Principal's Page
Dear Families,
Welcome back to Term Three. I hope everyone had an enjoyable break and feel ready for a term full of learning.
As you are aware I travelled to the Northern Territory in the last week of Term Two with other Principals from the Mornington Peninsula to learn more about the Aboriginal histories and cultures. I visited the country of the following people: Larrakia (Darwin), Tunivivi (Bathurst Island), Jawoyn (Katherine) and Bininj and Mungguy (Kakadu). My greatest learnings were around: the Aboriginal connection to country, the role of fire, kinship, and story through art and dance. I also witnessed the complex issues involving Aboriginal people who have lost their culture and are struggling in towns and suffering from substance abuse.
I shared my learning with the students on Monday as we acknowledged NAIDOC Week and commissioned our FIRE Carrier Student Leaders. The new leaders wrote a commitment statement and pledged to learn more about the Aboriginal cultures as well as "celebrating and accepting difference in all people."
School Counsellor
We welcome Ashna, our school counsellor, to St Joseph's. We were successful in achieving a National Student Wellbeing Program Commonwealth Grant which funds Ashna. She will be on-site every Monday. Here are some words of introduction from her:
My name is Ashna Gidwani, and I am thrilled to join St. Joseph’s Primary School as the school counsellor. I am passionate about helping students achieve their full potential and am excited to be part of this wonderful community.
I hold a Counselling Degree from Monash University and have experience working in various educational settings. I will be offering individual sessions to children and liaising with school staff, parents and relevant stakeholders. I am dedicated to fostering a positive and supportive environment for all students. I believe in a holistic approach to student well-being, addressing not only academic concerns but also social and emotional needs.
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, hiking and playing badminton. I am looking forward to getting to know the students, parents and staff at St Joseph’s and becoming an integral part of the school community.
Welcome
Welcome to our new student Adele in Year Two and her family. We hope their time at St Joseph's is positive.
NAPLAN
Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 students who received their NAPLAN results yesterday. Overall the school results were extremely pleasing with our average being in the "strong" proficiency in all assessments. Reading was particularly strong reinforcing our Literacy Program meeting the needs of students.
Learning Conferences
Learning Conferences will take place on Wednesday 24 July and Tuesday 30 July. Although they are not led by students, we encourage students to attend. This is obviously at the parents' discretion. I apologise for the error with the Operoo sent yesterday. You should now be able to either select a time or state that you will not need a learning conference before submitting. Please refresh the page if it is not letting you submit.
Grandparents/VIP Day
We invite Grandparents and VIPs to school for the morning. We will gather for mass at 9:15am before then spending some time in the classroom completing an activity in family groups and morning tea.
Parent Portal
We have begun to add some items to the Parent Portal page on our website. The Portal contains dates, past newsletters and some wellbeing resources. If you have some ideas of what else you would like to see on the Portal, please email me your suggestion. The password to access the page is: sjs3943.
2025 Prep Enrolments
We are hoping to finalise our 2025 Prep enrolments in the next few weeks. Please collect an enrolment pack if you haven't already done so.
Rotary Club of Sorrento
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sorrento for their generous support of St Josephs. We are able to use Bluey when we require throughout the term and we received a generous donation for student wellbeing.
Holy Communion/First Eucharist
Some of our students will be receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time on Saturday 27 July at 6:30pm. All community members are welcome to join them.
Coffee Van
There will be a coffee van for parents to enjoy a drink on the school and catch up with other parents this coming Friday 19 July at 8:30am.We look forward to seeing you then.
Many thanks,
Monica