It has been a chilly start to Term 3, but wonderful to welcome the children back for another great term.

Over the holidays the Community Council have ensured that we will now have water to the school oval and vegie patch with the moving of the green tank from the front of the school and trenches and pipes dug to allow for an automated watering system.  A huge thank you to John Corbett for organising and the Community Council for their wonderful support.

The basketball and tennis court also had some maintenance completed on the fences, with old wire tags removed and new clip tags installed as well as new mesh on the gates.  A new ladder for the play equipment was also completed.

Last week we had another successful Open Day and welcomed families to have a look at our amazing facilities and our students learning in action.  The Kindergarten Orientation process will continue in Term 3 and 4, so spread the word that St Joseph’s is a great school for all students.

Kindergarten Information night – Wednesday 3rd September @ 6 pm

Orientation Days

Monday 15th September - 9:30am -11:00am

Tuesday 22nd September - 9:30am -11:00am

Friday 24th October – 9:30am – 11:30am

Friday 31st October – 9.30am – 11.30am

NAPLAN   

Students in Years 3 and 5 will come home this week with their NAPLAN results. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Public speaking

On Friday 25th July St Mary’s students from Yrs 3 -6 came to Adelong to have a ‘Speak off’ with St Joseph’s students.  Two students from each year from Batlow and Adelong presented their speeches to students, parents and our adjudicators Tina Billings, Trish Matthews, Karin Garner and Leonie Flint.  They had the tough job of deciding just one student from each year to make it away to the next level.  All students did an amazing job and represented their schools well with their confidence and ability to speak in front of an audience. The successful students were:

Yr 6 – Jessica Galvin – St Mary’s Batlow

Yr 5 – Hunter Smith – St Mary’s Batlow

Yr 4 – Barnaby Roche – St Joseph’s Adelong

Yr 3 – Jack Ryan – St Joseph’s Adelong

These students will participate in the Western Region Public Speaking next week in Gundagai.  Barney and Jack also received some tips from our adjudicators this week which we are very appreciative of.

We are looking forward to our Street Stall on Friday 8th August.  If you can lend an hour on the day it would be great and we are so appreciative of baked goods or donations.

Blessings for a great week,

Kirsty Beavan

Principal

St Mary MacKillop – Feast Day: 8th August

Each year on August 8th, we celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint. This special day marks the anniversary of her death and is a
time to honour her life, her deep faith in God and her extraordinary dedication to helping others.

Mary MacKillop believed strongly in the power of education to change lives. She worked tirelessly to provide schooling for children, especially those from poor or rural families. Along with the Sisters of St Joseph, she opened schools, cared for the sick and vulnerable, and gave hope to communities across Australia. Her legacy lives on in the values of compassion, courage and service that continue to inspire us today.

Did you know?

• Mary MacKillop was born in 1842 in Victoria and had seven siblings.
• She became a saint because she lived a life of love, service and trust in God.
• Mary started the first Catholic school in Australia and believed every child, no matter their background, deserved a good education.
• Our very own St Joseph’s School was founded by the Sisters of St Joseph in 1884. It was originally created to educate the children of local gold miners and began in a small room behind the current church building.

Sacramental Programs

Sacrament of Reconciliation	Year 3 students
Sacrament of First Holy Communion	Year 4 students
Sacrament of Confirmation	Please note this will be offered for 5/6 students in 2026

The Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion will take place this term (dates to be confirmed). If your child will be receiving a sacrament this year, please let me know so that an enrolment pack can be sent home next week.

Stacey Braun

Religious Education Coordinator

Family Tech Agreement

A family tech agreement is a helpful way to set clear expectations around how devices like phones, iPads, computers, TV’s and gaming consoles are used within your home. By working together to create shared rules, families can encourage and promote a safer online experience. Starting conversations about online safety early will help to develop critical thinking, self-regulation, and healthy digital habits. The family tech agreement should be displayed somewhere central such as the fridge for easy access. Some ideas include:

• Setting a time when all devices are turned off for the night
• Asking permission before downloading new apps or games
• Keeping personal information private
• Using screens in shared family spaces

The eSafety Commissioner website has a variety of ideas and suggestions if you are looking for more information. 

Please find following the Non-government schools census collection notice for 2025.

This week in Mathematics, Kindergarten students worked in small groups to find out the answer to a range of addition and subtraction problems. Students worked collaboratively with their partner while also using a variety of hands-on tools such as whiteboards and blocks to help them record their answers.

Vanessa still has space for some Piano/Keyboard lessons that are available at school during school hours in 2025. 
Ages: Year 1 upwards.
LessonDuration: 1/2hour individual tuition by Vanessa Edwards.
For enquiries please phone: 0448609479

We wish Henry all the best as he represents MacKillop in the NSWPSSA State Championships in Newcastle next week! 

Please see the below important upcoming dates at St Joseph's.

Wednesday 30th July - NAIDOC Mass - McAuley Tumut

Friday 1st August - Selwyn Ski Excursion

Tuesday 5th August - K/1/2 Civic Theatre Excursion

Wednesday 6th August - Western Region Public Speaking 

Friday 8th August - Community Council Street Stall 

Thursday 14th August - Trent Barrett Gala Day (3/4)

Wednesday 20th August - Bookweek Parade

Thursday 21st August - Archdiocese Athletics

Thursday 28th August - Mortimer Shield (5/6)

The following website has lots of useful information for school age children and their families to help keep our community safe, whether it includes walking, cycling or driving to and from school. 

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/parents/school-safety

Our Media Leaders, Amber and Primrose will showcase our Students in our Newsletters! 

Keep up to date with events happening at St Joseph's via our electronic school calendar (please note dates can be subject to change).