Principal's Update

Good afternoon families ... 

We begin this week’s newsletter with some exciting news from our wider Church family ...

On Wednesday evening, Pope Leo announced the appointment of the Most Reverend Shane Mackinlay as the new Archbishop of Brisbane.  Bishop Shane will be stepping into this important role following the retirement of Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who has faithfully served as Archbishop for 13 years and has been a Priest for 51 years.

Many in our school and parish community have come to know Bishop Shane fondly.  Only recently, he joined us to celebrate the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist with our students, a moment we will treasure.  Over the past six years as Bishop of Sandhurst, he has led with warmth, calm wisdom, and genuine care.

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Bishop Shane and keep him in our prayers as he begins this new chapter of leadership in the Church.

Congratulations to our nine Year 4 students who received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist on Saturday night.

New Shade Sails

The new shade sails in the Year 3-6 area have finally arrived!

Thank you and congratulations to the wonderful St Joseph's Parents & Friends Association who fundraised and funded this important project to keep our children shaded from the elements.

Calmer Classrooms

St Joseph's as well as 50 other Sandhurst schools are implementing a Classroom Mastery Program which is proven to promote quieter and calmer classrooms.  With the assistance of 'Knowledge Society', we will roll out three new whole-school procedures in Term 3:-

• Cue to Start
• Classroom Entry Routine
• Classroom Exit Routine

The first part of the rollout for this program will involve establishing entry and exit routines (this is something that we already do well at St Joseph's) and a uniform cue to start for our students.  Whilst none of these routines are new to our school, you will notice that it will mean some things have been refined.

One aspect of change for all our students will involve the use of a uniform entry routine at the commencement of each day.  All our students will line up outside their classrooms and enter quietly.  Whilst entry routines are used throughout the day, they have not been used commonly in the mornings.  We will explain to our students why we are doing this to assist them to adjust to the change.  

We will also have a common cue to start.  A cue to start is what is used to bring students to attention.  This is used already at St Joseph's but each of the teachers tend to have their own cue to start.  The common cue to start will now involve teachers counting down from 5 and as they approach two, they will say “and" to which the students will respond together “one.”  It just means that it is easier for our students as, no matter which teacher they have, they will all have the same cue.  

There will be other aspects of Knowledge Society which will be rolled out over the course of the year. 

Science of Learning - Retrieval Practice

What is retrieval practice, and why do we use it?

Retrieval practice is a powerful learning strategy that helps students remember what they’ve learned by regularly bringing information to mind – rather than simply re-reading or reviewing notes.  When students are asked to recall facts, ideas, or processes from memory (even if they don’t get it perfectly right), it strengthens their understanding and improves long-term retention.  It’s a bit like exercise for the brain – the more we practise retrieving information, the stronger those memory pathways become.

In classrooms across Sandhurst, retrieval practice often takes the form of short, daily review activities, such as those in the Ochre Daily Review slides.  These warm-up questions cover key content from the previous day, week, or term.  By revisiting material in this way, students make connections, notice patterns, and build confidence in what they know.

Importantly, retrieval practice is low-stakes – it’s not a test, but a chance to revisit and strengthen learning.  Research shows that even a few minutes of retrieval each day can lead to significant improvements in student learning.  That’s why it’s embedded in our teaching and why we encourage families to talk to their children about what they’re learning at school – it really does make a difference.

CESL Magnify Podcasts

If you haven't already listened to any CESL podcasts, I encourage you to take the time to listen to the following podcast... 

Great teaching starts with calm, predictable classrooms and it doesn’t happen by chance.

In this episode of Magnify Matters, host Ashley Marsh, Assistant Director: School Improvement and Safeguarding at Catholic Education Sandhurst, is joined by Dr Tim McDonald and Sara Wiggins from Classroom Mastery, to unpack the strategies, structures and mindset shifts that create classrooms where learning thrives.

School reports 

Our student reports for Semester 1 are currently being developed and will be released at the end of term through your PAM account.  Please take time to have a read and celebrate your children’s learning and achievement.  Learning Conversations will be held in Week 2 next Term.

Supervision Hours (Repeat)

Please note - the school yard is unsupervised before 8:30am.  There are still many, many children on the grounds prior to this time.  For the safety of your children, I am asking that they are not dropped off at school before 8:30am.

Winter Wellness Reminder

Just a gentle reminder that we’ve reached that time of term when winter illnesses tend to take hold.  Both students and staff are more susceptible to colds, flu, and other seasonal bugs during this period.  We kindly ask families to remain vigilant and to keep children at home if they are showing clear signs of being unwell.  This helps us maintain a healthy environment for everyone and supports the wellbeing of our entire school community. Thank you for your continued care and cooperation.

Enrolment

2026 enrolment offers have been sent out and we look forward to beginning the transition and interview phase in Term 3 & 4.  Information forms have been sent out this week, please complete these as soon as possible prior to the end on the term. 

Some families have indicated they are leaving St Joseph's for another primary school. Please let us know if this may be the case.  It is extremely helpful in planning for next year and beyond and we can often support transition to another school environment. 

Kind regards,

Peter Teggelove, Principal