Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs.

The Holy Father, Lenten Message (2025) 

This message, gifted to us from Pope Francis, resonates very much with me and will guide me during Lent - in fact it is plastered on the wall in my office! 

At the Diocesan launch of Project Compassion on Tuesday, Bishop Brian Mascord reinforced the three pillars of Lent - Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, however he said in addition to ‘doing’ these, we must go ‘deeper’ and suggested we need to think about this question: What do I need to change to become more like Christ? 

I have pondered this question over the past couple of days and for me, the answer lies in Pope Francis’ Lenten message, thus this Lent I will endeavour to examine whether in my life, in my family, in my work place and where I spend my time, am I capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of my own needs.

School Cyclic Inquiry

In Term 2, our school will participate in a School Cyclic Inquiry (SCI). This is an integral component of our Diocesan Continuous Catholic School Improvement approach to strategic planning leading to improved student outcomes and successful growth in faith, learning and wellbeing.

The SCI is a school led inquiry and review process that generally occurs every 4 years. The process evaluates the school improvement efforts of the previous four years and through inquiry into evidence, leads to the development of a four year Strategic School Improvement Plan.

Staff have begun the 'self review' phase of the SCI and will continue this deep reflection using evidence at our Pupil Free Day this Monday 10 March. It is important that weconsult all stakeholders in the SCI process and as such we will be seeking feedback and insights from our families over the next several weeks. Our Pupil Free Day on Monday 28 April (first day of Term 2) will also focus on the SCI.

Los Angeles Congress Reflection

Accompanied by fellow leaders from our Diocese, we embarked on a pilgrimage to Los Angeles and we would like to share some reflections and learnings....

The LA RE Congress has been running for 69 years with this year’s theme being Called to Compassion. This is a theme that we can all relate to and our attendance was a ‘....radical invitation to create a more compassionate..’ and loving world through participation in Liturgy, Eucharist and workshop and keynote speaker presentations. 

Day 1: When Homeboy Industries founder, Father Gregory Boyle, became the pastor of Dolores Mission Church over 20 years ago, it was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, surrounded by disadvantaged youth and youth without a purpose. But where some saw ‘criminals’, Father Greg saw young people in need of help and in need of love. One at a time, Fr Greg began changing the lives of these young people, by giving them purpose through founding the largest gang rehabilitation centre in the world. Fr Greg encouraged us to think that the people we encounter are not “problems to be solved, but rather people to be loved.”  

Father Greg’s book, Tattoos on the Heart is an incredible read and we were very fortunate to have met Father Greg in person at Homeboy Industries and two days later attended his keynote address at the Congress. This address was quintessential to the Congress theme, Called to Compassion. 

Day 2: The RE Congress began with Youth Day - a vibrant day planned by young people, for young people. On this day, we listened to Jessica Cox share her story. Jessica is the world's first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. She was born without arms due to a rare birth defect. Her inspirational story gave us the motivation to rethink what we can and can’t do and that with faith in God and a strong passion to do, anything is possible. 

Days 3-5: In light of the theme, “Called to Compassion”, we attended multiple keynote addresses and workshops and were reminded that Jesus invites us not to close our eyes to the many needs of our loved ones, our world, and even our enemies. Jesus encourages us to believe in our compassionate hearts! We must “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Compassion is not a moral emotion, rather, Pope Francis reflects, “compassion is the language of God.” A phrase that was repeated throughout every workshop we attended. 

Some stand out workshops for us were:

Fr. Jim Clarke: What Good Can Happen When Religion Meets Politics? 

• Fr Jim spoke of the importance of building connections by listening from the heart and sharing our own stories. Jesus’ best teaching was done through parables and we are encouraged to do the same. 

Peter Kolar & Kate Williams: What Does Representation Look Like in our Liturgies and Why Does it Matter? 

• A stand out quote: “I choose to walk with someone else, knowing that Christ is present and we then have the gift of sharing Christ with those we walk with.”

Leonard DeLorenzo: Reclaiming Fatherhood: The Model of Saint Joseph. 

• This workshop analysed Joseph’s character and his absolute dedication to God through his actions - Joseph does not say a single word in the gospels.

• In forming young children in the faith, we learned that Joseph was patient, had faith and confidence and demonstrated profound gratitude. We don’t need to speak to do any of those things well. 

Terry Hershey: This little light of mine: Making a difference in our world.

• Here we were reminded that we are all “the light of the world” and this provides us with the opportunity to make an incredible difference in our world as we can also be the light for others whose light has ‘dimmed’. We must remind everyone that they are the light of the world and for some….that there is a light…… A practical tip for home, rather than asking, “How was your day today?” and getting the typical answer of “boring”, we are encouraged to ask each other, “What made you glad today?” “What made your heart sing?”

