Week 6, Term 1

Dear parents and carers,

We are sharing this newsletter slightly earlier this week, as the school will be closed on Thursday and Friday so staff can participate in professional development. I thank you in advance for your understanding and trust you will make the most of the extra long weekend. The school will also be closed for the Labour Day Public Holiday, on Monday March 13th.

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Yesterday we acknowledged Shrove Tuesday with pancakes. Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of goods such as sugar, fats, and eggs. Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up these foods before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began.

Today, Ash Wednesday was marked with Mass for Years 3 - 6 and a prayer service for the Juniors, with the students receiving ashes that were blessed during Mass. We sincerly thank Father Rojas for celebrating this occasion with our community.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. This is the solemn 40 day period before Easter, commemorating Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. Christ’s 40 day fast took place before he began his teaching and healing. Lent was a time when meat, eggs and dairy produce were not eaten, hence the reason for ‘eating up’ on the eve of the start of Lent - Shrove or Pancake Tuesday. Christians sometimes give up some food or activity during Lent, as a way of disciplining their minds and in memory of Christ’s fast.

Lent is the season of penance and reflection, which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

2026 Prep Enrolments and School Tours

A reminder to all current families, sibling enrolment papers are due and required as soon as possible. With numbers expected to be at capacity in 2026, timely submissions are imperative. The application is to be completed via our School Website here: https://www.sjelst.catholic.edu.au/applynow

For prospective families wishing to book a tour, please do so via the school website or call the school on 9528 1614.

Our Year 6 School Tours Leadership Group have been absolutely wonderful, touring prospective families around to show off our incredible school. Below is a sample of two emails we received from prospective families, and we couldnt be more proud of what we have created here at Elsternwick:

I wanted to share that I was blown away by my tour guides. They were incredibly confident, articulate, kind, and answered all of my questions with such ease. I have done another school tour since Friday, along with others last year, and the pupils and teachers at St Joseph’s are in a league of their own.

and...

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the tour I had earlier this week, I really appreciated the opportunity to meet you and visit St Joseph's. I was incredibly impressed by the school and a special mention to the students who led my tour—they were absolutely outstanding. Their confidence, warmth and genuine pride in their school were inspiring. The strong academic results, sense of community and wellbeing, the facilities and overall environment make it exactly the kind of place we'd love for our daughters.

School Advisory Council and P&F Meetings

It has been a delight to join these two important parent bodies for their first meetings for 2025. Parent engagement is such a vital factor in the overall successes of a school and there is strong evidence linking parent engagement with improvements in academic achievement for children of all ages.

The School Advisory Council, chaired by John Ferraro and vice-chaired by Catherine Anderson, provides an important forum for parent consultation and participation at St Joseph's.

The Parents and Friends committee assists the school in providing the best possible environment for the children. This is done through fundraising activities eg. stalls and functions and scheduled community-building events across the year. Ben Gibbs and Jen Conway are concluding their tenure as Co-Presidents, so please carefully read the next section as we are actively seeking new members for our P&F Committee. As they prepare to step down, we sincerly thank Ben and Jen for the incredible work they have done for the P&F over the past two years.

Parents and Friends Expressions of Interest

We’re looking for passionate and engaged parents to join our Parents & Friends (P&F) Committee for 2025! As you can see from the volunteer structure below, there are Co-President roles open, along with sub-committee and volunteer opportunities across a range of events and initiatives.

Being part of the P&F is a fantastic way to connect with the school community, make a real impact, and help create memorable experiences for our students and families. Roles can be shared, so if you're interested but unsure about the time commitment, teaming up is always an option. If you'd like to get involved or learn more, please reach out via the Google Form. We’d love to have you onboard.

School Closure Days

Tomorrow (Thursday 6th March and Friday 7th March), the school will be closed so all staff can participate in a two day professional learning seminar. Staff will be participating in First Nations Cultural Awareness Training, working with Jillian West from Nomuckerlener First Nations Training, Consulting and Mentoring.

