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Dear Families and Friends,
Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week!! It provided time to reflect on our school and how working, learning and belonging in a Catholic school is significant. I thought I’d share my reflections of how I have heard from parents how we truly open our hearts through parent conversations over the past few weeks and days:
- On connecting in our community:
- The set-up of the class Parent Rep and the Facebook having opportunities to get together has been very positive. Some of our friends don't have it in their school, and they haven’t made many friends yet.
- Seeing the joy of our newest members, the Joeys mums, making connections at the Ladies Lunch
- On our Catholic School:
- I have been so impressed by the masses and prayer. I enjoy attending and seeing that the children learn to be respectful and learn why we do certain actions in the Church.
- On supporting students and families:
- A dad expressed his gratitude of the school when sharing how we have supported and welcomed his family culturally in a new community. The appreciation of helping them understand alternate options.
- An email from a family, expressing gratitude for ‘incredible support and interest you have shown our child’ and the positive impact this has had at home.
We are a Catholic community, and our focus on kindness to enable every child and family to feel valued. St Joseph’s School Kingswood connects and enables all to ‘Shine with open hearts.’
The changing of our Pope
Watching and being in prayer through the passing of Pope Francis, the announcement of the new pope, and the official inauguration of Pope Leo has been compelling, and hope filled. As a leader in Catholic education, I am proud of the work of these Church leaders in standing up for injustices, working for peace and unity, welcoming all and being a voice for the care of our earth. I am hopeful that Pope Leo can be a significant role model of how we can bring peace through prayer and dialogue. I have been especially taken by the coming together of diverse people at St Peters Square, acknowledging the significance of this time in our world for all.
See Christine’s article to get to know Pope Leo!
Staffing
This week we welcome Bridget Hughes as our Year 6 teacher for the remainder of term 2 while Mr Bennett takes leave to prepare and welcome his new bundle of joy in coming days.
Earlier in the term we welcomed Michael Franze, our new Work Health and Safety officer. Michael works on a Monday to support us in keeping our school a safe and healthy place for workers, volunteers and students.
With Gratitude – thank you to our ESOs
Last Friday was National ESO day. I wanted to pass on my thanks for our ESO who play such a significant role in our community and are often the ‘golden’ thread that keeps us connected and growing as a school. Thank you Anna, Benji, Bianca, Bridget, Charlie, Charlotte, Chiemelie, Clare, Diego, Dinuri, Emma, Eva, Gabrielle, Heidi, Josh, Katina, Leah, Michael, Nic, Oscar, Patrick, Shelly and Zac.
Jodie Higgins
Principal
In all things, Charity
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all had a restful break and have now settled back into the school routine. We've been fortunate to enjoy this beautiful weather, and it's been wonderful to see our little learners return with enthusiasm and smiles.
Morphology Whole Staff Professional Learning Day
On our Pupil Free Day at the start of the term, all staff participated in a full day of professional learning focused on Morphology. Linda Clune, our expert from Playberry Laser, led the session, further deepening our understanding and refining our approach to teaching morphology.
As you may know, all students engage with Morphology through the Laser program. As they progress through the years, this learning becomes more explicit, with dedicated lessons at least once a week. For context, morphology is the study of the smallest units of meaning in words—called morphemes—which include base words, roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
Explicitly teaching morphemes equips our students with essential strategies for decoding and encoding more complex words, expanding their vocabulary, and enhancing comprehension. A strong grasp of prefixes, suffixes, and base words significantly supports students in understanding the meaning of new or unfamiliar words.
If you're interested in supporting this learning at home, here is a useful link from the Five from Five website:
? Morphology and Comprehension Strategies
This term, our focus is on implementing what we’ve learned. In Term 3, Linda Clune will return to conduct classroom observations and provide feedback to further support our growth. At St Joseph’s Kingswood, we are committed to continuous improvement and lifelong learning—this is just one example of that commitment in action.
St Joseph’s Kingswood STRETCH Program
As we continue to grow our STRETCH program, we’re excited to announce the return of the Maths Olympiad, now open to students from Year 1 to Year 6.
The Maths Olympiad, run by the Australasian Problem-Solving Mathematical Olympiads Inc (APSMO), has been offered since 1987 and is designed for high-achieving students. For Years 3–6, students will participate in four problem-solving contests held about six weeks apart from May to September. While the Olympiads are intentionally challenging, the goal is to develop strong mathematical thinking in a fun and engaging way.
