Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Carers

Staff Spirituality Day

On Monday, staff participated in our annual Staff Spirituality Day where we focussed on ‘Purpose’. This day was part of a series of days over the last two years that will lead to the development of a set of school values and the revisiting of our school Vision and Mission statements. 

Reflecting on our school's Vision and Mission is the starting point for all we do. Knowing who we are and why we exist plays a very important part in shaping our school culture. The school’s vision and mission provide a solid grounding for our future, for school improvement, and for decision making in all areas of the school. This work will continue throughout 2024.

Staff Professional Learning - Improving student writing

On Tuesday,  teachers continued to work towards one of our school improvement goals:

By the end of 2023, students will have improved their writing through the consistent application of evidence based teaching strategies so that all students K-6 demonstrate learning growth in writing.

The day focussed on teacher instructional strategies and the importance of developing students’ oral language and vocabulary to understand and respond to literature and to create written texts. 

The ongoing analysis of student writing samples shows that the work of teachers to improve their practice is having a very positive impact on the writing of all students across the school. There is significant growth in students’ ability to write texts with a better understanding of the elements of grammar at the sentence and paragraph level.

Tuesday saw teachers also continue to grow in their understanding of the new English Syllabus. This year, the Kinder to Year 2 English Syllabus began implementation and in 2024 the new Year 3-6 English Syllabus will be introduced.

 Congratulations to teachers and students for their work in writing texts.

Term 4 Learning and Events

The next ten weeks will see students continue to improve in all aspects of their learning and continue to grow in their faith. This is why every day of attendance at school is important so that students are not missing new learning, the opportunity to deepen their understanding, and practice what they learn. Any time away from school can potentially create gaps in learning.

Early next week parents and carers will be provided with grade newsletters for the term and I encourage all parents to engage with these in order to support your child/ren’s learning. Your partnership with teachers is highly valued so please feel free to contact your child’s teachers throughout the term via the school office.

Term 4 also brings many school events that we look forward to including:

• Kinder 2024 playgroups
• Kinder 2024 parent orientation evening
• The book fair
• Grandparents day
• World Teachers Day
• Catholic Mission Crazy Sock Day
• Year 6 transition to high school program
• Year 5 Leadership Day
• School and class liturgies and Masses
• Year 2 Sacrament of Penance
• Year 6 Farewell
• School Christmas concert
• Various class excursions

These are a few of the activities planned so please see the Dates To Remember section of this newsletter.

New School Counsellor

This week, we welcomed our new school Counsellor Sandra Kay. Sandra is a very experienced counsellor who will work with the families of students who receive counselling support over the coming weeks. Sandra will be at St Joseph's every Wednesday.

School Leadership Term 4

Mr Miguel Aguilera will be on leave for the remainder of the year and I am pleased that Mrs Kylie Grose has agreed to continue in the role of Acting Assistant Principal. Parents are welcome to contact Kylie to support the pastoral needs of any student.

Mrs Christine Smith will continue as Middle Leader and Mr Alexander Walker at Acting REC. Thank you Kylie, Christine and Alex. 

Parent/Carer Consultation Session for the next Principal of St Joseph’s

As you will be aware, I have announced my resignation as Principal of St Joseph’s. It was a difficult decision as I have a great love for the school, students, families, and staff. Together we have achieved so much over the last seven years.  

The recruitment process for the new principal is currently being conducted by the Catholic Education Office. Community consultation is a key part of the process for the next Principal of St Joseph's Catholic Parish Primary School, Bulli. The Catholic Education Office would like to invite parents and carers to attend a consultation session to discuss the current context of the school and what the parent/carer community believe is important for the next Principal to demonstrate.

The details of the consultation session are:

Date: Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Time: 5.00pm - 5.30pm

Location: St Joseph's Bulli (Year 5 classrooms)

Attending From the Catholic Education Office:

• Andrew Heffernan - Head of Continuous Catholic School Improvement - Primary
• Brendan Hall - Team Leader, Recruitment

For all things at St Joseph's, we give thanks.

Mrs Jen Charadia

Principal

Principal Awards - Friday 20 October 2023

The following students will receive their Principal Awards on Friday 20 October 2023 (Term 4 Week 2) at 2pm

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.

Acknowledgement to Country

St Joseph's Bulli acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people past and present, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built.