Filter Content
- St Joseph's School Vision
- Principal's Message
- Prayer
- Assembly Winners
- 1/2 Neighbourhood
- 3/4 Neighbourhood
- New 5/6 Outdoor Space
- Olive the Organics Visit
- Specialist Open Afternoons
- Tour de Cure Visit
- Frozen Cups
- School Raffle 2022
- St Joseph's News Podcast
- St Joseph's School Advisory Committee
- Last Day of Canteen - Thursday December 8 2022
- School Closure Information
- Parenting in the Digital World - Free Parent Webinar
- Library News
- IMPORTANT - New PAM account access information
- Finance Information 2023 / Term 4
- Christmas Eve Mass
- Parish News
Every Child, Every Day,
Learning and Achieving in a Faith - Filled Environment
Dear Parents, Students, Staff and all associated with St Joseph’s Community,
It has been a life-shaping privilege to serve through the role of Principal at St Joseph’s School. As with every journey, there have been patches of rough water; however, the abiding experience has been that of great adventure on the high seas, as together we plot a course into the future of possibilities for our children. Like the grade six students, I am experiencing a number of “last time” moments. This newsletter is the last time I will write in this capacity as Principal to our school community as I will be taking a period of Long Service Leave from December 5.
There can be no question that I depart with a deep sense of sadness and a very real sense of knowing that what I am leaving behind is a school and community which is truly great. My association with St Joseph’s has indeed been one that has enabled me to grow and hopefully lead with hope, heart and vision. I thank parents, students and staff sincerely for the support, the hospitality and the friendship that has been extended throughout my years as Principal.
In a particular way, I would just like to take the opportunity to thank all parents and carers who have been (and continue to be) a constant support of this school community. You, the parents and carers, are an absolutely vital ingredient in the success of this school, contributing richly to the quality of what students experience here and supporting their efforts to grow and learn.
I would also like to thank all the staff for their tireless work and their committedness to the learning and wellbeing of all students. The phrase “going the extra mile” is often used but never more fittingly than when applied to the staff of St Joseph’s School. I want to pay special tribute and thanks to Mrs Joanne Coldebella. Joanne is an exceptional educator and has great skills as an administrator. I have benefitted and learnt much from her over the years we have worked together, and I have truly appreciated her insights and perspectives during our many discussions. But most of all I have valued her friendship, kindness and generosity, and I know St Joseph’s is in the best of hands as Joanne steps into the Principal role on my departure.
In leaving St Joseph’s, I have every confidence that what I leave is a wonderful school which I pray will continue to embrace change and indeed the contribution of all those who follow. May this school community continue to flourish with the seeds that have been planted as well as with the seeds that are yet to come and know that whatever achievements lie ahead will always be through the work and the effort of all as you continue to grow in the love of God and the love of each other.
God bless you all as you continue to work in partnership with one another in continuing the admirable and sacred task of bringing Catholic Education to the many families within the Parish of St Joseph’s, Wonthaggi.
Yours in Catholic Education
Ronan O’Mahony
Principal
Almighty God, heavenly Father,
you have blessed us with the joy and care of children:
Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Congratulations to this weeks award winners, keep up the amazing work! Awards were also presented to the participants of the ICAS and the Maths Olympiad, congratulations to all those who participated.
It has been a busy few weeks in the 1/2 area. We have been immersed in our inquiry unit "Earth Ambassadors" and are very much looking forward to our upcoming excursion to the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens. In maths, we have been learning about Australian currency, ordering coins and notes according to value, adding collections of coins together and giving change. We have also been practising telling the time on an analogue clock.
In writing, we have been learning how to persuade others to side with our point of view and this writing has been focused around our inquiry topic. We have written letters to Mr O'Mahony, to convince him we need a worm farm, why we need to reduce our use of plastics and also to persuade others to consider changing some of the packaging in the canteen.
As a level, we are currently working on a collaborative art piece using plastic bottles that have been sent in by our families. We can't wait to share this with you all when it is completed.
1/2 Team
Life in Grade 3/4 continues to be full of exciting opportunities. Recent events include Camp, Bike Ed, Life Ed and iHour. Students have also been fully immersed in our Sustainability unit. Classrooms are full of reused and recycled projects, including plant growing, classroom decorations, stationary items and paper mache. We have learnt a lot about energy sources, waste and our impact on the environment. We have also set personal goals to reduce our carbon footprints.
