Principal's News   

Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

It is such a beautiful time of year, as the crisp morning air and the glowing evening sunsets remind us of the special joys of the autumn season. As we head into the final weeks of the term, we also move closer to the end of the Lenten season and the celebration of Easter - a time of reflection, renewal, and hope.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us all to pause, appreciate the simple beauty around us, and prepare our hearts for the joy and promise of Easter. We look forward to sharing the remaining weeks of term with our school community in a spirit of warmth, gratitude, and celebration.

St Joseph Feast Day 

It has been another busy and eventful time at St Joseph’s, with many significant moments shared across our community. Among these, the celebration of our patron saint’s feast day stood out as a particularly special occasion. Students, staff, and families came together in a spirit of reverence and gratitude to honour St Joseph and reflect on his example of faith and quiet strength. 

As our patron saint, we celebrated St Joseph’s Feast Day with a special Mass on Thursday, marking a joyful and meaningful highlight of the week. During the Mass, Father Gallacher’s message invited us all to follow in St Joseph’s footsteps - listening closely to God and responding with trust and courage. Just as Joseph faithfully accepted his calling to be a husband to Mary and a father to Jesus, we too are reminded to be open to God’s guidance in our own lives and to act with faith, humility, and love.

It was especially lovely to celebrate this important day alongside parishioners from our parish community. We are also grateful to the many families who attended and shared in this celebration with us, helping to make the occasion even more meaningful and memorable.

Thank you to Ms DeVisser for all the planning that has gone into the beautiful Mass for our school community and to Mr Butler for organising the Kaboom celebration for all of the children afterwards.

We sincerely thank Stef Brunetti, our P&F President, along with our dedicated P&F team, for providing Zooper Doopers for all of our children. This thoughtful gesture was a lovely way to celebrate and brought great joy to the students at the end of the day.

Catholic Education Week: ‘Christ beside me: Walking in the footsteps of Saint Patrick’

This week, the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools celebrated Catholic Education Week across all of Melbourne. This year’s theme, “Christ Beside Me: Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Patrick,” invited us to reflect on the presence of Christ in our daily lives and the example of Saint Patrick as a model of faith, courage, and mission.

Throughout the week, our school community has had the opportunity to celebrate and deepen our shared faith through prayer, liturgy, and reflection. The theme has encouraged us to recognise that, like Saint Patrick, we are called to walk with Christ each day showing kindness, demonstrating resilience, and living out our faith in the way we care for and support one another.

Catholic Education Week is always a special time to celebrate the richness of Catholic schooling, and to acknowledge the strong sense of community, purpose, and hope that underpins all that we do.

For more information about Catholic schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) I invite you to follow their Instagram Page: melbournecatholicschools

St Patrick's Feast Day

It was a special day on Tuesday as we celebrated the Feast Day of St Patrick. Our St Patrick's Cathedral in the city of Melbourne is named in honour of this great missionary saint, reminding us of his lasting influence and faith.

Many in our community marked the occasion by wearing a touch of green, a colour traditionally associated with St Patrick. Green symbolises the beauty of Ireland, new life, growth, and hope-reminding us of the message of renewal and faith that St Patrick shared.

St Patrick is often associated with carrying a flame to light the way, a symbol of hope, courage, and the spreading of God’s love. In the same spirit, we are called to carry the light of Christ within us-to guide our actions, to show kindness and compassion, and to walk in St Patrick’s footsteps as we live out our faith each day.

It was a joyful and meaningful opportunity for our community to reflect, celebrate, and be reminded of the light we are each called to share with others.

Harmony Day

Today we celebrated Harmony Day as a vibrant and meaningful occasion within our school community. Children were invited to wear a touch of orange or cultural dress that reflects their heritage, and it was wonderful to see such a rich display of diversity across the school.

The day provided a special opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the many cultures that make up our community, while reinforcing the important message of inclusion, respect, and belonging for all. It was a joy to see students proudly sharing who they are and where they come from, helping to create a strong sense of unity and connection throughout the day.

We are grateful for the enthusiasm and support of our families in helping make Harmony Day such a positive and memorable celebration.

Kindness at St Joseph's

Big Charlie in Year 5 looking after little Charlie in Prep. It doesn't get better than this! These are the school values our senior students demonstrate every day.

