Dear Parents,

I would like to thank all of the families who attended our Parent-Teacher interviews last week. Supporting the teachers in their work with your children is vital for their education. At St Angela’s we are extremely lucky to have teachers who are not only high quality but who are dedicated hardworking professionals who have your child’s best interest at heart. At a time when teacher shortages are at crisis levels your support, respect and trust of our teachers is more important than ever.

With this in mind, despite all of our efforts, at times things will go wrong for students at school. It is only natural that all children will go through some learning difficulties, relationship issues or other grievances from time to time. This is where our avenues of communication and trust and support of each other as adults and professionals is important.

Concerns need to be directed to the school at all times. If we voice our concerns as carpark gossip or through social media forms with other parents, we often get a different version of the reality that has or is taking place. It can also place unfair negative talk on teachers, parents and students. Our children and school community do not benefit from gossip or innuendo. Being safe, respectful, persistent and inclusive are expectations for all within our school community! 

Child Safety | Kids ROAR

Later this term as part of Child Safety week we have engaged a company called Kids ROAR to come and work with our school commubnity. ROAR Australia is committed to the prevention of abuse on children through education on Personal Safety. Their programs are based on Protective Behaviours themes: ‘We all have the right to feel safe at all times’ and ‘We can talk to someone we trust about anything, no matter what it is’.

Each year however, thousands of children across Australia experience abuse. It is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be subject to some form of unwanted sexual activity before the age of 18 (Australian Institute of Criminology).

Kids ROAR educators will be running a free online session for all school parents on Monday 4th September 2023, 7:30pm. See below flyer for further information. 

SCIENCEWORKS | Tomorrow!

Tomorrow our whole school will be going on an excursion to SCIENCEWORKS in Melbourne. Students are to be at school at 8.15am for an 8:30am departure.

Students will be required to wear their full sports uniform and bring fruit, snack and lunch in a lunchbox labelled with their name and a labelled drink bottle. School bags will not be required for this excursion. 

Students will be returning to School between 3.30pm & 4.00pm (Szapp will be sent with arrival update). 

The wonderful team at Beleza have been working on a new edition to our Winter uniform and families are now welcome to purchase these scarves at their Warragul store.

(Please note these are an optional accessory to our Winter uniform and not compulsary)

Beleza Warragul Store

Shop 6 William Square
Warragul, VIC 3820

(03) 5622 2930

Monday – Friday: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am to 1:00pm

Resilience, Rights & Respectful Relationships

The Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program at St Angela of the Cross Primary School, is an essential component of student learning and well-being. This program is designed to help students develop the skills they need to navigate the challenges of life, build healthy relationships, and become positive members of their community.

The RRRR program focuses on promoting social and emotional learning by teaching children about values such as respect, empathy, kindness, and responsibility. These values are integrated into the school's culture and curriculum, enabling students to see their relevance and importance in real-life situations. This program also supports a positive school culture and fosters a sense of belonging among students, which is crucial for academic success and personal growth.

Too Big For Our Boots

If we allow them the events and issues on our nightly news leave us dismayed and despondent, hopeless, even angry and frustrated. We might see our society degenerating as violence, harshness and plain idiocy hold sway. Pronouncements and policies fly in the face of our understanding of how things should be.

We know what is best, but what can we do? How can we make things right? How can we force evil people to see the way we see? How can we destroy their influence in our society? How can we exterminate them?

This Sundays readings counsel us to settle down, chill out, to have patience, don’t stress, have confidence in God. He has it all well in hand.

Matthew’s gospel (Matt 13:24-27) about the darnel and the weeds is a caution to us not to get too big for our boots. God is master of this universe, not us. All occurs in his time, not ours. He is arbiter of good and evil; he is judge of all. We must be wary of “playing God” ourselves. Of arrogantly assuming it is all up to us, that only we have the answers, that we are the masters.

Wisdom (Wis 12:13,16-19) exhorts us to tolerance and respect for others. All of us are subject to God’s judgement and boundlessly loving mercy. Rather than cutting ourselves off from the human race because of the evil within it, Christians are to be a “leaven”, tolerantly immersed and involved with the world. Amid the apparent collapse of Christian society, we patiently persevere, making our world just that bit more loving, peaceful and just.

Quietly confident and alert for little signs of God’s Kingdom we then experience, instead of despair, wonder and joy at the work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27) through events and circumstances and people we could never anticipate.

Deacon Mark Kelly