Dear Families and Friends, 

National Reconciliation Week 2025

Over the past two weeks, as a Catholic community, we have taken time to reflect on our nation’s history to deepen our knowledge, grow in understanding, and continue building pathways of respect and hope. This week, our community prayer—beautifully led by the Year 5 students—gave thanks for the rich contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Together, we prayed for continued reconciliation and a future filled with hope.

Leadership Restructure

With the wonderful news that Vanessa Saccardo will begin maternity leave in mid-August, I’m pleased to share that we are in the fortunate position of being able to draw on the strengths of our existing team to ensure continuity. This restructure will minimise disruption and allow us to continue moving forward with key priorities and programs.

• Christine Farrugia will increase her time from 3 to 5 days per week. She will continue in her current role as Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission and will also take on the role of Leader of Inclusive Education, overseeing supports for students with disability, the gifted and talented program, and the coordination of our Education Support Officers.
• Michael Mastrangelo currently holds a Position of Responsibility (POR) as SEQTA, Assessment & Curriculum Leader. His release time will increase from half a day to a full day, enabling him to lead more fully in areas he has already been working closely with Vanessa. We are also delighted to welcome back Serena Mohammadi from maternity leave, who will join Michael in the Year 3 classroom one day per week.
• Joshua Bennett will take on the role of Leader of Learning. Alongside Vanessa and Bonnie, Josh has been engaged in professional development focused on High Impact Teaching Strategies. He will now lead this work and oversee the continued implementation of our Literacy Agreement, which he played a key role in developing throughout 2024.
• Felicity Davis will continue her work as POR: Visible Wellbeing, ensuring our wellbeing program remains strong as we complete our formal training.

Having led through many leadership transitions over the years, I’ve learned that while change can bring uncertainty, it often opens the door to new opportunities. This restructure enables us to continue implementing our Strategic Plan and Annual Improvement Plan, maintaining our focus on Connection, Excellence and Gratitude. Vanessa is a valued member of our leadership team, and while we will miss her, we look forward to her return. As she has said, “We are just getting started!”—and I believe it will be hard to keep her away for long!

Developing leadership within our staff is a key responsibility of mine, as strong schools are built not on individuals, but on strong, capable teams. I’m proud of the depth of talent we have at St Joseph’s Kingswood. Christine, Josh and Michael have all been undertaking leadership development through avenues such as postgraduate study and Catholic Education’s Inspiring Leaders Program. We are truly in capable hands.

Term 3 Reception Teacher

I’m pleased to announce that Ms Charlie Viles has been appointed as our Reception teacher for Term 3. Many of you will already know Charlie from her work in OSHC and as an ESO. A qualified teacher, Charlie has developed strong relationships with staff, students and families, and gained valuable experience through her time working within our school. She has already begun working alongside Kate in the Joeys transition program and will continue supporting the children as they prepare to begin school in Term 3.

Educational Support Officers in Curriculum (ESO)

We are pleased to welcome additional staffing to support our inclusion programs and teaching teams:

• Carmen Whybrow, who will soon join us full time. She brings a wealth of experience from various educational settings and will be a valuable asset in supporting students and staff across the school.
• Benji Hughes, who many of you know from OSHC and recent replacement work, will join us full time in term 3 and for the remainder of the year, replacing Charlie Viles as she takes on her new role.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school community.

Jodie Higgins

Principal

In all things, Charity