Happy Birthday

Wishing all our students a very happy birthday who celebrated their special day over the last fortnight and to remainder of the 2025.

5 December - Eden C Year 3

6 December - Grayson Orell

12 December - Edison B Year 5, Astin K Year 6 and Khian H Year 6

13 December - Myles M Kinder

14 December - Jordan B Year 1

15 December - Emmanuella N Year 4, Harriet V Year 2, Oliver P Year 5 and Fletcher S Year 5

17 December - Juniper M Kinder

21 December - Charli M Year 2

22 December - Saskia H Year 2

24 December - Christian H Kinder

26 December - Daisy L Year 4

29 December - Zoe C Year 5

30 December - Luca N Year 5

31 December - Flynn B Year 5

2025 Year Book

A sincere thank you to Perrie for volunteering to create our school Yearbook. This is a huge amount of work and we are very grateful to Perrie for taking this on so that our students and families are able to enjoy this keepsake for many years to come.

Second Hand Uniform Shop - Thank you

I would like to sincerely thank Alicia for her leadership in the Second Hand Uniform Shop this year. Alicia opened the shop at every Kindergarten Playgroup session this term, as well as on many other occasions. Thank you to those parents who have worked alongside Alicia this year to provide this valuable service for our community.

Returning to School in 2026

Students K-6 will return to school on Thursday 29 January, 2026. Thank you in advance for ensuring your children wear correct school uniform. Maintaining high expectations for uniform - including grooming, hair styles and jewellery - sets the tone for high expectations of behaviour and learning.

Please ensure students return to school with appropriate hair styles:

Students are required to wear their hair in a neat and tidy manner.
Long hair, or hair that touches the shoulders, or covers the eyes, is to be tied back off the face.
Haircuts should be blended and uniform in appearance. Extreme haircuts and excessive variations in length are not acceptable, including undercuts, steps, mullets, mohawks, rat’s tails, lines, and extreme fades.
Hair should be natural in colour. Bleaching, colouring and dyeing of hair is not permitted.
Haircuts should not draw negative comments or attract undue attention.
Navy blue headbands (no sweatbands), ribbons and scrunchies may be worn in the hair.

Year 6 Graduation Awards

This week we officially farewelled our 2025 Year 6 students. On Tuesday evening, we enjoyed the Year 6 presentation night including announcing the 2025 Year 6 Award recipient. Congratulations to this year's award winners:

St Joseph 'Truth and Light' Service Award

Hugo Segrave & Harry Michael

Passion For Learning Award

Layne Bywater & Elle Attenborough

St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal

Thank you for your donations of hamper items and Christmas Raffle. Additionally, Mrs Parker and Mr Walker, created beautiful Christmas Cards from some of the Christmas Art Story artworks with all monies going towards this same appeal. Due to your generosity we were able to give $3167 to Corrimal St Vincent De Paul Chapter to support local families in need this Christmas.

SJB School Fees

2025 School Fees

Thank you to all that have now finalised your 2025 School Fees. For those that still have amounts outstanding, please finalise these by the end of the week as all fees were due on 1 December.

2026 School Fees & Instalment Payments

School Fee Accounts are invoiced annually and are generally payable in full within 30 days unless you are paying via instalments (See below)

Schools also offer the option of paying fees by regular instalment.

Families who wish to pay by instalment should complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form via this link. Instalments can be made either Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly or Quarterly however the instalment request must be completed.
Once this has been completed, you will receive your 2026 School Fee Statement in February 2026 which will outline the dates and amounts of your payments. All payments must be set up via your own internet banking.

Please note that families who have previously completed a Request to Pay by Instalment and have been making regular payments will not need to submit a new request.

If you have children in more than one school in our Diocese the frequency of your instalment eg fortnightly, weekly, etc. will apply across all schools. We are unable to provide multiple frequencies.

Any changes to your instalment schedule are requested using the Request to Pay by Instalment link above.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Card Design

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Caleb L (4J). He is one of only 5 winners in the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Card Design Competition!

Caleb's artwork has been selected from almost 400 entries and will be printed on the St Vincent De Paul official Members Cards in Sept/Oct 2026.

Caleb will receive a Vinnies Christmas prize pack and will receive a set of Christmas cards next year, featuring his very own design!

Congratulations Caleb!

You can see the winning designs here:

SVDP Christmas Card design Competition

Thank you to all students at St Joseph's who participated. You have helped to raise awareness of the wonderful support St Vincent de Paul provides to so many people in need, especially at Christmas.

Mrs Parker

SJB 'Can Do Club'

Earlier this term, students in Y3 were asked to design an initiative to help our environment. Y3 has also been reading ‘Wandi,’ and learning about dingoes and the essential role they play in our ecosystem.

Jamie A and Max W (3M) came up with the idea of a “Can Do Club.’

Their idea is to collect 10c cans to raise money for the

Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre, a 40-acre conservation site run by the Australian Dingo Foundation (ADF). It is located in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia, and is known for protecting pure alpine dingoes and educating the public.

