St Joseph's School, Tara eNewsletter

Our Vision & Mission Statements

From the Principal

Welcome to the Term 1 Week 8 Newsletter!

Strategic Plan Focus

A Culture of Learning

Teach the Barunggam culture and language across the school in meaningful ways relevant to our community.

As a school where 50% of our students are Indigenous, we feel it is important that this culture is recognised, celebrated and commemorated as a school community. Prior to my appointment at St Joseph’s, the Barunggam and Gamilaraay were taught in the school. This implementation had a lot of support from some elders who were engaged by the school to support the staff. Unfortunately, this implementation came to a close due to various factors.

Early in 2024, the reintroduction of the Indigenous language and culture was raised by the staff as something they felt was important for our community. And so, the work began on how this would look for us as a school, staff and most importantly for the students.

The early implementation began with classroom teachers, with the support of our Indigenous School Officer – Dorene Warwick, responsible for including an Indigenous lesson into their week. This then led to teachers collaborating and creating what was to be known as Indigi Hour. This was on a Friday afternoon where classes came together to share experiences of language, culture and art.

In mid-2024, the school decided that, given the amount of time being spent on Indigi Hour, that something more formal was required. That is, if we are teaching content, we should be assessing and reporting on it. This is when the real work began!

With the support of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, the school became the first in the Diocese to create Achievement Standards and Content Descriptors which align with the Australian Curriculum so that teaching & learning, assessing and reporting could become more formal. That is, included on report cards and considered its own Key Learning Area just like Maths, English, Religion, Science etc. Staff spent numerous staff meetings developing the Achievement Standards and Content Descriptors for each year level and then with the support of TCS we have been able to import of this into our system which meant that we now officially have LOTE (Barunggam) as a subject.

At the beginning of 2025, Miss Tara Fisher and Mrs Dorene Warwick took on the implementation of the LOTE with each class. These two ladies plan, teach, assess and report on this KLA. We are very privileged to have not only the support of TCS but also to be the first school in the Diocese to implement such a subject area.

Please have a read of the Teaching & Learning section below to see what the students have been learning in Term 1 in LOTE.

2025 and 2026 Enrolments

We are currently taking enrolments for the remainder of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. Even though there are currently some year levels that are full, we ask that anyone who has an interest in having their child at St Joseph’s be encouraged to submit an application so they can go onto our waiting lists. This makes the entry process, when it happens, move faster for them.

Interviews for 2025 will occur as soon as the application with all relevant documentation is received. Interviews for 2026 will begin early in Term 2.

Please spread the word for us so that any family and friends you have are aware.

NAPLAN

We have concluded Naplan 2025, and I must say, the Year 3 and 5 students should be very proud of themselves. The improvements we have seen this year with stamina, persistence, resilience and self-motivation throughout each of the 4 testing periods has been amazing.

Results will be available to parents later in the year. You will receive them in an envelope from us here at school.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thank you to the 28 families (91%) who attended parent teacher interviews this week. It is so refreshing to see you all coming in to chat with your child/ren’s teacher/s about their learning. We, as a staff, cannot educate a student on our own. It is certainly a collaborative effort and the more information we know about your child the more equipped we are to support them, and vise versa.

Please remember that parent teacher interviews should not be the only time you connect with our staff. It is important that the line of communication stays open throughout the year. So please do not hesitate to ring, email or catch them at drop off/pick up if you have any questions, concerns, need clarification about something that you’ve heard or just to give us, or receive, an update on your child.

God bless,

Kylie Williams

APMI

St Joseph's Feast Day

What a wonderful day it was on Wednesday celebrating the school’s Patron saint, St Joseph. Make sure you pop onto our school’s Facebook page and have a look at all the photos from throughout the day.

A big thank you to the MacKillop Leaders and their supporting staff, Miss Autumn Taylor and Miss Heather Sheppard, for helping organise and run the day.

What we need to know about Joseph

Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture.

We know he was a carpenter, a working man. He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple after he was born, he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Both the Gospels of Luke and Matthew mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed, the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.

We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He knew women accused of adultery could be stoned to death, so he resolved to send her away quietly to not expose her to shame or cruelty. However, when an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins," he did as the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:19-25).

When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).

We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return, settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple, we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son.

We know Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem after Jesus’ birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man, given the distance required to travel.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Joseph is the patron saint of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.

Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travellers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker. March 19 has been the most commonly celebrated feast day for Joseph, and it wasn't until 1955 that Pope Pius XII established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker" to be celebrated on May 1. This is also May Day (International Workers' Day) and believed to reflect Joseph's status as the patron of workers.

