We explore and celebrate the church's Mission in lots of ways in our school and parish. One important way is that we prepare students for the Sacraments.  Sacraments are special blessings, aimed to strengthen us along life's journey.  There are seven Sacraments in our Church: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist (First Holy Communion), Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing. We prepare students for Reconciliation in Gr 3, Eucharist in Gr 4 and Confirmation in Gr 5/6.

Sometimes at these special celebration times,  families can show interest in or ask questions about becoming Catholic.  Sometimes I hear families say at enrolment time, that they want this faith journey for their children, but that they just haven't got around to it yet.  Perhaps now might be the right time...

I'd like to extend a warm invitation to you and your children.

Interested in exploring the Catholic Faith journey?  We warmly invite you to join us!  We're here to answer any questions you may have and can host an information session if you'd like. The process starts with Baptism and this can be celebrated at any age.  If your child is interested then we could arrange a chat with Fr Bernard first and then a session with Gail,  our Parish's Baptism coordinator.  If you are interested in exploring this option for yourself, please feel especially welcome to chat with myself or Taryn, and then we'll talk with Fr Bernard and we'll work out some faith sessions to support you in exploring this path.  These faith sessions are informative and thought provoking and can be arranged at suitable times for you, there are about 6 sessions.  For adults, this process usually involves asking a sponsor to join you as a support.  Adults are usually welcomed into the church at Easter time.  Please know this is a welcoming invitation, certainly not an expectation.  There is no doubt in my mind that faith is a gift that enhances and gives life meaning, it is not something forced upon us. 

Our school is participating in the National Week of Action (Bullying No
Way) to strengthen and embed our approaches to the Victorian Child Safe Standards.
The theme for 2024 is ‘Everyone Belongs.’ When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles
to find a place. The theme is about embracing who we are, respecting everyone's differences
and standing up against unkindness. Belonging means we all have a role in preventing
bullying. We are encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels
supported, respected and our voices are heard and valued.

Each year, hundreds of schools from Catholic, independent and government schools across
Australia come together to promote inclusion, respect and belonging.

Purple is the new hero colour representing Bullying No Way: National week of action and our commitment to standing against bullying.

Father’s Day Stall
We will be running our Father’s Day Stall on Thursday August 29th. We will be offering gifts for Dads for either $5, $10, $15 or $20. We will also have grandpa gifts for either $10 or $15. Families will be able to pre-purchase gifts via CDF pay soon.

We will be running a Father’s Day Breakfast on Monday the 2nd of September from 8:30am. We hope Dads or other special people are able to come along and enjoy a bacon and egg breakfast before spending some time with their kids.

Sport Colours Day:
In the last week of school we will have a special lunch order to go with a Sports Colour Day. Students will be able to dress up in their favourite sport team colours. More information about this day will become available soon.

Comedy Night:
We are very excited to announce the date for our Comedy Night this year will be Friday the 25th of October. It was a fantastic night last year and we are looking forward to it again this year. We will provide more information about the night as it gets closer.

Japanese Day September 4th. Students are invited to come in red or/and white, or  Japanese themed clothes.

This term Japanese learning is all about reading and writing the three Japanese scripts - hiragana, katakana and kanji. There is also ‘romaji’ which is using English letters to represent the Japanese sounds.

The 3-6 students are beginning to write a conversation as a ‘delayed copying’ activity. That means they are able to copy it first, then rub out what they wrote, then I turn the board around, then they rewrite it without looking at it. I am very impressed by the work they did. 

Live Your Best Life in Love...

Marriage Encounter is coming to Trafalgar…

Every married couple deserves this very special weekend.

Time-out to nurture your most precious relationship away from daily distractions.  

The two of you will come away from your weekend feeling more deeply connected 

and with tools to help keep the passion alive.

No group sharing is required.

The weekend is based around Catholic values. Couples of all faiths are welcome.

When: 16 - 17 November, 2024.

Venue: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Trafalgar - November 16-17, 2024.

The weekend commences at 8am on Saturday morning and concludes at ~4:30pm on Sunday.

(Saturday lunch and evening meal and Sunday lunch is provided)

For Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or

Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au    Website: wwme.org.au

The SSBI is an Australian Government initiative to provide free home internet until
31/12/2025 for up to 30,000 unconnected families with school age students.
Families can contact the SSBI National Referral Centre (NRC) to check their eligibility.
Once eligibility has been confirmed, NRC will support the family to get connected.

For enquiries on the SSBI program please contact:
o the NRC on 1800 954 610 Mon-Fri 10am to 6pm or by visiting the website:
www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet.

The Department of Health, Victoria has issued a health alert, Increasing pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Victoria.
The key messages are:
o cases of pertussis are increasing in Victoria, mostly affecting children aged 10-12 years
o pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness known for causing a cough and can
lead to life threatening infections in babies
o symptoms of pertussis may be very similar to other respiratory infections, especially in
the early stages, meaning diagnosis by a doctor as soon as possible is important.

Families are reminded about the importance of seeing their General
Practitioner if their children exhibit any of the symptoms listed. 
Special note to consider any school community members (staff or parents/guardians/carers) who
are pregnant or who have infants under the age of six (6) months, to ensure this
important information is available to them.

If a student  is diagnosed with pertussis, the diagnosing doctor will be responsible for notifying the Department of Health.
The below exclusion periods apply to diagnosed cases and contacts:
For diagnosed cases:
o students diagnosed with pertussis should be excluded from primary schools for a minimum period of 21 days after the onset of cough, or until they have completed five (5) days of a course of effective antibiotic treatment
For contacts of diagnosed cases:
o The exclusion requirement only applies to contacts who meet all three (3) of the below
criteria:
- aged less than 7 years;
- in the same class as the student with the diagnosed case; and
- have not received three (3) effective doses of pertussis vaccine.
• Students meeting these criteria should be excluded for 14 days after the last exposure to the infectious case, or until they have taken five (5) days of a course of effective antibiotic treatment.

Parent /Teacher Interviews are in week 6, Wednesday August 21st. Parents could you please go into PAM/Parent Teacher Interviews and book an interview time for your child/ren. Interviews are 15mins and can be in person /online, whatever suits you. If your child has a PSG (parent support group) meeting, these will be the week before in week 5, and there will be no need to also have a Parent/Teacher interview as well.
Remember to go to PAM and then Parent/Teacher Interviews and book your interview time. If you have any problems, please ask Lucy in the office.

December

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

Mon Feb 24 to Wed Feb 26   Urban Camp for Gr 5/6 students

March

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