Term Two - Week One
Our Vision and Mission
Vision Statement
With Jesus Christ as their role model, all children can and will achieve.
Mission Statement
Inspired by Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and in partnership with parents, our Parish and the wider community, we aim to impart a holistic education on all children in our school. We endeavour to live by the values of our school motto.
Learning, Understanding and Peace.
St Joseph’s is distinguished by a great sense of belonging, where each person is valued and where learning is enjoyable.
Prayer of the day
St Athanasius
Acts 5:34-42. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord – Ps 26(27):1, 4, 13-14. John 6:1-15.
Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out
It sounds a bit like Mass, doesn’t it? But this is the story of Jesus sharing the loaves and fish with 5000 people on the hillside. In John’s Gospel, this is a Eucharistic narrative that connects with the practice of the early church. So, if that gathering was like the Mass, how can our own meals be more like it too? What could be some of the signs? Perhaps when we gather a large number of people from all backgrounds without judgment. Perhaps when we trust there will be enough to go around despite the little we have. Perhaps when the ‘work of human hands’ is received, acknowledged and transformed into tasty morsels. Perhaps when we consciously and confidently give thanks before or after the meal. Let’s take, bless and share in Jesus’ name today.
SCHOOL NEWS
Welcome Back
Welcome back to St Joseph’s for Term Two! We trust you had a lovely Easter and holiday break with your children at home. It was nice to see so many smiling faces on Monday with many children telling us about their holidays.
Term Two is already shaping as a very busy term. Staff have been busy with preparations for student learning and out of the classrooms. We look forward to seeing you throughout the term.
ANZAC Day
Last Friday, 25th March, students and staff represented St Joseph’s at the ANZAC Day March and Ceremony. Thank you to those who were able to give of their time to represent St Joseph’s. ANZAC Day is a very important day to all Australians and New Zealanders. To be able to represent our school is a privilege and we are very appreciative of our families who were able to do so. Congratulations to Bryson and Georgie who delivered wonderful speeches to the Molong community. We are very proud of all those involved.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Spelling Bee
Yesterday, students from Years 3–6 took part in the school Spelling Bee to determine our representatives for the Diocesan Spelling Bee.
Everyone made a tremendous effort in the lead-up, with students practising their word lists tirelessly over the past month.
Congratulations to Amzi Arokiaswamy and Huon May, who will represent our school in the Stage 2 competition, and to Dustin Lawrence and Hugo Ansted, who will compete in the Stage 3 competition.
A note with further details about the diocesan event will be sent home next week.
Christian Living Camp
Next Thursday, 8th May, Year Six will attend the Christian Living Camp at Ridgecrest, Lake Burrendong. Our students will be joined by students from Canowindra, Eugowra, Manildra and Yeoval. Mr Chris Doyle will facilitate the camp. Mr French and Miss Kerwick will accompany the children to camp.
Gabe Middleton
This term the children will be taught singing by Gabe Middleton on Thursdays. Gabe will prepare the children for the whole school choir section at the eisteddfod in term 3. Gabe will also run a fitvoice club at lunch time. Today was our first visit and the children had a fabulous time. Gabe is a very talented musician and we look forward to singing with her.It was wonderful to see the children engage with Gabe and build their self confidence and express themselves. Gabe loved our students and said what a great school we had and that she was grateful for the opportunity to be with us this term.
School Singing
Mothers Day Stall
St Josephs is joining with Greenwood designs and will hold a Mother’s Day stall
at school on Thursday 6 th May. Children can shop for a gift for their mum. Items
will be $10 and there will be a range of earrings, scarves, necklaces. Please bring
$10 if you wish to purchase a gift for your Mum, Grandma or someone special. The stall will run all week at lunch time.
Healthy Harold
The Life Education Van will visit the school on the 27th & 28th May. If you wish to order something for your child, please see the flyer below for details.
