Family Engagement

Student Services at St Joseph’s Primary School

At St Joseph’s, student wellbeing and learning go hand in hand. Our Student Services Team works closely with teachers, leaders and families to ensure every child feels safe, supported and ready to engage in learning. Our approach is relational, proactive and centred on the individual needs of each student.

Health, Care and Transition Support

Eileen O’Reilly has been part of St Joseph’s since our Foundation year. A registered nurse and long-standing member of our community, Eileen supports students in both health and wellbeing capacities.

As our School Nurse, she oversees first aid and the administration of daily medications, ensuring students’ medical needs are managed with care and professionalism. As a member of the Student Services Team, she also works closely with teachers and families to support Prep transitions and new enrolments, classroom transitions across all year levels, small group social skills development, individual student check-ins across all Villages, classroom learning support, and student wellbeing on school camps.

Eileen’s unique blend of medical expertise and educational experience allows her to support the whole child, strengthening both safety and belonging within our school community.

School Counselling and Mental Health Support

Our counselling team provides safe, warm and welcoming spaces where students can pause, reflect and work through personal challenges.

Andrea Italia joined St Joseph’s Student Services Team in 2026 after completing his Master of Counselling at Monash University. With extensive experience supporting young people, Andrea brings a thoughtful and holistic approach to student wellbeing. His counselling practise considers the big picture of growing up, including the changes, transitions, endings and new beginnings that shape a child’s world. Andrea works collaboratively with students to explore how thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected, develops practical strategies for managing emotions, sets realistic and achievable wellbeing goals, and builds resilience and self-understanding. Andrea is on site Monday to Friday and is always happy to speak with families about how he can support their child.

Julie-Anne Pinney has been a valued counsellor at St Joseph’s since 2018. Passionate about the link between wellbeing and learning, Julie-Anne provides a safe environment where students can talk openly and receive support for meaningful change. In addition to traditional talk therapy, Julie-Anne is trained in Sensory Motor Art Therapy. This approach offers students a non-verbal way to express and process experiences, particularly helpful for children who may find it difficult to articulate their feelings. Through a combination of counselling strategies and creative therapies, Julie-Anne supports students to build emotional capacity and confidence, strengthen self-esteem, understand their thinking, feelings and actions, and reflect on progress while co-creating goals for growth. Julie-Anne is on site every second Wednesday and welcomes conversations with families about available supports.

Our Student Services Team works alongside classroom teachers and leaders to ensure support is timely, personalised and aligned with each child’s learning journey. Whether assisting with health needs, navigating transitions, strengthening social skills or providing counselling support, our shared goal is clear: every student at St Joseph’s feels safe, valued and equipped to flourish both in the classroom and beyond.