Dear parents and carers and the St Joseph’s community,

Last Saturday I had the privilege of joining with the St Joseph’s parish for the Crowning of the statue of the Lady of Fatima here at the church. It was an incredibly important and special occasion for our parish, with the crowning service shared by Fr Paul, Fr Wally Kalanecki, the Ukrainian Catholic Priest, Fr Youhanna Ena, a Syriac Catholic priest, and Fr Michael Solomko, the Ukrainian Orthodox priest.

Prayers on the day focused on peace in our world and an end to the war in Ukraine. During the crowning, a prayer of consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart was recited by all priests present, as called for by Pope Francis in March 2022. 

We continue to pray for all in our own St Jsoeph's community, and those impacted by the ongoing war and displacement in Ukraine. 

Welcome Back!

For some time now, we have unofficially welcomed parents back onto the school grounds for school drop offs and also at the end of the day. 

I would now officially like to invite parents to feel free to walk their child into the courtyard of a morning, or to park and collect their child of an afternoon. Please note that we are still limiting parents spending time inside the school, but you are welcome to come in when there is a specific need. 

For afternoon pick up, we have a very effective carline process in place with the students lining up on the basketball courts, and this will continue. If you wish to park and wait for your child at the end of the day, please wait at the side of the school near the ELC. Parents are welcome to use this as a time to catch up with other parents.

Finally, we once again would love to see parents joining our morning gatherings at 8.50am, either during the week or on a Friday when Merit Awards are handed out. 

Enrolments

Over recent weeks we have welcomed many families into the school for tours as they prepare to enrol for 2023. Our school is widely seen as a school of choice and I am very proud of the reputation that we enjoy. Thank you to all of our wider school community for celebrating the successes and strengths of St Joseph’s.

If you are still to enrol your child into Foundation for 2023, or considering enrolling into other years, the official enrolment period ends this Friday. Please ensure you secure your place for 2023!

It is also a time for our Year 6 families to make decisions for the coming year. Year 6 families, please ensure you have submitted an enrolment for your high school of choice – there is no automatic enrolment process. If your child is in another year, and you are considering a change in 2023, please inform the school as soon as possible. I am always happy to discuss any options you may be considering. 

Friday 27 May

This Friday 27 May is a pupil free day. This has been communicated for some time now. Camp Australia are running a Vacation Care Day, if needed. You will need to register your child - https://www.campaustralia.com.au/schools/details/2690

Friday 27 May is also a full day of protected industrial action in the form of a work stoppage. The impact of this industrial action is mitigated due to the pupil free day, but I recognise the importance of this process in supporting our wonderful staff in the pursuit of a new enterprise agreement.

St Joseph's Fete

It is on! Save the date!

Sunday 6 November

The next committee meeting is on Tuesday 31 May at 7.30pm at Howling Moon.

P&F Meeting

The next P&F Meeting is next Wednesday 1 June. The meeting is open to all parents and will be held at school starting at 7.00pm. There is also the option to join the meeting online – P&F Meeting Link

Tell Them From Me Survey

Over the next three weeks we are inviting students (Yr 4- 6), teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Joseph’s Primary School.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:

www.tellthemfromme.com/survey/splash/r36vy

Have a great end to the week.