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Budding journalists start up school newspaper with a fresh perspective

This article was originally published in the Newcastle Herald. 

Catholic Schools Office August 20, 2024

Written for kids, by kids, a group of Kilaben Bay students are keeping their playground informed through their very own school newspaper.

The St Joseph's Primary School students and budding journalists, are capturing news - the way they see it - through their new publication Joey's Journos.

"I thought we should start a kids newsletter so that kids can read it. Not just the adults," Year 3 Joey's Journos writer Scarlett Tuck said.

"The way we think is different to the way our teachers think and write things," Year 6 student Paige Summers said.

"Every student has their own story - even in the same event. I feel like it's important for everyone to get their opinion and voice across," she said.

From questioning why there's no netball in the Olympics, to writing open letters on improving school spaces to their principal and covering the achievements of their peers, Joey's Journos is a student voice platform. The first edition was published in the last week of term two in July which featured a handful of jokes, comics, a Taylor Swift fan page, a teacher interview and a number of informative pieces.

"We interview people about their interests, recap student events and I feel like the school is enjoying it because we can share each other's achievements and stories," Paige said.

Year 5 student Matilda Douglas said the group has a mailbox at school where students can drop jokes, riddles or comics in for a chance to feature in their paper. "People can put stuff in and then every week before our meeting we check the letter box to see what's in there," she said.

Every Wednesday, lunch time is spent collating stories, pitching ideas and creating a plan for the next issue, which the editorial team is hoping to publish twice every term. The small team fluctuates between 12 and 15 members and they hope to recruit more writers in the future to keep their school community informed.

"It's a really great space to get to know new people who I don't really hang out with as much, and I like the idea of putting together something that people enjoy reading," Matilda said.

Scarlett said she likes listening to people's stories and writing them down. The group wanted to thank their principal Nikki Norley, assistant principal Courtney Porter and coordinator Cassie Tuck for helping edit and design their publication, and allowing them the opportunity to produce a newsletter.

Principal Nikki Norley said she was proud of the girls' effort in wanting to develop their creative, leadership and critical-thinking skills.

"These girls have articulated that quite well and we find student well-being very important so that great learning can happen," she said.

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