Principal News

Week 1, Term 4 - Welcome back! 

Dear parents and carers, 

There has been such a lovely feeling around the school this week as our students returned for 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 and final term of 2026. 

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 with Miss Nardella and Miss Bierman! 

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 December 15, 12pm in your diaries. 

It’s also shaping up to be a busy term with plenty to look forward to. Please take a moment to subscribe to our Google Calendar and check the Key Dates page for school events including the Year 3 Camp, Prep 2027 Orientation, Christmas Carols, Italian Day, Year 1-3 swimming program, Year 4 Camp and Year 5 Camp, just to name a few. 

Prep 2027 - Orientation Program

We are preparing to welcome our Prep 2027 families and students for their Orientation program. This is always 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 for our Parent Information Evening on Tuesday October 20 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: 

• Wednesday October 28 | Orientation Session 1 | 9.30am – 11.00am
• Wednesday November 4 | Orientation Session 2 | 9.30am – 11.00am
• Wednesday November 11 | Orientation Session 3 | 9.30am – 11.00am

For each Orientation session, parents are asked to drop their children at the Prep classrooms and return at 11.00am. Children may wear casual clothes and should bring a small healthy snack, drink bottle and hat for each session. A second hand uniform stall will be open on Wednesday November 11 for parents to purchase items. 

Beachside Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to the students for their efforts at the Beachside Athletics Carnival today. The competition at this level is incredibly tough and our students did so well - not only competing at an elite level, but also demonstrating excellent 'fair play' and grace under pressure. Mr Sandler returned to school full of praise for the students and we could not be more proud of them. 

Congratulations go to Lewis (Year 6) who came first in long jump - an incredible achievement! He will now progress through to the Regional Finals. 

Principal for the Day - Henry 

Congratulations to Henry for his exceptional leadership today, as he took charge for Principal for the Day! We had such a great time, and he thoroughly enjoyed being Principal. 

Below is a short recount of his day. 

I loved being Principal for the Day because I got to talk into the microphone at assembly and go to important business meetings with Mrs Tobin and Mrs Harrison! After assembly, we walked to Carter Lovett for a business breakfast. I had pancakes with maple syrup and berries and a mango smoothie. Yum! Then we went to an SRC meeting with Mrs Harrison where we talked about the new playground. Then we visited all of the classrooms to hand out stickers. After that, we took Atlas and Tommy to Will’s Batch for a special treat. Being Principal was the best!

Star of the Sea Captains 

I am delighted to let you know that following former students of St Joseph's Elsternwick have been elected as Captains at Star of the Sea College for 2027. 

Ave Art & Design Captain - Willow McFarlane

College SRC Captain - Caitlin McGann

Stella Faith & Liturgy - Lucy Shepherd (older sister of Alfie, Year 2)

This is a wonderful achievement for these students and a reflection of the leadership qualities, commitment and contribution they have demonstrated throughout their time at Star, and, of course, St Joseph's!. 

Grandparents' & Special Friends

We are preparing to host our very special Grandparents' Day on Friday October 16. This day is always such a highlight for our community and we look forward to welcoming many grandparents, parents and special friends for the morning. Thank you to our Year 1 P&F Parent Reps for coordinating the morning tea. 

The schedule will be as follows:

• 9:15am Gates open for arrival

• 9:45am Assembly hosted by our Year 5 students

• 10:15am Students and grandparents can tour the classrooms and school, with morning tea served (served outside, weather depending)

• 11:15am Morning tea concludes 

New Playground Update 

We are excited to share the latest update on our new playground! The plans below show the new play equipment and the astroturf that will replace the existing wet-pour rubber surface.

Our SRC students had the important task of voting on the colour scheme, and their selections look simply fantastic. The example below provides an indication of how the chosen colours will look when the playground is complete. Most importantly, the students are delighted that it will continue to be known as the “Blue Playground”!

