Filter Content
- Principal's Report
- Prayer
- Prep Neighborhood
- Senior News 5/6
- Italian Day
- Parent Teacher Interviews - Term 3
- Book Week 2021
- Scholastic Book Fair
- Book Week - Bake a Book 5/6
- Handwriting Awards
- Hats - SunSmart
- Prep Orientation - September 1
- Enrolments 2022
- School Fees
- eSafety Webinars for Parents
- Bus Safety Poster Competition
- Parish News
- Ritchies Community Benefits
- WWME - Virtual Weekend
Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers
This year, in some ways, is almost as challenging as 2020, with frequently having to suddenly stop, abandon previous plans and expectations, adjust, adapt, change, respond with little notice- and then backflip to previous plans again. I think we were all looking forward to a more settled year however this is not proving to be the case. I can only be grateful for the resilience and good humour our school community shows in response to our rapidly changing landscape. The staff and I are very grateful for all the messages we receive of encouragement and support- thank you!
Reading, naturally, is highly valued here at St Joseph's and one of the key enablers to encourage imagination, cognitive development, critical and creative thinking, intellectual stimulation, enjoyment and lifelong learning. Every teacher reads to the children for a variety of purposes, one of them being to inspire a love of books and learning. Book Week, when we celebrate books of all kinds, is fast approaching with our annual parade scheduled for Monday August 23rd at 9 am.
We encourage students to come to school dressed as a book character for the day. We hope to be able to celebrate this with a Whole School Assembly face to face but if this is not possible we will celebrate with an online school meeting. We will be sure to share our day with parents and the wider community on Facebook and through the newsletter. This year’s theme is Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. The 5 / 6 students will be invited to bake a cake that represents a book. Sometimes a costume can be as simple as a hat and scarf or you could ‘ google’ for inspiration.
50 Simple Book Week Costume Ideas For 2021
Sacraments
In light of the current circumstances it seems unlikely that the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion will occur until later in the year. We will let you know as soon as we have more information.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
– Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr
Joanne Coldebella
Acting Principal
Jesus, guard me through this day
In all I do and all I say.
We give you our school.
We give you all the teachers and staff who work here,
We give you all the children who study here.
We pray our school would be place of great discovery, adventure and creativity.
Amen
The Preps are learning to solve subtraction problems in Maths. We are using 20 frames, counters and number lines to help support us. In Literacy, we are continuing to practice our reading, writing and spelling skills. We are super proud of how much our Literacy skills have improved since the beginning of Prep. It's AMAZING! In Religion we are learning about Jesus' Mother, Mary and when listening to Bible stories, we are learning about the love Mary had for her son Jesus.
“I like counting by 5s”, Billie
“I like to count by 2s and 5s”, Teddy
“I like Maths”, Liam
Prep Team
During Religion the 5/6 Students have been learning about the Triune God. We have also been reading scripture about Jesus' Baptism. Jesus was baptised in the Jordan River. To get a sense of what it would feel like to be there with Jesus the 5/6 Students created recontexualised drawings of the river and how they thought it would be.
5/6 Team
We are excited about this year's Italian Day which has been planned for Tuesday September 7. (Covid restrictions permitting)
A theatre performance, originally planned to coincide with childrens’ Italian through Drama studies last year, will feature. The performance of "Venice in Love" is inspired by traditional Italian Commedia dell'arte characters and has been adapted for primary audiences.
The day will include Italian themed activities and children and staff will be invited to dress up in costumes inspired by "something Italian".
Outfits on the day could be as simple as the sports uniform with a splash of green or can be inspired by your child's imagination.
Maestra Daniel - Italian Teacher
Parent Teacher Interviews - Term 3
Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Tuesday September 7 and Thursday September 9 between 3:40pm and 5:50pm.
They will be held via a telephone call. Calls will connect via Private Number or No Caller ID. These interviews are optional and expected to be of 10 minutes duration so teachers can keep to their schedule.
If you have already had a PSG appointment you do not need to book a Parent Teacher appointment.
We will be having our Book Week Dress Up Day on Monday August 23.
Students may choose to dress as their favourite book character,
this may include wearing a mask or a hat if you don't have a complete
costume or if you don't have a costume you may wear your school uniform.
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming during Book Week. Due to Covid–19 restrictions it will run a little differently from previous years with no parent onsite purchasing times occurring this year. Students will have the opportunity to view the titles available and complete wish lists.
The theme of our Scholastic Book Fair is Reading Oasis, where we hope students will find a cool place to read hot books! It’s a fun reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. There is a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. We have attached below for parent information photos of the books available and prices.
The procedures for the BOOK FAIR this year are;
- Students will complete wish lists with teacher assistance and children will take them home.