Please note you can only order online and your must order before the 26th May. The school will not accept cash orders.
Student of the Week
ST JOEY'S COOKING CLUB
Cooking Club Celebrates Delicious Success!
This week our Cooking Club had a fantastic time working with fresh ingredients from our school vegetable garden. Mrs Shannon and the garden club kids harvested our own zucchinis culminating in a delicious zucchini slice that was a big hit with everyone! These weekly experiences not only teach valuable cooking skills but also highlight the importance of growing and using fresh, healthy produce. We’re proud of our budding chefs and look forward to more tasty creations each week!
Recipe is below.
Mrs Bowman and Mrs Reid
Cooking Club
SPORTS NEWS
Polding Hockey
Today Georgie Bowman, Bella Bowman, Jock Lyons and Henry King have attended Polding Hockey in Bathurst, we wish them luck in securing a spot in the team.
Rugby Trials
Next Wednesday, 7th May, St Joseph’s will hold trials to select students to attend the Diocesan Rugby Trials at Stannies on Friday, 16th May. Children in Year 5 or 6 who are registered to play Rugby this year and would like to trial will need to bring Rugby gear to school on Wednesday. Gear must include, jersey, shorts, boots and headgear.
Long Jump Pit
On Thursday afternoon our delivery of sand for the long jump pit arrived
This is perfect timing to practice for the upcoming Athletics Carnival.
Athletics Carnival
We have had a couple of enquiries regarding the running of the Field events at the carnival this term. This year we had planned to hold preliminary rounds of the Field events at school prior to the carnival and have ten qualifiers compete in the finals at the carnival. The reasons for this are the following:
Large numbers in the junior boys and girls events;
Time restraints;
Low number of staff and helpers available;
Including sub juniors in events;
And the safety of your children.
This decision was not taken lightly. We always want children to participate and to be included in all school activities, both in and out of the classroom. We, as a school, pride ourselves on inclusion. In essence, we have created this problem for ourselves with the way we include all children in such events. St Joseph’s has always included the Infants in our carnivals. In many schools this is not the case. We do not want to exclude our Infants children from our carnivals. To have all children there on the day is what makes these days very special.
We would love nothing more than to have all children participate in all the events they want to participate in on the day of the carnival. However, a few things need to happen for this to occur.
We may need to run two shot put events concurrently, two discus events concurrently and possibly two high jump events concurrently. This will mean there will need to be more parents to put their hands up to help. If we are able to get enough volunteers to help on the day, there is no reason we cannot have all children compete in all events. If we are unable to get enough volunteers, we will need to run preliminary rounds of the field events at school the week before the carnival on Tuesday, 13th and Wednesday, 14th May. If the Field events are run prior to the carnival, parents will be invited to watch.
Please note 2 session times - Boys Track & Girls Field will be the morning session and Girls Track & Boys Field will be the afternoon session. We cannot provide you with an exact time.
Volunteer spots need to be filled by Thursday 8th May.
Please click on the following link to sign up to Volunteer.
FROM THE REC
Welcome back to Term 2!
As we return to school, we are in the season of Easter. It is a joyful time in the Church where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Easter reminds us of the hope and new life we have through Christ. It is a time for our faith community to come together in gratitude and joy, sharing the Good News that Jesus is risen.
Pope Francis
Last week, we received the sad news of the passing of Pope Francis, the beloved leader of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis was known for his humility, compassion, and deep concern for the poor and our planet. He reminded us all to show kindness, forgiveness, and to care for one another.
As we reflect on his life and the impact he made across the world, let us take a moment to pray for his soul, now that he has gone home to be with God.
Prayer for Pope Francis
Loving God,
We thank you for the life of Pope Francis.
Thank you for his words, his kindness, and his love for all people.
We pray that he is now at peace with you in heaven.
Help us to follow his example by showing love, care, and mercy each day.
May we continue to grow in faith, hope, and joy,
just as Pope Francis encouraged us to do.
