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 Caregivers, Staff and Students

Welcome to ‘Wet Week 8’ of Term 1, a school term which is usually very hot, however this year has been very wet. The positive is that the rain has brought cooler temperatures, with the not so positive being it has negatively impacted students being able to play on the ovals to a greater degree than usual. As I write this newsletter I am hoping our families are safe and dry after the heavy rainfall overnight and this morning.

Today, 19 March, is the Feast Day of St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron saint of workers, families, and the universal Church. It is a special day of celebration for our school, and a day when we are reminded of the deep love, devotion, and quiet strength Joseph demonstrated in his role as the foster father of Jesus. His unwavering faith and dedication to his family make him a powerful example for all of us, especially within our Catholic school community. Today, the rain meant that our St Joseph’s Feast Day Mass had to unfortunately be cancelled. The associated Feast Day activities which had been planned will now happen in Week 10 at a date to be determined.

Last week saw a number of committee meetings, including the P & F, School Board and First Nations Advisory Committee meetings. On Monday evening, 10 March, our P & F Association held their AGM. At this meeting the existing executive committee members stood down from their positions and a new executive committee was elected. Thank you to the following people for taking on a new position:

President: Meagan Middleton

Vice President: Amanda Murphy

Secretary: Stacey Vawser

Much gratitude to Kerin Boyes for her significant contribution to the P & F Association and our school community during her time as P & F President. She will be greatly missed, and has certainly helped in ‘paving the way’ for those who will come after her. A huge thank you to Meagan Middleton, Amanda Murphy and Stacey Vawser for stepping up and taking on their respective roles. These ladies, assisted by members of the P & F Association, work extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure our school community enjoys the wonderful functions and activities we have all become accustomed to.

At our School Board meeting on Tuesday 11 March, Board members reviewed the 2025 draft Annual School Improvement Plan as well as one of the Diocesan Education Council’s policies. We have a wonderful core group who regularly attend Board meetings, and I value their thoughtful and measured feedback. A reminder that parents/carers are welcome to provide suggestions and feedback around school improvement using the link provided later in this newsletter. The school community version of the Annual School Improvement Plan will be shared with parents/carers and other stakeholders soon.

Our First Nations Advisory Committee met on Thursday 13 March, and I would like to acknowledge our First Nations Education Teacher, Taya Bortignon, for organising and facilitating these meetings. It was wonderful to welcome members of our parent / carer and grandparent community, as well as our First Nations Adviser from Townsville Catholic Education. This group provides guidance and advice on our Reconciliation Action Plan as well as on a number of other key issues.

Our P & F Association are always looking for fresh ideas and suggestions from the wider parent/carer community, with an open invitation to attend monthly P & F meetings. If your interest lies in the School Board or the First Nations Advisory Committee, then please feel free to contact me via phone or email.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

God bless

Tracy

APRE News

2025 Prayer Theme: Hopeful Hearts

St Joseph’s Day - March 19th

Saint Joseph was the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. He was a just and compassionate individual who protected Mary from shame upon discovering her pregnancy, despite not initially understanding that her unborn child was the Son of God. Joseph's deep faith is exemplified by his willingness to alter his plans in response to divine messages.

The spirituality of St Joseph’s Mundingburra is grounded in the spirit of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the traditions of the Sisters of St Joseph, and the faith of the community. Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph addressed the needs and challenges of their time with a commitment to respecting the dignity of all individuals through compassion, outreach, and the promotion of resilience.

Unfortunately due to the weather conditions today we had to cancel our Mass that was scheduled for this morning and our activities that were to take place today. . We will be organising to come together as a school community sometime in week 10 to complete the activities.

Like Joseph, prayerfully seek to discover the will of God in the difficult situations you face.

Project Compassion

Thank you to all of the students who participated in the Guess the teacher’s baby photo to raise money for Project Compassion. We had three lucky winners Adelaide (YR 6), Lincoln (Yr6) and Noah (Yr 1)

St Patrick’s Day - Monday 17th March - To celebrate St Patrick’s day on Monday, Mrs Plant and some of our Year 6 students organised shamrock face painting. Thank you to all those students who brought in a gold coin donation. All money raised will go to Project Compassion.

