St Joseph the Worker Primary School

A Message from the Principal 

Dear Families,

 

Welcome to Term 4 – I hope everyone had a restful and well-deserved break and are looking forward to our last term for 2025.

 

Term 4 is a very busy term, where there are many events to mark the transitions to the next phase of our students’ learning journeys.   In coming weeks, we have our Grandparents Day, we will be welcoming our 2026 Prep students for orientation, enjoying Athletics Day at Meadowglen, participating in the Colour Fun Run, preparing to celebrate our Carols and farewelling our Year 6 students. There is a lot to look forward to, and l encourage everyone to check the calendar to ensure you are aware of important dates this term.

 

Exciting News: Opening of Our Dadirri Space and Renovated Sports Facilities

We are thrilled to announce the official opening of our wonderful Dadirri space, along with our newly renovated basketball courts and running track, on Tuesday, 21st October.

To mark this special occasion, we invite parents to join us for a ceremony at 9:30am.             Further details will be shared with families early next week.

This is a significant milestone for our school community. The refurbishment of our basketball courts and running track has been a long and carefully managed process to ensure they are truly fit for purpose for our students; the final result is impressive.

The Dadirri space is a particularly meaningful addition. It has been a collaborative project, made possible through a grant from the City of Darebin, successfully applied for by Rosa Adorno.             

Rosa worked closely with our students to design the space and the school provided additional funding to bring their shared vision to life.

I am extremely grateful to Rosa and our students for their fabulous work in bringing their design to life. Rosa has generously contributed many hours of her own time to ensure this space will support our students to connect with nature.

Dadirri is a spiritual practice of deep listening, reflection and connection to Country.            It builds connection and wellbeing. This space will be a living expression of those values within our school, enriching our learning and supporting our commitment to being stewards of creation; caring for the environment we live in.

We look forward to celebrating this exciting moment with our school community!

 

SLA Camp Preparations Underway

Our SLA staff are busy preparing for camp at Coastal Forest Lodge in Angelsea, which is just a few weeks away! Camp is a valuable and enriching part of our student learning journey. It offers students the chance to share experiences with their friends, try new things and grow in confidence and independence.

We know how much students benefit from participating in camp and we’re looking forward to another memorable and rewarding experience for everyone involved.

 

Planning for the 2026 School Year

Planning is already underway for the 2026 school year. If your family is relocating and your child will not be attending St Joseph the Worker next year, please email Michele as soon as possible.

It’s important that we work together to ensure a smooth transition, so please include the name of the school your child will be moving to. This helps us prepare the necessary transfer documents and support your child’s next steps.

 

Prep Orientation Sessions – Welcoming Our 2026 Families

We are looking forward to welcoming back all our 2026 Prep families next week for our first round of orientation sessions. These sessions are a wonderful opportunity for children and families to continue building familiarity with our school environment and community.

Please note the upcoming dates:

  • Prep Orientation Day One: Thursday, 16th October
  • Prep Orientation Day Two: Thursday, 6th November

We can’t wait to see you there!

 

Working Together to Minimise Disruptions

We kindly ask families to avoid picking up students early unless it’s for an emergency or an unavoidable appointment. Early pickups interrupt learning and can be disruptive for both students and staff.

Often there are many interruptions during the day, including lunch drop-offs and unscheduled pickups. While we understand that things come up from time to time, frequent disruptions impact student learning and interrupt teachers during valuable classroom time. Learning time is precious, it’s when students are most engaged, focused and building important skills. We want to protect that time as much as possible.

 

3 Way Conversations

Special thanks to families for attending 3 Way Conversations at the end of last term. It is so important that you know your child’s teacher and that they know you! When parents work in partnership with the school, student learning is enhanced. The information and insights you provide, further assists teachers in meeting your child’s needs and supporting them as a person and as a learner. At St Joseph the Worker, we value the role of parents and families as the first, most important and continuing educators of their children. It is a privilege for us to join and work with you to provide a positive learning environment and the best opportunities in knowledge and faith, to support your child's growth in their learning journey. 

 

Being Responsible: Making good choices and taking ownership of your words and actions

At St Joseph the Worker, we believe that every student has the right to learn and feel safe.

This term, we are focusing on what it means to be responsible for ourselves, for others and for our learning. 

Being responsible means making good choices, even when no one is watching. It means thinking about how our actions affect others and doing our part to make our school a safe and respectful place for everyone.

 

When we take responsibility:

  • We help protect learning time for ourselves and our classmates.
  • We show respect for others by using kind words and actions.
  • We own our mistakes and learn from them.
  • We choose to do what’s right, even when it’s hard.

  • We support each other by working together and helping everyone feel included.

     

Responsibility isn’t just about following rules, it’s about doing the right thing because we care about our school, our friends and ourselves.

Together—students, teachers and families—we can build a learning environment where everyone feels safe, supported and ready to grow and learn.

 

Respecting Confidentiality and Dignity in Our Classrooms

As part of the MACS Volunteer Code of Conduct, we remind all volunteers that confidentiality within the classroom must be respected at all times.

 

This means:

  • We do not discuss what we see or hear in the classroom with others outside the school.
  • We do not make comments about a student’s behaviour, effort, or learning.
  • We respect the dignity of every child, understanding that each student is unique and deserves privacy and care.

  • We remember that Christ is our inspiration and everything we do is guided by His example of love, compassion and respect.

     

By maintaining confidentiality, we help create a safe, trusting and respectful environment for all students and staff.

 

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our school community.

 

May St Joseph the Worker bless you and watch over you and your family at this time. 

 

Kind regards,

 

 

 

Maria Barnes

Principal