St Joseph's, Tara - Term 2 Week 4 2025 Newsletter!

Our Vision & Mission Statements

From the Principal

Welcome to the Term 2 Week 4 Newsletter!

2026 Prep Enrolment Interviews

What a wonderful few weeks Tara Fisher and I have had interviewing our potential new little Joey’s for 2026. We have had 10 interviews with 1 more still to go. It was a humbling experience to chat with these 10 potential preppies and finding out what they are excited about when they come to school and be a “big kid”.  

I thank all the parents who attended the interviews and were open and honest about their expectations of the school and why they chose St Joseph’s as their choice of school for their child.  

GOLDEN TIME SUCCESS 

Golden Time was an initiative which the school introduced in Term 3 of 2024 to align with and support the roll out of our Lifelong Learner Qualities.  

Each week students strive to succeed in the following areas:- 

• 100% attendance for the week, including being on time 

• Organised for school eg having a hat for playtime 

• Positive behaviour in the classroom 

• Positive behaviour in the playground 

• Wearing the correct school uniform 

Students who have been successful for the week are recognised with some time on Friday afternoon to enjoy a special activity. The activities are often selected by the students themselves.  

Success in students receiving Golden Time across the school has been huge. Since its introduction, we are seeing: 

• all students wearing the correct uniform every day (and wearing it with pride),  

• an increase in attendance for many students (we know we cannot learn if we are not at school),  

• decrease in the number of late arrivals and early departures to and from school,  

• an increase in the number of students having a hat for break times (allowing for a good release of energy from all the learning they do) 

• decrease in the number of behaviour concerns in both the playground and classrooms 

• increase in engaged learning as students are at school for a whole day with positive mindsets and pride to be a Joey’s student.  

All this success ensures that our school is a place with high standards for our students where learning is our main priority. 

This is why we value our Golden Time!  

PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT 

We value our school community – parents, students and staff – and we pride ourselves on the ensuring that all members of the school community feel valued, appreciated and respected.  

The Parent Code of Conduct is used by all 33 schools in the Toowoomba Diocese to ensure that our staff, parents and students demonstrate appropriate behaviour. 

As part of your child’s enrolment at St Joseph’s, you have agreed to ensure that you, as a parent, are conducting yourself in accordance with the TCS Code of Conduct. I encourage all parents to read the Parent Code of Conduct below to familiarise themselves with expectations while interacting with the school, its staff members, other parents and the students.  

The staff also has a Code of Conduct which, when accepting employment, agree to conduct themselves in a manner that is appropriate for an employee of TCS. This Code of Conduct is regularly reviewed by staff to remind them of their expectations.  

I spoke with all the students at morning circle last week about the expectations of their behaviour when wearing the St Joseph’s school uniform in a public setting. We discussed the importance of the badge on their shirt, a reminder that they are a member of the school community, and it also tells others who they represent. When students are in their school uniform in a public area, they are still expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and responsible manner. We also spoke about what a privilege it is for them to be wearing the uniform as not every child gets the opportunity to be a Joey’s student. I am positive that all students, when in public, will conduct themselves in the appropriate way which demonstrates their pride of wearing the Joey’s badge.  

I sincerely thank all parents for supporting the Codes of Conduct which are in place to ensure our school is one which is respected and where everyone feels valued.  

God bless,

Kylie Williams

APMI

Mother's Day

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and we certainly hope that all our St Joey’s mothers, grandmothers and other significant women in our children’s lives had a fabulous day.  

The most important mother in our church though is Mary, mother of Jesus. She is perhaps the greatest mother in history. While her life held great honour in being the mother of Jesus, it was also one of great suffering. In many ways she behaved as mothers today do, when the wine was running out at the wedding in Cana, it was Mary who pressed Jesus to do something. As a small boy when Jesus was lost in the temple, it was Mary who became worried and searched for Him and, in many instances, throughout his life she attempted to protect him. Mary, as His mother, was present at both his birth and earthly death. Through her life, we see that motherhood can hold both great joy and great suffering. This makes us think about our own mothers, what memories come to the surface? Are there particular stories that make you laugh, cry or annoyed all over again? What are the greatest lessons that you learnt from your mother and importantly how did she teach them to you? Motherhood is the greatest role and responsibility that women may have. How will you teach your child, show your child, walk with your child through everything you want for them? How will you develop adults that may become parents themselves? These larger questions are addressed through the daily struggle of not only being a mother but a taxi driver, a nurse, a counsellor, a cook, a cleaner, a coach and the list could go on and on.  

Learning at St Joeys

From the Year 2 - 3 Classroom

English and Literacy

In English, Year 2 students will identify how texts are organised differently and use language features dependent on the purpose. They will develop an understanding of how texts are made cohesive by using personal and possessive pronouns and by omitting words that can be inferred. Students will navigate print and screen texts using chapters, tables of contents, indexes, side-bar menus, drop-down menus or links. They will understand that connections can be made between ideas by using a compound sentence with 2 or more independent clauses usually linked by a coordinating conjunction. Students will understand that images add to or multiply the meanings of a text, and they will experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit the topic.  

