Dear Parents,

Last week we saw so many examples of how we deepen our students' learning experience and enable our kids to shine and flourish in our care at St. Joseph’s school.

Our junior students participated in the Long Walk Indigenous excursion at Balnarring. The Bunjil nest project is such a wonderful connection for our students and community. Working with Balnarring Pre- school and other local schools and early learning centres is an example of how community works for the common good of all of the students in our area. Thank you to Leah Hogg our Indigenous specialist and the Prep and Bunjil communities for all they are doing in this most important area of our curriculum as we strive to always respect, recognise and celebrate our nation's first people.

I was privileged to to attend the Tidy Town state awards ceremony last Monday at Federation Square. It was such an inspirational night hearing all of the inspiring work people and community groups are doing to make a difference in the world around us. I am proud to announce that two of our Year 6 students were finalists in this years state awards in the young legends category. I am so proud of Maddie and Ava who continue to shine in their leadership. This is a highly competitive arena and to be nominated as finalists is a wonderful achievement. Congratulations to both girls! We are all so proud of you.

The junior Parish sports were held here at St. Joseph’s last Friday. It was such a wonderful community building event. Students from years Prep, 1 and 2 across our three Parish schools- St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s and St. Brendans participated in a tabloid of physical activities. Our year 5/6 students led the day and were absolutely brilliant displaying leadership skills above their years and inspiring all of the parents and community members who attended on the day. A huge thank you to Emily Reed our sensational Phys ed teacher who led the day and provided a safe, well organised and fun event for all.

Our year 3/4 learning community attended the Forest Edge camp in Neerim East and it was such a wow factor! What a beautiful environment for our students to explore and participate in many fun adventures. I attended the camp for some of the time and was so impressed with our staff and students. I take this opportunity to thank the following staff for supporting our students and giving up their family time to provide this wonderful learning experience- Megan, Dom, Kate, Rick, Sarah, Justine and Zoe thank you so much for all you did on camp.

Our Year 5 students went to Westernport Secondary College last Wednesday and participated in STEM activities. They had a great time and put all of their wonderful STEM skills into practice.

None of these activities would be possible without amazing staff supporting our students and going above and beyond to ensure every student has an opportunity to flourish and shine across a broad range of experiences. We are absolutely focussed on achieving the highest Literacy and Numeracy skills along with providing opportunity for every student to shine in their area of strength.

So Hats off to our staff. I am so proud to lead such a wonderful, dedicated and talented team and appreciate this significant work each and every staff member does. Don’t forget to send in a little thank you note of appreciation to staff who work with your child. Being a school with a culture of thanks and appreciation really builds a positive, inclusive and wonderful learning environment for every student to flourish.

Yours in Partnership,

Gab

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