Principal's News   

Principal’s News

It is with great joy and gratitude that I write my first newsletter as Principal of the St Joseph's School Community. I feel so incredibly blessed to have landed in such a warm and wonderful community. I have received the warmest welcome from the staff, students and families, and for this, I am truly grateful. 

Before starting the school year I had a thorough handover from your very loved previous principal Michelle Moore and from the wonderful Acting Principal Cathy Mason. I feel so grateful for the wealth of knowledge that they have handed over and I will do my best to honour them both as inspiring and amazing school leaders. I will continue the legacy of the great work they have achieved here at St Joseph's before me. I will do my best to make them and this school community proud as your new Principal.

A very warm welcome to the 2025 school year! It has been so wonderful to be at the gate each day welcoming families and children back to school over the last couple of weeks. I truly appreciate the warmth of the community and each of you taking the time to introduce yourselves and your families. Building relationships with each of you and getting to know you and your children is something that is very important to me. It will take me some time to get to know each of you and your names, so please bear with me.  I also appreciate the kind words of welcome that I have received through many emails. I have truly felt the warmth of this community that I have heard so many wonderful things about. The children have been an absolute joy to be around and parents you should be so proud of their kindness, confidence and the way so many of them have taken the time to introduce themselves and chat with me.

As a new school year starts,  a new journey begins. For our Prep children, it is a few small steps as they begin school, and for our Year 6’s, it is one giant leap as they enjoy their last year of primary school in readiness for secondary school. It has been so great to hear the buzz of learning in the classrooms and laughter of children in the playground as they commenced school last week. Staff spent many hours during the school break in preparation for the return of students, preparing their classrooms, resources and curriculum planning for the term ahead. As I have walked around visiting the children in their classrooms they have been very settled and happy, ready to commence another year of learning. It will take me some time, but I am beginning to learn the names of children as I move around the classrooms and chat with them in the playground. 

It is wonderful to begin the new year with many new families who have joined the school community at St Joseph's. This is a very exciting beginning as we journey together to support the wellbeing and learning of the children in our care. It is with great excitement that I welcome our new Prep children and their families to our school community. Our Prep students have settled in so wonderfully and are already beginning to feel right at home. It has been a joy to watch them build relationships with their teachers, make new friends and get into the rhythm of school life. It is so lovely to see them playing on the playground after school not wanting to head home in a hurry. This is a great start! We also warmly welcome our new students in other year levels... Molly & Harry, Harrison & Leo, Matilda, and Kayne and Kacey. We are so excited that you are now part of the St Joseph's community. 

Our AMAZING Preps!

Congratulations to our amazing Preps! What a great start to school life you have had! You should be so proud and I'm pretty sure your parents are pretty proud too! We look forward to sharing in your lives and inspiring you to be learners as you endeavour to reach your full potential as individuals who will flourish and enrich the world. 

And our AMAZING Prep Parents!

It was a morning of very mixed emotions for some of our Prep parents after drop off on the first day of school! I'm pretty sure we didn't have any tears from our Prep children but I may have spotted a tear or two from a couple of our Prep parents! It was so lovely to welcome you to our school with a special morning tea on the first day. A special thank you to Stacey Farrell our Transition Leader and Marta Cummings our Junior Leader for organising the lovely morning tea, and to a very generous past parent Shahan for preparing the beautiful gifts for you to keep as a reminder of your child's first day of school.

And a Special Shout Out to our Prep Teachers!

A special thank you to our Prep teachers for their incredible efforts in helping our youngest people settle into school life. While some children may take a little longer to separate from their families, we have been in awe of the calmness in the Prep space! Thank you to our very special Prep Teachers Niki Liolios and Luisa La Rosa. It takes very special teachers to have so much love and patience as little people begin their first days at 'big school'.

Beginning of the School Year Prayer

We pray for all leaders, teachers and staff in our school. 

May they be people of wisdom and courage. 

May they speak words of truth and love. 

May they be valued and respected. 

We pray for all students in our school. 

May they be people of peace and love. 

May they feel welcomed and included. 

May they be valued and respected. 