This wonderful project has been fully funded by our P&F, and we extend our sincere thanks for their extraordinary generosity and support. We are incredibly grateful to the P&F committee, our parent volunteers and every family who has supported their fundraising activities. This new playground is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through the generosity of our school community, and it will benefit our students for many years to come.

Installation is scheduled for late November, with an official opening to take place during our assembly on Friday, December 4. We look forward to celebrating this exciting new addition to our school with the community. 

Gold Polo Uniform Transition

Term 4 marks our final term of wearing the gold polo, before we move exclusively to the blue school shirt in 2027. We are now accepting donations of clean, pre-loved gold polos in good condition. 

The school is exploring a range of recycling and donation options to ensure uniforms that can no longer be used within our community are put to good use. Please do not throw away wearable gold polos. Further information about collection and recycling arrangements will be shared soon so please stay tuned. 

Year 6 families who do not have younger siblings at the school are encouraged to donate their blue shirts to the P&F at the end of the year. These shirts will be prioritised for our current Year 5 families to use when their children commence Year 6 next year.

Term 4 Assemblies

Families and special friends are always welcome to attend our school assemblies. We begin at 9am and conclude at approximately 9.30am. 

2027 School Closure Days

Under the new EBA, schools are anticipating four additional closure days for staff in 2027. We recognise that these mandated days will affect families and, where possible, we have scheduled these alongside long weekends, public holidays and existing school breaks to minimise disruption. The proposed dates, along with the confirmed 2027 Term Dates, will be shared with families in the coming days to assist with planning for next year. We thank you in advance for your understanding and support.

Prep 2028 Enrolments

Enrolments for new and current families for 2028 are now open. We require all current families to please ensure they submit a sibling application for 2028 prior to Friday 26 March 2027 to ensure a placement in our Prep intake for 2028. The enrolment application form can be found on our website here. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any queries. 

Good Luck, Miss Mand! 

We send our very best wishes to Miss Mand, who is overseas this week to compete in the Chicago Marathon. This is an incredible achievement, and we wish her every success as she takes on this exciting challenge. Good luck, Miss Mand - the whole St Joseph’s community will be cheering you on!

Morning Drop-Off and Supervision Reminder

A reminder that the school is open for student drop-off from 8.30 am, when staff supervision begins. Please note that the school does not provide supervision or assume duty of care for students who arrive before this time. Students who arrive early because an older or younger sibling is participating in a before-school sporting activity must remain with the sporting group and its supervising adult. They should not be left unattended or move around the school grounds unsupervised.

Dogs at School

For the safety of all students, staff, and families, dogs are not permitted inside school buildings at any time. If you walk your dog to or from school, please ensure it is securely tied up outside, away from the foyer and/or main doors. On school property, dogs must remain on a leash and under the control of an adult at all times - children are not permitted to hold the leash or walk dogs around the playground before or after school.

Student Mobile Phones / Smart Watches

We ask families to remind their children that all mobile phones and Smart Watches (i.e. any device with cellular capacity) are to be handed in to the classroom teacher at the beginning of each school day. This aligns with the Victorian State Government Legislation. Parents who need to contact their child can do so by contacting the school office and a message will be passed on. 

Term 4 School Uniform

We will have a two week grace period at the start of Term 4, to allow the students to transition into their full summer uniform. There are strictly no variations to the school uniform e.g. non-school hat, alternative sock colours, sneakers.  School hats and sunscreen must be worn and "no hat, no play" will apply. Sunscreen must be applied before school, and students are responsible for reapplication throughout the day. From Week 3 onwards students must be in full summer uniform. 

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 please contact Fiona Scammell fscammell@sjelst.catholic.edu.au. 

Martial Arts Grading

Congratulations to these students who successfully completed their grading at the end of Term 3! We are very proud of you and your achievements. 

Congratulations to our wonderful school community on a stellar first week back at the best school in Melbourne!

A reminder to families that there will be no school on Monday, November 2. Together with the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday on Tuesday, November 3, this will give our students a four-day long weekend. 

See you all next week. 

Warmest, 

Claire Tobin

Principal