Dear Parents and Carers,

As a Catholic school, we believe that every child is on a journey of learning not only in the classroom but in life. One of the most important lessons we teach is how to respond when we make a mistake.

We want our children to understand that:

• It’s okay to make mistakes.
• What matters most is how we respond afterwards.

As part of our Catholic identity, we teach children that when they make a mistake, they are called to:

• Admit what they’ve done wrong
  
• Say sorry sincerely
• Make amends in a way that is meaningful

Making amends might look different for each child. It could be saying “I’m sorry,” writing a note, drawing a picture, or doing something kind for someone else. These actions help rebuild relationships and foster empathy and healing.

We also help children understand that admitting a mistake can feel difficult, especially when we feel embarrassed or worried. But learning to take responsibility helps them to grow in confidence, maturity, and character. Mistakes are valuable learning opportunities and when we acknowledge them, we can move forward with a more positive mindset.

When we hold on to feelings like anger, sadness, or disappointment, it can get in the way of our learning and affect those around us. But when we take steps to make things right, we return to a place of calm, connection, and readiness to learn.

Catholic Social Teachings: Living Our Faith Daily 

Our approach to behaviour and responsibility is grounded in Catholic Social Teachings, which remind us that:

• Every person is created in the image of God and deserves dignity and respect
  
  
• We are called to care for each other and for the common good
  
  
• We must work for justice, peace, and reconciliation in our daily lives
  
  

These values guide how we support children to grow spiritually, socially, and emotionally.

 Behaviour and Consequences: A Consistent Approach

For your reference, I’ve included a copy of our School Consequence Chart, which outlines the steps we follow when a child makes a poor choice or mistake. This chart is part of our consistent and fair approach to helping students understand the impact of their actions and encouraging them to take responsibility in a safe and supportive environment.

I encourage you to take a moment to go through the chart with your child. Understanding the steps and expectations at school can help support positive behaviour and accountability at home as well.

As we come to the end of Term 3, it’s wonderful to reflect on the many highlights we’ve shared together. From Bake a Book, the Book Fair and Book Week Parade, to the Grades 3-6 Swimming Program, the Pilgrims of Hope Prayer Assembly, Choir performances, Prep’s 100 Days of School, Whole School Assemblies, the Father’s Day Stall, Parent-Teacher Interviews, and the many excursions-each occasion has been enriched by the enthusiasm and support of our families. We are truly grateful for the strong community spirit that continues to make such a difference to our students and staff.

Please don’t forget our Open Afternoon which is on next Tuesday, September 16th from 2.30-3.15pm!

This term we also welcomed a number of guest speakers who generously shared their expertise with different year levels, further strengthening our community partnerships and enhancing student learning.

Thank you for being such an important part of our school journey this term. We look forward with excitement to the opportunities and celebrations that Term 4 will bring!

Dianne Gin
Deputy Principal

Congratulations to the recipients of the student Awards & Commendation vouchers at this week's assembly. Keep up the fantastic work!

In Grade 1/2, we’ve been learning about light and sound. We were very lucky to have the Mad Science light and sound incursion to help us explore further about sound through hands-on and fun activities. We also welcomed some guest speakers into our classroom. Mrs. Tschiderer showed us her wide range of musical instruments such as a kazoo, harmonica and whistle instruments. Dries Swerts put on a show with his electric guitar. Gayle Bloch showed us her sound bowl and Taryn Robinson showed us her saxophone. Students have been working hard on artworks and projects about sound and musical instruments to show for their Open Day.

In Maths, we’ve been focusing on division, learning to share into equal groups, using arrays, number lines and repeated addition to show learning. Students have been working hard to use these skills to work out real life worded problems.

It’s been a great few weeks of learning in Grade 1/2.

1/2 Team

This term, our Grades 3 and 4 students have been working on a range of topics. In Math, we have been learning about multiplication and fractions. Students are now using different representations to solve problems and are learning about fractions. For English, we focused on information reports in both reading and writing to prepare for our integrated project.

As part of this project, we visited the State Coal Mine and Historical Society in Wonthaggi. The students gathered information and viewed artifacts from the local area. These visits provided valuable content for their reports on local history. We have been fortunate enough to receive three guest speakers from our local community, which our students thoroughly enjoyed.

For Religion, we have been learning about Catholic Social Teaching, with topics including human dignity and caring for those in need. We also participated in our school's swimming program this term. We appreciate your support for our learning and activities, and look forward to seeing you at our open day in week 9.

3/4 Team

Our 3/4 students have had the pleasure over the past weeks of having some guest speakers come to visit.  Frank Angarane, visited and shared his knowledge of Wonthaggi’s local history with our students. Matt Blundell, spoke to the students about Shack Bay, and Sally Howden, shared fascinating insights into the history of the Miners’ Dispensary.

