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

Wet Weather

What a wet time it was last week but great to see and feel the sun over the weekend and at school this morning. As I mentioned in the various text messages last week everyone’s help and cooperation with the school end of the day arrangements was appreciated. Students were calm, parents patient and supportive and staff were very helpful.

Thanks also to the local police and SES for their help. Russells Creek, can and does frequently, rise with rain fall, river flow, local run-off and the Warrnambool tide actions. The river is monitored via our school facility team and our emergency planning as well as various other authorities. A depth measure is located at the Bromfield Street crossing. The school building site is built above the 1 in 100 year flood line. There is always a possibility the school might need to close if an extreme situation arose but since the school has been on this site the flood plain has managed to cope with increased flow. Obviously, this situation requires close attention to ensure safety of all; this will continue via our emergency management plans.

I do however really appreciate everyone's cooperation; actions speak, and to see the help and calmness in place does ultimately ensure student safety as it does continue to be our focus every day.

COVID-19, Road To Recovery

With our metro friends returning to school this week, as well as Year 7’s and VCE classes locally the steps to COVID recovery continue. For our students we all hope that we can get onto the ovals this week as they dry out.

Today’s newsletter contains important updates and reminders as well as a video of a student Project of Hope in this COVID-19 time.

1000 Paper Crane Project

Millie Austin and Amelia Roache from D2, as described by school parent, Fiona Fitzgerald.

Very early on during the first lockdown Millie Austin and her mum discussed taking on a project that would keep students connected to friends and something that would keep them busy while being in lockdown at home. The family came up with a couple of ideas and watched a video on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Millie decided this was a project she would like to take on as it was a subject they had spoken about in their Japanese classes at school.

Sadako had been diagnosed with leukemia from radiation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Sadako's friend told her to fold origami paper cranes in hope of making a thousand of them. Millie was inspired to do so by the Japanese legend that one who created a thousand origami cranes would be granted a wish.

Millie reached out to her classmates in D2 via google classroom, her friend Amelia Roache and her family were very keen to get involved. Over the next 6 months, both girls made 1,000 paper cranes, with their friends and family joining in. Jointly Millie and Amelia decided that they would make the 1,000 cranes and wish for a cure for COVID-19 and for peace in the world.

The project ended up taking over 60 hours and then the friends and family strung the cranes up ready to be sent over to Hiroshima to be displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Park. The cranes will be displayed at the school before being shipped across. Since we obviously can't be there when the cranes are being added to the many thousands of cranes already there (made by people all over the world) the organisers will send an email of the date it will be added and take photos on the day and send them through to us. A big thank you to Liz Noonan, (Classroom Teacher D2) and classmates for being supportive of the project. 

Regards, Fiona Fitzgerald (School Parent)