Matthew O'Brien, Principal

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

Project Compassion - Lent

St Joseph’s Feast Day 19th March

Image of Sleeping St Joseph

As recounted in the Bible, we all know how important and fundamental has been the act of sleep or rest for Saint Joseph. During his sleep an Angel came to tell him to marry Mary. In the same way, in his dreams he had the apparition of an Angel telling him about escaping to Egypt, due to the imminent slaughter ordered by Herod to kill Jesus.

These examples inspire me to think first, sleep on it before action as St Joseph did.

Pope Francis keeps in his office a statue of Sleeping Saint Joseph. He has a habit of putting underneath the Sleeping St Joseph statue some little notes with requests for grace and prayers of the faithful, in faith that like Saint Joseph grace may be sought in sleep and contemplation.

As he slips the notes under the statue he prays this prayer:

Glorious St. Joseph, thou who has power to render possible even things which are considered impossible, come to our aid in our present trouble and distress. Take this important and difficult affair under thy particular protection, that it may end happily.

Congratulations

Congratulations Yuichi Deguchi on being awarded a life membership to the Japanese Language Teachers' Association of Victoria.

Yuichi has been a force in the teaching of Japanese language and culture in our district for many years. He began teaching across all catholic schools in the Warrnambool Network and as the curriculum has expanded across Foundation – Year 6, St Joseph’s has been the beneficiary of his enthusiasm and talent. Yuichi’s lessons are characterised by his vibrant games-based approach to teaching weaving a combination of language, culture and geography.

Yuichi has been instrumental in forging our relationship with Doshisha Elementary School in Kyoto, Japan. This relationship has allowed our school community to host visiting students (next week) and offer cultural exchanges to Japan for our students.

On behalf of our school community I offer Yuichi our full congratulations on this outstanding achievement.

Doshisha Visit

We are looking forward to the students from Doshisha arriving in Warrnambool next Sunday. We will be hosting a special assembly on Wednesday for the Doshisha students and staff. Many thanks to all of our families who have opened their homes to welcome the students.

Harmony Week

We celebrate the cultural diversity of our community which encompasses the variety of cultures, beliefs, and traditions present, contributing to a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives at St Joseph’s. By valuing every family’s cultural background, we enable them to excel in all facets of life. Nurturing an environment of curiosity, open-mindedness, and respect for all cultures, will not only promote unity but a deeper appreciation of ourselves and others.

As a Catholic school community we can instil an appreciation for cultural diversity which is vital to equip young people with the tools they need to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. During Harmony Week we focus on how best to embrace and celebrate cultural diversity within our community.

With this in mind we wish those in our community of Muslim faith 

“Ramadan Kareem” (have a generous Ramadan)

School Athletics Sports

Congratulations to all of the children who enjoyed the sports days last week. Thanks to all of our parents and grandparents who came along to support the children. A special thanks to Mr McMillan and the staff who ran the day so smoothly.

School Swim Team

Good luck to the swim team who head off to Hamilton for the Regional Finals on Friday. 

Esther Baulch, Isaac Brown, Ella Carlin, Arusha Cashmore, Patrick Cumming, Violet Greening, Jessica Happ, Quinn Madigan, Will Madigan, Cooper McCosh, Sophie Mugavin, Ivy Sobey and Lily Stewart.

Safe Travel

Patience and planning will be required for the remainder of the term as the roadworks continue at the Botanic/Queens Road roundabout. 

I have also had a concerned citizen report of an instance where a young child darted between parked cars on Babers Lane to cross the road to their parents in a car on the other side. Please be mindful that at times it is best for parents to get out of the car and cross the street at a safe place with their child.

Staffing Update

Pat Allen will be on Long Service Leave for most of Term 2. Elise Smock will replace Pat as the Assistant Principal - People and Organisation. We wish Pat a happy and safe holiday.

Matthew O'Brien, Principal

Happy Birthday to children celebrating their birthday this week.

Alfie Woonton, Archie Beaton, Sierrah Greene, Emelia Kelly, Cooper Shields, Connor Greening, Layla Hooper and Lettie Nuske.

Dear Parents

Seven students from the student leadership team went with Mrs O’Brien to the Student Leaders Congress at Deakin University.

As a part of this program we were able to plan out a project that would impact our school and community. As a team we decided to start a Bottle Recycling Scheme here at St Joseph's. Did you know that all of the drinks in our canteen can be recycled for 10c?

Our idea is that each week we will go around to each classroom/year level and collect all of their plastic bottles that they have accumulated/collected and then we will recycle them at the Container Deposit Scheme in Warrnambool. This is where you can put your plastic bottles into a machine and in return we get ten cents. We hope that with enough bottles we will be able to make some profit for our school but also make our environment a better place.

As a family you can support us by selecting St Joseph’s School when you deposit your bottles. Please use this barcode (either take a photo or find it on a tile on the school app) to access the St Joseph’s account. That way, your 10c will go towards our account.

Thank you so much.

Kind regards
Ava Gleeson, Student Leader (on behalf of the student leadership team)

The PSA met last week and we would like to provide an update on some of our planned events over the coming months.

We have for a number of months been in early discussions about the PSA assisting to fund a significant piece of school infrastructure, being a new whizz bang playground for the middle/senior year students to enjoy for many years to come. Scoping, design, and construction of a project like this will come at no small cost, and so the PSA has resolved that the funding of this new proposed playground will become our major fundraising focus, with the outcomes from activities the yearly Major Raffle, Pizza Days, Hot Cross Bun drive etc all going towards this cause. We look forward to involving the student body on their design thoughts and providing updates on the new playground project to you all throughout 2024 and 2025.

We recently asked for some feedback on the Mother's Day event and were very pleased to receive a significant number of responses. Overwhelmingly, the responses favoured restructuring this event into a Breakfast, which mothers would be able to attend along with their children. So please note this upcoming breakfast in your calendars for Thursday 9th May, further details to follow. We have a handful of organisers ready to spearhead this breakfast, but to you fellow Dads out there get ready to jump in and help closer to the date so we can put on a great event for our Joeys Mums.

The PSA would like to thank and recognise all those parents and carers who are able to volunteer and assist with enriching our children's time at school. Please keep an eye out for the many rewarding ways you can get involved with the school life and community, to make St Joseph's an even better place for all.

Regards 

Leon Senchenko, PSA Chairperson

Our Mini Vinnies Team are raising funds for Caritas to support the great work that they do in helping people in need, across the world. 

The Mini Vinnies team are preparing a ‘Fun Day/s’ for all students in the school. 

Students from across the school will go to hall to take part in the activities that Mini Vinnies have prepared, and we ask that families might consider a monetary donation to support the important work of Caritas.

Caritas Fundraiser

Monday 25th March (Year 1 - Year 6) Tuesday 26th March (Foundation) 

Students will go to the hall for fun activities. 

Donations via CDFpay

In Week 9, we welcome the students and staff from Doshisha Elementary School in Kyoto, Japan. We have developed a Friendship School relationship with Doshisha for over a decade.

Doshisha have visited our school since 2012, and St. Joseph's have also visited their school in Kyoto. We have also exchanged letters, had video calls and generally forged a great friendship between the two schools.

Doshisha Elementary School students will arrive on Sunday 24th March at 4:30pm at the school hall, and visit our school over four days until they depart on Thursday 28th March at 9:10am.

We thank the nineteen school families who have offered to host the students at their homes. Relevant families will receive reminders about hosting students via email this week.  

Congratulation to Milla Rentsch, Year 5 student who travelled to Brisbane last month as it was the qualifying event for the Mighty 11’s Australian BMX test team.

The Mighty 11’s Australian BMX test team are the top 5 boys and girls from across the country.

The Mighty 11’s is a prestigious annual international competition between Australia and New Zealand. It is in honour of an 11 year old bmx competitor that was tragically killed in a car accident. It is combined with a cultural exchange trip to each country for the teams. There are two events each year one is to be held in Adelaide at the Sam Willoughby SX track next month and one in New Zealand later in the year.

Milla is very excited to have made the team :)

We have received notification from Warrnambool City Council that they will be undertaking re-construction works for the existing roundabout at the Queens and Botanic Road intersection.  These works will commence in the week beginning Monday 18th March 2024.

Works will occur between the hours of 7:00am and 6:00pm and are anticipated to be complete by the end of April 2024.

The dates of work will fall over the last week of this term, and the first 2 - 3 weeks of next term.

We have been advised that disruptions will occur due to traffic management implementation required for the reconstruction works.  Pedestrians and vehicular traffic are advised to follow all advisory signs, traffic controllers and demarcations present at the site.

As a school community we know this will significantly impact our families during drop off and pick up times and ask that you plan ahead, look at changing your drop off point to either the Tennis Courts on Bromfield St, or further up Queens Road and allow your children to walk down the footpath.

The supervised crossings will still be operational and manned during these works.

Traffic control will also operate at the exit from our front loop and vehicles will be able to turn right from the loop for the duration of the work. 

Online Enrolment

Online enrolments are now available and can be completed and submitted electronically. 

For this process go to our school website and select the Enrolment tab. Complete the Enrolment Enquiry to add your details for reminders and updates.  

Under the Enrolment Tab you will also notice an Online Enrolment Form - select this and away you go. A tip with this one is do not use a phone or ipad to complete the form, any laptop or desktop computer will work fine. 

You will also need to make sure you have your child's documentation (birth, immunisation, baptism certificates and any specialist reports) loaded onto your device, either by taking a photo or scanning and uploading as you will be able to upload all of that as well.

Year 3 children who have been baptised will have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in Term 2.

If you desire and are ready to support your child in his/her faith please complete the Registration Form. Parents should not feel pressured to enrol their child just because they are in Year 3. The celebration of Confirmation is a celebration of faith and needs to be seen in the context of Church and not merely as part of the school curriculum, even though the faith of the child is very much supported by the school.

Registration

Registration is available online as well as nomination for preferred family group meeting date and time.

Family Groups

Family groups meet at 3:30pm at school in an allocated room, eg Meeting Room, Library or a classroom. 

Family groups who wish to meet of an evening can arrange a time suitable for the group and these are generally held in participants homes.

Each group nominates a leader to lead the session. Mrs Chisholm is available if leaders need any assistance.

Payment

Payment for the program materials etc can be completed via CDFpay.

Key Dates

Our PSA is once again holding a Hot Cross Bun Drive. Baker's Delight Norfolk Plaza Bakery will be supporting this event and donating $2:50 from every pack sold back to the school. Orders are 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, Friday 22nd March, 2024

Delivery date: Tuesday 26th March, 2024

We require some volunteers to assist on the day of delivery from 1:30 pm to pack the packs of buns and deliver to the classrooms. If you can assist please email Alecia on abidmade@sjwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Tickets to everyone's favourite Easter Raffle are now being sold in the foyer at the school.

$1 per ticket. Children can purchase tickets before and after school.

Raffle Drawn: Wednesday 27th March, 2024.

School Canteen Support