Week 1, Term 2

We sincerely hope you all enjoyed a restful break and Easter. It’s been wonderful to see our students, families (perhaps not quite refreshed, but definitely happy to have the kids back at school!), and staff return with renewed energy and enthusiasm for what promises to be a fantastic Term 2.

It should come as no surprise that we have launched into the term with great energy! Coupled with our rigirous English and Mathematics program, there is a breadth of opportunities on offer for our students in Term 2 – Cross Country, Year 6 Leadership initiatives, a Martial Arts workshop, Interschool Soccer, Year 3 and 4 First Aid sessions, guest speakers, along with a range of excursions and incursions. These experiences add real depth to school life and complement what is happening in the classroom each day. We are very grateful to our staff, who continue to give generously of their time and energy to make these opportunities possible for our students.

Importantly, all classes have settled quickly back into their structured learning routines, beginning with our literacy and numeracy blocks – a strong and consistent start across the school. Many classes have also commenced new Topic units of work, with students engaging positively with new learning and demonstrating a readiness to participate, contribute and challenge themselves. It has been a calm, focused and purposeful return to learning. We love to see it!

Wobble, Wobble, Jelly on the Plate!

Our Prep students have been delighting in their exploration of new vocabulary, recently focusing on the word “wobble.” Bringing this learning to life, they made jelly and observed firsthand how it moves and changes. This hands-on experience sparked great excitement and curiosity, with students making connections between language and the world around them in a fun and memorable way.

P-2 Rickett's Point Excursion

Our Prep to Year 2 students recently enjoyed a wonderful excursion to Ricketts Point, with an impressive 142 students taking part. As part of their Term 2 Geography unit, students engaged in the “I Sea Changes” program, exploring sandy beaches, rock pools and coastal habitats.

Through a range of hands-on activities, they investigated marine life, considered how human actions impact the environment, and developed practical ways to care for these important natural spaces. It was a rich and engaging day of learning, with students demonstrating curiosity, teamwork and a genuine commitment to protecting our environment.

Thank you to the following parent helpers, Tom, Anita, Molly, Sanchia, Abi, Victoria, Rosie, Sarah, Lauren and Georgie. And, of course, our superstar Junior Teaching Team - Elly, Plaxy, Courtney, Meg, Alice, Heather and Hannah!

ANZAC Day Liturgy

Thanks to our wonderful Year 4 students for their reverent ANZAC Day liturgy this morning. Our students sat so still and were so respectful, you honestly could have heard a pin drop. As part of our liturgy, the Year 4 students shared prayers and the history of ANZAC Day. Well done to our Year 4s, and their teachers Miss Freeman and Mr Hayes, on leading a wonderful tribute.

Parents and Friends Update

Our Term 2 meeting for the P&F will be held on Tuesday April 28 at 6.30pm in the school staff room. All parents are welcome to attend this meeting and we ask our Class Reps make a special effort to be in attendance, please. The main agenda item we will be discussing is the Parent Social Event for later in Term 2.

Mother's Day Stall & Breakfast

The Mother's Day Stall will be held on Friday May 1st and we thank our Year 5 P&F Parent Representative's, Liana, Tara and Molly, plus helpers, for sourcing items for sale and running the stall on the day. Students are to bring $10 on Friday to purchase items with their siblings. Please speak to your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions.

The Mother's Day Breakfast will be held on Friday May 8th from 7.45am, hosted by our Year 3 P&F Parent Representatives - Steph, Cara, Lauren, Emma and many other Year 3 parent volunteers. Our Year 1 students have prepared a special assembly, which will be presented at 9am in the atrium. We hope to see lots of our beautiful Mums and special friends at school, so we can celebrate you, and all that you do.

School Uniform

In our efforts to maintain a consistent and fair approach to our practices and policies, we remind all families that children need to adhere to the school uniform policy. In the first two weeks back, students can wear either the full summer uniform or the full winter uniform. A list of uniform expectations can be found on our school website (scroll down for Uniform).

The navy straight shorts and navy culottes are part of our winter uniform, for those students who dislike wearing trousers (even in the colder months!).

Families are asked to not mix and match the Winter and Summer uniform styles (i.e. tights cannot be worn with summer dresses).

