Miss Jaclyn is always busy keeping abreast of our socials and sharing the terrific

🎸 PARENTS BATTLE of the BANDS 🎸

At a recent School Advisory Council meeting, the prospect of St Joey’s involvement in the upcoming Parents Battle of the Bands (PBOB) – was discussed and there was a strong consensus that this presents a wonderful opportunity for our community.

PBOB is a registered charity that raises funds for primary school music programs. Beyond fundraising, the initiative is all about building community, supporting wellbeing, and celebrating the joy of music across generations.

We are thrilled to have a St Joey’s parent band, “Sunday School,” representing us on the night! 🎶 Our band members are:

🎼Olivia Triandos

🎼Tim Hargreaves

🎼Jess Andrewartha

🎼Brendan Harding

🎼Adrian Hunt

🎼Jane Ward

🎼James McGuire

🎼Vernon Clarke

📅 Event Details:

Date: Thursday 21 May

Venue: The Croxton Hotel

This promises to be a wonderful evening of live music, community spirit, and great fun. A portion of ticket sales at the door will go directly to our school, making it a fantastic fundraising opportunity.

Important: When purchasing tickets, please ensure you select St Joseph’s so that your ticket is counted towards our school total.

Traditionally, funds raised have been based on total ticket sales, which made it challenging for smaller schools like ours to compete with larger communities. This year, the system has changed! Funds will now be allocated based on ticket sales relative to school size, meaning we have a genuine opportunity to raise significant funds—potentially even matching or exceeding larger schools.

We would love to see as many families and friends there as possible to support our band and enjoy what will no doubt be a brilliant night.

🎟️ Tickets are now on sale – see the link below.

Parents Battle of the Bands: Northside 2 Tickets at The Croxton Bandroom (Thornbury, VIC) on Thursday, 21 May 2026

Let’s get behind “Sunday School” and make it a night to remember!

OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE (OSCH)

I wish to inform families that from the commencement of Term 2, we will no longer be using Leapkids as our Outside School Hours Care provider.

We have greatly valued the positive relationship we have shared with the current owners, who are now looking to sell the company, and we thank them for their service to our community.

Looking ahead, all Catholic schools will be transitioning to MACSEYE, with many already having made the change. MACSEYE will become the sole provider for Catholic schools into the future, and we will be joining this transition from Term 2.

MACSEYE is set up by the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to offer a range of early childhood and school-aged care programs.

MACSEYE is committed to seeing every child and family flourish. Their programs are designed to foster a sense of identity, health and well-being. As a Catholic provider, MACSEYE will have strong links with our school, working together to build a vibrant community of support for children and families.

MACSEYE is an approved registered provider, and sets a high standard of quality in line the National Quality Standards. I’m confident MACSEYE will provide a high-quality service for our students.

The attached flyer gives you an overview of MACSEYE – additional information on fees and how to enrol will be coming soon.

If you have any questions, please let me know or you can also email MACSEYE directly at contact@macseye.vic.edu.au or call 1300 501 029.

WELLBEING at St Joseph's

It has been a huge week at school, with the celebration of Neurodiversity Week, Harmony Day, and Ride2School Day. Each of these events has highlighted the importance of inclusion, respect, and looking after ourselves and one another.

Wellbeing sits at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a school environment where every child feels safe, valued, and understood.

NEURODIVERSITY WEEK

Celebrating neurodiversity reminds us that every brain is unique and brings its own strengths. During Neurodiversity Week, students engaged in experiences that helped them to better understand and appreciate the many different ways people think, learn and experience the world. These conversations foster empathy, reduce stigma, and celebrate the strengths that diversity brings to our community.

A huge thank you to Miss Lynnie for her passion, leadership and commitment in bringing these important learning experiences to life across the school. Her dedication to supporting student wellbeing and inclusion is deeply appreciated.

One of the initiatives Lynette organised is a whole school poster on which we wrote what our Super Strengths are. This is displayed in the undercroft and is well worth a look!!

Here are some of our student reflections on Neurodivergence...

