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- PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
- DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY & TEACHING & LEARNING
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
- NAPLAN
- SOUTHERN DOWNS YOUTH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
- RICE DAY & HARMONY DAY
- STUDENTS EXPLORE UNI-LIFE
- KOKODA CHALLENGE
- DEBATING SUCCESS
- EPILEPSY AWARENESS DAY
- RAISING MONEY FOR A GREAT CAUSE
- TUCKSHOP - VOLUNTEERING & BAKING
- CROSS COUNTRY
- TRIVIA NIGHT - SAVE THE DATE !
- ABSTUDY for 2023
- SPORT
- UPCOMING EVENTS

My thanks to the staff and students for their good work throughout the term, and to all families for their support of the school. The quality of learning and positive learning environment is important to us all.
School Advisory Council
The School Advisory Council supports the principal and school leadership by giving consideration to, and advice on, important school matters, and provides an important connection to the parish and school community. The Council replaces what was the School Board.
On 21 March, the School Advisory Council met for its inaugural meeting. The members of the School Advisory Council are:
- Andrew Kendall (Principal)
- Father Gonzalo Garcia Duran (Parish Priest)
- Michael Letters (Chair)
- Julie-ann Spiller (Secretary)
- Matthew Brown
- Amy Hill
- Michael Pradella
- Mary Roberts
- Tim Robinson
I thank them for their support of the school and the diverse experience and skills they bring to the group.
I would also like to give a special thanks to Julie Kay who gave great service in the role of Chair of the previous Board and Angelina Sims who was Secretary for over 10 years, as well as all previous members of the Board. Their contributions have assisted in the success and growth of the school over the last 5 years.
Have a Great Easter
To all students, staff and families I wish you a blessed, safe and restful Easter break. Please come back rested and ready for a great Term 2.
God Bless

It is always hard to fathom how quickly the weeks tick by in the context of school life. As we draw close to yet another term here at St Joseph’s, I thank the students, families and staff for their resilience and perseverance. As always, the students have engaged well in their learning and most should be proud of their results and achievements across Term 1. Interim reports will be sent out to parents via the Parent Portal towards the end of Week 1 Term 2. This decision was made in order to maximise the time staff and students had across Term 1 to finalise assessment and class work.
Secondary Parent Teacher Consultations will be scheduled for early next term. This will allow time for interim reports to be sent home to families. Further information in relation to bookings times for consultations with teachers will be sent out early in Term 2. In the interim, if you have any questions relating to the progress of your child in any area of their learning, please do not hesitate to contact us or any of the teaching staff to discuss.
Call to be… Christ-like
Called to live… Mercy
Matthew Brown
Deputy Principal
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY & TEACHING & LEARNING

As we approach the final few days of Term 1, there is much to celebrate, to be grateful for and to acknowledge.
Within the last two weeks, our students have continued to show resilience and persistence in their learning as they have tackled personal goals in reading for example. Those from Yr 3 - 6 have embraced the opportunity to engage with a Japanese visitor who showed them some traditional toys. Students in Year 3 and Year 5 have completed NAPLAN testing and students across the campus have participated in House activities which were a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the spirit in our community. Year 6 students have chosen their service groups for the year and ideas are already formulating about how the intent of these groups might become a reality.











