Michelle Tamaro and her daughter Aria who will start kindergarten Tuesday. Credit: Ben Symons.
Aria Tamaro can rattle off a long list of new things she is looking forward to when she starts kindergarten on Thursday.
Having watched her older siblings take the same step, the five-year-old from North Parramatta knows there will be new friends, new teachers and new activities. But, most of all, Aria is excited to have new books to read.
"I love all books, I love colourful books," she said, listing the Spot series and comedian Andy Lee's Do Not Open This Book, as among her favourites.
Almost 65,000 kindergarten students will start at NSW public schools this week as a new syllabus that mandates the use of phonics when teaching pupils to read is rolled out in all classrooms.
Most state and Catholic schools return on Tuesday, while some students at NSW's independent schools started late last week.
The new kindergarten to year 2 English and mathematics syllabuses will be mandatory across the three school sectors for the first time this year, as part of an overhaul to the NSW curriculum that places heavier emphasis on literacy and numeracy foundations in early schooling.
The curriculum has a greater emphasis on phonics, a method that teaches students to sound out letters and letter combinations when learning to read. For example, they might learn that the short "c" sound can appear as "c" as in cat, "k" as in kit and "ck" as in duck.
A statewide phonics screening check, conducted in public schools after a term of remote learning in 2021, suggested more than 40 per cent of year 1 students were not meeting benchmarks.
Trialled across 400 schools last year, the new curriculum also increases the focus on core skills such as spelling, handwriting and structuring a sentence.
In maths, lessons will shift to be grounded in mathematical reasoning, ensuring students understand how they arrive at an answer. The teaching of addition and subtraction will also no longer be separated, instead taught as opposite components of the same process.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, whose own youngest daughter will start kindergarten this week, said the first syllabuses of the state's curriculum reform were designed to build strong literacy and numeracy foundations for learners' early years and beyond.
"The students starting kindergarten next week will be the first of the 'curriculum reform generation', benefitting from these evidence-based, back-to-basic syllabuses from their very first day," she said.
Sydney Morning Herald
Breaking news from Sydney, Australia and the world.
-
21 Oct 2026
From Facebook
Our students had a fantastic time enjoying the wellbeing performance, 'The Human Race!' 🎭✨ The performance was an engaging way for our students to explore important wellbeing messages, including kindness, respect, empathy, inclusion and belonging. Through storytelling, music and relatable characters, students learned practical strategies for building positive relationships, solving problems and preventing bullying. 'The Human Race', reinforced the importance of treating everyone with respect and compassion, both at school and online, while helping students recognise the value of seeking help and supporting one another. We are proud of the way our students engaged thoughtfully, participated enthusiastically and reflected on how their words and actions can help create a safe, kind and inclusive school community. 💙11 Oct 2026
From Facebook
Welcome to Term 4! We hope all our students and families have enjoyed a restful and refreshing break and are feeling recharged and ready for the exciting term ahead! 🌟 Term 4 promises to be a wonderful term filled with learning, growth and celebration as we continue to learn, achieve and create special memories together as a school community. We are looking forward to welcoming all our students back to school on Tuesday 13th October, dressed in their summer uniform and ready for another fantastic term at St Joseph’s Kingswood!
More News
21 Oct 2026
From Facebook
Our students had a fantastic time enjoying the wellbeing performance, 'The Human Race!' 🎭✨ The performance was an engaging way for our students to explore important wellbeing messages, including kindness, respect, empathy, inclusion and belonging. Through storytelling, music and relatable characters, students learned practical strategies for building positive relationships, solving problems and preventing bullying. 'The Human Race', reinforced the importance of treating everyone with respect and compassion, both at school and online, while helping students recognise the value of seeking help and supporting one another. We are proud of the way our students engaged thoughtfully, participated enthusiastically and reflected on how their words and actions can help create a safe, kind and inclusive school community. 💙
11 Oct 2026
From Facebook
Welcome to Term 4! We hope all our students and families have enjoyed a restful and refreshing break and are feeling recharged and ready for the exciting term ahead! 🌟 Term 4 promises to be a wonderful term filled with learning, growth and celebration as we continue to learn, achieve and create special memories together as a school community. We are looking forward to welcoming all our students back to school on Tuesday 13th October, dressed in their summer uniform and ready for another fantastic term at St Joseph’s Kingswood!
28 Sep 2026
Celebrating 40 years of Voice of Youth and the power of student voice
Six Year 6 students from 58 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) Primary schools came together at St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens on 22 September for the Voice of Youth Grand Final, showcasing their public speaking skills through a series of thoughtful and engaging speeches.
25 Sep 2026
From Facebook
What a fantastic way to end term 3, celebrating together at our end of term awards. We hope everyone has a wonderful,relaxing and safe holidays. We can’t wait to see you all in term 4.
