NAPLAN 

We are very proud of our Years 3 and 5 students for their performance in the 2025 NAPLAN assessments. Their results reflect a strong culture of learning, dedicated teaching, and the ongoing support of families. Growth was evident across all tested areas, highlighting our commitment to academic excellence and student wellbeing. Congratulations to our learners for their focus and determination—we celebrate their achievements and look forward to continued success in the future. 

After considerable staff analysis of the results, below are some important notes to celebrate: 

Year 3 results 

• School average is above national average in each area 
• There was notable strength across the four aspects of Literacy 
• More than 20% of the cohort were ‘exceeding’ for Numeracy 

Year 5 results 

• The implementation of a targeted approach to Spelling has seen 86% of the cohort achieving in the ‘strong’ or ‘exceeding’ category 
• 93% of the cohort are either in the ‘strong’ or ‘exceeding’ category for Writing 
• The cohort is achieving the national average for Numeracy 

St Joseph’s Student Council 

During Week 1, each class reflected on the qualities of leadership as they voted for their Semester 2 Student Council Representatives. We wish to congratulate the following students:  

These students will receive their Student Council badges next week.  We look forward to a great semester working on a variety of initiatives together.  

Thank you again to all our Semester One council members who represented both their class and St Joseph’s with great maturity, leadership and pride. 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) 

Our PBL focus this fortnight is Act Safely – Moving safely. In light of the current renovations, this is a big focus area as quite often children are reminded to be aware of their surroundings and how they move within them. In class, students are identifying ways we move safely (and unsafely) as they analyse different scenarios and how they can be most safe. On the playground teachers will be keeping a close eye on students who are walking on the concrete and playing safely on equipment. Hopefully many tokens will be given out! 

Lost Property 

Lost property continues to be a daily issue at St Joseph’s, with countless unnamed items left behind in classrooms, playgrounds, and common areas. Each day, jackets, lunchboxes, and water bottles pile up in the lost property box—many never reunited with their owners. The lack of clear labelling makes it difficult to return items, causing an unnecessary expense for families. To help reduce this problem, we encourage all students to ensure their belongings are clearly and permanently marked with their full names. A simple label can make all the difference in keeping our school tidy and organised and be less of a drain and family finances. 

Bullying No Way: National week of action 

Bullying No Way Week is Australia's key bullying prevention initiative for schools. It provides an opportunity for schools to create a shared understanding about bullying behaviours and share their bullying prevention strategies. 

The national week of action unites government, Catholic and independent schools and their communities across the country. Together, we can foster practical approaches to prevent bullying in Australian schools. 

2025 theme 

The theme for 2025 is 'Be bold. Be kind. Speak up.' 

To acknowledge and support Bullying No Way Week students from K-6 at St Joseph’s will engage with the Backflips against Bullying incursion (Monday 11 August). Topics that will be covered are; 

1. Empowering the bystander - Having the power to stand up for one another. 

1. Exit strategies - After a big acrobatic demonstration of bullying, we ask the students what could be done differently, and rewind and replay scenarios with their ideas to show what strategies can work to help the situation. 

1. Retaliation – demonstration of how retaliating gives ‘the bully’ exactly what they want; and you will get into trouble as well. 

1. Resilience - Stay calm and be kind; if you do these two things you can shut down verbal harassment straight away. 

For more information about different signs of bullying, please read the attached information sheet. 

Renata Rozenfeld
Assistant Principal