Dear parents and carers,

Thank you for your understanding this morning, as our scheduled Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony was cancelled due to the inclement weather. We hope to reschedule this important event in Term Two.

Across the week, the Year 6 Leadership Group - Luca, Liam, Frankie, Charlotte, Ethan, Lara Rose, Mila and Maya, have been presenting in the classrooms, educating the students on what a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony is and the significance of holding such an event.

Congratulations and thank you to our Year 6 Leaders for the amount of work they put into their role this term - they have truly excelled.

NAPLAN and 7 News

Congratulations to our Year 3 and 5 students who completed their NAPLAN assessments over the past two weeks. NAPLAN provides a valuable snapshot of student progress in literacy and numeracy, offering parents insight into how their child is tracking against national standards. At St Joseph's we gently remind families that NAPLAN is just one piece of the puzzle. Our teachers conduct ongoing, comprehensive assessments that provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of each student's learning journey. Your child’s class teacher remains the best source of insight into their progress and growth.

In other NAPLAN-related news, we were privileged to be featured on 7 News last week, showcasing the impact of our evidence-based teaching and learning practices. This recognition highlights our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and educational excellence.

Beyond individual results, NAPLAN serves as a tool that helps shape our strategic direction. It allows us to celebrate student growth while identifying areas for further development within our teaching and learning programs. By triangulating our school-based assessments with state and national benchmarks, we gain critical insights that guide whole-school planning, staff professional learning, and our Annual Action Plan.

We are incredibly proud of all of our students and staff for their dedication to learning and growth. Thank you to our school community for your ongoing support as we strive for excellence in education.

Here are some 'behind the scenes' snaps of the day - the students were superstars!

Athletics Day - what a success!

With beautiful blue skies we could not have expected a better outcome for our annual Athletics Day. The feedback from all involved has been overwhelmingly positive and it was a stunning way to end our week.

We sincerely thank Mr Sandler for the incredible amount of work he did to coordinate the day and his work with the Year 6 Sports Leaders - Reuben, Hector, Tom, Matthew, Jessie, Astrid, Leo, Charlie and Edwina. From chicken throwing, to hurdles and shot put, our students had the most fantastic day!

We thank our parents for their support and participation, as this day would not be able to run as successfully as it does without you. It was so lovely to see so many of you down at the track, helping out and cheering on the students. We love our parent community and are thrilled that you all embrace the day as much as we do. In particular, we thank Erin Juers, Jane Bertacco, Martin Xuereb, Cecilia Conn, Olga Oratch and Abi Spratt who volunteered on the finish line/s all day, plus the many parents who supported their child's class as they moved around the stations.

We also congratulate all staff for getting into the spirit of the day. We are so blessed to have such enthusiastic members of staff at St Joseph’s, and their energy helped to make the day so enjoyable for all.

Staff Conference Success

Each year, our staff spend two consecutive days offsite to focus on targeted professional development, as well as staff and student wellbeing practices. This focused time for our staff, away from school, provides an opportunity to connect and learn in a way that is just not possible during school hours. Without a doubt, the return on our investment greatly exceeds expectations - enhancing staff capacity, strengthening team culture, nurturing and acknowledging the importance of staff wellbeing and, ultimately, improving student outcomes.

On Thursday, our staff had the privilege of participating in First Nations cultural training with Jillian West, a proud Palawa woman from the Islands of Bass Strait and a proud Bunurong woman from Point Nepean. She works extensively with schools and organisations to build cultural understanding, develop meaningful partnerships, and strengthen cultural capacity. The training was a deeply impactful experience that strengthened our understanding of Indigenous histories, perspectives, and ways of knowing. Jillian’s expertise and storytelling created a powerful space for reflection, dialogue and growth, leaving a lasting impression on our team. This training was more than just a session - it symbolises our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, ensuring that cultural responsiveness remains at the heart of our work at St Joseph’s.

On Friday, staff were led by Tom Hartney and Sarah Nugent examining full participation strategies. These strategies are essential in fostering classroom engagement and promoting high-performance teaching. They ensure that all students are actively involved in the learning process, which enhances their understanding and retention of material. By implementing techniques, such as choral responses, think-pair-share, and active tracking, our teachers can create inclusive environments that encourage every student to contribute. This approach not only boosts academic achievement but also develops critical thinking and communication skills among students.

As always, we thank our highly dedicated staff for their professionalism and commitment to improving teaching, learning and wellbeing practices at St Joseph’s. It is a privilege and a blessing to work alongside such an inspiring team.

