Dear Families,

As we make our way through the halfway mark of Term 2, it seems another wave of illness is moving through our community, with many students, staff, and families feeling the effects. We encourage everyone to be gentle with themselves and others during this time and, where appropriate, we kindly ask families to 'err on the side of caution' by keeping students at home if they are showing any signs or symptoms of illness. While this is typical for this stage of the term, with fatigue setting in and the seasonal change underway, it’s important that we all respond with care and consideration to all members of our community - thank you for your understanding.

St Joseph's in the Media

We were delighted to see St Joseph’s recognised in the Herald Sun’s Top 100 Private Primary Schools in Victoria, ranked 64th across Catholic and Independent schools, placing us within the top 1% of primary schools nationally and among the leading Catholic parish primary schools in the state.

Although rankings are only one measure of a school, this recognition reflects the consistent hard work of our staff, the commitment of our students, and the strong partnership we share with families in fostering high standards and a culture of learning at St Joseph’s.

We are also incredibly proud to share that St Joseph’s will be featured in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Annual Report as part of MACS’ Vision for Learning profile.

The Vision for Learning recognises schools that are committed to evidence-informed practice, high expectations for all learners, strong instructional teaching, and creating learning environments where every student can thrive.

At St Joseph’s, this aligns strongly with the disciplined and strategic approach we have taken across our teaching and learning programs, including our continued focus on the Science of Learning, explicit teaching, strong routines and conditions for learning, staff professional growth, and ensuring all students are supported to achieve success.

As part of this feature, our very own Year 5 student, Anna, appeared on the front cover and an interview, which is a wonderful recognition of the vibrant learning community we are so proud to nurture at St Joseph’s.

Lastly, we are delighted to share that St Joseph’s has recently been featured in the latest edition of School News Australia, highlighting our astroturf redevelopment project and the positive impact it has had on student play, wellbeing and engagement. The feature showcases our commitment to creating high-quality learning and play environments for our students, and acknowledges the incredible support of our Parents and Friends community in helping bring this project to life.

Deputy Update

In the short time Mr Luke Daffy has been part of the St Joseph’s community, he has already made a significant contribution to both staff practice and student learning. His calm and approachable leadership style, deep knowledge of teaching and learning, and commitment to high standards have had an immediate and positive impact across the school. Mr Daffy brings a strong focus on evidence-based practice, collaboration and continuous improvement, and we are incredibly grateful for the expertise and care he brings to our community each day.

I would also like to share that Mrs Alannah Harrison will begin a gradual transition from maternity leave across a few days in June, ahead of returning four days per week from the beginning of Term 3. Upon her return, Mrs Harrison will resume her Deputy Principal responsibilities (Administration and P-2 Literacy), while also taking on oversight of P-2 Mathematics when Mrs Gleeson’s commences maternity leave. We are looking forward to welcoming her back to St Joseph’s, and I know we will all enjoy having her onsite more regularly across the second half of the year.

Assessment Schedule

This week, every available space across the school, has been buzzing with activity as staff undertake mid-year student assessments. While it is still early in the process, we have already been incredibly encouraged by some of the data and student growth we are seeing emerge.

As I shared with staff this week, results like these are never accidental. They reflect the consistent, disciplined and strategic approach our teachers bring to their practice each day, alongside the significant long-term investment St Joseph’s has made in evidence-based teaching and learning approaches. We are incredibly proud of both our students and staff, and the hard work taking place in classrooms every single day.

Year 6 Girls Football

Our Year 6 girls represented St Joseph’s beautifully at the Dendy Football Competition on Thursday, demonstrating terrific sportsmanship, resilience and teamwork across four competitive games, with the team celebrating one well-earned win. While the results on the scoreboard are only one small part of the day, opportunities such as these play an incredibly important role in the development of our students. Research consistently shows that girls who participate in team sport experience improved confidence, stronger social connections, increased resilience and positive mental health outcomes, with long-term benefits extending well beyond the sporting field and into leadership, wellbeing and future success in life. We were incredibly proud of the way our girls encouraged one another, represented the school with pride and embraced the spirit of team competition throughout the day. Thank you to our coach Mr Daffy and 2IC for the day, Ms Melissa.

