- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Portland

Principal's Message

As we reflect on the opening of the 2025 school year, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make our Welcome and Induction Mass such a wonderful occasion. It was truly a blessing to witness the warmth, spirit, and unity of our school community coming together—students, staff, parents, families, and parishioners.

A special thank you to Father Reynold for leading us in the Mass and for his continued guidance and support. His presence and spiritual leadership were a gift to us all, and we are grateful for his commitment to our school and parish community.

I would also like to congratulate our Year 6 Leadership Team. We are so proud of these students who have stepped into their new roles with enthusiasm and dedication. Their leadership will be instrumental in shaping the positive and vibrant atmosphere at our school this year, and we look forward to supporting them in their journey of growth and service.

A heartfelt congratulations goes to our Kindergarten students and all new students who proudly received their school badges during the Mass. This is such an important milestone in their journey with us, and we are excited to watch them grow and thrive as part of our school family.

Thank you to Jamie Collins for the beautiful Welcome Cake, which was enjoyed by all.

We also extend our gratitude to Jason Cooke from CEDB Ltd for joining us for our opening Mass. Your presence added to the sense of community and support, and we are thankful for your involvement.

Our Mass set a beautiful tone for the year ahead. I am deeply grateful for your support and enthusiasm as we begin this new chapter in the life of our school. Together, we are stronger in our faith, and I look forward to all the incredible things we will accomplish this year as a united community.

Thank you once again for your participation and for the love and joy you bring to our school.

In Faith & Truth

Simone Taylor

Reflection

As we begin another year in our Catholic school community, it’s important to pause and reflect on the value of the communities we are part of. Our school is not just a place of learning—it is a living, breathing expression of faith, love, and service. It is a community where we come together in God’s name, where we support one another in our individual journeys, and where we are united by a shared mission to grow in faith and knowledge.

In a Catholic school, we are blessed to belong to a wider community that extends beyond the school gates. We are part of a global Church that stretches across time and space, a community built on the teachings of Christ. It is in this context that we learn not only about academics but also about compassion, justice, and how to live with purpose.

Our school community includes not just students, but staff, families, and parishioners who all play vital roles in creating an environment of care and belonging. It is in these relationships—whether between teachers and students, parents and children, or school and parish—that we experience the heart of our faith. We learn to love, serve, and support one another, just as Jesus taught us.

As we move through this year, let us continue to nurture the strong sense of community that is so special to our school. Let us be mindful of the ways in which we can contribute to the growth of our community, offering kindness, encouragement, and love. Through our shared experiences, both in the classroom and in prayer, we will continue to strengthen our bond and build a space where every person is valued.

May we all be inspired by the example of Christ, who showed us that community is built not on perfection, but on love, understanding, and unity. Let us pray for the strength to live out these values each day and to build a school community where all are welcome and supported.

Prayer for the School Year
Loving God,
We thank You for the gift of a new school year.
Bless our students with curiosity, wisdom, and kindness.
Guide our staff with patience, creativity, and compassion.
Unite our school community in friendship and support.
May St. Joseph inspire us to work together in faith and service.
We entrust this year to Your care, trusting in Your love and guidance.

Amen.

Welcome & Induction Mass 2025

Welcome & Induction Mass

K/1/2 have settled into the routine of school very well this year. They are showing excitement and an eagerness to learn and have been busy making, creating, discussing, playing, building, writing and reading and being great classmates from the very first day. Well done K/1/2 and their carers.

Units and topics we will be exploring during Term 1:

Religion: Students will be engaging in scripture stories that teach about Jesus. They will learn about ways Jesus shows his love for us and how we can talk to Jesus through prayer and when we visit the Church.

Later in the Term we will explore the event leading up to Easter and the children will hear the story of the Lost Sheep, The Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper.

