Dear families,

Year 1J

Congratulations, 1J, on the most beautiful assembly this morning! We are just so proud of you, and are thrilled at how well you are flourising under Mr Jansson's care.

School Uniform

We remind our families that the new blue school shirt and navy culottes are now available for purchase at Nicholls Uniform Shop, located at 159 Martin Street, Brighton, 3186. For those interested, the updated summer uniform options are on display in the Atrium for our community to view. It has been so nice to see the new shirt pop up on the playground over the past week - the new style of shirt looks very smart. The uniform change over is part of a two-year cycle, with 2025 and 2026 marked as 'transition' years.

Wellbeing - Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships Program

As part of our Term 4 wellbeing scope and sequence, our staff are currently delivering the Rights, Resilience, and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program from Prep through to Year 6. Developing young people who respect each other’s fundamental rights is central to our aims at St Joseph's. Together with the Berry Street Education Model, the Respectful Relationships program fosters positive interpersonal behaviours and respectful attitudes within our student cohort.

In addition to supporting student wellbeing, the Respectful Relationships program is integral in addressing the 11 Child Safety Standards, which all primary schools are legally required to meet. These standards ensure that primary schools, as safe learning environments, have established measures to prevent harm and uphold students' rights to safety, respect and inclusion. Schools must comply with these standards to demonstrate a commitment to protecting children from abuse, neglect and violence, providing a supportive and respectful school culture.

As a community, from parents and staff to school leaders, we each play a critical role in ensuring that students are empowered and supported. The Respectful Relationships program enables us to take a proactive stance, building our students’ understanding of safety and respectful interactions. By involving our families and supporting students in developing self-respect and positive relationship skills, we strengthen the respectful and inclusive environment that defines St Joseph’s.

This term, our students will be exploring the final two essential topics of the Respectful Relationships program: Identity and Positive Gender Relations. Research consistently shows that school-based initiatives like these can have lasting effects on preventing gender-based violence and promoting healthy relationships. Through age-appropriate, curriculum-aligned lessons and activities, students build and apply essential social skills within their learning and daily interactions. Students will engage in deconstructing harmful gender stereotypes and exploring concepts of respect and inclusivity. Lessons are designed to help students critically reflect on societal beliefs, such as 'certain activities or colours are only for boys or girls', empowering them to challenge these stereotypes. This learning environment fosters a strong sense of respect and community, where students work together harmoniously and engage meaningfully with one another.

To strengthen this topic in Term Four, our Year 5 and 6 students will take part in sessions with Sex Education Australia, the 'Living and Growing Program'. We extend our sincere thanks to Miss Coldebella, our Year 6C teacher and dedicated Wellbeing Leader, for her tireless efforts in supporting the delivery of this essential program. I encourage all families to read Miss Coldebella's Wellbeing and Cyber Safety Newsletter page this week to learn more about our commitment to safety and wellbeing.

St Joseph's Alumni

It was the most wonderful surprise to have ex-St Joseph's student and outgoing St Kevin's College Deputy Captain James Sutherland (2018) stop past and visit today. James generously shared his time with us by speaking to all Year 6 students on how to manage the final month of their time at St Joseph's and what the transition to Secondary School is like. He encouaged the students to be open to new opportunities that arise next year and embrace everything that Year 7 offers. James has finished his Year 12 exams and will head off to the USA next year to study at, and row for, one of the prestigeous American Colleges.

James also referenced the great start and grounding he had at St Joseph's and how well he was prepared for Year 7. We absolutely love it when our ex-students pop in for a visit. It just goes to show that, no matter where you are in life, you will always be a St Joseph's student at heart.

Prep 2025 Orientation Program

It was a joy to welcome our incoming families for our two Prep classes for 2025, at the Prep Parent Information Session held last week. On the night, we provided an overview of our programs and practices, and some important school readiness tips for our littlest students and their families. Mrs Harrison, Miss Nardella, Miss Mclean and Mrs Sheahan were so impressive, reassuring families that their little ones are in the very best hands at St Joseph's. Under their care, I have full confidence that our newest Preppies will flourish and have the best possible start to their school life. It was also really lovely to speak with our parent group after the session, and to hear just how excited they are to join our wonderful community. The relationship between school and home is arguably the most trusted and crucial throughout a child's journey, and undeniably holds the greatest influence over this 7-year period.