25 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Year 5 Builds an Arcade! 🎮✨ This term, Year 5 combined their learning in STEM and forces to create an arcade for the school to enjoy. Following the design process, students brainstormed game ideas, explored how forces could make them work and used recycled materials to build and test their prototypes. They then shared their finished games with other grades in the MPA. It was wonderful to see students enjoying one another’s creations and giving feedback that Year 5 can use in their next STEM challenge. Well done Year 5!
23 Sep 2026
From Facebook
22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Year 5 Formation for Leadership Day On Friday, our Year 5 students participated in a meaningful Formation for Leadership Day in preparation to take on their roles as leaders of St Joseph's in Year 6, in 2027. Working alongside the Year 10 students from Xavier College, our students explored the call of the disciples and reflected on what it means to be a strong and faithful leader. They considered the example of Jesus as a servant leader, someone who led with humility, compassion and love, always placing the needs of others first. The students also reflected on Jesus’ call to love our neighbour, putting this message into practice through collaboration, kindness and a fun game shared with the Xavier students. We were grateful for the guidance and support of Fr Andrew, Rev Deacon Adrian, Mrs Kemp and the Xavier students, who helped make the day both purposeful and memorable. The students also reflected on inspiring leaders such as Mary MacKillop, Pope Francis and Nelson Mandela, considering their courage, compassion and commitment to the common good. They discussed the importance of collaboration, clear communication, inclusion and service to others. Our students were reminded that leadership is not simply about having a title—it is about noticing the needs of others, working together, standing up for what we believe in and leading by example through our words and actions. We look forward to seeing our Year 5 students continue to grow in confidence, empathy and responsibility as they prepare to serve and lead our school community in Year 6.
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Learning, Sharing and Living Out Jesus’ Mission. ✝️ Year 2 students were delighted to welcome our Year 1 students into their classroom for a special opportunity to learn from one another about Baptism.💧 Year 2 shared their learning about what Baptism represents, while Year 1 proudly shared their beautiful Baptism books, featuring the symbols of Baptism and the story of Jesus’ Baptism. Together, the students explored their focus Scriptures: 📖 Year 1 – Luke 3:21–22, which tells the story of Jesus’ Baptism. 📖 Year 2 – Matthew 28:16–20, where Jesus calls his disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” This wonderful learning experience helped our students see that they, too, can live out Jesus’ mission by sharing their faith, teaching others and helping one another to know and follow Jesus. 💙 What a beautiful example of our Year 1 and Year 2 students learning, teaching and growing together in faith! 🌱✨
09 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Last week we celebrated and gave thanks to our wonderful Support Staff. 🤩 Thank you for the care, encouragement and support you provide to our students every day. Whether it's a helping hand, a listening ear, a kind word or simply being thee when our students need you. St Joseph's wouldn't be the same without you all. We thank you for everything you do. 💙💛
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🚀 Year 2 are FORCE-fully fantastic! 🤩 Our young scientists have just wrapped up their Forces unit in the most hands-on way—by designing and building their very own arcade games using recyclable materials! ♻️🎮 Students applied their understanding of push and pull forces to plan, create, and test their inventions. The classroom was buzzing with energy as they spent the afternoon playing, testing, and refining each other’s games. 🧪🔧 Well done, Year 2! We’re so proud of your creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. The future of science and invention is in great hands! 🌟👩🔬👨🚀
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
A very warm thank you to all our parents and carers who joined us for our Joey’s Café last night. We were so excited to see such a wonderful number of parents and carers come together, connect and support this initiative. Your presence and willingness to engage in these conversations is a wonderful reflection of the strong partnership between our school and families. We were thrilled to welcome award-winning speaker and author, Daniel Merza, who led us through a practical, thought-provoking session focused on building resilience in our children. Daniel shared three powerful messages for raising children to thrive: - build connection by showing up, listening and investing time - build belief by encouraging effort, persistence and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone - build tenacity by helping children see challenges as opportunities to learn, focus on progress over perfection, and recognise what is within their control We hope you left the evening feeling encouraged, equipped and inspired with some practical strategies to take into your homes and conversations with your children. Thank you once again for making our Joey’s Café such a success. Your involvement matters and we are so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow together as a community. We look forward to welcoming you back to Joey’s Café in Term 4 for another opportunity to connect, share and support one another.
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Our Year Three students enjoyed their excursion to the Australian Museum where they experienced two exciting First Nations led programs. Students explored how First Nations peoples care for Sea Country and learned about native plants and their cultural significance. Our students had the opportunity to try traditional weaving techniques through hands-on activities and games. A great day of learning and connection with Country, culture and community.
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
We’re excited to welcome all SJK parents and carers tomorrow for an inspiring evening with Daniel Merza as he explores Raising Children to Thrive. Come along ... bring a peer parent!
28 Aug 2026