Newsletter 6, 1st May 2025
- Principal's Report
- Did you know our school newsletter can be read in multiple languages?
- ANZAC Day
- Mother's Day
- Important Dates
- DOBCEL Strategy to 2035
- Sport News
- School Uniform
- Students of the Week
- Foundation/1 Class Report
- Grade 2/3 Class Report
- Grade 4/5/6 Class Report
- St Joseph's School TV
- Child Safety
- Child Safety - digital images
- Community News
- Acknowledgement of Country
Principal's Report
Hello to Families and all in the St Joseph's School Community,
Welcome to Term Two – I hope families enjoyed a restful break over the holidays and enjoyed celebrating Easter with loved ones.
Term Two has started in a flurry of activity and the calendar ahead is quite active as well! Make sure to read communications carefully to keep up with what is going on. We are very excited looking ahead to Cross Country, the Winter Sports and our Mother’s Day Celebration.
Staff commenced Term Two with a continuation of professional learning in Structured Literacy. We are well underway with teachers implementing the evidence-based strategies of explicit and diagnostic instruction; reduction of cognitive load; gradual release to independence and multi-tiered levels of support.
Students commenced the term with an Easter Liturgy celebrating the most joyous time in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar! This was followed by the traditional easter egg hunt, many of which were a bit melted by the time they were discovered! Staff and students have also joined together in prayer and service to acknowledge the passing of Pope Francis, who was known for being kind, caring about the poor, protecting the environment, and trying to make the Church a more welcoming and inclusive place.
This week, we were excited to start our journey with Auslan – Teachers as Co-Learners. While staff delivered their first lesson, students met our teacher assistant, Renee. Renee lost her hearing at nineteen after contracting meningococcal disease and now hears via cochlear implants. Remember to ask students what they have learnt this week!
Project Compassion Boxes
A sincere thank you to families for returning their Project Compassion Boxes which were in homes throughout Lent. This is a last call for any Project Compassion Boxes still at home so we can tally our final contribution and send the funds to Caritas Australia.
New Windows
Over the holiday break, Wright Building, installed a further bay of new windows, this time in the Senior Room. Holmes-Brown Floor & Window Coverings have this week installed blinds which has finished of the project. These new windows make a huge aesthetic difference, enhance safety and allow for air flow throughout the classrooms. Thank you, Danny, Matt and employees!
Weekly Assembly
Weekly Assembly is held each Monday at 12:30pm. At Assembly we pray together, present student awards, see what’s on for the week ahead and sing the national anthem.
Families are most welcome to join us in the Multi-Purpose Room for Weekly Assembly.
Tuesday Afternoon Badminton
Good news! We have been informed students attending Badminton on a Tuesday afternoon have been granted permission to transfer to Charlton College using the school bus. Mr Start has advised students will get on the first bus in line at the bus stop. On exiting the bus, students are to proceed to the stadium for Badminton. Parents must add students to the bus roster using PAM.
Country & Belonging
Next week, all students will participate in the Country & Belonging Regional Arts Victoria Program. We are grateful to the Charlton neighbourhood House for funding these sessions for our students. F-2 students will participate on Tuesday and 3-6 students on Wednesday. Students will be transported to and from Charlton Park by Start's Buslines. (see flyer below)
STOMP Dancing
We are thrilled to be able to access the STOMP Dancing program again in 2025. We will join with the Charlton College students for each dance session in the College Stadium. We will keep you updated, but at this stage in time, P-2 students will be dismissed from Charlton College each afternoon of STOMP Dancing , which is May 12-16th. St Joseph's School staff will be with, and supervise our students at all times.
In faith & learning,
Have a great week,
Mary
Did you know our school newsletter can be read in multiple languages?
When you open the school newsletter, click on “select language” beside TRANSLATE, at the top of the newsletter (as pictured. Simply scroll to choose which language you would like to read the newsletter in!
ANZAC Day
Leading up to ANZAC Day, all students participated in learning and activities, recognising the importance of this day in our country’s history and the significance it still holds today. More than half of the students attended the town service, joining in the march to the hall. Term leaders, Daniel and Toby laid a wreath on the school’s behalf. Many thanks to those who were able to attend, on what was a busy day in Charlton, and represent St Joe’s!
Mother's Day
Calling all mothers, grandmothers and special women in the lives of our students, who are able to attend our Mother's Day Liturgy and morning tea on Friday 9th may from 10:30am. Come along and as we recognise and give thanks for your special significance in the lives of our students. We hope to see you there.
Important Dates
May 6 – School Cross Country at Charlton College
May 6 & 7 – Country & Belonging sessions at Charlton Park
May 8 – Winter Sports in Boort Gr 3-6
May 9 – Mother’s Day liturgy & morning tea
May 12 – 16 – STOMP Dancing
May 21 - National Simultaneous Storytime at 12pm
May 25-30 – Catholic Education Week (including cluster day in St Arnaud on Wednesday 28th)
May 27 - Northern Zone Cluster - Strategic Planning towards 2035
June 6 - School Closure Day - professional learning in ATSI Perspectives
June 9th - King's Birthday Public Holiday
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.