I would like to acknowledge sincerely the work of all the teachers and the school officers this term in helping each student to be the best version of themselves that they can be. They have worked tirelessly for the children on the Primary Campus because they care so much about each and every one of them. They have been there to encourage, to support, to reassure, to guide, to challenge, to pick up the pieces and to wipe away tears - and I can ask no more of them. We are very lucky to have them as part of our community and I thank them for all they do.
Next term, we have a few key events including Parent/Teacher Consultations which all were informed about via Parent Paperwork. Please take the opportunity to review this email and make an appointment with your child's class teacher to discuss their progress to date.
Finally, on behalf of the staff on the Primary Campus, I wish every family a holy and blessed holiday period and a safe return to school on 18 April.
With God's blessings,
Sarah Yates
Assistant to the Principal Primary & Teaching & Learning
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
The Joy of the Easter Season is Upon Us!
For months now we have been surrounded by an assortment of colourfully wrapped eggs, Easter decorations and hot cross buns.
Well, the wait is almost over and, as we approach the Easter holiday season we are reminded that our Lenten journey will come to a close and the joyful resurrection of Jesus will soon be with us. This Friday, Primary and Secondary students will each celebrate the Way of the Cross, a traditional devotion in honour of the life, and death of Jesus. Next term, long after the reminders of Easter have disappeared, we will acknowledge the resurrection of Christ and continue to celebrate the Easter season.
The Easter season is a fifty-day period of celebration and a time for a new season of grace, joy and thanksgiving, rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ, and the joy and hope we all celebrate at this time.
Wishing you all a happy and holy Easter,
With God's blessings,Megan Mahoney
Assistant to the Principal Formation & Identity
NAPLAN has been successfully completed for 2023. Well done to all students and to Mr Matthew Brown, Mrs Sarah Yates, Mrs Hayley Pfeiffer and Mr Scott Stevens for their efforts in having NAPLAN run smoothly.
Year 3 students upon completion of their NAPLAN
SOUTHERN DOWNS YOUTH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES




Tuesday 21st March, Teen Vinnies held a Rice Day at lunchtime in the Bathersby Centre.












Students from Years 11 and 12 travelled to Toowoomba today to participate in the UniSQ Year 11 & 12 Student Experience Day.
Students explored university study options through workshops, talks and experiencing uni-life.
A valuable experience for all !











Please visit the links below to make your donation:
Congratulations to our Year 9 Debating Team who defeated St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba in their first debate in the Toowoomba region of the Queensland Debating Union competition last night.
Lillian Kendall, Aryanna Davie and Erin O'Dea debated very well. Thankyou also to fellow Year 9 students, Mylee Smith and Jahnavi Miriyala who acted as chairperson and timekeeper and to Mrs Mary Roberts.
Monday 27th March, saw students at St Joseph's participate in Epilepsy Awareness Day, Purple Day.
Purple Day is a global initiative dedicated to raising epilepsy awareness, dispelling myths, and increasing support to those affected.
Founded in 2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada, the Purple Day concept was born out of Cassidy’s own struggles with epilepsy, her motivation to get people talking about the condition, and her desire to let those impacted by seizures know that they are not alone. Cassidy named the day ‘Purple Day’ after the internationally recognised colour for epilepsy, lavender.
Since that time, Purple Day has grown into a much loved and supported national awareness day with thousands of people across Australia rallying their private, academic and corporate communities to raise much needed awareness and funds for those affected by epilepsy.
Students were able to wear a purple accessory along with their normal school uniform for the day. Students participated in short activities as well as a silent auction where the highest bidder had the opportunituy to dump purple muck onto a number of Secondary teaching staff and Year 12 students.
Money raised will be donated to Epilepsy Action Australia.
















RAISING MONEY FOR A GREAT CAUSE
Congratulations and well done Tom.






