Our School
St Joseph the Worker School Reservoir North
St Joseph the Worker Primary School commenced operation in 1978 under the leadership of Sister Lorraine Walker M.S.C. who guided the school through its early development. The school was built in three stages, the first stage opened in May 1978, stage two opened in April 1982 and the final stage was completed in 1985 under the guidance of the principal, Miss Lucy Spano.
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From its modest beginnings in 1978 with 94 students, the school population quickly grew to 408 by 1984. The rapid growth in student numbers meant that the parish had to speed up the building program. In the meantime, extensive use of relocatable classrooms were used to provide learning spaces for all the students.
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That the parish and school were able to achieve so much in such a short period of time is remarkable and a testament to the commitment, determination and foresight shown by Fr Joseph Yu, parish priest at St Joseph the Worker.
From the very beginning St Joseph the Worker school has been supported and assisted in its development by a hardworking and committed body of parents who generously donated their time and skills to ensure that school facilities are maintained to a very high standard.
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Gary McLean, Principal in 1995, wrote:
The history of our parish school is characterised by dedication, commitment and sheer hard work on the part of many parents, staff members and parishioners both past and present. It is a Catholic school of which we all can be justifiably proud to have been part of its history. In fact, ours is an ongoing history and tradition of ‘Working together’.
This tradition of working together continues today.
Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools
St Joseph the Worker is a school which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS). MACS governs and operates 292 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to continue the mission of Catholic education to proclaim the Good News and equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them. Because the good work of educating the young is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community, School Advisory Councils have been established to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders. This governance model was designed to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, allow parish priests to focus on the mission of education in the parish, enable greater collaboration between schools and ensure greater consistency in school policies and procedures. More information on MACS is available at macs.vic.edu.au.
Our History
A Message from Father Manny Bonello
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Our Parish Community of St. Joseph the Worker North Reservoir was established in 1970 with Fr. Joseph Yu being the first Parish Priest. Together with many helpers Fr. Yu was able to build the many buildings that we have. We are grateful to those who first had a vision of a Catholic Parish in this place. We are grateful to those who gave of their work, their treasures, their time and skills to build our Parish Community. We are grateful for the building of our faith community that gathers and celebrates in prayers, the Eucharist, the sacraments and other special occasions. As a community of faith, we look forward to being instruments of peace, living in union with God and with one another. Let us work together and continue being a welcoming community living out the gifts of faith, hope and charity, and may we share these gifts with one another and with our future generations.
Blessings to all
Meet the Team
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Father Pritchard
Parish Priest
Maria Barnes
Principal
Geraldine Crowe
Deputy Principal & Leader of School Improvement
Kate Hart
Faith in Life and Learning
Cherrie Eaton
Teaching & Learning Coach
Jane Manton
Engagement Leader
Daniel Young
Prep 1
Krystal Warburton
Prep 2
Jackie Hammond
JLA 1
Nadia Venditti
JLA2 (Monday - Tuesday)
Michelangela Vassallo
JLA2 (Wednesday - Friday)
Mikayla Colombo
JLA3
Chloe Dewar
MLA1
Mary Leos
MLA2
Rhoe Price
MLA3
Kate Hart
SLA1
Natalie Ferron
SLA 2
Vivian Faraj
SLA 3
Maryanne Fenech-Gatt
Visual Arts
Cara Hill
Physical Education
Lina Palumbo
LOTE (Italian)
Imogen Rees
Music
Rosa Adorno
Discovery
Marisa Paras
Bursar
Faith in Life and Learning
Learning Life and Faith
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At St Joseph the Worker, we explore Religious Education through an Inquiry based approach. Using the education framework, “Horizons of Hope”, we encourage students to ask questions and make connections between their life as a person of faith and the world around them. We provide opportunities for our students to share in dialogue and they are encouraged through active citizenship, to deepen their understanding of what it means to be a faith filled person.
