Dear Parents and Guardians,

The end of Term Two has come upon us quickly. It is hard to believe that term finishes tomorrow!

My sincere thanks to the entire school community for your continued support and collaboration throughout the term. Our students have once again demonstrated commitment, resilience, and growth in their learning and personal development and we have enjoyed many wonderful gatherings and events that have strengthened our sense of community and celebrated our shared achievements.

Celebrating Learning Together

It was wonderful to see so many parents—and even some grandparents—visiting our open classrooms on Monday. I had the opportunity to spend time in most classes and was impressed by our students. They took great pride in sharing their learning and clearly enjoyed engaging with their families in this special setting.

We hope all our families enjoyed this opportunity to connect, celebrate learning, and experience the classroom environment alongside their children. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.

School Reports

We hope all families have had the opportunity to celebrate their children’s efforts and achievements over the past six months, as reflected in the Semester 1 reports. The process of updating our reporting format has been significant, and I sincerely thank all staff for their collaboration, moderation, and dedication in ensuring that reports provide clear and detailed information about student learning.

A special acknowledgement goes to Sarah for her leadership in managing these updates so effectively and for the support she provided to staff throughout the transition to the new report format.

Cross Country

Congratulations to Alexia A (SLA1) and Emily M (MLA2) for their wonderful efforts at the recent Regional Cross Country. Despite the challenging conditions, they represented St Joseph the Worker admirably and gave their very best on the day, achieving strong performances.

We are very proud of their efforts, as qualifying for and competing at the Zone level is a significant achievement. Well done to both students!

Staffing Updates

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have not received any applications for the classroom teacher position in MLA 1. As a result, we are currently progressing contingency planning for this role and will explore in-house staffing options to support MLA. We will provide an update to families as soon as arrangements are finalised. We understand that not yet knowing your child’s teacher can cause some uncertainty, and we want to reassure families that we are working diligently to resolve this as quickly as possible.

We extend a warm welcome to Linda Shoobert, who has commenced in the Physical Education and Health role following Vanessa’s transition to maternity leave. Linda began working with students last week, and we are confident she will be a positive addition to our school community.

On our return next term, Vivian and Nadia will be taking long service leave. Both will be travelling overseas, and we wish them a safe and enjoyable time away.

Au Revoir, Rhoe – With Gratitude and Best Wishes

We farewell Rhoe tomorrow and l would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her wonderful contribution to our school over the past three years. On behalf of our community, please accept our thanks and gratitude for your wonderful contributions to our school Rhoe. Your positive influence on student learning, coupled with your proactive, ‘can do’ approach and your consistent willingness to always support both staff and students, has been highly valued. We wish you every success and happiness in your new teaching role in Turkey.

Safe, Respectful and Responsible Communities

At St Joseph the Worker, we are committed to nurturing a safe, respectful and caring environment grounded in Gospel values. Through the example of Jesus, we guide our students to build positive relationships that honour the dignity of every person.

Creating a safe environment also means recognising that some behaviours—such as rough play, invading personal space, or unwanted contact—can cause discomfort, even if unintended. We encourage students to reflect on their actions by asking, “Am I behaving in a safe and respectful way?” Safety is not just about rules; it is about shared responsibility and making choices that ensure everyone feels secure and ready to learn.

Responsibility is developed through everyday habits that foster independence, reliability and consideration for others. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their belongings and actions, make positive choices, and contribute to their classroom and home environments. Families can support this by establishing routines, encouraging age-appropriate tasks, and modelling responsible behaviour.

Together, as staff, students and families, we play an important role in creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. Thank you for your ongoing partnership in helping our students grow as respectful, safe and responsible individuals.

Child Safe Standard 5 – Working in Partnership to ensure equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice

Child Safe Standard 5 is all about ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, identity, ability, or life experience feels safe, included, and supported in our school. It asks us to look closely at our policies, our practices our everyday interactions to make sure they genuinely uphold equity.

At its core, this standard reminds us that children experience safety differently. A child with a disability, a child from a culturally diverse background, a child who identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or a child who has experienced trauma may have different needs and different vulnerabilities. Standard 5 requires us to recognise those differences and respond thoughtfully, not just in theory but in the way we design programs, communicate with families, manage behaviour, and create learning environments.

It’s about shifting from treating everyone the same to, ensuring everyone gets what they need to be safe and thrive. That means removing barriers, listening deeply to children and families, and embedding inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible practices across the whole school.

When we do this well, we create a culture where every child feels seen, respected, and protected and where safety is not just a policy, but a lived experience.

Casual Clothes Day

Tomorrow, students can wear casual clothes to school. We ask students to donate a gold coin on this day to support Vivian in her education in Tanzania. St Joseph the Worker has a proud history of supporting students at the school of St Jude so that they can attend school and gain an education. Further information about the wonderful work of the School of St Jude can be found at https://www.schoolofstjude.org

This term staff have been donating a gold coin in lieu of wearing jeans to school on Fridays. We have raised over $338.10 update this to support Vivian. It has been a very worthwhile achievement knowing that we are also making a difference to the life of someone with limited opportunity to attend school.

School Fees

A gentle reminder to all families that two terms of fees should have already been paid unless you are paying by direct debit. It is essential that school fees and levies are paid on time to enable the school to meet its financial obligations. We are committed to providing quality Catholic Education to all Catholic families in our Parish and if at any stage you are finding it difficult to pay school fees, I ask that you contact our Bursar or myself immediately.

We will be contacting all families who have not made any payment this year as there are many outstanding fees owing at this time. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the office and make an appointment to see Marisa.

End of Term Thank You to Our Students

A big thank you to all our students for the wonderful effort and commitment you have shown this term. You have approached your learning with enthusiasm, resilience and a positive attitude.

By working together and taking care of one another, you have helped create a safe, supportive and engaging learning environment for everyone. We are very proud of the way you have supported each other and consistently given your best.

Well done and thank you for a fantastic term!

I would like to acknowledge and thank our dedicated staff for their collaborative efforts in keeping students engaged in classroom learning throughout the term. A rich range of experiences—including excursions, incursions, camp, sacramental celebrations, Mother’s Day events, online safety learning and sporting activities—has enhanced student engagement and enjoyment of school life.

Thank you to all staff for your professionalism and unwavering commitment to ensuring our students and their learning remain the priority.

As this is our last newsletter for the term, l wish everyone happy holidays and look forward to seeing you for Term 3 beginning on Monday 13th July 2026.

Pope Leo’s Prayer Intention – June

Pope Leo’s prayer intention for the month of June invites us to reflect on the important role of sport in our world. Let us pray that sport may be an instrument of peace, encounter and dialogue among cultures and nations, promoting values such as respect, solidarity and personal growth.

We also wish our Aussie Socceroos the very best of luck—may they play with great spirit, give their very best effort, and continue to inspire unity, teamwork and pride across our community.

We ask St Joseph the Worker to continue to bless and keep safe, our wonderful Parish and School Community.

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

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