St Joseph's Catholic School - Mundingburra eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of this land on which we stand, the Wulgurukaba and neighbouring Bindal people who are the custodians. We pray that we can walk together to a better future.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students

Welcome to Week 10 and the final Newsletter for Term 2. This term has been full of activities, with the last couple of weeks seeing staff and students involved in Year Level Masses, the annual Reader’s Cup Competition, an Eco Marines Networking Day, and last night the Instrumental Showcase organised by Miss Di Bella, where the performances of the students were a credit to their instrumental teachers. On Tuesday, our Year 6’s participated in an excursion to Rising Sun FVP where they got a behind-the-scenes look at professional 3D printing in action.

Also this week, St Joseph's celebrated 50 Years of NAIDOC through a liturgy and learning experiences in classrooms and during lunch times. Students enjoyed face painting using the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, weaved little fish made from palm fronds with Nekina Whap, painted a banner with this year's theme and were inspired by a painting by Wulgurukaba artist, Jordan Wyles to create their own artwork.

Today, all students attended the ‘Backflips against Bullying’ presentation in the undercover area. This is the third consecutive year that the ‘Backflips against Bullying’ team has presented to our students, with different themes covered in their A, B and C Programs. The school has prioritised anti-bullying initiatives, and we believe all members of our school community are active participants in building a welcoming school culture that values diversity and fosters positive relationships. A key component of a supportive school culture is building respectful relationships and an ethos that bullying is not accepted, in both online and offline environments. School staff will actively respond to student bullying behaviour, firstly determining whether the behaviour falls into the ‘bullying’ category or whether it is the one off ‘mean on purpose’ behaviour as described in our school wide Friendology Program.

At St Joseph’s, we believe that a focus on positive behaviour supports the development of respectful relationships. The following are ways we promote and reward positive behaviours throughout the school:

Student of the Week Awards and Special Mentions which are align to our Joey’s Way
Joey’s Way Slips - students receive these slips from staff who witness them following the Joey’s Way. The slips are collected and go into a lucky draw for each year level. The Joey’s Way Slip Draw occurs at our fortnightly Assemblies.
House Spirit - a tally of Joey’s Way Slips for the colour house with a reward given for the winning colour house each term.

Positive break times for ALL children is a priority. Staff are involved in providing many options and alternatives to playing on the playground. Our Library is open to students from Years 1 - 6 at the second break after students have eaten lunch. During this time, students can participate in a variety of activities, including teacher-led supported play. There are cultural activities (driven by our Bimbi Wadja group), Chaplain craft activities and Friendology activities on offer at different break times each week. Students can also participate in Dance Mania each week in certain terms throughout the year. Our Earth Warriors meet each week on a Wednesday at morning tea and our Joseph’s Garden is open (with teacher supervision) for gardening activities at second break every Wednesday. The wide and varied activities we have on offer helps to ensure all children can find a space or activity that suits their interests, needs and abilities.

As we look forward to the upcoming school holidays, I encourage everyone to take this time to rest and recharge. It has been a busy term, and the break will provide a much-needed opportunity for families, students and staff alike to relax and spend quality time with family and friends. Wishing everyone a safe, enjoyable and blessed holiday.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

God bless

Tracy

ARPE News

Sacramental Program

Enrolment forms were distributed last week to the students who had registered their expression of interest on Tuesday this week. Please fill these out and return them to the school office.

Year Level Masses

It is always lovely to be able to come together as a community in prayer. Thank you to the parents who were able to join us for our Year Level Masses over the past two weeks. We were very impressed with the students and the reverence they showed. We also extend our gratitude to Father Joshy for celebrating the Mass with us.

Christian Meditation will take place each Thursday morning at 8:00am in the Library. Meditation is a form of sacred and silent prayer, known as prayer of the heart. It is a lovely way to start the day!

End of Term Prayer

Loving Father,

as we come to the end of another term

we turn to you in confidence

and place any difficult relationships

into the healing hands of Jesus, your Son.

May the holiday be for us a time of rest and recreation

to help restore us and re-create us

in your image and likeness, as we enjoy

more of the love and presence of our families,

on whom we ask your blessing.

Amen.

May God’s blessing be with you, Peta.

The Joey's Way

Star Students

Tuckshop

From the Office

Wishing all our students, families, and staff a happy and restful break. We hope you enjoy this time to relax, recharge, and spend quality time with your loved ones. See you next term!

Library News

READ MORE IN JUNE!!

