PRINCIPAL'S NEWS

Miss Jaclyn is always busy keeping abreast of our socials and sharing the terrific things that are happening at our school.

Welcome to the World...

Congratulations to Ashlyn and Alex on the birth of their second child, a beautiful baby boy named Freddie George, weighing 4.2kg, born on Saturday, June 01.

Freddie and his mum and dad are doing well, and big sister Hazel is, undoubtedly, besotted.

School Arrival Times

I would like to remind you that the schoolyard is not supervised until 8:30am. Recently, we have noticed an increasing number of students arriving as early as 8:00am. This poses a significant occupational health and safety risk to the school, as our public liability insurance does not cover accidents or injuries that occur outside of school hours.

To ensure the safety of all students, many schools across the Melbourne Archdiocese do not open their gates until 8:30am, requiring families to wait on the street. We are committed to avoiding this situation at our school.

For families needing to drop off children early, we highly recommend utilising the Leapkids before-school care service. This program operates from 7:00am and includes breakfast for the children. The children are then escorted to the yard at 8:30am, ensuring they are safely supervised. Please, if your morning commitments require an early drop-off, avail yourself of this service. 

Additionally, as we head into the winter months, early drop-offs mean children will be exposed to cold and wet mornings. Using the Leapkids service will keep your children warm and safe until school begins.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students.

A Message from the SRC - Winter Blanket Appeal

We are coordinating the Winter Blanket Appeal this year at St Joseph’s.

St Vinnies has identified the Winter months as a very hard time for families in poverty. If you are cold it is very hard to keep well and healthy and stay safe from colds and flu.

The St Joseph’s Winter Blanket Appeal will continue until June 28. We will ask Tony from St Vinnies to come to school to collect the new warm blankets and take them to people who are struggling to keep warm. Please bring your new warm blanket donations to school.

Thank you for your kind donations.

Freya, Charlie, Havana, Bridget, James, Nolawi, Hamish, Lennon, Aria, Sadie, Orlando, Greta and Oscar.

Members of St Joseph’s SRC

A Day in May

Thank you to Jess Thwaites and the SRC for the organisation of our recent fundraiser - A Day in May - a campaign that raises funds annually for Challenge’s Musical Moments Trust, a scholarship which funds positive musical experiences for young children diagnosed with cancer. 

The day was a huge success as we raised $406.85, and everyone enjoyed dressing up as rock stars or wearing a splash of yellow.  

RECONCILIATION WEEK (Monday May 27)

Last week we acknowledged Reconciliation Week at St Joseph's.  Ms Louise and Ms Jaclyn put a lot of work into ensuring the importance of this week was highlighted through The Arts programme.   All the students participated in a whole school art project to commemorate Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week: 

• Our prep students made a paper hibiscus flower to mark the occasion
• Our juniors contributed to our Wominjeka art installation and created some beautiful chalk images and messages on the pavement
• Our middles contributed design and colour to our display banner and weaved repurposed items onto wire to add visual interest to our Wominjeka art installation.  
• Our seniors spent time fabric weaving to rejuvenate our Wominjeka art installation. 

I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Jarrod Chilcott for organising our special guests - Amos Roach (son of Archie Roach) and his partner Yvette.  Amos performed a smoking ceremony and played his didgeridoo, creating an authentic and moving atmosphere for us all.  It was a truly memorable experience, and we are grateful for their time and contribution to our school community.  

Our morning ceremony also included a visit from Sheena Watt.  Sheena is a Yorta Yorta woman and the first female indigenous Australian to represent the Labor Party in the Parliament of Victoria.  Sheena spoke about her story of reconciliation and the impact artists such as Archie Roach had on her life.

Cross Country

Congratulations to Saskia Thomas, Amelia Brown and Zahra Lania for competing in the Divisional Cross Country event last Thursday.  The three girls performed admirably, with Saskia securing 5th place and advancing to the Zone Competitions, which is one level before the state championships.  Congratulations all round!!

Physical Education Lessons

As you may be aware, Joshua Howarth has been on extended sick leave due to an injury to his arm.  Over the last few weeks, we've been fortunate to have Rob Black fill the position and our classes have continued without interruption.

Josh's return to work is a week-by-week proposition. I will keep families informed as soon as I have information.  We appreciate your understanding and support during this time and we wish Josh a speedy recovery.

Dental Van Onsite

In last week's newsletter I mentioned that the Dental Van will be onsite throughout the week.  Unfortunately this has not come to fruition - we will inform families of the new date as soon as we know.  The Victorian Government's school dental van program provides free dental care to all students at Victorian primary schools.  If you have any questions please contact Kathryn.