Welcome back to school for Term 2!

Easter Prayer

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

You are here, Lord.

You have risen from the dead.

We thank you for the sacrifice you made for us-

for your suffering and death on the cross,

so that we may have eternal life.

May we, your Easter people,

carry the joy of the Resurrection

within us wherever we go.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

We finished last term with a wonderful Easter Carnival on Monday April 3rd. Our Mini Vinnies team excelled themselves with preparing and selling the healthy snacks at the Carnival.  Overall we raised $1,100.00.  We were so proud of our efforts. The money raised will be shared between Caritas (Project Compassion), Lismore Flood Efforts and some new decodeable texts as 'take home books' for students to use. Here are some happy snaps from the Easter Carnival...

The Easter Story

On the last day of term 1 we presented 'The Easter Story' in our church for our community.  We were especially proud of how respectfully the students enacted the events of the last week of Jesus' life.  It is indeed a privilege to lead our community in prayer and our students did this very well in 'The Easter Story'.

School Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday March 21st we conducted our Athletics Carnival.  Thank you to Taryn who organised a wonderful day and thank you to all the parents who came to help run activities and to support the students.  It certainly was a tremendous day.

Yesterday we had the interschool Athletics Carnival.  Congratulations to the students who represented our school in our Athletics Team.  They had a great day.  Special congratulations to John Gramlick who came second in the hurdles, Ava Harvey who came third in the discuss, Summer Parise who came third in triple Jump, Josh Plozza who came first in long jump and Tahlia Pedemont who came first in the hurdles. 

ANZAC Day

On Tuesday a number of school families met in Trafalgar for the community's ANZAC Day Parade.  Thank you to the families who attended as it is really important to participate in such significant local events.  Special thanks to Fenn Towb and Harry Westbury who laid our wreath on behalf of our school, Fenn also carried the school banner in the parade. 

We have a new Parish website:

http://www.stjohnstrafalgar.com.au/

You can find out Mass times and Parish News

May God continue to bless and guide us in our learning.

Trish Mulqueen

DOSCEL and St Joseph’s Primary School Trafalgar are committed to complying with the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

Prevention and Response

Preventing and responding to child abuse requires a whole community response to bring about cultural change. The Victorian Child Safe Standards apply to a broad range of organisations that provide services for children, including schools, churches, sporting clubs and youth services. Ensuring we have child safe communities goes to the heart of our faith and core purpose. Therefore, we are dedicated to upholding the values and practices that create safe learning environments for students.

Reporting and Contacts

There are a number of supports available when responding to incidents, disclosures or suspicions of child abuse.

24 Hour Services:

• Victoria Police: 000
• DFFH Child Protection: 131 278

Support Services:

• Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA): (03) 9287 8800
• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Child Safety Champions

St Joseph’s Primary School has appointed Child Safety Champions. Each Child Safety Champion is available to answer any questions that you may have with respect to our Child Protection and Safety Policy and the Child Protection Program.

Child Safety Champions are selected based on a number of considerations, namely:

• their personal attitudes, experiences and beliefs, for example, a person who is non-judgmental, calm, resilient and demonstrates a high degree of integrity and respect for confidentiality;
• their role within the school, for example, a person who has seniority and experience working with complex student and family issues at the school and someone who is readily accessible and available to all members of the school community; and
• their personal profile within the school, for example, a person who is approachable, who students and staff trust and who is willing and able to respond to issues personally and sensitively.

It is every individual’s responsibility to protect children and make reports regarding their concerns to the appropriate authorities.

If a person requires support in reporting to the authorities, the school’s Child Safety Champions are your first point of contact. They receive special training that allows them to deal with child protection concerns both sensitively and effectively.

Child Safety Champions

Taryn Maxwell-Garratt Religious Education Leader tmaxwell-garrat@trafalgar.catholic.edu.au

Cathleen Ryan Learning Adjustment Leader cryan@trafalgar.catholic.edu.au

Respectful Relationships

We work hard at school to promote positive and respectful relationships. Our Christian ethos of love, forgiveness and compassion reinforces this message. We know postiveness breeds postiveness and like wise, negativity breeds negativity. As a respectful, Christian community, we understand that  there isn't any room for gossiping.  Gossiping is a negative, harmful activity.  Please remember parents that parent conversations are exactly that and not meant for children's ears. Please also remember that our children copy our behaviour and repeat our language as they have had that modelled to them.  So if we want our children to be positive, respectful and inclusive citizens then we need to provide this example to them often. 

Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) articulates a clear Complaints Process as part of our Complaints and Grievances Management Policy. 
DOSCEL recognises that it is in the best interests of students for there to be a trusting and cooperative relationship between parent(s), guardian(s), carers(s) and school. Complaints are an important way for the school community to provide information and feedback to a school. DOSCEL considers that every complaint provides a valuable opportunity for reflection and learning.
DOSCEL recognises a parent(s), guardian(s), and/or carer(s) right to make a complaint and its responsibility to provide a framework within which efforts can be made to resolve complaints.
It is DOSCEL’s belief that parent(s), guardian(s) and/or carer(s) complaints are best handled at the school level in an environment where individuals feel able to speak up about issues concerning the education of their children.
If you would like to make a complaint, then please visit our website www.trafalgar.catholic.edu.au and on the home page go to the 'Our School' tab and you will find the Complaints Form there. Complete the form and hand it in to Janelle Harte in the school office. All complaints will be followed up.

Next week Yr 7 students from Marist Sion College (ex St Joseph's students) will visit our school to talk with the Gr 5 & 6 students about secondary school.  This is part of our transition program and helps primary school students to understand more of how secondary schools operate.

Discovery Evening – Tuesday 9 May 2023

Parents and guardians are welcome to join us on Tuesday 9 May from 7.30pm – 8.30pm to discover the opportunities an education at Marist-Sion College provides. Parents and guardians will hear from myself, staff and students about life at Marist-Sion College. Following the Discovery Evening enrolment applications for 2024 and 2025 will open on Wednesday 10 May 2023. Parents and guardians can register by visiting: www.mscw.vic.edu.au

Enrolment Applications Open – Wednesday 10 May

Enrolment Applications for 2024 and 2025 will open on Wednesday 10 May. This year, we will have a double enrolment intake.

Enrolment Interviews for Year 7 2024 will be held from 4:00pm – 6:00pm on Monday 22 May 2023 and Wednesday 24 May 2023. Enrolment Interviews for Year 7 2025 will be held from 2:20pm – 4:30pm on Monday 5 June 2023, Wednesday 7 June 2023 and Thursday 8 June 2023.

For further information, please visit www.mscw.vic.edu.au or contact our College Registrar on 03 5623 5944.