Principal News

Dear families, 

Thank you to the many families who have already taken the time to contribute to our 2027 Community Consultation Survey. I am incredibly grateful for the thoughtful feedback received and for the strong engagement of our community as we continue planning for 2027 and beyond.

The survey will remain open until August 21, and I encourage families who have not yet had the opportunity to respond to share their thoughts. Your feedback, together with the advice of our School Advisory Council, will help inform the priorities that guide our planning and ensure we continue to focus our resources on what matters most for our students and community.

I look forward to sharing some of the key themes from the consultation with families once the survey has closed.

Prep 100 Days Celebrations

100 days of Prep, and 100 days smarter! Our most junior students continue to amaze us each day as they embark on their incredible journey at St Joseph's.

Under the wonderful guidance of Miss Dillon, Miss Ball, Mrs Shea and, of course, Miss Nardella, in addition to our dedicated team of staff and our Prep families, we have had the privilege of watching these students flourish as they begin their school journey. We look forward to the next 6.5 years, or approximately 1,300 days, watching them learn and thrive as precious members of the St Joseph's community.

Melbourne United at St Joseph's! 

The vibes were sky high at St Joseph’s on Thursday as we welcomed Melbourne United for the incredible GAMETIME experience! 

Our students took part in basketball clinics before the excitement went to another level, with Melbourne United players hitting the court against some of our very own students. With music pumping, an MC, competitions, giveaways and the whole school cheering (screaming!) from the sidelines, it felt like a genuine NBL game day right here at St Joseph’s!

There was an incredible sense of energy and excitement across the school, and it was wonderful to see our students getting involved, cheering each other on and simply having so much fun. A huge thank you to Mr Sandler, Molly and Chris Goulding, and Melbourne United for bringing GAMETIME to St Joseph’s. What an unforgettable day for our students!

P&F Fundraiser - What a success!

Congratulations to the entire St Joseph's community for supporting our most recent P&F Fundraiser. It was such a wonderful event and a fantastic reflection of the strong sense of community we are so fortunate to have at St Joseph's. Parent involvement plays such an important role in the life and success of our school, and events like this remind us just how integral our families are to who we are. Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed and supported the event in so many different ways.

We are also incredibly grateful for the overwhelmingly generous donations from our families and local businesses towards the raffle and silent auction. Thanks to this generosity, together with the incredible support of everyone who attended on the night, approximately $20,000 was raised. This is an outstanding result and these funds will go directly towards our planning and future upgrades to the school play spaces. 

On behalf of everyone at St Joseph's, we sincerely thank the many parents who contributed so generously to the success of the event:

• Laura H, Steph H, Ben, Jimmy, Lauren, MJ, Steph Cram, Kevin O’Malley, Sacha, Ivor, Dan Dooly, Georgie Gilbert, Allen Moore, Tracy Moore, Alicia O’Donell, Mark Tyrell, Haley Dillon, Kathy Swan, Emma Halpin, Monica Galbraith, Victoria & Rosie!

We also thank our major sponsors for the evening - Biggin & Scott, Elsternwick. Thank you, as always, for your support and generosity. 

P&F Meeting - Tuesday August 18

We warmly invite all members of our parent community to the next Parents and Friends meeting on Tuesday August 18 at 6.30pm in the Staff Room. We will celebrate the success of our recent parent fundraiser, as well as share updates on the upcoming Footy Classic and Father's Day Breakfast. 

Following our recent communication regarding planning for 2027, parents who would like to discuss the information shared, ask questions or contribute to the conversation are also very welcome to attend. This will provide an opportunity for further discussion as we continue our planning for next year.

Hoop Time - Years 5 and 6

Last Friday, our Year 5 and Year 6 students headed to MSAC for the annual Hoop Time Basketball Competition. Hoop Time is a round-robin basketball tournament, with successful teams progressing through to the Regional and State Finals.

A huge thank you to our staff, Mr Sandler, Mr Jansson, Miss Dusting, Mr Moldrich and Mr Isaac, for their wonderful support and coordination of the day. We are also incredibly grateful to our parent helpers, Myles A, John F, Karl R, Marty X, Matt C and Ben H, who generously gave their time to coach our students.

Congratulations to our Year 6 All Stars team, Massimo, Freddie, Ben, Luke, Rex, Pat, Max, Archie and Phin, coached by Myles, who won their final and will now progress to the Regional Finals, held in Term 4. What a fantastic achievement!

Perhaps even more pleasing was the feedback from staff about the exceptional behaviour of our students throughout the day. They demonstrated wonderful game play, respect for their opposition and grace under pressure. Nothing makes me happier than hearing this kind of feedback. Our St Joseph's students really are the best!

Feast of the Assumption Mass

Today our school community came together to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a beautiful Mass. This special feast reminds us of Mary’s great love for God and her place in Heaven with Him. It was wonderful to see our students, teachers and several parents join in prayer and song to mark this important day in our Church calendar. 

Tournament of the Minds

Good luck to our Year 6 students, Domenica, Eva, Maddie, Lotte, Zoe  G and Jasmine, who are participating in Tournament of the Minds over the weekend! These students have worked so hard over the past 6 weeks, and we know their presentation tomorrow will be a wonderful reflection of their efforts. 

P&F Footy Match

Our next Parents and Friends event is the much-anticipated St Joseph's Footy Classic, taking place on Saturday, August 30 at Wattie Watson Oval. It's set to be a fantastic afternoon for the whole community, with a BBQ, cake stall, and of course, a friendly footy match. The first bounce is at 1pm, and we hope to see the St Joseph’s community out in full support. 

Footy Colours Day

To coincide with our Father's Day celebrations, students and their Dads/Special Friends are invited to wear their Footy Colours (AFL/Soccer/or another sport) on Friday September 4. Students are able to wear their PE uniform on this day as well. Footy Colours Day is always a highlight and we look forward to seeing everyone in their team colours. 

'Eat Up' Initiative 

Our Year 6 students recently took part in the Eat Up initiative, demonstrating leadership and compassion while making an incredible 1,100 sandwiches (a record, apparently!) for children experiencing food insecurity. Eat Up provides lunches to students who might otherwise go without, ensuring they have the energy to learn and thrive. 

The students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the session, working together with enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose. Our sincerest thank you to Jane Douglas for supporting this worthy initiative for our school for the second year running. We are so proud of our students for their efforts and we are grateful for the chance to support such an important cause. Well done, Year 6!

Secondhand Uniform Donations

We are calling for donations for our second hand uniform stall, which we hope to run before the end of term. Items can be delivered to the school office and families are ask to please ensure they have been washed and are in good condition. If you have any questions, please see Anita (Tom Year 4, Zoe Prep) or Jen (Mimi Year 4). 

Little Gems 

Some of our students gave the back gardens a little spruce-up, much to the delight of their teachers, who sent me photos to celebrate how the students were working so well together. 

Proving you are never too grown up for a photo in the newsletter, Massimo and Seb (Year 6s) requested a special photo together! 

Our Year 5s gave it their best effort at Hoop Time - and it shows! Here they are having a lay down after a great day. 

Our Year 4s taking the basketball clinic very seriously with their personalised jerseys. 

As we wrap up another wonderful fortnight at St Joseph’s, I want to say thank you to our incredible staff, students, and families for all that you bring to our community. 

From learning successes in the classroom, to laughter and friendship in the yard, and the occasional visit to the leadership office to share a success story, there has been so much to celebrate.

 Wishing our wonderful community a restful weekend. 

Claire Tobin. 

Principal