Tuesday 27 May - Northern Zone Cluster - Strategic Planning towards 2035 for all staff
Friday 6 June - Staff professional learning - Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Perspectives
Friday 19 September - Staff professional learning - Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Perspectives
Monday 27 October - Staff professional learning - Structured Literacy
DOBCEL Strategy to 2035
Sport News
Cross Country
Students will compete in the annual Cross Country event at Charlton College next Tuesday afternoon, May 6th. A
PLEASE NOTE, STUDNETS WILL BE DISMISSED FORM CHARLTON COLLEGE AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS AT 3:00PM. All students wear their sports uniform on this day.
The schedule is as follows:
1:45pm - Warm up
2:10pm - 5/6 students (3 kms)
2:12pm - 3/4 students (2 kms)
2:30pm - F/1/2 students (approx 1km)
Winter Sports
Grade 3-6 students will travel to Boort by bus on Thursday 8th May to participate in varied Winter Sports. Students playing hockey must have shin guards and mouth guard, please. Students will need to bring along their usual snacks, lunch and water bottle. The bus will leave just after 9:00m and return by usual dismissal time.
Spectators are most welcome at both of these events.😁💚💛
School Uniform
Families who ordered jackets should have received these yesterday. The jackets look very smart and will help to keep students warm as the days grow cooler. Please, make sure jackets are clearly named so the rightful can easily be tracked do
Students of the Week
Foundation/1 Class Report
Welcome to Week 2.
I hope everyone had a lovely break and got to celebrate Easter with family and friends.
The P/1s have settled back into routines and are back into Structured Literacy groups.
Foundation students are learning the sounds -ck and h while the Grade 1s are learning ow, oa and wh.
In numeracy the Foundatiom students are learning about grouping and counting while the Grade 1s are focusing on place value.
The students have been practising for Cross Country each morning and are doing a great job. They are looking stronger and healthier each day!
We also started AUSLAN this week and the students are having fun learning new words and greetings and how to sign them.
Grade 2/3 Class Report
Hello everyone!
It's been a fantastic start to the term in our Grade 2/3 classroom! Students have quickly settled back into their routines and brought with them a wonderful sense of energy and enthusiasm. It’s been great to see so many smiling faces ready to learn and reconnect with their classmates.
We’ve kicked off our Auslan learning and the students are already picking up some basic signs with interest and confidence - it's been lovely to see them using their new skills around the classroom.
In Literacy, we’ve started exploring our focus text on Living Things, which ties in beautifully with our science topic. The class has been asking thoughtful questions and showing lots of curiosity. In Maths, we’re diving into shapes and beginning to explore probability - there’s been lots of hands-on learning and fun discussions so far.
We’re looking forward to a term full of growth, discovery, and lots of learning!
Lara Thompson
Grade 4/5/6 Class Report
Welcome to Term 2. The term started off busy again with Easter Monday and ANZAC Day last week. We have been practising our Cross Country running every morning. Students are welcome to wear runners to school while we are practising. Students will be competing in the Cross Country run with Charlton College on Tuesday afternoon. We have also commenced Auslan this week. Every Monday we will have a session with Renee, who will guide us through the units we are working on. Students have been learning to sign - Welcome, Good bye, Please, Thank you, Hello and You're welcome. During Literacy we have been working on sustained reading, writing Recounts of the holidays and revising our work. We are also working on our keyboarding skills. In Numeracy the students have been looking at Addition and Subtraction facts. We have also commenced a couple of challenges during this time, Times Table and Minute Maths. Congratulations to Ruby who received our Star of the Week this week for her positive encouragement towards students running the Cross Country.
Mrs Wright
St Joseph's School TV
This week we have a special report about Mother's Day.
The very first Mother’s Day was celebrated in West Virginia in 1908. It was organised by Ann Jarvis as a memorial to honour her beloved mother who spent much of her life helping others. Ann’s mother devoted her life to educating mothers and improving sanitary conditions to stem her community’s appalling infant mortality rates. By 1911, Ann had successfully campaigned to have Mother's Day recognised as a national holiday in most US states honouring all mothers, living and deceased.
It was not until 1924 that Mother’s Day was officially celebrated in Australia with the help of Janet Heyden. She had campaigned for donations to assist lonely and aged mothers in a Sydney hospital making personal requests to many leading business houses and enlisting the help of local school children to help fill small bags with donated goods.
Today, Mother’s Day is a more of a commercial venture, but it is important to remember the true nature and meaning of Mother’s Day and mark it with sincerity, especially now in the post-pandemic environment we currently find ourselves in. Mothers have played multiple roles over recent months providing care and support to those they love under difficult circumstances, often putting the needs of others ahead of their own. However, Mothers sometimes need reminding to also take care of themselves, especially when it comes to mental health. A mother who experiences good mental health, is more available to her children and family, more alert to their needs, and more able to engage in everyday activities.
If you are a Mum and struggling a little bit, it is advisable to seek help from a medical professional. Or, if you just want to talk to someone who understands, you can always call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36.
Start exploring SchoolTV today! https://sjcharlton.catholic.schooltv.me/
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
St. Joseph's acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung people, who have walked upon and cared for this land for thousands of years.
We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation.