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- PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
- TWILIGHT SPORTS AND COMMUNITY PICNIC
- TEACHER AWARDS
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY
- SPORTS NEWS
- WELLBEING NEWS
- CALLING ALL ARTISTS
- 2023 YEAR 6 POLO
- HOT CROSS BUN DRIVE 2023
- COLLECTION NOTICE FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
- LIVING WITH PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN
- MOBILE PHONES, SMART WATCHES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES
- CANTEEN NEWS
- EMMANUEL COLLEGE OPEN EVENING
- COMMUNITY NEWS
Matthew O'Brien, Principal
Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and the wider St. Joseph’s Primary School Community,
St Joseph’s School Prayer
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Invitation to pray Welcome Our invitation is for you to pray with us, To be as you are and if not in faith, to be with us respectfully. We acknowledge that many in our community are of other religious beliefs and traditions Thankyou for being with us. |
God of love, creation and wisdom,
Thank you for our Catholic school, St Joseph's.
We are grateful for our space.
Our space to think, ...
our space to be ...
and our space for silence.
Pause - allow time for people to reflect on this. Do not rush to start the next part
God our friend, you help and guide us in good and bad times.
Help us always to find our way to you
We are all learners in our school community.
Help us to open our hearts to others even when it is challenging,
and celebrate that we are all different in so many ways.
On this land of the Gunditjmara people,
Guide us to look after each other and our environment - both beautiful and fragile.
Journey with us as we create a happy and safe place where we respect and accept each other.
A place where we work together and learn from everyone.
As we try our best in everything we do,
May we be inspired by St. Joseph to be caring, honest and brave.
Amen
New School Prayer Launch
Over the last 18 months or so our school community has been rewriting our school prayer to create an inclusive yet distinctly Catholic prayer which is unique to our school community here in Warrnambool. We have been led by Dr Gina Bernasconi, Cara Chisolm and Mark Hyland who, along with a team of teachers and students have consulted and re-consulted, drafted and re-drafted and now finally published our prayer.
I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this process for their generosity, creativity and wisdom. I am particularly proud of our commitment to seeking out and listening to “student voice”. At its heart this is a prayer by children for children.
Over the course of this year (and beyond) we will unpack this prayer and pray it in many creative and varied ways. Our next step is to publish the prayer with artwork from our community. Please see the details in this newsletter.
Regards
Matthew O'Brien, Principal
This year we are trialling Twilight Sports and A Community Picnic. The reason for this shift is to create greater opportunities for parents and grandparents to attend the sports to support their children.
This year the sports will conclude with a BYO Community Picnic. In time this event might grow to include a BBQ and some food trucks. However, this year our focus is on getting the format of the sports right.
On this day school will begin for children at 12:30 pm and the sports will begin at 1 pm.
In order to support those families who have absolutely no other way of caring for their children limited babysitting will be provided. I urge you not to use this service unless absolutely necessary and please call in favours from family, neighbours and friends prior to sending children to school. The sports day will be long, tiring and exciting for children and a good rest in the morning will help them through the day.
Please note that classes will not be running and teachers will not arrive at school until 12:30 pm. If you do require your child to be minded at school before the sports please make a booking using the following link.
A detailed program will be in next week’s newsletter along with details for the day.
Regards
Matthew O'Brien, Principal
Happy Birthday to children celebrating their birthday this week.
Zeke Hrabar, Andrii Strekalov, Poppy Beveridge, Milla Thompson, Tate Rentsch, Noah Roberts, Jack Walker and Matthew Bennie.
District Tennis
Congratulations to all players who competed at the district tennis finals in hot conditions. Our school did a fantastic job and won many matches and games across the day. Special congratulations to Noah Anderson and Daisy Martin who qualified for the next round of competition. Well done to all players on the day for their great skills and sportsmanship.
Fears and worries
It's normal for children to feel afraid at times. Fear is an emotion that can help kids be cautious. Things that are new, big, loud, or different can seem scary at first. Parents and teachers can help kids feel safe and learn to feel at ease.
So how do we help kids start feeling braver? The key is an invisible skill called self regulation. Self-regulating is essentially the ability to process and manage our own emotions and behaviors in a healthy way. It’s what gives us the ability to talk ourselves down or to feel things without acting on them. Most grown-ups practice self-regulation without a second thought. Think of feeling a moment of fear before reassuring yourself that there’s really nothing scary about a dark room. But for kids, building self-regulation takes time, practice and space to learn — which means parents have to get comfortable with letting kids be a little uncomfortable as they figure things out. This can be challenging.
Remember:
- It takes time and practice for children to learn new coping skills.
- Young children usually learn best when you do it with them.
