Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

Each day, I am reminded of the vibrant learning community that is St Joseph’s. Our community continues to build upon its hard earned reputation of providing quality Catholic education that is responsive to the needs of our students, empowering them to engage in an education that inspires them to become independent and life long learners. 

Recent weeks have highlighted this vibrant learning community and the varied opportunities for student engagement:

STEM Mad Competition

We are proud of our Year 5 students for their participation in the National STEM Mad Competition which they showcased to parents and students last week at the Year 5 STEM Mad Expo. It was a privilege to witness their problem solving and creativity firsthand. The students presented innovative solutions to real world problems with confidence and enthusiasm. We extend our sincere gratitude to colleagues from the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Wollongong, who dedicated their time to judge the entries. A huge congratulations to the students who will now advance to the Regional competition to represent our school:

• Jordan, Taj, Luca and Oliver: Healthy Hearing 

• Lewis, Noah, Hayden: Kinetic Bike

• Ashby & Conor: Hydro-Mill

• Toby & Louie: N-Wave

In the lead up to the Year 5 Expo, Year 5 had the honor of hosting the Federal Member for Cunningham, Allison Byrnes, in their classrooms. Ms Byrnes was extremely impressed with the students' projects and their problem solving abilities, a wonderful testament to their hard work. In response, Ms Byrnes has arranged for Lord Mayor, Tanya Brown and renewable energy expert, Saul Griffiths, to visit Year 5 next Thursday, 18 September. This is a great opportunity for our students to share their learning and critical and creative thinking with a high profile audience and engage with experts.

NRMA Future Transport Challenge

We are thrilled to announce that a number of our Year 5 students recently competed in the NRMA Future Transport Challenge. We are incredibly proud of their learning and engagement, and we offer a big congratulations to Conor, Lewis and Edwin who have now advanced to the next level of this competition. These students are one of three groups competing in the finals to be held in Sydney in November.

Annual Improvement Plan

Goal: Students will be challenged in their learning, to ensure continual growth and achievement.

Progress Update:

• All teachers are currently engaged in a Teaching Sprint to enhance Explicit Teaching in the area of Mathematics. This process involves teachers and Instructional Coaches working alongside each other co-teaching and co-reflecting on the impact of the instruction on student learning and engagement. 

   

  I had the privilege of being present for lessons in many classrooms throughout the week and I am very excited about the learning I observed. Instruction was differentiated and regular ‘check ins’ were occurring to assess the level of students’ understanding before moving on to the next series of learning. 

   

  These photos were my attempt to capture some of the high quality learning and teaching observed:

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:

2 September 2025 - Lamplighters Spirituality Program

Mr Walker

4 & 5 September 2025 - Religious Education Coordinator Retreat

Mr Walker

School Assemblies

Our next whole school assembly will be held tomorrow Friday, 12 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, tomorrow, Friday 12 September 2025 (Week 8).

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.

End of Term Awards

The following student will be presented their End of Term 3 Achievement Awards on Friday 26 September 2025 (Term 3 Week 10). Parents of students receiving End of Term Awards are welcome to join the assembly.

Academic Achievement Awards

Habits of Mind Awards

Mary of the Cross 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