Dear Parents and Carers,

We have enjoyed another exciting and enriching week of learning at St Joseph's, with our students continuing to demonstrate curiosity, enthusiasm and a love of learning. It has been wonderful to see so many opportunities for students to grow academically, socially and spiritually, while living out our school values each day.

We invite you to take some time to enjoy the highlights and celebrations from across our school this week. We hope they provide you with a wonderful insight into the rich learning experiences and memorable moments that make St Joseph's such a vibrant and connected community.

100 Days of Prep Celebration

Today we celebrated our Preps who have been at school for 100 days! They are 100 days smarter, and 100 days a part of our school community. It was so lovely to see them enjoy their special day. A huge thank you to our incredible Prep teachers Ms Niki Liolios and Ms Chloe Nashed. You love and care for your students and your commitment to their every day lives at St Joseph's makes a difference! Here's to 100 days today and many more enjoyable moments ahead! We also thank our Prep parents

Yes they did! Tetyana (Aric’s mum) and Jodie (Jack Mulcahy’s mum) for providing a yummy pizza lunch for our Prep students!

MACS RE Symposium

This week, Ms Donnella De Visser, our Religious Education Leader, and I attended the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Religious Education Symposium at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The symposium brought together over 1000 educators, Religious Education leaders and Catholic school representatives from across Melbourne, providing a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our shared commitment to excellence in Religious Education across our Archdiocese.

A highlight of the day was hearing from the Archbishop, who spoke about the important role our Catholic schools play in nurturing faith, hope and a strong sense of community in the lives of our students. It was inspiring to hear from faith leaders and educators who share a deep commitment to ensuring Religious Education remains at the heart of our schools.

The day also provided an opportunity to explore the direction of the new Religious Education curriculum, with keynote speakers from around the world sharing their knowledge, research and insights. Their presentations were inspiring, encouraging us to continue reflecting on how we engage our students in meaningful faith learning and support them in developing a deeper understanding of their faith.

We look forward to bringing back the learnings, ideas and inspiration from the symposium to continue enriching the Religious Education experiences we provide for our students at St Joseph's and strengthening our Catholic identity as a school community.

Year 3 Singing with Seminarian Anthony Wright

This week, our Year 3 students had the wonderful opportunity to spend some very special time with Seminarian Anthony Wright, who generously shared his beautiful gift of singing with our students.

The students were delighted to experience Anthony’s incredible voice as he led them in song and guided them through practising new pieces for our upcoming school Masses and liturgical celebrations. It was a joy to see the students engage so enthusiastically, developing their confidence and appreciation for the important role music plays in our faith and school community.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Anthony for his time and generosity he shared with our students. His passion for music and faith was truly inspiring, and the Year 3 students thoroughly enjoyed this special opportunity to learn, sing and spend time with him.

De La Salle Junior Music Ensemble Performance

We extend our sincere thanks to De La Salle College for generously inviting our Year 4, 5 and 6 students to attend their recent music performance event.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to experience the talent, passion and dedication of student musicians and to see the joy that comes from being part of a thriving music program. Our students were inspired by the incredible performances and enjoyed being part of such a special event.

We would also like to acknowledge the De La Salle student hosts who welcomed our students and ran the event with such enthusiasm and confidence. It was wonderful to see the positive impact that music has within the school community and the opportunities it provides for students to share their talents.

Thank you to De La Salle College for your generosity, hospitality and for creating this memorable experience for our students. Opportunities such as these help inspire our students and strengthen the connections between our schools.

School Assembly

Once again, it was wonderful to see so many families join us for our school assembly this morning. We are always grateful for the opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate the many achievements, milestones and special moments of our students.

This week, our Prep students proudly celebrated their 100 Days of Prep with our school community. It was a joy to see them share this important milestone and celebrate the wonderful learning, friendships and growth they have experienced during their first 100 days of school.

During our assembly, students were recognised with STAR Awards for demonstrating our school values of Stay Safe, Try Your Best, Act Responsibly and Respect Yourself and Others. These students were warmly congratulated for the positive choices they make each day and for the way they contribute to our St Joseph’s community.

In additon we were also delighted to acknowledge our newly appointed Student Representative Council (SRC) member for Year 5 and Year 6. Navy C was elected to represent her peers and take on an important leadership role within our school. We congratulate Navy and look forward to seeing her demonstrate our school values of Strength and Kindness as she serves and supports our St Joseph’s community.

We also had the pleasure of celebrating a special Karate Achievement Presentation, recognising the dedication, commitment and perseverance of our students who have worked hard to develop their skills and achieve their karate milestones. We congratulate these students on their achievements and are proud of the discipline, resilience and determination they have demonstrated.

We also celebrated the birthdays of students across the week by joining together to sing “Tanti Auguri”, sharing in the joy of these special occasions.

Mr Butler also announced the winners of this week’s Line Points. Congratulations to our champions in Year 3DB once again for their fantastic achievement and for demonstrating our school values throughout the week.

Thank you to all of our families who continue to join us for these celebrations and support the strong sense of community that makes St Joseph’s such a special place.

