Term 2 Week 8 Newsletter 2025

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 Term 2 Week 8. Preparation for the Athletics Carnival has been well underway, with classes practising high jump, long jump and shot put, as well as participating in runoffs for sprints at the nearby soccer field. We have also had students from Year 6 compete in a Robotics Competition last Tuesday evening at the Stem Hub. I was impressed with the way these students worked as a team and persevered with completing their set tasks. On Monday evening, St Joseph’s students will take part in the annual Reader’s Cup challenge at Southern Cross Catholic College. There is always so much to be proud of at our school.

The Inter House Athletics Carnival will take place tomorrow, Thursday 12 June, at the Townsville Sports Reserve commencing at 9 am. It is set to be an action packed day, and we look forward to seeing parents and carers present to support our students as they compete in a variety of events. We welcome volunteers to assist with the smooth running of these events, and volunteering for a short amount of time at your own child’s event is encouraged.

On Tuesday 24th June Semester One Report Cards will be available through the Parent Portal on COMPASS. Michael Grose, one of Australia's leading parenting educators, notes that student reports bring mixed feelings for parents. Pleasure and pride if they are performing well but considerable angst when children are not progressing as hoped. Reports can mean anxious times for children too. Kids of all ages take their cues from their parents, so your reaction to their school report can affect the way they see themselves as learners and as people. A few tips from Michael around reading Report Cards include:

• Focus on your child’s strengths - focus on strengths even if they are not in the traditional 3Rs or core subjects.
• Take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning - If the report indicates that effort is below standard, then you have something to work on. If your child is putting in the required effort, then you cannot ask any more than that, regardless of the grading.
• Discuss the report with your son or daughter, talking about strengths first before looking at areas that need improvement. Ask for their opinion about how they performed and discuss their concerns.
• Broaden your focus away from academic performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social setting.  How your child gets along with his or her peers will influence their  happiness and well-being. Also, the skills of independence and co-operation are highly valued by employers.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

God bless

Tracy

ARPE News

Pentecost

This week, our school community gathered to celebrate Pentecost, the moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, filling them with courage, joy, and the ability to speak in many languages. Pentecost marks the birth of the Church and reminds us that we are called to share God's love with others through our words and actions. As we reflect on this special time, we pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide and inspire us to be people of peace, hope, and kindness in our world. 

Are the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness and self-control - growing in our lives?

Sacramental Program

Enrolment forms were distributed 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.  

Save the Date: Year Level Masses Term 2

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: Naidoc Week Assembly 2:00 pm Tuesday 24th June 

May God’s blessing be with you, Peta.

The Joey's Way

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)

What is the NCCD and Why Does It Matter?

Each year, all Australian schools take part in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). This important initiative helps schools to better understand and support students who need adjustments to access and participate in learning.

The NCCD collects information about the types of adjustments being made in the classroom to support students with disabilities. These adjustments can be related to learning, communication, physical access, behaviour, or social-emotional needs. It’s important to note that a formal diagnosis is not required for a student to be included in the NCCD. If a student is receiving ongoing adjustments due to a functional need that impacts their learning, and there is evidence to support this, they may be counted in the collection.

No personal or identifying information is included in the data - it simply helps schools and governments to plan resources and improve support systems for all students. If you’d like more information about how the NCCD works at our school or how it may apply to your child, please contact our Inclusive Practice Teachers.

Athletics Carnival

Where: Townsville Sports Reserve

When: Thursday 12th June

Time: 9am - 2.10pm

Transport: Students will take buses to and from the event (except for those competiting in the 800m race) Prep students will take a bus back to the school at 12.30pm and parents/carers can collect at normal pick up time. 

All students P - 6 will participate in sprints where places/ribbons will be awarded.

Fastest 4 children from each house/age group (except preps) will be participating in relays later in the day (predetermined at runoffs).

All students P - 8yrs will participate in field events/novelty events which will be non-competitive (no measuring/places/ribbons). All students 9yrs - 12yrs will be participating in field events which will be competitive (measuring - places/ribbons will be awarded at each event).

Students competing in 800m are asked to be taken directly to the track in case the buses are running late - supervision will be available for these students from 8.15am. Students must check in with Katie at the first aid room (see map) to ensure they are marked present for attendance records.

Spectators are welcome to move around with their child/ren’s field/novelty events where assistance to the teacher in charge of the event will be welcomed and necessary!  (Raking long jump pit, returning shot puts, measuring in the competitive age groups etc)

Spectators are encouraged to watch and cheer sprints from the stands and respect the teachers/photo finish technology at the finish line. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE TRACK AREA NEAR THE FINISH LINE. Please also stand back and allow your child to move directly to the recording table post-race before taking photos or checking in with them. This helps prevent distractions, allowing staff to keep the process running smoothly and the day on schedule.

Similar to last year, there will be NO CANTEEN available at the Sports Reserve.  Please ensure your child has adequate food and water for the day (water stations available).

If you are taking your child early, you will need to let your child’s teacher or the supervising teacher know, and then see Katie near the first aid room (see map) to ensure they are signed out. This is incredibly important, so teachers know how many students are travelling back to school on buses.

The overall winning team will be announced at the conclusion of the carnival.

We look forward to a great day!

Uniform Policy

Uniform Policy – Winter

As the weather begins to cool, we kindly remind families to ensure that students are wearing the correct winter school uniform.

