St Joseph's Primary School South Murwillumbah eNewsletter

From The Principals Desk

Dear Parents and Carers,

As the school year for 2024 comes to a close, may we all take the time to reflect on the many successes, opportunities for growth and blessings that this year has provided.

I congratulate all of our students for their efforts and growth mindset this year and for their persistence and resilience in living out our school rules of respect for; self, others, learning and the environment. Our students are engaged learners who strive to do their best! Well done! Enjoy your summer holidays!

Thank you to our parents, caregivers and families who work in partnership with us each day to provide our students with every opportunity to succeed. May we continue to strengthen our partnership for our students next year. Enjoy the time away from the rigours of school life over the summer break!

I applaud our staff who all work tirelessly and selflessly all year to ensure that our students are engaged and provided every opportunity to succeed with their learning and personal growth at school. Thank you for being such a dedicated team! Enjoy your time away from school this summer break!

To all, on behalf of our St Joseph’s team, thank you for a great year. May everyone have a happy, holy and safe Christmas and new year. We look forward to another positive year in 2025!

Peace and blessings,

Jason Clarke

Principal

2025 School Starting Dates

Best Start Interviews (Kindergarten)

Monday 2nd - Thursday 5th February

MAI’s (Years 1-6)

Monday 2nd - Wednesday 4th February

First day for formal classes 2025 (following the Best Start Interviews and MAI’s):

- Years 1-6 - Thursday 5th February

- Kindergarten - Friday 6th February

Uniform days for 2025:

Day uniform Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Sport uniform Thursday, Friday

"You Can Do It!" Awards

WEEK 8 - Term 4

Kinder
Florence Wilkinson for Confidence and Taking A Risk.
Daisy Skennar for Persistence and Working Tough.

Year 1
Darcy Ahern for Organisation and Planning My Time.
Leo Robinson for Persistence and Giving Effort.

Year 2
Harry Lindsay for Organisation and Planning My Time.
Fynn Holliday for Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.

Year 3
Eli Folkers for Confidence and Giving Effort.
Banjo Ahrens for Organisation and Planning My Time.

Year 4
Peggy Wilkinson for Resilience, Bouncing Back and having a Growth Mindset.
Shelby Walsh for Confidence, Taking A Risk and having a Growth Mindset.

Year 5
Lyla McMahon for displaying Confidence and Giving Effort.
Asher Morphett for displaying Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.

Year 6
Declan Behan for Resilience and Bouncing Back.
Amelia Alley for Confidence, Giving Effort and Taking Risks.

Sharing the Gospel

Year 5 & 6 Explore Aboriginal Songlines

Our Year 5 and 6 students have embarked on an enriching journey into Aboriginal culture, delving into the world of Songlines. This term, they’ve been exploring symbolism, imagery, and figurative language to create their own St. Joseph’s Songline. This unique project reflects the student’s understanding of their school journey and the importance of cultural connections.

This 12-element masterpiece, centered on Faith, explores key aspects of school life, including Learning, Culture, History, and Community. Each element is beautifully symbolised and accompanied by insightful student reflections. The stunning Songline represents the heart of St. Joseph’s Primary School.

The Songline is a testament to the student’s creativity and understanding of Aboriginal culture and the depth of learning they traveled with Miss Nance, Mrs Martin, Mrs H, Mrs Walker and Mr D. It’s a powerful reminder of their shared journey and the values that they feel define our school. Sharing their Songline with the community at the final assembly was a truly special moment, offering a glimpse into the rich learning and spiritual experiences of our Stage 3 students.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Stage 3 for sharing with us such a significant mural to cherish for a long time to come.

GOD MOMENT

The way Year 5 led us in our beautiful Thanksgiving Mass on Wednesday.

BAPTISM:
Congratulations to Jaxson Dunning & Aria Dunning. We welcome you to our faith community.

SRC Thank you Certificates

Music Showcase & Kinder Nativity

Last week, Kinder presented the Nativity. Our wonderful Narrators and actors put on a wonderful end of year show and should be so very proud of themselves. Well done Kinder! Talk about ending the year with a bang!

Kinder Nativity

Thanksgiving Mass

As we reflect on another year of learning and growth, we offer our heartfelt thanks to God for His many blessings.

We are grateful for the love and support of our families, the joy of our friendships, and for our teachers, who have inspired and guided us with patience and wisdom.

We give thanks for the opportunities to learn and grow, to try new things, and to make mistakes. We are grateful for the supportive and caring community that surrounds us, and for the friendships that have enriched our lives.

We pray that we may continue to grow in faith and love, and to use our gifts to make a positive difference in the world. May God bless us all in the St Joseph's family community.

