Week 1, Term 2

It was a delight to welcome you all back to St Joseph's on Tuesday, after some much needed rest and relaxation over the Easter break. The students returned to school in such a settled manner, with many staff members commenting on what a wonderful start to the term they have had. In particular, our Preps have not missed a beat and picked up where they left off at the end of Term 1. Miss Aloi and Miss Mclean have been so pleased with how their students have started the term and continue to be delighted with the progress their little ones are making.

It should come as no surprise that we have started the term with gusto - in our usual St Joseph's fashion. We have a very full program planned, with Maths Olympiad, Cross Country training, Year 6 Leadership Initiatives, Interschool Soccer, Gardening Club, Da Vinci Decathalon, Year 3-6 First Aid classes, Excursions, Incursions and the Sacrament of Reconciliation all occurring within the first three weeks of term. As always, we dearly thank our dedicated teachers for going above and beyond the call of duty to provide these important experiences for our students.

Literacy Professional Learning - Science of Language and Reading

Thank you for your understanding around our School Closure Day being an extension of the holidays. It was a pleasure to host 5 local Catholic schools and key staff from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools to learn from Professors Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry and Dr Nathanial Swain from LaTrobe University.

Once again, it was so incredibly affirming to hear from 3 experts on current 'best practice' in English, and know that St Joseph's continues to excel in this area. Please make sure you read Mrs Harrison's Deputy Principal Page for a full recap of the day.

P&F Function - have you booked your babysitter?

The St Joseph’s P&F annual cocktail party is on TOMORROW - Saturday 20th April! We hope you've organised your costume and booked your babysitter so you can relax and enjoy this fantastic event. Please refer to the P&F page for more details. We will see you there!

Interschool Soccer

Congratulations to the 63 students who attended the Interschool Soccer competition today at Caulfield Park. It has been a big campaign, with students training during lunchtimes and outside of school hours to prepare for this event. The explosion of interest in soccer, particularly for our girls, has been absolutely wonderful for our community and we were thrilled to be able to send 4 teams to compete today. We thank Miss Dusting, Mr Cody, Miss Coldebella, Mr Gately and Andreas Leal (Year 6 Parent) for their fantastic coaching with our students.

I particularly want to highlight the incredible investment by Miss Dusting, Mr Cody and Miss Coldebella, for dedicating countless hours to prepare the students for this event, training with the students at break times and having regular strategy meetings to best support the students.

It was a nail-biting outcome, with 2 out of the 4 teams making the finals and narrowly missing out in the final moments of the game. As always, we remain so proud of our students for trying their best and having fun with their friends. In addition, this has now hopefully sparked a love of team sport for some of our students, and a belief that they can try something new. Miss Dusting and Mr Cody are already planning the 2025 campaign!

We thank our Parents and Friends association who supported us with the purchase of all the new soccer tops and shorts for this competition. Our students looked so fabulous (and professional!) while wearing them on the pitch today.

Extension Maths at St Joseph's

The first Maths Olympiad lesson was held this week. Mr Hartney and selected students from Years 4 to 6 gather once a week to work on incredibly challenging Mathematics problems. Schools from around Australia and New Zealand take part in this program, with the groups of students being scored against once another.

The Olympiad is made up of four separate tests, set six weeks apart. Lessons across Terms 2 and 3 provide opportunities for the students work in groups on challenging problems, before each student participates in a test. Each test is made up of 5 questions, worth 1 mark each, and must be completed in 30 minutes. Questions are completed individually by each student with no collaboration allowed. Each test is held under exam conditions in the classroom and marked by Mr Hartney, who then submits the results to the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO). The work these students are completing is incredibly challenging and we wish these superstars all the best for the competition!

Prep 2025 Interviews

This week we started the Prep interview process for new students in 2025. This has been such a special experience and we are delighted to welcome so many wonderful families into our amazing school community. We remain indebted to our current families who continue to spread the great word about our school. Once again, as this was referenced by every single new family I met with this week. We are just so blessed to have such a wonderful parent community at St Joseph's.

Mother's Day Stall & Breakfast

The Mother's Day Stall will be held on Friday 3rd May. Students will all have a chance to attend the stall with their siblings through the day. We thank our Parent Representative's from Year 5 for running the stall. Students are welcome to bring up to $10 to spend on the day. Please remember to pack a reusable bag to send gifts home in!

The Mother's Day Breakfast will be held on Friday 10th May from 7.45am. Our Year 3 students have prepared a special assembly, which will be presented at 9am in the atrium. We hope to see lots of our beautiful Mums and special friends at school, so we can celebrate you, and all that you do.

Winter Uniform

At the start of Week 3 (29th April) students need to be in their full winter uniform. A full list of uniform requirements can be found on our school website (scroll down for Uniform). We have an update from Nicholls - the new knitted school jumper is on track for purchase in a few weeks and the new Sports Jacket should be ready in late May.

Second Hand Uniform Sale

The P&F will be running a second hand uniform stall on Friday 26th of April from 8am, in the atrium. Donations of second hand uniforms are welcome and may be left at the office. EFTPOS facilities will be available at the sale.

School Fees

School fee statements for were emailed out earlier this week. If you did not receive the statement, please contact Moira on (mmckinnis@sjelst.catholic.edu.au).

Working With Children's Check (WWCC)

A reminder that all parents/volunteers require a current WWCC to take part in any school activities. Please ensure that you have a current card. Reminders to those with expired cards were emailed out yesterday. Please contact Moira if you are not intending to renew your card and you will be deleted from our system.

Little Gems

The Years 3-6 students participated in their annual First Aid training with St John's this week. Pictured here are some Year 4s practising their DRSABCD.

Mr Cody (giving his best Ted Lasso impersonation) is preparing the students for Soccer with his final tactical session on Thursday at lunchtime.

Mr Gately brought along a pair of soccer boots for Angus (Year 6) to play in.

The mini auditorium outside the Tuckshop is quickly taking shape, and will be such a great addition to our school facilities.

On Friday 26 April, we will mark ANZAC Day with a special liturgy at 9am.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

We look forward to seeing you at Studio 54 tomorrow night.

Claire Tobin

Principal

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