PRINCIPAL'S NEWS

Miss Jaclyn is always busy keeping abreast of our socials and sharing the terrific things happening at our school.

🎉🎡 SAVE THE DATE! 🎡🎉

📅 Saturday 17 October 2026

Mark your calendars and get ready for one of the highlights of the year as we celebrate the St Joseph's School Fete 2026! 🎈🎠🌭🍰

We're excited to be planning a fantastic afternoon and twilight event for our school community, with games, food, entertainment, bar and plenty of fun for all ages.

There will be something for everyone to enjoy, with plenty of fun, laughter and community spirit.  From exciting games 🎢🎯 to delicious food and treats 🍔🌭🍦, live entertainment 🎶 and lots of activities for children and families, it promises to be a fantastic afternoon/evening for our whole school community.

With the school holidays approaching, many families may be doing a clean-out at home. If so, we'd love you to keep the fete in mind and consider donating items that could be used for prizes, activities and fundraising.

We are currently seeking donations for:

• Silent Auction prizes
• Treasure Hunt prizes
• Sporting activity prizes
• Chocolate Toss prizes

Items that would be greatly appreciated include:

• Toys (new or near-new)
• Children's books
• Small prizes such as squishies, stickers and novelty toys
• Gift hampers
• Restaurant vouchers
• Holiday accommodation
• Sporting memorabilia
• Professional services
• Local business products or vouchers
• Alchohol

Staffing News

This Friday, we farewell Abbey Arbon as she commences parental leave. We extend our very best wishes to Abbey and Brad as they prepare to welcome their first child. This is such an exciting time for their family, and we wish them every blessing in the months ahead.

Abbey has been a highly valued member of our teaching team and has made a wonderful contribution to the life of St Joey's. Her warmth, dedication and care for the children have been greatly appreciated, and she will be greatly missed during her time away.

We are fortunate that Jaime Smith will be stepping into the role of teacher for Prep A. The children are already familiar with Jaime through her work teaching Physical Education this term, which will help ensure a smooth and positive transition. We thank Jaime for taking on this role and know that she will continue the wonderful learning journey already established in Prep A.

Commencing next term, Pierce Rooney will be taking on a new role within our school. Pierce has chosen to reduce his teaching load to two days per week and will be teaching Physical Education. He is very enthusiastic about this opportunity, and we know he will bring his passion, energy and commitment to this role. We wish Pierce all the very best as he embarks on this new chapter.

Taking over Pierce's class will be Rosie O'Neil. Rosie is a familiar face to the children and a valued member of our team. She has extensive experience teaching in our Middle team and works exceptionally well alongside our teaching staff. Rosie has already spent a planning day with Renee in preparation for Term 3, ensuring a smooth and seamless transition for the children.  Rosie will be working three days per week in this role. To provide continuity and stability at the beginning of the term, she will commence Term 3 on a full-time basis until we appoint a teacher for the remaining two days. We will keep families informed once this appointment has been finalised.

We warmly welcome Rosie back and are delighted to have her rejoin the teaching team. We know she will make a wonderful contribution to the learning and wellbeing of the children.  We are equally excited about Pierce's new position in Physical Education and look forward to the enthusiasm, energy and passion for sport and healthy living that he will bring to this important role.

At the end of this term, we also farewell Tori Greer, who has worked with us as an Education Support Officer for the past three and a half years.

Tori’s warm presence, strong commitment to student wellbeing, and genuine care for every child she has supported have been deeply valued across our school community. Her patience, kindness, and dedication have made a lasting difference to the students and staff she has worked alongside.

She will be greatly missed, and we thank her sincerely for the contribution she has made to our school. We wish her every blessing for the next chapter.

Cross Country Championships

CONGRATULATIONS to Sophie Sturrock for representing our school at the Regional Cross Country Championships—one step away from the State competition!!

This is an outstanding achievement - to reach such a high standard of competition. Sophie competed against a field of about 60 athletes and finished mid-field, an excellent result given the calibre of athletes on the day.

We know it can be a nerve-wracking experience to perform at this level, and we are incredibly proud of the way Sophie rose to the challenge.

Well done, Soph—your whole school community is very proud of you!

Semester One Reports

This semester we are introducing a new reporting format through the COMPASS platform. 

As a result, reports will look slightly different to previous years. The information included remains consistent with our usual reporting expectations, including achievement against the relevant curriculum standards and teacher comments aligned to the same criteria as previously used.

