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Dear Parents and Carers,
Last Friday, our school came together to honour the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross. The celebration was made especially meaningful by our Year 3 students, who led a beautiful and thoughtful liturgy. Their reflections invited us to pause and consider the remarkable legacy Mary MacKillop left behind.
Born in Victoria in 1842, Mary was the eldest of eight children and felt a strong calling to religious life from an early age. She is remembered not only for her deep faith but also for her unwavering commitment to helping others. One of her most well-known sayings, “Never see a need without doing something about it,” perfectly captures the spirit of her mission. Mary lived this message through her tireless work supporting the poor and vulnerable.
Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph—affectionately known as the Josephites—a religious order dedicated to serving the poor and educating Catholic children, particularly in regional communities.
We are proud to share a special connection to Mary’s legacy. St Joseph’s Wingham was established in 1935 by the Josephite sisters, whose dedication and vision laid the foundation for the school we know and love today.
Mobile Technology Procedure and Agreement.
Students from Years 3 – 6 recently took home the student agreement for parents and students to sign and return. If you have not returned this document yet, can you please return it at your earliest convenience.
UNE Discovery
Recently we were lucky enough to welcome some scientists from UNE to come and work with our students. Our students were busy in their lab coats learning about chemistry and biology through some very exciting experiments.
Congratulations to Mason and Sesi who chose cooking with Mrs Hunt for their PB4L reward. They enjoyed making some fruit skewers to share with their class.
Student Led Conferences
We are excited to invite you to our Term 3 Student Led Conferences for Years 1 to 6.
This year we have worked towards transforming teacher-led parent-teacher conferences to student-led conference formats that engage students in the process. Our feedback from students, parents and staff indicated that student-led conferences can provide powerful opportunities for students to advocate for their own learning.
We have taken on feedback from our survey to increase each timeslot to 20 minutes. Parents wishing to discuss questions or concerns without their child present are encouraged to do so at any other time throughout the school year either via phone or appointment.
What is a student-led conference? A student-led conference is a preplanned meeting with the student, parent, and teacher present, in which students demonstrate responsibility for their academic performance by providing a review of their work for parents and teachers.
How Do Student-Led Conferences Work? These conferences differ from traditional parent-teacher interviews in that they place students at the helm of teacher-supported discussions with parents about student progress and learning. Student-led conferences also present opportunities for students to prepare, reflect on, and discuss evidence of their learning and growth by way of student work samples.
Schools that implement student-led conferences report that they:
• Encourage students to take responsibility and ownership for their learning by involving them
in the goal setting and assessment process.
• Engage families in richer, more transparent conversations about student progress.
Bookings for the student led conferences are no open on Compass and will close on Friday 22nd August at 3.00pm.
We look forward to meeting with you and your child in week 6.
Upcoming information sessions and webinars for parents and carers
Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life. To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage.
A snapshot of Term 3 webinars is included below. More information about these webinars, including links to register, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage https://www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/
| Date | Topic | Presenter |
| Monday 11 August | AI & the Digital Generation | Presented by the Cyber Safety Project on behalf of Catholic Network Australia. |
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Wednesday 13 August |
The Sleep Connection |
Presented by The Sleep Connection on behalf of Catholic Schools Parents NSW/ACT |
|
Wednesday 13 August |
AI Deepfakes & Misinformation: Understanding AI’s impact on Your Kids | The Cyber Safety Project |
|
Thursday 21 August |
AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat | eSafety Commissioner |
|
Thursday 28 August |
Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know | eSafety Commissioner |
|
Tuesday 2 September |
Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online | eSafety Commissioner |
|
Tuesday 9 September |
Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know | eSafety Commissioner |
|
Wednesday 10 September |
Nurturing Strengths: Unlocking your child’s potential | Presented by Beyond on behalf of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT |
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Thursday 11 September |
Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know | eSafety Commissioner |
School Funding Information
Recently there has been much public discussion around the Australian Government's model of funding schools. Catholic Schools NSW have put together some data to explain how government funding for non-government schools—such as Catholic and Independent schools— supports your right to choose the best educational environment for your child while also reducing costs for Australian taxpayers.
Using the most recent data, the report outlines how funding these schools through a mixed education model reduces pressure on public education resources, with savings of up to $6.88 billion annually. The report highlights how school choice benefits families and the broader community alike.
Sibling relationships are often a child's first and longest-lasting social connection. These bonds can offer companionship, support and opportunities to develop important life skills such as empathy, negotiation and conflict resolution. However, like all close relationships, sibling dynamics can be complex. Differences in temperament, age, needs and parental attention can all contribute to tension or rivalry. It's not uncommon for children to compete for attention, especially during times of change or stress.