Many places, schools and churches all over the world are named after St. Joseph.

In art, Joseph is typically portrayed as an older man, with grey hair and a beard, sometimes appearing frail and a marginal figure next to Mary and Jesus, if not entirely in the background. Some statues of Joseph show his staff topped with flowers. St. Joseph is shown with the attributes of a carpenter's square or tools, the infant Jesus, his lily blossomed staff, two turtle doves, or a spikenard.

There is much we still wish we could know about Joseph, exactly where and when he was born, how he spent his days, exactly when and how he died. But Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:18).

Reference - St. Joseph - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online

Learning at St Joeys

Specialist Lessons

Term 1 PE with Mr Coman

What a pleasure it has been to be welcomed into your community. The bright faces and enthusiasm the Joey's students display is refreshing. Thank you, staff, parents and students, for your cooperation and support throughout this term's swimming unit. The pool staff and I were very impressed with student's progress and improved water safety.

The inter-house swimming carnival was a fitting end to the aquatic's unit. Watching students enjoy friendly competition is a true delight. Congratulations to all students for your participation and the house spirit displayed throughout the day. Thank you to the PEN for cooking and supplying a sausage sizzle lunch for all students.

PE classes will now focus on long distance running, with an emphasis being placed on maintaining a steady pace rather than running at pace. The school's inter-house cross country carnival will be held on Thursday 2 April.

LOTE

During LOTE this term, students have emersed themselves into the Barunggam culture, learning through stories, conversations and song. They engaged in an acknowledgment to country at the beginning of each lesson and can describe the difference between an acknowledgement and a welcome to country.

Students have learnt how to have a simple conversation in the Barunggam language greeting their friends, asking how they are feeling and being able to respond to the question using Barunggam language to describe their emotions.

They have identified the main flags that represent our First Nation Australians, the Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander flag and the meaning behind the colours and symbols that are present. Students engaged in songs, learning the naming and identifying body parts in the Barunggam language.

The GOSSIP - Student Newspaper

From the PEN

From the Parish

**Parish Priest**: Fr Rod MacGinley **Presbytery**: 4662 7031 (Dalby)

St Mary Of The Angels - Tara

Mass Times

Tara: Sunday: 9am

on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month

Meandarra: Sunday: 11am

on the 3rd Sunday of the month

St Joseph's Student Recognition

Certificates of Recognition

Week 7 - Addison Hockley-Black, Hudson De-Lisle, Adrian Vines, Frankie Nystrom and Braxton McGill

Week 8 - Austin-Jethro Saunders, Jolin Kerr, Meliaceae Hockley-Black, Xander Welldon-Taylor, Leakella Norford and Eliza Adhikary

From the Administration Officers

If you need any financial assistance, be sure to come in and see myself or Kylie to see how we can help. It is completely confidential!

HOW TO PAY YOUR SCHOOL FEES:

*Cash / Cheque, at the office.

*BPoint, in person at the office or over the phone.

*Direct Deposit:
Bank: ADF
Name: St Joseph’s School
BSB: 064-786
ACC: 100-025-583
Reference: Your Name/Customer Code eg. TRA1234

*Centrelink Centrepay Deduction Payments can be made fortnightly or monthly.

The School’s CRN: 555075545A

*Direct Debit: Forms are available in the office. Please see me or call the office.

Not Sure how it’s done? Ask at the office for assistance.

Term Dates

2025

Term 1 2025 – Wed 29 Jan (Public Hol 26 Jan) - Fri 04 April

Term 2 2025 – (Easter Monday, 21 Apr) Wed 23 Apr - Fri 27 Jun

Term 3 2025 - Tue 15 Jul - Fri 19 Sep

Term 4 2025 - Tue 07 Oct (Kings B'day 06 OCT) - Fri 05 Dec

Professional Development and Planning Days (previously called Pupil Free Days)

Wednesday, 22 January - Friday, 24 January 2025 - Professional Development
Tuesday, 28 January 2025 - Planning Day
Tuesday, 22 April 2025 - Planning Day
Monday, 14 July 2025 - Planning Day
Wednesday, 30 July 2025 - Bishops Inservice Day (BID)
Friday, 5 September 2025 - Consistency of Teacher Judgement (CTJ)

Public holidays

Australia Day public holiday – Monday, 27 January 2025
Easter – Friday, 18 April – Monday, 21 April 2025
Anzac Day – Friday, 25 April 2025
Labour Day – Monday, 5 May 2025
King’s Birthday – Monday, 6 October 2025

Wellbeing Matters

Student Safety

EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE

It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at St Joseph's Tara student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes. Please see the poster below depicting our current SSPC team.