Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

We were all saddened to hear of the sudden death of our Holy Father, Pope Francis last week. He was a truly wonderful man and a great Pope who had been leading our Church towards a hopeful future. The school will hold a prayer service on Tuesday, to commemorate his life and to give thanks for his service of twelve years as Pope. He was an inspirational example of compassion and love for everyone.

Our student leaders took part in the Warragul ANZAC Service on Friday, laying a wreath on behalf of the school. Special thanks to Zac, Josh, Sinead and Chloe for representing us so well. As a school we also held a service on Thursday where we remembered all those who have served in wars, especially those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

On Thursday we will be offering an Open Day for prospective families to come and have a tour of the school. There have been a significant number of enquiries so there will be four group tours across the day. Any disruption to classes will be kept to a minimum.

It was lovely to welcome back three of our past students today along with Ms Harkin, her Deputy and Registrar to give the Year 5 and 6 students a ‘taste” of what it is like to go to Marist Sion in Year 7. There were many interesting questions from our current year 5 and 6 students. I am sure they are looking forward to branching out in their education journey.

Don’t forget photo day on Wednesday!

Best wishes,

Ros Joyner

Principal

Term 2

Tuesday 22 April – Friday 4 July

Tuesday 29 April                                              St Joseph’s Cross Country Event (Geoff Watt Track)

Wednesday 30 April                                       School Photos

Thursday 1 May                                                Foundation 2026 Open Day 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Friday 2 May                                                      P&F Meeting, 1:30pm at School

Sat 3 – Sun 4 May                                            First Holy Communion Commitment Mass

Mon 5 – Wed 7 May                                       Year 5 Mill Valley Ranch Camp (2 nights)

Monday 5 May                                                 Divisional Athletics

Thursday 8 May                                                First Holy Communion Parent/Child Workshop

Friday 9 May                                                      Mother’s Day Breakfast, Classroom Visits and Stall

Thursday 15 May                                             School Advisory Committee Meeting

Fri 16 – Fri 23 May                                           Catholic Education Week

Tuesday 20 May                                               Divisional Cross Country

Wednesday 21 May                                        National Simultaneous Story Time

Wednesday 21 May                                        Catholic Ed Week Mass at St Francis Xavier College – Liturgy Leaders

Thursday 22 May                                             Andrew Chinn Visiting

Thursday 22 May                                             First Holy Communion Reconciliation Ceremony

Sat 24 & Sun 25 May                                      First Holy Communion Masses

Friday 30 May                                                   Pupil Free Day

Sat 31 May & Sun 1 June                              First Holy Communion Masses

Thursday 5 June                                               First Holy Communion Post Teaching Mass

Monday 9 June                                                 King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Friday 13 June                                                   Luigi Zucchini ‘Spaghetti Spaghetti’ Incursion

Monday 16 June                                              Winter Sports

Thursday 19 June                                            Confirmation Parent Information Meeting

Friday 20 June                                                   St Joseph’s School Disco

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

Sacrament of First Holy Communion 2025

Presentation Masses for First Holy Communion will be held on the following dates:

Saturday 3^rd May at 7pm at St. Joseph’s Warragul

Sunday 4^th May at 9am St. Josephs Warragul

Sunday 4^th May at 10.30am at St. Ita’s Drouin

Candidates and their families are asked to attend one of these Masses. Please arrive early and bring the Presentation form to this Mass.

For further enquiries please feel welcome to contact Liz via email: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au or phone: 5623 1642

Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil was truly beautiful and deeply moving. We were blessed to witness our RCIA candidates take their next step in faith as they were joyfully initiated into the Catholic Church. The light of Christ shone brightly through every prayer, every candle, and every heart present. Welcome to Mia Hickey, Kimberley Page, Luke Farrugia and Lachy Walsh, our newest members – we are so proud of you and thrilled to walk the journey with you.

If you are interested and would like more Information about the Catholic faith, you are invited to an Information evening on Wednesday 30^th July at 7.30pm in the Marian Room at St. Joseph’s Church, Warragul. For enquiries, please contact Fr. Brendan or Joan Robertson at the Parish Office: 5623 1642, or Deacon Mark Kelly: 0427 748 646.

Catholic Education Week

 A message from Deacon Mark

Closed Doors

We Easter people are still celebrating the resurrection of the Lord. No empty tomb or joy in Jesus’ divinity and our hope of salvation would be futile. But the empty tomb vindicates our hope. He is risen indeed! As we mourn Pope Francis we are buoyed by hope for his salvation and our own.

Jesus’ disciples know he is risen. Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James found the empty tomb and the angels confirm he is alive, he is risen as he foretold. Peter (of course), ran to check the women’s story and he too was amazed. 