- Older children may be able to use coping skills but still need support when scared.
- Children feel secure and confident when they have regular quality time with parents and carers.
- Bedtime is often when fears can surface. Try to have some calming time before bed to unwind and develop a bedtime routine.
Help children identify what is happening in their bodies when they experience strong feelings like fear, for example some children say they have a pain in the tummy. Help them understand that their thinking ( I’m scared of the dark), leads to strong feelings ( in this case fear) which then influences what happens in the body, (such as the way they breath or things like pains in the tummy). These things then impact what actions the child can take, such as settling down to sleep.
Fears and worries
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Difficulty |
Ideas on how to support your child |
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Feels scared and worried |
Acknowledge the feeling - ‘You’re having trouble going off to sleep because you are worried something might happen. |
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Feels unsafe |
Reassure - That storm was only on TV it is not going to happen here. |
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Can’t think through logically |
What are the facts - that can’t happen where we live. |
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Feels overwhelmed by a scary thought |
Label it. Eg. That’s just a scary thought. You don't have to keep it. |
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Doesn’t feel confident about managing fears |
Encourage helpful thinking and self talk. Eg Tell those scary thoughts I know I am safe so go away. OR I know it is new but I can try my best and I know who to ask for help. |
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May not believe in own ability to manage fears |
Praise and encouragement eg You did it ! You are trying really hard to be brave. Well done! |
St Joseph’s School Prayer
Throughout 2022 a team of teachers and students worked in partnership with our CEB colleague, Gina Bernasconi, to recontextualize the St Joseph’s School Prayer. This means we worked to develop a faithful prayer that is invitational, meaningful and respectful of our context, and the community who will engage with this prayer (students, staff, families and the wider school community). We did this by incorporating the 10 characteristics of Prayer for a Catholic school - guide-markers for being in a prayerful space appropriately together - and then we asked for feedback from students, teachers and families. We are really proud of our Prayer and are now looking at how best to publish it to share with you.
What we are asking of you
Read the prayer,
share the prayer,
spend time contemplating the prayer.
Think about the words - What do they mean to you? What speaks to you? What reflection(s) do they prompt?
Using any medium you love we are asking you to provide a 2D artwork(s), preferably A4 or A3 in size, that complements and enhances the prayer.
Representations are welcome by all age groups.
Please submit all artworks to the school office by the end of Term 1, Thursday 6th April, 2023.
Year 6 parents are reminded that orders via our Online ordering Portal (CDFPay) close at 3pm on Friday 10th March.
Please complete the linked form to indicate how you would like your child's name to appear. Form closes at 3pm on Friday 10th March.
Our PSA is once again holding a Hot Cross Bun Drive. Baker's Delight Norfolk Plaza Bakery will be supporting this event with orders now open through CDFPay.
Please place your order against the eldest child in your family with orders now open.
Buns available to order are:
- Traditional Hot Cross Bun - 6 Pack,
- Choc Chip Hot Cross Bun - 6 Pack,
- Apple and Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns - 6 Pack,
- Fruitless Hot Cross Buns - 6 Pack.
Orders close: 3:00pm, Thursday 30 March, 2023
Delivery date: Tuesday 4th April, 2023
2023 Student Residential Address and Other Information
The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to notify you that we have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information.
Under the Australian Education Regulation 2013, the school is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:
• Names and residential addresses of student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s)
• Student residential address (excluding student names)
• Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
• Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status).
The school collects the above information by generating a unique and unidentifiable – student reference number (SRN) for each student record. The school only uses the SRN for this collection. It is not allowed to be used for any other purpose. The number only indicates to the department that each record provided is for
one student.
Living With Primary Aged Children
7:30 pm, Tuesday 28th February and 1:30pm, Wednesday 1st March
Location: Len Hogan Room
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter Helen Diamond from Catholic Care is running a session for parents on Living With Primary Aged Children. Helen is drawing information from evidence based parenting programs; “Circle of Security Parenting”, “Bringing up Great Kids” by the Australian Childhood Foundation and “Tuning into Kids” as well as the observations and experiences of parents she has met along the way.
There is an evening and a daytime session (both identical) and we believe that these sessions are so important that we will supply babysitting services should you require.
In accordance with the DOBCEL Digital Technology Policy and the St Joseph's Acceptable Use and Cyber Safety Agreement, it is it is a requirement that mobile phones and personal electronic device must be signed into the school office.
We understand that from time to time students may bring a device for use before or after school. If your child brings a phone or device they are required to sign them into the school office prior to school and collected at the end of the day. These items are stored securley in the office area.
For any students wearing a smartwatch it is a requirement that they must see the Assistant Principal to clarify its operation during school hours.
Please remind your child of this process.