Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It was wonderful to welcome our students back to school on Wednesday. All looked rested and happy and l congratulate them for settling back into learning and their school routine so successfully.
St Joseph the Worker Day
Next Monday, 1st May staff, students and families are invited to gather at a 9.10 am mass to remember St Joseph the Worker, the patron saint of our school. Students will then return to class to complete some activities about St Joseph. After recess, we have an incursion where students will be taught Tarantella dancing.
On Monday, we remember that St Joseph the Worker is the patron of the universal church, who was given the noble task of caring and watching over Jesus. Joseph took responsibility for them and worked hard to care and support his family.
In remembering St Joseph the Worker, we pray:
St Joseph, man of dreams and trusting steward, pray for us
St Joseph, faithful parent and diligent worker, pray for us
St Joseph the Worker, wise protector and humble servant, pray for us.
School Review
This year SJW is required to complete a School Review. All schools that operate in Victoria must be registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). The VRQA is responsible for maintaining the State Register of registered schools including details of the year levels and learning programs each school is authorised to deliver.
Every four years schools must complete a review to ensure compliance for registration.
Our School Review is timetabled to begin on March 8th and will include 3 visits from our reviewer, Jan Hayes, who will be checking our VRQA compliance as well as completing our Catholic Education Melbourne compliance.
On our two school closure days this term, Tuesday, 13th June and Wednesday, 14th June, all staff will be working with staff from MACS to prepare for the review of our school.
Uniform
Our mild weather has continued this week and it has been wonderful to enjoy some sunny days. However next week the weather is going to be cooler so moving forward, all students are expected to be in full Winter uniform at the beginning of Week 3, Monday, 8th May.
Just a reminder that students are expected to wear black school shoes (except on Sport days). This does not mean that black sneakers can be worn instead of school shoes. If you are unsure about uniform expectations, l encourage parents to check our policy on our school website so everyone is clear about the correct uniform their child/ren should be wearing.
Please remember that the only jewellery that is allowed to be worn at school is a religious necklace (crucifix, holy medal or scapular on a modest, simple chain) and this will be removed while undertaking physical activity. Also, only one earring per ear and all earrings must be studs. Earrings must be worn on the LOBE of the ear and no dangling earrings are allowed.
At St Joseph the Worker it is expected that parents provide their child/ren with the correct school uniform at all times and abide by our uniform policy.
Mother’s Day
On Friday, 12th May we invite our mothers, grandmothers and Aunties to a special Mother’s Day Mass at 9.10am in our church. At the conclusion of mass, a special morning tea will be served in the hall, followed by a whole school assembly at 10.20am. We hope many of our wonderful mothers can join us to celebrate this special event.
Maintenance
There has been some work completed at our school during the holidays. Each year a playground audit is conducted as part of our Occupational Health and Safety compliance. This was completed in February and maintenance of our playground has been completed to ensure it is safe and compliant to regulations. Sanding and painting of the chairs in the junior playground has also been completed.
Morning Drop Off
A friendly reminder to all parents that our drive though in the morning is a ‘stop and drop’ zone. If you need to get out of the car to assist your child, please park in the parking areas. Parents often complain to me about the lack of consideration by a small number that affects many others. In the spirit of working together, l ask parents to ensure that they park if they need to support their child at the drop off.
School Fees
Thank you to all the parents who have paid their school fees in full. It is important that all fees and levies are paid on time to enable the school to meet our financial commitments. Please contact Marisa or Anna if you have any questions regarding your fees.
Photographs & Videos
A friendly reminder that under our child safety requirements, parents are only allowed to take photops of their own children. We kindly ask all members of our community to respect our legal obligations and ensure compliance with this.
We ask that St Joseph the Worker continues to bless our community.
Maria Barnes