Principal’s News

Dear Families,

Like many of you, I’ve been inspired by stories of courage, determination, and commitment at the Olympic Games in Paris. Every athlete has a story and last week our Year 6s shared stories of Olympic athletes who inspired them. I shared a story at the assembly about Natalie Diehm. Natalie won a bronze medal in the Women’s BMX Freestyle event. Her words of inspiration were:

Keep dreaming

Work hard

Believe in yourself

Lean into disappointments

See setbacks and challenges as opportunities

The world is going to keep spinning each day so just get up and give life a go!

May we work together to embody the Olympic spirit in our community of St Josephs supporting our children through the joys and challenges of life so that they can continue to grow and flourish.

Champion of our School

Congratulations to Callum W who competed at the School Sports Australia Swimming Nationals on the Gold Coast.

Callum had been training hard in the lead up to Nationals and loved representing the school as part of Team Vic.

He swam a personal best (PB) in the 50m freestyle heats to secure a place in the final. He then swam another PB in the final, placing 10th overall, and achieving his main goal for the meet!

Callum also competed in 3 relays, with his Mixed Medley team placing 3rd overall and bringing home a bronze medal - icing on the cake!

Callum would like to thank his classmates, teachers, and the St Joseph's school community for their amazing support and encouragement.

MACSSIS Surveys

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) are a set of tools for creating, collecting, analysing, interpreting, and using data to inform Catholic school improvement. MACSSIS produces perception data, which tells us what staff, parents, and students think and feel about our learning environment.

MACSSIS is conducted annually for schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s MACSSIS window is from Monday 2 September to Friday 20 September 2024.

Students

All students from Years 4-6 will be invited to access MACSSIS, with teachers on hand to help during supervised sessions at school. On average, students take about 15–20 minutes to access and complete their surveys. Students new to the school will also be able to participate.

Teachers and non-teaching staff

All staff will be invited to participate via an emailed code that is valid across the three-week MACSSIS window.

Families

We will invite a random sample of families to participate via an email invitation that is valid anytime across the survey window. Participating families will be emailed a code and PIN.

We welcome and encourage full participation in these surveys as feedback from stakeholders in our community is highly valued so that we continue to improve and meet the needs of all members of our school community.

Prep 2025

We have strong enrolments for 2025 in Prep and other classes across the school. We will have two Prep classes and are currently in the process of looking at our class structures for Years 1-6. Please advise the school office if you will not be returning to St Joseph’s in 2025. Our reputation for providing an education of excellence that attends to high academic performance, an enriching catholic education, and outstanding support for social and emotional learning is strong in the community and is bringing great interest in our school with wait lists now at some year levels.

Influenza A

As communicated last week we have a few confirmed cases of Influenza A in the school. If your child is experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms we encourage you to give them time to rest and recover at home so we can minimise the spread of illness in our community.

Reconciliation in Schools

On Tuesday 13 August Mrs. Carmen, Lenny, Sophie (Year 6) and myself will be attending Lauriston Girls School from 4:00 - 6:30 pm at a Reconciliation in Schools event.

Event Purpose:

Unite learning communities and strengthen collective commitment to reconciliation
Build a support network that encourages mutual support, collaboration, and authentic learning
Engage in ongoing conversations with Aboriginal Elders and other experts to enhance cultural understanding
Share innovation and promote best practices
Plan for a sustained commitment to reconciliation through education

Eucharist

Our Year 4 students continue their preparation for their First Eucharist with their Eucharist Retreat Day coming up on Friday 16 August followed by their Eucharist Mass on Saturday 24 August. Please keep these children in your prayers.

Staff Welfare Week

We will be celebrating our staff and the amazing work that they do in the week beginning Monday 19 August during St Joseph’s Staff Welfare Week. Please feel free to send in a note of thanks to the wonderful St Joseph’s staff during this week so that they know how appreciated they are by everyone in our community.

Feast of the Assumption

On Thursday, August 15th, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, with a whole school Mass at 2.15pm in St Joseph’s Church. This feast invites us to reflect on Mary's role in the story of salvation and to rejoice in her example of faith and dedication. As we come together in prayer and celebration, let us find inspiration in her grace and commitment, and carry forward the hope and love she embodies. All are welcome.

School Closure Day

Just a reminder that Monday 19th August is a school closure day for staff professional practice. There will be no school for the students on this day.

Term 3 Assembly Schedule

Friday 9 August	St Mary of the Cross Liturgy
Friday 16 August	NO ASSEMBLY (due to First Aid Sessions) ***Please note there will be a gathering of the whole school on Thursday 15 August for the Feast of the Assumption Mass 2.30pm in the St Joseph’s church)
Friday 23 August	6CO
Friday 30 August	Father’s Day (2H)
Friday 6 September	General
Friday 13 September	General
Friday 20 September	Footy Colours Day

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