Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

Today we had a beautiful Foundation and Years 1 and 2 Mass here at school. Some older parishioners attended as well and gave witness to the work they do in the parish. It was good for the children to hear what “service to others” means. Some examples were members of St Vincent de Paul who give their time to help those in need. Another example was Fran and friends who have started up a “meet and greet” initiative for people who would like an opportunity to meet other people, have a cuppa, and have some company for an hour or so. Our students heard real examples of how and why people show love by helping others following what Jesus taught us to do. Thanks to everyone who attended and participated in the Mass.

Last night parents of students preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation were treated to an information evening with Fr Elio Capra. These are always informative and entertaining sessions and last night was no exception. If anyone who has a child wanting to receive Confirmation this year who was not able to be present, please contact the parish office to receive further information.

The P and F are here today working hard to get ready for the Disco. It is shaping up to be a great night of fun. Hope to see everyone there!

Best wishes,

Ros Joyner

Principal

Term 2

Tuesday 22 April – Friday 4 July

Friday 20 June                                                   Galactic Groove Disco in School Hall

Foundation to Grade 2   5:00pm – 6:00pm

Grade 3 to Grade 6   6:30pm – 8:00pm

Sat 21 & Sun 22 June                                     Confirmation Commitment Mass

Friday 27 June                                                   Whole School Mass – Feast of the Sacred Heart at 9:30am

Sunday 29 June                                                Confirmation Commitment Mass

Friday 4 July                                                       Last Day of Term 2 – 2:20pm finish

Term 3

Tuesday 22 July – Friday 19 September

Monday 21 July                                                 Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 22 July                                                 First Day of School for Term 3

Thursday 31 July                                              Confirmation Parent/Child Workshop

Thursday 7 August                                          Reconciliation for Confirmation Candidates

Friday 8 August                                                Year 6 Confirmation Retreat Day

Monday 11 August                                          National Science Week

Wednesday 13 August                                   School Production at West Gippsland Arts Centre

Friday 15 August                                              Sacrament of Confirmation Mass at St Ita’s

Mon 18 – Fri 22 August                                 Book Week

Friday 22 August                                              Book Week Dress Up

Monday 25 August                                          Pupil Free Day

Friday 5 September                                        Father’s Day Breakfast

Monday 8 September                                   Child Safety Week

Friday 19 September                                     Last Day of Term 3 – 2:20pm finish

Term 4

Tuesday 7 October – Tuesday 16 December

Mon 6 October                                                 Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 7 October                                          First Day of School for Term 4

Tue 7 – Fri 10 October                                   Dental Van visiting during the week

Friday 24 October                                            Grandparents Day classroom visits and morning tea

Monday 3 November                                    School Closure Day

Tuesday 4 November                                    Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Tuesday 16 December                                   Last Day of Term 4 – 3:20pm finish

**Please ensure you check the newsletter and ClassDojo for any changes that may arise.

First Holy Communion

Congratulations to these students who with the support from their families, the parish and our school, have prepared for and made a significant step in their faith journey and recently received the Sacrament of First Communion. Many blessings to you all. 

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART MASS

Families are invited to join us in celebrating Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Wednesday, 25^th June at 9:30am.

This special feast day is a reminder of Jesus's love, mercy, and compassion, inviting believers to embrace and reflect these virtues in their daily lives. 

We will welcome a representative from the St Vincent de Paul Society to our Mass and hand over some of the items collected in our Can Challenge.  The remaining items will be donated to Baw Baw Food Relief.  Both the St Vincent de Paul Society and Baw Baw Food Relief do wonderful charity work in our community.

Can Challenge

Our Can Challenge is in full swing, and Grade 4 Silver has shown amazing generosity with a total of 119 cans collected so far!

As we head into the final week, we encourage you to add a few extra non-perishable items to your next grocery shop and send them along to support your child’s class in reaching their goal.

Let’s finish strong - our can challenge wraps up next week!

Sacrament of Confirmation

Our Confirmation Mass with Bishop Greg will take place on Friday, 15th August at 7:00pm at St. Ita’s Church.

Parents who wish for their child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation are kindly asked to attend an Information Meeting on Thursday, 19th June at 7:00pm, in the Marian Room, Warragul.

For more information, please contact Liz via email: warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au

Children's Liturgy

 A message from Deacon Mark

Where's Melchizedek?

Listening closely to the Old Testament reading this Sunday (Gen 14:18-20) our ears prick up at the story about Melchizedek. We hear about him elsewhere, in Psalms and in Paul’s Letter to Hebrews, but who is this guy and how is he tangled up with our Mass? And particularly in the Eucharistic Prayer, where the priest prays after the consecration, “Look with favour on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedek.” The first, archetypal, “priest”, Melchizedek’s bread and wine remains only that, but, with echoes of Melchizedek, Jesus the ultimate priest, offers himself totally to God in the form of bread and wine telling his disciples to "do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19-20)

Today’s Psalm (Ps 109 (110)) is sung at the ordination of every Catholic priest: “You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek”. Regardless of the worthiness of the individual, the priest is enrolled under Jesus in that Order of Melchizedek, empowering him to consecrate, acting in the personhood of Christ, the bread and wine as Christ’s body and blood. 