In Maths we continue to learn about data and statistics. We have created many minor projects, collecting, collating and analysing data. In Literacy, we are learning about authors vocabulary and writing techniques, as well as writing our own poetry. We are really looking forward to our next project which is to create picture story books for younger students.
3/4 Team
Recently, a new outdoor area has been placed near the renovated 5/6 building. It is accessible for all students from Prep to Grade 6 (and let’s not forget about the staff members)! It can be used during recess, lunchtime, eating times and pretty much anytime you’d like. Some students have enjoyed reading in the outdoor area, while others like to sit and enjoy the scenery. This wonderful outdoor area features lots of beautiful plants, a wooden bench, a cover to keep students cool, grass and wooden flooring and so much more!
“I think it’s a really good space for us students to learn and chat with each other”, Violet from 5/6H said. “It’s a really cool feature for this school.” We love it too! Come and see this new and amazing space!
Ella B & Olive C 5/6H
Students have been learning about what rubbish goes in what bin during recent visits from Shana Brenner from Bass Coast Shire Council. They have been superstars at remembering what goes where and have shown much passion for helping the environment by thinking of ways to reduce our waste. Everyone was super excited to meet Olive during her visit last week. Thanks to Shana and Olive for coming along to help us learn about reducing our waste this term!
There will be two Open Afternoons at the end of this year to showcase the specialist lessons of Italian, STEAM and Performing Arts (Dance/Drama/Music). This is to cater for our growing number of students and families.
The Prep-2 classes’ Specialist Open afternoon will occur in the parish hall on Thursday November 24 between 2-3pm. The hall will be open for visitors from 1:30 pm.
The Grades 3-6 Specialist Open afternoon will take place in the parish hall on Thursday December 1 between 5-6 pm. The hall will be open for visitors from 4:30 pm.
This will be a great opportunity to meet the specialist teachers and see some of the children’s work which will be on display.
We invite all parents and friends to attend. Posts of the event will be shared via Seesaw and on the school’s Facebook page.
We look forward to seeing you there.
On Day 2 of The VIC Discovery Tour 2022 St Joseph's students were visited by a group of riders in support of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute spreading the message of ‘Be Fit, Be Healthy, Be Happy’. We had so much fun working out and hearing about Tour de Cure. We thank the organisers and the riders for taking the time to stop in at St Joseph's and see us on their journey.
We are excited once again hold our annual St Joseph’s School Raffle for 2022. Raffle books have been sent to families via students.
This year we have COLES MYER VOUCHERS as our major and minor prizes which offers our winners a large variety of options to spend their winnings. Vouchers will be issued in various denominations. What a great Christmas gift a voucher would make for your loved ones!
Tickets can be returned to the office with cash payment or via CDF pay. If you choose this option, please write Paid by CDF pay on the front of your booklet of tickets, before returning it to school. Please return all tickets either sold or unsold by Wednesday December 7. Raffle will be drawn Monday December 12.
Thank you to all parents and guardians and for your ongoing support.Our capacity to continue to undertake improvements around the school is dependent on the income received from this raffle.
Listen to the newest episode of the St Joseph's Podcast created by some of our very talented students.
Click below to check out their channel and all their episodes!
St Joseph's School Advisory Committee
If you possess an enthusiasm for and willingness to promote the mission of Catholic Schools, desire to give service to the school community and believe you have gifts and skills to contribute, then we ask that you consider placing a nomination for a position on our School Advisory Committee. We have two positions that will be becoming vacant as Sara Donohue and Nicola Sampson complete their current term.
The primary function of the Advisory Committee is to improve the capacity of St Joseph's as a Catholic school in order to deliver quality educational outcomes for its students. As an advisory forum to the Principal, it provides input on matters around educational, pastoral and financial matters as well as project development and facility management. School Advisory Committee Members generally meet five times a year on a Tuesday at 9.05am, but may also be called together at other times when specific projects or issues are being discerned. The role of the School Advisory Committee is very much one of support, stewardship and collective representation in working for the best interests of the school and its student body.
A Nomination Form has been included as a link in this week’s newsletter and needs to be returned to the School Office by December 14, 2022. If more than two nominations are received, then an election will take place early in 2023.
The AGM of the School Advisory Committee is Tuesday February 21, 2023 at 9.05am.
Last Day of Canteen - Thursday December 8 2022
Please note the last day of canteen for Term 4 will be Thursday December 8 2022. We thank families for their support and patronage over the year.