'Eat Up' Initiative

Our Year 6 students recently took part in the Eat Up initiative, demonstrating leadership and compassion while making an incredible 1,029 sandwiches for children experiencing food insecurity. Eat Up provides lunches to students who might otherwise go without, ensuring they have the energy to learn and thrive.

The students, staff and parents thoroughly enjoyed the session, working together with enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose. They truly appreciated the opportunity to complete an act of service and make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. A heartfelt thank you to Sonja and Justine for helping out on the day, and our sincere appreciation to Jane Douglas for highlighting this worthy initiative for our school. We are so proud of our Year 6 students for their efforts and we are grateful for the chance to support such an important cause. Well done, Year 6!

Mary Poppins JR Auditions

Another highlight of our fortnight has been witnessing the incredible auditions for our school production, Mary Poppins JR. We congratulate the 80+ students who auditioned for a small number of lead roles - each of them took a risk, stepped outside their comfort zone, and showed great courage in having a go.

Miss Dunk (Music), Miss McLean (Choreography), and I watched in awe as our students sang and performed their hearts out. After this experience, we challenge anyone to find a more uplifting way to spend the day! For some students, this was their moment to shine - and believe us, they did.

With 25 roles available for our main cast not every child will receive their desired role, and this can be disappointing. However, we encourage families to focus on the bigger picture: growth, resilience, and the joy of participation. Please support your child in embracing this as a learning experience—rather than dwelling on the outcome, help them reframe it with a mindset of perseverance. "I didn’t get the role this time, but I will keep trying and improving." This mindset will benefit them not just in performance, but in every challenge they face.

2026 Prep Enrolments and School Tours

A reminder to all current families, sibling enrolment forms are due and required as soon as possible. The application is to be completed via our School Website here: https://www.sjelst.catholic.edu.au/applynow. For prospective families wishing to book a tour, please do so via the school website or call the school on 9528 1614.

We thank our Year 6 Leaders, who take all prospective families around the school on these days. It is such a delight to hear their commentary about why they love St Joseph’s so much and the special memories they have of particular school events and year levels. The feedback from prospective families is that our Year 6 students are exceptional - and don't we know it. Congratulations, Year 6!

Parents and Friends Expressions of Interest

We’re looking for passionate and engaged parents to join our Parents & Friends (P&F) Committee for 2025! As you can see from the volunteer structure below, there are Co-President roles open, along with sub-committee and volunteer opportunities across a range of events and initiatives.

Being part of the P&F is a fantastic way to connect with the school community, make a real impact, and help create memorable experiences for our students and families. Roles can be shared, so if you're interested but unsure about the time commitment, teaming up is always an option. If you'd like to get involved or learn more, please reach out via the Google Form. We’d love to have you onboard.

Classroom Parent Helper Course

A reminder that Mrs Harrison is hosting the Classroom Helper course next Friday (March 28th) at 9.30am. All new families and Prep families who would like to help out in the classroom need to attend this session. The training session will be run in the multipurpose room straight after assembly. Parents who wish to participate are asked to please complete the Google Form.

Little Gems

We are delighted to share these professional photos of our stunning new astro turf. It looks incredible - the photos only highlight just how lucky we are to have the support of our wonderful Parents and Friends to undertake such projects.

Lachie (Year 2) and Immy (Prep) are getting ready for Mary Poppins JR!

Our Preps are having the best time at St Joseph's, and looking very smart in their new blue shirts.

Congratulations to Mon and Steve on the safe arrival of William ‘Billy’ Francis Galbraith on March 7th. Big brother Teddy (Year 1) and little sister Claudia are simply thrilled with the new addition to their family.

We received the below photo and email - congratulations, Izzy! We are so proud of our ex-St Joseph's students.

Izzy (Year 7) won the academic award and would like to thank the St Joseph’s staff for all the great support.

Mr Sandler's mum popped down to visit him on athletics day. We were thrilled to meet her, and let her know what a wonderful job he is doing at St Joseph's.

Another steady stream of Year 7 students stopped past this week. Always welcome, we love hearing about their adventures in high school and how they are adjusting to life after St Joseph's.

Gabriella (Year 4) proudly showed off her skills in subtraction. Well done, Gabriella!

Our SRC members met with Mrs Harrison and Miss Coldebella to provide feedback on our updated acceptable behaviour policy. Student voice in action!

Wishing you all a joyful and relaxing weekend. I am hoping my beloved Tigers can pull another rabbit out of the hat over Port this weekend! Wishful thinking?

Warm regards,

Claire Tobin

Principal