Principal's Page

Dear Parents and Friends,

Recently, the eSafety Commissioner provided advice to schools and school systems on how to respond to the use of AI tools that can manipulate images taken from school websites and social media platforms.

Whilst we await further advice from CEDoW regarding their response to these recommendations, we have made the decision to use less identifiable images of students on our Facebook page and School Newsletter. This means we will not be posting close up images of students. We will keep parents updated on any changes to our current CEDoW technology policies as they are communicated to us.

National Child Protection Week

This week is National Child Protection Week with the theme - Shifting Conversations Into Action.

At St Joseph’s, the safety and wellbeing of our students is paramount, reflected in the range of wellbeing supports and staffing roles we prioritise across the school. We are fortunate to have a School Support Officer – Wellbeing, Mrs Cecilia Welch, working four days each week to provide targeted support to students based on individual need. This flexible approach enables Mrs Welch to support a range of students throughout the week, responding to emerging wellbeing needs as they arise.

We are also fortunate to have Catholic Care Counsellor, Claire Foote, onsite two days each week, providing additional specialised support for students who require it. Cecilia and Claire work collaboratively with teachers and leadership team members to ensure students are supported holistically and that wellbeing needs are identified and responded to in a timely and coordinated manner.

This support is further complemented by our morning transition program, supported by Mrs Vincent, which provides a welcoming and supported start to the school day for students who may benefit from additional assistance as they arrive at school.

Together, these layers of support provide a comprehensive approach to student wellbeing at St Joseph’s, ensuring that students have access to the right support at the right time and that their social, emotional and educational needs are considered as part of their overall wellbeing.

To acknowledge National Child Protection Week, teachers will provide students the opportunity to share their perspectives on what helps them feel safe and supported at school. Students will be encouraged to seek help if needed and given strategies to do so including reviewing their five nominated adults at school they could go to and ask for help if needed.

Parent Information Session - this Friday 11 September @ 1pm:

Additionally, Catholic Care Staff will be offering St Joseph's parents a Parent Information session in the Hall this Friday, 11 September at 1pm. The session is titled: Big Emotions, Calm Responses: Supporting Children Through Emotional Overwhelm. Last year, Catholic Care ran a similar session and it was excellent. We are hoping many parents can join us on Friday.   

Family Movie Night - Friday 11 September

The P&F are running our major fundraiser for the year this Friday, 11 September 5pm - 8pm - with a Family Movie Evening. On behalf of our staff and students, I cannot thank Hannah and her team for all of their organisation for this event. We are especially grateful for the generosity of our Sponsors:

• The Wealth Connection

• Alspec

• Northern Bowl and Leisure Centre

• Sydney Distric Plumbing

• Axaro Group

• MitchCap

• Dignam Real Estate

Tickets are available through Flexischools

2026 Annual Improvement Plan 

Goal: Students will be challenged to maximise their learning growth in Writing and clearly articulate their learning goals, know their next steps, and monitor their progress.

PROGRESS UPDATE:

• Observation and Feedback Cycles continue to be the focus of teacher professional learning in the area of pedagogical practices in Writing this past fortnight. As a Leadership Team, we are inspired by the commitment of our teachers as they engage in these cycles with vulnerability, openness, and a readiness to reflect on feedback aimed at strengthening their craft and enhancing student achievement in Writing.

• Our Staff Meeting this week focussed on planning for our 2027 Annual Improvement Plan. The process for discerning our strategic directions is guided by the Complex Collaborative Problem Solving Thinking Tool. Over the next few weeks, through data and causal inquiry, we will identify the most pressing ‘problem’ in relation to student learning to address in 2027.

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. 

Please find a snapshot of the professional learning our staff will attend over the coming fortnight:

8 September 2026

Union Representative

Mr Matthews

8 September 2026

PDHPE Primary Curriculum Implementation Day 

Mrs Mitchell

8 September 2026

Diocesan Leadership Development Program

Mr Aguilera

8 September 2026

Collaborative Planning

Miss Wragge, Mrs Turner, Mrs Liplyn, Mrs Clarkson

Mrs Smith, Miss Muse, Miss Boyd-Skinner

9 September 2026

HSIE Primary Curriculum Implementation Day 

Mrs Smith

10 September 2026

Collaborative Planning

Mrs Page, Mrs Hoile, Mrs Walls, Miss Boyd-Skinner

School Assemblies

Assemblies will be held in the hall from 2pm. All are welcome!

11 September 2026 (Week 8) - K-2

School Assembly

18 September 2026 (Week 9) - Years 3-6

School Assembly - Celebration of Learning- Year 3

Kaylene Duffin

Principal

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Principal Awards

Our Principal's awards are presented to students.

From Semester Two we will move to separate fortnightly assemblies:  

• K–2 (even weeks)

• Years 3–6 (odd weeks)

The following students from K-2 will will receive their Principal Awards at our school assembly, Friday 11 September 2026 (Week 8).

The following students from 3-6 will will receive their Principal Awards at our school assembly, Friday 18 September 2026 (Week 9).

How does my child receive a Principal's Award?

When students have received five awards from any combination of the following categories: Blue Merit, End of Term, Spelling Bee (1st , 2nd 3rd), Stage 3 Public Speaking (1st , 2nd 3rd), Stage 3 Diocesan Christmas Art Story (top three in Yr 5 & Yr 6) and St Francis of Assisi, they submit them to the school office to be recorded and become eligible to receive a Principal’s Award at the school assembly. Upon receiving their fourth Principal’s Award, students are presented with a Principal’s Medallion at a school assembly.

Please see the "School Handbook" for a full list of eligible awards.

End of Term Awards

The following student will be presented their End of Term 3 Achievement Awards on Thursday 24 September 2026 (Term 3 Week 10). Parents of students receiving End of Term Awards are welcome to join the assembly.

Academic Achievement Awards

Habits of Mind Awards

Mary of the Cross 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