Principal's Page

Mother's Day

Honouring our mothers and the mother figures in our lives at today's Mother's Day Breakfast and Liturgy was a very special experience. Thank you to all of the mothers and grandmothers who were able to join us today. I would also like to express my thoughts for those mothers and grandmothers who would have loved to have been with us but for whatever reason were not able to attend. 

In the lead up to Mother's Day, we recall the importance of Mary, the Mother of God and her centrality to our Catholic faith. Mary espouses many values, however these three values often come to mind when reflecting on Mary:

1. The Value of Humility - The Marian value of humility teaches us to put others first. When we are humble, we let go of our selfish, human ways and become in tune with the ways and will of God.
2. The Value of Simplicity - Mary lived her life in the simplest way. Despite having found favor in the Lord, she accepted what was given to her with grace and humility. She  found pure happiness in the spiritual world - nothing else mattered.
3. The Value of Charity - Charity is at the heart of everything that Mary did. Being a mother involves being charitable and deeply generous in one’s actions.

Thank you to all of the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in our community for your support of your children and the support you show our staff. On behalf of the St Joseph's community, enjoy your special day on Sunday with your loved ones.  For those that were unable to attend today's liturgy, please find below the link to the slideshow.

Vale Bishop Peter Ingham

Peter William Ingham, the fourth bishop of Wollongong, died peacefully in the late evening of 26 April 2024. He was 83 years of age and almost 60 years a priest.

With the mention of the name, Bishop Peter Ingham, words and images immediately spring to mind. Bishop Peter had a prodigious memory for names and faces, and it was a great joy to him to be among people at diocesan or civic gatherings. His warm and welcoming, happy and caring nature were evident in his engagement with each person. He was compassionate and approachable, faith-filled and prayerful—in essence, a servant leader. His greatest joy was to be a disciple of Jesus and a true shepherd of God’s people.

In 2016, Bishop Peter was diagnosed with fibrosis of the lungs which restricted his airways and his capacity to exert himself. As his condition deteriorated, he was cared for by a close family friend with the assistance of his doctor and palliative care teams in Sydney. He faced his death with the dignity, graciousness and serenity that had characterised his life—gently surrendering into the arms of our loving God at 83 years of age on 26 April 2024.

Paying tribute to the impact Bishop Peter had on the Diocese of Wollongong, our current bishop, Bishop Brian Mascord said: “Bishop Peter was a spiritual father of the Illawarra, Macarthur, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands. We offer him a heartfelt ‘well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:23), and we take comfort in the sure hope that we now have another advocate in the presence of our Lord praying for the needs and salvation of the people of God in the Diocese of Wollongong.

“A man of God—a man for the people. May his noble soul rest in peace.”

Tell Them From Me - Parent Survey

In the coming weeks we will be inviting students, teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Joseph's.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Parents will be sent the link via Compass today. The survey will close on Friday 24 May.  

Annual Improvement Plan Update

Goal: Students will achieve continual growth in Mathematics as a result of shared curriculum expectations and collaborative processes ensuring alignment of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment.

• Our Staff Development Day on 29 April focussed on further developing shared expectations of the Revised NSW Mathematics syllabus and in particular in relation to vocabulary and understanding the role of Place Value. Staff also designed a unit of work based on the results of assessments in the area of Representing Number that were administered at the end of Term 1. 
• As a Professional Learning Community, our teachers work in Professional Learning Teams. These are stage based and at the present time are Chaired by a member of the Leadership Team. These teams meet 6-7 times a term for one hour. The purpose of these teams is for staff to work collaboratively, building teacher efficacy, so that our students achieve excellent learning growth. The analysis and monitoring of student data is a crucial element of these meetings.

Professional Learning Teams:

Early Stage 1 - Miss Negus, Miss Loumanis, Mrs Liplyn & Mrs Grose

Stage 1 - Miss Gemmill, Miss Wragge, Mrs Fursey, Mrs Matthews, Mrs Rollestone & Mrs Clarkson

Stage 2 - Mrs Greenwood, Mrs Clark, Miss O’Donoghue, Mrs Haritos, Mrs Kors & Mrs Smith,  Mrs Lantry & Mrs Duffin

Stage 3 - Mr Matthews, Mrs Allan, Mr Barr, Mrs Walls, Mr Walker, Mrs Parker & Mr Aguilera.

Early Career Teachers Learn at SJB

On Tuesday, staff from the Catholic Education Office facilitated a professional learning day at St Joseph’s for 12 Early Career Teachers who work in our Wollongong Diocesan schools. It was an honour for our school to be asked to host this day and showcase quality learning and teaching. Mrs Grose delivered an inspiring presentation focusing on the importance of building relationships with students, engaging students in their learning and collaboration. Mrs Clarkson, Mr Matthews and Miss O’Donoghue provided demonstration lessons for our visitors to observe quality learning teaching and student engagement in action. Being asked to support early career teachers in this way is testament to the quality education our teachers provide each day and our shared commitment to our profession through developing the knowledge and skills of early career teachers.  

Winter Uniform

Our students officially wear their Winter School uniform from Monday 13 May (Week 3, Term 2). We do provide a two week ‘buffer’ either side of this date to cater for varied weather conditions:

Thank you to the overwhelming majority of families who support our School Uniform expectations. We have high expectations for learning and behaviour and our Uniform expectations are no different. 

Please note: All students must wear black leather school shoes with their Summer/Winter Uniform. Canvas or jogger style material is not acceptable. 

School Assemblies in Term 2

Our first school assembly for Term 2 will be held tomorrow, Friday 10 May from 2.00pm in the hall.  All 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 will receive their Principal Awards at our assembly at 2.00pm on Friday 10 May  (Term 2 Week 2). 

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.

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.