Welcome and Acknowledgement at St Joseph's

Every week at assembly, and each day in every class across our school, we take a moment to pause and respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, our First Nations people, with an Acknowledgement of Country. This simple yet meaningful practice is an important part of our school's commitment to fostering a sense of respect, recognition, and connection to the land and its history.

At St. Joseph's, we are proud to be a welcoming and inclusive community, where everyone feels valued, respected, and part of our shared journey. We embrace diversity, celebrate our differences, and work together to create a supportive environment where all are encouraged to thrive.

Mass of St Patrick for Schools - St Patrick’s Cathedral

Today our Year 6 students proudly represented St Joseph’s at the annual Mass of St Patrick for Schools, held at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Rev. Peter Comensoli and concelebrated by our Parish Priest Fr Gallacher, making it a truly special and significant occasion for our students and staff. It was a truly spectacular event - a celebration of connection and the shared spirit of Catholic education.

The celebration at St Patrick’s Cathedral was a powerful expression of faith, with our students gathered among hundreds of others from over 300 Catholic schools across Melbourne. This collective experience highlighted the strength and unity of Catholic education and gave students a real sense of belonging to something much larger than our own school community. A proud moment for our school was seeing our school captains, Xavier and Cooper, carry the school flag during the procession with great pride and reverence.

A special highlight of the day was when Fr Gallacher led students from our parish schools - St Joseph’s, St Mary’s, and St Roch’s on an informative and engaging tour of the Cathedral. Students gained a deeper understanding of the history, symbolism, and significance of this sacred space, enriching their overall experience. The children also had the speacial opportunity to meet the Archbishop as well! We truly appreciate the special time that Fr Gallacher gave us as well as all the information he shared. Our students engaged beautifully and asked many questions.

This special Mass was followed by a joyful concert at Treasury Gardens, providing a wonderful opportunity for the students to come together, relax, and enjoy the occasion with students from other schools.

It was so lovely to share this experience with our senior students and Ms DeVisser and Ms O’Grady  It was a memorable experience for all involved, and we are very proud of the way our Year 6 students represented our school community.

HOLT Swimming Carnival at GESAC

​Congratulations to the SJM swim team who participated in the HOLT Swimming Carnival at GESAC on Monday. It was a great team effort from our St Joseph's swimmers. We came third overall in the Holt District! 

It is also very exciting to announce that the following students have qualified to represent Holt District at Beachside Division Swimming next Tuesday:

Fabien C - Boys 11yo Backstroke (1st)

Spencer LM - Boys 12/3 Backstroke (2nd)

Fabien C - Boys 11yo Breaststroke (2nd)

Nicholas P - Boys 12/13 Breaststroke (1st)

Wolf D, William B, Fabien C, Harry W - Boys 11yo Freestyle Relay (1st)

A fantastic result to have so many swimmers going through to the next round! Congratulations to all and we wish you all the best from everyone at school. We will be cheering loudly and proudly for you on Tuesday!

We extend a huge thank you to Mr Prowse and Ms Huebner for their dedication in leading the early morning training sessions and supporting our students, and to our staff, Mr Butler and Ms Milly, for looking after the students and cheering them on during the event.

A special thank you also goes to our wonderful parent helpers - we couldn’t have done this without you! We are so grateful to all the parents who came along to watch and cheer the children on. Your support and encouragement made the day even more memorable and fun for our students.

Prep 'Decodable Readers' Evening

Earlier this week, our Prep families came together both in person at school and online to hear from our literacy leader, Amanda, and the Prep teaching team. They shared valuable insights into our structured literacy program, highlighting the role of decodable readers in supporting early reading development and fostering strong foundational skills.

Enrolments for 2027

Enrolments for current (and new) families for 2027 are now open. We encourage all current and new families to submit an application to ensure a place in our Prep intake for 2027. The enrolment application form can be found on our website. Please contact our school office if you have any queries. Current families please get your applications in asap as we we like to prioritise our offers for families already in our school. 

Open Days at St Joseph's

Next Tuesday at 9am we wil host our third Open Day at St Joseph's. Once again it will be lovely to welcome prospective families through our gates. It is always such a joy to share our school and showcase what makes our community so special. 

