13th February, Week 2, Term 1
From Our Principal - Mrs Kristie Coster
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome to all of our St Joseph’s staff, students and families! I feel blessed to join the wonderful school community of St Joseph’s Primary Coraki as Acting Principal. I’ve been fortunate to have met so many of our amazing families and am looking forward to working in partnership with you to support your child’s faith, learning and well-being.
A very warm welcome to our new and returning students and families this year.
Kindergarten - Jamelia Williams, Layla Johnson, River Gollan , Toby Hicks, Luke Chappell , Henry Marsden.
Year 1 - Mason Anderson-Clark, Tyler Williams
Year 4 - Tyezac Anderson, Dean Priestley
Year 6 - Macen Hickling, Taylor Williams
We welcome a new teacher to our St Joseph’s school family. Melissa Vasta will be working with our Stage 2 and 3 staff and students and we’re very fortunate to have her with us.
It has been a fantastic start to the 2025 school year. Our classes have settled in well and it has been wonderful to see happy and focused students in classrooms, establishing relationships for a successful year ahead.
Student Attendance
One of our school improvement goals for 2025 focuses on improving student attendance. Regular school attendance is crucial for your child's learning success and overall well-being. Consistent attendance allows children to fully engage with the curriculum, build strong relationships with teachers and peers, and develop essential social and emotional skills. Missing even a few days of school can lead to gaps in learning, making it harder for children to keep up with their classmates and potentially impacting their confidence and motivation. We understand that sometimes absences are unavoidable, but we encourage you to prioritise school attendance whenever possible to ensure your child receives the maximum benefit from their education. By working together, we can help our students thrive and reach their full potential.
Our message to our students is: Showing up every day matters! Please reiterate this message with your child/ren. Our goal is for every child to finish the year with at least 90% attendance. Further communication will be shared throughout the year to promote good attendance and in response to our non-attendance procedures.
Welcome BBQ and Information Night
Join us for a Welcome BBQ and Information Night on Tuesday, February 18th, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM! It's a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families, meet our staff, and visit your child's classroom. We'll be providing a free sausage sizzle.
From 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, we'll hold a parent-only session to discuss our non-attendance procedures and explore ways to strengthen our family-school partnerships. During this time, students will enjoy a fun trivia session.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Have a joyful weekend.
Kristie Coster
Student Awards - Week 1
Kinder -Layla Johnson, Jamelia Williams, Luke Chappell, River Gollan, Toby Hicks, Henry Marsden, wonderful start to their school journey at St Joseph's.
Stage 1 - Aialah Kapeen, fantastic work in Maths.
Stage 1- Aries Edge-Ford, smashing his MAI maths assessment.
Stage 2- Jakob Brammah, critical and creative thinking in Mathematics.
Stage 2 -Tokobi Tucker, critical and creative thinking in Mathematics.
Stage 3- Zain Mabood, outstanding leadership and encouragement of your peers.
Stage 3-Ashar Youman-Auger, his confident and settled start to Stage 3.
Principals Award - Jakob Brammah, an excellent start to the year, safety, effort, respect, self responsibility.
Mission News
Gospel Reflection
In this week’s gospel, Jesus tells the people about the things that God values.
God gives special blessings to those people who are hungry, sad, or poor.
People who are rejected or insulted by others, and who feel sad or unloved, can look forward to a reward in heaven.
Jesus is reminding us that the ways and values of the world are not necessarily the ways and values of God.
2025 Sacramental Dates
Sacrament of Reconciliation Tuesday April 8th 9:30am
Sacrament of Confirmation Wednesday June 11th
Sacrament of First Eucharist TBC
Whole School Opening Mass
Tomorrow we will celebrate the beginning of a new school year with our Whole School Opening mass. We invite all parents, grandparents and friends to join us for all of our school Masses.
The Year Six students will also receive their leadership badges as a part of this celebration.
Shrove Tuesday
In Australia and Britain, the day before Ash Wednesday is commonly known as Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday. The name "Shrove" comes from the old English word "Shrive," which means to confess your sins and receive forgiveness. This day was traditionally a time for Christians to seek absolution before the start of Lent.
On Shrove Tuesday, March 4th, we will have pancakes for sale through the canteen at first lunch to kick off our fundraising efforts for Project Compassion. Stay tuned for information about donations of pancakes and spreads to support this effort!
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a special time for Catholics to get ready for Easter. It's like a spiritual spring cleaning!
On Ash Wednesday, many people go to church. The priest will put a little bit of ash on their forehead in the shape of a cross. The ashes are made from burned palm branches from last year's Palm Sunday.
