PRINCIPAL'S NEWS

Miss Jaclyn is always busy keeping abreast of our socials and sharing the terrific things happening at our school.

Sacrament of First Eucharist

Please see the Education in Faith section of this newsletter for more details...

National Sorry Day

Today marks National Sorry Day and the commencement of National Reconciliation Week. 

Our FIRE Carrier Leaders (Hamish Smith, Dylan Stewart and Archer Hall) led the school community in a thoughtful and respectful reflection, helping us all to recognise the importance of truth-telling, healing and reconciliation.

A huge thank you to Mr Joey and Ms Louise for the incredible amount of time, care and effort they have dedicated to this important celebration. Their work has helped create meaningful and visible reminders throughout our school of the importance of reconciliation and walking together with respect and understanding.

Over the weekend, Joey, Louise and Simon ("Mr Louise") have worked tirelessly to create meaningful and engaging displays throughout our yard and to proudly hang and showcase the children’s artwork celebrating reconciliation, culture and community.

They have transformed the huge gum tree along the James Street fence line into our beautiful “Reconciliation Tree”! It is now decorated with vibrant artworks, messages and symbols of reconciliation created by our children during their learning and Art sessions.

Together with the children and our FIRE Carrier team, Joey and Louise also created our new 'Acknowledgement of Country Wall'. Together, they painted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and proudly displayed our new Acknowledgement of Country, written by our FIRE Carrier Leaders.

There are also many other displays of children’s artwork featured around the school and in our office entrance. We warmly invite families and visitors to take the time to pause and read the thoughtful messages and reflections shared by our children, which beautifully capture their learning, voices and understanding of reconciliation and respect.

All of these displays, together with today’s reflection ceremony, serve as powerful and enduring symbols of our school’s commitment to reconciliation, respect, and the recognition of First Nations peoples and cultures. They have transformed our learning and play spaces into vibrant, engaging areas that will continue to inspire our community for many years to come.

I thank our FIRE Carrier Team, Joey, Louise and Simon for the enormous amount of time, creativity and care they put into bringing this special project to life.

Our new Acknowledgement of Country - written by our FIRE Carriers.

Hamish Smith

Archer Hall

Dylan Stewart

Fire Carrier Team

Our FIRE Carrier team were formally commissioned last week at the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry. The FIRE Carrier Program (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) encourages students to promote reconciliation, respect and cultural understanding within their school communities.

Joey attended the commissioning ceremony with Hamish, Dylan and Archer. It was a wonderful and inspiring event, and the boys — along with Joey — were very proud to be part of such an important initiative.

Click HERE for more information about the background and purpose of the Fire Carrier Team.

Parents Battle of the Bands - Sunday School's Success!!

Our school parents’ band, Sunday School, performed at the Parents’ Battle of the Bands at the Croxton Band Room last Thursday. The event was a FANTASTIC SUCCESS, showcasing the incredible talent within our parent community. Their outstanding performance was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in attendance, which was evidenced by the hugely enthusiastic applause they received.

The band’s energy and enthusiasm, coupled with their undeniable talent, made for a truly memorable and entertaining performance.

To top off the evening, St Joseph’s sold the most entry tickets and was awarded 1x Musician Scholarship to The Rock Academy! Well done to our little school! This result reflects the wonderfully supportive nature of our school community and the strong spirit of engagement across families.  As this was an initiative of the SAC (thank you for the idea Tim Hargreaves!!), we'll go back to the the Committee to determine how we award our prize.

The funds raised from ticket sales will be returned to the school to further support the Performing Arts program and will go towards assisting with the school concert and other creative opportunities for students.

I extend my sincere thanks to The Band and to all who attended and supported the evening.

Thanks to our Sunday School superstars!!

🎼Olivia Triandos

🎼Tim Hargreaves

🎼Jess Andrewartha

🎼Brendan Erskine

🎼Adrian Hunt

🎼Jane Ward

🎼James McGuire

🎼Vernon Clarke

You can 'view' their performance on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYmbYNTDz3r/

School Uniform Reminders

School Jumpers

We kindly ask families to please check that children are bringing home their own jumpers and jackets at the end of each day.

All clothing items should be clearly labelled with your child’s name, and we encourage children to check labels before taking items home. Recently, there have been a number of occasions where jumpers have been misplaced or accidentally taken by another student.

Your support in reinforcing this with your child is greatly appreciated and will help ensure all items are returned to their rightful owners.

Winter Uniform

We have noticed that some students in the Middle and Senior Communities are wearing incorrect items with the winter academic uniform, including leggings, which are not part of the St Joseph’s uniform.

Girls may wear navy tights or long navy socks with the winter tunic. Alternatively, girls are welcome to wear the school pants as part of the winter uniform.

School shoes 

Please ensure that school shoes are worn with the academic uniform. Acceptable options are black lace-up shoes or black Velcro shoes.

Runners are only to be worn with the sports uniform.

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a consistent and tidy school presentation by ensuring children attend school in the correct uniform each day.

Student Safety Reminder – Travel to and from School

We have received reports of students in school uniform gathering at the tram stop on High Street near the Town Hall before school.  Concerns have included students remaining in the area and engaging in unsafe behaviour, including placing each other in shopping trolleys and behaving in a reckless manner.

As students are easily identifiable in school uniform, this behaviour presents a safety risk and does not reflect our school's expectations.

We ask all families to please remind children who ride bikes to and from school to travel directly between home and school.  Thank you for your support in reinforcing safe and responsible travel habits for our students.

Divisional Cross Country Event

CONGRATULATIONS to the 31 students who represented St Joseph's at the District Cross Country event last week.  You all competed admirably and showed great team spirit!

FURTHER CONGRATULATIONS to Sophie Sturrock, Ada Ryan and Noah Ryan, who have qualified for the next level of competition - The Divisional Cross Country Championships.

This event will take place on Thursday, June 4, at Bundoora Park - best of luck to Sophie, Ada and Ryan!!

Year 4s & 5s Theatre Experience...

Last week, our grade 4 and 5 students enjoyed two fantastic excursions to local secondary schools, giving them a glimpse into the exciting opportunities that await them in the years ahead.

On Tuesday, 19 May, students visited Santa Maria College to watch a production of Beauty and the Beast, performed in collaboration with Parade College. The cast delivered an outstanding performance, showcasing incredible talent, confidence and creativity. Students were particularly impressed by Belle’s beautiful costumes and the high quality of the production. A special highlight for Xavier Lania was meeting his sisters after the show, as they were both part of the cast.

Then, on Thursday, 21 May, our Grade 4 and 5 students travelled by train from Merri Station to Parliament Station to attend a performance of Mary Poppins at The Academy of Mary Immaculate. The production was truly spectacular, and our students were amazed by the singing, acting and dancing talents on display. The professionalism and enthusiasm of the performers made for a memorable experience.

Both excursions were thoroughly enjoyed by students and staff alike. These visits provided a wonderful opportunity to experience the vibrant performing arts programs offered by local secondary schools and gave students something exciting to look forward to as they continue their educational journey. 

We thank Santa Maria College, Parade College and The Academy of Mary Immaculate for welcoming us and sharing their incredible productions with us.

School Concert

Mark your calendars and save the date—this promises to be an unforgettable evening of entertainment and celebration!

"SOUNDTRACK SPECTACULAR!"

Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th August, 2026 @ 7.30PM