All these presentations helped our students understand the important role these places and services played in the lives of Wonthaggi families and gave our students a greater appreciation of the rich heritage of our town.

Our students greatly enjoyed learning from our visitors and were inspired to consider how history shapes our community today. Thank you to Frank, Matt, and Sally for coming and sharing your knowledge with our students.

3/4 Team

In 2025, National Child Protection Week (NCPW) in Australia will be held from Sunday, 7 September to Saturday, 13 September. This annual event, coordinated by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN), aims to raise awareness about child safety and wellbeing across the country. The theme for 2025 is “Every conversation matters: Shifting conversation to action”, emphasizing the importance of turning meaningful discussions about child safety into tangible actions at individual, community, and national levels.

The Child Safety Team  

What an incredible day we had celebrating Book Week with our Dress Up Day! Students and staff looked fantastic in their colourful, creative, and imaginative costumes. From much-loved classics to modern favourites, the thought and effort behind every outfit was truly outstanding.

Adding to the excitement during the week, our Grade 5/6 students impressed everyone with their Bake a Book creations. Their cakes were not only clever and imaginative but also beautifully captured the stories and characters that inspire them.

It was wonderful to see our whole school community come together to celebrate the joy of reading in such a fun and meaningful way. Thank you to families for your support in helping students bring their favourite characters to life.  Book Week is always a special highlight of the year, and this year’s Dress Up Day was no exception.

We want to thank all of our families for their generous contributions to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Your kindness and support have been greatly appreciated and will make a real difference for many people in our community who are experiencing hardship.

As the appeal comes to an end, we invite families to make any final donations of non-perishable items by sending them to your child’s classroom. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps support this worthwhile cause. Our final collection date will be at the end of Term 3. 

Thank you once again for supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal and helping to bring warmth and care to those in need.  

Just a reminder to families that Term 3 ends on Friday, September 19 at the earlier time of 2:25pm. 
We wish you all a safe and happy break and look forward to seeing you all back at the beginning of term 4. 

Term 4 begins Monday, October 6.

Congratulations to St Joseph’s Choir for a wonderful concert on Thursday 4th September. The choir sang a variety of songs, including a few songs sung in 2 and 3 parts and songs featuring soloists: Eden, Layla, Leah, Adelaide, Kitty, Lincoln, Stephan, Fletcher, Lawson, and Muku. Some students stepped up and spoke bravely in front of the audience, introducing the songs and explaining why they enjoy them. Thank you to the parents and friends who attended - it was a great afternoon of singing. 

Danielle Paulson
Performing Arts Teacher

R U OK? Day is a national day (Thursday, September 11th) of action dedicated to reminding all Australians to check in with those around them and start a meaningful conversation that could change a life. It encourages us to ask, “Are you OK?” and really listen, not just on one day, but every day of the year.

At school, we use R U OK? Day as an opportunity to teach students the importance of kindness, empathy, and looking out for one another. We also emphasise that asking “Are you OK?” is just the start — it’s about following up and staying connected.

Families can support this message at home by creating space for open conversations, showing empathy, and modelling how to reach out when someone might be doing it tough.

Further information: School TV link

Claire Shannon 
Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader

Please find the remaining sessions for our 2026 Prep orientation. If you have any questions, please contact the office. We are excited to welcome our new Preps during these sessions!

As the process of planning and preparing for the 2026 school year has commenced, we will soon begin to work on class lists. If parents have a genuine reason for class placement requests for next year, you are required to put this in writing and submit it to the School Office. 

Please be aware that a request has to be made for this current year, we will not be referring to requests made 12 months ago as circumstances change and it is important this is requested and submitted each year. Obviously, we cannot (and will not) accommodate requests for particular teachers; we can only look at the needs of the child.

All requests are to be submitted in writing to info@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au by Friday, September 19 2025. 

It is important to note that once classes are established for the year, no alterations to allocations will be made. While we welcome parent input about your child’s individual learning needs, please be mindful that preferences are requests only and school staff decide the final placement of children based on the learning needs of all students.

This year the school will be utilising the Class Solver program to assist in allocating students to classes. Teachers will input data into the program which will then sort the classes. It is hoped that this will make this process more efficient. 

Australian Dental Health will be visiting St Josephs School Wonthaggi in Term 4 

ADH will be providing free dental check-ups and treatment for eligible students.

Regular dental check-ups are essential for maintaining a healthy smile.

This service is provided at no cost to eligible families through Medicare’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS).

Paper forms will be available, but you can also submit a consent application online using the link below.

