Principal News

Term 3, Week 9

Dear parents and carers, 

The St Joseph's Art Show 'Connections'

What a truly stunning evening we enjoyed last night at our biennial Art Show! The National Gallery of St Joseph’s was a spectacular celebration of our students’ creativity, featuring artwork produced throughout the year and beautifully displayed across the school.

We cannot thank our students and staff enough for the enormous effort that went into bringing the Art Show to life. The children’s artwork was displayed with great care, thought and professionalism, and the attention to detail was second to none.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mrs Sarah Lockett, our Visual Arts teacher, who coordinated the display of more than 1,800 pieces of art - yes, you read that correctly! This was an extraordinary undertaking and a wonderful reflection of her dedication to our students and the Visual Arts program.

We also sincerely thank our staff for their invaluable support in making the exhibition such a success. The classrooms, corridors and atrium reflected the efforts of our hardworking team and made our already beautiful school shine. Almost every display board and available wall surface was transformed into a gallery showcasing the imagination, talent and individuality of our students.

Congratulations also to the students who performed on guitar, keyboard, drums and xylophone throughout the evening. The full program of student performances was a wonderful addition to the event and was warmly received by everyone in attendance. We thank Mrs Harrison for her coordination and Mr Isaac for preparing and supporting the students.

Finally, we extend our deepest thanks to our P&F Co-Presidents, Victoria and Rosie, Year 3 Parent Representatives Steph, Cara, Lauren, Emma and helpers Laura H, Steph C, Jess F, Tara P, Sarah B, Shae, Leggy, Lydia, Tim N, Ben H, Kath, Carla, Tamika, Carmen, Alicia, Carmen, Juanita, Georgie G, Dan D and Fiona Scammell who worked tirelessly throughout the evening to run the barbecue, cake stall and refreshments. They were kept incredibly busy serving our community, with one person joking that it was “busier than Chadstone”! Their hard work and generosity contributed enormously to the welcoming atmosphere and success of the evening.

Thank you to every student, staff member, parent, carer and community member who attended and supported this very special event. It was a memorable evening and a magnificent celebration of the creativity and talent within our beautiful school community.

Father's Day & Special Men Celebrations 

We hope that all the Dads, Granddads, Step-dads, Mums who are Dads and special men in our community enjoyed the Father's and Special Men breakfast and catch up last week. It was lovely to see so many parents make the effort to come along before school - a wonderful testament to the strength of our special community. 

We sincerley thank our P&F who were onsite nice and early to set up for the event, in particular our Year 2 Parent Reps Michelle, Andrea, Steph and Phoebe in addition to Mon, Claire, Megan, Lan and Vic for helping out on the day.

We also are incredibly grateful to Woodfrog Bakery, who generously donated 50 danishes and 50 criossants for the breakfast.  

Our wonderful Year 3s topped off the morning with their assembly, celebrating the significant people in their lives. Thank you to Mr Capp and Miss Stanley who do a terrific job in the Year 3 space. 

Footy Colours Day!

Our Footy Colours Day was a wonderful celebration of team spirit, participation and fun! Students proudly wore their favourite team colours and enjoyed a fantastic range of football activities throughout the day. We thank the AFL Auskick team for running engaging activities for our Prep to Year 2 students. Our Year 6 Sports Leaders also did an outstanding job leading activities for students in Years 3 - 6 and lending a helping hand with the younger year levels. Their leadership and enthusiasm were wonderful to see. A special thank you to Mr Jansson for coordinating the entire day and making it such an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Parents and Friends "St Joseph's Family Footy Classic" 

Your commitment to our wonderful school once again shone through at our most recent St Joseph’s Family Footy Classic. We could not be prouder of the way our community embraced this event, with key parent representatives working countless hours behind the scenes to ensure everything ran seamlessly.

Thanks to the generosity of so many, the day raised close to $11,000 – an outstanding result. We are especially grateful to our major sponsors, OTS Developments (Carl Papalia) and Sketch Design (Andrew Brown), for their generous support.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Ben and Jenny Gibbs, who have led this event for the fifth year running, and our wonderful Parents and Friends Committee for their support. To all those who volunteered their time and resources – from BBQs, the bar and cake stand, to donations of food, eskys, jellies and cakes, and to everyone who purchased food and drinks on the day – your contributions made this event possible. Thank you. 

Special mentions must also go to:

• Steve our exceptional MC who kept the energy high all day.

• Carl for his efforts in lending his trailer and assisting with set up/pack up.

• Louise and Jade for the all-important role of keeping score.

• Nick and Grant for sourcing the umpires for the game

• The parents who helped run the “Longest Kick” competition.

• The Year 6 students who raised funds through face painting, Amelie, Harriet, Emma, Maddie, Maia W, Immy, Zoe G, Zoe M, Remy, Grace, Lila and Charlotte – a highlight for the younger children.

