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

Our Vision & Mission Statements

From the Principal

Welcome to the Term 4 Week 3 Newsletter!

Welcome Back

A warm welcome back to all our Joey’s families as we begin the final term of 2025. Term 4 is always a special time—filled with exciting learning opportunities and memorable events that bring our school community together. 

This term brings a mix of emotions. There’s the joy of seeing how much our students have grown, the anticipation of end-of-year celebrations, and the pride in all we’ve achieved. At the same time, there can be a sense of sadness as we prepare to farewell our Year 6 students and staff members who will be moving on. 

It’s important to acknowledge that these feelings—excitement, nervousness, and even a little anxiety—are all perfectly normal. If your child is expressing emotions about the end of the school year, please take time to talk with them about how they’re feeling. Let them know it’s okay to feel this way, and that they’re not alone. 

We also encourage you to share any concerns with your child’s classroom teacher, as these emotions may show up in different ways at school. Together, we can support our students through this important transition and help them finish the year with confidence and joy.  

Up and Coming Dates for Calendars

Week 3 

Book Fair all week – before and after school in the library 

Thursday – Swimming lessons #2 

Week 4 

Friday – World Teacher’s Day Celebrations 

Week 5 

Tuesday – 2026 Prep Transition morning – compulsory for all students 

Tara & District Public Speaking Competition 

Week 6 

Tuesday – 2026 Prep Transition morning – compulsory for all students 

Remember Day Liturgy 

Week 7 

Monday – Student Leadership Guidelines sent home to 2026 Year 4-6 students 

Tuesday – 2026 Prep Transition morning – compulsory for all students 

Week 8 

Monday – Student leadership nominee interviews begin 

Tuesday – Whole School Transition Day  

Friday – Student leadership speeches and voting 

• PEN Bush Dance 

Week 9 

Monday - End of Year Liturgy/Year 6 Farewell/ 2026 Student Leader announcement 9am 

• Celebration of Learning Evening @ 5.30pm 

Tuesday – House Point Cup Day Celebration – all day 

Wednesday – Final school day of 2025 

Staffing for 2026

We are currently in the process of planning staffing and class structures for 2026. This is a significant undertaking, as we work to ensure we have the right team in place to support our students, maintain balanced class sizes, and continue delivering the personalised care and quality education that St Joseph’s is known for. 

In the coming weeks, families will receive a message via the Parent Portal outlining the final arrangements for next year. Please keep an eye out for this important communication. 

If your family is not planning on returning to St Joseph’s in 2026, we kindly ask that you contact the school as soon as possible. This information is vital to help us plan effectively and ensure smooth transitions for all students. 

Thank you for your continued support as we prepare for another exciting year ahead. 

Supporting our Book Fair

Our annual Book Fair begins next week. This is more than just a chance to buy books—it’s a celebration of literacy, imagination, and community spirit. By supporting the Book Fair, families help foster a love of reading in children and contribute directly to our school’s learning environment. A portion of every purchase goes back to the school, allowing us to invest in new resources for classrooms and the library, enriching the educational experience for all students. The Book Fair also provides students with the opportunity to explore new genres, discover favourite authors, and build their own personal libraries. It’s a wonderful way to encourage reading at home and spark meaningful conversations about stories and ideas. Whether you’re purchasing a book or simply visiting with your child, your involvement makes a difference. Thank you for helping us grow a culture of reading and supporting our school in such a meaningful way. 

God bless,

Kylie Williams

APMI

October: The Month of Mary – A Time of Reflection and Prayer at St Joseph’s 

October is a special month in the Catholic tradition, dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. At St Joseph’s School Tara, this time holds deep significance as we come together in prayer, reflection, and celebration of Mary’s role in our faith. 

Mary is a model of faith, humility, and devotion. Her “yes” to God changed the course of history, and her presence continues to inspire us to live with compassion and courage. During October, we honour Mary through the prayer of the Rosary, a powerful devotion that invites us to meditate on the life of Jesus through Mary’s eyes. 

Central to the Rosary is the Hail Mary, a prayer that beautifully expresses our love and trust in Mary’s intercession. It begins with the angel Gabriel’s greeting: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” and continues with Elizabeth’s words: “Blessed art thou among women.” The second part is a heartfelt plea: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” This prayer reminds us that Mary walks with us, especially in times of need. 

Throughout October, students and staff at St Joseph’s have been saying the Hail Mary during morning circle to begin our day to help us deepen our connection to Mary and grow together in faith. 

Term 4 School Mass – Strengthening Our School-Parish Community 

We warmly invite all St Joey’s families to join us for our final school Mass of 2025, which will be held on Sunday 2 November at 9:00am. This is a compulsory event for all school captains and leaders, and a wonderful opportunity for our whole school community to come together in faith. 