So, are the disciples out in the streets celebrating and confidently proclaiming? They are not! Instead, we find them in today’s gospel (John 20:19-31) huddled fearfully in the upper room with the doors closed. Didn’t they even go looking for him? Who were they afraid of and why? If it was the Jews or the Roman soldiers they wouldn’t have gone near the tomb. What is really their problem?

Perhaps they were hiding from Jesus, who they had ignominiously deserted in his hour of need. Rightly, they were pretty ashamed of themselves. If they found him, would Jesus want to see them?  Easier to hunker down behind the locked door and wish the issue away.

A bit like us maybe. Mostly we’ve had good intentions, to do the right thing but, somehow, the world has hindered us. What happened to the better self we wanted to be? Instead, we’ve messed up and got ourselves in a hole. We’re frightened of what Jesus might think. Perhaps we keep our heart locked, trying to hide from Jesus.

“All good, mate!” is Jesus’ way. He breaks through our insecurities, as he did his first disciples offering peace instead of backward-looking recriminations, rather - unlimited, unquenchable love, starting us back on the road with new life in the Holy Spirit.

Deacon Mark Kelly

On Thursday morning, our school held a short ANZAC Day prayer service with our students lining up at the flag poles.

As of Monday 5 May, all students must be in their winter school uniform. Please see the attached School Uniform Policy.

In Victoria, it is compulsory for children and young people 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

Our school is very blessed with a long carline with ample parking. However, we continue to experience some issues during the afternoon pickup. Burke Street is extremely busy from 3:00-3:30pm. 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

The lost property shelves can be found in the multipurpose room. 

Parents are most welcome to come and look in the tubs if students have lost any items of clothing, headbands drink bottles etc...

We have plenty of unnamed bomber school jackets from lost property, mostly new and hardly worn. These can be purchased for a gold coin donation. Children can see Mrs Mulqueen on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's.

Please note that if your child tests positive to 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, including if they have tested positive to COVID-19.

Another egg-cellent Easter Raffle!

A massive thank you to our school community for your generosity in donations and purchasing tickets for our annual Easter raffle. We raised a whopping $2,930 towards our outdoor play space makeover.

We were able to announce 41 lucky prize winners on the last day of Term 1, check out the image attached for a list of the winners.

Mother’s Day

On Friday 9 May, in conjunction with the school, there will be a Mother’s Day breakfast, class room visit and stall held.

Breakfast

We are very excited to welcome our Mothers (or a special person) to join your child/ children to share a BBQ breakfast at the school hall from 7.30am - 8.30am on Friday 9 May.

We have partnered with Warragul Lions Club to provide bacon and egg rolls and sausages with onion in bread. We will also have a small selection of cereal and fruit available.

A tea/coffee station will be set up so the grown-ups can start the day adequately caffeinated!

We will also have Franklin & The Bean Coffee Van on site from 7.30am if you would like to purchase a 'fancy' coffee (the coffee van will be on site until approximately 10.30am).

We hope to see lots of you there.

Please register all attendees (adults and children) for catering purposes by this Sunday 4 May at https://www.trybooking.com/DBEGK

The annual Parents and Friends Mother’s Day stall will also be running on Friday 9 May.

Please send along some cash with your child on the day so they can enjoy their shopping experience.

Each class will have the opportunity to shop at the stall, with each child able to purchase one small gift for their mum/special person. Gifts will range from $5 - $10.

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'.

Second Hand Uniforms

We have racks of clean second-hand school uniforms, available for a gold coin donation.

These will be available to view at some assemblies. Alternatively, to view/purchase items, please contact the P&F Committee on stjosephswarragulpandf@gmail.com or ask at the school office.

• Friday 2 May: P&F meeting, 1.30pm at school
• Friday 9 May: Mother’s Day breakfast, performance and stall
• Friday 6 June: P&F meeting, 2.00pm at school
• Friday 20 June: St Joseph’s Disco

Warranor Junior Football Club

Warragul Blues Junior Football Club

Peninsula Cinemas, Warragul

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly connected world where technology is part of their everyday lives –– for learning, socialising, and entertainment. While the digital world offers enormous benefits, it also comes with serious risks. From cyberbullying and online predators to inappropriate content and screen time concerns, navigating the online environment can be challenging for young people and their families.

Cybersafety is not just about blocking access –– it's about empowering young people with the knowledge and skills they need to use technology responsibly and safely. This includes understanding privacy settings, recognising scams, and developing healthy digital habits. At the same time, it's important for parents and caregivers to stay informed, have open and judgement-free conversations with their children, and lead by example through positive online behaviour.

In today's digital age, safeguarding a child's wellbeing must also include protecting their online life. This edition of SchoolTV will help you better understand the digital landscape your child is navigating and offer practical strategies to help them stay safe, confident and in control online.

Here is the link to your Edition https://stjwarragul.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/cybersafety-au