Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and the wider St. Joseph’s Primary School Community,

I especially thank staff and families for your support last week. Our students in Years 3 to 6 engaged in a school sports day of friendly competition, consistent physical effort and a focus on doing their best for their team and their own personal achievement. These attitudes and practices build character, develop resilience and remind us that effort produces results. Participating in athletic activity also builds skills, develops coordination and engages all in healthy physical activity.

Well done to our Year 1 and 2 students who stayed on for an extended stay at school on Thursday also. Again, this program builds student capacities in meeting other students across their year level, engaging in fun activities that promote respect, care and ‘having a go’. The program is also an excellent first step in preparation of our school camping program. The school camping program includes overnight stays from Years 3 to 6.

Thank you everyone again for supporting the important closure day on Friday. These days bring all staff together to build our teaching skills, develop the school curriculum and allow the Year Level Teams time to ensure our curriculum is meaningful for our students, focused on what is essential learning and is coordinated from Foundation to Year 6.

Important school updates

Principalship Appointment Process: The School Advisory Council met last Thursday with Mr. Lee Schlooz (Educational Consultant, Catholic Education). Lee is the coordinator of the principal appointment program. Lee outlined the process, which includes position advertising, community consultation, panel coordination, applicant interviewing and the final appointment recommendation. The steps include:

• National advertising of the principal position of St. Joseph’s
• The selection panel is made up of an educational consultant from the Ballarat diocese, a parish priest, a current practising principal and a school parent representative.
• Community consultation is a critical element of the recruitment program. The consultation and feedback process will include all staff and invite parents to complete a confidential survey by 4.00pm Thursday the 11th of March. Lee will collate these responses to inform the selection panel.
• Students from Years 3 to 6 will also be involved via school based workshops. The student’s voice will add insight to the formation work of the selection panel.
• The diocesan catholic education director, Mr. Tom Sexton, and local Bishop, Paul Bird confirm the appointment.
• To ensure leadership continuity between one Principal finishing and the next Principal starting the Education Director (Mr. Tom Sexton) has also made an interim principal appointment.

All the above information and links to documents were sent last week but are added again for your support information sent last Friday or below.

Interim Principal Appointment: On Friday all families and staff received a letter from Tom Sexton, Director Catholic Education in our region (Ballarat Diocese) to update all on the steps to ensure the St. Joseph’s school community is well supported as we transition to a new principal. Part of this support is to appoint an interim principal between me finishing and the new person taking up their appointment here at St. Joseph’s. Congratulations to Mr. Jim Guinan who will take on this role from the beginning of Term 2 full time. Jim is well placed to support St. Joseph’s in the interim period, he is well known by all students, connected to school leadership as the past Deputy Principal and highly respected by staff and parents alike. I thank Jim for taking on this role and offer him all our support. Once the new principal appointment is announced the starting date for that person starting will also be confirmed.

Parent Input To Principal Appointment: Parents were also invited on Friday to contribute to the new principal appointment process by completing a confidential electronic survey which has 4 questions seeking your thoughts. Lee Schlooz (Educational Consultant in the Warrnambool region) will collate these responses. The general feedback informs the principal selection criteria and the principal interview program. A copy of the link to this document is also included today.

Community opportunity to farewell the Principal: This will occur on the school St Joseph's Colour Fun Run Day, which will be held on Friday 26th March.  There will be a community assembly and prayer liturgy, starting at 9:30 am in the school hall, followed by our colour fun run and activity day - All welcome.

Very Important Up-Date, Community On-Site This Term

St. Joseph’s Day Colour Fun Run Friday 26th March and Junior School Sport Day Thursday 1st April.

As our community is very well aware, St Joseph’s, like every other business, community group or organisations have Covid Safe Plans to ensure we all stay healthy and that our school stays open for all.

Many locations have different guidelines, one critical outline for St. Joseph’s, compared to other schools is the government regulation around numbers on-site (capped at 1000). With 603 students and 80 staff St. Joseph’s could reach 1,000 on-site during special events easily. Hence our caution with programs this term and following the Covid safety guidelines.

The good news is our Covid Safe Plan does open up options from this week onwards now that our State continues to have very low case numbers, especially in regards to community transmission.

The arrangements for our Junior School Sports Day and St. Joseph’s Day Colour Fun Run community participation will be:

Families don’t invite large numbers to be on-site together but rather spread over the day as far as possible.

All school entry will be via the supervised gate between the school hall and middle school classrooms (School D Wing). Note no other entries will be open to the school grounds. Numbers will be counted at this entry station.

A QR code registration will take place, Covid Health and Hygiene arrangements will be followed.

Masks to be carried and only need to be worn on-site if you cannot social distance. Students are not required to wear masks but may do so as a health precaution as required. St. Joseph’s also recognises, for health reasons, some adults cannot wear masks.

School Sacramental Program

At St. Joseph’s sacramental programs are family based, parish coordinated and school supported. Normally each year the sacraments of confirmation, eucharist and reconciliation are celebrated in the parish. In this way the parish and school assist families to nurture spirituality, traditions and faith of our Church. The parish and school share this responsibility supporting parents as the primary educator; and so, together in partnership, the spiritual development of the child can be nurtured and grown. Sacraments are supported, but not restricted, to the following year levels and times of the year.

Year 6 - Reconciliation (Term 1and 2)

Year 3 - Confirmation (Term 2)

Year 4 - Eucharist (Term 3)

Covid safety impacted the normal program in 2020. Fr. John Fitzgerald has been working with our school religious education team and across the parish ministry district to develop a sacramental plan for 2021. The details are outlined by Mark Hyland (St. Joseph’s Religious Education Co-ordinator) below for family information.