Principal's News

Looking back and looking ahead…

Our fortnightly newsletter gives me the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 10 school days, and it never ceases to amaze me how much we can fit in during two weeks of school life! With our extracurricular opportunities in full swing, our playground often reminds me of the old 80s tv show, ‘Fame’! 

Isabelle has reignited the passion for skipping across the school- the students simply love it! From my 3 office windows, I can see children rehearsing for the end-of-term talent show at our Friendship Fair, pockets of choreography breaking out as our 5s and 6s work on their scripts and scenes from Finding Nemo Jr and skipping is everywhere! What a joy!

Thank you to our Year 1s and Miss W for leading us in a beautiful liturgy on St Joseph’s Feast Day on Monday 1st May. Our students spent the day finding out about St Joseph and the important role he played in the lives of Mary and Jesus.

ANZAC Biscuits

Thank you to those parents and grandparents who came in to help Year 2 with ANZAC biscuit making last week. The smell from the staffroom was delightful and the children followed up with some excellent procedural writing.

P+F and SAC

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend these meetings in the last couple of weeks. It is exciting to hear all about the plans for the big social night on the 19th of August- it should be a fantastic night and great fundraiser for our school. Thanks to Dave and Jen Kahan and the team for leading the organisation of this event.

At our SAC meeting this week, I shared the news that we have received a $25k Federal Grant for some playground repairs near the big eucalyptus tree; this is welcome news and very much appreciated.

You may also have noticed that we have now installed the sail shade over the picnic benches and also in the secret garden. The shades are being funded through another government grant of $25k that we were given back in 2021- it’s taken a ‘little’ while for the company involved to get through their backlog, but it is great to see them finally finished!

Sports News

Congratulations to all of our Year 3 to 6 students who competed in the Dendy Cross Country event, with Callum coming 1st, Spencer 10th, and Maximilian 15th in  the 9/10-year-old race. Well done to Myles who was placed 12th in the 11-year-old boys and Harriet who was placed 18th in the 11 yr old girls’ race. Great job everyone and thank you to all the staff for their support on the day and to Mr Cleary for his organisation of the school team.

• Well done to our interschool netballers and footballers for being great team players and representing our school so beautifully during the current inter-school weekly games. 
• Some of you may have read about Salesian College Chadstone and its new community partnership with Liverpool FC International Academy Australia. This new partnership will mark the first school in metropolitan Melbourne to offer an exclusive Liverpool FC Academy high-performance soccer school program commencing in February 2023. I am THRILLED that Benji in Year 3 is attending training there and my goodness, he looks the part! 
•  For more information about the academy click on the link https://www.salesian.vic.edu.au/about-us/community-partnership/

Performing Arts

Rehearsals are in full swing both formally during Performing Arts lessons and our afternoon rehearsals, and also more informally on the playground. We have a very strong focus on the Arts here at St Joseph’s with our biennial school musical a highlight for many children. Like all art forms, drama has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, excite the imagination and encourage students to reach their creative and expressive potential.​

We send HUGE congratulations to Sophie Piasente (Year 6 2021) who has just been given the lead role in the 2023 Sacre Coeur School Musical, ‘Bring it On’. Sacre Couer will be performing the show with De La Salle and the auditions were open to all Year 8 to Year 12 students. What an incredible achievement, well deserved, for Sophie to be given the lead in the show. Sophie’s experience as Mary Poppins will no doubt stand her in good stead as she begins rehearsals.

We’re super proud Sophie!

Swimming

The children are excited to begin their swimming lessons next week and just a reminder that the swimming costs are already included in your school fees.

Isabelle is issuing the Term 2 fee statements and we ask that all families ensure that payments, or payment plans are set up asap; this is especially important as we have to pay for the swimming teachers, Harold Holt pool and the transport in the next two weeks.