NAIDOC WEEK 2025

This week our library celebrated National NAIDOC Week, with spotlights on amazing indigenous literature by Indigenous Authors and Illustrators, reading traditional Dreamtime stories and recognizing the achievements, culture and history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

ADOPT-A-COWBOY JASON TOUMALOLO - LIBRARY VISIT

St Joseph’s was also very fortunate to have a wonderful visit Tuesday, from Mr. Jason Toumalolo, our adopt-a-cowboy, who visited the library and spoke to students from Grade 5A and 5B. The students were excited, inspired and star struck, to see such a popular and professional sportsman visiting us and were given an in-depth opportunity to talk to this talented athlete, about Rugby League and the life of a world travelled sportsman.

We thank Jason for generously giving his time and talking about inspiring experiences, to students at St. Joseph’s.

Our Readers Cup Team who competed in the Readers Cup Competition 2025 were congratulated at this week’s Assembly with Readers Cup Certifications by Mrs Nuttall. Congrats! On your dedication and continue reading!!!

SORA DIGITAL LIBRARY

Remember borrowing during the holidays continues with our digital library 24/7. St Joseph’s students can continue borrowing eBooks & audio books during the holidays.

2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge Qld – For students/parents searching for recommended books for the Qld Premier’s Reading Challenge, check out the eBook collections in Sora under the NSW PRC Years K-2, Years 3-4, Years 5-6, for more reading suggestions.

Access Sora eBook App:
Log into Sora with student user/password.
Go to school Destiny Discover link on our school library site.
Click on the Sora icon.
Choose our ACEN Member Collection and click.
You are ready to borrow!! Welcome to Sora eLibrary.

STORY BOX LIBRARY

Listen to some enjoyable children’s story collections by Australian Authors and Illustrators. During the holidays click onto our Story Box Library icon on the Destiny Discover icon link.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 4

Book Club Issue 4 orders have just arrived and will be distributed as soon as possible to classes.

TOWNVILLE CITY LIBRARIES Click HERE for the Programs and Activities page for children’s activities in the Citylibraries over the holidays.

COMING SOON IN JULY/AUGUST 2025...

Book Week 2025 has a travelling theme this year, ‘Book an Adventure’. What will be happening in Term 3 in the library?

Focus on CBCA Shortlisted Books during the term.
Author Visit during Book Week.
Book Week Parade – Tuesday 9.00 a.m. 19 August 2025 (More information in Term 3)
Book Week Activities

Dr Seuss

Have a safe and happy reading holiday!

Mini Vinnies

Mini Vinnies Meeting Saturday 21st June 2025

We had a lovely meeting last Saturday busily cutting buttons off a great variety of clothing. These will then be shredded, at the Collection Centre, The Lakes, by SVP members and then sent to Bangladesh to be recycled.

Thank you to the Year 6 students who came along. You did a great job.

See you next month in the Library

Mrs. Plant

First Nations News

First Nations News

NAIDOC Week is celebrated nationally during the second week of the school holidays. St Joseph's is recognising NAIDOC week with a liturgy and activities throughout Week 10.
Tuesday - Face painting (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flag Colours & NAIDOC Liturgy at 2pm

Wednesday - Weaving in the Yarning Circle with Nekina Whap

Thursday - Painting the banner for the NAIDOC March

Friday - Crocodile Art (inspired by Jordan Wyles' artwork)

This year, for the first time, St Joseph's will be participating in the NAIDOC March during the school holidays, on Friday July 11th.

The NAIDOC March is a walk of solidarity, acknowledging and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements.

After the walk, join in the festivities at the Deadly Day Out.

For more details please refer to the note that went home with the eldest child last week. Spare copies of the note are available at the office. Please return the slip to the office by the end of the week.

Thanks, Taya

Earth Warriors

Zippy

Zippy the Turtle, our sustainability mascot, has spent the last two weeks in Prep B learning all about butterflies and how things grow. Zippy helped Prep B plant capsicum, eggplant, tomatoes and corn in JOSEPH's Garden. He's also been waiting patiently for a chrysalis to metamorphose, which happened yesterday. A stunningly beautiful 'Tailed Emperor' butterfly was released back into our garden yesterday. Thanks to Prep B for showing Zippy so many different ways we can connect to and care for creation.

Recycling Competition

Congratulations to Anna in 4A and the 1A class who won a prize in the Around Town Recycling Hunt Competition. There are so many places around town we can recycle items that can't go into our yellow recycling bin at home. Download the RecycleMate App to discover all the resource recovery opportunities in Townsville.

EcoMarines Networking Day
Last Monday, Rafael, Matthew, Tyler, Harriet and Mrs Bortignon went to Magnetic Island with a group of Townsville EcoMarines to network with other schools and organisations and learn about how they can be agents of ecological change in their school and community.