🌟 All Brains are Beautiful (Prep G Tilly)🌟

🌟Different is Beautiful (Prep A - Harry)🌟

🌟Together we are stronger at St. Joseph’s (Juniors - Lucy S)🌟

🌟It May Not Be Easy, But it Will Be Worth It (Juniors - Clara)🌟

🌟 We’re Celebrating our Similarities and Differences - always (Middles - Sophie S)🌟

🌟We are One Bright and Diverse St.Joey’s Community (Middles - Indigo)🌟

🌟Shine Brightly - The World Needs Your Unique Spirit (Middles - Leah G)🌟

🌟To be different is not a weakness. It’s a strength in many ways, because you stand out from the crowd. (Seniors - Mary P)🌟

🌟At St.Joseph’s, we believe in Progress over Perfection (seniors Flynn P)🌟

HARMONY WEEK

Last week, our school proudly recognised Harmony Week with a meaningful activity that celebrated inclusion, respect, and cultural understanding.

On Thursday, our FIRE Carrier team organised a special fundraiser where students had their nails painted in Aboriginal colours to support Close the Gap Day. This initiative not only raised money for an important cause but also helped spark conversations about equality and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Throughout the week, students across the school also participated in a variety of activities that promoted the importance of Aboriginal allyship. These experiences encouraged everyone to reflect on how we can show respect, build understanding, and stand together as a community.

written by our FIRE Carrier Team - Hamish Smith, Dylan Stewart and Archer Hall

RIDE2SCHOOL DAY 🚴‍♀️

Ride2School is a nationwide program delivered by Bicycle Network, designed to support schools in encouraging, empowering and enabling more students to get physically active on their journey to school. The day promotes active travel and physical activity, helping students build healthy habits that last a lifetime.

Thank you to Darebin City Council for providing the bike-powered “Bike ’n Blend” smoothie maker—an exciting and engaging addition that brought extra energy and fun to the day!

It was wonderful to see our students so engaged, supportive, and proud to be part of such an inclusive and caring school community.

Regional Swimming Carnival 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️

Congratulations to Hamish Smith and Leo Katsoulakos on their outstanding achievement in competing at the Regional Swimming Championships — just one step away from the State Championships!

To reach this level is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to their dedication, perseverance, and hard work in the pool. Representing our school at such a high level is something to be truly proud of.

We are especially thrilled to share that both boys were placegetters on the day:

* Hamish came 5th in the Breastroke

* Leo came 4th in the Freestyle and 5th in the Backstroke

This is such a fantastic result and a reflection of their commitment and talent.

Well done, Hamish and Leo! We are incredibly proud of your efforts and the way you represented our school. 🌟

And another great student achievement...

Over the Easter break, our own Grade 5 student Harry Spence will be travelling to Rotorua in New Zealand to compete in the New Zealand National Sprint Kart Championships. Harry (10) will be competing in the Vortex Mini Rok category for drivers 10 to 13 years old, against 40 of New Zealand’s best young drivers.

Harry has had a great start to the year at home in Victoria, with a recent win at the Albury Wodonga Go Kart Club and pole position and second place over the weekend at his home track at the Go Kart Club of Victoria.

Good luck Harry!

NAPLAN Success

Over the past weeks, our Year 3 and Year 5 students have approached NAPLAN with focus, determination and a wonderfully positive attitude. We are incredibly proud of the way they embraced this important assessment period.

NAPLAN provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning in literacy and numeracy, but more importantly, it highlights the growth, resilience and effort they show every day in the classroom. Our students approached each test with maturity and confidence, giving their very best—and that is all we could ask for.

We acknowledge that assessments like NAPLAN can feel challenging at times, and we commend our students for the calm and capable manner in which they navigated the experience.

A heartfelt thank you to our staff for their thoughtful preparation and care, and to our families for your ongoing encouragement and support.

Well done to all of our Year 3 and Year 5 students—we are so proud of you!

A MESSAGE from the PARISH

Upcoming Events - see full calendar for more details

Friday Market - March 27
End Term 1 - April 02, students finish at 1:30pm

SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS...

Monday July 13 (Students commence Term 3 Tuesday July 14)
Friday August 14
Friday November 27

VISUAL ART news...