Dear Parents,

Tomorrow is R U OK? Day, an initiative that focuses on building meaningful personal connections and emphasises the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?"

Students will complete age-appropriate activities in their classroom. R U OK? Day activities go beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK? Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

The Special Report below provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://stangelawarragul.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-day

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered.

Road Safety

We would like to remind everyone of the importance of road safety, especially when driving near the school.
To ensure the safety of all students, families and our local community, please be mindful of the following:

• Always obey road signs and speed limits.
• Avoid stopping in the middle of roads and letting children enter/exit cars.
• When walking with your children, please ensure they are supervised while crossing roads and use designated crossings where available.  
• Be considerate of other drivers, pedestrians and our neighbours.

BAW BAW SHIRE PARKING HAVE ADVISED THAT IN 2 WEEKS TIME THEY WILL BEGIN CONDUCTING REGULAR RANDOM CHECKS AND WILL BE FINING VEHICLES PARKED ILLEGALLY. (The main areas mentioned and of concern are vehicles parked on nature strips and within close proximity to the roundabout) 

Thankyou for your cooperation and for helping to keep everyone safe in our school community.

Long Service Leave

For the last 8 weeks of term 4 beginning Friday 25th October, I will be taking long service leave. Mrs Rachael Williams will be Acting Principal in my absence and Miss Danielle Kemp will be Acting Deputy Principal. I look forward to spending some time with my young family.

Staffing Changes

Mrs Faith Flanagan and Mrs Becky Blackwood have both resigned from there positions at St Angela of the Cross. We thank both Faith and Becky for their contribution to St Angela of the Cross and wish them well for their future endeavours.

Advertisements for these positions at our school have been advertised and replacements will be announced in due course.

Congratulations Mr Simon

Congratulations to our grade 1/2 Japanese Teacher Mr James Simon who got married last weekend. We wish James and his wife Sarah a lifetime of happiness together.

Monday 16th September - Thursday 19th September 

- 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:

Choir

On Thursdays students have gathered to enjoy singing together during lunchtime play. They have also practiced playing the Ukulele to accompany the well loved song ‘The Lion Sleeps tonight.’

Ukulele

During term 3 all students at St Angelas have had the opportunity to learn the Ukulele. The school is lucky to have a class set of colourful Ukuleles and each lesson students practice beginner  Ukulele exercises and strumming patterns.

Students are learning to read Ukulele TAB for chords including C and Am. One of the great things about TAB reading is that it can be self taught after the basics are understood, and some students are taking advantage of this and learning other chords too! 

Singing

Have you heard your child bursting into song recently and thought that  tune sounds familiar?! It’s likely that it’s Freres Jacques, a well known french children’s song.

This term students have enjoyed learning to sing in rounds. This is where all students sing the same song, but at different starting points. In addition to Freres Jacques students can sing Rain is Falling Down, One Bottle of Pop and I like the Flowers, as a round in their classes.

Another fan favourite is the ‘121’ counting song. Ask your child to show you and join in!

IT | iPads

Using IT to make music is so much fun and students at St Angela are fortunate to have this opportunity to! This year we have used Garage Band and Groove Pizza to compose raps. This term students have composed songs on a web-based music interface called Song Maker-Chrome Music Lab.

SUMMER SEASON REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN! 

The summer netball season is due to start on Monday 14th October and run through to March 2025. Please see the below age groups and express your interest in the form attached. 

Age Groups;

4.10pm - 5-7 Net Set Go, 9U, 11U

5.05pm 11U, 13U

6.00pm 13U

Jesus rules

Recently a program took us into the streets asking, “Who is Jesus?” There were some interesting responses but the most troubling was, “He has a lot of rules!” Really?

If people in our streets see Jesus as “the rules man,” no wonder there is disenchantment with him! That is the antithesis of Jesus. If Jesus had come to inflict rules, there were already plenty to inflict without inventing a bunch of new ones. He came with good news liberating us from harsh, arbitrary, man-made rules and focussing on what God really wants for us. Spanish priest, theologian and scripture scholar, Jose Pagola writes: 

“What God cares about is not religion but a more human and friendly world. What he seeks is a more abundant, healthy, and happy life for all. If our religion goes against life, either it is false religion, or we have misunderstood it. What makes God happy is to see us happy, now, and forever. That is the Good News revealed to us in Jesus Christ: God gives himself to us just as he is, as Love.” (Jose Pagola, Jesus: An Historical Approximation p446).

Jesus asks us, as he asks the disciples in the gospel (Mk 8:27-35), “Who do you say I am?” Christians affirm our belief that, “You are the Christ, the Son of God, the redeemer.” We have come to understand Jesus as the second person of God in the mystery of Trinity and our eternal happiness depends on listening to Him. But, rather than the harsh, distant, impersonal notion of God we have created out of our own fears, ambitions and illusions, Jesus communicates a very different God who cares for us, seeks us out and wants the best for us as human beings. However lofty and awesome his titles, we fully experience Jesus, not as the “rules man”, but in personal relationship with him as brother, friend, mentor, companion on the journey. 

Deacon Mark Kelly