Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been an exciting few weeks here at St Joseph the Worker Primary School.

Prep Students Celebrate 100 Days of School

Last week our Prep students celebrated 100 days of Prep. The students looked fantastic and had a wonderful time celebrating 100 days of school, a big milestone for our youngest learners. It was fantastic to see so many families at assembly, supporting our wonderful Preps as they proudly shared with our school community, what they love about school.

SLA Football Finals

Earlier this week, our St Joseph the Worker AFL team competed in the Regional Finals. Although they were unsuccessful in their matches against Marymede and Banyule, they should be extremely proud of their efforts and achievements throughout the season.

Congratulations to all team members on reaching this level of competition. We are incredibly proud of your achievements and the way you represented St Joseph the Worker. You demonstrated determination, teamwork, resilience, and excellent sportsmanship, and you should be commended for your efforts both on and off the field. A special thank you to Vivian for her outstanding commitment to coaching the team.

School Disco

A big thank you to Mariela and our amazing Parents and Friends Association for organising our school disco last night. It is always a highlight for our students, and I know that our students had a fabulous night! These events simply wouldn't happen without the generosity and commitment of our P&F volunteers. Thank you for the countless hours you give to our school. Thank you also to our staff for their support on this evening. It is always appreciated and helps ensure these important school events run smoothly. See the 'disco' page for some snaps from last night.

I would also like to thank our many parent volunteers who continue to support school events throughout the year. If you've been thinking about getting involved, we'd love to welcome you. Whether you can help once or regularly, every contribution makes a difference.

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student

Working Together to Minimise Disruptions

We kindly ask families to avoid picking up students early unless it is for an emergency or an unavoidable appointment. Early pickups interrupt learning and can be disruptive for both students and staff.

We have also noticed an increase in office interruptions during the day, including lunch drop-offs and unscheduled pickups. While we understand that things come up from time to time, frequent disruptions impact student learning and interrupt teachers during valuable classroom time. Learning time is precious, it is when students are most engaged, focused, and building important skills, and we want to protect that time as much as possible.

Thank you for working with us to keep our school environment calm, focused, and supportive for all students.

School Absentee Reminder

Just a reminder that if your child is going to be absent from school, you must submit the Absentee eForm via Audiri. If an eForm has not been submitted, your child will be marked as having an unexplained absence, and you will receive an SMS notification.

Submitting the eForm helps us keep accurate records and ensures we are working together to support your child’s wellbeing and learning. Thank you for your cooperation.

Planning for the 2027 School Year

Planning is already underway for the 2027 school year. If your family is relocating and your child will not be attending St Joseph the Worker next year, please email Michele as soon as possible.

It is important that we work together to ensure a smooth transition, so please include the name of the school your child will be moving to. This helps us prepare the necessary transfer documents and support your child’s next steps.

Working together

At St Joseph the Worker we value the strong partnership between home and school and appreciate the support of our parents and carers in helping us maintain positive relationships within our community.

When concerns arise between students, we ask families to work in partnership with the school by allowing staff to investigate and manage the matter through established processes. To ensure a fair and respectful resolution, we request that parents do not contact other students’ families directly regarding school-based incidents.

We always encourage students to share any concerns with a staff member, who will support them and follow appropriate procedures to investigate the situation and work towards a positive outcome for all involved. By working together respectfully and following established processes, we can ensure concerns are addressed fairly while maintaining a positive, safe, and supportive environment for all members of our school community.

School Fees

Thank you to all the parents who have paid their school fees in full. It is important that all fees and levies are paid by the end of October, unless direct debiting. If you are unable to meet this requirement, please contact Marisa to discuss further.

Child Safety Compliance

In light of recent media reports regarding the inappropriate editing and online sharing of student photographs, it is more important than ever that we work together to protect the privacy and safety of all students.

We respectfully remind parents and carers that they are only permitted to take photographs of their own child/children at school events and activities. Thank you for your support in ensuring our school remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone.

Inspired by Faith: MACS Religious Education Symposium 2026

Recently, Kate, Sarah and I attended the MACS Religious Education Symposium, Inspired by Faith. The symposium brought together Catholic educators and leaders from around Australia for two days of reflection, learning and connection.

One highlight was hearing from Anne Kertz Kernion, who spoke about the importance of human connection in a world increasingly affected by loneliness. Drawing on neuroscience, spirituality and personal experience, Anne reminded us that “attention is one of the most basic forms of love” and that people thrive when they feel seen, heard and valued.

Her message reflected an important belief of our Catholic tradition: that meaningful lives are built through both giving and receiving. In our school community, we strive to foster this sense of connection every day, ensuring that every student knows they belong, are valued, and are never alone.

This message is beautifully captured in the words of St Teresa of Ávila:

“Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks with compassion on this world.

St Mary MacKillop Feast Day

On Saturday 8th August, we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia's first saint who worked to ensure all students, no matter their background could attend school. Next week students will learn about St Mary MacKillop's inspiring life of faith, compassion and service, and her enduring message:

"Never see a need without doing something about it."

Together, we can continue St Mary's legacy of kindness, generosity and hope.

Child Safe Standard 7 “Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.’’

As Catholic educators, we have a responsibility to promote and protect the wellbeing and safety of every student in our care. This includes ensuring that children, families, and community members can raise concerns safely, are listened to respectfully, and can access child-focused complaint processes that prioritise children’s voices and wellbeing.

Our Catholic communities maintain clear, accessible, and child-centred procedures for responding to complaints and concerns, supporting staff and volunteers to act promptly, fairly, and with integrity, while keeping child safety and wellbeing at the centre of every response.

Why Child Safe Standard 7 matters

Children and young people have the right to be heard, believed, and supported when they raise concerns about their safety or wellbeing. Child Safe Standard 7 highlights the importance of not only preventing harm, but also ensuring concerns are addressed through clear, accessible, and child-focused processes.

When complaints are managed respectfully, promptly, and transparently, children feel safe to speak up, knowing they will be listened to and taken seriously. Grounded in our Catholic mission, this standard reflects our commitment to justice, dignity, and care, while strengthening trust, accountability, and a culture where every child’s voice is valued and safeguarded.

Looking forward

Please check the newsletter 2026 dates section to see what is happening in the coming weeks at St Joseph the Worker. There are lots of events to look forward to, including:

Italian Day - August 20th

Father’s Day open classrooms - Friday 4th September

Father’s Day stall – Friday 4th September

Father’s Day assembly - Friday 4th September

Art Show – Wednesday 9th & Thursday 10th September

School Closure Days – Term 3

A reminder that our Staff Professional Learning Days will be held on:

Thursday, 27th August

Students are not required to attend school on this day.

I pray that St Joseph the Worker continues to watch over and bless our parish and school community.

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

Child Safety Standard 7