Dear Parents,

Last Friday, we welcomed Dr Mary Oski, Director of Learning and Regional Services, Dr Nigel Zimmerman, Director of Catholic Mission and Identity and Deb Egan, Regional Manager of the Southern region to our Cafe. It was such a special visit and a privilege to have such esteemed leaders in our Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) visiting our school.

It was wonderful to showcase examples of explicit teaching in our learning design and the lens we place on cognitive load and consistency in our approach along with the many examples of how we allow our students to shine and flourish in so many ways.

The new Vision for Instruction strategy being implemented as part of the MACS 2030 strategy highlights the need for excellence and equity for all students. We are very proud of all we are doing at St Joseph’s with our learning design being very much in line with the latest system vision.

I take this opportunity to thank Matt DeMarte and Ash Gledhill for supporting our students in the cafe and our wonderful Vice Principal Sue Jackson for all of her amazing commitment to ensuring excellence in our learning design along with leaders Trish Brennan and Kate Huon and all that everyone did to ensure a wonderful day for all.

Our 3/4 learning community travelled to Phillip Island last week and had a wonderful time at ‘The Island’ camp. Thanks to our 3/4 team for a wonderful camping experience at Phillip Island. It was wonderful to spend time with our students. I thank and appreciate all that the camping team did to support our students.

On Saturday night the hall was buzzing at our parent social night. Parents enjoyed time together engaging in trivia, dancing and a wonderful silent auction. It was a great night of building community and celebrating together and it was wonderful to see many past parents attending as well. A huge thank you to our parents and friends committee in particular Megan Rogers for leading the team. All money raised will go towards the completion of the fence around the boundary of the school.

At the end of this week, I will be embarking on a rich professional learning experience in the Northern Territory with the Peninsula Principals Network. This journey will provide us with an invaluable opportunity to deepen our own personal understanding of our First Nations People, their unique culture, and their enduring traditions. Immersing ourselves in the rich heritage and diverse practices of Indigenous communities, we aim to gain a profound appreciation of their history, knowledge, and perspectives. I look forward to sharing this learning with staff and students next term and am grateful to Sue Jackson who will be stepping into the role of Acting Principal for the last six days of term.

Finally, this will be the last newsletter for Term 2. After discussions with the school advisory council we have made the decision to provide fortnightly newsletters. On the alternative week parents will be sent a single page of important news or events for that week. We are hoping this will encourage all parents to read the newsletter more regularly and still be able to keep up with the weekly news and events and celebrate all we are doing in our wonderful St. Joseph’s school.

Yours in partnership,

Gab

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