Week 4, Term 1

Dear parents,

It has been an incredibly busy and productive fortnight at St Joseph's and we have so much to share with you.

Recently, our parents had the opportunity to listen to our staff speak during the Parent Information Sessions. In these sessions, staff covered the curriculum content for their specific year level, in addition to lots of general information that staff needed to share i.e. how learning occurs in that particular year level, daily routines, home reading, homework, camps, school uniform etc. It was lovely to speak with so many parents after the sessions, as they commented on how incredibly helpful the evening was, and how impressed they were with the confident and articulate way in which our staff delivered the information.

This week, parents met with teachers to discuss how their child has settled into the school year, what they hope for their child in 2025, how their child feels about school, and strengths and areas for growth. While the purpose of these meetings is largely for the parents to share information with the teacher, the families have also been very impressed with how well our teachers know their child socially, emotionally and academically.

Across both events, the feedback from all has been overwhelmingly positive - highlighting the importance of establishing relationships and expectations in these early weeks of the school year. I thank our staff for their heavy investment in these two critical events for our parent community - their professionalism and preparedness is second to none.

Staffing News

It is with great joy that we announce Mrs Alannah Harrison (Deputy Principal) and her husband, Callum, are expecting their first child later this year. In the coming months, we will make arrangements to ensure continuity in Alannah’s pivotal role within our school while she takes this precious time for family leave.

We are equally delighted to share that Mr Garin Sandler (PE Teacher and Sports Coordinator) and his wife, Bee, are also expecting their first child later this year.

With Mrs Lauren Doran and her husband, Ger, as well as Mr Tom Hartney and his wife, Kat, both expecting babies in April, we look forward to celebrating these wonderful milestones and sharing in the excitement as our St Joseph’s community continues to grow.

Year 6 Canberra Camp

Last Thursday evening, our very tired Year 6 students and staff returned from their week-long trip to Canberra. These students were an absolute credit to themselves, their families, and our school. Many facilitators, and even staff members from other schools, commented on the polite and engaged manner of our students when participating in the various scheduled activities. Congratulations, Year 6!

Day 1 - The (10 hour) bus ride, lunch at Holbrook and lots of time spent outside when they arrived at the accommodation.

On our Year 6 Canberra Camp, our students are exposed to so many enriching, real life experiences that are just not possible in a classroom environment - from a tour of Parliament House and listening to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Question Time, to a wreath laying ceremony at the National War Memorial, and visiting the AIS. Participating in these rich experiences ensures our students gain a comprehensive understanding of our nation's history, government and sports culture.

Day 2 - Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, National Capital Exhibition, Cycle Canberra, Australian Institute of Sport, 10 pin bowling.

We thank our families for trusting us to take your precious children away for a whole week. We should not underestimate the responsibility and commitment in taking children away from the comforts of home and the safe boundaries of school. Our staff genuinely love these opportunities to interact more freely with the students, despite the fact that it can be incredibly fatiguing (you are 'on' 24/7).

Day 3 - Museum of Australian Democracy, Electoral Education Centre, Parliament House, Questacon.

Our deepest thanks go to Miss Shanahan, Mr Jansson, Mr Sandler, Ms Bowman and Mrs Harrison, for giving up a week of their family time to work with our students to make this camp such a success. From the look of the photos below, it is hard to tell who had more fun - the teachers or the students!

Day 4 - National Arboretum Canberra, Geoscience Australia, the flight home!

For the first time, the staff and students flew home on Thursday evening and had a day of rest on Friday. This day at home was welcomed as a much needed chance to sleep in and share stories about their incredible week away.

For our Year 5s (2026 Year 6s) our Canberra Camp dates are Monday February 16th - Friday February 20th (Term 1, Week 4). The 2026 Canberra Camp will follow the same format - bus up on Monday morning, fly home Thursday evening and a day of rest on Friday.

Australian War Memorial - Special Highlights

The trip to the War Memorial was extra special for two of our Year 6 students, Liam and Luca.

Liam had family members who were listed on the roll of honour and the tour group made a special effort to locate the names for Liam to send photos home to his family.

In the lead up to the camp, Luca's Grandmother submitted a request for Luca to view his Great-Great Grandfather's journal from World War One, that is housed in the archives at the Memorial. Between Miss Shanahan and Luca's parents they were able to coordinate a private viewing for Luca while the Year 6s were there, with lots of photos taken to commemorate this special occasion. Below is a summary of the journal entries and photos of Luca.

Private (Pte) Joseph Tyrrell served with 7th Battalion AIF. A pocket size diary written by Pte Tyrrell, with the first entry made on 17 August 1914 whilst training at the Broadmeadows camp, and the final entry on 30 August 1915 when he left hospital in Manchester where he had been recovering from a gun shot wound to his leg received at Gallipoli on 28 April 1915. Mention is made of the sinking of the Emden, including the number of men killed and wounded on the Sydney, and landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Pte Tyrrell returned to Australia in November 1915 and died as a result of his wounds in Melbourne on 10 January 1917.