School Leaders 2025

SCHOOL LEADERS 2025

Indigo Cleak and Bonnie Lindsay

STUDENT DISCIPLES

Amira Folkers, Ace Colleton,Indigo Cleak, Annabel Casey, Lalyta Brockbank, Noah Bowley, Micah Bedser, Frank Ahrens, Isla Alley, Lyla McMahon, Bonnie Lindsay, Zoe Lindsay, William Hoffman, Mica Rempis, Nate Linkins and Imogen Rudman.

SPORTS CAPTAINS 2024

LEONARD HOUSE CAPTAINS

Nate Linkins and Jaxon Mann

MACKILLOP HOUSE CAPTAINS

Nakoha Heterick and Eli Reed

PARKER HOUSE CAPTAINS

Imogen Rudman and William Hoffman

Champion Sporting house 2024:

MACKILLOP

Sportsperson of the Year

Caleb Bourke

Class Awards 2024

YEAR 6

Academic Excellence: Ivy Hunt

Most Improved: Max Bourke

Christian Values: Bella Higgins

Most Consistent: Emily Pham

School Citizenship: Kobi Buckroyd

Rotary School Spirit & Leadership: Pearl Wilkinson

Lions Service Award: Brock Sasse & Ava Hunt

Deadly Leadership Award: Indi Asanuma

Reconciliation Award: Luke Stovold

Year 5

Outstanding Class Achievement: Levi Campbell

Most Improved: Imogen Rudman

Christian Values: Bonnie Lindsay

Most Consistent: Nate Linkins

Year 4

Outstanding Class Achievement: Shelby Walsh

Most Improved: Daisy Westwood

Christian Values: Peggy Wilkinson

Most Consistent: Kaeden Jandura

Year 3

Outstanding Class Achievement: Will Polson

Most Improved: Kobe Robinson

Christian Values: Linkin Macdonald

Most Consistent: Meadow Chapman

Year 2

Outstanding Class Achievement: Mila Kendall

Most Improved: Olivia Skarpona

Christian Values: Frank Wilkinson

Most Consistent: Tate Bannister

Year 1

Outstanding Class Achievement: Joseph Hunt

Most Improved: Harriet Stovold

Christian Values: Lincoln John

Most Consistent: Archie Ahern

Kinder

Outstanding Class Achievement: James Polson

Most Improved: Lexi Clarkson

Christian Values: Dustin Casagrande

Most Consistent: Isabel McMahon

Farewell Year 6

Good luck to our amazing Year 6 students. We will miss you!

Highlighting High Potential Learners

This semester, three of our talented Year 5 students were selected to participate in an exciting extension program designed for high-potential learners. Imogen Rudman, Nate Linkins (English), and Levi Campbell (Mathematics) engaged in advanced video lessons led by high school teachers, tackling challenging activities typically reserved for high school students.

This opportunity not only allowed these students to deepen their knowledge in their respective subjects but also gave them a glimpse of future learning opportunities. We are incredibly proud of their dedication and enthusiasm in embracing these advanced challenges!

Tropical Fruit World Excursion

Last week, Kinder and Stage 1 went on an adventure to Tropical Fruit World. Our activities included a boat ride, tractor ride, feeding animals and trying new fruits! We tried a fruit called Mamey Sapote, Water Cherry and enjoyed one of our old favourites, Mango! It certainly was a day enjoyed by all. Thank you Kinder and Stage 1 for a wonderful day. We are so proud of the way you conducted yourselves and represented our school.

SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR:

Last week during the Primary presentation our Sports Person of the Year was announced. Congratulations Caleb Bourke! His achievements across 2024 from school level through to Polding level have been outstanding!!

SWIMMING CARNIVAL:

Recently our school had our annual Swimming Carnival at TRAC Murwillumbah. It was a fantastic day filled with great sportsmanship, colour house cheer and school spirit! Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success. From the staff who came extra early to set up, to the people working all day in various roles without ever getting a break! Thank you to the families who were able to watch and cheer on our swimmers, you helped make it extra special. We finished the competitive component of the day so early; we were able to include fun relays and the waterslide which was the ultimate way to finish the day!

Two students broke records on the day: Shelby Walsh: 50m Breaststroke and Carter Alexander: 200IM, 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 50m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly. Carter broke every single record!! Well done Shelby and Carter!. Your record breaking certificates and full details will be presented at our first whole school assembly in the new year!

Congratulations to the following Age Champions and Runner Up Age Champions:

	Age Champions:	Runner Up Age Champions:
8Yr	Luca Campbell & Millie Anderson	Harry Lindsay & Macy Butler-Baker
9Yr	Carter Alexander & Amelia Bedser	Lorenzo Pahlow & Sierra Casagrande
10Yr	Levi Campbell & Pippa Bourke	Sam Stovold & Shelby Walsh
11Yr	Kobi Buckroyd & Yasmin White	(Four way tie) Frank Ahrens, Jaxon Mann, Nakoha Heterick, Nate Linkins & Isla Alley
12/13Yr	Caleb Bourke & Layla Walsh	Max Bourke & Ava Hunt

Well done to our Champion House: Mackillop!!