 Click Here to Fill Out the Form Online

 Deadline for forms: Monday, 15/09/2025 by 5:00 PM

Don’t miss the chance to keep your child’s smile healthy!

If you have any questions, please contact ADH directly at info@adhv.com.au or 03 9323 9607.

Reminder: OSHC Service Available for St Joseph’s Students

St Joseph’s students have access to an Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) program, hosted at Wonthaggi North Primary School and operated by the independent provider TheirCare.

TheirCare offers a safe and engaging environment where children can enjoy a range of activities that promote creativity, confidence, friendships, and life skills.

Transport Details:
Children travel via a short one-minute bus ride on Harley’s Buslines Wonthaggi township bus. The fare is $1.50 per trip, paid to the driver. A TheirCare educator will be there to greet and supervise students upon arrival.

Registration Required:
Parents must register their child through the TheirCare website:

https://theircare.com.au

We encourage all families who may need after school care to take advantage of this convenient service.

Term 3 Fees are now due.  Statements for Term 3 have been emailed to families.  If you have not received your statement or if you have any queries, please contact the office or email kcarew@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au

Weekday Masses:

Tuesday Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch No Service

Wednesday 9:30am: St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi
Friday 9:30am St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi

Weekend Masses Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch Sunday 9:00am

St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi Saturday 6:30pm, Sunday 10:30am

PLEASE PRAY FOR;

Recently Deceased: Victor Benetti  For the deceased clergy of the Diocese of Sale. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. “May they rest in peace.”

We pray for the sick, lonely and those suffering from illness and pain. May God’s merciful love shine on them.

Parish Website is now available to view: https://www.catholicparish.app/wonthaggi

Parish Luncheon will be held on Sunday 21st Sep at Wonthaggi Hotel (Taberner’s) McBride Ave Wonthaggi. Numbers are required by Tuesday 15th Sep. Please write your name on the list at the church or contact Denise Jeffries 0419 721 433 Maureen Maartensz 0407 055 447 or Julie de Bondt 0407 535 032

Prayer Shawl Group: Donations of wool would be gratefully accepted (preferably 8ply acrylic). Newcomers welcome. Enquiries Philippa 0408 331 340 or Marueen 0407 055 447

Planned Giving Envelopes are available for collection at both churches.

Working Bee will be held on Saturday 13th Sept 10.00am to weed and mulch the Wonthaggi Church carpark garden beds. Please bring own tools and wheelbarrows.

Prayer Group meet on Monday’s at the Wonthaggi Church from 1.15pm.

Home Alpha - Expressions of interest are invited from anyone who would like to attend an Alpha course during October-November. It is proposed to run the course on Tues evenings (6-9} at the home of Anne and Pat Kelly in Wonthaggi. The format is a shared meal followed by a video, covering basic Christian beliefs, then discussion. The Home Alpha allows for a friendly environment with a small group of 8-10 people. All very low-key and informal. A great chance to get to know people and grow in your faith. Contact: Pat Kelly 0407 505 232 or Anne Kelly 0409 011 040

St Joseph’s Wonthaggi Cuppa after Mass held on 1st Saturday & Sunday of the Month

Our Lady Star of the Sea—Inverloch Cuppa after Mass held on 1st Sunday of the Month

Keep the date free—Ladies Retreat with Fr Martin Dixon in Inverloch Monday 20th October 2025 10am—3pm. Shared lunch with Tea & Coffee Provided. More details to follow soon.

Our Parish is committed to the safety, well-being and dignity of all children, young people and adults at risk. Find out more at: catholic.org.au/childprotectionsunday and www.catholicregligious.org.au/safeguarding

If you are concerned about any form of abuse, or believe that someone is at significant risk, you should immediately raise your concerns with one of our Parish Safeguarding Officers. Contact the Parish Office: 03 56 721 111 or St. Joseph’s School Safeguarding Officer 03 56 721 052.   Take care, we are here to help.           

Parish Office will be open on Wed & Fri 8.30am-4.30pm. All items for the bulletin or Mass intentions to be received by 5pm on Thursdays.      

If you are in need of urgent assistance, please phone either Father Darren Howie 0356 722 923 or Ann on 03 56 72111 or 04999 15 784.

Father Darren Howie                                                              Ann Hemming  
Parish Priest                                                                          Parish Secretary
St. Joseph’s Parish Wonthaggi                                                                        

Got a bit of time next month? Time to give blood and change lives? 1 in 3 people in Wonthaggi will need blood, and they need people like you to give it. We’re rolling into town from 9 to 19 September. Don’t forget to pre-book your spot at lifeblood.com.au, on our app or on 13 14 95.