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Dear Parents and Carers,
On the 6th of June we celebrated St Joseph’s Wingham’s 90th anniversary. It is amazing to think that 90 years ago the Sisters of St Joseph opened the doors for the first time to 83 students. Our staff and students got into the spirit of the day dressing up as 90-year-olds, the costumes were simply fabulous and added to the atmosphere of the day.
We welcomed some special guests along to our celebrations including Parish Priest – Fr Kevin Corrigan, Director of Schools – Jacqui Wilkinson, Assistant Director – Kate Drake, Past Principals Mark Mowbray and Justin Hutchens and Past students Rory Byrne, Jake Guppy and Lewis Downie.
We started our celebrations with a cleansing dance and liturgy and cutting of the cake. We then moved into open classrooms and a shared lunch. Our Year 6 students ran some games of yesteryear for our students. The classrooms all took part in our Doors of the Decades, each taking on a different decade that the school has been open to display some images of the times.
The school hall displayed memorabilia and many photos of the school over the years. Wingham Museum also generously donated some old school memorabilia to add to our display.
It was a day of great joy and pride. I am incredibly proud to lead St Joseph’s Wingham and be part of the story of the thousands of students who have walked through our gates and experienced a high-quality Catholic education.
Messages of Hope
Last week I received an email from our Director of Schools, Jacqui Wilkinson, who was passing on messages of hope that have been received from many schools across our Diocese, with the intention of providing some hope for our community after such a difficult time. Being part of the Diocese of Maitland Newcastle has not only provided us with financial support for our families who have been impacted, but also these wonderful messages to let us know we are not alone. It is heartwarming to see that there are many people outside of our community who want to help and share their support.
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Cooking with Mrs Hunt
Congratulations to Mathias, Jai and Samuel who all chose cooking with Mrs Hunt for their PB4L reward. They made some nice warm pancakes for their class to eat.
School Parish Mass
On Sunday we gathered with our Parish to celebrate Mass. It was wonderful to see our families joining with the Parish for mass and then moving over to the school hall for a shared dinner of pumpkin soup. We are aiming to have a combined mass once per term, so please keep an eye out for next term’s date and we hope you can join us.
Thank a First Responder Day
Last week we recognised the first responders in our community who have certainly been very busy over the past little while. Our students wrote little messages of thanks and hope to our first responders and presented them with a small gift of the messages and some yummy treats for morning tea.
Regional Spelling and Maths Bee Finals
Congratulations to Ava, Alice, Paul, Ben and Arlo who travelled to Forster last week to represent our school in the Regional Spelling and Maths Bee Finals. Our students did a fabulous job in very tough competition. We are very proud of them.
Kindergarten 2026 enrolments
Last week our first round offers went out for our Kinder 2026 cohort. Second round applications are now open. If you know anyone that is thinking about sending their children to our wonderful school, please encourage them to contact the office for a school tour.
ICAS
Next term students from Year 2 to 6 have the opportunity to participate in the ICAS assessments. If you are interested in your child participating in these assessments, you can access the Parent Portal to sign up to your chosen subject areas using the link and code below.
Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.
Sign up here https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Access code CTY446
As the flood waters have receeded, the media attention has started to fade and the volunteers start returning to their lives, we still remain a community that continues to be impacted by the aftermath of the flood. My prayer today is for those in our community who continue to feel the affects of the floods, they they remember they are not alone.
Lord,
We ask you for comfort and strength to surround those in our community that have been impacted by the floods. May they feel safety and protection and provide them with the resources to rebuild. Let them feel the love and support of the community in which they live and help them to face each day with courage and hope.
Amen
God Bless
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 Ella Hook (week 7)
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system, we acknowledge that the following student, Samantha Robinson has reached 100 Gotchas and to Max Robinson for Certificate of Recognition - University of Newcastle. Well Done!
Bring on State!
On Wednesday 11 June 2025, Eleanor Healy attended Sydney's Equestrian Centre to compete in the Polding Cross Country trials. Eleanor ran exceptionally and was placed fourth overall earning a spot in the NSW Catholic Schools's Polding team. She will now compete at the Junior State Cross Country carnival. This is a wonderful achievement and huge congratulations to Eleanor!
New baby arrival
Congratulations to Nicole Chase on the safe arrival of "Axhel Shane Marlin-Chase" born on the 12th June. A baby brother for Zahkari (Year 4).
Behaviour Management at St. Joseph’s PB4L and MJR
As you are aware, we use the Positive Behaviour for Learning model to monitor and plan for behaviour management at St. Joseph’s. The foundation of this model is to reward positive behaviour in order to minimise incidents of problem behaviour.
We acknowledge positive behaviour using Gotchas which are tallied. Students are then able to choose a reward from the reward menu. There are other tangible rewards such as our milestone badges for each 100 Gotchas and weekly Assembly Awards.
Staff have recently completed Professional Learning which highlighted the importance of specific feedback as having a high impact on positive student behaviour and encouraging a growth mindset. Positive attention can increase academic performance and on-task behaviour. This can include non-verbal cues such as a thumbs up. It may sound like:
“Thank you for being ready to learn”
“I can see everyone at this table in on-task”
“Well done, you all followed the instruction which means you listened carefully”
This whole school approach helps us develop and maintain respectful relationships with our students.
Shae Lapi-an
Assistant Principal
