Thank you to the parents who attended the information evenings held throughout the week. They are an important part of your child’s education in order to achieve a sense of the expectations of the year.  Thank you to our High Achievers for returning to school for the opening liturgy, and to our Dux for 2018 Lleyton Callaway for his inspiring speech. What a wonderful achievement and well deserved through his perseverance and hard work. Congratulations to Toumanda Forman for receiving her high achieving award – please see separate link for details.

As our school year opens, it is a time to set goals for the year and to reflect on what I can change to move forward as a learner. The staff is participating in a Staff Development Day on Monday 25 February. A reminder that this is a pupil free day. On this day staff are moving to eight different presentations at eight different venues, examining students and their learning. I am really looking forward to the day and the ideas it will generate to improve classroom delivery of content.

We have also started our enrolment drive for 2020 and 2021. A change this year is that St Joseph’s is also taking enrolments from Year 5 students for 2021, and Year 6 for Year 7 for 2020. This will assist parents in allowing their young people to be more settled and certain about the future, rather than worrying about where they are going to go to high school.

Miss Madaschi and Year 8 are visiting our Primary Schools and they are wonderful ambassadors for the school. St Joseph’s is really a ‘hidden gem’ –we are not on a main road, our students are the best advertisement as they are wonderful human beings who are growing into their potential, and the environment is a parkland with a focus on sustainability. It is a community that supports, encourages, is inclusive of difference and celebrates together.

Our STEAM resources are excellent and with the new TAS block will be state of the art. We are a Catholic school, in the truest sense of the word - universal where everyone is welcome. The teaching staff are passionate and go far beyond their roles for students at the school and I am very proud to be Principal of such a wonderful community. Parents, please advertise this change of enrolment to family and friends and encourage them to apply if they would like to join our community.