Thank you to everyone who has passed on their best wishes over these past two weeks.

I wish all of you a great holiday!

Thanks to all for the moving efforts at the end of term 3.

Trainees 2026 

I’m happy to announce that we will be welcoming Sophie Jellie, Ava McKenzie, Sam Marris and Charlie McKinnon to St Joseph’s in 2026.

Monday Whole School Closure - FLARE Online 

Online Link - Online via Website VC link

What you need:  mini-whiteboard, marker and eraser, and a charged laptop signed into school google accounts.

Location:

F- 2 Staff - In E3

Year 3 - 4 Staff - In E1

Year 5 - 6 Staff - In E2 

Timeframe:

From 11:30 - 1pm LSOs will be completing an online module (check emails).

Tuesday Staff Meeting: 2 Online Modules
I know there has been a lot of literacy learning with Monday’s closure day and the staff meeting, but to have the content completed at the start of the term makes sense with planning.

Where? As we have done all year, in the Learning Leaders classroom.
Modules: Text Composition (17 mins)

Flare Story Spiral/Story Circle (26 mins)
15 minutes survey (same as what we did last year - TEST CONDITIONS ) I will send this after school.

Email me on completion. That is the last of the modules for 2026! Thanks for all you have done in this space. 

Text Composition and Flare Story Spiral/Story circle

Week 1:  Room E1

Week 2:  Room F6

Please read in conjunction with the Upcoming events list.

Week 1:

Monday 6th October:  School Closure Day - Structured Literacy

Wednesday 8th October - 2026 Teacher Interviews

Friday 10th October - Region Track and Field

Week 2:

Year 3 swimming (each day 1 - 3pm)

Monday 13th October - Yedar 4 Science Incursion

Wednesday 15th October - LSO ARM's

Thursday 16th October - LSO ARM's

Gabe on LSL this week. Liz will be in Wellbeing Monday-Friday

Circle Time-

Begin the term with scheduled sessions to settle the students back at school. Take time to discuss the break, final term of the year, friendships, etc 

Here is a reminder about Circle Time and how that can look in the classroom- Circle Time

PL: Be You Webinar Wednesday Wk 2: Creating calmer schools with Trauma-Informed Practice Register here if interested. 3.30- 4.30pm Wed 15/10

TAP - for anyone struggling to get your TAP hours DOBCEL staff are offering free online PD you can access. There is no need to book in for a session. Just click the link and join in. The sessions and links are available here:

VIT Reminder - All Teachers:  A reminder that ALL teaching staff need to complete their VIT registration tasks before 30th September 2025 to avoid delays and paying a possible late fee.  I can see we still have 21 teachers who have yet to do this task.

Road Closure and School access over these holidays:  We have recently been informed by the Warrnambool City Council that the section of Botanic Road between Queens Road and Bromfield St (so the whole block in the front of our school) will be closed for road works over the two weeks of these holidays. If you need to come in at any time, you will need to park in Queens Road or Aquazone and walk across.

With the next round of painting and re-carpeting also happening over these holidays, the staff room and photocopy room will be emptied, also meaning the photocopier in that workroom will have been removed.  I will let you all know when that becomes available near the end of the holidays, but the machine in C19 will still be available for use if needed.

Contacting or emailing Staff members out of work hours:  With the enhanced Right to Disconnect laws coming into effect this month, I would like to remind ALL staff to keep this in mind when emailing or contacting staff out of hours.  Please use the Schedule Send function if you are emailing out of hours, so it doesn’t hit the receivers inbox until the following work day.  Likewise, staff should ideally have notifications turned off if they have their email inbox on their phone so you only see them when you physically log into them.  

There is absolutely no expectation that you respond to or answer any emails that you receive either out of hours, or not on your work day if you are part time.  If leadership ever needs to send an urgent/emergency email to all staff over holidays etc, an sms will also be sent to alert you to it.

For all Staff Reimbursements, please use this link:  Staff Reimbursement Form

Refer to the newsletter or PAM for further details on all these events.

Term 4, Week 1

School Closure Day: Monday 6th October

Term 4 commences: Tuesday 7th October

No Choir: Thursday 9th October

Whole School Assembly, Room E1: 2:30pm Friday 5th September

Week 2

Year 3 Swimming Commences: Monday 13th October

Whole School Assembly, Room F6: 2:30pm Friday 17th September

Converge International is a free and confidential support service for staff and their families.   Ph 1300 687 327

• Kath McMeel 23rd September
• Kara Ward 26th September
• Tanya Hughes 29th October
• Steve Guthrie 2nd October