Students will identify features of literary texts, such as characters and settings, and give reasons for personal preferences. They will discuss the characters and settings of a range of texts and identify how language is used to present these features in different ways. Students will create and edit a narrative picture book, adapting structures appropriate to purpose, using pronouns and language features of a familiar text and including compound sentences, noun groups, verb groups and topic-specific vocabulary. They will use interaction skills when engaging with topics, actively listening to others, receiving instructions and extending own ideas, speaking appropriately, expressing and responding to opinions, making statements, and giving instructions appropriate to the audience. Students will read texts with phrasing and fluency, using phonic and word knowledge, and monitoring meaning by re-reading and self-correcting. They will use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning 

Students will continue to practice unjoined letters that are accurately formed and consistently sized. They will improve writing outcomes by using regular spelling patterns, phonic and morphemic knowledge and attempt to spell less common spelling patterns.  

In Year 3 English, students will describe how texts across the curriculum use language features and structure relevant to their purpose. They will understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of the stages of written texts, grouping related information together. Students will identify the purpose of layout features in print and digital texts and the words used for navigation. They will demonstrate that a clause is a unit of grammar usually containing a subject and a verb that need to agree and understand that verbs are anchored in time through tense. Students will identify how images extend the meaning of a text and extend topic-specific and technical vocabulary and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts. 

They will discuss the connections between the experiences of characters in literary texts and their personal experiences and share personal preferences. Students will discuss how the author portrays characters and settings and explore how settings and events influence mood. They will create and edit imaginative texts, using or adapting language features, characters, settings, plot structures and ideas encountered in literary texts. Students will use interaction skills to contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas. They will identify the audience and purpose of imaginative texts through their use of language features and images. Students will read a range of texts using phonic, semantic and grammatical knowledge to read accurately and fluently, re-reading and self-correcting when required. They will use comprehension strategies when listening and viewing to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features. Students will plan, create, edit and publish an imaginative written and multimodal texts, using visual features, appropriate form and layout, with ideas grouped in simple paragraphs, mostly correct tense, topic-specific vocabulary and correct spelling of most high-frequency and phonetically regular words.  

Students will continue to practice using letters that are accurately formed and consistently sized. They will improve writing outcomes by spelling multisyllabic words using phonic and morphemic knowledge with high-frequency words. 

Mathematics

In Term 2, Year 2 students will measure and compare objects based on length, capacity and mass using appropriate uniform informal units and smaller units for accuracy when necessary. They will identify common uses and represent halves, quarters and eighths in relation to shapes, objects and events. Students will identify the date and determine the number of days between events using calendars and recognise and read the time represented on an analogue clock to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour. They will add and subtract one- and two-digit numbers, representing problems using number sentences and solve problems using part-part-whole reasoning and a variety of calculation strategies. Students will multiply and divide by one-digit numbers using repeated addition, equal grouping, arrays, and partitioning to support a variety of calculation strategies. They will use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving additive and multiplicative situations, including money transactions; represent situations and choose calculation strategies; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation. Students will recognise, compare and classify shapes, referencing the number of sides and using spatial terms such as “opposite”, “parallel”, “curved” and “straight”. They will locate positions in two-dimensional representations of a familiar space; move positions by following directions and pathways.  

In Year 3, students will recognise and explain the connection between addition and subtraction as inverse operations, apply to partition numbers and find unknown values in number sentences. They will measure and compare objects using familiar metric units of length, mass and capacity, and instruments with labelled markings. Students will recognise and use the relationship between formal units of time including days, hours, minutes and seconds to estimate and compare the duration of events. They will describe the relationship between the hours and minutes on analogue and digital clocks, and read the time to the nearest minute. Students will recognise the relationships between dollars and cents and represent money values in different ways. They will add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers using place value to partition, rearrange and regroup numbers to assist in calculations without a calculator. Students will use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving additive and multiplicative situations including financial contexts; formulate problems using number sentences and choose calculation strategies, using digital tools where appropriate; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation. They will follow and create algorithms involving a sequence of steps and decisions to investigate numbers and describe any emerging patterns. Students will make, compare and classify objects, identifying key features and explaining why these features make them suited to their uses. They will interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key landmarks and objects relative to each other.  

Religion

Year 2 and 3, students will locate information about the cultural contexts in which the Gospels were written and the text types used by the human authors of New Testament texts. They will explain ways in which the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) welcome and strengthen members of the Church community. They will describe significant people, events and features of a parish and diocese, past and present, including the collaboration of clergy, religious and laity.  

Science

In Term 2, Year 2 and 3 students will recognise that Earth is a planet in our solar system. They will learn about the solar system, the Sun and planets and will make a model of the solar system. Students will investigate the phases of the Moon. They will learn about star constellations and how people can use the stars for different purposes. Students will learn about the Sun and its position in our sky throughout the day. They will learn about and investigate shadows and how to tell time using a sundial. 

HaSS

In Term 2, Year 2 and 3 students will build knowledge of the interconnectedness of First Nations Australians to a local Country or place. They will discuss perspectives related to people and places, draw conclusions, make proposals and share observations, using sources, and subject-specific terms.  

The Arts - Media Arts

In Term 2, Year 2 and 3 students will explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience media arts. They will explore examples of media arts produced and distributed by First Nations Australians. Students will explore ways of using media technologies responsibly to capture and organise images, sounds, text and interactive elements. They will use media languages and media technologies to construct a picture book and share their media arts works with an audience in an informal setting.  

The GOSSIP - Student Newspaper

From the PEN

From the Parish

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

Bronze Award

Eleanore Aylott, Frankie Nystrom, Malia Adhikary and Lorenzo Welldon-Taylor

Certificates of Recognition

Week 3 - No assembly due to public holiday

Week 4 - Alex Hyde, Flynn Burgess, Riley Nystrom, Adrian Vines, Kian Roble, Nateesha Laird, Deakin Cole and Jaxson deBoeck

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.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT