Dear Families,

As I write the penultimate newsletter for the year I find myself reflecting on all the community support the school has received over the past year, the strong relationships between staff, students and families are something that I have always treasured at St Joseph’s.

Last year a key goal of the school was to re-establish and strengthen the connections that were not possible during the pandemic and this year the sense of community has been stronger than ever. Whether you have shared your expertise with the students, organised a pizza party, provided drinks, food or prizes, come to our fundraiser, cooked a democracy sausage (or two) or attended our P&F meetings your contribution to the life of the school is very much appreciated.

The good name of our school is definitely out there in the community and I have found myself conducting school tours even at this time of the year. On that note, I would like to welcome Arman to Year 2, who only joined us last week but has already settled well into school life. I know you will all make Arman and his family very welcome.

This week saw us well back into the swing of school life and it was great to witness all the learning opportunities provided by the teachers and even a parent guest speaker, thank you to Daniela who came to speak about how to keep your teeth healthy, we even had a guest appearance by a tooth ….. who definitely wasn’t Mr Butler. The Year 6 students not only had their expo but have week working hard on their end of Year STEM projects.

Maths Olympiad:

Congratulations to the St Joseph’s Maths Olympiad team, as a team St Joseph’s scored in the top 10% of all teams participating in the Maths Olympiad. This is a first for St Joseph’s and we have received a trophy that will be proudly displayed in our trophy cabinet. All students who participated in the Olympiad did exceptionally well and I am very proud of them. A special congratulations to Hamish who was not only the top scorer of the team but actually managed a perfect score! Well done.

Yesterday we had our final Prep 2024 orientation and it was great to see how familiar with the school our new Prep students have become, thank you to Stacey Farrell for running Pre-Prep playgroup which has ensured a smooth transition for all new Prep students.

On Monday we had our school closure day and it was very pleasing to look through all of our end-of-year data. Not only have our students continued to attain high levels of academic success but their progress throughout the year has been amazing. A large part of the school closure day was teachers handing over their classes for 2024 and I know your children will be in good hands next year.

Staff Appreciation Lunch:

Thank you so much to everyone who assisted with providing food, drinks, volunteering etc for the Staff Appreciation Lunch yesterday. The staff were flattered with the time and effort put into it (as the photos attest to) and enjoyed the yummy food and desserts !!

A special thank you to Ash Stewart, Jennifer (Mum of Ash) and Jade for their assistance in organising the lunch and presenting such a lovely table for the teachers. Both of them went to another level in terms of the time they put in and setting things up. Jennifer in particular took on a starring role, putting Jamie Oliver to shame. Thank you also to Daniela Cachart for the time she put in on the day.

Christmas Carols and Picnic:

This Thursday we look forward to the annual end-of-year picnic and Christmas carols, the carols will start at 4:00 pm and we should be all wrapped up by 4:45/5:00. Please ensure that your children are picked up/supervised from the usual pick-up time as the teachers will be busy preparing for the event and unable to supervise students.

The running order for the event will be:

Prep B

3H

Prep V

4D

1W

5C

2B

2D

6SC

Swimming Carnival:

Wow, thank you to all the staff, students and parents who participated in St Joseph’s Swimming Carnival. Miss O’Grady not only planned the event but also brought the disco beats! I would have to give a special congratulations to our Year 3 students who volunteered, for nearly every race and threw themselves into events such as, the 25m butterfly race as well as nearly all of the 50m races! I think they would’ve done more if it was possible. This years winner was Red House.

School Reports:

The teachers have finished writing the Semester 2 reports and we are in the process of proofreading and final grade moderating. The reports will be accessed through Nforma. Please make sure you have access to Nforma before the reports go out on Wednesday 13th December.

The school will be closed from Monday 18th December and so after this date, we will be unable to address any issues.

I look forward to seeing you at the end-of-term picnic

Martin Earl

Stage Left Performing Arts