- Years 5 & 6 students are selected based on data and demonstrated problem-solving ability. These students compete both with other schools and against their own personal bests.
- Years 3 & 4 students are invited to join team-based competitions that promote collaboration and group problem-solving.
- Years 1 & 2 students will engage in Maths Quest—a non-competitive, inclusive program that encourages exploration and creativity in maths.
We were thrilled with the response from families and students and are deeply grateful to the dedicated teachers running these sessions: Michael Mastrangelo, Joshua Bennett, Sasha Khammash, Bonnie Crofts, and Julia Morrison. Thank you for giving your time every Wednesday after school to make this program possible. We can’t wait to see what the students achieve!
Lego Club is Back!
We’re excited to announce the return of Lego Club for 2025! After a successful launch last year—and with the addition of permanent Lego resources (thanks to generous fundraising and our Parents & Friends Committee)—we’re eager to get building again.
This year, we welcome new Year 6 leaders: Elliot Wells, Orlando Waller and Violet Ferraretto, who will guide and inspire the next generation of Lego Masters.
Lego Club is open to all students, with themed challenges focusing on creativity, collaboration and fun. Here’s when sessions will run during Terms 2 and 3:
- Reception – Year 2: Mondays at Recess in the Hall (starting Week 5)
- Years 3 – 6: Thursdays at Lunch in the Hall (starting Week 4)
We can’t wait to see what our students create!
Inclusive Education
It is always a pleasure to work in partnership with families to support each student's individual learning journey. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be in touch via email, phone, or meetings to review and update our personalised learning plans to ensure they continue to meet your child’s needs.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out—my door is always open.
Warm regards,
Vanessa Saccardo
Assistant Principal
Dear St Joseph’s Community,
We have recently had the privilege to witness the election of a new, Catholic Pope, an event in the global church that happens quite rarely. I have included some information about Pope Leo here, as I know many are curious about who he is and what his journey has been to lead him here.
We pray for Pope Leo:
Faithful God,
You guide us on the path of life
and your goodness is our constant companion.
Be with our new Shepherd, Pope Leo XIV,
in his service of the Church.
Fill him with the power of your Spirit,
the peace of your presence
and the compassion of Christ.
May he walk with you,
in wisdom and humility,
and lead us, together with all God’s people,
to embody your love for the world.
Amen.
CARITAS PROJECT COMPASSION: FINAL COUNT
Thanks to our generous community, this year we have raised $1035! Well done for a huge effort to us. Our funds will be added to those from all other Australian Catholic schools, to help CARITAS continue its crucial work worldwide.
Our next Social Justice mission will be VINNIES WINTER APPEAL. This will be launched later this term, and more information will be made available accordingly.
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
Last Thursday 8th May we celebrated the First Reconciliation of the candidates in our 2025 Sacramental Program. I am very proud of this group of students who have chosen to continue their faith journey through the Sacraments. I look forward to working with them over the next few months as they prepare for their Sacraments of Confirmation and Communion.
LAUDATO SI WEEK
Laudato Si' Week is an annual celebration in May that marks the anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical "Laudato Si'," which focuses on the care of creation and our common home. It's a time for reflection, action, and advocacy, encouraging Catholics and others to listen to the "cry of the earth" and take steps towards a more sustainable and just world. The week is organized by the Laudato Si' Movement and sponsored by the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
The week will run between the 24th and 31st May. As a school that has taken a commitment towards ecology this year, this week is very special. Below are some suggestions for action. Together we can make a big difference!
PASTORAL CARE TEAM NEWS
Following the onboarding of Charlotte Serafini as the school’s Chaplain, earlier this year, I am pleased to let you know that we now have a trainee school counsellor: Dinuri. Dinuri will be with us for a few months, as she gains experience to become a fully qualified professional.
The Pastoral Care Team works hand-in-hand with the school’s leadership team, teachers and families to nurture our students’ wellbeing. The services it provides are designed to make students feel at ease, and families feel that their child is loved and cared for when at school. Class teachers and Parents are welcome to make contact with this team by emailing cfarrugia@stjk.catholic.edu.au.
