Welcome back to what is already proving to be a very busy Term 4. It was great to see all of the happy smiling faces of the children as they returned to school this week.

You may have noticed that the MAD van was not providing coffee this morning at drop-off. This initiative proved a great opportunity for relaxed communication and community building. Please continue to share your thoughts and ideas with us as we continue to develop opportunities to build our connection as a community of faith, learning and wellbeing. We are listening!

Of particular note this week was our first Parent Community Group (formerly P&F) meeting held on Wednesday evening. Some great initiatives are being discussed and key themes for the next meeting during Week 6 on Wednesday 15th November include the planning for our ‘Community Christmas Carol’ evening and forward planning for 2024. Please make yourself available to support our community and this wonderful group of dedicated Joey’s parents. 

In planning for 2024, please be aware that there is a greater focus on the correct wearing of school uniform. We are extremely proud of our school and wish to see this sense of belonging and pride displayed in the wearing of this uniform. As your children continue to grow and you are considering purchasing new uniforms especially school shoes, please ensure that your child is adhering to the expectations shown below. The expectation is polishable leather. Coloured runners are only permitted on sports days. 

A tip: to be cost effective, black leather runners suit school purposes on both a regular school day and sports day.

Child Safeguarding Website

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL) has launched a Child Safeguarding website as part of our commitment to implementing the Child Safe Standards. It contains information on Child Safe Standards, our Commitment Statement, a contact form for concerns or inquiries, and other useful links and resources.

The website can also be accessed through the "Parent Information" tab on our school website. We encourage you to visit the website to understand our commitment to building a school where every child feels valued, heard, and protected.

We recognise that parents and carers enjoy photographing and recording the progress of their child at school and on school activities. We recognise that many of you like to share these personal memories online and on social media. We ask for your cooperation and care concerning the use and distribution of photographs of other children at our school. Some families have very real legal and safety issues which could put a child at risk if an image is made public online. More generally, it is respectful of the privacy of other members of the school community to ask permission before posting an image online. Even if your social media settings are private, it is easy for images to become public, particularly if they are tagged or shared by others. Please see the school website under “Policies and Forms” for the Photography Guidelines for parents and carers, mandatory policies and further resources.

When we run activities and hold events here at school that families are invited to we often take photos to share with our community through the school newsletter and our social media platforms. Please note that for adults attending public events there is assumed permission for their image to be able to be published on our platforms.

Our new school communication and school management platform ‘Compass’ was launched at the beginning of last term. From this point forward Compass will be our platform for you to:

• Receive notifications about school events, news, and information.
• Update your family contact details (mobile phone and email).
• View the school calendar.
• Book parent/teacher conferences (parent/teacher interviews).
• Pay and provide digital consent for events (excursions).
• Coming soon - Enter an explanation for absences.

If you haven’t already downloaded the Compass App please contact the Office Aunties who will then email you your unique username and password. Compass is a web-based system that is accessible on any modern web browser or by using the 'Compass School Manager' App available for iOS or Android.

Smartphone Access

• Download the Compass School Manager App (Google Playstore OR Apple Store).
• Use the unique username and temporary password to login, this was sent to you by email. If you are already a Compass user at another school, your username and password will be the same. If you can’t find the email previously sent to you please contact the Office Aunties.
• Open the App on your device.
• Search for our school by searching for “St Joseph’s Primary School - Port Macquarie” and then scroll down where you will find us.
• You will be prompted to confirm your mobile phone number and email address, and create a personal password.

For more information you can visit Compass for Parents. If you have any questions or need help with the App please contact your class teacher or the Office Aunties.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have concerns. If you would like to speak with your child's class teacher it is often best to make an appointment by calling the front office.

Urgent messages MUST be communicated to the front office via a note or phone call to ensure they reach the appropriate person. Please do not email the school or teacher for a message that is required to be given on that day as emails may not be checked in time to pass the message on or the teacher may be absent that day and therefore unable to pass your message on.

With the move from our student database Schoolworx to Compass the Parent Portal which you have used over the last few years to access student school reports will be switched off soon. If you wish to keep personal copies of your child’s school reports to date please go on to the Parent Portal and download and/or print them. 

If you have any queries around this please do not hesitate to contact the Office Aunties.

We are thrilled to welcome our Term 4 Sports providers Jayu Martial Arts Academy. Black Belt co-owners Annette Baker and Andrew Fullerton will bring their expertise to each student from Kindergarten to Year 6, delivering a program that not only teaches an introduction to Taekwondo, but also lifelong skills of freedom, balance and harmony.

Please note these dates can change from time to time due to unforeseen circumstances and we will endeavour to advise you of any changes at the earliest possible opportunity. Our school Google calendar can be accessed via this link for additional advanced dates -

For your convenience 2023 school term dates are listed below. They are also located on our website. Click on the words “TERM DATES” on the home page.