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

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate two of our Year 6 students, Layla and Rylee, who were part of the history making Northern Girls Touch Football team who took out the Gold Medal at the Queensland School Sport Touch Football State Championships (10-12yrs) in Roma last week for the first time since 2004. A total of 12 teams competed in this division from all over Queensland. Furthermore, Layla was named Player of the Carnival and was selected in the Queensland team to compete at the Nationals to be held in Ballarat in October. What an enormous achievement!

I often hear about the amazing achievements of our students, whether it be in sport, academia, the arts or cultural pursuits, and never fail to feel proud that they are St Joey’s students. Hearing about such wonderful achievements gives me pause to think about the importance of offering students varied and diverse opportunities to compete in competitions where they have an interest or special skill.

At St Joseph’s Mundingburra, we see competitions not just as a way to win but as fun experiences that help our students grow, become more resilient, and work well with others. When students take part in different kinds of competitions, they are encouraged to set goals, stay focused, and do their best. Every event is a chance to learn, stretch their abilities, and boost their confidence.

Competitions are also a great way for our students to engage in activities which showcase their God-given talents. Also, they help build important life skills like sticking with something even when it's tough, being humble whether they win or lose, and cheering on others’ achievements. These moments often help friendships grow, create awesome memories, and make students feel more connected to our school community.

As a Catholic school, we believe that taking part in competitions isn’t just about winning; it’s about living out our Gospel values, striving with integrity, showing respect, caring for others, appreciating the unique contributions of every individual and being grateful for the opportunities we are given.

We are particularly grateful to our dedicated staff who work hard behind the scenes to prepare, organise, and accompany our students to these events. Their commitment ensures that children are not only able to take part, but also have a wide range of opportunities in different areas that match their interests and strengths.

We are immensely proud of all students who step forward to represent our school, whether on the sporting field, the stage, or in academic competitions. They remind us that education is about more than what happens in the classroom; it is about equipping young people with the skills, attitudes, and values that will serve them well for life.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

God bless

Tracy

ARPE News

Sacramental Program

We only have 2 lessons left before the students complete their sacraments.

It is essential for students to attend both lessons to ensure they grasp the content and understand the importance of what they are participating in.

Dress Reminder:

For Confirmation and Eucharist celebrations, children are kindly requested to wear smart, appropriate attire suitable for a church setting. It is preferred that children dress in white, such as girls in white dresses and boys in white shirts with long pants. We have a spare white dress available in the office, generously lent to us by one of our families. If you are experiencing difficulty in finding suitable attire, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Save the Date: Term 3 Masses

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 7: No Assembly

Week 8: 2:00pm Hosted by 2B

May God’s blessing be with you, Peta.

The Joey's Way

From the Office

Supervision Before School
Please ensure children are not dropped at school before 8:00am. Parents must remain with their children until staff supervision begins at 8:00am in the shelter shed.

Congratulations – Spelling Bee Participants
Well done to Aidan, Franklin, Alexi R, Rosa, Lucas, Samuel, Adelaide, and Isabella for taking part in the Spelling Bee! These students will receive their certificates at assembly in Week 8.

Premier's Reading Challenge
The Premier's Reading Challenge finishes this Friday, 22nd August. Please ensure all completed forms are handed in to Mrs. Cornish at the school office by morning tea on Friday.

Term 3 Open Classrooms

Adopt-A-Cop

Digital Technologies News

Year 2’s Blast Off with LEGO WeDo Satellites

Our Year 2 students have been exploring space technology by building their very own moving satellites using LEGO WeDo. Working in teams, the students followed step-by-step algorithms to assemble and program their models, making them spin and move just like real satellites orbiting Earth.

Along the way, they discovered some fascinating space facts:

There are more than 2,000 satellites currently in the sky.
The International Space Station is so large it’s about the same size as a football field!

Through this exciting project, students not only developed their engineering and coding skills but also deepened their understanding of how technology helps us explore space. It was a perfect mix of creativity, problem-solving, and science — and maybe even a first step toward future space careers!

