at the end of a participant’s attempt, they cannot go back and self-correct. 

• Upper case letters are required  as in Wollongong – Capital W-o-l-l (double –l-)

• If a competitor spells a word incorrectly but “self-corrects” within 15 seconds (junior) or 20 seconds (senior) or self corrects before saying the word the second time that participant remains in the game. 

• The timing begins once the participant has said the first letter of the word he/she is attempting. If a word is not spelled out within the 15 seconds (Juniors) and 20 seconds (Seniors), that competitor no longer remains in the competition.

• It is required that a competitor says the word at the end to show they are finished spelling. For example: “fuel   f-u-e-l   fuel”

• If a competitor spells a word correctly, he or she remains in the competition, waiting for his or her next turn. 

• If the competitor spells a word incorrectly, he or she is eliminated from the competition and the next participant is given a new word from the list.

• Final round rule: When only two contestants remain, the elimination rule changes. If one contestant misspells a word, the other contestant gets a chance to spell that word correctly. If that person spells it correctly, then they win. However, if that person also spells the word incorrectly both players remain in the game and they are given a new word.

• The teacher’s decision is final.

2026 Finalists for School Spelling Bee Competition 

Friday September (Week 7)

2026 Book Club Issue 6 - CLOSES 

Students have now received our Book Club Issue 6, 2026

Issue 5 will close 4 September 2026.

Books will be delivered in the week beginning 22 September 2026.

Thank you for supporting the Book Club.

Lost Property

If any of the items belong to you, please come and collect from the school office.

Increase Sickness at School

Over the last two weeks there has been an increase of sickness between students, including Influenza A, RSV and general unwellness.  We ask that if your child/ren have any symptons to please keep them at home.

Please note that NSW Health states that if your child/ren presents with vomiting or diarrhoea, it is encouraged that sick children should be refrained from attending school for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have ceased.

Important Notice Regarding Allergies and Anaphylaxis 

The safety of all students whilst at school is critical and we do what we can to prevent any incident that causes harm to any student. Many of you will know someone who is affected by anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.

There are many students across the school with severe allergies to either peanuts, eggs, or seafood and fish. These food items have the potential to put these students at risk. The school asks for your support in helping to make school safe for these children.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School asks that food containing nuts or nut products, sesame or eggs not be sent to school with your child. This includes Nutella type products. Please consider these children when packing crunch and sip, recess and lunch each day for your child.

To further reduce the risk for these children, products containing nuts are not sold in the school canteen.

You can also assist by clearly labelling your child’s food containers and drink bottle with their name.

No Sharing of Food Policy

At St Joseph’s we have a ‘No sharing of food’ policy and we ask that you reinforce this with your child.

If you have any queries or concerns about the management of those at risk of anaphylaxis, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you for assisting us in caring for students at risk of anaphylaxis.

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

 PB4L Expectations and Reminders

Setting clear expectations for behaviour and uniform is essential to ensure all students are Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. To reinforce these standards, we are regularly re-teaching our school's expectations within individual classes and across the whole school, making sure every student is well-informed. We appreciate parents' support in promoting these high expectations with their children.

Ask your child about the weekly focus for students.

This fortnight's focus:

Respect School & Personal Property 

Look after personal belongings; Be mindful of property of others; Keep work spaces organised, clean and tidy; Return equipment to correct locations; Use learning resources with care; Put rubbish in the correct bins

Sport

Term 3 Sports Uniform Days

South Coast Athletics Carnival and Wollongong Diocesan Athletics Trials 

On Tuesday 11 August, 44 energetic athletes from St Joseph’s headed to Beaton Park to compete in the South Coast Athletics Carnival. Despite a chilly breeze, the sunshine—and the unbeatable SJB spirit—kept the energy sky-high all day long!

Our students gave it their absolute all across both track and field events, demonstrating incredible grit, determination, and sportsmanship. A special congratulations goes out to our Girls Team who achieved a fantastic 3rd place overall! 🥉A huge congratulations also go to Harriet V who placed 2nd overall in the Junior Girls Age Champion and Chloe M who was the Girls Multiclass Age Champion! 🏆

12 of our athletes qualified to compete at the Wollongong Diocesan Athletics Selection Trials:

The Wollongong Diocesan Athletics Trials were held on Tuesday 18th August back at Beaton Park. The team of 12 students participated in both track and field events across the day and we are pleased to announce that 3 individual athletes, along with our Junior Girls Relay team, have qualified to take part in the NSWCPS MacKillop Athletics Trails at Sydney Olympic Park in September. Congratulations to:

We wish these talented students the very best of luck at the trials and we know you will represent St Joseph’s and the Wollongong Diocese with pride and give it your all!

Canteen

Cash purchases for snacks and drinks can be made at recess and lunchtime. Snacks and drinks can also be ordered via the new platform FlexiSchools.

Lunch orders

Orders for lunch can only be made through Flexischools.  Please note that orders close at 9.15am daily.  Orders cannot be placed after this time. 

Note:  Canteen is CLOSED MONDAYS

Flexischool Parent Support Line - 1300 361 769 (Hours: 7.00am-12.00 noon)

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Handbook

2026 Bus Timetable (Premier Charters)