PROGRESSION TO ZONE SWIMMING CARNIVAL:

Our Zone Swimming Carnival is set for Wednesday 19^th February at TRAC Murwillumbah. Any student who received a ribbon for the 50m Freestyle (1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd) is straight through to Zone!! This is the only race that takes the top three and is held as separate ages (not combined)

All other strokes only take the top two in the following age categories:

Junior (8Yr, 9Yr & 10Yr combined), 11Yr and Senior (12Yr & 13Yr combined).

The 100m Freestyle takes the two fastest boys in the entire school as it is an Open category.

The 200IM is open to the eight fastest competitors out of the eight catholic schools. I will submit our times and the eight fastest students will race in Junior (8, 9 and 10yr) and Senior (11, 12 and 13yr). This means there may be more than one competitor from a school or no competitors at all from a particular school.

The Junior and Senior Relays will be the four fastest swimmers from the 50m Freestyle times.

I will enter our school into the Zone Swimming Carnival over the Christmas break / New Year period. I will post all competitors and the races they have been entered into on Compass in the New Year holiday period and announce the team on the first day back at school in 2025.

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing Christmas break. Looking forward to another great year of sport in 2025. I am busy booking lots of great experiences already starting with coaches visiting our school from League Tag in the first three weeks of PE! A great way to build fitness leading up to Cross Country which is set for Friday 28^th March (week 8, Term 1) on our oval!

Colour Run Fun!

Last Friday we had a great end of year celebration with our Colour Run! Thank you to all the wonderful helpers who were able to assist with setting up and packing up! Many hands make light work and this was definitely the case! A big thank you to our local fire brigade who were able to drop in and keep the event well hydrated by soaking us with their powerful hoses (such a highlight on a hot day!). Thank you to Rod Hoffman for making this possible! Another enjoyable element of the circuit was the cadets army mesh which the students were able to crawl under. Thank you to Wayne Roach (Frank and Banjo’s uncle) from the local cadets for loaning the mesh. We all had a wonderful / colourful day celebrating the end of a busy and enjoyable year.

~ABOUT SORA~

Sora is our Lismore Diocesan school digital library. It houses eBooks, magazines and audiobooks suitable for Kinder through to staff (including professional reading).

Sora will work on any platform. You will need internet access to locate and borrow, but you can download to read and listen offline. Sora is available for all staff and students in the Lismore Diocese. The ability to borrow a resource is determined by date of birth to ensure appropriate content. (Juvenile - Kinder - Year 6, Young Adult - Years 7 +, Adult - Year 9 +).

Follow directions on left to access Sora.

General News

2025 School bus pass applications

Students who have never had a bus pass before can apply now for 2025 through Transport NSW. This includes Kinder students enrolled for 2025. Students who already have a pass and have not changed any details do need to apply again for 2025. Students who have changed their home address, or school can update their details with Transport NSW at at any time.

See the flyer below for more information.

Canteen News

Sincere thanks to everyone who assisted with running the canteen this year! And a special thank you to Nicky Mann and Elise Alley for their coordination of the canteen. In 2025 Elise will be managing our volunteer roster as well as coordinating our canteen menu and ordering, while Nicky will continue to volunteer as a canteen helper.

Next year our school canteen will be open on Fridays only.

Thank you parents and family who have offered to work on Wednesdays, but there are not enough to fill the Wednesday roster. If we can gather more wonderful volunteers then we can re-assess for Terms 2-4. We still welcome more Friday volunteers for Term 1.

Compass Help for Parents

A Guide for Parents and Families

Parish News

Tuesday 17 December 10:00 am - Advent Study Group | Hope Reigns
4:00 pm - Christmas Carnival ‘Evaluation’ Meeting
5:30 pm - Mass
Wednesday 18 December 10:00 am - Catholic Men’s Group
5:30 pm - Mass
Thursday 19 December NO 8:15 am Mass
Friday 20 December 9:30 am - Legion of Mary | Parish Meeting Centre
NO Exposition or Mass today
Saturday 21 December 9:00 am - Rosary
5:30 pm - Rosary
6:00 pm - Vigil Mass
Sunday 22 December 8:30 am - Rosary
9:00 am - Mass

Health and Wellbeing

Community News

The Murwillumbah Lions Club, who donate service awards to two year six students at our school each year, are starting a local Leo Club for young people 12-18 years of age. The Leo Club is a way to give to your local community, meet new people, and be involved in what's happening in town.
The first meeting in January 2025 is open to anyone who is interested in having a look and finding out more. For confirmation of the date and time of the first meeting, please contact Val Hill (0403 268 600).