Dear Parents and Guardians,

It was fabulous to see so many fathers, grandfathers and family members onsite last Friday afternoon. There was a buzz in every classroom and l am sure that all our visitors enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside their children in the classrooms.

It was wonderful to celebrate Father’s Day at assembly and to have so many families attend to share this important event. Special thanks to all attendees and to our wonderful Parents and Friends who organised our very successful Father’s Day Stall.

Building Grant

Nathan Lambert, local MLA member for Preston and Reservoir, attended our school on Friday afternoon, toured our school and spoke at our assembly. Our School Advisory Council have been working with me to access a building grant and this work has included reaching out to Nathan to raise awareness of our need for additional funds to update our school. We have been successful in receiving a grant of 1.27 million and moving forward, the School Advisory Council will begin interviewing architects for a new masterplan as part of our preparation for utilising this grant.

Confirmation

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Friday 16th August. It was a lovely ceremony with Bishop Terry Curtain and Father Manny Bonello. It was a very special occasion for the students and their families. I would like to thank all those who were involved in preparing the students for this important Sacrament, particularly their teachers Kate, Helen, Leah and Rhoe. Thank you also to Kate for organising a beautiful Mass to celebrate this important faith milestone. Thank you also to Fr Manny for his ongoing support of our students in their preparation and at the Mass.

P & F Father's Day Stall and Raffle

A very big thank you to our P & F members, who organised a wonderful stall and raffle for the students to celebrate Father's Day. This was a lovely opportunity for the children to purchase gifts for their loved ones, as well as being a profitable fundraising event. Thank you to everyone who donated a raffle prize, helped on the stall, wrapped gifts, folded raffle tickets and all the other many 'behind the scenes' activities, which go into making these events so great for our children. Special thanks to ~

Father's Day stall coordinator - Lisa

Raffle coordinators - Daniela, Marelia, Emma, Jessica, Vanessa and Natalie.

Stall helpers: Melisa, Amanda, Brooke, Jackie, Renee, Lara, Elizabeth

MACSSIS Family School Improvement Survey

Each year we ask families, students and staff to share their perceptions about how our school is going. At St Joseph the Worker, we believe it is important that families have a voice and contribute to the shaping of improvement in our school. Parent feedback is invaluable to our progress as a strong school community.

Some families have been invited to participate in our annual online Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). Families will have received an email with the details of how to complete the survey. We encourage families to participate in the survey however, it is not compulsory.

Save the date

There is another opportunity in Term 4 for parents to hear from Andrew Moreton, Preston Proactive Policing Unit regarding how to support your child being cyber safe. Andrew always presents very well and parents who have attended these meetings are very positive about his messages and strategies to support families. l strongly encourage parents to save this date, Tuesday, 15th October 6.00pm.

3 Way Conversations

Our 3 Way Conversations, which will take place today Thursday September 19th and Friday September 20th. We have allowed 15-minute appointment times, and all parents are expected to attend to discuss your child’s achievements and future learning priorities.

The 3 Way Conversation is an opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to talk about the student’s strengths, the areas for future learning. 3 Way Conversations strengthen the home-school partnerships and allow our students to see their parents and teacher working together with them.

3 Way Conversations provide a forum to acknowledge student progress and celebrate their achievements. We want this to be an affirming experience where parents are encouraged to provide positive feedback to their child based on the work they share.

We understand that some conversations are not always appropriate to have in front of your child. If there is a matter that you wish to discuss privately with your child’s teacher, students will be able to wait outside the classroom after they have shared their learning goal.

R U OK Day Thursday 12th September

This year R U Ok is being held Thursday, 12th September 2024. In 2024, R U OK? is calling on everyone to Ask R U OK? any Day because life happens every day.

This is our National Day of Action when we remind each other that every day is the day to ask, ‘are you OK?’ and start a meaningful conversation whenever we observe that someone we care about may be struggling with life.

As a school we take mental health very seriously. Supporting our community to continue to have important conversations is crucial especially if you have noticed changes in a family member, your child, a friend or a colleague. Don't underestimate the difference each of us can make to others by simply asking R U OK?

Please encourage anyone who may be at risk or experiencing emotional distress, including worried family and friends, to seek support and contact one of the following services:

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 Phone support is there all day, every day.

Online support is open from 8am-midnight every day (AEST).

eHeadspace. 1800 650 890 Open 9am-1am daily (AEST) 

Lifeline. 13 11 14 Phone support all day, every day. Online support 7pm-4am daily (AEST).

Catholic Care 03 9287 5555 https://www.ccam.org.au/page/12/counselling

Beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Phone support all day, every day. Online support 3pm-midnight every day.

Mensline Australia 1030078 99 78

School Fees

Thank you to the families who have paid their fees in full. We still have a high number of outstanding fees and remind families that the final instalment of fees is due October 31st (unless you are paying by direct debit). It is important that all school fees are paid in full and on time to enable the school to meet its financial obligations. Families with students in Year 6 are asked to finalise their accounts as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to contact Marisa if you would like to discuss your account, set up a direct debit payment plan or discuss support.

Pilgrimage to Italy

I am departing on Friday for the North Central Zone Principal Conference in Rome and Assisi. I am looking forward to travelling with my fellow Principals as we visit many sacred religious sites throughout Italy including the Sistene Chapel, St Peter’s Bassilica, the Fransiscan Monestry where St Francis lived and the key Terra Laudator sites in and around Assisi. I look forward to sharing some insights from my trip with you on my return.

“To take a pilgrimage is to take a step, a step out of ourselves to encounter God, where He has revealed himself, where His grace has shone. On pilgrimage, we trust ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who leads us on a journey of faith and encounter with God.” Pope Francis

St Joseph the Worker, Pray for Us.

Kind regards,

Maria Barnes

Principal

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