Maths Olympiad at St Joseph's

We are thrilled that Maths Olympiad has begun again, with Mr Earl running the weekly sessions. The APSMO Maths Olympiads is a competition for students in years 5 and 6 of primary schools and years 7 and 8 of secondary schools from around Australia and New Zealand. At St Joseph's we also invite a number of high-achieving Year 4 students. It is aimed at challenging participants' maths problem-solving abilities.

Each competition comprises 5 questions and must be completed in a specified time frame of around 20-30 minutes. 

The Maths Olympiad is an ideal format for high-achieving students to work in a competitive environment with challenging questions to hone their skills.

All students who complete the Maths Olympiads will receive a certificate and individual and Team Awards are also available. 

We thank Mr Earl for running this valuable extension program for our older students.

Mother’s Day Thanks

Thank you to the dads who came this morning to set up, serve and clean up for our lovely mums, aunts and grandmothers.  The kitchen was like a well-oiled machine as delicious food was served, along with tea and coffee- and then all was cleaned in time for our Prep assembly. Thanks Dads!

What a special morning with our DELIGHTFUL preps leading our liturgy and not a dry eye in the house! Thanks to our amazing prep teachers Jasmine and Dean, your extra work and care for our students does not go unnoticed.

We also welcomed our 3 maternity leave teachers to the assembly: Siobhan, Laura and Jess and their 3 beautiful babies! It was lovely to see them all in their roles as new mums.

Thanks to Dave and Jen Kahan and Casper's Pies for the delicious breakfast and to Fruit Nest for the fruit platters; thanks to Isabelle and Lynnette for organising it all!

A sincere thank you to Olivia H, Claire Y and Stef B for organising our lovely Mother’s Day lunch at ‘Thirty Eight Chairs’ in South Yarra. The food was delicious and the company even better- thank you for inviting me along, it is much appreciated.

I’d also like to thank those who donated raffle prizes and silent auction items and to those who purchased tickets, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

A Reflection and Prayer:

We wish all of our mums, nannas, aunts and special women a wonderful day on Sunday and thank you for all you do for our children. On this day, we honour those who have mothered us and cared for us and who care for the children in our community. 

You are remarkable!  

For most, this will be a birth mother to whom we express our grateful thanks. 

For many others, it will be the women who raised us, who were our mothers in childhood – an adopted mother, older sister, aunt, grandmother, stepmother or someone else. 

We express our thanks to those women who held us and fed us, who cared for us and kissed away our pain. 

We pray that our lives may reflect the love they have shown us.

We pray for older mothers whose children are grown.

Grant them joy and satisfaction in how their children’s lives unfold.

We pray for those with adult children, but whose lives are still shaped by their children’s needs and cares.

Grant them strength, patience and wisdom.

We pray for new mothers experiencing changes they could not predict.

Grant them rest and peace and confidence as the days unfold.

We pray for pregnant women who will soon be mothers.

Grant them patience and good counsel in the coming months.

We pray for mothers who face the demands of single parenthood.

Grant them strength and wisdom.

We pray for mothers who are raising their children in poverty.

Grant them relief and justice.

We pray for the mums of blended families, and those who take care of others’ children.

Grant them patience and understanding and love.

We pray for mothers who are separated from their children.

Grant them faith and hope.

We pray for mothers who have lost children through illness, or death come too soon.

Grant them comfort that their children are held in the divine embrace.

We pray for mothers in developing countries who die in childbirth due to inadequate maternal health care, or whose children die too young.

Grant that generosity may abound, that money will be released for resources, and to attract skilled personnel who can support the women and children.

We pray for adoptive mothers.

Grant them joy and gratitude for the gift of life entrusted to them.

We pray for women who desperately want, or wanted, to be mothers.

Grant them grace in their particular and often private sense of loss and grief.

We pray for all women who have assumed the mother’s role in a child’s life.

Grant them joy and the appreciation of others.

We pray for those people present who are grieving the loss of their mother.

Grant them comfort, and confidence that loving continues in how we live our lives.

Wishing you all a special weekend ahead, you deserve all the love and care in the world!

Michelle