The Canteen Team
School closure dates for your diary
Thursday December 15 - Tuesday December 20
(Last Day of Term 4 for students Wednesday December 14 3:25pm)
Parenting in the Digital World - Free Parent Webinar
At St Joseph’s we are committed to helping students develop the skills they need to be safe online. We aim to work in partnership with parents to help keep children safe. To assist with this we are hosting an online information session run by esmart schools designed to equip parents with skills and strategies to navigate negative interactions and promote positivity online. The session is on Thursday 24th of November at 7.00PM.
If you would like to attend please click the link to join the event through Microsoft Teams. You may wish to try logging into the meeting a few minutes early to ensure you don’t miss the start.
Meeting ID: 445 291 312 057
Meeting Password: rR2VEo
Please return all Library Books as soon as possible, there will be no further borrowing this Term.
Library Team
IMPORTANT - New PAM account access information
Over the Christmas holidays your PAM account will be updated to provide better security and allow for further functionality. This change will involve moving to a PAM account per parent rather than an account per family.
To help us prepare for this change, you have received a survey via your PAM account to complete if you could please login to PAM and complete this asap to aid the update it would be much appreciated. This survey will close within the next 2 weeks.
Finance Information 2023 / Term 4
School Fee information for 2023 has been sent to all families via PAM. If you have a concession card in 2023 please complete the relevent forms and return it to the office with a copy of your card. If you are currently on a direct debit payment and there is no changes to your details then that will continue on for 2023. Could forms be completed and returned by 9th Dec, 2022.
Statements for Term 4 have been sent to families, for those not on a direct debit, fees for Term 4 have are now due. If you have any queries or have not received your statement please contact the office or email kcarew@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au
Weekday Masses:
Please Note Liturgy Tuesday 11:00 a.m. Our Lady Star of the Sea, Inverloch NO MASS AT St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi on Wednesday
Friday 9:30 a.m. St. Joseph’s Wonthaggi (Remembrance book available at the
Wonthaggi and Inverloch Churches for the month of November.
Please pray for those who continue to be affected by the Ukrainian War, and those experiencing floods and storms. For Denis Stanes who has passed away recently and the anniversaries of Bishop Jeremiah Coffey, Fr. Raymond Alphonse (Tim) McInnes), Mgr. William Caffrey and our loved ones. May God’s merciful love shine on them and on their loved ones left behind. Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine.
Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine.
Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine.
God of peace and justice,
Who change the hardened heart and break the power of
violence, we entrust the people of Ukraine to you.
Protect them in this time of peril;
let them know not death but life, not slavery but freedom,
You are Father of all;
we are brothers and sisters.
Give us the strength to live that truth in love,
choosing peace not war.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
COMMUNION ON THE TONGUE: People who prefer to receive communion on the tongue, would you please come last for communion, as there is still widespread fear of COVID.
Please find attached at the end of this Bulletin an Election Guide from the Bishops of Victoria for sharing in our Parish Community
PICNIC: THERE IS A GATHERING TOGETHER FOR AN INTER CHURCH COUNCIL PICNIC ON THE 27TH of NOVEMBER 2022 AT 12:30PM AT MEMORIAL PARK LOCATED BETWEEN THE BAPTIST AND ANGLICAN CHURCHES IN WONTHAGGI. B.YO. PICNIC LUNCH AND BRING YOUR CHAIR OR RUG TO SIT ON. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST TO COME TOGETHER AND MINGLE WITH EACH OTHER. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE. ANY QUESTIONS CALL Darren and Karen Evans 0438 030 305 or 043 729 7137.
DIOCESE OF SALE: Diocesan Digital Media Officer (Part Time 4 days per fortnight)
The Diocese of Sale is seeking to appoint an experienced Digital Media Officer on a part time basis for days per fortnight (0.4 FTE) to assist with the continued development of our Diocese’s social media presence and website.
The appointee will be responsible to the Bishop of Sale through the Business Manager.
Key responsibilities will include sharing the good news from within our Diocese and from outside sources by way of social media and our websites through periodic new stories; ensuring our website is up to date and easy to access; co-ordinating video messages from our Bishop; and networking and collaborating with our parishes, Catholic Education and other agencies in respect of the Diocese’s digital content management.
The appointee is expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and support of the mission of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Sale. A high level of professionalism, initiative and superior communication skills are required in this key role.
Applications: A position Description, Application Form, and other relevant information is available. Please email hr@sale.catholic.org.au to receive this pack.
SYNOD 2021-2024: The next phase of the Synod has arrived with the publication of the Continental Document, containing the fruits of the consultation of hundreds of syntheses from countries all over the world.
