Principal’s News

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a beautiful day to end the week!  We were blessed with such beautiful sunny weather on Friday and more warm weather to come over the weekend.  I hope you have an opportunity to get outside with your children and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Sun Smart School

As the temperature rises, so do UV Levels.  As a Sun Smart School, all students (and staff) are required to wear a hat when outside.  If children arrive at school without a hat, they will be required to remain under the shad sails at recess and lunch time.

"No Hat - No Play...... no fun for you today" 

It brings the staff no pleasure imposing these restrictions. This is done out of genuine care for the health and wellbeing of the children.  

Please note: The sharing of hats is a surefire way of transmitting head lice, which is ever present irritant in our community. Children are not able to borrow a hat to wear outside.  Please encourage your child to bring their hat to school.

Emergency Management

With increasing temperatures comes the increased risk of bushfires.  In Terms One and Four we always practise an internal evacuation.  We recently had a Bushfire drill and the students and staff responded beautifully.  Each time we do this, we provide different staff with an opportunity to be the Chief Warden.  This time it was Mrs Beveridge.  Rebecca responded calmly under pressure, providing clear instructions to the staff and students over the PA and to the wardens who checked the classrooms to ensure no one had been left behind when we moved to our evacuation point.

On Wednesday our emergency management procedures were audited by Cameron Anderson and Ashleigh Tumino from Melbourne Archdioces Catholic Schools.  As a school on the Bushfire At Risk Register, we need to have policies and procedures in place and we received very positive feedback on our preparedness for a  bushfire emergency. 

Please refer to Katie's Deputy Principal Page for further information on the action plan for Catastrophic Fire Danger Days.

Positive Behaviour at St Joseph's

We were so proud of the behaviour displayed by our students at our Remembrance Day Ceremony on Monday.  The reverence shown was absolutely outstanding.  The students were quiet, still and respectful as we remembered the sacrifices made by the women and men who served and died for our country.  In recognition of this positive behaviour, the children had an extra 5 minutes play time at recess.  This news was met with cheers from the children.

While this is the behaviour we have come to expect from our students, we do have less pleasing behaviour from time to time.  This week we have had to deal with a couple of altercations between students of both a physical and verbal nature.  While disappointing, we are aware that the children are growing and learning to get along.  However, 'Hands On' behaviour and inappropriate language (put downs and racial slurs) have no place in our school.  We believe that every individual deserves to have their innate dignity respected, and engaging in physical behaviour using language that offends or targets others goes against our values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.

At St Joseph’s, with Jesus as our guide, we are committed to fostering a culture of kindness, understanding, and respect for all. Students engaging in physical altercations and using racial slurs and put downs will continue spend time off the yard. This will allow time for children to reflect on the impact of their behaviour.

Please be aware that these incidents are thoroughly investigated by the leadership and staff of the school.  Katie and I take an active role in this process.  Sadly, at times we have situations where parents accept, unquestioningly their child's version of events.  We encourage parents to be open to working collaboratively with the school to assist their children in developing the skills to get along with others rather than simply advocating on their behalf. It is important for children to take responsibility and be held accountable for inappropriate behaviour, in order to develop into responsible adults.  Please know that we have the best interests of every child at the heart of every decision we make.

We kindly ask parents to reinforce the school values at home, encouraging respectful interactions and guiding children in understanding the importance of treating everyone with kindness and care. Thank you for your continued support in upholding the principles that make our school a welcoming and inclusive place for all.

Child Safety at Pick Up and Drop Off

Following a Near Miss in the SPA Centre Carpark on Monday, the following changes are being put into place to mitigate the risk of our children being hit in the carpark:

1. Signage will be installed in the carpark regarding Reverse Parking and Adult Supervision of Children at all times
2. The teacher on Walking Duty is to supervise the entrance to the SPA Centre Carpark until the traffic has subsided, usually around 3:10pm, before walking the children to Milners Rd.
3. A chain will be put up across the pathway next to the Rainbow Playground at 8:30am and 2:55pmwhen the cones are put out
4. We are investigating boom gates for the Parish Carpark and the Driveway, avoiding the risk to students or staff having to put a chain across.

Building Masterplan

Following consultation with the staff and students, Sibling Architects have begun developing proposals for the development of our school buildings.  Please see below some of the concept drawings they have shared with us.

Sibling Architects will be running an evening online consultation with Parents in December.  Stay tuned for the date and time.  Sibling will share some of the concept plans in more detail and parents will be invited to ask questions and provide their feedback during and following the session.  I invite all parents to be involved.

Public Holidays, Pupil Free Days and School Holiday Dates

As previously communicated, students will not be at school on Friday 6 December - Pupil Free Day (2025 Planning Day)

Term Four ends for students on Tuesday 17 December at 3:00pm

School Holidays - Wednesday 18 December - Tuesday 28 January, 2025.

Term Dates 2025

Term One - Wednesday 29 January - Wednesday 2 April

School Holidays - Thursday 3 April - Monday 21 April

Term Two - Tuesday 22 April - Friday 4 July

School Holidays - Saturday 5 July - Sunday 20 July

Term Three - Monday 21 July - Friday 19 September

School Holidays - Saturday 20 September - Sunday 5 October

Term Four - Monday 6 October - Tuesday 16 December

School Holidays - Wednesday 17 December

Pupil Free Days 2025

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April - Staff Conference 2025

Monday 3 November - Cup Eve Pupil Free Day

The remainder of our Pupil Free Days for 2025 will be added to the school calendar, following our planning day on Friday 6 December.  They will be readvertised in the newsletter following this event.

Best wishes for a restful weekend,

Nick.

Nicholas Boyhan

Principal