 We pray for all parents in our community. 

May they be people of hope and compassion. 

May they nurture and support their children in their faith journey. 

May they be valued and respected. 

For all these prayers and for those that are deep within our hearts, we pray. 

Amen

The Jubilee Year 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

This year, the The Holy Father Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year, something which happens every 25 years. The theme for Jubilee 2025 is 'Pilgrims of Hope' and it will be a year of hope for our world.

What is a Jubilee?

'Jubilee' is the name given to a particular year. It is a time to re-establish a relationship with God, with one another, and with all of Creation.

The Jubilee Year 2025 is an invitation to renew our faith and foster deeper connections with one another through strengthening our relationship with Christ. To help bring this Jubilee Year to life in every Catholic school, parish and wider Catholic community, MACS have launched the MACS Jubilee Year website. The site is a central way to engage throughout the year as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.

A Prayer for the Year of Hope:

Staff Professional Learning - School Closure Day

Last week on Tuesday, our staff began the year with a day of prayer, getting to know each other and professional learning. Teachers began to plan learning for the students for the term ahead. It was great way to begin our school year together as the staff of 2025.

Our Wonderful School Staff for 2025

It is very exciting to begin the journey at St Joseph's with the staff who work with passion, enthusiasm, dedication and a genuine love for the children in their care. I am also excited to welcome our new staff, who not only bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from their previous settings, but will add enormously to the nurturing, high-performing culture of our school and enrich the beautiful community that already exists here at St Joseph’s. 

This year we welcome: 

• Wendy Martin  - Year 1 Class Teacher
• Zoe D’Intini  - Year 1 Class Teacher
• Grace Harrick - Year 4 Class Teacher
• David Prowse - Year 4 Class Teacher
• Wendy D’Arco - Performing Arts Teacher

This year we also have a slight change to our leadership structure:

• Annabelle Marinelli - Principal
• Dean Butler - Deputy Principal and Learning Leader: Numeracy
• Amanda Jackson - Learning Leader: Literacy
• Donnella DeVisser - Religious Education Leader
• Stacey Farrell - Learning Diversity Leader
• Georgina Carman - Wellbeing Leader
• Marta Cummings - Junior Leader
• Clare Smith - Senior Leader

I am extremely grateful for knowledge and support of Dean Butler our Deputy Principal and the wonderful leadership team, who have expertise in their specific areas of responsibility as well as a passion for leading the learning and ensuring that the wellbeing needs of our children are their highest priority.

Our Full Staff List for 2025:

Class Information

Last Friday the teachers sent out an overview of learning for the term which you would have received on the Class Dojo's. In this week's newsletter you will find a copy of this for your reference.

Beginning of the Year School Mass

Last Friday we celebrated as a faith community and began the year with our whole School Mass. We extend a special and heartfelt thank you to our Parish Priest Fr Michael Gallacher who celebrated the Mass along with the Parish's four seminarians. It was a beautiful celebration to begin our school year together. We thank the many families who attended the Mass with us, it was lovely to see so many of you join us. Our Year 6 School Leaders received their school badges and certificates as a sign of their leadership throughout the year. Our school staff also received a special blessing from Fr Gallacher. We are honoured to have the special responsibility of inspiring the young people in our care. A special thank you to our Religious Education Leader Donnella DeVisser for preparing the children and organising this beautiful Mass for us all.

Meet our School Leaders for 2025 

We congratulate Callum Wilson and Bridget Buick on being elected as the School Captains for 2025! 

We look forward to them leading our school and taking on some special responsibilities throughout the year. They are very excited about being positive role models for the younger students at St Joseph's and they will wear their badges with pride, honouring our school values of Strength and Kindliness. 

You will hear more from them each week through the Captain's Corner Page in the fortnightly newsletter.

Parent Information Sharing Meetings

There was a great buzz in the classrooms and art room yesterday afternoon/evening as parents engaged in conversation with teachers about their child at the Parent Information Sharing Meetings. I hope these meetings gave you an opportunity to share important information about your child... their routines, strengths and talents, and their wellbeing and learning needs. There was a lot of positive talk as parents left the school as to how happy and settled their children are and how grateful they are for everything that the teachers are doing to create a space in their classrooms for the children to flourish as learners and individuals.

