Dear Parents,

Thanks for all your engagement with our recent activities  - coming along to our events as well as helping to prepare the children for them.  What a wonderful community we have!

Book Week Celebrations

Last week, the school was buzzing with excitement as we celebrated our annual Book Week, with the theme "Reading is Magic." The week kicked off with a whole-school launch where staff captivated everyone by reciting a poem about the wonders of reading. We also continued our beloved tradition of presenting a book that fits the year's theme—this time, one filled with magical adventures.

The highlight for many was the mesmerising magic show, which had all the children utterly spellbound, with cheers echoing through the school. Another special moment was our partner reading activity, where students from different grades teamed up to share stories, fostering new friendships and a shared love for reading.

The pièce de résistance was, of course, our Character Parade on Friday. The school was awash with colour and creativity as students paraded in costumes representing a myriad of beloved characters—from unicorns and the Three Little Pigs, to Wally, The Cat in the Hat, Alice in Wonderland, and Willy Wonka. Miss Morgan, or should we say, Miss Maleficent, MC-ed the event with great flair, and the staff’s enthusiasm and willingness to dress up added to the fun-filled atmosphere. The wide range of book-themed canteen treats, like Mucous Muck, Mr. Middleton's Meringue Mess, Bower Bird Blues Biscuits, and Galaxy Jelly, were a huge hit!

A huge thank you to all the staff, especially our dedicated Library team, who worked tirelessly to make the week so special.

Father’s Day Celebrations

This morning’s Father’s Day celebrations were nothing short of amazing. From the delicious sausage sandwiches to the raffle, followed by a deeply moving liturgy that honoured our fathers and father figures, it was a morning to remember. Year 5 led us in prayer with grace and sincerity, making us all proud of their efforts. A big thank you to the Year 5 team and the parents who organised the breakfast and raffle.

Musical Countdown

Don’t forget that our school musical is just around the corner! If you haven’t secured your tickets yet, act fast—there are only a few left for the evening performance, though more are available for the Thursday matinee. The students and staff are working hard behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to share this extravaganza with you. A separate Compass note with costume requirements for each grade will be sent out today!

‘Trapped’

I had the privilege today of going along to see the latest Aspire production of ‘Trapped’ which has three of our Year 6 students perfoming in it – Ivy, Louis and Grace.  They were in character the whole time,  projected their voices brilliantly and took on the mannerisms of their roles superbly.  I was accompanied by a small group of fellow Year 6 students who were incredibly supportive and admiring of their peers’ talents.

Home-School Communication

The procedure at St Joseph’s is to either phone or email the office if you wish to contact your child’s teacher. 

Phone: 4961 2827  

Email: admin@merewether.catholic.edu.au 

Please provide an indication in the email or phone call as to why you are contacting us, for example, social concerns, a lost jacket, etc... and we ask that you address who you are writing to and sign off in an appropriate manner.  Some of you may think I shouldn’t be writing this however recently a number of our staff have been expressing to me how there is a lack of respect or common courtesy being demonstrated in emailed communications as well as verbal interactions, on occasions. 

If you would like your child’s teacher to call you, it is important to provide an indication of what you’d like to discuss. Suggesting a suitable time will also streamline this process. If the teacher is unable to reach you during this time, they will email to arrange a more suitable time. 

Once an initial email has been forwarded to the class teacher, and communication established, parents may email the teacher directly regarding the reason for the initial communication. If there is a new reason to contact the class teacher or a period of time between emails has lapsed, then a new request is to be emailed directly to St Joseph’s administration. 

There are many reasons for this procedure of emailing admin, which are not limited to, but include:

- students being in library/music lessons and not with their classroom teacher, and this can lead to messages not getting to children for things like a change in pick up arrangements;

- urgent messages/information reaching teachers as teachers are unable to check their emails during teaching time and may not get an opportunity to read emails until the end of the day;

- classroom teachers being on sick leave or extended leave and unable to monitor emails 

Please take the time to read back over the following extract from the diocesan Parents’ Code of Conduct.  We appreciate our strong community relationships we have here at St Joseph’s but acknowledge that like our students, we adults, also need reminders at times around our behaviours.  

Thank you for following our school and diocesan procedures. Your continued support and exemplary role modelling for our children are greatly appreciated. 

Looking forward to another fantastic fortnight ahead

Warm regards, 
Karen