The remaining official Open Days are being held across the following dates:

If you know family or friends who are exploring school options for 2027, our Open Days are a great opportunity to see our beautiful school in action, meet our staff, and learn more about what makes our community at St Joseph's so special. Please spread the word to any prospective families who may be looking for a school for 2027. Our families are our greatest advocates, so please share your thoughts with your friends and family.

'Meet and Greet' Interviews for Current Families

The very special meetings with our current families and siblings have been taking place throughout this week, and they have truly been the highlight of my week. It has been such a joy to meet the younger siblings of our current students who will be joining St Joseph’s next year. There is something incredibly special about welcoming the next generation of children into our school community, and these moments are always filled with excitement and warmth. Here are a few little treasures from across the week…

Junior Joey's Playgroup

It was so lovely to see our Junior Joey’s Playgroup back together again on Monday led by our wonderful Prep and Junior Transition Leader, Ms Liolios.

Our playgroup mornings are always filled with joyful play, laughter, connection and a beautiful sense of community. They provide a special opportunity for families and young children to come together in a warm and welcoming environment, and we are very grateful to share this time with our community. We look forward to seeing our Junior Joey's families again next Monday.

NAPLAN 2026

NAPLAN testing has now been completed for our students in Years 3 and 5, and I would like to warmly commend all of our children for the way they approached this experience. Throughout the testing period, they demonstrated resilience, patience, and a positive attitude, even when faced with unexpected challenges such as the temporary nationwide outage. We are very proud of the calm and focused manner in which they gave their best effort.

NAPLAN provides just one snapshot of student learning, and we value it as part of our broader understanding of each child’s growth and progress across the year. We look forward to receiving the results from this nationwide assessment.

In recent years, our students have achieved results that exceed both state and national benchmarks, consistently performing well above standard across all areas of literacy and numeracy. This is a testament to the exceptional dedication and expertise of our educators, their delivery of explicit instruction within calm and structured learning environments, and the commitment and effort shown by our students each and every day.

I congratulate our students for their extra efforts over the past two weeks. I also extend my sincere thanks to our leading leaders, Dean and Amanda, and to our class teachers -Donnella, Christie, Siobhan, Lauren and Kirsten - for all their hard work in supporting our students. 

Dr Cranky's Bike Repairs and Ride2School Day at St Joseph’s 

Next Friday, 27th March is our Ride2School Day, and with the generous support of Stonnington Council we have some exciting activities planned at St Joseph’s to encourage active transport!. We can't wait!

 Dr Cranky’s Bike Service will be back on site, so if you missed out last week, don’t forget to bring your bike along for a check-up.

As the children arrive at school, whether walking, riding, scooting, or skating, they will receive a free ticket to enter a special draw at assembly. During the assembly, a number of Bike Skills passes will be up for grabs, generously provided by Stonnington Council!

Bike’N’Blend will be joining us too! Students who ride, scoot, walk, run, or take public transport to school can hop on a bike-powered blender and make their own smoothie!

We thank Ms Siobhan O'Dwyer for all her work is organising this event for our school community.

Welcome Ms Chloe Nashed in Prep

We are absolutely delighted to welcome our outstanding graduate teacher, Chloe Nashed, to our school community as she begins her first year of teaching with our Prep class. Chloe has truly taken to teaching like a duck to water and has already made a wonderful first impression on our parents, staff, and her beautiful Prep students.

In this very important first year of school, Chloe is already making a meaningful difference - creating a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment where her students feel safe, confident, and excited to learn. Her care, enthusiasm, and dedication are having a positive impact on each child as they begin their school journey.

We feel very fortunate to have her as part of our community and look forward to supporting her as she continues what we know will be a rewarding and inspiring teaching journey.

Luisa La Rosa - Italian Teacher

For the remainder of this term and continuing into next term, we are pleased to have Luisa La Rosa working with our students as our Italian teacher. Luisa brings a passion for language learning and culture, creating engaging and enjoyable lessons that inspire students to develop their skills and appreciation for Italian.

We are grateful for the enthusiasm and expertise she will bring nt only to her Prep class from Monday to Wednesday but across our whole school community and look forward to the positive learning experiences she will continue to provide for our students.