Our school Masses are a vital part of nurturing the strong relationship between St Joey’s and our parish. By celebrating together, we deepen our shared values and strengthen the bonds that support our students’ spiritual growth and sense of belonging. 

Following the Mass, we will enjoy morning tea with our parishioners, offering a chance to connect, share, and celebrate the vibrant community we are all part of. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Learning at St Joeys

From the Prep - Year 1 Class

Welcome to Term 4! We have a wonderful term ahead filled with hands-on learning, creativity, and exploration across all areas of the curriculum. Here's a snapshot of what your child will be learning: 

English 

In our upcoming English unit, students will explore the beloved Australian story Possum Magic by Mem Fox, alongside a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Through engaging reading, writing, and oral language activities, students will build vocabulary, learn how language changes depending on relationships, and express their likes and dislikes with reasons. They will also explore sound patterns such as rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration, and make personal connections to texts. This unit supports foundational literacy skills including sentence structure, print concepts, and genre awareness, while encouraging creativity and verbal reasoning. Differentiated learning opportunities will ensure all students are supported and challenged as they grow in confidence and communication. 

Phonics & Literacy 

 Students will continue building their reading and writing skills through decoding, encoding, and phonological awareness activities designed to support their literacy development. They will be building words and manipulating phonemes to gain greater understanding of how letters, sounds, and meaning are expressed in written language and build sentences and manipulate words to understand sentence structures.  

Religion 

 Students will listen and respond to stories from the Gospels, learning about Jesus’ life as a Jew, his mother Mary, and his friends and family. They will explore how believers pray together during special celebrations and rituals that mark important times in the Church year. 

Mathematics 

 This term we’re exploring: 

• Mass: Using balancing scales to compare and order objects by weight. 

• Sharing & Grouping: Understanding equal groups, sharing with friends, and solving problems using diagrams and subitising. 

• Capacity: Investigating how much containers hold through direct and indirect comparisons and ordering. 

• Direction: Learning directional language through fun activities like driving games with a “driver” and “navigator.” 

Science 

 Students will become “toy testers,” investigating how toys move and what affects their movement. They’ll explore how size, shape, and materials influence motion, pose questions, make predictions, observe, record data, and share their findings. 

HaSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) 

 We will explore significant events, places, and people through celebrations and commemorations. Students will ask questions, sort and record information, share perspectives, and create narratives using sources. 

Digital Technologies 

 Students will explore everyday digital devices like iPads, laptops, and cameras. They’ll learn how these devices work, build models, collect and display data using drawings and symbols, and understand how to keep personal information safe. 

The Arts 

 Through Music and Drama, students will express ideas and connect with their community. They will engage in imaginative play and create performances that share personal and collective stories. 

We are looking forward to a term full of growth, creativity, and joyful learning. Thank you for your continued support! 

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

Gold Award

Nateesha Laird

Silver Award

Frankie Nystrom, Xander Welldon-Taylor & Flynn Burgess

Bronze Award

Amarra Barnes

Certificates of Recognition

Week 2 - Isa Hawkins, Frankie Miller, Jaxson deBoeck, Azriel Velez, Isabella French, Bentley Tucker and Braxton McGill

From the Administration Officers

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all families who have consistently made timely payments throughout the year. Your commitment and support are greatly appreciated.

As we approach the end of the term, we kindly remind all families that accounts must be finalised by the end of the school year (Wednesday, 03 December) for non-returning students, or before the commencement of the new school year (Wednesday, 28 January) for those returning. If you have any questions regarding your account, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

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) - Wed 03 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
• Tara Show Holiday - Monday, 11 August 2025
• King’s Birthday – Monday, 6 October 2025

2026

Term 1 2026 – Wed 28 Jan (Public Hol 26 Jan) - Thur 02 April

Term 2 2026 – Tue 21 Apr - Fri 26 Jun

Term 3 2026 - Tue 14 Jul - Fri 18 Sep

Term 4 2026 - Tue 06 Oct (Public Hol 05 OCT) - Wed 02 Dec

Professional Development and Planning Days (previously called Pupil Free Days)

• Wednesday, 21 January - Friday, 23 January 2026 - Professional Development
• Tuesday, 27 January 2026 - Planning Day
• Tuesday, 20 April 2026 - Planning Day
• Monday, 13 July 2026 - Planning Day
• Wednesday, 31 July 2026 - Bishops Inservice Day (BID)
• Friday, 4 September 2026 - Consistency of Teacher Judgement (CTJ)

Public holidays

• Australia Day public holiday – Monday, 26 January 2026
• Easter – Friday, 03 April – Monday, 06 April 2026
• Anzac Day – Friday, 25 April 2026
• Labour Day – Monday, 4 May 2026
• Tara Show Holiday - TBA
• King’s Birthday – Monday, 5 October 2026

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