Dear Families,

We hope all mothers had a lovely day on Sunday and were spoilt by their families.

Mother's Day/VIP Breakfast

Thank you to Lou, Carmela and Jess Lumsden for organising the Mother's, Grandmother's and VIP Breakfast on Friday. Thank you also to Sophie, Jane, Meesha, Sarah, Brooke, Ross and anyone else I may have missed, for your assistance. We hope all who attended felt special. Thank you to Coastal Living for sponsoring the morning and Koonya General Store (Baker Boys croissants), Sciclunas (fruit) and The Botanical Edition (flowers). Thank you also Panda Blairgowrie, Marlo Spa, Alba, Peninsula Hot Springs and Kibu Imports for the door and raffle prizes. Please support these businesses who support us.

State Government Budget

Last week the Allan Labor Government announced in the 2024-25 State budget that there will be a $400 School Saving Bonus for all government school students. However, only Health Care Card holders will be eligible for the payment in Catholic schools. As you know all families are feeling the cost of living pressures and for Catholic school families to be discriminated against in this manner is deeply unfair. There should be equality for all school children in Victoria. We feel that either the payment should apply to all students, or it should be means tested for all families, as has been the case with programs like the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund. You can read more information about it at the following link:

https://vcea.catholic.edu.au/.../Allan-Labor-Government...

I have written to Sam Groth about the injustice of the decision and invite you to write to him also.

Ceramics Workshops with Jane

Many of you may not be aware that our Jane Byrne is a talented artist and her artwork can be seen in our local community. She has generously offered an opportunity for any interested parents to learn ceramics. There will be two, two hour sessions. They will be Thursday 30th May and 6th June 3.45 - 5.45. There are eight places available. The price will be $50 for both work shops, with clay and firing included in the price. Jane is donating the funds to the school. For more information, please contact Jane Byrne

jbyrne@sjsorrento.catholic.edu.au

Digital Citizenship and Online safety

Next Tuesday each learning area will participate in an eSmart workshop exploring digital citizenship and cybersafety. We invite any interested parents to a parent session Tuesday 21 at 2:35pm. The presenters have asked us to share the following link with parents for a short survey. They would like to gain insights which they will present in their workshops. The link to the parent survey is: https://forms.office.com/r/95DDewkeDi

Thank you in advance.

Welcome

A warm welcome to Kaiden and his mum Sarah to the St Joseph's learning community. We hope you find it to be a positive education experience.

Walk to School & DRI Crazy Hat Day

We will be celebrating National Walk to School Day this Friday 17th March. Staff will be leaving Sorrento Oval at 8:15am for families who would like to walk. Breakfast of toast and fruit will be available on arrival to school. The Community Running Club will still take place for those students participating.

It is also Crazy Hat Day. Students are asked to reuse, reinvent, repurpose or make a hat out of recycled materials. Please don't go and buy anything. This is a gold coin fundraiser for Dolphin Research Institute this year.

Playgroup

Don't forget we have Little Joey's Playgroup on each Thursday morning for pre-schoolers. All are welcome.

Bee Tea Towels

The bee tea towels look fantastic. The online store closed today but we still have a few left over in the school office. Please see Lucy if you would like to purchase one.

School Photos

School photos will be taken on Friday 24 May. Students are asked to wear their full winter school uniform.

Assessment and Reporting

Semester One Student Reports will be live on Monday 17 June. Learning Conferences will take place early in Term Three. If you have any questions regarding your child's growth and progress, please contact your child's teaching team to make an appointment.

Enjoy the week ahead and please let me know if I can assist you and your family in any way,

Monica

moshannassy@sjsorrento.catholic.edu.au

Before and After School Care