Anne Kertz Kernion: The Outsized Effects of Compassion: How Brains, Bodies and Minds are Changed through Kindness and Service 

• Anne profoundly shared the neurological links between kindness and health.

Sister Marie-Kolbe Zamora: The Today and Tomorrow of the Francis Papacy

• With Pope Francis’ illness at the forefront during the Congress, this keynote was a deep dive into the relentless focus of Compassion that Pope Francis continues to this day - a focus that we have never seen under the papacy of any other Pope. It was an extraordinary presentation, as Pope Francis is an extraordinary Pope! 

Throughout each of the days, we were immersed in such rich culture and diversity. We participated in Liturgies from African, Latino, Vietnamese, Chinese and Native American backgrounds. One of the most moving experiences was joining in with the song “Open my eyes, Lord” delivered only through sign language.

In the final Homily of the Congress, Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, highlighted that our mission as teachers, parents, educators and adults is to raise a new generation of Saints. He went on to highlight that for every Saint that exists, there were men and women who taught them about the faith. This message ignited a passion and renewed enthusiasm for our own mission as parents and Catholic School educators. 

Day 6-7: Cathedral and School Visits. 

Inspired to make change in our own communities, we had the great privilege to see practical applications of this change. We visited Christ Cathedral, Orange County, and appreciated its rich and modern architecture. This church was a Protestant church that had been converted into a Catholic Church after it was sold in 2011. 

Our visit to the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral was met with an immersion into the life and culture of downtown Los Angeles. Witnessing poverty and homelessness struck a chord in our hearts and made us contemplate what more we can do on a local level to support the disadvantaged in our communities. 

We were looking forward to observing how Catholic Schools in America operate. Our visit to St Genevieve's and St Finbar's Catholic schools were inspirational. The joy that radiated from students, parents and staff of these schools was amazing. The welcome we received was none like any other - we felt like celebrities on the Hollywood walk of fame!

St Genevieve's mission: - To know God.  To live with honor.  To change the world. How simple! But it was lived through every student.

St Finbar’s held the theme: “YOU ARE LOVED”. Nothing more needs to be said, and this theme was seen and felt.

We felt very blessed to have been given the opportunity to attend this pilgrimage, along with eight CEDoW colleagues and Father Ken Cafe as our Pastor. We wish to thank our own Diocesan leaders, Peter Hill and Jo Kenny for inviting us to attend this formation experience, and we wish to express our gratitude to Paul Skippen, our group leader. Paul certainly achieved his mission of “Connecting everyday faith with everyday life in Catholic schools.”  If pilgrimage is about Eucharist, knowledge and input and encountering God, then we achieved this in abundance and we are excited to share our experience with our School Community. 

Mrs Kaylene Duffin and Mr Alexander Walker  

Parents and Friends Association

Thank you to the parents who were able to attend or send their apologies to our Parents and Friends Association Annual General Meeting. I am pleased to announce the following executive positions:

President: Chantel Elliot

Vice President: Natalie Nichols

Secretary: Perrie Simovic

Treasurer: Jessica De Angelis

I thank these parents for accepting these positions and I look forward to working in partnership with our P&F Association this year. P&F General meetings are held each term and we warmly invite everyone to come along and support our collective mission in educating our students in their faith, learning and wellbeing. Information regarding the P&F can be found on the Parents and Friends section of this newsletter.

2025 Annual Improvement Plan 

Goal: Through quality assessment, students will be challenged in their learning, to ensure continual growth and achievement.

• Teachers are currently in the Sprint Phase of the Teaching Sprint approach to collaboratively improving teaching practice. Focusing on the High Impact Strategy - Worked Examples, teachers are currently working alongside our Instructional Coaches in classrooms and observing each other's practice and giving feedback. The leadership team have conducted Learning Walks during the Maths block to evaluate the impact of this professional learning 

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:

19 February 2025 - 28 February 2025 - LA RE Congress 

Mrs Duffin & Mr Walker 

19 February 2025 - 20 February 2025 - Mini Coge Course

Mrs Pirie

3 March 2025 - New PDHPE Syllabus Working party meeting

Mrs Grose & Mrs Mitchell

6 March 2025 - SSSO Network Meeting

Mrs Gallagher and Mrs Riley

7 March - Network Meeting

Mrs Duffin

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 tomorrow's assembly Friday 7 March  2025 (Week 6).

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.