The school term finishes on Friday of this week, 23^rd June, at 2.20pm.  We wish all students a safe, refreshing break so they can be ready to come back to our winter term. Although a shorter term, this term has been very busy with lots of learning, Mother’s Day activities and celebrations, sporting events and more.

I was glad to arrive home safely from studying in Belgium. It was a very intense two weeks of learning at the KU University. The course was about how to maintain a relevant Catholic identity in a secularised and pluralised world. Participants came from Sale Diocese, as well as Melbourne, Sandhurst and Paramatta.  I will continue to work with these people and the University on how we can maintain a community that dialogues with all faith traditions, respects different beliefs, yet retains our own Catholic identity in a relevant way for our students.

Thanks to Camillo Redi for stepping up as Acting Principal in my absence and doing such great work!

Setting routines are important as they can provide a predictable, safe environment where independence is increased and positive habits develop. Starting from Term 3, our morning routine will be refined for all students.

Gates will continue to be opened at 8:30am each morning and we ask that by 8:50am all students are at school. Gates will be closed at 8:50am and supervision at the carline will cease. Students arriving after 8:50am will need to make their way through the office area. From 8:50am music will play to signal students to move to assemble in class groups on the basketball court. By 8:53am a bell will ring and by this time, all students should be lined up ready to be moved inside. Learning begins each day at 9am, students arriving after this time will be marked late.

Please note, the office will make contact with you if you haven’t provided a reason for absence by 10am. If contact cannot be made with the parent, guardian and/or carer, the school may contact emergency contact(s) nominated on the student's file, held by the school.

To help support us with this refined morning routine, a simple table is below for you to reinforce this with your child/ren.

On Friday the P and F provided a disco for both Junior and Senior students. There were some great dancers, movers and shakers at both events. The students really enjoyed it and we are grateful for this enjoyable initiative from the P and F. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy these types of events again.

I will be taking some long-awaited long service leave at the beginning of term 3.  Mr Camillo Redi will be Acting Principal and Mrs Vanessa Barry will be Acting Deputy Principal for the first three weeks of the term. I know the school is in good hands and that you will all give them your support.

Enjoy your family time!

Best wishes,

Ros Joyner

Principal

TERM 2

Friday 23 June                                   - Last day of Term 2 – school finish time is 2:20pm

TERM 3

Monday 10 July                                - First day of Term 3

Thursday 20 July                              - Confirmation – Parent/Child Information Session at 7pm

Friday 21 July                                    - Grandparent’s Day

Sat 29 & Sun 30 July                       - Confirmation - Commitment Masses

Friday 4 August                                - Italian Day

Thursday 10 August                        - Confirmation – Child Workshop

Tuesday 15 August                          - Junior Showcase Performance (Foundation – Grade 2) 6:30pm at Marion Theatre, Marist-Sion College

Friday 18 August                              - School Closure Day - Student Free

Thursday 24 August                        - Confirmation – Parent/Child Workshop

Friday 25 August                              - Book Week Parade and Performance - 9:00am School Hall

Tuesday 29 August                          - Senior School Production (Grades 5/6) 7:00pm at Marion Theatre, Marist-Sion College

Thursday 31 August                        - Confirmation – Reconciliation Rite

Friday 1 September                        - Father’s Day Breakfast and Stall

Friday 8 September                        - Sacrament of Confirmation (Marist-Sion Hall)

Thursday 14 September               - Middle School Musical (Grades 3/4) 7:00pm at Marion Theatre, Marist-Sion College

Friday 15 September                     - Last day of Term 3 – school finish time is 2:20pm

I’m very excited to be one of five teachers from our diocese selected to study Scripture in Israel from 24 June until 9 July, 2023.

We are the recipients of the Sion Scholarship, an initiative of the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education since 2005. The course is run by the Sion Sisters at the Centre of Biblical Formation situated at Ecce Homo Convent in Jerusalem. We will study the Gospel of Mark and visit sites to help us understand Scripture in the context of the past and present. This rich experience will also help us gain insight into Christianity’s Jewish roots, and provide an opportunity to connect with other people of faith. 

I would love to share my journey with our school community so while I’m away I will endeavour to share some of my experiences via our school Facebook page and ClassDojo. 

