Dear Families

On Tuesday after school we gathered in our church to celebrate our Opening School Prayer Service.  In this service we acknowledged our Mini Vinnies Team for 2024. 

Mini Vinnies Team

I would like to congratulate  the team pictured below.  Back row from left, Kaylem, Remy, John, Tahlia and Scarlett.  Front row from left, Summer, Aleyah, Harry, Beau, Chaise and Lorelei. This team will work together to fundraise money for people who are less fortunate than us.  Last year the Mini Vinnies team raised over $3000 and the team supported many charities including local flood victims, Andrews House, Traf CFA, Baw Baw Food Relief, Mary MacKillop Foundation, Backpac for Homeless, West Gippsland Hospital and St Vincent de Paul Trafalgar. We are very proud of the work of this group in our school.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

One of the most important things that we do in a school year, is to prepare students for the Sacraments.  There are seven Sacraments in our church (Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Annointing of the Sick).  At school, we prepare students for Reconciliation in Gr 3, Eucharist (First Holy Communion) in Gr 4 and Confirmation in Gr 5 or 6.  This year we have 5 students who are preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The parents have already attended a parent education evening in Warragul and the families have attended the Commitment Mass in our church last Saturday, where Fr Bernard welcomed them as part of the parish family. 

We pray especially for Isabella, Billy, Evie, Lola and Lachie as they prepare for this Sacrament. They will celebrate their First Reconciliation in our church  on Thursday March 14th at 5.30pm.  All families are welcome to celebrate with us.

Lent

Ash Wednesday started the church season of LENT.  During Lent we reflect on our lives and try to change the things we need to change in order to lead more meaningful and purposeful lives. This prayer is taken from The Australian Children's Prayer Book and it is simple and meaningful.  You might like to share it with your family.  I find reading a simple, short prayer before a special meal can be really positive. 

LENT PRAYER

Loving God, as we begin this season of Lent
we pray that over these 40 days,
we will open our minds and hearts
to recognise and respond to the needs of others. 

Help us to be kind to those around us,
especially friends and family. 

Through prayer, fasting and giving to those in need,
may we be ready to enter more fully
into the days of Holy Week.  Amen

School Fees

Catholic schools do not receive the same amount of Government funding as department schools, this is why we need to charge school fees, so we can continue to offer the same level of great service.   School Fees have been sent out electronically to families.  The school's preferred method of payment is direct debit, you can organise with Lucy a regular payment plan. 

Working With Children Checks (WWCC)

We warmly invite parents to help at school, if you would like to help in any way then you need to get a WWCC. If you need more information on obtaining a WWCC then please talk to Lucy in the office.

A Few Reminders

Icy-poles are available on Fridays in Terms 1 & 4   $1 each

Also we wear hats in Term 1 & 4.

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

Trish Mulqueen
Principal

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy) is a series of annual tests conducted in Australian schools to assess students' academic skills in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy. These tests will be administered in week 7 from Wednesday March 13th through to the next week , Tuesday March 19th.  Gr 3 and Gr 5 students sit the NAPLAN tests.  NAPLAN provides an opportunity for your child to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. It is important to remember that while NAPLAN is an important assessment, it is just one measure of your child's progress and should be viewed as part of a broader picture of their education. 

AGM
The Parents and Friends committee had our annual AGM last Tuesday. It was great to see some new faces and we were able to fill most positions ready for 2024!
President:  Jacqui Hume.  Secretary: Ellie Dilger.  Treasurer:  Narelle Jamieson.  Uniform Shop:  Krystan Smith.  General Committee Members:  Mia Scanlan, Robbie Smith.   
If you would like to be a part of the committee or would just like to know what it’s all about, please feel free to come along to any of our meetings throughout the year. You will always be welcomed.

Hot Cross Bun Drive
We are running a hot cross bun drive through Missen Link in Traralgon. Orders are due soon! Please place orders and pay via CDF pay by the 29th of February.
There are lots of flavours to choose from, including Traditional, Choc chip, Caramel white choc, Strawberry white choc, Raspberry choc, Nutella custard, custard filled and jam filled. Each six pack costs $10 and proceeds go straight to our school.
Hot Cross Buns will be delivered to school on the 8th of March and sent home with students. If your order is large, we recommend coming into school at pick up time to collect.

St Joseph’s Feast Day Special Lunch
The 19th of March is St Joseph’s Feast Day, Parents and Friends will be offering a special healthy lunch to compliment the day. We are looking at offering students the option to order sushi rolls. Details will be confirmed soon and then added to CDF pay.

Easter Raffle
We are excited to be running an Easter Raffle again this year. We kindly ask all families to please donate an Easter themed item to go towards the prizes. A box for donations can be found in the office.
Tickets cost $2 each and will be sent home with students soon. Please write a name and phone number on each ticket and pay for them through CDF pay.
The Raffle will be drawn on the last day of term one.

Easter Carnival
The Easter Carnival will be on the 25th of March, after school. It was a really wonderful afternoon last year and we hope lots of families are able to attend!

The School Advisory Committee operates to support the overall running of the school by reviewing policies and procedures.  This committee considers the big picture of school operations.  Things like school uniform is considered at these meetings together with policy review.  

This year we would like to thank out going members: Marja Jamieson & Ashley Treyvaud, who have worked on this committee for a number of years.  We would like to formally thank Marja and Ashley at our next Friday assembly on March 15th.

Our 2024 School Advisory Committee members are: Taryn Maxwell-Garratt, Fr Bernard (our Parish Priest), Trish Mulqueen, Brett Hicks, Scott McCartin, Lauren Baldassa and we warmly welcome our new members:  Kate Westbury and Megan Shiels.  Our first meeting is Wed March 6th at 5pm at school.  If you would like an idea discussed at this meeting, then please feel free to talk with one of our School Advisory Committee members and they will follow it up.

Every four years we engage in the ECSI surveys to help us understand our catholic identity well and to direct our work in this area.  We are undertaking these surveys once again this year.  We ask the senior students, the staff and the families to complete the survey.  More information on how to complete the survey will be coming out soon.  Attached is an information flyer for your consideration.

On Tuesday  March 5th students will be participating in our annual Athletics Carnival at Joe Carmody Track, Newborough. Thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered to help so far. We still need more helpers, so if you are able to help please let Taryn or Lucy in the office know.   If there are any parents who have a gazebo they could bring on the day that would be great as there is limited shade at the track. Remember to come dressed in your sports colours! Students will need lots of healthy snacks, drink bottle with water in it, and a hat for the day.  

See you on the track!

November

Tues 19                       2. Interest Based Learning

Wed 20                        Father's Group Parish Centre 5.30 to 6.30pm

Tues 26                       3. Interest Based Learning

                                  First Orientation Session for Foundation 2025 

Fri 29                          Gr 3/4 full day at Mill Valley Camp

December

Mon 2 to Fri 6              SWIMMING program

Tues 3                         Second Orientation Session for Foundation 2025

Fri 6                            3pm Advent Assembly and sending off Gr 6s

Tues 10                       Third Orientation Session for Foundation 2025

Thurs 12                    End of Year & Graduation Mass 2.15pm

                                 Gr 6 Graduation

Fri 13                         Gr 5 & 6 Fun Day

                                 School Reports go out

Tues 17                      Last day of school 1pm dismissal

Wed 18 to Fri 20         Planning days for 2025

2025

January

Tues 28                     First day of school for teachers

Wed 29 & Thurs 30    Individual Testing Days

Fri 31                        First day of school for all students

February

March

Fri 3                         Student Free day (Staff Professional Learning in RE)