Principal News   

Dear St Joseph's Parents, Carers and Families,

We have had a wonderful end to Week 3 of this term with our very special celebration for our grandparents and other special family members and friends in our children's lives. It is a very nice reminder of the importance of family and how very blessed we are to have special people in our lives who support, guide, and love us unconditionally. The smiles, laughter, and shared stories throughout the morning created such a warm and joyful atmosphere. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this celebration so memorable. It was truly a beautiful way to finish the week together as a school community.

Prayer for our Grandparents and Special Family Members and Friends

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for the special gift of our grandparents, family members and special friends - for their wisdom, their kindness, and the love they share so freely.

Bless them with good health, comfort, and joy in every day.

Help us to listen to their stories, to learn from their experience, and to show them how much we love and appreciate them.

May they always feel surrounded by our care and by Your everlasting love.

Amen.

Grandparents & Special Family & Friends Morning

Grandparents and Special Friends Day Liturgy

Today, we gathered as a community to celebrate love and gratitude at our annual Grandparents and Special Friends Liturgy.

It was a beautiful occasion to give thanks for the many wonderful people who show care, guidance, and love in our children’s lives - grandparents, relatives, neighbours, family friends, and all those who play a special role in nurturing them.

Our Year 1 students led us with warmth and joy, sharing prayers and songs that reminded us of the importance of family and friendship. We are deeply grateful to all the grandparents and special friends who joined us today, especially those who travelled from quite a distance, to help make this morning such a memorable and heartfelt celebration.

Click on the image below, to view the video of the beautiful grandparents and children in our community, that was shared at our assembly this morning:

There is so much love in each and every photo. Our children are very blessed to share this special bond and love with their grandparents.

Grandparents Morning Tea

Our Grandparents Morning Tea was a wonderful way to begin the day’s celebrations, bringing together families for a morning filled with smiles, conversation, and connection. It was lovely to see grandparents and grandchildren enjoying a delicious breakfast together, sharing stories and laughter before heading into the liturgy and classrooms for more special moments.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our amazing Parents and Friends (P&F) - Laura, Tennille, Talia, Angela, Jane, Amy, Olivia, and Sally, as well as our wonderful office staff - Lynnette and Isabelle, for their early start this morning and the effort they put into preparing a delicious breakfast. Your hard work and warmth helped make the morning such a welcoming and memorable occasion for everyone.

A special shout out also, to Fleur, for organising the beautiful flowers for this very special morning, which created a very extra special touch. 

Making special memories together

After our beautiful Grandparents and Special Friends Day Liturgy, our classrooms were filled with laughter, curiosity, and joy as grandparents, family members and special friends joined the children for a morning of shared learning. It was heartwarming to see generations come together - reading stories, making craft and sharing learning. The children were so proud to show their work and learning spaces, and the grandparents, family members and special friends delighted in seeing the enthusiasm and creativity of the students. This was very special for our everyone. 

Confirmation Retreat Day and the Sacrament of Confirmation

We are looking forward to celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with our senior students on Thursday evening, 30th October, at St Patrick’s Cathedral. All families from our school community are welcome to attend this very significant faith celebration. This is a very special occasion in their faith journey, as they take the next step in confirming their commitment to the Catholic faith. 

In preparation for this important sacrament, our students participated in a Retreat Day today where they spent time in reflection, prayer, and discussion about the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Year 6 students also spent time with Fr. Gallacher in St Joseph’s Church today, where they participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and had the opportunity to ask Father any questions they had in preparation for their Confirmation on Thursday evening. 

We thank our Religious Education Leader, Donnella DeVisser, along with our senior teachers Clare and Siobhan and parish team, for their support and guidance as our students prepare for this meaningful milestone in their faith journey. We ask that you keep the students who are making their Confirmation in your prayers over the coming week.

All the best to our Year 6 School Captain Callum!

We are incredibly proud of Callum, who will be representing St Joseph’s at the School Sports Australia Swimming Nationals in Ballarat across the week next week. Callum has a busy few days ahead, competing in the 200m, 100m, and 50m freestyle individual events, as well as two relays across three days of competition. Adding to this wonderful achievement, Callum has been selected as the 2025 Captain of the Victorian team - an amazing honour and recognition of his dedication, leadership, and talent in the pool.

