Week 1, Term 4

Welcome back!

We have a lot to share this week - enjoy.

Dear parents and carers,

There was such a lovely feeling around the school this week, as our students returned for their first day of Term 4. Sharing stories of their holiday adventures; it appears that all families (and staff) had a much needed and well-deserved holiday, in readiness for the exciting term ahead.

Traditionally, Term 4 is a transitional period for our students, as they prepare to move up to the next year level and even on to Year 7. For many of us, it's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown, in particular, for our soon to be departing Year 6s. It only seems like yesterday they were in Prep! We look forward to celebrating their journey at St Joseph's this term, in addition to planning their Graduation, 'Big Day Out' and final assembly. The Year 6 assembly on the last day of the school year is always a show-stopper, so be sure to mark Tuesday 17th December, 12pm in your diaries.

As we settle back into the routines of school life, we take this opportunity to remind families to closely monitor the fatigue levels of the students, particularly with the desire to stay up later as a result of daylight savings. In addition to the enriching academic program planned for Term 4, students will also undergo extensive and rigorous assessment to review their academic progress and track student growth. We know that students respond best when they are well rested and settled, so we welcome your support with this.

HOLT District Athletics Day

Congratulations to the Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students who participated in the District Athletics Competition on Monday! Not only did they come home with the prized silverware (yay!) but also the manner in which they conducted themselves was exemplary. We have 32 students progressing through to the Beachside Athletics day on Tuesday 15th October.

We send a special mention of thanks to Miss Dusting, Mr Jansson, Mr Cody and Mr Hartney for their dedication to the Wednesday morning Run Club. They trained with the students every week to prepare them for the athletics events and it has been a really wonderful community event. Due to the popularity of the program, Run Club will continue this term.

We received a beautiful email following the success of the day:

Just wanted to drop a quick note to say a huge thanks Claire D, Tom, Peadar and Jack in particular, for all the support and preparation you put into our kids ahead of District Aths. Thank you for running with them, leading by example and making yourselves available outside of school hours on Wed mornings for the kids - we are so grateful! It was wonderful to see how much they were beaming - The amount of ribbons I saw and the results on the track yesterday were an added bonus!

Grandparent's Day - Friday 18th October

We are delighted to once again host our much-loved Grandparent's and Special Friends Day. The schedule for the day will be as follows:

9:15am: Gates open for arrival.

9:45am: Assembly hosted by our Year Five students.

10:15am: Classroom visits and morning tea.

11:30am: Grandparents and Special Friends Day concludes.

Please RSVP to the Grandparents Day on Operoo for catering purposes and contact the school on 9528 1614 if you have any questions.

Classes - 2025

It is that time of the year again where our teachers have begun to organise the classes for 2025. This is a highly structured process, reviewing the academic, emotional, social and behavioural needs of all students, to determine the most effective class dynamic.

To support this process, teachers will ask children to name friends they will work well with for the following year. Students will also be reminded to consider friends from the other class in this process. The aim being for each child to have one (1) nominated friend in their class next year. Teachers work closely with School Leadership to arrange these classes, with the final decision resting with the Principal.

We know our families trust the professionalism of staff to meet the needs of all students, and we remind parents to direct specific 'educational' requests to the Principal only (not classroom teacher). Your understanding and support with this is appreciated.

2025 Prep Orientation

We are excitedly preparing to welcome our 2025 Prep families and students for the Orientation program. The orientation program is an exciting and enriching experience, as the children transition from a small Kindergarten setting to a larger, more vibrant school setting.

For our new (and not so new) Prep parents, we look forward to welcoming you on Tuesday 29th October at 6.30pm. This information evening is a wonderful opportunity to meet new families, teachers and key staff who will work with your children next year. Our orientation sessions are as follows:

Session #1: 9.30 - 10.30am, Thursday 7th November. Parents are asked to stay onsite for this session. Tea and coffee will be available. We will also hold a second hand uniform stall on this day.
Session #2: 9.30 - 11am, Thursday 14th November. Parents drop and go.
Session #3: 9.30 - 11.30am, Thursday 21st November. Parents drop and go, please include snacks and drink bottle for this session.

Summer Uniform

As of Week 3, all students need to be wearing their full (correct) summer uniform. A school hat must be worn at break times, with a strict 'no hat, no play' rule applying. Students are required to apply their own sunscreen, as staff are not permitted to do so. Sunscreen is available for the children in each classroom and we encourage families to please apply before school.

Correct school shoes and socks must be worn and we remind students and families, when purchasing new school shoes for next year, black Asics or Nike runners are not part of the regular school uniform. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

First Eucharist

It was wonderful to see the Year 4 students and their parents attend the First Eucharist evening on Tuesday night. We are incredibly grateul for the commitment shown by our parents, as their child prepares for this very special Sacrament. We thank Miss Dillon, Miss Wilkinson and Miss Crawley for supporting the children and Father Elio Capra for facilitating this very special evening at school.

School Fees

Term 4 school fee statements were sent out this week. We kindly request that all families with outstanding account balances settle their payments at their earliest convenience. In the event that you did not receive your fee statement as anticipated, please reach out to Moira (mmckinnis@sjelst.catholic.edu.au). Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Staff News

It was communicated to our Prep A families last term that Miss Adriana Aloi will be finishing up at St Joseph's at the end of next week (Friday 18th). She is moving to work in the Education Department at the Richmond Football Club, in partnership with Swinburne University. Miss Aloi has made a significant impact on our students and wider community, and her presence will be greatly missed by us all. We look forward to celebrating and sending her off in style on Friday next week.

We are delighted that Miss Clare Lavelle will stay in Prep A until the end of the year, working with Miss Mclean and Mrs Quitt.

Little Gems

Congratulations to Sanchia and Warren on the arrival of baby Sienna! Little sister to Mason (Year 2) and Presley. She is gorgeous.

Jasmine (Year 3) showed off her new family puppy, Bruce, much to the excitement of the students - and several staff.

Thank you to Leanne Veli and Tim Mackay for stepping in on Friday afternoon to coach the Year 6 cricket teams. The 2 teams are competing on Friday 18th October. This is the first time we are entering cricket teams into an interschool competition, which is really exciting for us. Thank you to Mr Hartney for facilitating this initiative for our students.

Make sure you read all about the P-2 excursion to the Aquarium today (yes, they all saw Pesto the baby Penguin!)

Thank you for such a wonderful first week back. It has certainly set the tone for a successful term ahead.

Have a lovely week,

Claire Tobin

Principal

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