Dear Parents,

Welcome to the start of the 2023 school year, I hope you have all enjoyed a relaxing and restful holiday period. I’d especially like to welcome all of our new students and families I’m sure you will enjoy your time with us at St Angela of the Cross. 

Our school newsletter will be distributed through the SZAPP App on a fortnightly basis every Wednesday. We encourage you to read all sections of the newsletter to ensure you keep up to date with the happenings of our school.

Our school assemblies will again be held virtually and a video link sent home to families on a Thursday via the SZAPP APP. Assemblies will be on the alternate week of the newsletter. We are hopeful once the building works have completed mid-year we will be able to hold assemblies face to face.

On staff, we officially welcome Miss Elisha Rose, Miss Danielle Kemp, Mrs Kellie Jones, Mrs Ellie Wilson, Mrs Becky Blackwood and Miss Nicole Somerville. They are all very excited about their new roles and I am sure that they will be made to feel welcome by all. Please see below for a full list of our school staff and roles.

School Staff and Emails

Classroom/Student Concerns

For any classroom correspondence/student concerns, the classroom teacher is your first point of call. Please note that teachers will not respond to emails over the weekends and they will endeavour to respond to emails within 24-48 hours (weekdays). A phone conversation is sometimes much more appropriate than an email.

No Electricity | Wednesday 8^th February

We have been advised by our electricity provider that the school will have no power from 8:45am-4:00pm next Wednesday 8^th February. The school will remain open and we will have an altered program to adjust to the conditions. The weather for next Wednesday, at this stage, looks to be 23 degrees. Whilst the school will be open, parents may determine to keep their child/ren at home if you think they will be adversely affected by the heat or the changed conditions.

Student Leadership | Grade 5/6 Students, Homegroup K

Hearing the voice of our students and giving them opportunities to develop as leaders and individuals is importance to us. Whilst we are still in our infancy as a school our student leadership model will continue to change to best capture the grade structure and student cohort.  For the 2023 school year our school leadership team has decided that we will have four school leaders.

These leaders will be responsible for helping out at assemblies, organising and attending school and community events, leading social justice initiatives and being consistent role models of the behaviour and safety expectations of our school.

We are asking for nominations from Homegroup K (Grade5/6) for these positions. Students interested have been asked to write a letter addressed to Mr Greenwood by Friday 24^th February. Successful applicants will be selected by the school staff.

School Professional Development and Closure Days

Ongoing Professional Development and Planning is vital for teachers as it allows us to improve our knowledge and also reflect on current practice and trends in education. Throughout 2023 we will have a number of professional development days focusing on improving our teaching and learning. Under the new enterprise bargaining agreement for teachers we also have two closure days classified as ‘Time in Lieu (TIL)’ for school staff.  Please note the following pupil free days in your calendars.

• Thursday 6th April 2023
• Monday 24^th April 2023 (TIL)
• Thursday 22^nd June 2023
• Friday 23^rd June 2023
• Friday 15^th September 2023
• Monday 6^th November 2023 (TIL)
• Tuesday 19^th December 2023
• Wednesday 20^th December 2023

Parking Safety

A reminder to all families that all vehicles must access the school via the Downton Street entry only. Children can be dropped off at the kiss and drop parking on the left-hand side of the road way. If you wish to park and enter the school please park in the designated spots adjacent to Mills Road. With the increased number of families this year, please ensure we are patient and sticking to the 5km hour speed limit.

Foundation Students ONLY | Easing into School

In order to allow the Foundation children to ease into the school routine, they do not attend school on a full-time basis until after the Labour Day weekend in March.
Monday 30th January to Friday 10th March | Four full days, no school Wednesdays
Tuesday 14th March onwards | Full-time attendance

Specialist Classes

Please see the table below for specialist classes for 2023. Sports uniform needs to be worn for Physical Education classes. Visual Arts and Performing Arts will be per Semester.

Parents Entering Classrooms and Signing in

This week, whilst our students settle into the school routine parents can accompany children up to the classrooms each morning without signing in. From Monday 6^th February parents will need to sign in at the office before entering school buildings. Parents are welcome to stay for the morning messages in our undercover area but please be mindful to give students plenty of space when they are lining up. Please be advised that parents and younger siblings are not to be on the playground before school.

Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is a global event dedicated to creating a safer online world for everyone. 2023 marks the 20th Safer Internet Day with the slogan: Connect. Reflect. Protect.

Our world is more connected than ever, making online safety awareness even more important. I am seeking your assistance with communicating this message to the children and young people in your care by encouraging them to:

• Connect safely and with purpose through keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
• Reflect before they act and take a moment to consider how what they do and say online may affect others.
• Protect themselves and others by taking action through telling family and friends about eSafety and visiting the eSafety Commissioner website for advice, support and to report online abuse.

Students will be completing activities at school through their STEM lesson next week, great resources for families to utilise are available at https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources#videos

SEESAW App

This year in our newsletter we won’t be having the fortnightly updates from our classrooms. As a school community we want to connect with parents on a more regular basis and showcase what work your child is producing at school. We have purchased a licence for a program called SEESAW.  Seesaw is a classroom communication app that your child’s teacher can send you photographs, videos, notes, links to websites, and can upload documents. This can be to show you the work your child has done or to set work and share important information. There are two different ways to access Seesaw both as a parent and as a child, either using a laptop/desktop computer, or through a phone or tablet by downloading the app.

