PRINCIPAL'S NEWS
NEWSLETTER 12 May 2026
Miss Jaclyn is always busy keeping abreast of our socials and sharing the terrific things happening at our school.
Staffing News
As mentioned in our Welcome Back flyer, we are delighted to share some wonderful news with our school community. Abbey and Brad are expecting their first child! We know families and students will join us in congratulating them on this very exciting time.
Abbey will commence parental leave at the end of Term 2. While we will certainly miss her, we are very pleased to announce that Jaime Smith, who is currently teaching PE, will be taking over in Prep A.
Jaime is an experienced Prep teacher who is already well known to the children through the PE program. She has built strong relationships with students and is greatly liked by the children. We are confident this familiarity will help provide a smooth and positive transition for our Prep A students and families.
We are excited for Abbey and Brad as they prepare for this new chapter, and we know Prep A students will be very well supported with Jaime leading the class at the commencement of term 3.
Introducing Murphy Lynn
I am very excited to officially introduce Murphy, our school therapy dog in training. Murphy belongs to Miss Kate and has started attending school three days a week this term. At just 14 weeks old, Murphy still has lots to learn before becoming a fully certified therapy dog.
A school therapy dog is a specially trained dog who helps people feel calm, safe, and supported within the school environment.
Once fully trained, therapy dogs may:
- Sit quietly with students who need a break or some extra support
- Help students feel calmer when they are worried or upset
- Support learning by providing a calm and comforting presence in classrooms
- Promote wellbeing and positive connections across the school community
It is important to remember that Murphy is a therapy dog in training. While he is at school, he is not a pet. This term, Murphy’s main focus is becoming comfortable and confident in the school environment while learning to remain calm, settled, and focused.
During this stage of his training, Murphy will not be directly interacting with students and will mainly be observing the school environment. Students have been taught how to behave appropriately around Murphy and have been doing a splendid job showing calm, respectful behaviour.
Please see below the information and expectations that have been discussed with students.
Mental Health in Primary Schools Grant (MHIPS)
We are pleased to share that this year, our school has received funding through the Victorian Government’s Mental Health in Primary Schools Program (MHIPS).
Our school was part of the final round of Victorian schools to receive this grant, which supports schools to strengthen mental health and wellbeing initiatives for students.
As part of this program, Ms Jaclyn has been appointed as our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, working within the MHIPS framework to help promote positive mental health, wellbeing supports, and whole-school wellbeing practices.
Further information about the MHIPS role, and details about what Jaclyn's role encompasses, please see the Wellbeing section of this newsletter.
District Cross Country Event
Good luck to our District Cross Country squad who will be representing our school at the upcoming event this Thursday at Bundoora Park.
I am incredibly proud of the effort and enthusiasm each student has shown for participating in this event and representing our school. Competing at this level is a fantastic achievement in itself, and we know they will give it their very best on the day.
I wish them all the success and hope they enjoy the experience of being part of such a great sporting event.
CROSS COUNTRY SQUAD 2026
9/10 BOYS – 2km
Akiva Gelman-Ward Charlie Spence Sam Mcguire
Kabo Rakate Lucas Kouloumendas Peter Moyis
9/10 GIRLS – 2km
Sophie Sturrock Ada Ryan Freya Wilby
Elke Carroll Claudia Ughetti Edie Nash Lyster
11 BOYS – 3km
Biagio Minca Kyrin Kouloumendas Charlie McGuire
Hamish Smith Xavier Lania Harry Spence
11 GIRLS – 3km
Mary Pullen Mila Barker Joumana Andrawes
Iliana Karamoutzas Chloe Webb Yasmin Ahmad
12/13 BOYS – 3km
Noah Ryan Christopher Nicu Leo Katsoulakos
Joshua Wright Ryder Gale Dylan Stewart
12/13 GIRLS – 3km
Lola Higgins
Colour Run Success!
Our Colour Run was a hugely successful event and a fantastic day for our school community. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, with perfect weather adding to the excitement and fun throughout the day.
A very special thank you to Ms Lauren for organising such a wonderful event. I would also like to thank Nelson Alexander for generously providing the inflatables and obstacle course, which were a huge hit with the students.
Thank you also to my fellow “slime” volunteers (victims 🙃) who provided plenty of laughter and entertainment for the children’s enjoyment, and to all of our wonderful parent helpers for their support throughout the day.
We are thrilled to share that a fabulous amount of money was raised - $ ?? - which will go towards the redevelopment of the courts area.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the day such a success!
Mother's/Special Friends Day Celebrations 🌸🤍
I hope all of our mums and special friends had a wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday — a special time to celebrate with family, create treasured memories, and enjoy time together.
Thank you also to all the mums and special friends who joined us for our school celebrations. We hope you enjoyed visiting the classrooms and spending time with the children. It was lovely to mingle and catch up afterwards as part of our school community.
Laudato Si Week(16th-24th May)
Please see the Parish News section of this newsletter for information about a Movie Night being held at St Anthony's to recognise and celebrate Laudato Si Week.
🎸Reminder: Parents’ Battle of the Bands 🎸
A friendly reminder that the Parents’ Battle of the Bands will be held at the Croxton Hotel this Thursday night at 7:00pm.
It is shaping up to be a fantastic event and a great night of entertainment for our school community.
All ticket sales will go directly to the school and will support the Performing Arts budget, helping to further enhance opportunities for our students.
The following band members have spent many hours in rehearsal and are now ready to go! 🎶
'Sunday School' band members:
🎼Olivia Triandos
🎼Tim Hargreaves
🎼Jess Andrewartha
🎼Brendan Erskine
🎼Adrian Hunt
🎼Jane Ward
🎼James McGuire
🎼Vernon Clarke
🎟️ Tickets are now on sale – see the link below.
Important: When purchasing tickets, please ensure you select St Joseph’s so that your ticket is counted towards our school total.
Let’s get behind “Sunday School” and make it a night to remember!
We hope to see you there!
School Concert
Mark your calendars and save the date—this promises to be an unforgettable evening of entertainment and celebration!
"SOUNDTRACK SPECTACULAR!"
Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th August, 2026 @ 7.30PM
Ms Jaclyn’s Show: A Fabulous Night Out...
Our very own Ms Jaclyn has written and is performing in her very own show - PRIMA NONNA!
Enjoy a night out and book a ticket for what will undoubtedly be a very entertaining show!!
SHOW BLURB:
Passionate, creative, emotional and stubborn are just some of the words used to describe Jaclyn DeVincentis… and that’s just at a casual family dinner. But when it comes to dramatic flair and unsolicited advice, there’s another diva stealing the spotlight: her Nonna.
For 90 years, Nonna Sera has reigned over the Costanzo family. Now, Jaclyn lifts the lace curtain on what she’s learnt about life, love and receding hairlines from the Queen of the North… Fitzroy, that is.
Expect an hour of powerhouse vocals, laugh-out-loud anecdotes and a soundtrack that screams ’90s wedding reception. BYO confetti and dry ice! A must for anyone who’s ever loved a Nonna (or been force-fed second helpings).
'Ms Jaclyn says best to leave the kids at home for this one. There's mild course language, and the show is definitely written for an adult audience. So... get a babysitter, gather a group & enjoy an hour of songs, stories and nostalgia!'
PRIMA NONNA invites you to round up the cousins, step into the ‘good room’, and unpack a lifetime of tradition, theatrics and good ol' fashion Italian guilt.
BOOKING LINK: https://chapeloffchapel.com.au/show/prima-nonna/