Dear Parents,

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the staff at St Angela of the Cross. Their efforts and additional work over the last week whilst moving into our new classrooms is greatly appreciated.

Parents I implore you to keep supporting our teachers in their work and respecting them as the hard-working professionals they are.  As a new and growing school, we will need many more new staff again next year. With massive teacher shortages across the country the more our community embraces and supports the work of our teachers the better outcomes we will have for our students.

Classrosms Open 8:40am

Under the new Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited Schools Agreement, teachers at St Angela of the Cross are not expected to start work each day until 8:40am. 

Due to this change school gates will still open at 8:30am, however, classrooms will not be open for students and parent use until 8:40am.

Just a reminder to parents that you are welcome to come into the classrooms and chat with your child’s teacher after 8:40am in the mornings. As part of our Child Safety policy, we do need you to sign in at reception before entering.

No Electricity | Thursday 24th August

We have been advised by our electricity provider that the school will have no power this coming Thursday 24th August from 9am -5pm. The school will remain open and we will have an altered program to adjust to the conditions. Whilst the school will be open, parents may determine to keep their child/ren at home if you think they may be affected by these changes. Phone lines will be down for the duration of the day. Please use the following options for contacting the school.

Phone: 0487 008 090
Email: admin@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au 

Please ensure students are dressed appropriately with warm clothing for the day. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this outage. 

Acknowledgement

Thank you to our families who donated their time and materials over the weekend for the development of our vegetable gardens. It is greatly appreciated. 

(Week 1) Mon 28^th Aug - Fri 1st Sept Grade 1/2

(Week 2) Mon 4th Sept - Fri 8th Sept Foundation & Grade 3-6

- Students are to come to school with bathers under their Sports Uniform

- Label all items 

If your child suffers from a medical condition and won’t be able to swim you will need to provide a written note to your child’s teacher. All children who are not swimming will remain at school in a neighbouring classroom.

Parents are welcome to watch their child(rens) lessons, however due to child safety, school and swimming complex regulations, parents are unable to enter the changerooms. If your child cannot dress themselves independently and they require additional support please contact your child’s teacher.

Students will need to bring: 

Optional:

Why do schools need to run swimming programs?

Swimming and water safety is included in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum from Foundation to Level 10. This means that schools must ensure that they are implementing a swimming and water safety program that meets the requirements of the curriculum. The Health and Physical Education curriculum includes four focus areas with specific reference to swimming and water safety which schools are required to teach

• Fundamental movement skills (FMS) = Develop foundation movement and skills to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities. E.g. Floating and moving the body through water.
• Safety (S) = Practise behaviours and skills to keep themselves and others safe in and around water.
E. g. Sun safety. use of protective equipment and first aid.
• Lifelong physical activities (LPA) = Understand that swimming can enhance lifelong health-related fitness and wellbeing.
• Challenge and adventure activities (CA) = Participate in challenging swimming activities in a range of contexts. E.g. Triathlon. diving. water polo.

As part of Child Safety week we have engaged a company called Kids ROAR to come and work with our school community.

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).

Further information regarding Kids ROAR will be distributed to students this week and it is encouraged that all parents read this letter. 

Kids ROAR educators will be running a free online session for all school parents on Monday 4th September 2023, 7:30pm. See Flyer attached for further detail. We strongly encourage at least one parent from each family to attend.

Our Annual Father's Day Breakfast will be held on Friday, Sept 1st. 

Our staff/helpers will be cooking bacon and egg rolls for the Dad's and children between 7:15am - 8:30am. Please arrive anytime between these hours that suit your morning/work routine. 

If Dad can't make it please feel free to bring along Grandad or a special friend. Students will be supervised at school if Dad's need to leave for work. 

Raffle Tickets are available from the office or at the Father's Day Breakfast. 

$5.00 per ticket

1st Prize:

2 Burner BBQ (Bunnings) 

2nd Prize:

Round of Golf & Cart Hire for two (Warragul Country Club)

Warragul Country Club Bistro Voucher $50 (Warragul Country Club) 

3rd Prize: 

Car Wash Kit (Super Cheap Auto)

70 piece Screw Driver Set (Repco)

Raffle Drawn at Father's Day Breakfast (Friday 1st September)

For catering purposes, please register your interest below. 