When preparing for this visit, I invited each of the classes to write a  prayer. I’m taking these prayers to Jerusalem and I will offer them to God by inserting them between the stones of the ancient Western Wall, the most sacred site for those of Jewish faith.  To learn more about this custom, your family may like to watch this short video at https://youtu.be/ARlbqYfN9YA

Finally, I’m very grateful to be a part of this scholarship group and to have this opportunity to visit Jerusalem. I look forward to sharing my journey with you. 

Here is a sample of the beautiful prayers written by our classes.

RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

An Information evening will be held on Wednesday 12^th July 7.30pm Marian Room (attached to St. Joseph’s Church Warragul; enter car park from Bowen Street) for those who want to find out more about the Catholic faith, what Catholics believe and why, expressing an interest in becoming a Catholic, or an Adult Catholic who has not received the sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation.  If you know of someone that may be interested, please bring them along to this session.

For more information you can contact:

Fr. Confidence or Joan Robertson at St. Joseph’s Parish Office Warragul: 56231642

Sacrament Dates for 2023

Semester 1 School Reports will be released today, Friday 23 June. To access your child/rens school reports, log in to your PAM account and click on the student you wish to view the report for. On the left hand side, select "Assessment Reports" and here you will find: Semester 1, 2023 - End of Semester Report

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report https://stjwarragul.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-naidoc-week

This next presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Empathy and Kindness.

Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do. We practice this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.

Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating brussels sprout)!

Research shows that practicing empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.

View Part 3 of the series here:
Part 3 - Empathy: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/

Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:

1. Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
2. Make a plan for who you are going to give an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
3. If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
4. Follow up with each other in a few days time to ask how it went!

Sources: Psychology Today,UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science

For mental health resources and support information, visit: The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

UPCOMING SPORTS DATES:

Athletics

Thursday July 13th, S.S.V. State Cross Country

Wednesday July 20th, S.S.V. Gippsland Region Winter Sport (Sale/Maffra)

Tuesday, October 10th. Gippsland Regional Athletics. Joe Carmody Athletics Track, Newborough

S.S.V. Gippsland Region Cross Country

Congratulations to our Cross Country runners. They did a great job today on the new course at Drouin Golf Club. Chad narrowly missed the cut off to progress to the next stage and Charlotte ran a personal best by 3 minutes.

Well done to Lenny Barake. He ran a strong race and  finished 8th. Lenny has qualified for the State Championship next month in Yarra Glen. We wish all the very best.

Thank you to the parents who transported and supported their children at this event.

Sports Uniform Reminder

It has been great to see so many students prepared for Sport each week with the correct sports uniform. Just a reminder that the sports uniform is to be worn only on the students' Sports Day. This includes appropriate footwear for vigorous activity.

TUESDAY: Grade 3/4 Classes

WEDNESDAY: Foundation and Grade 1/2 Classes

THURSDAY: Grade 5/6 Classes

Grade 6 can also wear their sports uniform on a Monday.

ALL PERFORMANCES will be held at the

MARION THEATRE at MARIST-SION COLLEGE

More information regarding each concert will be sent home early in term 3.

Junior School Showcase (Foundation - Grade 2) - "Showcase of Learning" Tuesday, 15 August at 6:30pm

Senior School Production (Grade 5/6) - "Count Back" Tuesday 29 August at 7:00pm

Middle School Musical (Grade 3/4) - "Trollin' through Fairyland" Thursday 14 September at 7:00pm

Please note the WRC bus loop is NOT a bus stop, yet a bus transfer station only. All students travelling on the Government School bus system must travel to and from their home address to their designated school only.

Current Child Safety Laws and the Conditions of Bus Travel do not allow students to leave the bus transition area. If your child does not intend on travelling to their home address they must depart from their school of origin. Thank you for your understanding. WRC

The bus loop is continually experiencing a high volume of students entering and exiting on foot during the busy bus transition period which is placing unnecessary pressure on bus supervision. Although it may be convenient for parents to collect their children from the WRC bus loop, leaving the bus loop is not permitted for any reason. Child safety laws and the Conditions of Bus Travel stated on all Government applications do not allow a supervising school to permit students to leave the bus loop safely.

Reflection Forms

Have your personal contact details changed?

• Do you hold a current Centrelink Concession Card?
• Do you no longer have a current concession card?
• Has there been a name change?
• Have you moved address?
• Have you changed your mobile phone number?
• Is your landline still valid?
• Have you changed your workplace, therefore your business phone number has changed?
• Have emergency contacts changed? Maybe they have moved away?

