Principal's Update

Good Afternoon 

Staffing Update

It is with gratitude and affection that we farewell Mrs Etty Lerk, who is retiring after an incredible 22 years of service at St Joseph’s.  Etty has touched the lives of countless students and families with her dedication, care, and passion for teaching.  We thank her wholeheartedly for all she has given to our community and wish her joy and fulfillment in this next chapter of life.

We also say goodbye to Mrs Claire Sexton, who will be moving on to an exciting new role at CMC in 2026.  Claire’s energy, commitment, and contributions have enriched our school in so many ways.  We are deeply appreciative of her time with us and send her our very best wishes as she begins this new adventure.

A full list of staff for 2026 will be shared with families next week.

Thank you St Vinnies

2026 Orientation (9/12/2025)

Next Tuesday, we hold our School Orientation Day when students spend the morning with their 2026 class grouping and teacher.  Our 2026 Foundation students also join us for their final transition/orientation session.

2026 Transition

PAM Issues

PAM is now available via the website only - pam.sjquarryhill.catholic.edu.au  

Christmas Carols - Thursday Dec 11 @ 2pm

2026 Grade Structure

We are excited to share our grade structure for 2026:

• 2 x Foundation (Prep)
• 2 x Year 1
• 2 x Year 2
• 3 x Year 3/4
• 3 x Year 5/6

At St Joseph’s, we currently operate with a combination of straight grades and multi-age classes.  To accommodate our growing enrolments, we are pleased to introduce an additional junior class next year, ensuring we continue to provide the best learning environment for all students.

Social Media Age Restrictions & Your Family

From December 10, 2025, many social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australians under the age of 16 create or keep an account.  The changes aim to protect under-16s from pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts.  These come from design features in the platforms that:

• encourage them to spend too much time on screens – for example, by prompting them with streams of notifications and alerts, and pressuring them to view disappearing content

• increase the likelihood of exposure to negative, upsetting or manipulative content served up in their feeds by algorithms.

   

The age restrictions are a delay, not a ban.  You won’t have to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to social media accounts, instead you can say ‘not yet’, knowing other under-16s are also being prevented from creating or keeping accounts so your child won’t be missing out. 

Quick Facts 

• The age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as other platforms.  See the latest list.

• Under-16s will still be able to see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require logging into an account.

• Most standalone gaming and messaging apps, as well as many services that support health and education, will not be affected by the new law.

• There are no penalties for under-16s who access an account on an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers.  This is about making the platforms take greater responsibility for the safety of children – they face fines of up to $49.5 million dollars if they don’t take reasonable steps to implement the changes.

Main Resource:Social media age restrictions hub | eSafety Commissioner

Engagement of Volunteers 

There are some great ways for parents to be involved at our school.  We thank you for taking the time to Volunteer and for your continued support.  Volunteers are integral to the school experience for our students, and they provide an important link to the community.

Some of the ways our school use Volunteers include:

• School Tuckshop

• Coaching school sports teams

• Helping during excursions or incursions

• Support at our school sports days

At St Joseph’s Primary School, Quarry Hill the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. To uphold our commitment to child safety, ALL Volunteers are required to review and acknowledge our Child Safe Code of Conduct, Staff & Students Professional Boundaries Policy and Photography & Video Policy and Procedures. Additionally, Volunteers must complete a Volunteer Registration form and successfully complete the CESL School Volunteer Induction before commencing their role as a Volunteer.

We deeply value the contributions of our Volunteers and appreciate your support in maintaining a culture of care and protection. Together, we can continue to provide a safe and nurturing space for every child to thrive.

For more information regarding volunteering click on the link below to complete the Volunteer Registration form.

 Volunteer Registration Form

All Volunteers will be asked to:

• Complete a Volunteer Registration form (including personal details, Working with Children Check (WWCC) and 2 personal referees), please inform your referees they will be contacted by the school in relation to your volunteering.

   

• Once you have completed the Volunteer Registration form and are approved to Volunteer at the school, you will be sent an email with a link to access the required training: (Please note – Completing this induction replaces the previous onsite induction interview)

   

• CESL School Volunteer Induction; and

• Read and acknowledge the Child Safe Code of Conduct, Staff & Students Professional Boundaries Policy and Photography & Video Policy and Procedures.

   

All Volunteers will be required to update details at the start of each year and inform the school of any changes to your circumstances or updates to your WWCC.  All Volunteers will need to complete the CESL School Volunteer Induction and read and acknowledge all relevant safeguarding policies at the start of each school year even if an existing Volunteer.

All information received regarding volunteering and providing referee details will be maintained in line with CESL Privacy Policy.

School Fees & Levies

Statements for school fees & levies are emailed to families at the start of each month.  Please check your statement and contact the office if you have any questions.

It is expected that all school fees and levies are finalised each year by the start of December.

The school provides a variety of options for payment of school fees and levies - in full at the start of the school year / part payment at the start of each school term / by direct debit – weekly, fortnightly, or monthly / by direct payment into the school bank account or by regular payments at the school office by cash or EFTPOS.   You can even pay over the phone if you wish.

It is important that payment of school fees and levies are honoured and prompt payment is much appreciated.  However, if you are experiencing difficulty meeting your obligation for payment, please contact the school to arrange a time to discuss this with the Principal, Mr Peter Teggelove.

               Congratulations to Koby Franklin, FSC, on the birth of his little sister - Harper

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... 

Together, Tim and Kate explore:

• What we learned from visiting high-performing UK trusts
• Why early identification and intervention matter
• Writing, spelling and literacy priorities for 2026
• Expanding Ochre beyond maths into science and strengthening a knowledge-rich pathway into secondary
• What's ahead in 2026 including system, wide oral language screening, a tiered wellbeing curriculum and explicit culture statement for Catholic Education Sandhurst.

Kind regards,

Peter Teggelove, Principal