Principal's News
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week we extended a very warm welcome to our new families and students who have joined our school community - Oliver in Year 1, and Luca and Ash in Year 5.
It has been wonderful to see the way our students and teachers have welcomed them into their new classes and helped them feel comfortable, included and part of our school community. We are so proud of the kindness and friendliness our students have shown, and we look forward to getting to know our new families and watching our newest students settle in, make new friends and enjoy all that our school has to offer. We are delighted to have you as part of our St Joseph’s community and hope you already feel very welcomed
Italian Learning and Fun with Ms DeLima
It is so wonderful to see our students enjoying such a rich and engaging Italian learning experience with Ms Tanya DeLima. Through hands-on activities, creativity and exploration, our students are not only developing their Italian language skills but also discovering the fascinating culture, history and traditions of Italy.
From Ms DeLima-
"This term in Italian, we have been taking an imaginary trip to Italy in order to celebrate and learn about the culture and history of this amazing country. This has included creating an itinerary, packing a bag, creating maps and flags and, most recently, focusing on major landmarks. Each year level has had an opportunity to learn about a famous Italian landmark, its history, its construction and its impact on Italian lifestyle and culture. This has culminated in the students creating their own landmarks. The 5/6 ‘s worked as a class to create an amazing large 3D model of the Leaning tower of Pisa. The 3/4 ‘s created beautiful pop up Colosseums, the Grade 1/2 ‘s constructed gorgeous mini 3D gondola’s and our wonderful Preps designed and created a celebration of Italian food on our picnic wall. We have been having a great time learning in Italian."
Celebrating Student Learning
It is always the highlight of my day when students come to visit my office to celebrate exceptional effort and achievement in their learning. This week, Maddie and Zach proudly shared their very detailed information reports that they have been working on in writing. Whilst they were the only two who visited, I have heard that there were many other students in Year 3 who also worked hard on their writing this week! It is wonderful to see our students taking pride in their learning and celebrating their achievements. Well done, Maddie, Zach and all of our Year 3 students!
Year 3 and Year 4 Camp Information Night
This week, we held an online Camp Information Evening for our Year 3 and 4 families.
We would like to thank our Senior Leader David Prowse for sharing all the important details about the upcoming Year 3 and 4 Camp. This will be a very exciting opportunity for our students as they travel to Discovery Camp at Mt Evelyn in Week 1 next term, where they will experience the fun, adventure and independence that comes with being away at camp with their friends and teachers.
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with David Prowse or your child’s class teachers, Christie Birch or Donnella DeVisser, if you have any questions or would like any further information.
Our priority is to ensure that all of our students have a safe, enjoyable and memorable camp experience. For many of our Year 3 students, this may be their first time away from home and their first experience of school camp, so we understand that this can be both exciting and a little daunting for students and families.
We look forward to sharing this wonderful experience with our students and seeing them embrace the adventure, develop their independence and create special memories with their friends and teachers.
Our St Joseph's School Assembly
Once again, it was wonderful to see so many families join us for our school assembly this morning.
This week, our superstar SRCs led the assembly, sharing some very important messages about ‘Bullying No Way! Week’. It was fantastic to see our students confidently taking the lead and helping to spread such an important message across our school community.
During 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. We warmly congratulated these students for the positive choices they make each day and for the wonderful way they contribute to our St Joseph’s community. We also celebrated our school birthdays - this week only Hadriel, who turned 9, and we all sang “Tanti Auguri” in Italian sharing in his birthday joy.
Mr Butler announced the winners of this week’s Line Points. Congratulations to our new champions Year 1C , for their fantastic achievement and for consistently demonstrating our school values throughout the week!
We also finished our assembly by proudly singing our National Anthem together - a wonderful way to celebrate our school community and start the day.
Father's Day - Save the Date
Parents and Friends Winter Drinks
Last night, many of our parents and carers gathered to enjoy a winter drink at the Mt Erica Hotel. A big thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends Executive Team led by Stef Angela and Jess for organising such a fun and enjoyable evening. It is always lovely to see our parent community come together and enjoy some time socialising without their precious little ones! We hope everyone had a fantastic night!
Upcoming P&F Meeting
Our next P&F Meeting will be held on Tuesday 25 August at 6:00pm – everyone is warmly welcome! The focus of this meeting will centre around the St Joseph’s Art Show, which will be held early in Term 4, as well as planning upcoming events between now and the end of the year and into early next year. Every member of our school community is very welcome, and we truly value every voice and contribution. Our P&F plays such an important role in bringing our community together through events, activities and fundraising initiatives that support our students and our school. We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and enthusiasm our P&F members give to our community. We look forward to seeing many of you at the meeting and continuing to work together to make our school community such a wonderful place to be!
Upcoming School Advisory Council Meeting
At this meeting, I will rely heavily on the advice and counsel of our SAC members as we begin planning for the 2027 school year. Our conversations will include the school’s 2027 budget, the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA), and the potential impact this may have on our St Joseph’s school community. I will seek the advice and guidance of our SAC members as we consider and make decisions regarding school fees, class structures and other important aspects of planning for 2027. These conversations will be an important part of ensuring that we make thoughtful and considered decisions that support our students, staff and wider school community. I am grateful for the ongoing commitment and contribution of our SAC members and value the important role they play in providing advice and representing the voice of our school community.
Book Week - Next Week!
Only a few more sleeps until our fabulous Book Day Celebration next week!
This year’s Book Week theme is ‘Symphony of Stories’, celebrating the wonderful world of books, stories and imagination.
Our Book Week Celebration Day takes place on Tuesday 25 August, when children are welcome to come dressed as any of their favourite book characters.
We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration of literature, with our students immersed in stories, exploring the shortlisted children’s books for 2026 and sharing their love of reading throughout the week. We can’t wait to see the creativity and excitement as our school community comes together to celebrate the magic of books!
We thank our Literacy Leader, Ms Amanda Jackson, for her dedication, creativity and enthusiasm in making Book Week such a special and exciting celebration for our students.
For a more in-depth look at all the Book Week activities happening across the week, please take some time to look at the exciting events planned:
As you arrive for school drop-off in the mornings, take a moment to enjoy the wonderful display in the corridor. There is certainly some excitement in the hallways as the children prepare for Book Week!
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