Term 3 Week 10 2025
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
As we come to the close of Term 3, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the many achievements and highlights of the past ten weeks. It has been a busy, vibrant term filled with learning, growth, and community spirit.
This term, we have continued to place a strong focus on our school value of Respect. We have been encouraging students to show respect not only in their learning but also in the way they treat one another on the playground and beyond. Playing fairly, including others, and using kind words are small actions that make a big difference in building a safe, welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong.
As a Catholic community, we look to the example of Jesus, who always treated others with kindness, fairness, and compassion. When our students show respect, play fairly, and care for each other, they are living out His teachings in their everyday lives. These Gospel values guide us not only in school but in the way we grow as people of faith and hope.
Our students have also shown resilience, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge themselves in their learning. Whether it be in the classroom, on the sporting field, or through creative and cultural activities, they have demonstrated the values we hold dear as a school community.
I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our staff, who create engaging and supportive learning environments for our students every day. Their commitment to nurturing both academic success and personal wellbeing makes a real difference.
A special thank you also goes to our families for your ongoing support. The partnership between home and school plays a vital role in helping our children flourish, and we are grateful for your encouragement, trust, and involvement.
As we head into the holidays, I encourage families to take this time to rest, reconnect, and enjoy time together. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for the final term of the year, which promises to be full of exciting learning opportunities and celebrations.
Wishing you a safe and happy break.
Warm regards,
Tracey Loughhead
Assistant Principal -Learning & Teaching
Dear parents,
Our learning has been amazing this term. I am so proud of the children for their work ethic and the fabulous results they achieve, as well as the teachers who consistently and lovingly support them in their learning. I also want to thank you, parents, for your efforts in supporting your child's reading at home, which is reflected in your child's results. When the school and home work together, it only benefits your child, so well done, and keep it up!
Speaking of helping your child....
We have begun a new program at St Joseph's in Kinder and Year 1 called the Number Fluency Program. This program is aimed at improving mathematical automaticity. It is designed to be short, sharp, and systematically focus on those skills that are critical in Number. The Number Fluency program is designed to be a stand-alone extra 10-15 minutes of maths each day. The Fluency Program focuses only on Number-based skills. In each Set, there are 20 Number skills that Dr Ange Rogers has identified as laying critical foundations for later Number learning. The content ‘threads’ that run through the program are: Subitising, Part-Part-Whole, Additive Thinking, Place Value, and Multiplicative Thinking.
The pillars of the program are
Repetition
The Number Fluency Program is built around repeated opportunities to practice the same skill. This retrieval practice allows the brain to strengthen the neural pathways related to performing each skill.
Low-Variance Curriculum
The Number Fluency Program follows a set and predictable structure and order. This provides clarity for teachers and students and allows low-variance, school-wide implementation.
Whole School Approach
The Number Fluency Program includes six Sets of skills. The program is designed to be implemented across the whole-school so as to ensure consistency and progression through a student’s entire school journey. Teachers can pass on the student’s fluency data to subsequent teachers to ensure a seamless transition from year to year.
Student-led Progression
The Number Fluency Program is built around Sets of skills that increase in complexity. This progression encourages skill development in students. Within each set, the skills are designed to build in complexity and continually challenge students.
Regular Progress Monitoring
The Number Fluency Program is based on the idea that every student is assessed by a teacher once a week. These short, sharp check-ins provide accountability for students and allow teachers regular opportunities to provide feedback to students and monitor progress.
Goal Setting
An important part of the program is providing students with regular opportunities to set goals. When we achieve goals, our brain experiences a surge of dopamine, a feel-good hormone. This creates a sense of pleasure and satisfaction, encouraging repetition of this behaviour and, in the process, develops positive feelings about maths.
Low-Stakes
The Number Fluency Program is designed to provide regular, low stakes opportunities for targeted practice. The short, sharp sessions become part of the routine of the classroom and build confidence and self-efficacy in maths.
Home School Link
The Number Fluency Program links school and home by encouraging parents and carers to provide further practice opportunities at home. Short, sharp, guided practice is encouraged each night. This keeps parents informed about their child’s fluency progress in maths and provides a specific and targeted way they can support the work being completed in the fluency sessions at school.
Instructional Calendar
The Number Fluency Program presents an Instructional Calendar that guides teachers on the 20 skills their students are expected to be fluent in by the end of a teaching year. This provides teachers with an agreed set of expectations for their cohort, and means the next teacher is provided with accurate and current data related to the skill fluency of their new students. Not all students will reach the agreed standards in each level, and this is where The Fluency Program forms an important part of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.
Student Agency
The Number Fluency Program is based on the individual student taking ownership of their learning journey. It is focused on students improving their personal best through setting goals and practising regularly. They are always encouraged to focus on their own development and not compare themselves with others.
Consistency
The Number Fluency Program is built around a consistent structure and procedure. The shortage of teachers is a challenge for many schools, with programming often interrupted. The regular structure of the fluency sessions allows students to be so well versed in the logistics that they are able to lead a relief teacher through the program!
Differentiation
The Number Fluency Program allows students to work on the Set that is ‘just right’ for them. The Screener determines their accuracy in a particular Set. The program then allows them to work through each Set at their own pace, thus differentiating to their individual needs.
