Principals' Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome back to all our students, staff and families for another extremely busy and productive term. We hope you enjoyed a restful break and were able to enjoy some special time together with family and friends. We have had a very enjoyable first week of Term 3. There was definitely a tremendous buzz of excitement around the school as everyone caught up with their friends and shared holiday experiences. The students have settled very quickly into their learning routines in a positive manner with the wonderful support of our dedicated staff. 

Thank you - Father Anthony

Last Wednesday we held an assembly to farewell Father Anthony as he takes on a new role at the Armidale Cathedral. As a school community we have been so blessed to have Father Anthony as our Parish Priest. 

Father Anthony, when we heard the news that you were leaving, there was much sadness. You’ve been such a wonderful Parish Priest and we thank you for your commitment and dedication to St Joseph’s School. We have truly valued your spiritual guidance and support, not to mention your thoughtfulness and great sense of humour. 

 

You have been very active in the life of the school whether it be celebrating Masses, Liturgies or Sacraments, your involvement with the School Advisory Council, the many visits for special school events or just popping in for a 'cuppa'.  You have always made every occasion special and memorable. And we’ll never forget Cracker with the centenary balloons or Vena with all the eggs at Easter!  These visits over the years, along with Cracker and now the beautiful Vena, have always brightened the day for the students and staff.  

 

You have always been so generous with your time despite your busy schedule and many commitments, and it has been a pleasure to work with you over the past few years. Your happy nature, care and concern will be missed by all at St Joseph’s School.  We can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done and we wish you all the very best in Armidale - they are so lucky to have you.

 

You take with you our heartfelt thanks, love and prayers. 

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Father Sabu Pulimalayil RCJ from St Francis Xavier's Parish Narrabri, as he takes up his leadership role at St Patrick's Parish. We look forward to working with Father Sabu and know that you will join us in welcoming him to our school community. 

Semester 1 - Three Way Learning Conferences

Our term concluded with our Semester One 'Three Way Learning Conferences' and once again it was great to witness such a fantastic response from our parent body in regards to attending these important learning conversations. It clearly demonstrates what a caring school community we have here at St Joseph’s with parents/carers and staff taking such an interest in how they can support each other to assist in the ongoing development and education of their children and the students of our school.

NAPLAN 2024

If you have a child in Year 3 or Year 5, you will have received their NAPLAN report which was sent home last week in an envelope. The report presents your child’s achievement against the national average for the year.  

Overall, we are extremely proud of the high levels of proficiency that have been demonstrated by our students with 71% of our Year 3 children achieving results in the top two levels for Reading and 100% in Writing. In Year 5, 74% achieved proficiency in Reading and 82% achieved in the top two levels in Writing. On all of the ten NAPLAN assessments conducted across Year 3 and Year 5, our school’s average score was higher than the national average. This is a great achievement! 

These results are outstanding and certainly worth celebrating, however it is important to remember that NAPLAN results are only one of many ways that teachers gain information about students' strengths and what the next steps are in each child's learning journey.

You will find further information about the NAPLAN Individual Student Report in The Learning Zone.

Athletics Carnival - 2024

“CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS!” Well the term has certainly started off with a bang, which is rather appropriate since our students performed so admirably for their respective houses at our annual school athletics carnival to conclude our term. Our school spirit was truly alive as we came together as a community just as our Olympians are doing right now as they compete at the Paris Olympics. Congratulations to everyone on your enthusiastic participation. You should be very proud of your wonderful efforts! You definitely carried out the immortal words of  Pierre de Coubertin, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part." It was a glorious day to gather as a school community and take part in an absolutely marvellous carnival. 

Well done to all the staff on their work preceding the carnival and on the day, especially our convenor Mr Paterson. Their tireless efforts ensured that a great day was had by all in attendance. A vote of thanks is extended to the many parents who were able to assist on the day with a variety of tasks that all go towards making the carnival run so smoothly and add to our school community. Also, a massive thank you to the parents/P&F for your awesome efforts at the “Crazy Café” aka BBQ, it was certainly appreciated by all in attendance.

Finally, well done to those children who qualified for the Armidale Diocesan Athletics Carnival to be held in Tamworth on Friday 9th August. 

Wishing all members of the St Joseph's School community all the best for a great week.

Maree Holland & Greg O'Toole

Co-Principals

St Joseph's School - a Faith Filled Community Where Learning Matters