We sincerly thank the Curators at the War Memorial for facilitating this incredible opportunity for Luca and his family.

Luca was very excited to view his great-great grandfather’s diary and was aware of its significance and the respect it deserved. His grandmother was very emotional when we told her that he had viewed it and was delighted that Luca was able to provide her with a detailed account of the event. We would like to express our gratitude for your assistance in organising the viewing. This will undoubtedly be etched in his memory as a highlight of his Canberra camp experience.

Parliament and Civics Education Rebate

Our Year 6 students have recently undertaken an educational tour of the National Capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognizes the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the National Capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship Education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

2026 Enrolments and School Tours

Enrolments for Prep 2026 are open and we ask all families to submit their applications as soon as possible. In particular, we must have all sibling enrolments submitted as soon as possible so we can allocate places to our new families. The enrolment application is to be completed via our School Website here: https://www.sjelst.catholic.edu.au/applynow

Our Open Days are scheduled and prospective families can book a tour via the website for one of the dates below:

Tuesday 25th February, 9am - 12.30pm
Monday 3rd March, 9am - 12.30pm

Our Year 6 School Tours Leadership Group was kept very busy today, taking 21 families around to show off our incredible school. This is always a highlight for our 6s, as they are so proud to talk about what makes St Joseph's so special. The feedback from the visiting families was overwhelmingly positive, with one family commenting, "if my children turn out like that I will be so proud".

Tours are always welcome outside of these hours, so please contact the office at your earliest convenience should you be unable to make one of the above times.

HOLT Swimming

Today, 25 students competed at the HOLT District Swimming Carnival - Ned, Henry, Jack P, Monte, Charlotte, Elsie, Josie, Harriet, Karla, Joshua, Luke, Max O, Max S, Phoebe, Rosa, Imogen, Allegra, Liam, Arran, Arlo, Amir, Poppy, Pen, Willow P, Ava C.

Supported by Miss Dillon, Ms Bowman and Mr Sandler, our amazing students not only shone in the pool and brought home the prized silverware, but also demonstrated amazing sportsmanship and teamwork. Well done, St Joseph's!

Parents and Friends - Meeting

Our first P&F Meeting of 2025 will be held on Tuesday March 4th at 6.30pm in the staff room. We strongly encourage all Parent Reps and any parents who would be interesting in lending a hand this year to come along. Our outgoing presidents, Ben Gibbs and Jen Conway, will be discussing the updated roles and responsibilities of the P&F and outlining the ways in which parents can be involved in various events across the year. We look forward to seeing you there.

School Photos

School Photos are booked for Thursday February 27th. Please send your child to school in their full summer uniform. Year 6s will need to also wear their rugby jumpers. If your child has their Sport lesson on this day, please pack their runners in their school bag.

School Closure Days

The school will be closed on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th March for the staff to undertake professional development. I thank you in advance for your understanding and trust our families 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. MACSEYE will be operating on the two Pupil Free Days, more information to follow.

Smoking Ceremony - 15th March

On Friday 21st March at 9am a member of the Boonwurrung Land Council will come to St Joseph's to perform a Welcome to Country and a Smoking Ceremony. We invite all parents and family members to attend. In the coming weeks, the Year 6 leaders will go around to every classroom to teach all students about these Aboriginal customs. We are incredibly grateful to the Boonwurrung Land Council for working with St Joseph's in our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

NAPLAN

In the week following the Labour Day Long Weekend, our Year 3 and 5 students will sit NAPLAN Online. All tests are completed using the school’s Chromebooks, with the exception of Year 3 Writing, which is handwritten. The Year 3 and 5 students will complete the following tests:

Writing - Wednesday 12th March
Reading - Thursday 13th March
Conventions of Language - Monday 17th March
Numeracy - Tuesday 18th March

Results will be received mid-year and an individual report will be provided to families displaying your child’s achievement.

Little Gems

A duck appeared in the swimming pool at today's competition, much to the delight of the competing students.

Some of our Year 1 and 2 boys are playing 'Master Blasters' at Elsternwick Cricket Club this season. Freddie, Ned and Oscar A were lucky enough to get their names drawn from the hat to play at lunch time at the Boxing Day test at the MCG. What a thrill!

These two buddies, Jacob and George, celebrated their birthday on the same day last week. How special!

Our Year 5 SRC Leaders hosted assembly last week, in the absence of our Year 6s. Congratulations Josh, Maia, Ben and Eva, you did an exceptional job!

Thank you to Year 5 CD for running our first class assembly presentation for 2025. Sharing their perspectives on the Prep and Year 5 buddy program, the presentation highlighted just how critical this program is to the success of our Preppies.

Officer George visited on his day off, making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to, and even sneaking in a treat from the tuckshop at the same time!

Gardening Club has been busy in the veggie patch, painting the planter boxes to brighten up our outdoor play spaces. Thank you to Mrs Doran and her team of workers for this very special and colourful initiative!

Thank you for another wonderful fortnight. We really are getting into the swing of things now and are excited for what is to come. Enjoy a restful weekend.

Claire Tobin

Principal

School Photo Day