St Joseph's

Community

Our Primary School is well-integrated into the local community and proudly participates and gets involved in the caring of local organisations in a number of important ways...

News &

Annual

Report

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To view St Joseph's latest Annual Report please download here:

ANNUAL REPORT

Parents & Friends

At St Joseph’s we value the partnership and friendship that exists between the school and the Parents and Friends group. We have an enthusiastic group of parents who work together in order to support the students and staff at the school. The Parents and Friends group is open to all parents and welcomes any level of commitment. No contribution is too small!

Parents play a vital role in the school home partnership, as well as a connection to the wider community. When children see their families take an active role in the school they see that the school setting is valued and a place with a strong sense of community.

The Parents and friends group organise and oversee a number of activities. These include but are not limited to;

Organising Grade Representatives
Welcoming Families
Morning Teas
Social Events for Families
Mother’s Day Stall and Morning Tea
Father’s Day Stall and Breakfast
Oaks Day Function
Athletics Day catering
Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)
Special Lunches for the Students
Bunnings Barbeque
Sport’s Day Lunches
Family Fun Night
Fun / Colour Run
Sorrento Primary and St Joseph’s Combined Biannual Fete

The funds raised by the parents are used for a variety of projects depending on the need at the time.

Historically the Parent’s and Friends group has contributed to;

The Running Track
Resurfacing the Netball/ basketball Courts
The new Library
The School Marquee
The outdoor sensory garden

School Advisory Council

The School Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where the parent/guardian voice and perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the Principal and Parish Priest for the good of School and Parish where the wellbeing and outcomes for students is paramount.

Serving on the School Advisory Council of a Catholic school is a form of Church lay ministry. It is a response to the call to support the local Catholic Parish and School communities in a particular way. It is also a means for members of our community to share their skills and talents for the common good. A well-functioning Council provides rich sources of wisdom and insight as well as a means of strengthening community links and potential for partnerships.

St Joseph’s School Advisory Council is to be comprised of a minimum of approximately six Council members who value and share the educational mission and ethos of the Catholic Church comprising of at least:

(a) the parish priest for primary
(b) the school principal
(c) the deputy principal or designated person
(d) two (2) parents, guardians, carers of children attending the school
(d) one (1) parishioner

The Council meets at 10am on a Wednesday (via zoom/google meet or face to face) approximately seven times a year including the Annual General meeting.

The process of new appointments to the SAC is one of discernment, where existing members are involved in a discernment process to assist potential new Council members to understand:

the mission and vision of MACS, the Parish and School
the roles, responsibilities and processes of the MACS Board and the St Joseph’s School Advisory Council
how Council members, can support the Principal and Parish Priest.

This discernment process commences when expressions of interest are sought for new Council members, for those interested in nominating for a Council position and /or a chance for potential nominees to discuss the role of the Council and the expectations of a Council member with the School Principal and Parish Priest.

Community
Connections

At St Joseph’s we value and encourage connections with our Community. We are committed to being an outward facing community. The staff and students are committed to supporting those in our local, wider and global community. We have strong relationships with many community groups and always welcome new connections.

Some of the groups that we work closely with include but are not limited to;

The Men’s Shed
The Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club
The Nepean Historical Society
The Sorrento Kinder
The Sorrento Community School
Sorrento Primary School
Padua College
The Sorrento Football/ Netball Club
The Minister for Nepean Mr Chris Brayne
The Moonraker
Dolphin Research Institute
Sorrento RSL
Rye RSL
Sorrento Rotary Club
Rye Newsagency
Sorrento Writers Group
Resource Smart School
CERES
Bunnings Rosebud

Little Joeys

The Little Joey’s Playgroup is run by St Joseph’s School and is held in the Parish Hall each Thursday morning from 9.15 – 10.45. During the term a variety of themes are explored, often coinciding with school, community or current events. Eg. Winter Fun, Gymnastics, the Olympics, Gardening Fun etc. The playgroup welcomes all ages of children from birth to before school age. The children are accompanied by parents, grandparents and other care givers.

St Joseph’s Playgroup is a gathering of similarly aged children and their parents, grandparents or caregivers. The playgroup allow parents to introduce their children to a range of activities they may not do at home. It’s also a safe way for parents to allow their children to engage socially with other people and try new things. Parents can broaden their social network, meeting other parents with children in the same age group.

Parish Information

ST MARY'S STAR OF THE SEA PARISH

1 Constitution Hill Road, Sorrento

PO Box 116 Sorrento Vic, 3943

Phone: 5984 4374

Email: sorrento@cam.org.au

Parish Priest: Fr John McGinty OMI – Ph: 0404 635 156

Our Churches: St Mary’s Star of the Sea Sorrento, Holy Family Church Rye, St Thomas’ Church Portsea

MASS TIMES:

St Mary’s Star of the Sea, Sorrento

Saturday Vigil 6pm

Sunday 10.00am

Weekdays Tuesday – Friday 9.15am

Holy Family Church, Rye

Saturday Vigil 5pm

Sunday 8.30am

Thursday 11.00am

RECONCILIATION:

St Mary’s Star of the Sea, Sorrento

Saturday 11.00 – 12.00 noon

Holy Family Church, Rye

1st Saturday of the month 12.00 noon

SMJ Care
St Mary's & St Joseph's Care

St Joseph’s School, with St Mary’s Star of the Sea Parish has a group of organised volunteers that assist people in within our school, parish and community.

By working together, schools, parents, parish and families can increase their combined capacity to positively influence other’s lives, make connections and develop a sense of community spirit.

An Executive/Administration Team comprises of Parish and School Representatives; Catherine Cluning, Hope Milchman (School Representatives) and Monica O'Shannassy (School Principal).

Areas and recipients of Care

Transport to and from appointments
Meals and School lunches when members of a family are in need of support eg Chemo, hospitalization, caring for a seriously ill family member
Meals and school lunches around the time of a new baby in the family.
Welcome Baby bundles
Flowers on the birth of a baby
Mother’s Day flower for mothers at any of the weekend Parish Masses
Father’s Day chocolate for fathers at any of the weekend Parish Masses

Volunteers

Those interested in volunteering are asked to the fill out the volunteer form and send in to the office.
Volunteers would be needed for transport, cooking, delivering meals to families, delivering lunches to the school office. Purchase and handing out of Holy Cards, Mother’s Day flowers at Masses, Father’ Day chocolates at Masses
Volunteers that do the cooking don’t necessarily have to deliver meals.
A data base of volunteers is used
If you become aware of anyone needing support eg parent/family illness, arrival of a new baby please, ask the person or family would they like a bit of support and let Monica O'Shannassy, Catherine Cluning or Hope Milchman know. Information will be confidential.