Nomuckerlener provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training to businesses to help create a culturally safe environment both for workers and customers.

The purpose of this training is to:

Increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of the issues, past and present, that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies and communities.
Provide information that will help participants to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

On Friday, staff will work with our Teaching and Learning Team to explore 'engagement norms' i.e. all students interacting meaningfully with critical content through whole-class instruction. We thank you for your understanding as we undertake this valuable professional learning.

Prep Success!

Our Prep students have made an incredible start, settling into learning routines very quickly. Today was their first Wednesday at school - which meant their first experience with Tuck Shop! What joy! Thank you to all of our Prep parents for supporting your child’s transition to school with their previously scheduled Wednesdays at home. Not only does the rest benefit the students significantly, but the opportunity to complete one-on-one Literacy and Mathematics assessments is invaluable for our staff.

Teacher Coaching

Our Junior Teachers have been learning from and supporting one another, guided by experienced colleagues. Miss Nardella and Miss McLean have been modeling Heggerty, a phonemic awareness program, while Miss Showell and Miss Wilkinson have observed Miss Nelligan (our resident spelling expert), demonstrating best practices in MSL instruction. This collaborative approach ensures that teachers benefit from the expertise of their colleagues, strengthening our commitment to high-quality teaching and learning.

School Athletics Day

Our School Athletics Day is fast approaching, with the day scheduled for Friday March 14th at Duncan Mackinnon Athletics Track. Please make sure you read Mr Sandler's Newsletter page for all the details.

Year 6 Jumpers

The Year 6s are enjoying their new jumpers and wearing them with pride. These jumpers recognise the significant contribution our Year 6s make to the fabric of our school and are a special memento of their final year at St Joseph's.

Mary Poppins JR Production Update

There is a buzz in the air as the Year 5s and 6s begin to rehearse for their auditions for Mary Poppins JR. All students have been provided with the materials to practise at home and auditions are scheduled for March 20th and 21st. The Preps, 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s will start rehearsing for their ensemble songs in Term 2, with classes finding out their allocated song after the Term 1 holidays.

Classroom Parent Helper Course

This year, we once again welcome the support of parents to assist in our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms. All helpers who assist at school must be fully trained and have a current Working with Children Check. The school must have a copy of the card on file before parents are able to help out. There is a compulsory training session (approximately 1 hour) for all new parents from Prep - Year 2, and any parents or grandparents who would like a 'refresher'. If you have older children, it is recommended that you participate if it has been 3 or more years since you participated in the program. The training session will be run by Alannah Harrison in the multipurpose room on Friday March 28th at 9.30am (after assembly). Parents who wish to participate are asked to please complete the Google Form.

Little Gems

Spencer, Arran and Adrian (Year 6) are doing an incredible job as our coding leaders. Each lunch they run an optional coding club for our students in Years 4, 5 and 6. Up to 50 students attend each day and it has been so impressive watching them not only teach the skills, but also gently care and support the students just beginning their coding journey.

Benedict (Year 2) won a medal at his most recent Karate competition - well done! He trains every Monday at school with All Stars Martial Arts.

Our students are working so hard in Art class with Mrs Krause! The work they are completing is absolutely incredible and the students are really enjoying the level of creativity that Mrs Krause is bringing to the art space. Below is a small sample of their stunning work.

Year 2, 'Year of the Snake'.

Prep, 'Self Portraits'.

We have welcomed a wonderful array of students into the office of late, proudly showing off their work for this year!

I had to snap this 'behind the scenes' pic of Miss Showell having her very first school photo taken! A special moment for her and her family.

The Preps had a successful morning last week, having their very first class photos taken. Here are some unofficial (and very cute!) group photos to celebrate this milestone.

We hope everyone enjoys the longer weekend, we think the extra few days off for the students has come at the perfect time. We look forward to seeing our families at Duncan Mackinnon Athletics Track on Friday March 14th for our annual Athletics Day.

Claire Tobin

Principal