Our winter uniform includes:

• Bottle green school jumper or bottle green cardigan (see photo below)

• Bottle green tights or track pants

Our official school jumper is available for purchase at The School Locker, located in Domain Central. Alternatively, we have our Secondhand Uniform Shop. You can contact Meagan or Katrina on the numbers listed below, let them know what items you're looking for, and they'll be happy to assist you.

Meagan – 0401 183 313
Katrina – 0432 829 666

From the Office

Please find an updated Uniform Schedule for the remainder of the year below. Please note there have been no changes for Prep - year 5. Year 6 students can now wear their senior shirts on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mrs Kristin Cantoni who is a very deserving nominee in this year’s Townsville Spirit of Catholic Education Awards. This award recognises individuals who consistently live out the values of Catholic education through their work and example. Mrs Cantoni brings care, dedication and faith to everything she does, whether it’s in the classroom, community, parish or beyond. We are grateful for her presence and for the positive impact she makes in our school community every day.

Library News

This year’s annual Readers Cup Challenge is nearly here!

Our St Joey’s Team ‘The Blazing Readers’, have been busily reading their selected books ready for next week’s Nth Qld Regional Readers Cup Competition 2025! This year’s challenge will be held at the Southern Cross Catholic College at 4.30 pm on Monday the 16^th June, 2025.  Our fabulous team will compete with other schools around Townsville in the Year 5/6 Category Teams.

The books our Team will be reading, are chosen by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.  The books selected for 2025 are:

The Readers Cup Competition encourages our students to discover new genres they would be unlikely to choose, have fun during the competition and develop further a love of reading! This week they have been enthusiastically discussing the books, ready for next week’s challenge!

Good Luck to our Team ‘The Blazing Readers’ for next Monday!!

2025 PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE – READING MORE IN MAY!

Children at St Joseph’s have enthusiastically participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025, to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning.  Thank you to Mrs. Cornish in conjunction with the office and library, who have been busy recording their allotted books in their year level during the reading period.  Mrs. Cornish this week at assembly handed out special encouragements to students who reached a certain reading record level in each class. Well done everyone and continue your reading challenge everyone!

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 4  

Book Club Issue 4 will need to be finalized by Wednesday the 11^th June. Please use the Scholastic LOOP Order System before the closing date

READ MORE IN JUNE!  HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

Go Green For Ecomarines!

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal 2025

Naidoc Week Liturgy

Digital Technology News

Bebras Certificates Presented on Assembly 

Smart Precinct Robotics Competition written by Luciena Year 6 

Last Tuesday, 12 students went to the Smart Precinct to compete in a technology competition where we had to code a robot to complete certain tasks and make it back to the end.

In the first level, we had to make our robot use the colour sensor to follow a black line, then dodge obstacles, and return to the starting point.

In the second challenge, we were playing hide and seek with our robots using ultrasonic sensors. When the robot sensed that obstacles were a certain distance away, it would stop and hide, then spin or reverse, and move on to the next obstacle to hide behind it.

For the last challenge, we had to use grippers to grab fish that were sitting in a pond, move them off the table, and drop them into a bucket - Luciena

We are extremely proud of our Technology Club students who represented St Joseph’s at the Townsville Stem Hub competition. 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 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!!

Sport

Music

Guidance Counsellor

Managing Screen Time

Screen time refers to the amount of time spent using electronic devices such as phones, computers, televisions and tablets. Managing screen time is important for a child’s overall wellbeing and development, both physically and mentally. It is important for children to establish healthy habits and boundaries around screen time use from the moment they are handed any electronic device. Developing healthy screen use habits will ensure your child also has plenty of time for other activities such as playing, reading, spending time with family and friends, and participating in physical activities. There are both benefits and drawbacks to screen time, learning how to make good decisions about when and how much to use their devices is important.
SchoolTV suggests that parents empower confidence in their children by using the following strategies to start a conversation around Screen Time.

Inclusive Education

Challenge Games 

We are very excited to be heading back to the Challenge Games in 2025! The Challenge Games is an annual event held over two days, July 23rd and July 24th. They are designed to provide fun, friendship and participation in a range of sporting and fun activities for students with a disability in Years 1 - 6.  It is a highlight for many of our students and staff alike.  A compass permission will be sent to those who are eligible to participate.  

Christian Meditation

Friendology

P&F News

 The P&F Pie Drive is Back! 🥧

Get ready for some delicious treats! Orders are now open via FlexiSchools and will close on Tuesday, 8 July.

Pie Collection will take place on Thursday, 7 August at 2:30pm 

Mass Times

Parish Mass Times

Wednesday 7.00am

Friday 7.00am

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 7.30am

Community News

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys celebrate 30 years strong in 2025 and have been committed to supporting our community since the beginning. In 2015, they established the Cowboys Community Foundation to further that mission — and now, all proceeds from the COWBOYS FOR THE NORTH RAFFLE will go toward creating opportunities and inspiring futures through this incredible Foundation.

Major Prize:

• A 2025 Build Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2.5L Hybrid Auto CVT 2WD
• A set of PPQ personalised plates
• A $500 Ampol fuel voucher

🎟️ Tickets are $25 each and sales close Wednesday, 3 September 2025 at 6.00pm (Australia/Brisbane).

Tickets can be purchased HERE 

Join One Community for an exciting event where families, students, individuals with a disability, and educators can engage with local and national service providers.

Date: Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Time: 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Venue: Brothers Leagues Club 14 Golf Links Drive, Kirwan QLD

Cost: FREE for all attendees

Register by clicking HERE