As the year comes to an end, I would like to thank all students, their families and the staff for helping to make the year another successful one for the school.

As an indicator of our academic success, I would like to highlight our very positive NAPLAN results this year. NAPLAN assesses the fundamental skills of literacy and numeracy, with the data provided used by families, schools and education systems to ensure Australian students are supported in their learning. St Joseph’s School is a strong performer, not only in the Granite Belt, but also across the Toowoomba Diocese. 

Another indicator of our success is the strong enrolment numbers we have for 2023 and the number of students we are retaining from Year 6 in Year 7. Next year our total enrolments across the school will be over 450, a significant increase from the start of 2022. I am confident that we have the staff, systems and resources to manage this growth in order to maximise learning and maintaining the culture of the school.

I would like to thank both the P&F Association and the Board for their guidance and contributions throughout the year.  Their efforts are very important in helping to set the direction of the school and provide assistance to the students and their families. In particular, I would like to thank Mrs Julie Kay who has been the chair of the Board for many years. Her support, guidance and down to earth advice has been very important to me. Next year the Board will be replaced by a School Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC is similar in nature to the Board.

The staff as a whole deserve a special mention for their good work to get all students and the school through another challenging year. They are a dedicated and hard-working group who have the interests of the students at heart.

Well done to all the students for working towards the best they can be. I hope they all come back to school well rested and ready to continue their Joey’s journey. Congratulations to all the Year 6s who finish their Primary schooling this week. We wish them the very best in their journey into Secondary. Our thanks to Sarah Yates, Amanda Thompson and the other staff who have worked so well with them this year, and also those teachers and staff who have shared in their education since they started school. I am confident they have the grounding they need to start and succeed in Secondary.

Finally, I would like to wish all a merry and safe Christmas period.