Principal's Page
Dear Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. The second half of the term is quickly approaching and planning for next year is nearly complete. Our 2026 Prep students are in the midst of their transition sessions and have settled well into school routines.
Keeping our kids safe online: A partnership with families
You may have heard about upcoming government changes in the law regarding social media accounts for children under the age of 16, which will take effect on 10 December 2025.
We are committed to understanding these new changes and working with you to ensure our students have a safe and positive digital life.
Why are these changes happening?
The new rules are all about protecting our under-16s. Many social media platforms have inbuilt design features that can:
- encourage too much screen time (like non-stop notifications or content that disappears)
- expose children to upsetting, inappropriate or difficult content through their feeds.
- learning about the positive aspects of being online and the things they need to be careful of
- building their digital, social, and emotional skills so they can navigate the online world confidently and safely
- knowing where to seek help if they see or experience anything that worries them.
Experts have linked these features to problems for young people, including increased stress, less sleep, and trouble concentrating.
These changes give us all a chance to help our children. While social media platforms have the main responsibility to enforce the age restriction, we all play a part in teaching our children to be safe online.
The best strategies are:
- Clear communication – talking openly with your child about their online activities
- Effective teaching – helping them understand online safety rules
- Positive modelling – showing what responsible and kind online behaviour looks like
- Mindful timing – holding off purchasing your child a smart phone.
We will continue to update you as more guidance is provided. In the meantime, we encourage every family to subscribe to the eSafety Commissioner alerts so you can remain informed about the legislation change and ongoing digital trends.
Let’s work together to help our children become safe, skilled and responsible digital citizens, who can navigate the online world with confidence and care.
St Joseph's Award
Well done to Frankie and Clarke who received the St Joseph's Award at the last assembly, recognising their consistency in demonstrating our school values and behaviour expectations.
Fun Food Friday
The food this week is meatballs. With the long weekend, we have decided to extend the cut off for orders to Thursday morning please. Thanks to our SWAT Team members who organise these days.
Oaks Day
The St Joseph's Oaks Day Event is on tomorrow. We know all attendees will enjoy themselves. Thank you to Sophie and her team for organising the event. All funds raised will go towards playground upgrades.
Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
We were fortunate to secure the Rosebud Bunnings bbq on Saturday 15th November. Thank you to Liz who is coordinating this fundraiser and for those who have responded to the Operoo. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Hotel Sorrento Raffle
Hotel Sorrento holds a raffle each Friday evening and donates the proceeds from the raffle to a local community organisation. This coming Friday they are donating the funds raised to St Joseph's School. It would be great if some of our parents could attend.
Italian Day
The students are looking forward to Italian Day which will be held on Thursday 13th November. This is a whole school celebration of the Italian language program and Italian culture. Thank you to Signora Scandizzo for organising this wonderful day.
Block of Land Adjacent to the Top Oval
We were notified by Mornington Shire last week that we were successful in our application to have limited access to the block of land adjacent to our top oval. We will be putting a gate in the fence and utilising the land for our Sustainability Program and for intermittent class group use.
School Closure Days 2026
When planning next year's School Closure days, we tried to consider our families and place them near public holidays as well as varying the days for parents who work. The following dates have been approved by the School Advisory Council at the last meeting:
27 & 28 January, Tues 10 March, Fri 5 June,
Mon 24 August, 30th October, 2 November and 18 December.
Operoo
Operoo is closing their business in Australia and we will cease using the app at the end of this year. We have decided to transition to nForma as many of you are using the app to view your child's semester reports. Staff are presently being trained in the new communication system and we will pass on information to you as required.
The next fortnight @ St Joseph's:
Wed 5 Year 5/6 Swimming @Yawa
Prep 2026 Transition Session 2
Thurs 6 Oaks Day Event
Fri 7 Fun Food Friday - Meatballs
Hotel Sorrento Raffle
Mon 10 Assembly
Tues 11. Remembrance Day
Thurs 13 Italian Day
Fri 14 Year Six run canteen
Camp Quality Incursion
Sat 15 Bunnings BBQ
Please let me know if I can assist you and your family in any way.
Many thanks,
Monica