Parents and FriendsMeeting

Last night that was a buzz of excitement and energy as the room filled with parents who are keen to lead our school as part of the St Joseph's Parents and Friends Association for 2025.

The purpose of the P&F is to support the school and its priorities for the year. In communication with the principal and leadership team, the P&F organises social events throughout the year to build a sense of community and a feeling of connectedness within the school. All funds raised go to improving the school environment and/or purchasing resources, which, in turn, directly benefits students’ learning and wellbeing.

The P&F welcomes all parents and encourages you to become involved. Being a member of the P&F is a rewarding and enjoyable way of being involved in our school community. It offers the opportunity to meet school families, make new friends across various year levels and contribute to the vibrant St Joseph’s community. Most importantly, involvement in the P&F benefits your child/children.

From the bottom of my heart I thank each and very member of our community who put their hand up to be part of the P&F for 2025. I am very excited to work with you and I look forward to the exciting events that you have planned for 2025!

Our P&F for 2025...

Family Welcome Picnic- Organised by the P&F

Next Thursday 13th February, our amazing P&F will be organising a Family Picnic for all of our families. 

The afternoon will begin with Kaboom Sports for all of the children. This will run from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. The children will participate in their class groups and will be supervised by their class teachers. 

After Kaboom Sports all families will be invited to gather for a picnic from 4:30pm to 6pm in the school grounds. Parents are asked to supervise their children from 4:30pm onwards. There will be a sausage sizzle and icy-poles available for purchase and you are invited to BYO drinks. 

More information to come next week from the P&F. We are very excited about this first event for 2025 and extend this invitation to our whole school community. It is a great way for you and your children to get to know each other!

Swimming Trials

This week two wonderful teachers who have a true passion for sport Tanya Huebner and Christie Birch organised for the children in Years 3 to 6 to take place in the swimming trials for Dendy Swimming. We commend all of the children who put their hand up to participate and congratulate the children who have made the team.  I would especially like to mention students Callum and Max who went out of their way to show kindness and leadership to other children at the trials. We had many parents take the time to call and write emails about the wonderful school spirit that these children demonstrated. It is always so heartwarming to hear about this kind of school spirit and leadership!

Hockey Clinics

A special thank you to Christie Birch who organised hockey clinics for all children from Prep to Year 6 as part of their Sport lessons this week. The children learnt a lot of new hockey skills and had a lot of fun!

St Joseph's 2025 Concession Fee Policy

In line with our Concessional Fee Policy (which is available on the school website), discounted fees are available for families experiencing financial difficulty (including those on an eligible HCC). Any family who is experiencing difficulties in meeting their financial commitments or wishing to discuss alternate fee payment arrangements for 2025, is asked to arrange an appointment with the principal. Please do not hesitate to make a time to see me if this applies to you.

Reminders

As the warm weather continues and the UV levels are very high, it is timely to remind everyone that hats must be worn during the warmer months. It is helpful for the children to apply their sunscreen before school and again before going out to play. It is important that we all remember to be SunSmart.

Staying connected....

We are active partners in the education of your children and we invite you to be involved by sharing your thoughts and any concerns you may have with us. In this way we are able to provide the best possible learning environment for your child and we can work together to inspire in each student a sense of confidence, resilience and responsibility to be the best they can be. 

If at any time you have any concerns or worries about your child's learning, friendships or wellbeing, please do not hesitate to have a chat with your child's teacher as your first point of contact. If you have other concerns please feel free to touch base with our wonderful admin team, a member of school leadership or myself. For more serious concerns, please contact the office to make an appointment to see me, alternatively, you can contact me directly via email.

I look forward to getting to know each of you, your families and your child/children across the year. 

With great excitement for the year ahead, and with gratitude in my heart, I wish you all a wonderful weekend with your beautiful families.

With the warmest regards and blessings to you all,

Annabelle Marinelli

Principal 

annabelle.marinelli@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au