We wish Callum all the very best for an exciting week of racing and will be cheering him on proudly from St Joseph’s! We look forward to getting a daily update from Callum's parents George and Rachel across the week next week! 

T20 Cricket Fun!

Today our Year 3s and 4 participated in a day of T20 Cricket Fun at Dendy Park. Our students enjoyed this day of competition and demonstrated great sportsmanship. We thank our amazing parents helpers Laura K (Mum of Clements and Sidney) and David S (father of Matthias) and our staff - Dean Georgie Grace Hudson Shannen Luisa and Briely for supporting our students, and to our fabulous PE Teacher Christie Birch for organising this event!

Outstanding Tennis Achievements – Congratulations, Dylan!

Year 3 student, Dylan, has had an outstanding October on the tennis court, achieving some fantastic results at both state and national levels. Competing as the No.13 seed in the Green Ball Series Finals at Melbourne Park, Dylan won his first two matches with an impressive 6–0, 6–2 victory before falling to the No.3 seed in the third round — a great result in such a competitive field. The following weekend, Dylan represented Team Victoria in the State of Origin against South Australia’s top Under 10 players. Although Victoria was defeated overall, Dylan secured a strong singles victory, showcasing great skill and sportsmanship. A huge congratulations to Dylan on these wonderful achievements - your hard work and passion for tennis is truly inspiring!

World Teacher's Day- "Hats off to Teachers"

Our school will joyfully celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Monday, 27th October, with the theme “Hats Off to Teachers!” This special day is normally celebrated on Friday, the 31st of October, but as we have a school closure on this day, we will celebrate it earlier on Monday. This will be a wonderful opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated teachers who inspire, guide, and nurture our students each day. Students will be invited to wear their favourite or most creative hats to school, symbolising a collective “hats off” to our incredible educators who make learning meaningful and enjoyable. The day will be filled with appreciation and school spirit, as we celebrate the hard work and passion of our teaching staff.

2026 Senior Students Information Session

Last Tuesday evening, we held an information session regarding our 2026 senior students. This session was particularly relevant to our current Year 4 and 5 parents; however, all families were welcome to attend. During the session, we shared our plans for delivering learning excellence along with a strong wellbeing and leadership program for our senior students. It was a successful event with a great turnout and it was so pleasing to hear the positive feedback from the parents who attended at school and online about our structure and learning plans for 2026. Please see Dean Butler's page - '2026 Senior Learning Centre' in this week's newsletter.

Information Session regarding 2026 Structures and Timetables

On Wednesday, 5th November at 6:00pm, we will hold another information session for all parents and carers across the school to discuss some minor adjustments to our 2026 structures and timetables. While these changes are not major, they have been made in response to the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) and teachers’ entitlements regarding face-to-face teaching time. This process has been carried out through extensive consultation with our School Leadership Team and Consultative Committee. We look forward to sharing these updates with you in the coming weeks.

School Advisory Council 

Our most recent School Advisory Council meeting was held this week Tuesday, 21st October. At each meeting, the School Advisory Council engages in conversations focused on school improvement. Personal or private matters regarding families or students are never discussed. All discussions are conducted with professionalism, respect, and a shared commitment to what is best for the whole school community. At this week’s meeting, some agenda items included class structures for 2026, house names, child safe standards, and senior student leadership. We look forward to sharing an update on our 2026 student leadership shortly.

School Advisory Council 2026 –  Expressions of Interest

We have been overwhelmed by the number of parents and carers who have expressed interest in joining our School Advisory Council (SAC) - we thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment to our school community.

The SAC plays an important role in supporting the Principal and strengthening our school by acting as a consultative voice. The Council provides advice on areas such as school improvement, finance, communication, community engagement, and the wellbeing and learning of our students.

For the 2026–2027 period, we will be welcoming new members as some of our current representatives conclude their tenure. This is a voluntary three-year commitment, with the group meeting 6–8 times per year.

Serving on the SAC is a wonderful opportunity to share your perspective, contribute your skills, and play an active role in shaping the future of St Joseph’s. We are truly grateful for the strong interest shown and look forward to continuing this partnership in support of our students and school community.

Successful candidates will be confirmed before the final SAC meeting this year.

SAC Meetings for the remainder of 2025:

• SAG AGM and Dinner Nov 25 

Parents and Friends Meeting

Our most recent P&F meeting was held on Wednesday, 22nd October, and we were delighted to see our enthusiastic P&F members in attendance. During the meeting, we discussed Term 4 events, including the hugely successful Grandparents’ Day today, and expressed our gratitude to the P&F for their continued support in making events like this so special.

