Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at St Joseph the Worker. Sports Day, MLA Camp and our recent Art Show have kept us busy.

Art Show

Thank you to all our families who visited our Art show last week. We had over 95 school families visit our Art Show during the evening and many enjoyed the lovely singing and music that was included during the evening.

Once again l was very impressed by the high standard of Art on display and the creative thinking that contributed to the finished piece of Art. The work on display was impressive and l congratulate Connie for organizing another inspiring Art show for our school community and for her ongoing work in supporting our students in their love of Art. Thank you to Maria Colosimo, Hannah Cardamone, Lisa Moscatello, Katrina Wilson O’Brien and Giulia Mazzarella for their assistance setting up the Art Show.

Thank you also to Imogen for her ongoing work leading our choir. It was great to hear our students sing at the Art Show and I feel very proud of our community when l see how happy are students are, when performing. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the learning of our students here at St Joseph the Worker Primary School.

School Advisory Council 2023

Nominations are open

Nominations are open for our 2023 School Advisory Council. We are looking for passionate people who are interested in supporting the work of the School Council. We have a combination of both face to face and online council meetings to support the work life balance of our members. If you would like to learn more about the role of the council, a virtual meeting with some of our executive council members will take place next Tuesday, 22nd November via teams. If you are interested in participating in this, please email Anna that you would like to attend.

Travel Safe

It is wonderful to see students riding to school now that the weather is improving. A reminder to all students who walk or ride to school to follow the road rules at all times and be very careful when walking or riding past the school driveway entrances.

MLA Camp

The MLA students and staff enjoyed a wonderful camp at Briars Camp in Mornington last week. The students participated in a range of activities that included archery, low ropes course, flying fox, and hut building. Students played games that involved teamwork and enjoyed the opportunity to challenge themselves on the Commando course. Thank you to Jackie, Monique, Jess, Connie, Michael and Cara for their work ensuring the camp was a success for our students.

2023 School Fees and Levies

We are currently reviewing our fees and levies for 2023 and will be sharing these with families by the end of next week.

School Uniform

The wearing of the correct school uniform is compulsory for all students. Thank you for ensuring that your child is wearing the correct summer school uniform. Students are required to wear their school hats in Term 4 while at school and are strongly encouraged to wear them when walking to and from school. Students without a school hat will be required to sit in a shaded area during breaks. With the UV index much higher this term, parents are encouraged to ensure that your child wears sunscreen.

Medical Management Policy

St Joseph the Worker Primary School operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is owned, operated, and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). MACS have updated their Medical Management Policy for all schools, with a significant change regarding the administration of medication at school.

In all cases except emergency situations, medication must not be administered to a child being educated and cared for unless the administration is authorised by a treating medical / health practitioner.

Medication can only be administered when a Medication Authority Form that reflects details of medication to be administered at school has been completed and signed by a Health Practitioner and parents.

A copy of the Medical Management Policy and Medication Authority form is available from the office.

If you are taking your child to a doctor and expect that they may prescribed medication that will need to be taken at school, we recommend that you take a copy of this form with you for the Medical Practitioner to sign.

Alumni News

Congratulations to past students Sasadi Jayalath and Lakisha Jayalath, past students at our school. Lakisha has recently graduated from Mercy College and was awarded Units 4 & 4 Legal Studies and Units 3 & 4 Psychology Awards. Sasadi, who will be in Year 12 in 2023 has been elected Social Justice Captain next year. We are very proud to hear of the success of our past students. On behalf of St Joseph the Worker School, we congratulate you both and wish you well in the future.

Prep Orientation

We had our final Prep orientation last Friday and we welcomed our 2023 Prep students and families to our school. Students worked in classrooms with teachers as an introduction to learning next year. Our new parents met in the hall and listened to information regarding a typical day in Prep, teaching and learning at our school and met members of our School Council, Theircare and Academy Uniforms. It was a successful morning for all our new students and their families and we look forward to working with them in 2023.

Survey Results – Holiday program

Thank you to the families who recently completed our survey regarding a holiday program onsite here at St Joseph the Worker. In consultation with Theircare, we have decided not to introduce a holiday program at this time.

At the current time, there is not enough interest in a holiday program operating five days a week.

We will revisit this again in Term 3 2023 as we have many new families in Prep next year and with the increase in families, we may see an increase in attendance at out of school hours care. This increase may support a holiday program here at St Joseph the Worker.

May St Joseph the Worker continue to guide and watch over us.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend

Maria Barnes

SLA NEWS

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