School TV one-off event - Digital Media Literacy & Safety Webinar

This exclusive, one-off event is fast approaching and we’d love for our families to benefit from the insights of two of Australia’s leading experts, Susan McLean and Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

They will share invaluable insights on how to empower young people to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.

WEBINAR: Digital Media Literacy & Safety (Part III)
DATE: Tuesday, 2 September 2025
TIME: 7:30 pm

Topics in this webinar include:

New Social Media Regulations
Digital Footprint and Reputation
Screen Time and Brain Development
Parental Controls

Registration can be done via this link on School TV https://sjmbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/webinar/qld-digital-media-literacy-safety-part-III

Inclusive Education

JCU Psychology Clinics are now accepting referrals again, with minimal wait times. We sometimes suggest contacting a psychologist to support children with things like learning, behaviour, emotions or social skills. If you think this might be helpful for your child, please get in touch for more information.

https://www.jcuhealth.com.au/our-clinics/james-cook-university-allied-clinics/psychology/

Around cost of the sessions:
Medicare and Private Health Insurance rebates are not accessible for services provided by provisional psychologists through the JCU Psychology Clinic. Therapy fees for provisional psychologists are $45 per session, or $25 per session for concession card holders. Costs for assessment by a provisional psychologist range from $470-$750, testing and written report inclusive. You will be provided a quote at the time of booking your intake.

Library News

BOOK WEEK 2025

Celebrations commenced at the beginning of Term 3 for the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s shortlisted nominated books! Students have enjoyed delving into the many amazing Australian authors and illustrators, enjoying the best literature in Australia. The theme ‘Book an Adventure’, has inspired students to look more deeply into the literature they are reading. and developing their love of reading. This year’s theme ‘Book an Adventure’, gave students an opportunity to delve into many genres, creating a meaningful engagement by students to think about the plot, settings, characters of the book they are reading.

The Book Week Australian Authors and Illustrators - winners for 2025 announced on Saturday are:

This week was our St Joseph’s 2025 Book Week Parade spectacular, which was held on Tuesday, 19^th August. We celebrated the annual Book Week winners and anticipation excitement, and the positive impact that flows to students, when celebrating books and literature. Students, parents and staff embraced the occasion to bring their books to life, with amazing characters they love!

Thank you ALL (students, amazing teachers/staff, amazing parents & our community) for your creativity and inspirational characters! Thank you to compare ‘Bob the Builder’ (Mrs. Plant) and sidekick Mildred Hubble (Mrs. Harrington) for their enthusiasm. Thank you, Miss Di Bella, for being there to play our music. Everyone enjoyed the costume characters and cheered them on as they paraded around the assembly. Thank you to the Mary MacKillop Kindy joining the big school for a ‘Bear Hunt’ adventure. Everyone had a great time!

VISITING AUTHOR – NIKKI ROGERS

This week on Monday the 18 August our library was very excited to host MS Rogers, a visiting Author and Illustrator from the Gold Coast. We were delighted to have Nikki present to us an impressive day with students from Year 1A, 1B, 2A & 2B delighted by her presentation. Students enjoyed a discussion about creating stories, and writing a book, illustration drawing fun, puppetry and music, which delighted the students and kept them fully engaged in the visit. Nikki loves to inspire children to be creative. Thank you, Nikki, for coming to our school you were amazing!

Nikki has some books for sale at the school, if any parent is interested in buying them. Please contact the Mrs. Harrington at the library, if you have any queries.

BOOK WEEK ACTIVITIES

Each day at lunchtime the library holds an activity focusing on one of the shortlisted books from the different categories, so come in and try a ‘Spiro’ spider activity or a ‘Peak-a-Boo Lottie’, lots of fun to be had!

QUEENSLAND MUSEUM DISPLAY IN THE LIBRARY

Come in and see the library’s newest exhibit, which focuses on bird adaption and their beaks. The display is for investigation and showing how wonderful the world of birds is and why their beaks are so useful and important. The exhibit features many facts about the different species of birds, which include Kookaburras, parrots, and many other types of bird shaped beaks.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Issue 5 has been distributed to students and Issue 6 brochures have been sent out for this month. Please ensure ordering of books through the Scholastic LOOP is finalized by 29^th August 2025.