We are now inviting interested people to participate in one of two online meetings to respond to the Document. The Continental Document for the Synod (CDS) and information on registering your interest can be found by visiting the diocesan website cdsale.org.au/events
Further information: contact Sophy Morley smorely@sale.catholic.org.au (P) 56 22 66 77 Online meetings: 7:00-8:30 pm Wednesday 30 November 2022 7:00-8:30pm on Tuesday 6 December 2022
‘OPEN DAY’ MARY MACKILLOP HERITAGE CENTRE; 362 Albert Street, East Melbourne Saturday 26th November 2022. - Fr. Julian Tenison Woods co-founded the SOSJ with Mary MacKillop. The exhibition will explore Tenison Wood’s work as a missionary priest, his advocation of Catholic education for the poor, as well as his scientific endeavours and his eco-spirituality. His life was lived to the full, intertwined with faith and science. Julian is a role model for us today in prayer and sustainability. Joins us for: Guided Tours of the Museum, A Mary MacKillop Walking Tour @ 11a.m. Mass @ 1pm in the Chapel where Mary prayed. Call 03 9926 9300.
HEART OF LIFE: ‘Advent Anticipation’ reflection day (in person event). Saturday 26th November 2022 10:00 a.m. to 3:30pm. This reflection day is an invitation into prayer and time to make space for anticipation and hope. A time to pay attention to yourself in the midst of many demands. Led by spiritual directors Gail Crisp and Cathy Beaton. Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual & Pastoral Formation, Rear 41 Stanhope Street, Malvern Vic Cost $60. Book and pay via heartoflife.melbourne. Email office@heartoflife.melbourne or telephone (03) 9890 1101.
MISSAL ONLINE: ‘An App’ which Father Darren Howie finds very helpful is Universalis. This will allow you to follow the Daily Mass.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA: There is still time to support our global neighbours as they tackle the challenges of poverty. Your generosity today can help create a better tomorrow for people living in some of the most remote and marginalised communities in the world. All donations over $2 are 100% tax deductible. Caritas Australia: www.caritas.org.au
CATHOLIC CARE: New self-help mental health service for parents, families and individuals. Teaching children and young people how to keep safe online (on how to use technology wisely) is important for their mental health and wellbeing.
But as a parent or carer, ensuring eSafety for kids and teens can feel overwhelming or unachievable. Whether you’re worried about cyberbullying, privacy, online content, social media, or time spent using technology, there’s things parents and carers can do to help keep kids safe. To learn more please contact CatholicCare Victoria.
Aid to the Church in Need Australia: Red Wednesday, 23rd November 2022-Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) invites you to join in this special day to pray for and stand in solidarity with the 200+ million Christians persecuted for their faith. Around the world, churches and public buildings will light up in red as a symbol of the sacrifice and suffering of our modern-day martyrs. In Australia, ten Cathedrals will be lit in red, with some holding Masses and prayer vigils for persecuted Christians. Parishes and groups may like to hold a prayer hour or pray the rosary together. Individually, you may wish to go to Mass for someone who can’t or intentionally wear a religious symbol remembering those who cannot make such a public display of faith. To find out what is happening at a Cathedral near you and other ways to get involved visit www.aidtochurch.org./redwednesday.
We have been emailing and sending out important communications from the Diocese and if you would like to be involved and receive this information then please contact the Parish Office on 56 721 111 or email your details to wonthaggi@cdsale.org.au.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN: AS WE ARE HOPING TO RETURN TO A ROSTER SYSTEM FOR READERS AND
SPECIAL MINISTERS, THIS IS JUST A REMINDER TO CHECK THAT YOUR WORKING WITH CHILDREN HASN’T EXPIRED AND IF IT DOES NEED RENEWING, PLEASE CONTACT THE PARISH OFFICE FOR ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THIS.
Our Parish is committed to the safety, well-being and dignity of all children, young people and adults at risk. Find out more at: catholic.org.au/childprotectionsunday and www.catholicregligious.org.au/safeguarding
If you are concerned about any form of abuse, or believe that someone is at significant risk, you should immediately raise your concerns with one of our Parish Safeguarding Officers. Contact Kristine McRae via the Parish Office: 03 56 721 111 or St. Joseph’s School Safeguarding Officer 03 56 721 052. Take care, we are here to help..
If you are in need of urgent assistance, please phone eithe Father Darren Howie 0356 722 923 or Kristine on 03 56 72111 or 04999 15 784.
Father Darren Howie Mrs. Kristine McRae
Parish Priest Parish Secretary
St. Joseph’s Parish Wonthaggi