Kinder and Year 1 have trialled this program over the past five weeks to iron out any organisational issues, and the rest of the school will begin their instruction on the NFP early in term 4. All staff will be further trained on its implementation on Monday, 13th October ( which is a Pupil Free Day).
This is a necessary program to enhance the children's automaticity to reduce their cognitive load so they can then apply their knowledge to mathematical problems. It is a key area that needs to be improved according to our data.
All children have now been screened, and their starting point has been determined. We are ready to implement this great program. There are also support TAKE HOME SHEETS that are aligned with your child's level, which the teachers will be sending home, so you can help your child build their skills. The idea is to practise their number skills anywhere at any time, verbally or written. Teachers will give you more information next term. Remember our catch cry: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. The more you practise, the faster you become. Reduce your cognitive load.
Yours in the love of learning
Chris
ART EXHIBITION
St Joseph's children have had another fabulous exhibition of their wonderful, creative art work for this year's annual Art Exhibition. It is so good to hear the excitement outside the library as they are all so eager to get to see each other's works of art. Congratulations must go to the winners of this exhibition:
K Red - 1st place Sienna Lee; 2nd place Ivy Kelleher
KNavy - 1st place Francesca Bowers; 2nd place Beau Cassidy
1Red - 1st place Noah Petersen; 2nd place Huon Morlock
1Navy - 1st place Noah Gabb; 2nd place Sienna Barrile
2Red - 1st place Martha Carbello; 2nd place Fallon Murphy
2Navy - 1st place Olive Slater; 2nd place Piper Paddison
3Red - 1st place Steven Bony Joseph; 2nd place Clyde Ball
3Navy - 1st place Eva Noai; 2nd place Ava Kowalczuk
4Red - 1st place Alana Okumoto; 2nd place Jack Jones
4Navy - 1st place Charles Kahn; 2nd place Rachel Rene
5Red - 1st place Toby Raison; 2nd place Luna Carvallo-Martin
5Navy - 1st place Archie Brennan; 2nd place Heidi Flores-Bernardes
6Red - 1st place Parker Jordan; 2nd place Poppy O'Connor
6Navy - 1st place Callum McMaster; 2nd Place Sophia Bolster.
On a personal note, I won't be at school for term 4 as I am having a long-awaited shoulder reconstruction, so I would love to wish you a great term and I know I have left you all in great hands as Mrs Victoria Atkinson will be my replacement during my sick leave. Have a great holiday and I will see you back at school in the new year.
Happy Holidays and be safe!
Cheers
Chris Mulherin
REMINDER:
PUPIL FREE DAY IS MONDAY 13th OCTOBER.
Students return to school on TUESDAY 14th OCTOBER.
Assistant Principal - Mission
Dear St Joseph's Community,
It has been yet another wonderful term of celebration. We first want to extend a massive congratulations to the children that were confirmed by Bishop Greg earlier this month. It was so heart-warming to hear them speak of their excitement beforehand and their renewed sense of faith and joy afterwards. We were also excited to share the news of Harley and Sloan being baptised just before this special sacrament. We pray that the Spirit continues to enliven our hearts as we continue to Make Jesus Real each day. Thank you also to Mrs Thompson and Mr Wilson for their dedication and passion in preparing the students for their special day.
This thanks also goes to Mrs Lynch, Mrs Mitchell, Mrs Tilley, Ms McLean, Mrs Carney, and our Year 1 and 5 students who prepared our special Father's Day and Grandparents' Day liturgies for us this year. The messages of love from our students to their Dads and Grandparents were truly beautiful, and we hope that everyone felt the warmth of the abundant love on display.
Term 3 Celebrations
Thank you also to Mrs Winning who led a very exciting and successful Paper Airplane Competition for our students in the last couple of weeks of term. This was an initiative from our Student Representative Council and Mrs Winning was expertly able to integrate the competition into Science classes, lots of which were studying forces. It was lovely to see so many smiling faces and they probably didn't even realise the were learning whilst having so much fun!
Celebrations don't slow down when we get to Term 4. As well as Year 5 & 6 camps we have fundraisers, Student Retreats, Gotcha parties, Christmas celebrations and our Year 6 farewells. Please see below a list of some of these key dates. We look forward to continue celebrating our wonderful community together next term.
God bless,
Ryan O'Connor
Sport News
A Big Term in Sport!
It has been a huge and exciting term for sport at our school, with students showcasing their talents, determination, and team spirit across a range of events.
We are proud to share that several students progressed from Zone Athletics to the Diocesan level, with some going on to represent our school at the Polding Carnival in Newcastle. From there, two of our outstanding athletes have qualified for the PSSA State Carnival, which will be held in Sydney early next term. This is an incredible achievement — congratulations to all students who competed at every level. Your dedication and sportsmanship have been exceptional.
Our students also had the opportunity to participate in the Netball NSW Schools Cup, where they played a series of both fun and competitive games against other local schools. It was a fantastic day filled with energy, enthusiasm, and teamwork — well done to all involved!
To finish off the term, our junior rugby league team took to the field for a friendly match against Pacific Coast. The players represented our school with pride, played with great effort, and came away with a win! The afternoon ended with a well-earned sausage sizzle to celebrate the team’s success.
Thank you to all students, staff, and families who supported our sporting events this term. We look forward to more exciting opportunities next term!