2025 PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

Completed school reader record forms need to be returned to your teacher or coordinator extraordinaire Mrs. Cath Cornish. By the 22 August, 2025.

Keep reading your Adventure!

“There is something quite delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.”

Beatrix Potter

Mini Vinnies

Last Saturday Stephen, from SVP, met our Mini Vinnies group in the Library. Stephen led us in a challenging group activity which made us think about the different circumstances of some of our school friends and how they can be affected by circumstances beyond their control. We all realised that we need to be more conscious of how we deal with our friends and people we meet as so often we do not know their story. Thank you Stephen for joining our Mini Vinnies group on Saturday morning.

LOTE

Well done to the students from Years 4, 5 and 6 who participated in the Primary Italian Speech Competition at Ryan Catholic College. Congratulations to Maeve who not only won the Year 6 section, but also received the Championship Award for the highest overall score - the Maria Di Marzio Trophy. The trophy was presented to Maeve by Donald Di Marzio. Congratulations also to the following students:

Patrick - 2nd in the Year 6 Section

Eden - 2nd in the Year 5 Section

Emiliano - 1st in the Year 4 Section

Rachael - 2nd in the Year 4 Section

Ruby D - HM in the Year 5 Section

Both Mrs Dray and Mrs Nuttall felt immense pride when watching our students perform their poems and speeches in Italian in front of an audience and judges. A huge thank you to Mrs Dray who did a wonderful job in preparing the students for this competition. Both her and the students gave up many lunch hours in order to practice, and their efforts have been rewarded today

Bimbi Wadja

EcoMarines

Some of our EcoMarines recently visited the Townsville Material Recovery Facility. They were inspired to share some important information about recycling with our school community.
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/water-waste-and-environment/waste-and-recycling
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/water-waste-and-environment/waste-and-recycling/your-bins

#recyclemate #letsgetitsortedtownsville #recycle #ecomarines

Year 1 Hass Dress Up Day

Let's Dance

Friendology

This month, St Joseph's is celebrating how sweet RESPECT in friendships is...with ice-cream. At lunch time on Thursday, students can write down examples of 'must-haves' and 'deal-breakers' in respectful relationships and enjoy an ice cream cone.
If you'd like to know more about URStrong's Friendology program and how you can be your child's friendship coach - check out this article. #URStrong #Friendology

Ryan Catholic College Emerging Leaders

Last week, Emerging Leaders from Ryan Catholic College. The Ryan students lead a hands-on and engaging lesson on the use and significance of symbols in First Nations art. What a great opportunity for both St Joseph's and Ryan Catholic College students. We can't wait to see them again in Term 4. Thank you to the staff at Ryan Catholic College for making it possible.

P&F News

🚨 FINAL REMINDER! 🚨

This is it—the final countdown is on until the St Joey’s Father’s Day social event on this Saturday, 23rd August from 3pm at the Seaview Hotel - Sports Bar! 🌊

Joeys Mums- have you grabbed a ticket for your partner yet? Or better yet, has he organised his own? Because let’s be real: if you don’t keep reminding them, some Dads will probably show up a week late, to the wrong pub, or not at all. So, here’s your mission:

✅ Text them

✅ Write it on the fridge

✅ Play the kids’ most annoying songs on repeat until they buy their ticket

Why should the Dads come?

🎉 A kid-free, partner-free arvo

🎉 Chill out at a pub with a few other Joeys Dads, watch some sports, talk about nothing

🎉 The chance to say to your partner, “See? I do go to school events!”

Event Details:
🗓️ When: Saturday, 23rd August from 3pm

📍 Where: Seaview Hotel, Townsville

🎯 Want 2 drinks and nibbles?

Then book a ticket HERE!

Mass Times

Parish Mass Times

Wednesday 7.00am

Friday 7.00am

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 7.30am

Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter 2025