Principal's Page
Dear Families,
In this first newsletter for the year, I welcome you to the 2024 school year, which brings with it all the anticipation, sense of hope and excitement. It was wonderful to see so many happy smiles yesterday on student faces and enjoy a coffee with parents.
Staff examined our school vision on Monday and it was decided that it needed to be shortened in order for all in the community to be able to remember and say it. Our vision for St Josephs is for: An engaged learning community that contributes to the common good of all.
This year we will be focusing on building an engaged learning community. You will notice more opportunities for families to connect with the school and their child/rens' learning journey.
Meet & Greets
We acknowledge that parents are the first educators of their children and know them so well. Over the next two Tuesday afternoons, we are inviting parents up to the school to meet their child/rens' teacher and share with staff important information to assist in the teaching of each student. A 3-2-1 sheet will be sent home for families to complete. An Operoo will be sent tomorrow with more information and times for parents to make appointments.
Information Letters
Staff have prepared letters containing necessary information for their particular learning spaces. Specialist Program days, staff email details etc. will be shared. These letters will be sent home before Friday.
School Closure Days
Last year staff attended professional learning days on the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM). BSEM is a practical approach to teaching and learning that enables teachers to increase engagement with students with complex, unmet learning needs and successfully improve all students’ self-regulation, growth and academic achievement. After completing the Body and Relationships domains, teachers noted an increase in student engagement from implementing some of the new strategies learnt. There will be two school closure days this term for staff to complete their training in the Stamina, Engagement and Character domains. These days will be either side of the Labour Day long weekend on Friday 8 March and Tuesday 12 March.
School Bus
I travelled on the new school bus yesterday afternoon. I was most impressed with Sandra the driver, her driving skills and manner with students. The bus has our logo on the front window. Please download the Ventura Tracker app which will assist you with bus stops and tracking the bus. If you have any questions regarding the bus, where it stops and timing, please contact me.
Moonah Woodlands Project
St Joseph's School has been invited to be a part of this project. I have included more information on a seperate page later in the newsletter.
Instrumental Lessons
We are fortunate to have instrumental classes available for students in both piano and guitar this year. Helen teaches guitar on Mondays and Paula teaches piano and violin on Tuesdays. If you are interested in your child learning an instrument, please contact Helen or Paula on the following numbers:
Helen (guitar): 0401 539 349
Paula (piano & violin): 0481 374 746
Boundary Wall Update
City Living Property Services will be completing the wall project. The retaining wall next to the adventure playground is included in the project. Materials have been ordered and works will commence once they arrive. You will see some hoarding being put up in the next couple of weeks.
Welcome
A very warm welcome to all our new Prep students and their families: Ned, Hugo, Freddy, Curtis, Billy, Bowie, Storm, Lucy, Bodie, Olive, Jack, Evie, Raffy, Amelie, Marc, Chelsea, Darcy, Luka, Ryda, Savannah, Lucky, Abby, Van, Obie and Noah.
We also welcome Indiana (Year 3) and Conor (Year 1) and their families to the St Joseph's Community. We hope all our new students and their families' time with us is positive and rewarding. We look forward to inviting all our new families to a Welcome Dinner on Tuesday 13 February at 5:00pm.
Congratulations to Seija, Matt, Oliver, Willow, Daisy and Elliott on the safe arrival of beautiful Hazel Rose.
Congratulations also to Carmela, Mark, Noah and Emerson on the safe arrival of beautiful Mila.
We wish both families every happiness with their new family members.
Parent Portal
Parents will have access to a Parent Portal on our website in the coming weeks. On this portal you will find the newsletter, important dates and information specific to school families. The general public will not have access to the portal and we have made this decision due to Child Safety reasons. Our website will be used mainly for marketing purposes.
Have an enjoyable week,
Monica