We also acknowledged the success of the Bunnings BBQ fundraiser and the Trivia Night, celebrating the wonderful contributions of our school community. The conversation then turned to planning for the end of year Carols Night, and we began preparations for our community events in 2026.

P&F Expressions of Interest for 2026

As we approach the end of the year, our amazing P&F Co-Presidents, Laura and Talia, and Secretary Jane, will be stepping down from their roles after leading an exceptionally successful year. Their dedication has been evident in both fundraising achievements and in bringing our community together through significant and highly successful events. On behalf of our entire school, I sincerely thank Laura, Talia, and Jane for their constant support, generosity, and willingness to go above and beyond for the benefit of our school community. Your commitment has made a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for all that you have done. We will acknowledge and celebrate them at the P&F AGM on the 18th of November.

As such, we will be looking for expressions of interest for the following roles:

• P&F President or Co-Presidents
• Secretary

Please forward your email directly to me if this is something that interests you.

Staffing for 2026

We are very close to finalising our staffing for 2026 and we are very excited about the year ahead. As part of this process, we carefully consider many factors to ensure we have the best teachers and support staff to meet the needs of students at every stage of their learning. Our focus is always on providing the best possible educational experiences, and supporting the wellbeing and growth of every child. We look forward to sharing our 2026 St Joseph's team with the school community soon.

Classes for 2026

It’s that time of year when we begin to for 2026. Our Class structures for 2026 are as follows:

Prep

Prep

Year 1

Year 1

Year 2

Year 2

Year 3

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5/6

Deciding which child is placed in each class is a careful and thoughtful process, taking into account the academic, social, emotional, and behavioural needs of every student to create classes where they can thrive.

As part of this process, students will be invited to share the names of friends they work well with, and will be encouraged to think about friends in the other class as well. Every child will have at least one nominated friend in their class next year. Teachers collaborate closely with School Leadership, with the final class arrangements made by the Principal and Leadership Team.

We truly value the trust our families place in us to make decisions that support all students. If you have any specific educational requests, we ask that these be directed to the Principal rather than your child’s classroom teacher. Every request is considered thoughtfully, with the aim of supporting the best possible outcomes for every student.

Thank you for your understanding and support, as we carefully plan for another successful year of learning, growth, and friendship.

School Closure Day

Our next School Closure Day takes place next week on Friday, 31st October. This date has been marked on our family calendar, as well as in our school newsletter's calendar of events. This day is a professional learning day for our staff, where we will take a deep dive into MACS' Vision for Instruction and Vision for Engagement, as well as analysing student and school data, so that we have a strong focus on learning and wellbeing as we begin to plan for 2026. The date of this school closure is timely, as families are afforded an extra long weekend with the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday the following week.

The school will be closed on:

School Review

The School Review process provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our successes over the past four years and begin planning for the next four-year school improvement cycle.

On Friday, 17th October, we commenced the first stage of our school review process. On that day, the school reviewer met with me, our leadership team, and Fr. Gallacher. He also spent time in our classrooms and toured the school.

The reviewer will return to St Joseph's next week where he will spend two full days at our school, meeting with students, staff, and parents. 

I look forward to sharing updates when we receive the reviewer’s report and recommendations for our school later this year.

Summer School Uniform

As of this week, all students need to be wearing their full summer uniform. A school hat must be worn at break times, with a 'no hat, no play' rule applying. Students are required to apply their own sunscreen and we ask families to please apply before school. Correct school shoes and socks must be worn, and we remind students and families that nail polish or fancy jewellery is not part of our school uniform. We also ask that long hair must be tied back neatly and any hair colours must be in our school colours. We thank you in advance for your support and understanding. 

What's On Next Week

Staying in Touch

Together we work in partnership to support and nurture the children at St Joseph's.

If you have any concerns or worries about your child's wellbeing, learning, or friendships, please do not hesitate to have a chat with your child's teacher as your first point of contact, or a member of our school leadership team. For more serious concerns, I encourage you to reach out to me directly, either by making an appointment through the office or contacting me via my email. 

With blessings and warmest regards,

Annabelle Marinelli

Principal 

annabelle.marinelli@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au