St Joseph’s Primary School Charlton eNewsletter

Principal's Report

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

As we come to the end of another busy and exciting term, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on the many wonderful experiences we’ve shared as a school community.

I want to congratulate our students on their outstanding performance of The Time Machine last night. It was the result of a tremendous amount of hard work from both staff and students, and they should all feel very proud of what they achieved together.

It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout from families and friends, cheering on the students and showing such fantastic support for our school—thank you to everyone who came along.

A special mention goes to our amazing LSO team for creating such impressive props and stage displays, to Mr. Lanyon for his expert handling of the music, and to all staff who assisted with crowd management, encouragement, lighting, costumes, set changes, and countless behind-the-scenes tasks. Your dedication made the evening such a success.

Finally, a big thank you to Kelvin Getley for capturing the whole event on video—we’re so grateful to have those memories preserved.

Earlier this term we enjoyed a very successful Father’s Day Breakfast. It was terrific to see so many dads, grandads, and special friends joining us for a morning of food, laughter, and connection with the children. Thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a warm and memorable occasion.

We were also fortunate to have our Auslan teachers’ assistant, Renee, visit us at St Joseph’s, bringing a deeper understanding of sign language and the value of inclusive communication. Our students engaged with great enthusiasm, and it was inspiring to see them so open to learning new ways of connecting with others.

Our Kinder Transition program is well underway, and it’s been a delight welcoming our future prep students. Their visits are filled with energy and curiosity, and it’s always exciting to see the next generation of learners beginning their journey with us.

The Flying Bookworm Theatre Company gave us a lively and engaging performance, sparking imaginations and reminding us of the power of storytelling. Events like this really enrich our students’ love for literature and drama.

Today the students have journeyed to St Arnaud to watch St Patrick’s School perform their musical, Oliver with a Twist. They boarded the bus decked out in their favourite footy and sporting colours. Students will return after lunch and a play at St Patrick’s School.

Thank you to our staff, families, and students for making this such a vibrant and successful term. I wish everyone a safe and restful break, ready to return for another term of learning, friendship, and fun.

Take care and best wishes for the holidays. School resumes on Monday 6^th October.

Go Pies!

Warm regards in faith & learning,
Mary

Prayer of Thanks

Prayer of Thanks

Loving God,
We give thanks for the gift of our school community.
For families who support us with love, encouragement, and care.
For staff who bring energy, creativity, and dedication to all they do.
For students who give their best, sharing their talents, enthusiasm, and joy.

As we come to the end of this term, we pray for a safe and restful holiday break.
May it be a time of renewal, joy, and togetherness for all,
so that we return refreshed and ready for the term ahead.

Bless our school, that it may always be a place of learning, growth, and kindness.
Amen.

Important Dates

September 18th - End Term Three for students
September 19th- SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY Staff professional learning - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives

October 6th - Term Four commences
October 19th - Mission week begins
October 23rd - Blast Cricket in Boort - Gr 4/5/6
October 27th - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY - Structured Literacy
November 3rd - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY - Assessment & Reporting
November 4th - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
November 5&6th - Sovereign Hill Camp - Gr 3/4
November 10,11&12th - Creswick Log Cabin Camp - Gr 5/6
December 16th - End of Year Mass, Graduation & BBQ from 6:00pm
December 17th - Final day of Term Four for students

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 remaining FOR 2025.
Friday 19th September - Staff professional learning - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives
Monday 27 October - Staff professional learning - Structured Literacy
Monday 3 November - Assessment and Reporting

The Time Machine - a journey through time

A fabulous team effort by all at St Joe's! Congratulations - and enjoy the images below!

The annual PnF Fundraiser for 2025 was drawn last night at the School Concert. The lucky winner was Murray McDonald.

School Camps & Excursions in Term Four

In Term Four, as the weather improves, all students will have the opportunity to experience further school excursions or overnight camps.

Excursions and camps are an important part of school life. They take learning beyond the classroom, giving students the chance to explore new environments, develop independence, and strengthen friendships. Whether it’s a local day trip or a multi-day camp, these experiences encourage problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience.

Students often return with a deeper sense of confidence and connection—not only to what they’ve learned, but also to each other and their teachers. Camps and excursions create memories that last a lifetime and are a valuable way of supporting both academic learning and personal growth.

F/1/2 - a day excursion (date and venue to be confirmed)

3/4 - November 5/6 Sovereign Hill

5/6 - November 10/11/12 Log Cabin Camp Creswick

To help boost our numbers and make our overnight cams more affordable, we will join with the students from St Mary's School Donald, as we have done previously.

The Flying Bookworm Show

The Flying Bookworm show was a fabulous way to bring to life the junior students' narrative work with fairy tales. The actors focused on thee different fairy tales; Jack & the Beanstalk, The Enormous Turnip and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We were joined by P/1/2 from St Mary's Donald and some of our younger St Joseph's siblings!

