Dear Parents and Guardians,

It was wonderful to see so many of our families join us this morning for our Holy Week gathering. Special thanks to students and teachers for their reflective representations of the Holy Week events. It was a very reverent assembly and l thank Kate, staff and students for their great work presenting these important faith events to our community.

As this is my final newsletter for Term One, I would like to take a moment to thank our students for their wonderful efforts this term. We are incredibly grateful for the productive learning environment we have had, and I am proud of the hard work shown by all our students. I am sure everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved rest over the upcoming holidays.

St Joseph the Worker is a vibrant and supportive community where parents and staff work hand in hand to provide the best learning experiences for our students. As we approach at the end of this term, I want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of our staff, who consistently go above and beyond in supporting our students’ growth and development.

A heartfelt thank you to all our parents for your ongoing support and for trusting us with the education of your children. Whether you have assisted with selling icy poles, supported our Welcome event in February, helped organise our Easter Egg guessing competition or assisted at our wonderful Night Market, your involvement has been invaluable. We deeply appreciate your contributions.

Together, we create a community that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. Thank you for all you do to make our school a place where everyone feels they belong. Your continued support is truly appreciated.

Congratulations to our Prep students on successfully completing their first term of school! Every student has settled in wonderfully, built new friendships, and adapted to the classroom routine with ease. Well done, Preps – you’ve made an impressive start!

🐣 Guess the Easter Eggs in the Jar!

A big congratulations to the following students who successfully guessed the correct number of Easter eggs in the jar:

JAR 1 WINNER - Alexander J in Prep1

JAR 2 WINNER - Christian B in SLA3

JAR 3 WINNER - Pat F in MLA1

BASKET WINNER - Xander S MLA1

What a fun competition, and great effort from all who took part! A sincere thank you to our wonderful P&F for organising this activity and bringing some Easter joy to our school community. Well done to our lucky winners and thank you to everyone who participated.

P&F Night Market Success

A very big thank you to our wonderful P&F team for their fabulous work in organising a highly successful Market last Thursday evening. Despite the inclement weather, it was fantastic to see so many members of our community attend the event, enjoy delicious food, and support our stallholders by purchasing items for their families.

I am extremely grateful to all parents and staff who worked together to ensure the night ran smoothly and was such a success. The strong sense of community and support on display was wonderful to see. Well done to everyone involved on a terrific evening.

Working together to ensure Child Safety

At St Joseph the Worker, we strive to be a safe, supportive and respectful learning community where the wellbeing of all is paramount. We follow Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools policies and procedures to promote an inclusive and supportive environment for our students where everyone feels safe, supported and respected.

This is a shared commitment grounded in the belief that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. We always seek to provide our students with an education that fosters the whole person. We recognise that as a school we have a significant responsibility to have a safe, respectful and nurturing environment for all. We create this environment to ensure that everyone in our community acts respectfully, fairly and compassionately.

This year, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is placing a strong emphasis on working together to uphold and promote child safety across all Catholic schools. As part of this initiative, every MACS school will share information with their communities about the Child Safe Standards, focusing on one standard each month.

In this edition, we highlight Child Safe Standard 2: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture. This standard ensures that child safety and wellbeing is the responsibility of everyone working together in our school. When safety is embedded in leadership, governance, and culture, it sends a strong message that protecting children is a shared priority.

School Tours and Enrolments

If you have a child and wish to enrol them for next year, please collect a pack from the office. We have further tours next term, and if families would like to join a tour, please contact Michele by ringing the office or via email michele.hides@sjwreservoirnth.catholic.edu.au

Enrolments close on – Friday 23rd May

St Joseph the Worker Parish Easter Celebrations

Please refer to RE news section for all the important Holy Week and Easter celebrations. Your family will be very welcome at these important events in our catholic church calendar.

School Uniform

Traditionally, at the commencement of Term Two, we move to our winter uniform, however we know that with changing weather patterns, we can often experience continued mild weather in late April and early May. For this reason, we are leaving the decision to parents to choose when their child moves to the winter uniform, so that we can ensure that your child is comfortable at school.

Students must always wear the correct uniform and can wear either the full summer or the full winter uniform to begin next term, but not a mix of both. The school holidays are a good opportunity to ensure that you have the required winter uniform items. Next term, on our first newsletter, we will set a date for all students to be in our winter school uniform.

Reflections from Lorne

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals (VACPSP) Biennial Conference in Lorne and thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues from across Victoria. The conference provided valuable professional learning through a range of engaging speakers who addressed contemporary challenges and opportunities for school leaders. Guided by this year’s theme, “Nourish Your Purpose,” the experience offered time for reflection, learning, and collegial collaboration as we continue to strengthen our shared mission as Catholic educators. I have included some reflections from the conference further on in the newsletter.

With thanks

Special thanks to Sarah and the leadership team for leading our school so effectively in my absence last week. It is always reassuring to know that I can step away from my role with confidence, knowing the school is being managed so competently. Thank you to Sarah and all staff for your professionalism and support.

School Fees

Thank you to all the parents who have paid their school fees in full. For those paying in instalments, the first instalment and the Curriculum Levy are now due. It is important that all fees and levies are paid on time to enable the school to meet our financial commitments. Please contact Marisa if you have any questions regarding your fees.

St Joseph the Worker Feast Day

Thursday 1st May is St Joseph the Worker Feast Day. We will be celebrating with our students on this day beginning with Mass at 9.15 am. Families are invited to join us to celebrate Mass on our school feast day. Further information regarding this day will be provided next term.

Secondary school enrolments

It is that time of year that parents need to start considering a secondary school for your child. Catholic Secondary Colleges: enrolments are open for current Year 5 students. For Government Secondary Colleges: enrolments are open for current Year 6 students.

Please contact your preferred secondary college to arrange a tour and collect an enrolment form.

Term 2 – Important Dates

Term 2 will begin on Monday, 20th April.

Please note the following Professional Learning Closure Days:

Thursday, 30 April
Tuesday, 9 June

On these days, staff will be working together to further develop our knowledge and practice in the teaching of Religious Education and to deepen our understanding of Indigenous cultural perspectives.

In addition, Wednesday, 13th May will be a school closure day as part of our Time in Lieu acquittal, acknowledging staff completion of professional learning compliance requirements undertaken throughout the year.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

I wish everyone a happy and holy Easter and a wonderful break with your family. Thank you for your ongoing support during a busy term. May St Joseph the Worker bless you.

We ask St Joseph the Worker to continue to bless our wonderful Parish and School Community.

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

Child Safety Standard 2