The boys have so far raised $24.80 after spending their lunchtime, along with their friends Jude and Harrison, removing cans from our school's red bins.

Not only have they raised money for a wonderful cause, they have also saved 3 garbage bags full of cans from landfill!

Fantastic effort boys! You are saving the environment and our purebred alpine dingoes, one can at a time!

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY and PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PDHPE) REVISED SYLLABUSES

You may be aware that NSW Education is currently in a period of significant curriculum reform with Revised NSW Syllabuses being implemented over a staged timeline. Following the implementation of the Revised English and Mathematics Syllabuses over the past few years, the focus now shifts to the implementation of the Science and Technology and PDHPE Syllabuses in 2026.

These Revised Syllabuses are centrally focused on decluttering content to enable deeper learning, strengthening literacy and numeracy foundations, and providing a clearer developmental progression from Kindergarten to Year 12. The syllabuses streamline content to focus on the essential knowledge and skills students must master, promote the integration of knowledge and its application, rather than separating theory and skills. Ultimately, the reform aims to raise student performance by giving teachers clearer, more manageable syllabuses and ensuring students build strong, essential foundations for future learning and life.

This term, teachers have been provided with Professional Learning to prepare them to implement these syllabuses, with our commitment to provide parents with information in the new year.

School Student Travel - 2026

Applications are now open for 2026 School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) travel.

Students in the Opal network applying for an Opal card (including a Term Bus Pass) for the first time will receive their School Opal card at their nominated postal address from mid-January 2026.

Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass but have not yet applied need to apply for a new card or update their existing card as soon as possible. Students who receive a notification that their School Opal card is expiring need to re-submit their details.

If a student has lost their School Opal card, they will need to apply for a replacement card. Note: a new card will not be issued if an existing School Opal card is updated online – you must submit a replacement application if a School Opal card is lost.

In the Opal network, students should travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.

Terms of Use

Students using School Opal cards must tap on and tap off in line with the Opal terms of use.

This includes travel within the approved times between 6.30am and 7.00pm from Monday to Friday on school days only. Students must use their Child/Youth Opal card for any travel outside these times.

All students are required to comply with the Student code of conduct. The code of conduct aims to ensure the safety and well-being of school children and other passengers. It is important that parents ensure their child is aware of this, as failure to comply with the code of conduct can result in a suspension from travel.

eSafety Commissioner – Which Social Media Platforms Are Age-Restricted?Social Media Minimum Ages

To support the online industry and the general public in preparing for the upcoming Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) obligation, eSafety has released guidance on which platforms are likely to be classified as age-restricted social media services. From Wednesday 10 December 2025, these services will be required to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from holding social media accounts.

As part of this preparation, eSafety has reviewed a broad range of online services to determine whether they meet the criteria for age-restricted social media platforms under the new legislation. The updated list, current as of 21 November 2025, identifies which services are expected to fall under the SMMA obligation and which are not.

This guidance is intended to help platforms plan for compliance, assist parents and carers in understanding what the changes mean for young people, and provide clarity to educators and the broader public. By outlining these classifications ahead of time, eSafety aims to support a smooth transition as Australia moves toward stronger protections for children online.

To view the lists of social media platforms that will and will not be restricted, and for further information on Obligations on service providers, go to: Which social media platforms are age-restricted? | eSafety Commissioner.

Screen Time Survey for Families

Healthy Cities Australia is inviting you to take part in an important survey!

We want to hear from you about how children and young people are using screens in their daily lives. Your insights will help us better understand the digital world our children are growing up in and will guide the development of education and advocacy resources to support parents and carers in promoting healthy digital habits.

The survey is open to anyone who supports children and young people—including parents, carers, educators, health and community workers.

As a thank-you for your time, participants will go into the draw to win 2 x $50 prizes.

Speak up and share your experience—your voice matters.

Canteen

FRIENDLY REMINDER: PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE CHANGED YOUR CHILD/S CLASS TO REFLECT THEIR CLASS FOR 2026

PLEASE NOTE - NEW OPENING HOURS FOR CANTEEN

Open TUESDAY to FRIDAY for recess and lunch.

Cash purchases for snacks and drinks can be made at recess and lunchtime. Snacks and drinks can also be ordered via the new platform FlexiSchools.

Lunch orders

Orders for lunch can only be made through Flexischools. Please note that orders close at 9.15am daily. Orders cannot be placed after this time.

Note: Canteen is CLOSED MONDAYS

Flexischool Parent Support Line - 1300 361 769 (Hours: 7.00am-12.00 noon)

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Handbook

2025 Bus Timetable (Premier Charters)

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Ask your child about the weekly focus for students.

This week's focus:

Listen and respond respectfully to staff instructions.

What does this look like:

Looking at the speaker; Listening to what is being said;

Showing you understand what you have heard through

your words and actions ; Responding with respect.

Community Services

AFL Illawarra North Sydney School Holiday Program

School Holiday Clinic - Sydney Thunder

Woonona Football Club

Edmund Rice College - Centenary Mass