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!

Assemblies

Our next assembly will be in:

Week 10: Monday Assembly 2:00pm

Week 10: Thursday Stations of the Cross 11:00am

May God’s blessing be with you, have a wonderful week.

Peta.

School Improvement - Parent / Caregiver Feedback and Suggestions

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Parent/Caregiver suggestions or feedback provide valuable information to school leadership, and assist in informing the school's Annual School Improvement Plans. If you would like to express your ideas as to how St Joseph’s Catholic School Mundingburra can grow and improve, please complete this short survey (Link below) by Friday 21st March.

Your suggestions may not always translate to goals on the Improvement Plan, however we do take all feedback on board and try to find ways to implement suggestions at the appropriate time where possible. Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide this valuable feedback.

Please click HERE to complete the survey.

The Joey's Way

From the Office

School Fees

Term 1 school fees are due this week! Please ensure payment is made on or before Friday, 21st March (Week 8).

Dress Policy

This is a friendly reminder that smartwatches are not permitted at school. Students should not be wearing watches with internet connection. Please see our full dress policy below.

Dress Policy

A friendly reminder about supervision times

Mornings

A teacher is on duty from 8:00 AM in the Shelter Shed. Students should not be dropped off before this time, as no adult supervision is available.

Afternoons

Teachers are on duty until 3:15 PM. After this time, students will be taken to the office, and parents will be contacted for collection.

Office Hours
Our office hours are 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Please be mindful that staff often have meetings and appointments after this time. Prompt collection of students is appreciated.

Anzac Day March

If your child is interested in being a school representative at this year’s Anzac Day March to be held along The Strand on Friday, 25th April, please complete a permission note on Compass. You will find this on your home page as an Opt-In Event. As we are only allowed to have a maximum of 50 students marching, we will be using a first in basis to fill the 50 spots. We currently have 14 places left.

Library News

This Wednesday we celebrate ‘International Read to Me! Day’!! Not to be confused with the February’s ‘International Read Aloud Day’. This is another wonderful opportunity for parents and students to enjoy reading aloud to each other, both promoting literacy and encouraging a family fun event with the goal to encouraging them to enjoy reading and fostering a love of reading!

Each year around this time in March, our reading month, the Better Reading ‘Top 50 Kids’ Books’, are announced. Australians all over the country vote on their favourite books and authors they love! This list of exceptional winners celebrate Australians love of literature.

Please see the top ten above!

Interestingly, over 20 of the top 50 books were written by women! 10 from the list were classics written before 2000. 10 books from the top 50 list were written by debut authors! Over 20 books featured, include illustrations and over 15 authors from the Top 50 were our amazing Australian authors. These 50 top stories have captured our imaginations! Has your child read all these amazing stories yet?

For the full Top 50 list visit:

https://www.betterreading.com.au/news/breaking-news-announcing-better-readings-2025-top-50-kids-books/

LIBRARY COMPETITION

Our Dr Seuss Week 2025 Library Competition, ‘My Hopes’ was enthusiastically received and at the end of this week entries will be judged and displayed in the library for all to see!! A Dr Seuss bookmark will go to all entries with a few ‘wacky gifts’ for those special efforts. Thank you to all the students who entered! Well done!!

Displays and resources for celebrating Harmony Day 2025 as well as International Poetry Day will be celebrated on the 21^st March, as well as commemorations of the Saints during Lent, St Joseph and St Patrick (19^th and 17^th March) have been displayed throughout the library.

2024 LOST BOOKS

Thank you to students and parents who have returned books from last year. If you have any queries or concerns regarding your child’s lost books from 2024, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Harrington in the Library.

SCHOLASTIC ISSUE 2

Issue 2 brochures have been sent to students recently. The closeout date for LOOP orders for Issue 2, will be 19 March, 2024.

SORA EHUB

Join our eBook Sora Hub Thursday lunchtime 1.20 – 1.30pm to have fun and learn how to borrow digital books!

You can find magic, wherever you look,

Sit back and relax, all you need is a book!

Dr Seuss.

Happy reading everyone!