Amen.
Date to remember:
- Sunday 15th June, 10am - Sacrament of Confirmation
- Sunday 22nd June, 10am - Sacrament of First holy Communion
Upcoming Masses:
- Wednesday, 7th May (Week 2): Primary Mass – 9:30 AM
- Wednesday, 14th May (Week 3): Infants Mass – 9:30 AM
Miss Taylah Woodhouse
Religious Education Coordinator
Pope Francis Podcast
If you are interested in learning a little more about what will happen now, following the passing of Pope Francis, a podcast/video has been linked below.
STUDENT WELLBEING
Wellness
I hope everyone had a well rested holiday. It has been lovely to see the children back and wearing the dreaded winter uniform!! Those ties!!!!
The Hub has opened this term and the children are enjoying listening to mindfulness podcasts, and enjoying some mindfulness activities before school.
The resilience project continues to empower our students. This week we have had lots of GEM chats in class. I have attached a fun activity to do at home.
The information below came across my inbox and I found it interesting to share with you.
Key findings for parents from 4 million check-ins
In 2024 Life Skills GO empowered Australian students to complete more than 4 million check-ins. The data offers a comprehensive look at how students are feeling and what factors are influencing their emotions.
Key findings:
- Tiredness on the Rise: The most significant trend in 2024 was an increase in students checking in as "tired." Of the 4 million check-ins, nearly 1 in 5 indicated that they were feeling tired.
- The Impact of Online: The digital age has left its mark on student emotions. The number of students reporting that something "online" had influenced their feelings increased to nearly 250,000 check-ins. Year 8 were most likely to check in with "online" as a factor with Year 3 second most likely.
- Happiness and Love: Despite the challenges, there were also positive trends. "Happy" remained the most frequently checked-in emotion, comprising 36% of all responses. Kindergarten students were most likely to express love, with a higher percentage of "loved" check-ins than any other year group.
- Context Matters: The context in which students find themselves plays a crucial role in their emotional state. More students indicated that "at home" contributed to their feelings than "on the playground."
- Readiness to Learn: A promising statistic is that 68.7% of check-ins indicated that students were "ready to learn." This suggests that despite the challenges, many students are still engaged and motivated.
So what, now what?
It is great knowing that students are tired but what can we do about it?
Is there a link between an increase in ‘online’ and ‘tired’ check-ins?
Why does the number of students checking in as ‘loved’ decrease as they get older?
Why did Year 3 have so many ‘online’ check-ins?
Why do year 4 have nearly 15 000 ‘Angry’ check-ins? And Year 1 the most ‘Grateful’ check-ins?
Tabling this data is great for raising awareness, looking for patterns and trends and planning next steps but wellbeing isn’t something that can be tackled by schools or parents alone. One of the greatest impacts on supporting student emotional wellbeing is the consistent expectations, strategies and approaches of the school and home environment.
P & F / CANTEEN NEWS
CANTEEN
Thanks to everyone who gives their time - with your help, the canteen continues to be a vibrant part of our school community, and a consistent fundraiser for our P&F.
We’d love you to get in touch if you are interested, or would like to know more about how you can be a part of our great little school as a canteen helper.
Please see below the Term 2 Canteen Menu.
Please click on the link below to sign up to volunteer for the canteen and baking/making goodies for our "Specials" Days
Enquiries welcome: Jane Shannon 0428656167
P & F Meeting
The next P & F meeting will be:
Tuesday 13th May
6pm at the Molong RSL
All Welcome, we encourage new parents to attend.
Any agenda items can be emailed to stjosephsmolong@bth.catholic.edu.au by Friday 9th May 2025.
PIE DRIVE
The annual pie drive is here, get your orders in to stock up your freezer for winter. And money raised will suppy extra resources for your children.
Orders are due back to school by Monday 26th May.
Delivery date for pies is Thursday 12th June.
COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