Mathematics: Number, 2D shape, Capacity, and grouping is a focus this term. Year 2 will be working with and taught by Mrs Taylor during Maths each day and Year 1 and Kindergarten will be taught by Mrs Slattery, to allow for the individual progression of mathematical skills for all students. Mrs Mellor will also work with Year Two each Wednesday. The students are thoroughly enjoying this structure and are responding well to the lessons each day.

English: During English the students are listening to, and using texts by a variety of authors to learn about Character, The features of print, settings in stories and how personal experiences can help writers find things to write about. They will continue to write and read every day and are looking forward to Spelling Mastery starting in week 3.

HSIE: HSIE will be taught by our new staff member Chloe Mellor every Wednesday with the assistance of myself. This unit teaches about people and the environments we live in.

Science and Technology: This is taught by Carmel Clancy each Thursday after Library. The students will be learning about the weather and how it affects the things we do.

PDHPE: We learn about respectful relationships and how to be safe in Health and Personal Development lessons. Our sporting focus this term is Swimming and water safety as well as striking and fielding skills and invasion games. Sport is taught every Friday and students can wear their sports uniform on these days.

Creative and Practical Arts: The students have already been busy making art to decorate the classroom. We will also learn music skills such as rhythm and beat and will have a go at acting when we learn about drama later in the term.

Things to note:

Please label all of your child’s belongings and clothing so that owners can be found easily and quickly.
A painting smock or old shirt/apron is recommended and can be kept at school for messy paint and art days
Library day is Thursday
Sport is Friday
Homework and readers will be given out after swimming and is due back every Friday.

What's Happening in ...... 3/4

A big welcome to the Year 3s who are now part of the 3/4 family!!

We have spent the last week getting into classroom routines and expectations. We have been focusing on making our bookwork nice and neat and making strategies to help us become resourceful learning, especially when it comes to Mathematics. This year, we are using visuals to help us!

As part of our Religion program, we created a Classroom Agreement. This agreement has been made as a class to ensure that we remain focused in class so that everyone can work to their full potential. This has been displayed in our room and we refer back to it during our lessons.

What's Happening in ...... 5/6

The students have settled into the classroom routine quite well and have already presented work to a high standard particularly with narrative writing.

The specific topics that will be studied this term are:

Religion – social justice and the rights of every human, the importance of Lent and Holy Week in forming our Catholic beliefs today.
Maths – all the important concepts will be revised and introduced following the NSW Maths K-10 syllabus. There will be more hands on and small group work activities and supported by Signpost Maths.
English – spelling, grammar and comprehension will continue the same as last year. The two major units are based around the classic novel Storm Boy and the historical event The Wave Hill Walk Off under the leadership of Vincent Lingiari. The units will explicitly teach how good authors write entertaining stories and how more than one mode of text (written, images, spoken) can be used to produce an informative text.
Science & Technology – the unit for this term is Exploring Sustainable Food and Fibre Practices. We will be looking closely into the main primary industries in Australia and what farmers and production companies are doing to manage more sustainable environments that enable people to grow and be healthy.
History – Historical Sources Present Perspectives on the Past is the Term 1 unit for History. The students will investigate Aboriginal languages in the local area and then move into the colonisation of Australia by the British and the impact this had on indigenous peoples of Australia.
Creative Arts – the students will learn about different techniques many artists use to create individual artworks. Each week the students will observe artworks from famous artists and then create their own unique but similar artwork. We will be sketching, using watercolour and acrylic paints and learning about print making.
PD, Health & PE - healthy active lifestyles will be focus of our study this term. The students will learn about maintaining positive relationships, support networks and personal safety. In sport, selected games will be played to encourage the development of fine and gross motor skills, teamwork and cooperation and good sportsmanship.

Special events to look forward to are:

The swimming carnival, Yr 6 Taster Day at La Salle (TBC), Tour de Cure visit, St Joseph’s Walk-a-Thon, Yr 6 GRIP CONFERENCE at Bathurst, Life Ed Van and Netball Gala Day (TBC).

Homework will not start until swimming finishes