Principal's News

Week 2, Term 4

Welcome back! 

Dear parents and carers, 

There has been such a lovely feeling around the school this past fortnight, as our students returned for Term 4. Sharing stories of their holiday adventures; it appears that all families (and staff) had a much needed and well-deserved holiday, in readiness for the exciting and final term of 2025. 

Traditionally, Term 4 is a transitional period for our students, as they prepare to move up to the next year level and even on to Year 7. For many of us, it's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown, in particular, for our soon to be departing Year 6s. It only seems like yesterday they were in Prep! We look forward to celebrating their journey at St Joseph's this term, in addition to planning their Graduation, 'Big Day Out' and final assembly. The Year 6 assembly on the last day of the school year is always a show-stopper, so be sure to mark Tuesday 16th December, 12pm in your diaries. 

Grandparent's Day 

What an absolutely stunning celebration we had today for Grandparent's Day! Thank you to the many, many hands that worked together to make this special day so successful. 

With approximately 700 people in attendance, it was 'standing room only' - and we wouldn't have it any other way. It is days such as these that remind us why St Joseph's is just so special (best school in Melbourne). 

While some grandparents were unable to attend, it was beautiful to see a number of special friends, family members, neighbours or parents in for this occasion, with some even taking time away from work to attend. 

Congratulations and thank you to our amazing Year 5s, Miss Dusting and Mr Hayes for the wonderful assembly item and dance performance. They were simply amazing. 

The success of days such as these are the result of our incredible parents. In this instance, we thank our P&F and Year 1 parents for their efforts across the morning and in the days leading up to the event - Laura H, Megan J, Mon G, Josie S,  Louise A, Sarah K, Sammy W, Kathy S, Julia D, Tracy M. We have the best parent community and we are so grateful for their efforts. In addition, we sincerely thank our Year 6 students and teachers. They were exceptional - setting up chairs and tables, showing families around the school, serving food, chatting to families and helping Grandparents to the tables for morning tea. Simply fabulous. 

Staff News 

As we shared today at assembly, we are simply thrilled that Miss Rianne Coldebella is expecting her first child with her partner, Mitch! It is safe to say that her class are simply bursting with excitement over the news - as are we all. Rianne will finish the year with her class before going on maternity leave in 2026. 

We would also like to let our community know that Miss Lisa Mclean has decided, after much consideration, to take 12 months off to travel next year and will be stepping back from her role at St Joseph's. We thank Lisa for the wonderful work she has done in her time here, and will celebrate her contributions to our school community at the end of the year. 

In readiness for 2026, we are thrilled to announce that Miss Elly Dillon and Miss Plaxy Nardella will be teaching Prep. Elly and Plaxy are very much looking forward to meeting our wonderful new families and students at the upcoming orientation sessions. All other staffing allocations will be announced later on this term. 

Next week we look forward to welcoming back Mrs Lauren Doran into the Visual Arts and Sustainability role. Lauren will be onsite teaching on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

2026 Prep Orientation

We are excitedly preparing to welcome our 2026 Prep families and students for their Orientation program. This is always an exciting and enriching experience, as the children transition from a small Kindergarten setting to a larger, more vibrant school setting. For our new (and not so new) Prep parents, we look forward to welcoming you for our Parent Information Evening on Tuesday 21st October at 6.30pm. This information evening is a wonderful opportunity to meet new families, teachers and key staff who will work with your children next year. 

Our orientation sessions are as follows: 

• Session #1: 9.30 - 10.30am, Wednesday 29th October. Parents are asked to stay onsite for this session. Tea and coffee will be available. We will also hold a second hand uniform stall on this day. 

• Session #2: 9.30 - 11am, Thursday 5th November. Parents are to drop their child off and return at 11am for pick up. 

• Session #3: 9.30 - 11.30am, Thursday 12th November. Parents drop and go, please include snacks and drink bottle for this session.

Classes - 2026

It is that time of the year again where our teachers begin to organise the classes for 2026. This is a highly structured and intensive process, as we review the academic, emotional, social and behavioural needs of all students to determine the most effective class dynamic. 

To support this process, teachers will ask children to name friends they work well with for the following year. Students will also be reminded to consider friends from the other class in this process. Each child wil have one (1) nominated friend in their class next year. Teachers work closely with School Leadership to arrange these classes, with the final decision resting with the Principal.

We know our families trust the professionalism of staff to meet the needs of all students, and we remind parents to direct specific 'educational' requests to the Principal and not the classroom teacher. Your understanding and support with this is appreciated.