• The Year 6 students who umpired the goal square and ran the boundary - Hugo, Luke, Massimo, Max, Freddie, Archie and Arthur.

And, of course, to all our players, the coaches, and team captains, Nick Ockleshaw and Jimmy Martyn, who dedicated months of weekly training sessions to build community spirit and prepare for the big game. Without them, there is no game! The match was a great to watch, and congratulations to the St Joseph’s Demons on taking home the 2026 Footy Classic Cup!

Celebrating Our Wonderful Staff

Our Deputy Principals, Luke and Alannah, have written a beautiful reflection celebrating the dedication, care and outstanding work of our teachers. We encourage families to visit the Deputy page in this newsletter to read their tribute to our wonderful staff. 

Dendy Basketball 

Congratulations to the following Year 6s who represented our school at the Dendy Basketball competition today: Imogen, Massimo, Pat, Lotte, Phin, Lewis, Zoe M, Zoe G, Max, Harriet S, Maddie, Rex, Maya, Ben, Allegra, Maia, Lila and Freddie. Coached by Myles A, Mr Sandler and Miss Berman the students were extremely well behaved and displayed great sportsmanship. 

Working Bee – Saturday, October 10

A working bee will be held on Saturday, October 10, from 1.00–3.00 pm, hosted by our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 families. A list of jobs and further details will be circulated closer to the date. Please add the working bee to your diary, we greatly appreciate the time and support of everyone who is able to lend a hand.

Grandparents & Special Friends

We are delighted to once again host our traditional Grandparents' Day on Friday October 16. This day is always such a highlight for our community.

The schedule will be as follows:

• 9:15am Gates open for arrival

• 9:45am Assembly hosted by our Year 5 students

• 10:15am Students and grandparents can tour the classrooms and school, with morning tea served (inside or outside, weather depending)

• 11:15am Morning tea concludes 

An nForma notice for RSVP and catering will be circulated next week. 

Beachside Athletics 

Congratulations to the following students who will go through to the next round of competition on Friday October 9: 

Evelyn W: 800m, 1500m

Elsie W: 100m, triple jump

Gabriela DD: Long jump

Archie B: 800m, 200m, 4x100m relay

Phin H: Hurdles, 4x100m relay

James B: 4x100m relay

Lewis L: Long Jump

Jack C: Discus, 4x100m Relay

Joshua L: Shot Put

Maia W: 800m, 1500m

Zoe M: Hurdles

Remy H: 100m

Morning Drop-Off and Supervision Reminder

A reminder that the school is open for student drop-off from 8.30 am, when staff supervision begins. Please note that the school does not provide supervision or assume duty of care for students who arrive before this time. Students who arrive early because an older or younger sibling is participating in a before-school sporting activity must remain with the sporting group and its supervising adult. They should not be left unattended or move around the school grounds unsupervised.

Dogs at School

For the safety of all students, staff, and families, dogs are not permitted inside school buildings at any time. If you walk your dog to or from school, please ensure it is securely tied up outside, away from the foyer and/or main doors. On school property, dogs must remain on a leash and under the control of an adult at all times - children are not permitted to hold the leash or walk dogs around the playground before or after school.

Student Mobile Phones / Smart Watches

We ask families to remind their children that all mobile phones and Smart Watches (i.e. any device with cellular capacity) are to be handed in to the classroom teacher at the beginning of each school day. This aligns with the Victorian State Government Legislation. Parents who need to contact their child can do so by contacting the school office and a message will be passed on. 

Term 4 School Uniform

We will have a two week grace period at the start of Term 4, to allow the students to transition into their full summer uniform. There are strictly no variations to the school uniform e.g. non-school hat, alternative sock colours, sneakers.  School hats and sunscreen must be worn and "no hat, no play" will apply. Sunscreen must be applied before school, and students are responsible for reapplication throughout the day.

Term 4 Assemblies

Families and special friends are always welcome to attend our school assemblies. We begin at 9am and conclude at approximately 9.30am. 

Little Gems

Our Year 4s were rehearsing in the garden before their big debut at the Art Show. 

Our BBQ superstars - Vic and Fiona - still smiling after approximately 400 sausages in bread!

Miss Jen showing off her Hawthorn badges to an adoring crowd. 

Some of our wonderful parents volunteered their time to help frame up the art pieces for our show. We are so grateful for their efforts. 

Will (Year 3CS) drew this beautufil image for Father's Day. 

And finally...

This is our final newsletter for Term 3. We want to thank the entire St Joseph's community for what has been an incredibly successful term. The efforts of our students, staff and parents have been remarkable, and you have all given us so much to celebrate. Thank you. 

Term 4 begins on Monday October 5 at 8.30am.

Claire Tobin

Principal