In the feeding of the multitudes, today’s gospel (Luke 9:11-17), Jesus takes and breaks the bread in a ritual prefiguring the celebration of the Eucharist and sends the apostles to feed the people. It is this total offering of self to which Jesus refers in his instruction to "do this in remembrance of Me." Following Jesus instruction, as the priest elevates the chalice containing Christ’s blood, he is faithfully doing so in remembrance of Jesus’ directive and reminding himself and all of us of Jesus’ instruction to address the needs of the people.  That total self-offering is spiritual food for us. Eucharist regularly nourishes us in order that we might give of self for others as Christ Jesus does.

Deacon Mark Kelly

You're Invited to Our 2025 School Production: Aussieventure!

We’re excited to welcome all families to our much-anticipated school production, Aussieventure, taking place at the Arts Centre in Warragul on Wednesday 13th August.

Join us for a fun-filled musical adventure as our students showcase their creativity, talent, and teamwork on a journey across Australia!

Show A – 5:00pm- Foundation, Year 1, Year 2, and Years 4, 5 & 6

Show B – 7:30pm- Year 3, and Years 4, 5 & 6

Please note: Students in Years 4, 5, and 6 will be performing in both shows.

Costume information will be shared with families via email and Class Dojo over the next week. Class Dojo will continue to be updated regularly for each year level as we move closer to the event.

Further details about logistics and ticketing will be shared in the coming weeks.

We are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm our students are bringing to this production and look forward to sharing this special event with our school community.

See you at the Arts Centre!

Congratulations to the AFL Girls who headed to Bellbird Park Monday, 16 June for the Divisional Round of Winter Sports. The girls were defeated by St Ita's Drouin but played a great match and it was wonderful to see them all having a go at the 9V9 game format.

They should all be very proud of their efforts!

The team included:  Lexi W, Remy Y, Sophia B, Alira D, Isla M, Morgan K, Chloe-lee S, Suzen K, Indi P, Liv H, Ida B.

Cross Country Report

Hi! My name is Sinead and I ran in regional cross country on the 6/5/2025. For me it wasn't really hard but it was different. Last year I did it and it was only 2 kms but this time it was 3 kms so the track was different and harder.

For me the hardest part of the track was this really big hill we had to run up not that far into the race.

This year I placed 19th out of 51 but last year I placed 16th out of 53. The other participants from this school were Josh R who placed 15 out of 51, Niamh who placed 19th out of 54, Lexi W who placed 18th out of 51 and we had Layla C who was a last minute call up and did an awesome effort.

All students must be wearing their winter school uniform. Please see the attached School Uniform Policy.

Galactic Groove Disco

Get Ready to Blast Off at the Galactic Groove Disco – TONIGHT!

The Galactic Groove Disco is landing at St Joseph’s tonight, and it's going to be out of this world!

Join us in the School Hall for an interstellar evening of music, dancing, and cosmic fun.

Whether you're dressed as a space explorer, a shimmering star, or just ready to groove under the disco lights, this is a night you won’t want to miss. There'll be DJ Boom beats, games, and a photo backdrop that’s truly stellar.

Foundation to Grade 2 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm / Grades 3 to 6 from 6.30pm - 8:00pm

Entry is $10 per child or $25 per family, including a small snack

Costumes are encouraged, but not required

Let’s make this a night that’s light-years ahead of the rest. See you on the dance floor!

Join us on Facebook

We welcome all families to join our P&F Facebook page. This is a great place to ask any questions you might have and to engage with our school community - please search 'Parents and Friends of St Joseph's Primary School Warragul'.

P&F Events and Meetings in Term 3

Our Term 3 Parents and Friends meetings and events to pop in your diary are:

• P&F Meeting: Friday 1 August, 1.30pm at the school
• Father’s Day Breakfast and Stall: Friday 5 September
• P&F Meeting: Friday 5 September, 2.00pm at the school

If you would like to be involved, we would love to have you join us. Please reach out to the P&F via email: stjosephswarragulpandf@gmail.com or send us a message through our Facebook page. Otherwise, you are welcome to turn up at the school office - please ensure you bring your Working With Children’s Check (if you don’t have one, it’s free for volunteers) visit: Working with Children Check | Working and Volunteering | Service Victoria).

In Victoria, it is compulsory for children aged 6-17 years to attend school.

Parents are legally required to ensure their child attends school every day and to provide an explanation for their child's absence from school unless an exemption from attendance has been granted or an exception to their attendance applies.

