Matthew O'Brien, Principal

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and the wider St. Joseph’s Primary School Community,

Lord

May your love and light shine in and through me today

In a way that no mask can hide.

May my eyes dance with the laughter and joy

Replacing my hidden smile.

May my actions of care and concern

Speak louder than my muffled voice ever could.

May the generosity of my heart

Radiate out through who I am

And how I respond to the world around me

So that others may not see my mask

But your image shining out

Moving in and through me today.

Amen

Br. Michael Herry fms

Return to School

This week we stage a staggered return to school for Years 3-6.

• Year 3 & 4 Tuesday and Wednesday
• Years 5 & 6 Thursday and Friday

Everyone is excited to get closer to a full return in Week 4, Tuesday 26th October.

Masks mandated for Year 3 and above

In Friday’s Victorian press conference Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton announced that masks for students in Years 3 and above will be mandated in indoor settings, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID as on-site learning recommences over the coming weeks.

Masks are strongly recommended for students in Foundation – Year 2 in indoor settings, but will not be mandatory.  Professor Jane Munro, paediatrician at the Royal Children's Hospital, spoke in detail about the benefits of this mandate.

We have a limited supply of child sized masks in each classroom.  Please send your child with their own mask with their name clearly written on it.

School Closure Day - Monday 25th October, 2021

Please note the change of date. This date has been moved from Friday 22nd October to the Monday to accommodate the Year 5 and 6 students onsite learning days. There will be no students onsite this day as the staff will be undertaking professional development.

Staffing Update

Nigel Gray has completed his final day here at St Joseph’s.  Nigel has accepted a new role in the High Country of Victoria in the mountain biking industry. 

This will complement Nigel’s work in the snow fields during the ski season.  Nigel has been a valued member of our grounds staff over the last 8 years.  We thank him for his cheerful dedication, easy going attitude and willingness to support everyone in our school. 

Good luck Nigel in this new chapter of your life.

Regards
Matthew O'Brien, Principal

Happy Birthday to children celebrating their birthday this week.

Esther Baulch, Finn Davis, Georgia Finneran, Rushleigh Jeffries, Gracie O'Grady, Van Myroniuk, Jenson Riordan, Bodhi Rudolph, Flynn Burleigh and Georgie Milroy.

Physical Education would have to be one of the hardest subjects to learn 'from home.'  So planning lessons and activities for everyone has been challenging, however we wanted to inject some creativity into our exercising habits.  Hence the Physical Challenge Treasure Hunt was set!  Mr McMillan and I had fun researching the mystery locations around Warrnambool and carefully hiding the 'exercise treasure!'  We have printed these clues, some photos and the treasure onto our Sports Noticeboard for students to enjoy once they have all returned to school this week.  The following students have won some Sports Power vouchers for their efforts in completing the Physical Challenge last week;

• Jessica Happ
• Mia Jackson
• Sadie and Billie Main
• Michael Lougheed

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the parents/guardians who have supported their children in their quest to remain active during a Pandemic!  We are most grateful.  We look forward to seeing many students back on site this week for some face-to-face teaching of Physical Education.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, the guidelines prevent us from participating in any inter-school sporting competitions.  School Sports Victoria has been forced to cancel all outstanding State Sporting events.  We are hoping to arrange some "Inter-House" sporting events for the Year 6 students before the end of the year.

Warrnambool City Council has been funded by TAC to work with the community and local schools to identify ways to improve the way people travel in the Botanic Precinct. Some suggested solutions have been developed with the community and we are seeking the St Joseph’s Primary School Community feedback on these ideas.

Nicole Wood will be onsite at 3:15pm on the following days to speak with parents:

• Tuesday 12th October - inside school grounds, outside B2/B3
• Wednesday 13th October - Queens Road near the crossing
• Thursday 14th October - Bromfield St near the Tennis Courts
• Friday 15th October - Botanic Gardens near the new playspace

Volunteers Needed

We rely on our volunteers and are also in need of more parents to assist. Canteen can only run 5 days a week if we have sufficient volunteers. Can you help?

Training is arranged by our Canteen Co-ordinator Tania Hughes. Please consider volunteering, even if only once per term, all help most appreciated.

Pontings are now offering Point Donations to our school.

How does this work? When a loyalty customer shops with us at Pontings they receive rewards points. When they have enough points they can now donate them to your school and then your school will reap the might rewards.