More information will be sent out to families in the coming weeks.

As part of our Literacy and Numeracy Program, we assess all of our Foundation students at the beginning of the year. We conduct individual assessments on our Foundation students in Literacy and Numeracy. Each Foundation child sits with their teacher for approximately 45 minutes and completes a series of activities. Completing these assessments informs our teaching and guides us in what the children already know and areas to be taught.

In order for these assessments to be carried out, we would like your child to attend a 45 minute appointment.

We have scheduled these assessments to take place on three of the Foundation days off;
• Wednesday 8^th February
• Wednesday 15^th February
• Wednesday 22^nd February

To book your child's assessment please log in to your PAM Account (Parent Access Module).
Alternatively, you can follow this link:

http://pam.stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au

Upon login there will be a ‘Parent Teacher Interviews’ button to start the booking process. If you are unsure of your login details for PAM please contact administration on admin@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au for assistance.

Parents will need to organise for drop off and collection of their child at the school office for their child’s assessment time. Parents are not permitted to remain onsite for the duration of the assessment.

If you are unable to make any of these times, please notify the school on 5622 9800 or via email to your child’s classroom teacher.

New PAM accounts have now been created.

Today you would have received an email asking you to create new credentials for a new PAM account.

Please note if you didnt receive an email please check your junk/spam folder

Please click on the link provided in the email and follow the prompts to create a new password for your new account.

Your username will be your email address.

Your PAM interface will not look any different, but you may receive an account per parent if you were previously sharing an account with your spouse.

If you are having an troubles with accesss please email admin@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au

Our School Parent's and Friends committee's sole responsibility is to help with fundraising initiatives and events for our school. Meetings are open to all of our parents and there are no set roles or responsibilities. Any potential fundraisers are discussed at our meeting and then once decided the organisation of these fundraisers are shared amongst all.

Our first meeting for the year will be held on Tuesday 7^th February in the school staffroom. Please RSVP by completing the below web form. A reminder that parents wishing to help out on school committees and events must have a valid Working With Children Check. Please provide a copy upon arrival at the school office so we can add to our registers or alternatively email them through to admin@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au 

There is a District Swimming Carnival on Friday 17th February from 11:30am-2:30pm at the Warragul Outdoor pool. St Angela students from grades 3-6 have been invited to compete in this carnival. This is a competitive event and to qualify students must be able to swim the full length of the 50m pool competently, without stopping.

If you think your child would meet this criteria in any swimming events please let Mrs Kelsey Francis know via email: kfrancis@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au

Parents would be responsible for supervising and taking their children to and from this event.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Reconciliation Combined Parent Information Meeting (Grade 3 students)

There will be a combined Parent Information session for students and their families interested in their Grade 3 student completing the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Penance and Confession, is a sacrament of healing and highlights the merciful nature of God. This is the continuation of your child’s faith journey after Baptism. 

If you’re interested in attending this session or require further information,  please email Rachael Williams rwilliams@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au 

St Josephs Catholic Church Warragul
Warragul: Thursday 9th February 7pm

WHERE IS THE SALT?

Salt has a bad rap for health reasons nowadays, but it has been the main preserver and flavourer of food for millennia, so prized that searchers toiled to the corners of the world to find it and bring it home. Salt enlivens, improves and enhances food.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus calls us to be “salt of the earth”. What does he mean? He calls us to enliven, improve and enhance the world we find ourselves in.

In our Catholic parishes and schools, we have been well salted with Christian flavour and values, and Jesus calls us to preserve and cherish those flavours and values. We have much to exalt about in the infinite, intimate, absolute love of our Creator’s Kingdom.

But Jesus calls us further. It is not enough that we privately delight in our blessings, holding and preserving our values. He calls us to be “the light of the world” – to hold those values up high where everyone can see them. How silly it would be to light a lantern and then cover it up!

Being Christian is not an obscure interest to be brought out on occasion, but at the core of our being. We should be living those values so that people notice us and observe,

“See these Christians. See how they love one another!”

Jesus urges us to place our light high on a lamp stand where all can benefit. We should live and fearlessly proclaim his message of love wherever life takes us.

Busy and varied as our lives are, this is how Jesus calls us to live. A reality check is to stop occasionally and ask ourselves,

“If I was accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?”

Deacon Mark Kelly                                                                            

Positions Vacant at the Combined Parishes Of St Joseph’s Warragul and St Ita’s Drouin. 

Parish Secretary: The position of Parishes Secretary has become available based at St Joseph’s Parish Office Warragul. The primary purpose of this role is to provide secretarial, administrative support to the Parish Administrator and Parish, also including bookkeeping using MYOB. Hours of work are 27.5 per week 9am-3pm.

Applications are to be submitted by email to Confidence.Masvosva@cdsale.org.au by Friday 10^th February 2023. For a position description please contact Fr Confidence via email. 

Sacrament & Catechist Coordinator: The position of Sacrament & Catechist Coordinator has become available based at St Joseph’s Parish Office Warragul. The primary purpose of this role is to coordinate the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation and also run Catechist classes for our parish children who do not attend Catholic Schools. Hours of work are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9am to 5pm. Applications are to be submitted by email to Confidence.Masvosva@cdsale.org.au by Friday 10^th February 2023. For a position description please contact Fr Confidence via email.