Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been a very busy few weeks at St Joseph the Worker Primary School with a range of important events bringing our community together. We have enjoyed welcoming families into our Open Classrooms, celebrated our patron saint on St Joseph the Worker Day, and celebrated Mother’s Day with some tasty treats and special moments working alongside their children.

Volunteers have been welcomed into our classroom—we thank you for your support as your assistance adds significantly to the learning experience for our students.

It has been a wonderful few weeks, and we thank our students, staff, and families for their continued support and involvement.

Confirmation

Congratulations to all of our students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Saturday. It was a proud moment for our entire community as we joined families from St Gabriel’s and St Raphael’s to celebrate such an important event.

Special thanks to Leah, Natalie, and Vivian for their work preparing our students so well for this important faith milestone and thank you Kate, for your organisation and support.

Mother’s Day Stall and Morning Tea

Thank you to all those involved in our recent Mother’s Day Stall. It was well organised and ran very smoothly. It is always so special seeing the excitement and joy on the children's faces as they purchase something special for their mum. Thank you to those who volunteered to help. We really appreciate your support.

We had a huge turnout for our Mother’s Day morning tea and classroom visits, and I thank our staff for organising it. It is always wonderful to see classrooms so full! We have a wonderful school community, and it is great to celebrate these important occasions. All our mums, grandmothers and special friends had a wonderful time catching up for morning tea before visiting our classrooms. It was terrific to receive so much positive feedback from our parents who were very thankful for their lovely morning tea.

We extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of our Mother’s Day celebrations. A special thank you to our wonderful P&F group for their incredible effort in organising the Mother’s Day stall—it brought so much joy to our community. To our amazing Prep students, thank you for leading a beautiful and heartfelt assembly in honour of our mothers—you made the occasion truly special. A big thank you to Michele for her invaluable support in organising the flowers and coffee van, and to Marisa for organising a delicious morning tea that was enjoyed by all. And to Jane, thank you for your dedication in supporting the planning of the event and ensuring everything ran smoothly from start to finish.

We sincerely thank R J Edgar Real Estate for their generous support in providing the coffee van, and Northcote Flowers for the stunning blooms that helped make the day even more memorable.

Cross Country

Congratulations to all of our students who took part in yesterday’s Zone Cross Country event. We are incredibly proud of their efforts. A number of our students achieved outstanding results and will now progress to the next level of competition—well done!

A special thank you to Cara for her support, encouragement, and expertise in preparing our students for this event.

Staffing Updates

I would like to inform our community that, unfortunately, our recent recruitment process for the Deputy Principal position was unsuccessful. As a result, the position has been readvertised, and we remain committed to finding the right candidate to support our school’s leadership team.

In the meantime, Imogen is currently on sick leave, and we send her our very best wishes for a speedy recovery. We have been pleased to welcome Heluen, who has joined us to teach Music to our P-4 students on Mondays and Tuesdays.

This term, our SLA students will not be participating in Music lessons. Instead, they are engaging in valuable learning experiences with Sally, focusing on building their knowledge and skills in learning technologies.

I will continue to provide updates in the coming weeks as we progress through this transition.

Prep 2026 Enrolments

Enrolments close on May 23rd. If you are a current family in our school, please ensure you have your enrolment documents handed into the school office by the close off date.

School Winter Uniform

All students should now be in full school winter uniform. Thank you for your ongoing assistance in ensuring your children are meeting the dress code of our school. Please note - the wearing of the correct school uniform is compulsory. Ensure that the sports jumper is only to be worn with the sports uniform only on sports days.

Just a reminder that students' hair (both girls and boys) must be tied back if it is shoulder length or longer. We would remind families to please ensure all clothing is clearly labelled.

Black leather school shoes are a compulsory part of our school uniform. Black runners are not school shoes. If your child’s school shoes cannot be cleaned with black nugget, then they are not school shoes! Sports shoes, or runners can be worn on Sport/PE day only.

Parent Helpers

We love to have parent helpers in the classrooms. Parents need to have completed our volunteer training, code of conduct training and have a current Working with Children Card. It has been wonderful to see so many parents who are eager to help, attend our training for volunteers and excursions last term. Thank you to Cherrie for running these sessions.

Birthday Treats - a reminder

Some parents, particularly from the junior classes, like to send a birthday treat to share with your child's class. Items need to be individually wrapped, not require refrigeration or special care, and will be given out at the end of the school day.

School Fees

A further reminder as we still have some families who have not yet paid the Student Levy fee and the First Instalment of school fees. If you have not settled these very overdue accounts, can this be done immediately or make an appointment to see me to discuss this situation.

Building Update

Our building works are progressing well, particularly around the basketball courts and running track. The basketball areas have now been rolled with a capping layer, and a geo membrane has been installed to prevent water ingress, helping to minimise the risk of cracking and ground movement.

This is a very exciting time for our school community. Again, I want to thank our students for their continued patience and understanding as we complete these important improvements.

Jeans for Vivian

This term, staff are fundraising to support our Vivian in Tanzania. Each Friday, we are wearing jeans and making a donation to contribute to Vivian’s education. We look forward to sharing our collective contributions with the community at the end of the term.

Important Dates for Term Two

Friday, May 23rd Enrolments close 2026 Preps
Friday, May 30th First Reconciliation
Friday, June 6th School Closure Day
Monday June 9th is a public holiday for the King's Birthday
Tuesday 10th June and Wednesday 11th June - MLA Camp

We ask that St Joseph the Worker continues to bless our community.

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

A Prayer for Pope Leo

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably upon your servant, Leo XIV, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.