Stewards of Creation
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At St Joseph the Worker, we believe that creation is a gift from God, and it is our collective responsibility to look after the world we have been given. Students explore ways they can collectively and personally care for all of creation. We do this by emphasising the importance of caring for their environment, nurturing our fruit trees and gardens, our much loved chickens and most especially each other.
Spiritual Life
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At St Joseph the Worker, we value and welcome all cultures and faiths. We believe that by being inclusive, we bear witness to the love of God for all people and we are preparing our students to live harmoniously in our multi-faith world. We provide opportunities for our students to learn about Catholic tradition, engage in meaningful dialogue and allow for the development of the spiritual growth of all members of our school community.
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Parish Connections
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St Joseph the Worker is a Parish primary school, providing a Catholic education to our families. We are privileged to have a wonderful welcoming Parish Priest, Fr. Manny Bonello and a beautiful church that is a place of prayer and reflection. We join with our parish to celebrate whole school masses and liturgies including feast days and the sacraments. Through these opportunities, we strengthen our links with our faith community.
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Sacraments
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​At St Joseph the Worker, we value the importance of recognising sacramental moments in our everyday lives. We also value the opportunity to come together with our students and their families to prepare and celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation. In collaboration with our parish, we offer all baptised Catholic students the opportunity to receive the Sacraments in the following year levels:
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Reconciliation – Year Three
First Eucharist – Year Four
Confirmation – Year Six
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School Prayer
Dear Lord,
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We ask you to guide and watch over us through our journey at St Joseph the Worker.
Let us Make Jesus Real by working together each and every day.
Help us to make our school a safe and happy environment for all teachers, parents and students.
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Let us keep the ill and less fortunate in our hearts and hope that they find love, strength and protection.
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St Joseph the Worker, Pray for Us.
School Song
St Joseph the Worker let us work together
We learn and play each and every day.
St Joseph the Worker let us work together
We learn and play each and every day.
The Wurundjeri people; first owners of this land,
Cared for the people and nature
At St Joseph the Worker we also take this stand
To try and protect the future
It was a long time ago, in history,
Our church was built by Father Yu,
Then we had a community,
and our community grew and grew
Father Yu knew exactly what to do,
He would build a great community.
Hall, school and Church were built
With the love and support of our families.
The school was named after a saint,
St Joseph the Worker was his name,
A carpenter who used wood and paint,
He was kind & loyal and we strive to be the same.
Welcome, Encourage, Say Sorry and Thanks
Are all so important at our school
Each day we try to make Jesus Real
In what we say, do and feel!
You can find a friend to play
We help one another and take a turn
We have fun each and every day
We laugh, we smile, we learn.
Child Safety
At St Joseph the Worker Primary School, we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school. Our commitment is drawn from and inherent to the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the gospel (CECV Commitment Statement to Child Safety).
The person of each individual human being, in his or her material and spiritual needs, is at the heart of Christ’s teaching: this is why the promotion of the human person is the goal of the Catholic school (The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, n. 9).
St Joseph the Worker Primary School is committed to providing a safe environment for all students and young people and will take active steps to protect them against abuse. To achieve this, the school has developed and actively enforces Child Safe Strategies to ensure that any person involved in child connected work is aware of their obligations and responsibilities for ensuring the safety of all children under their care.
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Commitment
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St Joseph the Worker Primary is committed to child safety. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
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Policies
St Joseph the Worker School
Before & After School Care
TheirCare delivers high quality outside school hours (OSH) care through qualified and inspired team members and through outstanding relationships with Schools and Families.
Child well-being is the focus of their integrated delivery model that has its foundations in the National Quality Standard Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care and the My Time, Our Place Framework and is delivered through their three key promises.
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Community engagement
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Staff engagement and development
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Commitment to delivery and compliance
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Important Contacts
St Joseph the Worker TheirCare Team: 0437 492 917
Head Office: 1300 072 410
Website: www.theircare.com.au