Digital Technologies News

🔆 Rising Sun 3D Printing Excursion for Year 6🔆

Our Year 6 students were very fortunate to visit Rising Sun FPV in Townsville on Tuesday, where we got a behind-the-scenes look at professional 3D printing in action. We discovered how both filament and resin printers bring digital designs to life, with opportunities to explore many jobs currently being printed for customers such as Frosty Mango, Bunnings, the Townsville Defence Force, Starlink Satellite, and a recent project for the Ephemera Art Festival 2025, which we are excited to view in July/August.

Students explored the entire workflow—from uploading designs to watching intricate models print on a fleet of 3D printers, including everything from engineering prototypes to miniatures and even large-scale sculptures.

It was fantastic to see students engage with real-world tech—having the opportunity to see Zak and his team troubleshoot creative designs for their customers. This hands-on experience deepened their understanding of digital design, manufacturing processes, and material properties.

Huge thanks to Zakariah Martin‑Taylor, owner of Rising Sun FPV, and the Rising Sun 3D team—Michael, Jasmine, and Neil—for guiding us through their fast-turnaround, high-quality printing services and sharing their expertise in both technology and creativity! We are excited to share our knowledge with our parents and families and bring them along to see the store!

Upcoming Stem Faire

Some of our students will be representing the school at the upcoming STEM Faire at Riverway Library on Saturday, 16th August. This is a great opportunity for all school students to attend and get involved in some of the activities on offer. You can watch a video from previous events to see what it’s all about!!

Music

On Tuesday night we had our annual Instrumental Showcase. It was wonderful to hear the progress our students have made through their dedication and practice. Thank you to all the parents and families who came to support them. A big thank you to Miss Di Bella for organising the showcase as well as Mrs McCluskey, Mrs Bourne & Mrs Torrisi for all the time, energy, and encouragement you give our students! 🎵🌟

The Family Online Safety Institute

The Family Online Safety Institute has some great resources available to support parents with setting up boundaries and emphasising safety for their children when engaged online. They have created a Family Online Safety Agreement for children aged 13 and under which can be accessed here:
https://fosi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/FOSI-Safety-Agreement-13-and-under.pdf

And they have also created a range of resources that can be used to discuss safety prior to providing your child with a tablet, phone, video game console, laptop, smart speaker, smartwatch or fitness tracker. These contracts may be particularly handy for families who have children entering or already at secondary school.
https://fosi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DeviceSafetyCards.pdf

Lesley Hutton

Inclusive Education

🧠 Supporting Our Learners: In-Class OT Visits in Term 3

Next term, we are excited to welcome Josh Denman, the Townsville Catholic Education Occupational Therapist, into our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms!

Josh has been working closely with teachers at St Joseph’s throughout Terms 1 and 2, and in Term 3 and 4, he’s looking forward to working with students in the classroom as part of their rotations. An OT (Occupational Therapist) is a health professional who helps children build everyday skills like handwriting, using scissors, managing emotions, and participating in play.

Josh will be supporting all students in small group activities alongside classroom teachers and school officers, focusing on:

Fine and gross motor skills
Handwriting and pencil grip
Emotional regulation and sensory strategies

Please note this is not individual therapy - it’s part of our inclusive, whole-class approach to support learning and development.

👀 Keep an eye on Compass: Families will receive a letter outlining what services Joshua Denman will be providing to our school. If you would not like your child to be involved, please email our school office at enquiries@sjmbtsv.catholic.edu.au. If you would like your child to be involved, no further action is needed.

Wishing all our families a restful and refreshing break - we look forward to the excitement and energy of Term 3!

Andrew Fuller Presentation

Christian Meditation

Friendology

P&F News

🎶Stop right now, thank you very much... and grab your spot at St Joey’s Trivia Night! 🎤️

Pop icons, BYO drinks and nibbles, and a whole lot of throwback fun with your crew – what more could you want?
💃🏽 Dress up, win prizes and test your trivia skills🧠

📆 Saturday 19th July |💲$15 pp | 👯‍♀️Teams of up to 8 | Adults only

Click HERE to get your tickets!

A friendly reminder that our P&F Pie Drive orders are open! Make sure to place your orders via Flexi-school before Tuesday, 8th July. Pie collection will take place on Thursday, 7th August, so mark your calendars. Thank you for your support!

Mass Times

Parish Mass Times

Wednesday 7.00am

Friday 7.00am

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 7.30am

Term 2 Week 10 Newsletter 2025