From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
This wild weather continues with storms, large amounts of rainfall and properties being inundated. How much things have changed from the years of droughts and fires which are so clearly etched in our memories. Please keep all of those people who have been and continue to be impacted by these recent events. If you and your family require any assistance, please let us know. We will do what we can to help and can certainly put you in touch with agencies who can offer assistance.
Orienteering Excursion
Today our children from Years Three to Six were blessed with fine weather for their Orienteering Excursion to Maroondah Dam. Conditions were perfect with sunshine and warm air and just enough cloud cover to avoid sunburn. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience
Congratulations to the following children on their achievements:
Maze Challenge
Harry Lord - 2nd Yr 3
Jack Grayling 1st Yr 4
Izack Timmermans - 2nd Yr 5
Orienteering
Harry Lord and Sam Darveniza - 3rd Yr 3 Pairs
Daniel Lefel - 1st Yr 5 boys
Aidan Packer - 2nd Yr 5 boys
Ethan Hill 3rd - Yr 5 boys.
Natasha Bradley and Mackenzie Skey 2nd Girls Yr 5 Pairs
Jade Pearson and Chelsea Hodgson 1st - 5/6 Girls Pairs
Ryder Crow and Alistar Hobbs 2nd Yr 6 Boy Pairs
Lots of other children also completed the course in very good time with 100% correct answers.
The children and families are to be congratulated on being so SunSmart. Every child was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and many had applied sunscreen prior to coming to school. Those who hadn't done this were supplied with sunscreen and it was great to see how responsible children were topping up throughout the day.
Parent Helpers Course
Based on the feedback we have received, it seems that Thursdays are the best day for the Parent Helpers Induction Course. The final one for 2023 will be held on Thursday 27 October at 2:00pm. The session will run for about an hour and will cover strategies used for teaching Literacy and Numeracy, how best to communicate with children and Child Safety Requirements. In addition to completing the Parent Helpers Course, Parents will need to hold a Working With Children Card and have signed the St Joseph's Code of Conduct. Once parents have all of these items sorted, they will be able to assist in classrooms, at sporting and other events and attend excursions with their children.
Student Absences
If your child is unable to attend school, you are asked to send an email to office@sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au as well as to your child's classroom teacher. Alternately, you can ring the office on 59671183. Mentioning the absence to a staff member at drop off or texting or emailing me leads to the possibility that this important information will be missed. Clear communication with the office and teacher will avoid you being contacted by Alison unnecessarily to enquire about where your child is.
Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled during normal school hours every day of term, unless there is an approved exemption from school attendance for the student, or the student is registered for homeschooling and has partial enrolment. Research and literature support that there is a correlation between student attendance and their academic achievement. Students who attend school regularly achieve greater success than those with high levels of absenteeism.
School Improvement Surveys
Thank you to all of our families who participated in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). This parent feedback is very valuable and will contribute to our school improvement.
Our overall school positive endorsement was 75%; a 5% increase on our 2021 rating and above the MACS average. Family engagement, Barriers to engagement, School fit, School climate, Student safety and Home/School Communication were also above the MACS average. School Climate and Home/School Communication were two areas where parents rated us highly.
Although parents rated us more highly on our Catholic Identity this year than they did last year, we are currently 7% points below the MACS Average. Strategies to further improve this will be incorporated into our 2023-26 School Improvement Plan, which we will be working on throughout November. We look forward to sharing this strategic plan with you once it has been completed.
Supporting our Local Businesses
Strong Local Businesses help build a strong and vibrant community. Please have a look at the list of businesses that supported our school throughout 2022 and consider them when planning your purchases.
If you would like to advertise your business free of charge in the School Newsletter, please email your advertisement to principal@sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au
Please take the time to read through the rest of the newsletter. This includes lots of relevant information to your child's learning and celebrates many of their achievements.
Kind regards,
Nick.
Nicholas Boyhan
Principal.