TUCKSHOP - VOLUNTEERING & BAKING
To assist with the rostering of volunteers and bakers for the Primary Tuckshop, and volunteers only (no baking) for the Secondary Tuckshop, we are now using SignUp.com.
The form needs to be completed before the commencement of volunteering and must be handed in to the school office. The link for the form is also provided on SignUp.com.
The annual St Joseph''s School Cross Country will be held on Friday 31 March at the Stanthorpe Golf Club.
A full program of events can be found below.
After the success of and support in wearing the new House Shirts at the Secondary Swimming Carnival, all students will be required to wear their house shirts and house hats to build great house spirit and a colourful atmosphere, whilst being sun smart.
The canteen at the Club House will be open for students to purchase items for lunch, however students are also welcome to bring their own packed lunch.
The 5 to 8 year old students will arrive at 12:45pm and return to school at 1:20pm. All other students will remain at the event until the completion of the carnival and will be returned to school via bus for normal dismissal at the end of the school day.
Please ensure your child has a water bottle that they can utilise during the day to keep hydrated. Sunscreen will be provided at regular intervals throughout the day.
Parents as always are encouraged to attend and support their children.
TRIVIA NIGHT - SAVE THE DATE !
The Annual St Joseph’s School Parents & Friends Association will be held on Saturday 20th May 2023.
The Trivia Night is a wonderful opportunity for our Stanthorpe community to come together, relax and enjoy a night out along with raising funds towards the continuing improvement of our school’s facilities and resources. We encourage our school families to get a team together, as we can guarantee it will be a fantastic night of fun & laughter !
ABSTUDY is a group of payments that can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the start of high school right through to tertiary studies or an apprenticeship. There are ABSTUDY payments for parents whose children live at home as well as away from home.
Depending on their circumstances, these payments can help with the cost of school materials, school fees, boarding fees and travel.
It’s not too late for families to claim for the 2023 school year.
Please seee links below for more information regarding ABSTUDY 2023 :
- ABSTUDY for students living away from home
- It’s not too late to claim ABSTUDY for 2023
or - go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/abstudyproviders for more information.
Congratulations Billy Gallaway
Congratulations to Year 9 student and talented bullrider, Billy Gallaway, who has been selected to compete in the 2023 Junior Rough Stock World Finals which will be held in Las Vegas, USA, from 6 to 11 December.
Billy has been selected as one of a team of 15 Australian Cowboys to travel to the USA. Yes, that is Billy riding the bull below!
Congratulations Katie-Lee Jansink
Katie-Lee received gold medals in the 15-19 Girls Individual MC event and 15-19 Mixed MC Relay. Well done!!






House Games - Friday 24th March 2023
It was wonderful to see the students across P-12 enjoying the House Games held Friday 24th March.
Students engaged in a variety of activities such as touch football, dodgeball, soccer, netball and basketball just to name a few.



















Cricket
The Town School cricket final was played on Friday 24 March between Davadi and Stanthorpe State Primary School Team 1.
It was played over two Fridays with SSP batting first and being contained to a score of 60 off 13 overs. The second week was Davadi batting and they were cruising along nicely until 5 runouts in the space of three overs. The game was on a knife edge with 12 runs needed off 18 balls. The game was tied with 1 run needed. Luckily a wide was a bowled allowing Davadi to escape with a victory by the narrowest margins.
Congratulations Davadi !
Softball
Friday 24th March saw McAuley take on Davadi in the Town Schools softball final.
On the day, we saw some clever running between bases, at least one home run and some amazing team work in the field from both teams.
Congratulations to both teams and to McAuley who came away with the win.
Basketball
Congratulations to Year 7 students Hannah Petrie, Georgia Petire and Emily Gallaway who competed in the Darling Downs Basketball trials held in Toowoomba on Tuesday 28th March.
All students are to be commended on their efforts and a special mention of congratulations to Hannah and Georgia on making the DD team to compete at the State Championships in May in Townsville. Emily also played amazingly making it to the possibles and probables match.
Well done !
31 March | End of Term - The Way Of The Cross Liturgy |
Cross Country (P-12) | |
7 April | Good Friday |
8 April | Easter Vigil |
9 April | Easter Sunday |
10 April | Easter Monday |
17 April | Student Free Day |
18 April | Term 2 Commences |
19 April | QDU Debating - Year 9 (Toowoomba) |
20 April | Year 10 Brisbane Art Excursion |
21 - 23 April | Kokoda Challenge (Sunshine Coast) |
24 April | Anzac Day Service |
25 April | Anzac Day Holiday |
26 April | QDU Debating Competition - Year 9 |
10-12 Yrs DD Sport Cluster Day 2 | |
Prep Vision Screening Program | |
Primary Parent Teacher Consultations begin | |
26 - 28 April | TCS Year 11 ATSI Camp |
27 April | Border District Cross Country |
30 April | Three Saints Festival |