Principal’s News

Semester One is Done and Dusted

Semester One has come to an end, and what a great first half of the year it has been! We’ve enjoyed an extra-long summer, exciting events, a fantastic camp for our Year 3/4s, a wide range of sporting activities, incursions, excursions, and—most importantly—a whole lot of learning.

Thank you to everyone in our community for working together so positively to support the learning and wellbeing of our students. I’m especially grateful to our parents and staff for all that you contribute to life at St Joseph’s.

With winter well and truly upon us—bringing chilly days and some much-needed rain—I hope the weather doesn’t put too much of a damper on the children’s fun during their mid-year break. I also hope you’re able to enjoy some quality time with your children over the next two weeks.

If you need anything during the holidays, I will be checking my email daily. For urgent matters, I can be reached on my mobile at 0425 736 305. Please avoid leaving messages on the office phone, as the office will be closed and voicemails will not be monitored.

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable break.

Safe Guarding our Children

The story that emerged out of Point Cook this week is deeply disturbing and highlights the need for us all to work together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children at St Joseph’s. 

Please rest assured, staff who are appointed to positions at St Joseph's go through a rigorous vetting process, including an interview, multiple reference checks, a criminal record check and they must also have either Victorian Institute of Teaching Registration (Teachers) or a Working with Children Check (non-teaching staff).

Contractors and Allied Health Workers must hold a WWCC and have signed our Code of Conduct in order to work with our children at St Joseph's School.  

Parent volunteers must hold a WWCC, sign our Code of Conduct and have completed our Parent Helpers Course.  

Visitor Sign-In Requirement

As part of our commitment to child safety, all visitors entering St Joseph’s School must sign in at the front office. This is not just a school policy—it is a legal requirement to ensure we have a clear record of all adults on site at any given time.

We noticed at our last two school events, a number of parents and grandparents have entered the school buildings without signing in. This compromises our ability to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students.

To remain compliant with our child safety obligations, every visitor must sign in and wear a visitor sticker while on school grounds. This applies at all times during school hours, with the only exceptions being large-scale events such as School Assemblies, Christmas Carols, and Twilight Sports held outdoors.

We appreciate your support in helping us keep our school community safe for children and young people.

Annual Report to the School Community

Please click below to view our Annual Report to the School Community for 2024.  This document reports on the previous year.  Our 2025 Annual Report will be published in 2026.

Love Where You Live?

Show us what’s unique about your local Upper Yarra area in a photo.

Love where you live and love taking photos?

For your chance to feature in next year’s 2026 Warburton and Yarra Junction Community Bank Calendar submit your photos of the natural, historical or cultural landmarks that make your area unique.

*Photos of people are also accepted if a photo consent form is signed.

Caption your photo, tell us the photo location and complete the entry form for the 2026 Calendar Competition.

For details on how to enter and full Terms & Conditions head to our website www.upperyarra.net.au

ENTRIES CLOSE 5pm WEDNESDAY 30 JULY 2025

Enquiries to: admin@upperyarra.net.au

Competition run by UYCE Ltd / Bendigo Bank Community Banks Warburton & Yarra Junction

Entries Open Wednesday 02 July

Entries Close Wednesday 30 July

Online Exhibition and voting opens 01 August

Kind regards,

Nick

Principal

St Joseph’s School