As a parent or caregiver, your role in shaping the tone of sibling relationships is vital. Creating a home environment that celebrates each child's unique strengths and avoids direct comparisons helps reduce rivalry and fosters mutual respect.
By listening without judgement, teaching emotional regulation, and supporting each child's individuality, you can create a family culture where siblings feel secure and valued. This edition of SchoolTV offers insights to support young people in developing positive, lasting sibling bonds that can remain strong well into adulthood.
Here is the link to your Edition https://wingham.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/sibling-relationships-au
God of compassion, God of all people, we praise you for your servant, Mary MacKillop, who gave her life to serve you in the poor and oppressed.
As she is honoured in our world, may we continue to learn to share her vision.
Help us to recognise, as she did, that the poor of our time will hear the gospel in the way we serve them. Be with us as we strive to follow her and carry out our mission of service and care.
Amen.
God Bless
RE Focus: Year 4 Formation Morning
On Friday 1st August, I had the pleasure of joining with Year 4 to work with them on their formation morning focusing on ‘Service to Others’. This formation experience for the students teaches about:
- what service to others is.
- people who are of service in our community.
- the life and teachings of Jesus in relation to service, focusing on the parable of the Good Samaritan and the example of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet.
- ways in which we can be of service in our community.
- what being of service to others does for others and for us.
At the beginning of this formation, each student is given a small bag of lollies, with no explanation other than that they are for the students to enjoy throughout the morning. The last part of this formation then focuses on the feeling of ‘receiving an unexpected gift’ and relates to how this made the students feel when getting something they were not expecting. It was special to see the reaction on the student’s faces when the realisation sunk in and they made the connections between a small act and something deeper and more meaningful.
Thank you Year 4, Jenna, Georgia, Mrs Bonser and Ms Monkley for your help with the day.
This week, I asked some students in Year 4 to share their experience from the formation morning:
“We learnt to be nice to others and how to give and be respectful. I liked working in groups and sharing my thoughts.”
“We learnt about donating and how our helping in the floods was a form off service. When we help it makes others feel good and we do this because that is how we would want to be treated.”
“We learnt about the stories of Jesus and how people treated each other in the times of Jesus. We also learnt about how Jesus taught people to think differently and showed how to share kindness.”
“We learnt about what service means and new ways to help our community and why we do it. We do it to help and make people feel better.”
“We learnt how and why we serve others. It makes others feel good that someone has thought about them. I enjoyed working in a group.”
Prime Minister Award
‘Being a steward of creation’, ‘Trying your best’, ‘Speaking with kindness’ and ‘Being a responsible learner’ are some of the qualities that teachers consider when awarding ‘Prime Minister’ at our weekly assembly. It is an acknowledgement of the student’s efforts and they have the privilege of wearing the badge with honour, of suggesting a focus the school can work on, award Gotchas to other students at lunch time as well as earning Gotchas for themselves. Congratulations goes to Charlotte Hughan (Week 3) and Oliver Hurtel (Week 4).
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system, we acknowledge that the following student, Thomas Dawson and Sesi Pulupaki have reached 100 Gotchas, Izac Xuereb has reached 300 Gotchas, Kaii MacMillan and Asta Van Vliet have reached 400 Gotchas. Well Done!
A fantastic day at the Dio Athletics Carnival!
On Wednesday the 6th August 2025 14 students from St Joseph’s Wingham attended the annual Diocesan primary schools athletics carnival. The day was a resounding success, filled with energy, enthusiasm, and outstanding sportsmanship. Students gave their best in a variety of events, from sprints and middle distance running to shot put. The cheering from the sidelines was just as spirited as the competition on the field, creating a wonderful atmosphere of support and camaraderie. A huge thank you to all families who helped make the day so memorable and assisted in transporting students down. Congratulations to all our participants.
A big congratulations to Karlina Stoehr and Eleanor Healy in Year 6 who will go onto the next carnival at Polding!
Invitation to all Pre school children!
Join us for a magical day of storytelling, imagination, and fun activities as we celebrate Book Week 2025!
When: Thursday, 21st August 2025
12:20 pm – 1:40 pm
Where: St Joseph's Primary School, Wingham
Come along and enjoy a wonderful afternoon of stories, laughter, and creative fun as we share our love of books together.
RSVP: Please let us know if you can join us by Friday, 15th August 2025
Any questions? Please email event coordinator: Kate Monkley
Gifted Education
We’ve just released a new blog to support families of high potential and gifted children:
“Supporting Your High Potential and Gifted Child: A Guide for Families”.
The blog offers practical strategies to help parents understand how their child learns, foster emotional wellbeing, and build strong partnerships with schools https://www.mn.catholic.edu.au/news/supporting-your-high-potential-and-gifted-child-a-guide-for-families/
Terri Cornish-Allen (Gifted Education Mentor)