As this is our first time using COMPASS for reports, there will not be a visible progression comparison from the previous reporting cycle (i.e., no “previous dot” indicators will be shown this time).  To support families in understanding the new format, an explanatory letter will be sent home alongside the reports.

Thank you for your support as we transition to this new system.

Fidget Tools

Please take the time to read the Wellbeing section of this week's newsletter, which contains important information regarding our new Fidget Tool Policy.

https://newsletters.naavi.com/issue/N9p87D5/edit/NVOKQWJ 

This information is relevant to all families and outlines our approach to the use of fidget tools to support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. We encourage all parents and carers to familiarise themselves with the guidelines and expectations outlined in the policy.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to create calm, focused and inclusive learning environments for all students.

End of Term Market

On Thursday June 25, at 3:15pm, our junior students will be hosting our End of Term Market! The junior students are calling for donations from their families of delicious treats to sell at a cake stall, and we’ll also have pre-loved uniforms available for purchase. 

Our 'End of Term Markets' are a great opportunity to gather as a community, purchase a treat from our cake stall, and grab a freshly cooked sausage in bread.

Small Job Opportunity

We are seeking an able and reliable person (perhaps a teenager who'd like a little cash) who may be interested in a small cleaning role at the Parish Centre.

The duties include:

• Cleaning the toilets and bathroom area each week
• Sweeping the bathroom area weekly
• Washing and mopping the hall floor once a fortnight

The work would take approximately one hour each week, with a little extra time on the fortnightly floor-washing week.

If you are interested, please email me and I will be happy to put you in touch with the Parish representative.

MACSEYE...Winter wonderland holiday fun is here! 

Looking for something fun these school holidays? 

MACSEYE’s Winter Wonderland Holiday Program, held at St Anthony's Alphington, is now open for bookings!

Children can enjoy:

 A movie excursion to see Minions & Monsters

 Creative winter crafts – making their own snow globes and penguin plushies

  Snow slime and bath bomb making

 Cookie decorating

 Sports and active play including a soccer World Cup challenge

 Dance parties and karaoke

Our holiday program is a great way for children to stay active, build confidence, make new friends and try something new in a safe and supportive environment.

Booking information

Below is the program outlining the full activity schedule and fees. 

World Cup Excitement!!

Over the last two weeks, there has been great excitement around the school surrounding the FIFA World Cup. A huge thank you to Renee Booth, who has organised a wonderful competition where each class has been allocated three teams to cheer on and support throughout the tournament. The friendly rivalry and enthusiasm have certainly added to the fun!

To top it all off, we will be holding a special World Cup viewing event on Friday, giving students the opportunity to come together and enjoy some end-of-term fun while cheering on Australia.  The children will gather in the multipurpose from 12:00pm-1:15pm to watch the Aussie Socceroos.  Children will be encouraged to wear a splash of 'Green and Gold' to support our Aussie team.

School Closure Day Term 3

Our Term 3 School Closure Day will be held on the first day of Term Three - Monday July 13.  This day will provide staff with an opportunity to continue our collective work on the Vision for Instruction, Vision for Engagement and Positive Behaviour for Learning. We will strengthen our shared understanding and implementation of high-impact teaching and learning practices.

Staff will engage in professional dialogue, reflection and collaborative planning to support consistent approaches across classrooms. The focus will be on deepening our understanding of effective instruction, exploring how these practices translate into daily classroom experiences, and identifying opportunities to continue improving student learning outcomes at St Joseph’s.

We look forward to a purposeful day of learning, collaboration and professional growth as we continue to build a shared approach to quality teaching and learning.

End of Term

This Friday marks the end of Term, with students finishing at 1:30pm. Children may come to school in casual clothes for the day.

It has been another wonderful term, filled with rich learning experiences and many opportunities for our students to grow, challenge themselves, and shine. I am proud of the enthusiasm, effort, and resilience they have shown across all areas of school life.

A sincere thank you to our brilliant teaching team for the dedication, creativity, and care they bring to their work each day. Their commitment ensures our students continue to enjoy engaging and meaningful learning experiences.

I also thank our students for their positive attitudes and willingness to give their best in all they do. It has been a pleasure to see their progress and achievements throughout the term.

I wish all families a safe and restful break and look forward to another exciting term ahead.

Term 3 commences TUESDAY JULY 14.