Parents & Friends Meeting

Thank you to everyone who attended our Parents & Friends (P&F) Meeting this week. It was wonderful to see such a great turnout, including many new faces joining us for the first time. We are so grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment of our parent community.

The meeting was filled with positive discussion and many fantastic ideas were shared as we continued planning community events and fundraising initiatives for the remainder of 2026. It was also exciting to start looking ahead to 2027, with plenty of thoughtful suggestions and ideas that will help shape future opportunities for our school community.

The P&F continues to play an important role in strengthening connections between families and supporting our students and school. We thank everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion, and we look forward to welcoming even more families to future meetings.

We look forward to an update from the P&F in next week's newsletter!

And from our P&F...

❄️ SAVE THE DATE ❄️

St Joseph’s parents, it’s time for one of our favourite nights of the year!

Join us for our Annual Winter Drinks at Mt Erica Hotel for a relaxed evening of great company, laughs, and the chance to catch up with fellow parents away from the school rush. Whether you’re new to the school community or have been part of it for years, everyone is welcome. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect, meet new faces, and enjoy a fun night together.

🗓️ Save the Date: 20/08/2026

📍 Mt Erica Hotel

🕖 From: 7pm

School Advisory Council Meeting - Thursday July 30 at 7pm

Our next School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting will be held on Thursday 30 July at 7pm.

It is always a pleasure to work alongside our SAC members, consulting with them and seeking their wisdom and advice on matters that are important to our school community. Their ongoing support, expertise and commitment to St Joseph's are greatly valued.

At next week's meeting, we will discuss the impact of the new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) across MACS schools and consider what this may mean for St Joseph's. We will also begin our forward planning for 2027 by commencing discussions around the school's budget and seeking the Council's advice on a number of important considerations as we plan for the future. We look forward to another productive and collaborative meeting.

Sustainable Uniform Shop

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers, Angela N (Elliott's mum), Simone D (Xavier and Pip's mum), and Bryony R (Edmund and Alma's mum), for generously giving their time to run our Sustainable Uniform Shop for families this morning. The Sustainable Uniform Shop is a valued initiative within our school community. It provides families with access to quality pre-loved uniforms at an affordable price, while also promoting sustainability by giving uniform items a second life and reducing waste. We are incredibly grateful for the time, care and commitment of our volunteers, whose efforts help make this service possible. Their generosity and willingness to support our community are greatly appreciated and are a wonderful example of the strong partnerships that make St Joseph's such a special place.

Thank you, Angela, Simone and Bryony, for your continued support of our school and our families.

Working Bee -Tomorrow Saturday July 25

Our next School Working Bee is scheduled for tomorrow - Saturday 25 July from 1pm to 3pm. We encourage all families to join us for an afternoon of community spirit and teamwork as we work together to maintain and enhance our school buildings and grounds.

Working Bees are a wonderful opportunity to contribute to our school community, meet other families and help keep our learning environment safe, welcoming and beautiful for all students. There will be a range of jobs available, and any assistance, whether for the full afternoon or part of it, will be greatly appreciated. We truly appreciate the families who have signed up to help us tomorrow and thank you in advance for your support of our school.

Planning for 2027

This week, Mr Butler sent an nForma notification asking families to let us know their intentions for 2027. Thank you to everyone who has already completed this. Your prompt responses are greatly appreciated and play an important role in helping us plan class structures, staffing and resources for next year.

If your child will not be returning to St Joseph's in 2027 and you have not yet advised the school, we would be grateful if you could please contact the office as soon as possible.

While we completely respect the decisions families make regarding their children's education, we sincerely hope to continue partnering with your family as part of our wonderful St Joseph's community through to the end of Year 6. If you are considering leaving St Joseph's, we encourage you to reach out. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, listen to your feedback and discuss how we can continue to support your child and family.

At St Joseph's, we are proud to be a Prep to Year 6 school, providing students with a strong academic foundation, outstanding wellbeing support and rich leadership opportunities, particularly in our senior years. Our Year 5 and 6 students benefit from authentic leadership experiences that build confidence, responsibility and independence while preparing them for a successful transition to secondary school.

We are incredibly proud of the high-quality teaching and learning that takes place across our school each day. Our ongoing strong NAPLAN results in Year 3 and Year 5 reflect our commitment to evidence-informed teaching, high expectations and targeted support for every learner. Combined with our focus on literacy, numeracy, wellbeing and faith, we are committed to ensuring every child is challenged, supported and encouraged to achieve their personal best.

Thank you for your continued support as we prepare for another exciting year at St Joseph's. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child's learning or transition into 2027, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher, a member of the Leadership Team, or myself. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our wonderful families throughout 2027.

What's on Next Week...

Staying Connected...

At any time, if you have questions or concerns regarding the wellbeing, care, or learning of your child, please do not hesitate to reach out. We encourage you to contact your child's class teacher in the first instance, or alternatively, one of our school leaders, Dean Butler (Deputy Principal), or myself, Annabelle Marinelli (Principal). Working in partnership with our families is incredibly important to us, and we are always happy to listen, support, and work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for every child.

With warmest regards,

Annabelle Marinelli

Principal

annabelle.marinelli@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au

St Joseph's Writing Wall

St Joseph’s Writing Wall