2026 Enrolments Now Open

A place to belong. A place to thrive. A place where every child matters.
At St Joseph's School we are proud to offer a nurturing environment where children grow in mind, heart and spirit.
Inspired by our Catholic tradition, we walk with each child on their unique journey - celebrating who they are and guiding who they are becoming!
Commitment to child safety & well-being
Learning that inspires - explicit instruction and individualised support
A welcoming community celebrating diversity
Living our values everyday- we are safe, responsible & respectful
Structured Literacy
Auslan Language Curriculum
Evidence based data-driven practices
No fees for Prep enrolments
Experience the St Joseph's difference! We invite you to discover what makes our school a truly special place.

https://www.sjcharlton.catholic.edu.au/

Students of the Week

Foundation/1 Class Report

Welcome to Week 9!

The last couple of weeks have been dedicated to production practice and the students are ready to go perform their hearts out for everyone. They can't wait to show you all the songs and dances they have been learning!

Last week we celebrated R U OK Day and the children got to talk and learn about having conversations around this topic. It was a great day filled with lots of insightful questions and wondering, some prizes went home for best colourings.

In Inquiry, the students are looking at the topic "Places" and have been having lots of conversations around big and small places, safe places and places that may be special to them.

Our topic for Religion this term has been "Imagine" and the students have been creating stories, drawing pictures and creating things using their imagination. This week, ther students got to create something from a cardboard box and the results were amazing and all so unique.

It has been a great term and the students in P/1 are continuing to learn and grow each day.

Enjoy the holidays and will see everyone!

Grade 2/3 Class Report

Hello all!

What an exciting end to Term 3 we’ve had! Our students have been busily preparing for the upcoming concert, and it has been wonderful to watch their hard work pay off. From memorising lines to perfecting dance moves and singing beautifully, the dedication and enthusiasm of our students have been truly inspiring. The concert was a huge success, and it was a joy to see the smiles on their faces as they performed with such confidence and pride. A big congratulations to all involved — what an amazing performance!

In addition to the concert preparation, we also had the opportunity to participate in RUOK Day last week. This was a fantastic initiative that sparked important conversations and a great reminder of the importance of checking in on each other, and it’s heartening to see our students and staff supporting one another in such a positive way.

We were also fortunate to host a visit from our Auslan Language Assistants, Lauren and Renee, who provided an engaging and informative session for the students. It was a great opportunity to learn about Auslan and explore the world of sign language. Their visit was an enriching experience, and we look forward to more interactions in the future.

As we head into the break, I would like to wish all of our families a restful, happy, and safe time. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in Term 4 for another exciting chapter of the school year.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Lara Thompson

Grade 4/5/6 Class Report

Concert Day has arrived and students are ready! Lines have been diligently memorised, songs have been practiced, costumes are looking fantastic and everyone in Grade 4/5/6 is looking forward to the School Concert. It has been a pleasure to see all the students come out of their shells and give such excellent performances.

In the area of Literacy this fortnight, students have been reading about the influence of emotional branding in advertising and the effect it has on consumer choices when buying a pair of shoes. This has linked in nicely with our writing this week, where students have been learning to use emotive language and rhetorical questions to create a persuasive text trying to convince their parents to take them out for dinner. Warning parents, some of their arguments are very hard to argue against.

We have begun learning all about angles in Mathematics, with students exploring different types of angles, estimating their size and measuring them using protractors. In Visual Arts, students have been exploring the art of Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky. They have begun to create an artwork based on this artist.

Well done again, Grade 4/5/6 for some excellent learning over the past fortnight! Mr Lanyon

Wellbeing with Mrs Wright

What a wonderful display by the students at the musical on Wednesday night. Remember to take some time for yourself during the school holidays. Do the things that you enjoy - reading, playing outside, colouring, riding bikes and enjoying time with family and friends.

Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships

P - 2: this week we will finish off our R U OK? activity of 'What a good friend does and doesn't do'.

3 - 6: we will discuss the findings of the 'safe' and 'unsafe' areas of St Joseph's School.

Have an enjoyable holiday and I look forward to hearing what the students got up to.

Mrs Wright

St Joseph's School TV

In this edition of SchoolTV - Mindfulness

Over the last decade, mindfulness has been slowly rising in popularity with many individuals practising it on a regular basis. Evidence based research has found that there are many benefits to mindfulness which has prompted schools across the nation to implement this practice into their daily routines.

Mindfulness can be described as attention training for your brain, enabling you to focus on something without judgement and to stimulate curiosity. Mindfulness can be practised in a number of ways and is something that can be done by everyone - no matter what your age! It has been practised by many cultures around the world, but it is not exclusively affiliated to any particular philosophy or religion.

Mindfulness helps improve memory, engagement and performance. Its positive effect on the brain can improve immunity, mental wellbeing, learning ability, emotional health and even, time management. It is especially important in this era of information overload as our attention is constantly being pulled in many directions making us more distracted.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents can learn the best way to introduce this mindfulness to their children, implementing into their daily lives to have an overall positive impact on family relationships.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Mindfulness edition of SchoolTV
https://sjcharlton.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/mindfulness

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
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.

19 Sep	School Closure - Staff PD Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Perspectives All day

6 Oct	Term Four Commences All day

27 Oct	School Closure - Staff PD Structured Literacy All day

Newsletter 15, 18th September 2025