Come dressed in your finest pyjama's to school!!

Monday 11th September

Money raised goes to A Better Life for Foster Kids charty, assisting children in out of home care. 

This Friday we encourage all students to dress up and show their amazing outfits at our morning parade as we celebrate Book Week 2023. Families are welcome to attend in our undercover area at the start of the day. 

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Gen Bryant | Leadership & Confirmation Retreat 

Wednesday 30th August 

 Grades 5 & 6 students will participate in a team building and leadership day with students from St Ita’s Primary School, Drouin and St Joseph's Primary School Warragul. This day will be led by performer and public speaker Gen Bryant.

Gen has been involved in school and parish ministry across Australia for over 18 years. Gen is passionate about spreading the Gospel messages of hope, love and justice to young people and provides interactive and engaging sessions.

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Grade 5/6 Round Robin Sports Day  

Friday 1st September 

Students will be attending Marist Sion College to compete in a Round Robin Sporting Competition. This will be an opportunity for students to play netball or soccer and engage with students from other Catholic schools in Warragul, Drouin and Trafalgar.

Bus transport will depart school at 9am and return at 3pm.Students are to wear their sports uniform and bring a packed lunch, snack and drink.

 We ask that students not bring money to use at the Marist-Sion canteen, the Marist Sion SRC plan to provide the students with a sausage in bread at lunchtime.

Parents are welcome to attend and will need to sign in at the Entrance of the Hall. The teacher in charge of this excursion will be Danielle Kemp and attending staff include Jacqui Dennis and Olivia Castello.

The Primary School Nurse will be visiting our school in September to conduct Health Assessments on our Foundation students. 

The Primary School Nursing Program gives parents/guardians, teachers and nurses the opportunity to work together to promote health and well-being for
children at school. The Primary School nurse will review the School Entrant Health Questionnaire that will be sent home to parents tomorrow and additional follow up and assessment may be completed at school. This may include a vision, hearing, speech and/or oral health check.

We ask that these Questionnaires are returned to school by Tuesday 29th August. 

Our All Powerful Brother

Jesus refers to himself as “Son of Man.” What could he mean? And then in the famous passage that follows, Peter calls him “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” 

‘Jesus of Nazareth understood himself – however incompletely or gradually to be the savior and his resurrection established and manifested that he is. Jesus is himself the Kingdom’. (Richard P McBrien Catholicism p499) He is both! This Sunday’s reading (Mt16:13-20) is the exhilarating statement of our salvation, the incarnation of God - Jesus, who is fully human and fully divine. 

If Jesus was only human, even a very good or inspired human, then the whole basis of Christianity is meaningless. Similarly, if he was “only” God, unable to enter into our pain, loss, loneliness, confusion, doubt, suffering and the temptations we face, then his cross is meaningless.

Only Jesus, both Son of the Living God and Son of Man can be, not our distant judge, but the source of both divine love and human love, affection and empathy. 

 “How tempting it is to live correctly within the church without worrying about the one thing Jesus sought; the Kingdom of God and its justice.” (Pagola, J. Jesus-An Historical Approximation. https://www.scribd.com/book/466793741) But what is this “Kingdom” he is always on about? The Kingdom is in evidence wherever the weak and marginalised are at the centre. Jesus discloses a compassionate God, caring more about people’s lives than the finer points of law or high theology. In God’s reign, the neighbour takes the place of the law. The reign of God draws us beyond the law to become like little children (simple, sincere and spontaneous). The Kingdom of God is not a metaphor. It simply means living compassionately in every situation. (Pagola, J. Jesus-An Historical Approximation) Yet this mighty being invites us to pray to him as to a brother, “Lord, you know how I struggle ……” We are truly blessed!

Deacon Mark Kelly

Theme for the 109^th World Day of Migrants and Refugees: ‘Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay’.

Arrangements are underway for our Combined parish celebration of Migrant and Refugee Sunday 10^th September 10.00am Marist Sion College.

The synodal path that we have undertaken as a Church leads us to see in those who are most vulnerable – among whom are many migrants and refugees – special companions on our way, to be loved and cared for as brothers and sisters. Only by walking together will we be able to go far and reach the common goal of our journey.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 11 May 2023. Pope Franicis