Dear Parents and Friends,

I cannot believe how quickly the weeks are passing and its already Week 8 of Term 1! Our students have been working very hard, and I continue to be very impressed with the wonderful learning and teaching at St Joseph the Worker. I would also like to commend our students on their excellent behaviour and manners, and for consistently displaying our school values of being Respectful, Safe and Responsible.

Important Safety Alert

We would like to make you aware of a concerning report received yesterday: some of our students were followed by a white van on their way to school. We are fortunate that another parent stopped to talk to the students, deterring the driver of the van. This is a timely reminder for all of us to remain vigilant and to support one another in keeping our children safe. Please remind students that if they ever feel unsafe or have any concerns while travelling to or from school, they should speak to a staff member immediately. We are here to assist them at any time.

Police have been contacted regarding this situation.

School Tours ~ 2027 Prep Enrolments

Our Prep enrolments are officially open for new families. We had a tour with potential families last week and again welcomed more families on Tuesday. It is always a pleasure leading potential families around our school, and our students having the opportunity to talk about what they love about St Joseph the Worker Primary School. I encourage current families who have a child they wish to enrol for next year, to submit an enrolment application as soon as possible.

Fulltime School for Preps

Our wonderful Prep students are now attending school full time. We are very proud of how well they have settled into school life. Thank you to all our Prep families for your support and for the excellent work you have done in preparing your children for school. An Audiri was sent to Prep parents yesterday, regarding as information session on Monday 30th March at 2.30.

School Attendance Reminder

Regular school attendance is essential for every child’s learning and wellbeing. Attending school every day and for the full school day enables students to fully participate in the school’s educational program and to develop the important social skills that come from learning and playing alongside their peers.

Consistent attendance helps students to:

Build strong learning habits and routines
Keep up with classroom learning and avoid gaps
Strengthen friendships and social confidence
Develop a sense of belonging to the school community

We understand that from time-to-time students may be absent due to illness or exceptional circumstances. However, whenever possible, we ask families to prioritise full daily attendance and punctual arrival to prevent your child's learning being impacted.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for students in Years 3 and 5 commenced on Wednesday 11 March and will continue through to Monday 23 March. Despite the significant challenges faced when the statewide testing website experienced an outage last Wednesday, I would like to commend both our staff and students for their exceptional patience and resilience as we awaited updated instructions and revised restart times. Their calm and cooperative approach ensured the day ran as smoothly as possible under the circumstances.

NAPLAN provides a snapshot of the literacy and numeracy skills students are developing through the curriculum and helps parents see progress against national standards. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is just one part of our broader assessment and reporting processes and does not replace teachers’ ongoing professional judgements and assessments.

Items and toys from home

We recommend that students do not bring valuable or precious items to school, as these can become a distraction during learning time and are at risk of being misplaced. When such items do come to school, they should be handed to the classroom teacher for safekeeping and not taken into the yard. Personal belongings can easily cause unnecessary worry, and students can become very upset if these items are lost or damaged. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused and calm learning environment.

Working with Children Checks

A reminder to all parents and carers (and Grandparents) to obtain a Working with Children Check before volunteering to assist at school. Once the bell goes at 8:45 a.m. any parent or volunteer on site must have a current Working with Children Check. This applies to excursions, incursions, Parent Helpers, volunteers etc. If you do not have one, please apply online using this link Working with Children Check

Lent – Unite against Poverty

As the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, it also marks the beginning Caritas Australia’s annual Project Compassion Appeal. The theme of Project Compassion 2026 is ‘Unite Against Poverty’, because together we can take action to make a lasting difference!

By donating to Project Compassion, Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, can work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

Each class has a Project Compassion box for their donations, or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

Night Market

On Thursday next week, our community will gather for our Night Market here on site from 4.30–7.30pm. Our wonderful P&F group have been working very hard to plan this event, and it promises to be a fantastic evening for everyone.

There will be delicious food to enjoy, a range of interesting stalls from our vendors, and a handball competition for the students. I hope everyone can join us for what will be a great community celebration. Please note that if you are attending, there will be increased car movement in the driveway. We ask everyone to take extra care when walking through these areas.

Please note that as our P & F will be very busy setting up for the Night Market next Thursday, 26th March, we have rescheduled the JLA 1 assembly to Friday 27th March 2.30pm.

VACPSP Biennial Conference – Principal Professional Learning

Next week, (Tuesday, 24th – Friday 27th) I will be joining principal colleagues from across Victoria at the Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals (VACPSP) Biennial Conference in Lorne. I am very much looking forward to this opportunity for professional learning and collegial connection. This year’s theme, “Nourish Your Purpose,” invites school leaders to reflect, learn, and collaborate as we strengthen our shared mission as Catholic educators.

Extending our congratulations

Congratulations to Chelsea and James, parents of Lily, Isaac and Sofia on their recent wedding. We wish you many more years of happiness together.

As we have celebrated Catholic Education Week and reflected on the wonderful work of St Patrick, please remember:

May God be in your heart,

May God be in your words,

May God be in your steps,

And may you never be alone.

Amen

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

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

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