Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome back to St Joseph’s for Semester Two. I have heard from many children about how much they enjoyed their break. It was lovely to see them re-engaging so happily with their friends, Teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSOs).

New Flag Poles

In late June we installed new flag poles to fly the Australian National Flag, the Aboriginal Flag, and the Torres Strait Islander Flag. For many years, both Liberal and Labour State governments have encouraged schools to install at least three flagpoles so all three flags can be flown together to honour our Australian Defence Force Veterans, First Nations cultures and an inclusive national identity.

We have made several attempts over the years to have these works completed. I finally managed to find a contractor who was willing to travel out our way to do this installation. Thanks to Katie Vranken, we were successful in receiving a $2,500 grant through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ 2025-26 Saluting their Service Commemorative Grant Program.

The Saluting Their Service Program is an important Australian Government initiative that helps promote awareness of the experiences and sacrifices of those who have served our country. Through programs like this, we can continue to educate our students about the importance of honouring and preserving the stories, memories and traditions that form Australia's wartime heritage.

Aaron Violi Visit

Aaron Violi (Member for Casey, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, Shadow Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation and Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) will be joining Fr Michel, the School Advisory Council and the St Joseph’s Staff for lunch, prior to a special assembly on Wednesday 29 July, when the school will be presented with the Australian National Flag, the Aboriginal Flag, and the Torres Strait Islander Flag. We are very grateful to Aaron for being so generous with his time and for arranging for the flags to be donated to our school. Parents are invited to attend this assembly and be present for the first time all three flags have flown at St Joseph's school.

Archbishop Peter Comonsoli's Episcopal Visit

The Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Reverend Peter Comonsoli will be holding an Episcopal Visit in the Sacred Heart parish in early September. He will be visiting the school on Friday 4 September and will be participating in Parish events on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September.

This is a wonderful pastoral opportunity for the Archbishop and parish, an opportunity to spend an extended time and celebrate with our community. He is very interested in hearing the parish and school story, to find out about what's currently happening, our successes and any challenges we are facing. This is his first visit to the Sacred Heart Parish, as far as I am aware and promises to be a significant event for both the parish and school.

I am often asked by teachers, students and parents how to address the Archbishop. In the Catholic Church, the Archbishop is addressed as Your Grace. This distinguishes them from regular bishops, who are typically addressed as My Lord. Bishops vary greatly in their levels of formality. We will confirm with Fr Michel how he wishes to be addressed well before he arrives.

Recent Professional Learning

Staff participate in regular professional learning throughout the year to ensure we are incorporating best practice and research-informed pedagogies in the classrooms. Some of this is offered on-site or on-line through Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). Other professional Learning is delivered by the Leadership Team at St Joseph's School.

On the last day of Term Two our wonderful Mathematics leader, Lisa Bourke ran an outstanding Professional Learning Day focusing on Mental Strategies. This was an engaging and challenging end to Semester One. See below images of our staff engaging in new learning.

On our return to school, following the holidays Our Faith and Mission Leader, Terry Foley led the staff in a day exploring faith, prayer, Christian Meditation and contemporary issues facing our church in the modern world. Please see below a resource used with the staff, exploring the recently released Encyclical by Pope Leo XIV called "Magnifica Humanitas."

View this Youtube clip for a concise summary of Pope Leo’ recently released encyclical

It provides a framework for safeguarding human dignity, labor, and the common good in the era of artificial intelligence.

While there is wonderful support from parents for our school events, responsibility for the organisation of these has fallen back on the school in recent times. It is time for enthusiastic and willing Dads and Mums to step up and take the lead with planning social and fundraising events for our school. St Joseph's has a long and rich history of strong parent involvement. However, since the COVID Pandemic, volunteering seems to have really dropped off.

We have had wonderful leadership over the years from the likes of Terez, Laura and Leonie but we need some new people to step up and forge a new direction. We have been very lucky to welcome some new and very dynamic parents to our school in recent years. It would be fantastic to see them stepping up and leading our Parents and Friends Committee. We will be holding

School Advisory Council

A group that is meeting regularly and functioning well is our School Advisory Council. This group is made up of parents (incl a grandparent), school leaders and our Parish Priest, Fr Michel. It is an advisory body that supports the principal and the parish priest in advancing the mission and strategic direction of the school. It is not a governing board and does not manage the school's day-to-day operations.

The SAC's key responsibilities typically include:

Providing advice on the school's Catholic identity, mission, and strategic priorities.
Contributing to school improvement planning and long-term vision.
Offering community perspectives on significant matters affecting the school.
Supporting the relationship between the school, parish, and wider community.
Advising on major initiatives such as master planning and, in some cases, participating in principal appointment processes as set out in MACS policies.

A SAC does not:

Govern the school (the governing authority is the MACS Board).
Manage school operations, staff, or student discipline.
Direct the principal or make binding decisions on operational matters. Those responsibilities remain with the principal under delegation from the MACS Board.

Council members are expected to:

Support the mission and ethos of Catholic education.
Act in good faith and in the best interests of the school.
Maintain confidentiality.
Declare conflicts of interest.
Participate respectfully in consultation and consensus-building.

If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the St Joseph's School Advisory Council, please reach out to me principal@sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au

Welcoming New Students

We have been very fortunate to welcome two new students to St Joseph's this term. They are Eloise in Foundation and Evie in Year Four. It has been lovely to see how warmly they have been welcomed by their classmates and how smoothly they have transitioned to our school.

We are very hopeful of welcoming two other students in the coming days. They are Adera in Year Four and Yasemin in Year Six. The children have had a tour and their parents have submitted an enrolment form. Keep an eye out for these new faces around our school. I know you will all make them and their families feel very welcome.

Community Events

Best wishes for the semester ahead.

Nick.

Nicholas Boyhan

Principal

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