Imagine arriving at school and being met at the gate by Willy Wonka with your golden ticket for learning!
That’s exactly what students from St Joseph’s Primary School Kingswood experienced on their first day of school for 2019! By all reports this creative start to the year has already reignited students’ enthusiasm for learning.
St Joseph’s Principal Trish Reilly said both parents and students were excited about having Willy Wonka at the school. “He greeted all the children and asked them whether or not they had a Golden Ticket. When they said no, he said: “Well you can’t come to school but lucky I’ve got one I can give you!”
Starting the school year with this surprise visitor was a result of Mrs Reilly going to see Charlie and The Chocolate Factory during the holiday break. “I was inspired to create a golden ticket for the children as they came back to school to an exciting year filled with great learning,” she said.
Feedback from parents has been very positive. “The parents reported when they arrived at school and saw all the golden balloons and streamers, any butterflies in their children’s tummies disappeared. There was lots of laughter and any tension or anxiety disappeared when they saw Willy Wonka," Mrs Reilly said.
Many parents commented, saying: “It was such a lovely, warm and inviting welcome”; “This was a great idea: thank you, my daughters loved it”; “This was brilliant!” and “I love this school - it is so welcoming and everyone is so friendly. What a fun way for my son to start his schooling.”
Thank you to Tim Martin (AKA Willy Wonka), a great friend of St Joseph’s and a member of the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta Performing and Creative Arts program Captivate team!
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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05 Apr 2026
From Facebook
He is risen! ☀️ This Easter Sunday, let us gather in faith, hope and joy to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. 🙏 We are inspired by this sacred season to live with compassion, kindness and service to others, following in the footsteps of Jesus. May the message of Easter renew our hearts and strengthen our commitment to one another. We wish our students, staff and wider community a blessed, peaceful and joy-filled Easter. 💕🙏🏻🐰
03 Apr 2026
From Facebook
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46 Today our St Joseph’s community pauses to remember Good Friday, the day Jesus gave his life on the Cross out of love for the world. Good Friday invites us to reflect on the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and the power of selfless love. Through his suffering and death, Jesus showed us what it truly means to forgive, to serve others, and to love without limits. We remember that even in the darkness of the Cross, hope remains, because God’s love is stronger than sin and death. May this sacred day encourage us to live with compassion, kindness, and faith as we journey toward the hope of Easter. 🙏🏻
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05 Apr 2026
From Facebook
He is risen! ☀️ This Easter Sunday, let us gather in faith, hope and joy to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. 🙏 We are inspired by this sacred season to live with compassion, kindness and service to others, following in the footsteps of Jesus. May the message of Easter renew our hearts and strengthen our commitment to one another. We wish our students, staff and wider community a blessed, peaceful and joy-filled Easter. 💕🙏🏻🐰
03 Apr 2026
From Facebook
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46 Today our St Joseph’s community pauses to remember Good Friday, the day Jesus gave his life on the Cross out of love for the world. Good Friday invites us to reflect on the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and the power of selfless love. Through his suffering and death, Jesus showed us what it truly means to forgive, to serve others, and to love without limits. We remember that even in the darkness of the Cross, hope remains, because God’s love is stronger than sin and death. May this sacred day encourage us to live with compassion, kindness, and faith as we journey toward the hope of Easter. 🙏🏻
02 Apr 2026
From Facebook
Our Kindergarten students had a wonderful time at our Kindy Monster Party! The day was filled with excitement, laughter, and lots of learning through play. The children enjoyed a range of fun party games including Pin the Eye on the Monster, Musical Chairs, and a Monster Disco with a disco ball and glow sticks! They also got creative making their very own Monster Biscuits (which were delicious!), and Monster Masks, showing off their wonderful imagination! Our Kindy students worked together during a Monster Scavenger Hunt out on the playground and they had a fantastic game of Monster Bingo. Throughout the celebrations, we also shared and enjoyed a variety of wonderful monster stories, sparking imagination and a love of reading. It was so lovely to see our youngest students engaging, collaborating, and having so much fun together. We are sure everyone will sleep well last night!
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Year 6 are right on schedule. They will be at school just before 8pm and can’t wait to see their parents. See you soon!
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Year 6 are heading home after a fantastic two days. We will be arriving at school on time. We are all looking forward to seeing our parents when we arrive.
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We are up after a good night’s sleep. We are ready for another great day of learning. 😀🙏🏻
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More than 700 students and staff from 23 schools across Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) came together for Caritas Australia’s Big Water Walk in support of Project Compassion. Beginning at Parramatta Park, students carried buckets of water along a 4km route, gaining a glimpse of the daily journey faced by people in developing communities, especially women and children, in search of clean water.
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From Facebook
Year 3 took some time today for some exploratory learning in our Science unit after our Writing NAPLAN. We explored the size of the Sun, Moon and Earth through perspective and even created some play-doh models.
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From Facebook
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