If you have answered "YES" to any of the above dot points, please email the office info@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au with your updated information.

PAM

• Have you verified your PAM email login?
• Please ensure student medical and contact details (including email address) are up to date.

Rapid Antigen Tests are available from the school office.

Please note that if your child tests positive to Covid-19, it is strongly recommended that students:

• Who test positive to COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five (5) days;
• Should not attend school after five (5) days if still symptomatic;
• Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school until their symptoms resolve;
• Parents, guardians or carers advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result.

To assist with limiting the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses, parents, guardians and carers should be strongly encouraged to ensure that their child(ren) remain at home if they are unwell, including if they have tested positive to COVID-19.

P & F Dates for your Diary

Friday 4 August - P & F Meeting at 2:20pm

Thanks for glowing with us

Thanks to all our families who were able to support the Glow Disco last Friday night.

Almost 200 children got their glow on across the two sessions, enjoyed some tunes by DJ Boom and left with treats in their hands and smiles on their faces.

We wanted to express our thanks to our wonderful parent helpers across the day/ night, we could not have done it without you and you all did an awesome job.

Also, a massive shout out to the staff who gave up their evening after a long week to support the children and get their groove on. Thanks to Camillo Redi, James McMahon, Lisa Wans, Katie Balfour, Kerry Jenkinson, Annemaree Daly, Danielle Vincent and Vanessa Barry for joining in the fun- the children loved having you there.

We hope to make this a regular event on our calendar, so if you’ve got any suggestions or would like to be involved, please attend the next P&F meeting or reach out to us.

Cookie Dough

Thank you for your generous support of our Cookie Dough fundraiser. We hope you enjoy your dough-licious treats and incentive prizes.

Congratulations to Grace Dingli from Foundation on selling a massive 56 tubs- a cookie monster effort!

We will be using the funds to purchase some new giant indoor games and sports equipment for the children. Jumbo Jenga, Mega 4 Connect, Cornhole and some new soft hurdles will be making their way to the school soon!

Second Hand Uniforms

Has your child lost or grown out of their bomber jacket? If you’ve checked the mountain of lost property with no luck, we have heaps of second-hand jackets in all sizes available, for a gold coin donation. Thanks to Warragul Drycleaners who have donated their services to professionally clean our second-hand school uniforms.

View these at assemblies or contact the P&F Committee on stjosephswarragulpandf@gmail.com or the school office.

P&F Meetings

The next P&F meeting is scheduled for Friday 4 August, 2.00pm at the school.  

If you would like to be involved, we would love to have you. Please reach out to us via email stjosephswarragulpandf@gmail.com, send us a message through our Facebook page ‘Parents and Friends of St Joseph’s Primary School Warragul’ or just turn up.

SCHOOL BEANIE

The school beanie has ARRIVED and is in stock at the Warragul Beleza store. They are available for purchase and are $18 each.

Prices have been reduced further...

Short sleeve polo shirts are available in size 2 - 16 and are now $6.60 each

Long sleeve polo shirts are available in size 2 - 16 (size 14 no longer available) and are now $7.20 each

Green windcheaters are available in size 4, 10 & 14 and are now $10.00 each

Gippsland Tennis Coaching

Warragul District Amateur Basketball Association

Our junior program registrations for Aussie Hoops and Under 8’s are now OPEN, all Registration links provided below!

Aussie Hoops Warragul Program - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/5b3663

Aussie Hoops Neerim Program - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/98ee79

Warragul Under 8's Program - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/8c699c-3c6acce3

Neerim South Under 8's Program - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/8c699c-c2fe3ad2

For any further information please refer to our website - https://warragul-basketball.tidyhq.com/

Girls Football

Looking for under 12 girls players to join:

Gippsland United Football Club's Metro teams play across South East and East Melbourne. We train twice a week (Tuesday & Thursday) on the new synthetic surface at Baxter Park in Warragul. A unify who is keen can email juniors@gippslandunitedfc.com  

Miniroo's Program

We also run a miniroo's program at Baxter Park in Warragul, this is for all kids age 6-10 and every week on the synthetic surface at Baxter Park. This is a great place for players with any amount of experience to try the game and progress into the future. It’s a fun, relaxed environment and all of our coaches for the 2023 season will be qualified to ensure the kids get the best opportunities moving forward. For more information or a link to register, please email miniroos@gippslandunitedfc.com 

Baseball

Warragul Blues Junior Football Club