School Photos - Advanced Life

Please be advised that our school photo day is on Friday, 16th May. You can now order your preferred package using the information provided below. When sibling envelopes arrive at the office, we will notify parents/carers they are available to collect.

Under 8's Morning - Save the date!

Guidance Counsellor

Social Media & Comparison Culture

Young people today are growing up in a world where exposure to other people's lives is constant. Through social media and other platforms, they are regularly presented with curated highlights - from flawless holiday photos and academic milestones to the latest fashion trends and fitness achievements. This continuous stream of idealised content fuels what is known as comparison culture, where self-worth is often measured by how someone stacks up against others.

For children and adolescents, who are still figuring out who they are, this culture can be particularly damaging. Constantly comparing their appearance, achievements, or social standing to friends, influencers, and even strangers can lead to unrealistic expectations and a skewed sense of self-worth. This relentless need to measure up can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety - undermining both confidence and emotional wellbeing.

It's vital that parents and caregivers understand how deeply comparison culture can influence a child's self-perception and sense of value. Left unchecked, it can foster perfectionism and a dependence on external validation, where a 'like' or comment becomes the measure of their worth.

The good news is, families have a powerful role to play in helping young people navigate these challenges. This Special Report will help you empower your child to build the resilience and confidence needed to navigate today's comparison-driven world and embrace their own unique path.

Here is the link to your Special Report

https://sjmbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-comparison-culture-au

Here is the link to your key points fact sheet on the topic so you feel confident to start this conversation with your child
https://sjmbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/sites/default/files/documents/STV_Social_Media_Comparison_Culture_Resource.pdf?stv_source=link

Digital Technology

Year 5 Students Light Up Their Names with the BBC Micro:bits!

Our Year 5 students have been diving into the exciting world of programming with the features of the tiny computers ~ BBC micro:bits . As part of their networking learning journey, the students have been using micro:bits to code their very own names in LED lights. These hands-on projects have been a fantastic follow-up to their recent lessons on networks, bringing the concepts of connectivity and programming to life in a creative and fun way.

Last week, each student used the micro:bit's LED display to program their name, learning how to manipulate code and work with digital circuits. The glowing results were not only impressive but a real testament to their growing coding skills! The micro:bit projects blend technology, problem-solving, and creativity, giving our Year 5 students a deeper understanding of how technology works in the real world.

Students were also involved in programming the coding blocks needed to play the classic game ‘Rock, Paper Scissors’. Students used the two micro:bits to learn about variables and chance. They programmed the micro:bit’s accelerometer to detect a shake movement, setting the variable tool to display a random icon.

This coming week, students will engage in programming a digital, design badge for St. Joseph’s Day using the micro:bits. The student with the most creative design will be crowned ‘Saint Joseph’s Micro:bit Design Champion’. Stay tuned!!

Inclusive Education

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

🌟 Embracing Neurodiversity 🌟

Around 11% of Australians are neurodivergent, meaning their brains process information in unique ways. Neurodiversity includes conditions such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. Just as we celebrate cultural diversity, we also recognise and value different ways of thinking, learning, and communicating.

During Neurodiversity Celebration Week (March 17–23), we highlight the strengths and talents of neurodivergent individuals. At St Joseph’s Mundingburra, we promote neuroaffirming environments and advocate for inclusive, strengths-based support. Let’s celebrate neurodiversity by challenging misconceptions, embracing inclusive communication, and advocating for accessible education for all!

🌏 Harmony Day – Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion 🌏

Harmony Day, celebrated on March 21st, is a special day in Australia that highlights the importance of inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for all. It coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, reinforcing the message that "Everyone Belongs."

Australia is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, with people from over 300 different ancestries calling it home. Harmony Day encourages communities, schools, and workplaces to celebrate this diversity by promoting understanding, acceptance, and unity. The colour orange is worn as a symbol of meaningful conversations and social connection.

For more information and resources, visit www.harmony.gov.au.

Our Inclusive Education Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday 6th of May at 3:15pm. All are welcome to attend. If you are interested in joining the committee could you please let Mia White and Therese Lane know on mwhite9@sjmbtsv.catholic.edu.au tlane1@sjmbtsv.catholic.edu.au We hope to see you there!