Dear Parents and Guardians,

Performance

Yesterday all classes were involved in filming their class performance. Congratulations to all our students and teachers for their hard work in preparing for this day. We are so proud of our students who despite some nerves, as this was their first experience with filming, rose to the occasion and performed to their best. It was a learning curve for staff and students but was a wonderful example of demonstrating our dispositions of Curiosity, Creativity, Collaboration, Risk Taking and Resilience.

Special thanks to Connie and Imogen for their direction on the day but also the background work in costuming and music. We are blessed to have such talented people on our staff.

Thanks to Daniel, our videographer for his support and work. We will now work closely with him in the editing process to produce our final presentation and this will be shared with the community in Term 4.

Vale Bob Brown, Principal, colleague and educator

Last Friday I attended the funeral of a recently retired Principal, Bob Brown, who was a colleague and friend from the North Central Zone Principals Network. Bob was a passionate educational leader and a man of strong faith who contributed much to education in the northern suburbs over his many decades of service. Until the end of Term 1 this year, Bob was Principal of St Matthew’s, North Fawkner. Bob Brown died peacefully, with his family by his side, after a long battle with illness. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Bob’s family and friends, and the St Matthew’s community during this sad time. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. May perpetual light shine on him. May he rest in peace.

2023 School Review

In the past few weeks, we completed our 2023 school review. Every four years MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) embark on a school improvement focus to support the development of a new School Improvement Plan. There were two components to the review process.

The first component focuses on school improvement through self-assessment, reflection and evidence collection. This supports the development and implementation of a new four-year School Improvement Plan.

The second component is based on school compliance ensuring that all external legislative and regulatory requirements are being met. Jan Hayes, the school’s independent reviewer, conducted various focus groups sessions with students, staff and parents to provide feedback on the operational practices of the school. I wish to thank members of the School Advisory Council and parents who gave their time to share their insights and provide feedback. We look forward to receiving Jan’s report in September which will be used to guide the development of the school’s next four year School Improvement Plan.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS)

Once again, this year, we are participating in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process where we gather perception data from our students (Yrs 4, 5 & 6), a random selection of families and all staff regarding their views of our school.

These surveys highlight the strengths of what we are providing and offer some insight into areas of possible development. They assist in informing the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. We believe it is important to encourage families to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.

Surveys will be shared with a cohort of families and can be accessed from Monday August 28th and need to be completed by Friday September 15th. This survey may only be completed once. For families with more than one child attending our school, we ask that you focus on the eldest child attending the school.

We encourage all families invited to participate, to respond to this survey but please note participation is completely voluntary. However, when only a few parents participate, the data is not a true indication of parents’ views. All responses are completely anonymous and at no point are any of the responses from students, families, or staff identifiable by the school. Details on how to access the survey will be shared with families soon.

School Uniform

Thank you for ensuring that your child is wearing the correct winter uniform. Just a reminder that students' hair (both boys and girls) must be tied back if it is shoulder length or longer.

We would remind families to please ensure all clothing is clearly labelled. We have had a number of lost jumpers which are expensive, and we want to ensure that these make their way back to the owners.

Thank you

Special thanks to our wonderful P&F group for organising our school disco, pyjama and pizza day last week. The students and staff greatly enjoyed all of these events and appreciate your efforts in organising them.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is coming up soon and l have included important dates related to this below for your information.

Father's Day Stall and Assembly

Fathers’ Day Stall will be held on Thursday August 31. Further details will sent via Audiri.
Fathers’ Day Assembly - Our Annual Father's Day Assembly will be held on Friday September 1 and we ask our dads/grandads and significant male figures to keep that afternoon free to attend assembly at school with your child/children. We hope you can join us at this special event.

Dogs & Other Animals on School Grounds

St Joseph the Worker Primary School acknowledges the important role that dogs & other animals play in our community and the positive impact that they can have on family life. For many school community members, dogs and other animals are an important part of the family unit and valuable companions for students. We also acknowledge our obligation to take all reasonable precautions to protect the safety of all staff, students & other members of the school community who may be exposed to potential harm or injury as a result of their contact with dogs and other animals on the school grounds. To ensure the safety of all members of the school community, dogs and other animals are not permitted on school grounds.

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. Do not hesitate to contact Marisa if you would like to discuss your account, set up a direct debit payment plan or discuss support.

St Joseph the Worker, Pray for Us

Maria Barnes

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