Principal
Most Rev Rene Ramirez RCJ
Bishop of Sandhurst
On Thursday I joined around 1800 people at Sacred Heart Cathedral Bendigo for the installation of Bishop Rene Ramirez RCJ as the 9th Bishop of Sandhurst. It was a beautiful celebration. We pray for Bishop Rene and welcome him to our diocese.
Strong results across two-year levels at St Joseph’s School Benalla!
Our 2026 NAPLAN results include two achievements worth celebrating:
-Over 82% of Year 3 students achieved at Strong or Exceeding levels in Writing
-Over 80% of Year 5 students achieved at Strong or Exceeding levels in Reading
These results reflect the steady work taking place in classrooms to strengthen literacy through clear, evidence-informed teaching. They are an encouraging sign of students building the skills and confidence they need for learning across the curriculum.
100 Days for Foundation children
We had a wonderful day celebrating this achievement. Thank you staff and families for making this a special occasion for the children.
Principal announcement
As communicated before the end of Term 2, I will continue on as Principal of St Joseph's beyond the end of 2026. I am very excited about this, and I hope to work with all parties in continuing the great educational legacy of St Joseph's in the Benalla community.
There was a media announcement via the Ensign and social media during the week.
Media click media for a snippet of the article or buy Wednesday's Ensign.
Enrolments
ENROLMENTS remain OPEN in a majority of year levels for 2026.
If you have a child starting in 2027, PLEASE ENROL NOW. We have started finalising classes for 2027. All schools in our system will finalise school budgets by August. This includes staffing requirements and class numbers.
CELEBRATING 150 years
Opportunities to be part of this celebration
Sunday 25th October -2:00pm Thanksgiving Mass
Next Pupil Free Day Wednesday 5th August
I will be on sick leave for the next 1-2 weeks for minor surgery. I am ok, maybe it is old age!
David Keenan (Principal)