St Joseph’s School Newsletter

Principals' Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Welcome to Week 8!  We hope you managed to enjoy the weekend with family and friends. With the weather now getting cooler, please ensure your child is dressed in the full winter school uniform as the long weekend was our official changeover from our summer school uniform. While some children do not seem too bothered by the cold weather, it is important that they wear their school jumpers/jackets to avoid the chill as much as possible. Please ensure that these items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child's name. 

First Eucharist

Congratulations and many blessings to our all students who received the Sacrament of Eucharist by making their First Holy Communion yesterday at St Patrick's Church.  It was a wonderful celebration for the children, their families and the parish community. Many thanks to Mrs Mitchell, Miss Sampson and Miss Buckland for preparing the students, and to Father John for celebrating such a beautiful Mass for us on this very special occasion in a young person's faith journey.

Kindergarten Interviews 2025

Over the past few weeks it has been a pleasure to meet and have enrolment meetings with our families for Kindergarten in 2025. It really makes us think, where is the year going! There has been a good mix of siblings from our existing families as well as many brand new families ready to join our St Joseph’s school community along with our faith community of St Patrick's next year! 

 

We know that even though we are not even at the end of Term 2, the new year will roll around before we know it and our new little friends will be all dressed up in their uniforms ready for big school! 

We may be biased, but we love showing off all the wonderful things happening at St Joseph’s as we meet our new families.  We look forward to a wonderful partnership with our new and existing families here at St Joseph's.

Semester 1 Reports and Three Way Learning Conferences

As we head towards the end of the term, our teachers are working hard to finalise assessments and write Semester 1 reports. These reports will be sent home electronically via Compass parent email on Monday 24th June. Our three way Student/Parent/Teacher Learning Conferences will be held in Weeks 9 and 10. Information will be sent out on Compass tomorrow to parents so you are able to book an interview time. It’s a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress over the first half of the year. 

 

Many thanks to our class teachers who always work tirelessly, but particularly at this time of the year when preparing reports and meeting with all our parents/carers. They are looking forward to meeting with you and your child at the upcoming meetings to share the wonderful learning taking place by the students and their marvellous achievements so far this year.

Social Media

One of the great concerns we all share is the increasing use of social media by children. This is a worry because students of primary school age do not have the maturity to fully understand the wide range of issues and the implications that come with the use of social media. This is clearly articulated in the terms and conditions of each platform. Below are a few examples:

St Joseph’s School has no control over children accessing these sites at home, nor takes any responsibility for the way the children are communicating while away from school. Unfortunately, St Joseph’s School staff are often left to deal with the fall out following these social media interactions. Therefore, we implore you to thoroughly check your child’s devices and please delete these accounts.  It is important that, during their primary years, students do not access these platforms. 

 

RESOURCES

Every Day Counts

Education is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier as they are able to build on what was learned the day before. Just one day missed per fortnight equates to one whole year over a child's school life! 

 

Arriving at school on time is also important. Classes start at 8:45am so students should arrive at least ten minutes prior to this to ensure they have time to put their bags away and greet their friends. Arriving after the bell disrupts the flow of the class, and important daily reminders and learning opportunities are missed.

 

Schools, in partnerships with families, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students and for ensuring that non-attendance is addressed effectively. Thank you for prioritising your children’s attendance at school and please do not hesitate to contact us if your require support in this area.

 

Maree Holland & Greg O'Toole

Co-Principals

 

St Joseph's School - a Faith Filled Community Where Learning Matters