Yesterday, we hosted our 2025 Prep cohort for their first orientation session. The orientation program provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet one another and spend time playing together, as well as engaging with the staff who will work with them next year. During these sessions, the staff observe the emotional and social interactions, and look for ways to best support the little ones with their transition to school. We are acutely aware that some students can easily transition (i.e. like a duck to water), while for others, this can be quite an emotional and tricky time. Rest assured, these little hurdles are all part of the school journey and, in time, the students will become better equipped with the skills to overcome these challenges.

Maths Olympiad and Ethical Olympiad Results

We congratulate all of the students who took part in the above competitions across the year. On Friday we acknowledged the incredible performances of a range of students who took part in these competitions and we encourage our families to read Mr Hartney's page for a more detailed rundown of the competitions.

Year 4 Sacrament of First Eucharist Preparation

Today, the Year 4 students participated in their Eucharist Retreat Day - a day of prayer, reflection, sharing and learning. The students attended a special Mass with Father Leenus and bonded over pizza for lunch. Congratulations and thank you to Miss Crawley, Miss Wilkinson, Mrs Foulkes and Miss Dillon for providing such wonderful experiences for our Year 4 students.

Christmas Fete

We are so pleased that plans for the Christmas Fete are coming along nicely. We ask all parents to make themselves familiar with the sign-up sheets at the base of the Year 5 stairs (see image below).

We thank Ben and Jenny Gibbs for hosting the most recent planning meeting and to all the P&F and wider committees for the excellent work they are doing. Please see the Christmas Fete page and Auction page for further details. It is going to be such a wonderful day for the entire St Joseph's community.

Art Show: Thursday 28th November, 5-7.30pm

We warmly invite all members of our community to join us for our Art Show, showcasing over 1,000 pieces of student artwork. The students have been hard at work on these pieces throughout the year, and we’re excited to see them displayed across the school. All members of our school community are invited (parents, grandparents and extended family members). The art will be on display in the atrium, Library, Foyer, Prep A, 2L, 2N, 3M, 4C, 4W, 5D and 5C classrooms, set up as a self-guided tour. We ask that children take the tour with their family members to identify their work and celebrate the work of others. Below is a sneak peak of some of the work that will be on display...

The Art Show will open with a performance by the School Choir and musical presentations by our students will occur across the evening. A heartfelt thank you goes to Mrs Lauren Doran for her incredible dedication in the art room, preparing our students for this event. We also extend our gratitude to the classroom teachers for their additional art pieces and to Amanda Bowman for her creative contributions. We look forward to celebrating this special evening with our whole school community.

St Joseph's AGM

On Tuesday 3rd December at 6.30pm, we will gather for our St Joseph's/P&F/School Advisory Council Annual General Meeting. At this meeting we will share the achievements of the school; Ben Gibbs will share a report on the P&F and John Ferraro will share a report on the work of the School Council. This will also provide a wonderful opportunity for us to hear about the success of our highly anticipated Christmas Fete. All parents are warmly invited to attend, so please respond via the Operoo that has been sent out. Parent involvement is a critical factor in successful schools and we believe there is no greater reward than to be involved in your child's educational journey.

Student Assessment and Reports

This week marks the start of our comprehensive assessment schedule across all grade levels, as staff start to prepare for the end of year assessments in readiness for the Semester Two Student Reports. On some occasions, the classroom teachers are required to be out of their rooms to assess the students one-on-one. We look forward to working with this data set, as it will not only assist with student reporting, but also support our teaching and learning plans for 2025, and play a pivotal role during our thorough ‘student handover’ process, scheduled for later in the term, with all staff.

Teacher's Day Celebration

We recently celebrated World Teachers' Day with a beautiful lunch put on by the P&F and Prep Parents. We sincerely thank the many parents who contributed and who put it all together at school. We were very spoilt!

Little Gems

Lulu proudly showed off her writing, supported by friends Luella and Lucia.

These Year 6 superstars supported the team at Prep Orientation, handing out name tags and welcoming families and their children to St Joseph's.

Teddy was delighted to receive stickers from Mr Hartney for his excellent work on his Maths problems!

It was really exciting to have our fete mentioned in The Age on the weekend. 'Fete expectations: How humble school fairs are pulling in bumper crowds.'

We purchased some soccer goals to keep our students busy during break times and they are so popular, a roster is being created to ensure all students get to have a turn. Happy days on the soccer pitch!

The year is absolutely flying by -

5 1/2 weeks left of the 2024 school year! Can you believe it? Have a safe and happy weekend, everyone.

Claire Tobin

Principal

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