ACU Pre Service Teacher in Ms Correy's Year 1 Class

It is always a pleasure to welcome pre-service teachers into our school community. St Joseph’s Primary has a strong and valued partnership with Australian Catholic University, and we are proud to support future educators as they undertake the practical component of their studies through school placements. These experiences are an important part of their development, and they also enrich our classrooms, bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and a love of learning that benefits our students.

Next week, we warmly welcome Ms Stella to Year 1MC, where she will be supported and guided by outstanding educator and mentor teacher, Ms Meg Correy. We are delighted to have Stella join our community and look forward to sharing in her journey as she grows in confidence, skill, and experience as an educator.

P&F Update

Please take some time to read the latest from the P&F...

P&F Sustainable Uniform Shop

Thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends team, led by Angela Nicolai, who, as always - had everything set up bright and early this morning for our Sustainable Uniform Shop.

This initiative continues to be a valuable support for our families, providing access to quality second-hand uniforms while also promoting sustainability within our school community. It is a practical and meaningful way we can work together to care for our environment and support one another.

We are very grateful for the time, organisation, and generosity of our P&F volunteers who make this possible. Your ongoing commitment helps strengthen our sense of community and ensures this initiative continues to be such a success.

P&F Mother's Day - Save the Date

P&F - St Joseph's Family Fun Day - Only One Week to Go! Saturday 28th March 10am -3pm

Excitement is building for the St Joseph’s Family Fun Day on Saturday 28th March, 10am – 3pm! There is a great deal of planning happening behind the scenes as we prepare for what promises to be a truly exciting and fun day for our school community! And can you believe it - there are only 8 more sleeps until the big day!

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic celebration, packed with rides, games, and plenty of fun for the kids. Wander through the market stalls showcasing small businesses within our wonderful school community, enjoy some delicious food, and be entertained by a magician, high-energy games on stage with the Bop Till You Drop crew, and a very special visit from everyone’s favourite blue heeler that the children won’t want to miss!

Please make sure to save the date in your calendar. We are so grateful for the wonderful support and involvement of our community- your enthusiasm and generosity truly make a difference.

If you would like to help in any way, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Fleur D’Altera (mum of Andre in Year 3), who is leading this major event on behalf of the P&F for our school. Alternatively you can reach out to your Grade Rep or the P&F Exec Team.

This is a significant undertaking, and as the saying goes, many hands make light work. Thank you in advance for being part of what will be a fantastic day for our St Joseph’s family. We can’t wait to celebrate together!

We would love as many helpers on the day as possible. If you can spare an hour or two please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FABAC22A6FAC07-62913546-2026#/

What's On Next Week..

It's a big week next week. Please check out what's happening on each day in Week 8:

School Photos Monday 23rd March

It’s that exciting time of the year again - school photo time!

Please see the school Dojo post for all the details. 

All children and classes will have their photos taken on Monday, 24th March. Students are required to wear their full summer uniform on the day.

We look forward to seeing lots of bright, beautiful smiles on Monday!

Teacher Strike Next Week

You may have heard in the news or through friends that government schools will be taking part in industrial action next week, affecting many schools across our state and local communities. At this stage, this strike does NOT involve our Catholic school and therefore all Catholic schools, including ours, will continue to operate as usual. We will keep you updated with any new information as it comes to hand, ensuring you are informed of any developments that may affect our school community.

Staying Connected...

At any time, if you have any questions or concerns about the wellbeing, care or learning of your child, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's class teacher, one of the school leaders, or Dean Butler, Deputy Principal or myself, Annabelle Marinelli, Principal.

Next week on Tuesday th to Friday, I will be attending the Victorian Principal’s conference with around 300 other Catholic primary principals. We are fortunate to have some amazing guest speakers as well as an opportunity to learn from other principals and leaders in our system. I look forward to sharing this with you when I return. In my absence Dean Butler Deputy Principal will be very capably leading our school. Please note I will be checking my emails from time to time however for any urgent matters I ask that you please contact Dean directly.

I wish you all a lovely weekend with your beautiful families. 

With the warmest regards,

Annabelle Marinelli

Principal 

annabelle.marinelli@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au