Should the warmer weather be forecast to continue into May, we will extend the option of wearing the summer uniform. This will be communicated via your child's classroom teacher.

Sacramental Dates

We have settled on dates for our Sacramental programs in Years 3, 4 and 6 - please see some of the confirmed dates below. We look forward to coming together to support the students in the lead up to these special occasions.

Friday May 14th - Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation retreat day (students only, at school)

Friday May 22nd, 1.45pm - Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation, St Joseph's Church

Wednesday June 17th, 6pm - Year 6 Confirmation Family Faith Night with Father Elio Capra

Date TBC by the Episcopal Vicar - Year 6 Confirmation Retreat Day (students only, at school)

Wednesday July 29th, 5pm - Year 6 Sacrament of Confirmation Mass, St Joseph's Church

Friday October 23rd - Year 4 Sacrament of Eucharist retreat day (students only, at school)

Thursday October 29th, 5.30pm - Year 4 Sacrament of Eucharist, St Joseph's Church

Winter Sport Opportunities

Run Club began this morning for our Years 3-6 students at Harleston Park. Run Club, pioneered by Miss Dusting, is designed to encourage participation in sport and enjoyment of exercise. Training will be hosted every Friday by Miss Dusting and Miss Mand, with various other trachers popping down to support the successful running of the morning. For comfort and ease of running, students who attend Run Club can wear their full PE uniform.

Next Thursday, approximately 150 students from Years 3-6 will compete in the Dendy Cross Country competition at Bald Hill Park. Students who progress through to the Beachside Competition will be racing on Tuesday May 26th.

On Friday afternoons during Term Two, our Year 6 students will play football or netball against other schools from our local area. Students are welcome to play either sport, with Mr Jansson coaching the netball team and Mr Sandler coaching the football team. When playing 'home' games, netball will be played at school and football will be played at Princes Park Oval in Caulfield. Families are always welcome to attend the games to watch and cheer. Our 6s played their first games today against St Mary's Primary School, Hampton. Next week is a home game against St Joan of Arc, Brighton.

Our Year 6 girls will also compete in a single day of football competition against other local schools, with the aim of promoting the importance of team sports. This will take place on Thursday May 21st. What started as an informal competition between a few schools has blossomed into a formal competition supported by our regional Sporting network, Dendy. We are simply thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for our girls!

Finally, on Tuesday June 2nd some of our Year 6 students will play Interschool Soccer against other schools from our local area in a 'round-robin' style competition at Caulfield Park. These exciting winter sport opportunities are a testament to the strong sporting program we have at St Joseph's, and we sincerly thank Mr Sandler for the incredible amount of work he does in his capacity as PE Teacher and Sports Coordinator.

Dogs at School

For the safety of all students, staff, and families, we remind our families that 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.

School Assemblies

School assemblies are held on Fridays in the atrium at 9am. Families are always welcome and encouraged to attend. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, announcements from students and teachers, awards and birthday acknowledgements. Please see the scheduled for class items below.

Week & Date	Assembly Item
2 - May 1	Awards and Birthdays
3 - May 8	Year 1CM & 1MW - Mother's Day
4 - May 15	No Assembly, Mass at 10am
5 - May 22	Year 2AN
6 - May 29	Year 6 ES & Year 6JJ
7 - June 5	School Closure Day
8 - June 12	Prep ED & Prep PN
9 - June 19	Open Learning Session - No Assembly
10 - June 26	Awards and Birthdays

Little Gems

Congratulations to James (Year 1), and his sister Sophie and her friend Kiera (Year 5) who ran a bake sale last term to raise money for Project Compassion. From all reports they did such a great job and talked to lots of their customers about Project Compassion and Caritas.

Edward (Year 1) played on the MCG at half-time in the Hawthorn v Geelong game and even kicked a goal! Well done, Edward!

Prep ED visited Mr Daffy to see their artworks, which are proudly displayed in the Deputy Principal office.

Thank you, everyone, for making our first week back so successful! We are looking forward to another fulfilling fortnight, with lots to celebrate, including the very special Prep 2027 sibling interviews, Dendy Cross Country, the Year 5/6 MiniBoss Incursions and the Mother's Day.

Warmest regards,

Claire Tobin | Principal

Elwood College