Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

As we enter the final weeks of the school year, we also begin one of the most significant seasons in the Church calendar: Advent. This four week period marks the beginning of the liturgical year and is a time of preparation and expectant waiting for the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas.

The word 'Advent' comes from the Latin adventus, meaning 'coming.' It is a season focused on three comings of Christ: His birth in Bethlehem (past), His presence in our daily lives (present), and His second coming at the end of time (future).

The Four Weeks of Advent

Each week of Advent focuses on a specific theme, beautifully symbolised by the four candles on the Advent Wreath:

1. Hope: The Prophecy Candle

2. Peace: The Bethlehem Candle

3. Joy: The Shepherd's Candle

4. Love: The Angel's Candle

This season offers us a valuable opportunity to pause, reflect on our blessings, and prepare our hearts, not just our homes, for Christmas. May this be a time of prayerful anticipation and quiet joy for all members of our school community.

Advent Prayer Week 1: Hope

God of Hope, as we light the first candle of Advent, stir up our hearts to prepare the way for your Son. May our hope not be in the things of this world, but in the promise of Jesus Christ, who comes to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

Amen.

To honour Advent and give it the reverence it deserves, we ask that students wait until Monday 15 December (Week 10) to exchange Christmas cards. 

2026 School and Vice Captains

I am thrilled to announce the following formal Year 6 Student Leadership roles for 2026:

School Captains: Alba J & Christiano H

Vice School Captains: Grace M & Harry N

Polding House Captain (Red): Millie M & Ashby S

O'Reilly House Captain (Gold): Eloise B & Edwin Z

MacKillop House Captain (Blue): Indi G & Louie B

McCabe House Captain (Green): Mia R & Lewis B

Congratulations to these students!

I would like to acknowledge and express my deep pride in every student who nominated for these roles and presented speeches. The time spent in preparation and the courage it takes to stand for a leadership role knowing that there is a possibility of not receiving one, is not lost on myself and the staff. I would also like to express my pride in the manner in which all Year 5 students supported their peers once these positions were announced. It says a lot about the leadership capacity of every student moving into Year 6 next year. 

Learning Leap into 2026

The classes for 2026 are being finalised. Students will spend time in their new class on Monday 15 December and teachers are looking forward to meeting with their new students. This is an opportunity for students to take a Learning Leap into 2026.

Thank you to those parents who have made written requests, addressed to the Principal, regarding any information that may affect the placement of their child into a class for 2026. Wherever possible, efforts have been made to accommodate concerns and requests. No further requests can now be considered.

Allocating students into classes for 2026 is a complex process, and what may seem like a reasonable request for a parent may have unintended consequences for your child or other students. The academic, social and emotional needs of all students are considered, and teachers have a very good knowledge of their students and how they operate in the learning environment. Thank you for trusting the school in our decision making.

Semester 2 Reports

Semester 2 student reports will be available via the COMPASS Parent Portal in the morning of Thursday 11 December.If you would like to discuss this report with your child's teacher, please contact the school office.

We will be conducting a How To Read Your Child's Report session on Tuesday 9 December in the Hall at 8.50am for interested parents. The purpose of this session is to discuss current academic reporting practices, explore the academic report format and respond to questions.

Parents & Friends Association Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Due to low numbers in attendance at our AGM last week, we were unable to hold this meeting. We will carry this over to Term 1 and hopefully more parents are able to attend. The P&F has always been a strong parent-led association at St Joseph’s that has generously contributed to the school community in numerous ways including:

• fundraising which has provided air conditioning and our shade shelter, not to mention sporting equipment, IT resources and library books

• Mothers and Fathers Day stalls

• Easter Raffle 

• Colour Run 

• Second Hand Uniform Shop 

• Scholastic Book Club

• Year Book

• Christmas Concert BBQ.

   

In 2026, we are hoping a large part of the work of the P&F association will include exploring alternative models of parent engagement and advocacy. I will provide further details regarding the 2026 P&F AGM early in Term 1.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank our P&F President, Mrs Chantel Elliott, whose time at St Joseph’s will come to an end this year. For many years, Chantel has generously dedicated her time and organisational skills to planning highly successful fundraising events, including Trivia Nights, Spring Fairs, Mothers and Fathers Day stalls, and Colour Runs - raising thousands of dollars for our school. We are profoundly grateful for her foresight, commitment, and the easy going manner she brought to all her work. Thank you, Chantel - you will be missed.

Maintaining High Expectations for the Remainder of the Year

Advent is a very exciting time for all of us and together with Christmas looming, transitioning to the next grade and class splits being announced, the last few weeks of school can often bring about some unsettled behaviours. Staff are consistently reminding students of our Respectful, Responsible and Safe expectations for behaviour and are being vigilant with supervision and support at all times. I would appreciate your cooperation in reminding children of such behaviours and ensuring they continue to wear the correct uniform for the remainder of the year.

2025 Annual Improvement Plan 

Progress Update:

Monitoring the progress of our AIP goal is embedded throughout Leadership Team meetings and Staff Meetings during the year. As the school year draws to a close, we have evaluated the impact of our goal on improving student growth and achievement and we are proud of our collective efforts. Here is a snapshot of our evidence of Progress:

• Planned learning walks have provided areas for celebration and areas for re-focus and have highlighted evidence of improved and more consistent  teaching practices across the school including the use of Worked Examples and Explicit Teaching

   

• Increased teacher confidence,  knowledge and skills in relation to Explicit Teaching and Worked Examples evidenced during Peer Observation & Feedback Cycles with Instructional Coaches and teacher surveys 

   

• Growth in NAPLAN between 2023-2025.  2025 NAPLAN data (Numeracy) identifies an increase in cohort achievement, in terms of less 'Requires Support’ and more ‘Exceeding’ from 2023 - 2025.

   

  - 86% of students scored strong or exceeding in Year 3 and 5 for reading. 

  - 88% of students scored strong or exceeding in Year 3 and 5 for writing.

  - 85% of students scored strong or exceeding in Year 3 and 5 for numeracy.

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:

25 November 2025 - Instructional Coach Professional Learning Day

Mrs Grose, Ms Boyd-Skinner & Mrs Clarkson

26 November 2025 - Leadership Team Planning Day - 2026 Annual Improvement Plan

Mrs Duffin, Mr Aguilera, Mrs Grose, Mr Walker, Ms Boyd-Skinner, Mrs Clarkson, Mrs Smith

28 November 2025 - Lamplighters Spirituality Day

Mr Walker

School Assemblies

Our next whole school assembly will be held tomorrow, Friday, 5 December at 2pm.  

Our Final Assembly for the year will be held next week - Friday 12 December at 2pm. At this assembly, Merit Awards, Principal Awards and End of Term Awards will be presented.

Kaylene Duffin

Principal

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Principal Awards

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

The following students will receive their Principal's Awards at our whole school assembly, tomorrow, Friday 5 December (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 4 Achievement Awards to students on Friday 12 December 2024 (Term 4 Week 9). Parents of students receiving End of Term Awards are welcome to join the assembly.

Academic Achievement Awards

Habits of Mind Awards

Saint Mary MacKillop Award

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