Absences

If your child is away sick or away due to a planned absence or appointment, please ensure you advise the school office. Student absence text messages are sent out if your child is marked absent without a reason. Emails or ClassDojo messages may be missed in some instances; if the classroom teacher is teaching or the classroom teacher may be away.

It is imperative that you notify the school office through one of the following methods:

1. Log into PAM (Parent Access Module) and register your child's absence;

2. Email absence@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au or info@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au 

3. Phone the office on (03) 5623 2943

When sending an email, you may wish to "cc" your child's classroom teacher so they are aware of the absence too.

Holidays

If you are planning an extended holiday (a week or more) during the school term, please email info@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au or principal@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au addressing your intentions to our Principal, Mrs Roslyn Joyner.

If you have any questions or need any clarification, please feel free to contact Shirley or Kitty in the office on (03) 5623 2943.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

As members of the St Joseph's school community, we all have a responsibility to keep children safe. To support families with information about the actions our school takes to keep children safe, our Child Safety and Wellbeing policy has been updated, endorsed by our Child Safety Team and shared with our community both here and on our school website. Families are encouraged to read the policy or visit our school website and explore the Child Safety section. 

Victoria’s Child Safe Standards under Ministerial Order No. 1359 require certain roles and responsibilities to be allocated within schools, including the role of Child Safety Champions who supports school leadership to effectively implement their child safety and wellbeing plans. Our Child Safety Champions for 2024 and 2025 are Ros Joyner, Camillo Redi and James McMahon.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Car Line Construction

Over the next several weeks, construction will begin on a new car line shelter at the west end of our car line. Once completed, this shelter will serve as our designated afternoon pick-up area, where all students will wait to be collected.

Langden Constructions will be managing the project. While the car line will remain operational throughout the construction period, there may be times when the number of available waiting bays is reduced. We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation during this time.

The safety of our students remains our highest priority. Please ensure you follow the directions of school staff in the car line at all times.

Construction is expected to be completed by the start of Term 3.

If you arrive before school finishes, it is an expectation that you move all the way down the carline and fill all the spaces. If the carline is full, take a parking spot opposite the carline and walk to the crossing for student collection. Alternatively, leaving home 5-10 minutes later may be a better option to avoid being stuck in the congestion. Children are supervised in the carline area until 3:35pm, at which time, our carline and Burke Street are clear.

School Crossing

Please remember that the carline is private property and all people using our carline must follow the instructions of the staff managing the area - this is non-negotiable and aggressive or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. Entering the carline via the exit is dangerous and illegal.

When waiting along Burke Street to enter the school grounds, please do not stop your vehicle on the school crossing. For safety reasons, the school crossing supervisor is not authorised to allow children to cross the school crossing if a vehicle has stopped over the school crossing.

Medical Profiles and Emergency Contact Details

We remind parents and carers that it is time to review your child/ren's medical profile on PAM. Any changes in medical needs should be communicated to the school to ensure that we provide the most up-to-date care for our students. If emergency contact details have changed or emails, phone numbers need updating, please contact the office to provide the updates necessary. The most efficient way to provide these details to the office would be to email - info@stjwarragul.catholic.edu.au

If your child is affected by Anaphylaxis or has any allergies and requires an ASCIA Allergy Plan developed by your child's doctor, please provide information and a copy to the office. In addition, Asthma plans may need updating, please ensure that these are also current. If your child has medication stored at our school, please check with the office that the medication is still in date and there is ample supply.

**All Medical Authority Forms held at school must be updated as soon as possible to allow for any medication changes, dosage or student growth . An email was sent out to all familes on 30 January with medication information and the forms required, depending on the ailment. Please contact the school office if you need any further assistance.

Lunch Orders

Lunch orders:

• are every Wednesday and Friday
• can be placed using the Flexischools app
• are delivered to school for the first break at 11:30am
• can be placed until 11:00pm the night before (Tuesday and Thursday) from a full menu
• can be placed until 9:00am on Wednesday and Friday mornings from a limited menu

Anyone with flu-like symptoms, however mild, should not attend school and should follow medical advice, including being tested for COVID-19.

It is strongly recommended that students:

• Who test positive to COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five (5) days;
• Should not attend school after five (5) days if still symptomatic;
• Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school until their symptoms resolve;
• Parents, guardians or carers advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result.

To assist with limiting the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses, parents, guardians and carers should be strongly encouraged to ensure that their child(ren) remain at home if they are unwell.

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities and is a great opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your Special Report https://stjwarragul.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-naidoc-week

Free Government Funded Autism Workshop for Families

School Holiday Fun

Interested in becoming a foster carer?

Victoria is currently experiencing a shortage of foster carers, and the aim is to raise awareness about foster care within our local community.

Warranor Junior Football Club

Warragul Blues Junior Football Club

Peninsula Cinemas, Warragul

Warragul_Cinemas_Elio_FFD_Colouring_Comp_Warragul.pdf