The ashes remind us of a few things:
- We are all human: Just like the palm branches turn to ash, we will all grow old and eventually die.
- We are sorry for the wrong things we do: The ashes are a sign that we want to say sorry to God for the times we haven't been our best selves.
- We want to follow Jesus: The cross reminds us of Jesus, who died on the cross for us. We want to be more like him.
Lent is a time to pray more, be kind to others, and try to be more like Jesus. It's a time to get closer to God and get ready to celebrate Jesus' resurrection on Easter.
Join us for a Parish Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 5th at 9:30am.
Sports News
Cross Country - Friday 28th February
We will be welcoming St Joseph's Alstonville on Friday the 28th of February for a combined cross country day. The program for the day and event details are listed below.
St Joseph’s Coraki and Alstonville Cross Country - Friday the 28th of February. Windsor Park, Coraki.
Program of events
10.00 - Snack break before walking to Windsor Park
Alstonville arrive.
10.10 - Prayer & Acknowledgement of Country
10.20 - 5 -7 year olds to run a modified course
10.20 - Walk the course.
10.30am - 10 years
10.50am - 9 years
11.10am - 8 years
11.30am - 11 years
11.50pm - 12+ years
Return to school for lunch and play.
Canteen will be running a special cross country lunch pack for the day. Order forms will be sent home, lunches will need to be pre-ordered. Canteen will be opened on the day for purchases of chips, ice blocks & home cooking.
Zone Swimming Carnival
Pip Maher will represent St Joseph's at the Zone Swimming Carnival tomorrow at Alstonville, Good Luck Pip!
2025 School Fees
1 Child $1064 or $266 per term
2 Children $1968 or $492 per term
3 Children $2606 or $651.50 per term
2025 School fees have now been billed. The fees are billed as an annual amount with the option to pay fortnightly, monthly or per term.
A reminder to return your blue 'Payment of School Fee' form. If you require assistance with setting up a payment schedule please contact Donna.
Stage 1 Science
Library News
Welcome everyone!
Library borrowing has begun with lots of exciting books on display.
Borrowing days are
Kinder - Wednesday, Stage 1 - Monday, Stage 2 /3 - Thursday
Thank you everyone for bringing library bags and caring for our books
Enjoy your week!
Mrs Verrall
General Business
Happy Birthday to the following who have celebrated their birthday since our last newsletter:
Macen Hickling, Oscar Hippi, Lindsay Williams, Abel Humphreys, Tenchi Tucker, Tyler Carbery, Mrs Coster, Cally Powell, Lalya Johnson
Canteen News
Canteen Volunteer Roster Term 1
| Friday 14 February | |
| Beth Brammah | |
| Wednesday 19 February | Friday 21 February |
| Ashlee Grande | Volunteer Needed |
| Wednesday 26 February | Friday 28 February - Cross Country |
| Mary-Jane Maher | Special Menu |
| Wednesday 5 March - Ash Wednesday | Friday 7 March |
| Special Menu | Volunteer Needed |
| Wednesday 12 March | Friday 14 March |
| Kym Charters | Beth Brammah |
| Wednesday 19 March - St Joseph's Day | Friday 21 March |
| No Canteen - Excursion | Volunteer Needed |
| Wednesday 26 March | Friday 28 March |
| Ashlee Grande | Cherie Verrall |
| Wednesday 2 April | Friday 4 April |
| Mary-Jane Maher | Volunteer Needed |
| Wednesday 9 April - Easter Hat Parade | Friday 11 April |
| Special Menu | No Canteen - last day of term |
Canteen is back Wednesday and Friday's. To keep canteen operating both days we are searching for Canteen Helpers.
Term 1 dates needed are Friday 21st February, Friday 7th March, Friday 21st March. Friday 4th April from 9am-11:30am.
All are welcome, parents, grandparents, friends please contact the office 66832248 for more information.
Save the Date Term 1 2025
Friday 14th February - Beginning Year Mass
Tuesday 18th February - Welcome BBQ and Info Night 5:30pm
Friday 28th February - Cross Country
Tuesday 4th March - Shrove Tuesday
Wednesday 5th March - Ash Wednesday Mass
Wednesday 19th March - St Joseph's Day, Evans Head
Wednesday 9th April - Easter Hat Parade
Friday 11th April - Last Day Term 1
School Parking
Please be aware of the Bus Zone when parking at school for pick/up drop offs.
The cars shown below are parked in the correct positons, to the left is the bus zone.