- Parents decide what they would like to purchase, return wish list with cash payment (please try to include the correct amount), OR complete Credit Card portion of wish list to School.
- Once student orders are returned to school with completed wish list and they will be filled and sent home.
Please note that there are limited quantities of each product, once the item is sold out we will be unable to reorder.
The always popular stationary and poster stall will run during book week where the students are able to bring cash in and choose from lots of item ranging from $1.00 - $5.00.
Remember, every purchase you make earns Learning and Literacy Resources for our school.
Well done to the recipients of their Handwriting awards congratulations on your hard work!
As of Wednesday September 1 students are required to wear their hats outside.
As part of our commitment over the past 22 years being a SunSmart member we acknowledge the importance in educating and encouraging our students to building lifelong SunSmart habits.
Please ensure your child/ren have their hats labeled and in their school bags.
Prep Orientation - September 1
Prep 2022 Orientation session will be held on Wendesday September 1. Letters with information and allocated times have previously been emailed to familes, if you have not received your email please contact us at the office on 5672 1052 or email info@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au
Statements for term 3 have been emailed and fees for term 1, 2 and 3 are now due, if you have any queries or have not received your statement please contact the office or email kcarew@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au
At St Joseph’s we are committed to helping students develop the skills they need to be safe online. We aim to work in partnership with parents to help keep children safe. The eSafety Commissioner provides opportunities for parents to be more engaged in their children's safety online through information and a series of webinars on specific topics that are challenging for parents to monitor and manage.
Please find below a link to a short video;
The eSafety Commissioner’s COVID-19 tips for parents
The eSafety Commissioner has also published some Online safety basics for parents, click the image below for details.
The eSafety Commissioner is running two upcoming webinars;
eSafety's guide to online sexual harassment and image-based abuse
This webinar will help parents and carers to understand online sexual harassment and image-based abuse, (non-consensual sharing of intimate images).
It is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 13-18.
It will cover:
- the difference between online sexual harassment and image-based abuse
- how to report online sexual harassment to social media companies
- how to report image-based abuse to eSafety and when to report to police
- where to get support if you feel upset or worried about something that has happened online.
You can choose to attend the webinar with your teen or share resources with them afterwards from the webinar package.
Dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Tuesday 24 August 12.30 to 1.30 pm
National Child Protection Week
Tuesday 7 September 12.30 to 1.30 pm
Thursday 9 September 12.30 to 1.30 pm
eSafety's parent guide to popular apps
Learn how to help young people safely use popular apps including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
This webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 8-13.
It will cover:
- an explanation of the popular apps used by young people
- case studies, research, and targeted advice
- ways you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.
Dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Tuesday 31 August 7.30 to 8.30 pm
Prep – Year 6 have been invited to create a poster promoting safe travel on buses.
Enter for your chance to win exciting prizes!
Prizes will be awarded in three categories – Prep – Year 2, Years 3 - 4 and Years 5 - 6.
1st prize: VTech Kidizoom Smart Watch and board games pack including Jumanji, Star Wars Monopoly, Pictionary and more
2nd prize: Art prize pack including water colour pencils, paints, chalk and more
3rd prize: Sports prize pack including AFL football, skipping rope, table top football and more
Journey Maker Award: Crayola Inspiration Art Case
A $200 Rebel Sport voucher will be awarded to the school with the most number of entries from its students.
The competition opens Monday 26 July and entries must be submitted by midnight Sunday 19 September.
Click the link below for further information.
WE ARE NOW ABLE TO ATTEND MASS AGAIN BOTH ON WEEKENDS AND WEEKDAYS. WE HAVE A LIMIT OF 100 PER MASS AND YOU MUST BE A RESIDENT OF REGIONAL VICTORIA. COVID DISTANCING AND MASKS MUST BE WORN. HAND SANTIZING IS ALSO A REQUIREMENT OF ENTRY.
Please pray for those who have passed due to the Covid-19 Virus. The Anniversary of Anne Harland and our own loved ones. May God’s merciful love shine on them and on their loved ones left behind.
A list of live streams across the Diocese is on www.cdsale.org.au/coronavirus page. This page has listed the Mass times which occur regularly, ie. Don’t change from week to week.
JUST A REMINDER THAT MASS FOR YOU AT HOME IS AN OPTION FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR MASS ON TELEVISION (6am on Channel 10, 10am on Foxtel Aurora Channel 173) or online at www.massforyou.com.au or https://www.youtube.com/massforyouathome anytime from 7a.m. AEST
CATHOLIC CARE: APPEAL WEEKEND (POSTPONED FROM LAST WEEKEND DUE TO LOCKDOWN)
This weekend is the CatholicCare Victoria Sunday Appeal. CatholicCare Victoria delivers counselling and mental health services, specialised support for children and teens, refugee and asylum seeker help, support for separating families, homelessness support and pastoral care. CatholicCare Victoria works with individuals, families and communities, to build strength, resilience, and empowerment to reach their full potential.