Beachside Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to the students for their efforts at the Beachside Athletics Carnival last Friday. The competition at this level is incredibly tough and our students did so well - not only competing at an elite level, but also demonstrating excellent 'fair play' and grace under pressure. Mr Jansson, Miss Bowman and Miss Melissa returned to school full of praise for the students and we could not be more proud of them. 

Congratulations go to Elsie W (Triple Jump), Jack P (Hurdles), Phin H (Hurdles) and Luke M (Triple Jump), who will be progressing through to the Regional Finals! 4 students - a school record. Well done, St Joseph's! 

All familes must read Mr Sandler's Sports Update, with further sporting news from the recent Hoop Time competition and what our Preppies have been working on in their PE classes. 

Summer Uniform

As of Week 3, all students need to be wearing their full (correct) summer uniform. A school hat must be worn at break times, with a strict 'no hat, no play' rule applying. Students are required to apply their own sunscreen, as staff are not permitted to do so. Sunscreen is available for the children in each classroom and we ask families to please apply before school. 

Correct school shoes and socks must be worn and we remind students and families, when purchasing new school shoes for next year, black Asics or Nike runners are not part of the regular school uniform.  We thank you in advance for your understanding. 

The Festive Season is Here – and so is our Christmas Raffle!

The P&F are excited to launch this year’s Christmas Raffle, with two incredible prizes up for grabs:

• 1st Prize: $7,500 Travel Voucher from Elwood Flight Centre
• 2nd Prize: $2,500 Jackalope Hotel Gift Voucher

All proceeds will go towards upgrading outdoor areas at St Joseph’s - a wonderful way to give back to our school community. Plus, every time you or your child sell 4 tickets, you’ll go into the weekly draw to win a Yochi voucher! The more tickets you buy or sell, the more chances you have to win these amazing prizes. Let’s come together to raise funds for our kids and our school this Christmas! Please contact pandf@sjelst.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.

School Fees

Term 4 school fee statements were sent out this week. We kindly request that all families with outstanding account balances settle their payments at their earliest convenience. In the event that you did not receive your fee statement as anticipated, please reach out to Moira (mmckinnis@sjelst.catholic.edu.au). Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Mary Poppins JR Photobook

Moira has created a stunning photobook, with images taken from both performances of Mary Poppins JR. Please peruse the copy located in the office and speak to Fiona or Moira if you would like to place an order. The special Early Bird price of $45 is on offer until Tuesday next week, don't miss out! 

Term 4 Friday Assemblies 

Little Gems

It was our turn for some 'Show and Tell' last week, with a special visit from Mrs Harrison and baby Roman. Not to be outdone, Mr Sandler and his wife Bee brought baby Miles in to meet the students. We just love our extended St Joseph's staff family! 

Congratulations to Jessie (Year 6), as her soccer team recently won the Gold Coast Invitational Tournament. The Gold Coast Tournament is the biggest Junior Soccer Tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, inviting more than 600 teams from Australia and New Zealand to compete. Jessie’s team, The Brighton Electras, won 8 of their 9 games, drew 1 game and in total conceded just 1 goal. We especially congratulate Jessie on her very impressive goal in the last 5 mins of the Grand Final! 

On Saturday 20th September, All Stars Martial Arts held their tournament where students from St Joseph’s Elsternwick competed. A special congratulations to Ryder Constable, who achieved 3rd place in his division!

We continue our (hilarious) theme of 'Teachers Dressing Alike' with this photo of Mr Hayes, Mr Jansson and Mr Sandler, taken last week! 

We welcome the newest member of the St Joseph's Puppy Club - Winston! He was at school last Friday for lots of cuddles. 

Congratulations to our Year 6 Cricket Team - Liam, Ethan, Hamish, Zach, Leo, Arlo, Maddie and Jessie who participated in the Dendy Cricket Tournament today. Mr Hartney reported the students were exceptional! Would we expect anything less? A special thanks to Jessie and Maddie for stepping in at 8.30am this morning to fill 2 spots for the team. We now progress through to the next round - go, St Joseph's! 

Congratulations to Arran and Spencer (Year 6) who both achieved a perfect score in the Australian Maths Olympiad competition. We look forward to sharing these results in greater detail in the next edition of the school newsletter, and at assembly in the next few weeks. Well done to all 50 of our students who took part in the Olympiads this year, we look forward to taking part again in 2026.

Congratulations to our wonderful school community on another stellar fortnight at the best school in Melbourne. 

We remind our families that there is no school on Monday 3rd November, giving our students a 4-day long weekend.

See you all next week. 

Warmest, 

Claire Tobin

Principal