Blessings,
Christine Farrugia
Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission
Thank you to everyone who has already followed the instructions and registered for SEQTA Engage. If you missed it or as a reminder, please read the communication below and action ASAP. It's very quick and easy and we would greatly appreciate everyone signing-in by the deadline of next Wednesday, when the emailed link will expire and we will need to re-issue.
Our Band performed two pieces at the recent Mother’s Day Breakfast. It was a great opportunity for them to perform in an encouraging environment. Well done to the students involved.
Congratulations to Chloe Martin 4P, who recently received an A+ for her Grade 2 AMEB trumpet exam.
Students in Festival Choir are working hard to learn all the repertoire and choreography for our School Hub Group Assessment coming up in Week 8. Denise Rothall, the CSMG conductor is coming for her third visit to our school this week.
JAM Band performed for our whole school last Friday morning. Students and staff alike loved the entertaining musical performance.
Rebecca Pfitzner
Music teacher
SAPSASA Netball Gala Day – 2025
Congratulations to all the year 5 and 6 students that competed in the Netball Gala Day on Tuesday 6th May at Netball SA Stadium, Mile End. The day included a fun round robin Netball Tournament for years 5 and 6 as well as the first round of the Knockout Netball Tournament for our 5/6 Girls Team.
Special mention to our Year 5/6 Knockout Netball Team for finishing 1st in the group after 5 games on the day and reaching the grand final. Unfortunately, the team didn’t win the final but had a fantastic day considering the bulk of our team were year 5 girls.
Thank you to Sally S for coaching our Knockout Netball Team, Miss Wicks, Melissa P, Lisa W, Erin K and Melinda S for coaching our boys and girls teams on the day.
We now look forward to the popular Catholic Schools Netball Carnival which is for all year 3-6 students in week 10, Thursday 3rd July. Look out for registrations on SZAPP soon.
Year 5 Netball team – St Joseph’s Stars – PREMIERS!
St Joseph’s Stars became back to back premiers after winning the grand final of the Life Be In It Junior Netball Summer 24/25 competition. A special mention to Sally S for coaching the team and all the parent helpers for supporting the team.
SACPSSA Swimming Carnival – 2025 –
A big Congratulations to the 15 students that competed in the annual SACPSSA Swimming Carnival held at SA Aquatics Centre, Marion. The school finished 3rd overall and won the year 3 pennant accumulating the most points in that year level on the day. Our school also had some outstanding individual results on the day and punched well above their weight.
It was great to see so. Many students come out and trial for the Carnival on Friday mornings with some wonderful warm weather and great facilities at Mitcham Girls Pool. Special thanks to Mrs Bridget Hughes and Angus M for their assistance at training sessions and all the parent helpers for assisting with timing.
Some commendable results on the day included:
Medley Team Relay – 4th – Beau, Olivia D, Julieta, Clara
Alfie Pa– 2nd – 25m Freestyle, 1st - 25m Backstroke,
Clementine O – 3rd – 50m Freestyle,
Xavier M – 2nd – 25m Freestyle, 3rd – 25m Backstroke
Autumn M – 1st – 25m Freestyle,
Beau M– 2nd – 25m Freestyle,
Julieta C– 2nd – 25m Freestyle,
Olivia D– 3rd – 25m Breaststroke
Freddie M- 1st – 25m Backstroke, 1st – 25m Breaststroke
Sloane B– 2nd – 25m Backstroke, 1st – 25m Breaststroke
Clara D – 4th – 25m Breaststroke
Year 3 Relay Team – 1st - Alfie, Freddie, Xavier, Autumn
Year 4 Relay Team – 2nd – Clementine, Beau, Sloane, Julieta
Mr De Giovanniello
Hi Families,
Term 2 is already well under way, and we have been so lucky to be enjoying some nice Autumn days so we can still make use of the green and nature play at OSHC. As the weather gets cooler, we will spend more time indoors so we will have lots of fun, creative and engaging activities for students to participate in. Our Vacation Care program for the Winter holidays is available to view now, please keep an eye on Seesaw and SZapp for when bookings are open via FullyBooked. It's set to be another holiday break jam-packed with fun!!
For the families that are not aware, I have been busily completing my teaching degree. I have been given the opportunity to teach our year 6 class while Mr Bennett is on long service leave. I will still be contactable via email and seesaw, however, Emma Penno will be the best person to contact in my absence.
Bookings are open for the pupil free day on Tuesday 10th June. Thank you to those who have already booked.
Bridget and Emma