PLEASE DONATE TO CATHOLICCARE VICTORIA SUNDAY APPEAL: Your support and generosity will help the vulnerable and marginalised in our community and empower everyone to reach their full potential.
You can donate using the appeal envelope available or online at www.catholiccarevic.org.au or call 03 9287 5513.
CatholicCare Victoria
This weekend 7-8 August is the Annual CatholicCare Victoria Sunday Appeal. As you are aware, the presence and ministry of CatholicCare in the Diocese of Sale is highly valued. Their work in family relationship counselling and individuals in distress is a daily work of the gospel. In our own Diocese, their presence in prison chaplaincy, bushfire relief and engagement with other services to care for the homeless and hungry is a quiet work of the servant ministry of Jesus.
Most Reverend Greg Bennet Bishop of Sale.
OUR ANNUAL LADIES LUNCHEON HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER, DATE TO BE ADVISED!
MEDITATION GROUP: Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch Annex on Monday 16th August, 2021 at 1:30pm. PLEASE NOTE THAT COVID PROTOCOLS WILL BE FOLLOWED.
PRAYER SHAWL GROUP: Next meeting is on Monday 16th August at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church Annex in Inverloch @ 2:15pm. Newcomers are always welcome. There are now plenty of newly wrapped and blessed shawls/rugs ready for distribution to those that you may know who are struggling with life in any way. Enquiries to Kristine in the Office or Philippa (0408 331 340) & Maureen (0407 055 447). A very special THANK YOU to those wonderful people who made generous wool and monetary donations….much appreciated!
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER ON SUNDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2021. The National Council of Churches, Australia, inviting all Christian Churches on Sunday 22nd August, to pray for our local, national and global communities experiencing great need and distress caused by COVID-19.
MISSAL ON LINE: ‘An App’ which Father Darren Howie finds very helpful is Universalis. This will allow you to follow the Daily Mass.
PRAYER GROUP: ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, WONTHAGGI MONDAY 16TH AUGUST, 2021 AT 1:15pm COVID PROTOCOLS WILL BE IN PLACE
FAN THE FLAME: Towards Plenary Assembly One October 2021
‘’His mercy reaches from age to age’ Luke 1:39-55
God is asking us to refrain from putting barriers and obstacles in the way of God’s mercy reaching the least, the lost and those who feel excluded, especially those who do not yet know the love of God. God is asking us to be a Church that walks together and does not leave anyone behind.
(Humble, Healing and Merciful-Discernment Paper p.6)
www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/fantheflame/
CARITAS AUSTRALIA:
There is still time to support our global neighbours as they tackle the challenges of poverty.
Your generosity today can help create a better tomorrow for people living in some of the most remote and marginalised communities in the world.
All donations over $2 are 100% tax deductible.
Caritas Australia: www.caritas.org.au
Aid to the Church in Need Australia: Please consider leaving an eternal legacy. By remembering ACN in your will, you leave a lasting legacy of faith, hope and love. Your offering assists us to keep the light of faith shining brightly in a world which cries out for the peace that only Christ can offer.
Visit www.aidtochurch.org./legacies
Aid to the Church in Need/ACN Australia
P.O. BOX 335, PENRITH NSW 2751
1800 101 201/ 02 9167 9517
A list of live streams across the Diocese is on www.cdsale.org.au/coronavirus page. This page has listed the Mass times which occur regularly, ie. Don’t change from week to week.
We have been emailing and sending out important communications from the Diocese and if you would like to be involved and receive this information then please contact the Parish Office on 56 721 111 or email your details to wonthaggi@cdsale.org.au.
We are a Child Safe Parish. Any children, young persons and vulnerable adults have a right to feel safe and be safe. 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 Kristine McRae via 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.
If you are in need of urgent assistance, please phone eithe Father Darren Howie 0356 722 923 or Kristine on 03 56 72111 or 04999 15 784.
Thank you for your patience and understanding
Father Darren Howie Mrs. Kristine McRae
Parish Priest Parish Secretary
St. Joseph’s Parish Wonthaggi
Our Fundraising Partner Ritchies IGA, program now has an App for both IOS and Android smart devices. For those members who don’t have a smart phone, or would like a physical card, this option is also available and can be linked to the App. Ritchies Stores members also receive special offers and member only specials via the App.