Newsletter 9, 12th June 2025

Principal's Report

Hello to Families and all in the St Joseph's School Community,

I hope you all enjoyed the King’s Birthday long weekend! It was lovely to hear the rain on the roof, take a little time to relax and even to watch Collingwood get over the line in a close match, to end the weekend!

Yesterday we had a lovely visit from Mrs Armstrong and Owen. Owen was on his best behaviour and the students enjoyed taking turns to have a quick nurse each. Daniel and Ruby presented a gift on behalf of the staff and students and warmly invited them to call in any time!

We are excited to announce that St Joseph’s has been successful in securing a Bendigo Bank Community Grant again this year! Student voice saw us apply for a Library makeover and I am thrilled to share that we have ordered almost $11,000 worth of book casing and library furniture to update this learning space. Students are keen to utilise the Library as a calm, relaxing space and our new furniture will go a long way to making those hopes a reality. We are extremely grateful to the Community Bank Charlton & District and the Community Enterprise Foundation for helping our wonderful small school to grow and thrive. Thank you!

We are certainly on the home stretch as we finish this short week, with only three weeks remaining in Term Three. 

Enjoy the home run, everyone!

Warm regards in faith & learning,
Mary

Pentecost

In the Catholic Church, Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season and celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, empowering them to spread the Gospel. Often called the "birthday of the Church," Pentecost reminds Christians of the Church's mission to share Christ's love with the world. Red is the liturgical colour, and symbols of fire and wind reflect the Spirit’s power and presence among people today.

Pentecost Prayer – Fruits of the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill our hearts with your fire of love.
As you came at Pentecost,
breathe into us your life and power.
Grow in us your fruits:
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Let these gifts shine in our words and actions,
so the world may know your grace.    Amen.

Important Dates

July 4th - End Term Two

DOBCEL Student-Free Guidelines and Procedures
Student-free days are days where students do not attend school within the gazetted attendance period but are designated for staff professional development, school professional development activities, planning and/or report-writing. Each year, the first day of term one and the last day of term four will be a student-free day in all schools. PLEASE NOTE THE STUDENT-FREE DATES FOR 2025. 

Friday 19 September - Staff professional learning - Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Perspectives
Monday 27 October - Staff professional learning - Structured Literacy

A Reminder About Uniform

A gentle reminder that students are expected to be if full school uniform each day at St Joseph's School. Our school uniform is important because it promotes equality,  and helps students feel a sense of belonging. This includes wearing the correct coloured socks and hair accessories, please. 

Sports Uniform Days 
Wednesday Grades 3-6 
Thursday F-2

Winter ....and its perks!

Winter often brings with it lots of coughs, sniffles and other illnesses. We always want students attending school each and every day day but if they are unwell and may spread the illness to staff and students it is best for them to recover at home. The school is happy to provide work to be completed at home if students are away longer than a couple of days. For your information click on the link below regarding exclusion periods for infectious diseases. Many thanks for your cooperation in this area. 

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion-table

DOBCEL Strategy to 2035

To become this high-performing system of Catholic schools DOBCEL 2035 will build on the foundation of our Catholic identity and focus on five key pillars:

• Collaborative Cultures
• Engagement and Belonging
• School as Community
• Rich Pedagogical Practices for Deep Learning and Well-being
• Sustainable Stewardship

Students of the Week

Foundation/1 Class Report

I hope everyone enjoyed their extended long weekend, stayed safe, and got to enjoy some quality time with family and friends. 

We had a very special visit yesterday from Mrs Armstrong and baby Owen. A new little brother for Sally and Jack. The children enjoyed some cuddles and were excited to meet him. 

Numeracy this week has been focused on counting and addition for Foundation and place value and addition for Grade 1s. 

In Science, the P/1/2 are learning about what plants and animals need to grow and survive. We will be conducting an experiment around this next week. 

Enjoy your week and stay warm. 

Katie Brown 

Grade 2/3 Class Report

We’ve had a fantastic few weeks of learning, and I wanted to share some of the wonderful things happening in our classroom!
Students have been exploring the fascinating world of animals as part of our Literacy unit. We’ve been learning about different animal groups, including fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Students have enjoyed investigating the features that make each group unique, and they’ve been asking thoughtful questions and making great connections to what they already know. I’m incredibly impressed with both the quality and the quantity of work they are producing - their curiosity and enthusiasm have really shone through.
In our daily phonics sessions, students have been working hard to master new sounds and spelling patterns. It’s been exciting to watch their confidence grow as they apply this learning during reading and writing across the day. Their persistence and progress have been fantastic to see!
In numeracy, we’ve been learning all about fractions. We’ve focused on splitting whole groups and shapes into equal parts, and extending our thinking to compare and describe fractions. A highlight was using lolly snakes to explore these concepts - students had a great time cutting and grouping them while developing a hands-on understanding of how fractions work.
It’s been a joy to watch students so engaged and proud of their learning. Thank you for your continued support at home - it makes a big difference!
Lara Thompson

Grade 4/5/6 Class Report

Congratulations to Edwin and Macey for receiving our Stars of the Week.

It would be great to see students remember to bring their reading diaries to school every day and for them to write in their diary the page number they are up to, or length of time they read for at home.

We have fruit break at 10am daily. It would be great to see more students bringing their fruit or healthy snack to school.

We have been busy completing some assessments for our end of semester reports.

On Tuesday 10^th June we had a visit from Mrs Armstrong and Owen. Most of the students had a hold. Owen was very well behaved and is welcome back into the classroom at any time.

Mrs Wright

Child Safety

The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a central and fundamental responsibility of Catholic Education. St Joseph’s School is committed to strengthened practice for the protection of children in line with the Victorian Government child safety reforms.

Child Safety - digital images

Taking Photos/Video Footage
As we begin a new year a reminder to parents and family members to please ensure, when at school events, to take photos or video footage of your child/ren only. Please do NOT post photos of children, other than your own, at school events or wearing school uniform, on personal social media pages other than your own. Thank you for your cooperation in using social media respectfully helping to keep everyone in our school community safe online.  

Community News

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land.  We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land, in this place we all now call home.