Business and Economics Guest Speakers

Our Year 5 and 6 students have been thoroughly engaged in their Business and Economics ‘Shark Tank’ projects this term, and we extend our sincere thanks to the parents who generously gave up their time to speak with students and share their expertise and experiences.

A special thank you to Elise Keen, David Constable, Liana Cauchi, Ant Phillips, Pip Stocks, Andrew van de Gumster and John Ferraro for supporting this learning opportunity and helping bring real-world perspectives into the classroom.

We recieved some really lovely feedback from one of the parents who presented:

I really, really enjoyed seeing the kids so responsive and engaged - it was pretty cool. Great questions from them as well. I mentioned the Shark Tank project to people at work who all thought it's a fantastic initiative and everyone says they wish they were able to do that at their primary school. Looking forward to seeing what they all come up with!

Experiences such as these are only possible through the strong partnership between staff, families and our wider school community. Bringing these opportunities, events and learning experiences to life, alongside the daily demands of classroom teaching, leadership responsibilities and work commitments, requires a significant investment of time, energy and collaboration from many people.

These opportunities are not only memorable for students, but play an important role in developing confident, capable young people. At St Joseph’s, we believe learning happens everywhere, and we are deeply grateful for the collective effort that helps our students thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

Please take the time to read Miss Shanahan’s newsletter page for further insight into the exciting work taking place as part of this unit.

Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to our Year 3 students who celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation this afternoon. This is an important milestone in their faith journey, and we were incredibly proud of the maturity our students demonstrated throughout the preparation process and during the Liturgy itself.

We extend our sincere thanks to our Year 3 teachers - Mr Capp, Miss Stanley, Mrs Pepper, and our Religious Education Leader, Mr Hayes, for their leadership and support in preparing the students for this Sacrament. We also thank Fr Pat Jackson SAC, Fr Shibu Joseph SAC, Fr Shimon IVD and Fr Jose Koyickal for celebrating the Sacrament today. We also sincerly thank our families for their ongoing support in their child's sacramental journey.

Year 4 Kinder Buddies with Glen Education Orrong Road

Our Year 4 students recently enjoyed a wonderful visit with their buddies from Orrong Road Kindergarten, continuing a very special partnership that has now been part of the St Joseph’s community for more than 12 years.

These visits are always a highlight for both the kinder children and our students, providing valuable opportunities for connection, leadership and community building. Our Year 4 students take great pride in welcoming and supporting their younger buddies through games, activities and shared experiences, developing important skills in communication, empathy, responsibility and confidence along the way.

At St Joseph’s, we place great importance on creating authentic opportunities for students to lead, mentor and contribute positively to the wider community. This long-standing relationship with Orrong Road Kindergarten is a beautiful example of the strong community connections that help shape the culture of our school and support students to grow as capable, compassionate young people.

School Uniform

We have now transitioned to our full winter uniform and remind all families to be mindful of these expectations. School shorts are permitted over this period. A few gentle reminders:

Long sleeved shirt/gold polo.
No nail polish.
Hair that is below shoulder length must be tied up.
White socks on PE days, navy socks otherwise.
Sneakers only worn on PE day or as instructed by the classroom teacher.
Students must change their shoes after basketball/tennis lessons.

Little Gems

It was a delight to pop down to Princes Park to see our Year 6s play football last week. Not only did they play an elite game, their support and enouragement of one another was simply outstanding. We could not be more proud of this incredible group of students.

Here are some 'behind the scenes' photos of Anna's photo shoot for the MACS Annual Report.

Gorgeous Preppies preparing for our Art Show - held in September! Prepare to be dazzled, families, it promises to be a showstopper.

Year 6 Art Club had a gorgeous session today. Each term, our Year 6 students nominate an area they'd like to support the students with, and these students decided to run art lessons during break times.

Wishing our families a wonderful weekend.

A reminder that the school will be closed for students on Friday June 5 so staff can undertake data analysis for the upcoming Semester One student reports.

Warmest regards,

Claire Tobin | Principal

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