Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

I hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend and enjoyed the sun and warm weather. A big thank you to families who attended our Feast Day Mass last week at St Joseph’s Church – it was a great celebration. I met a few parishioners who let me know how warm they felt with our students singing, actions and participation in Mass.

We also announced our School, Mini Vinnie and CHAT leaders for 2025. Through an application to the principal, short listing by our teachers and a discussion around our school needs,  Billie De Battista and Jack Ablett were announced as our School Captains. Both students have excellent leadership skills and determination to make this school a better place for everyone. Well done Jack & Billie!

Our Foundation Interviews for 2026 have started. These will be conducted by Leah, Rachael and myself over the next 2 months. We will be using our senior children to tour parents around our school under the supervision of a teacher. The senior children that I have seen undertake these tours have been outstanding. These tours encourage student leadership, courage and shows sense of pride in our school.

A reminder that our Welcome Picnic will be held at 4.45pm on the school oval before the Andrew Chinn concert which will start at 5.30pm. We will hold the concert on the outside basketball court with parents sitting on the hill watching. Andrew’s concerts are fun, engaging and a great way of sharing faith through music, singing and actions. We were originally planning to have a BBQ available but have decided against that to allow families a chance to mingle and get to know each other rather than trying to cater for each other and miss opportunities to connect.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Warm Regards,
Stephen Pitt | Principal

It is with great pleasure that we can announce the world-famous St Angela of the Cross Giant Easter Egg Raffle is back in 2025. On Friday March 28 all children will have a free dress day at school and the cost for free dress is ONE Easter Egg or Easter Item donation (you can offer more eggs/items if you wish).

We will then create hampers with all the Easter Eggs collected and raffle them off on our final assembly for the term (our last raffle had 50 hampers!).

On Friday all St Angela of the Cross families will receive a book of 10 tickets which are sold for $2 a ticket. All the sold tickets and money will need to be returned to school by Wednesday April 2 at the absolute latest.

If any families would like more booklets please visit administration, or contact them via email or phone (admin@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au or 5622 9800).

Good luck to all and I hope you are a winner!
Stephen Pitt
Principal

On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with our students.

Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.

We will be hosting a Welcome Evening and Andrew Chinn Concert at 5:30pm at St Angela of the Cross. All families are warmly invited to join us for this special event, where students will be performing his beloved songs!

We hope to see you there!

Cecily Van Aswegen
Religious Education Learning Leader

Our guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Fr. Elio Capra, SDB.  He is a knowledgeable and engaging speaker. At this gathering we will hand out information packs, containing enrolment forms, and outline the events and details concerning this wonderful Sacrament. A letter with more information should have come home by now. If you have not received one, please check with your school.

Communion Masses will be held on the weekends of May 31 and June 1 and June 7 and June 8

Sacrament of Confirmation
A Parent Information Meeting will be held on Thursday June 19, 7.00pm in the Marian Room at St. Joseph’s Church Warragul

Confirmation Mass with the Bishop will be held on Friday August 15, 7.00pm at St. Ita’s Church, Drouin

Other dates will be provided closer to the time.

For more information, please contact Liz at the Parish Office 5623 1642 or email warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au

Harmony Day (Friday March 21, 2025) is part of Harmony Week, which celebrates Australia’s amazing cultural diversity. During this week, our school will celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional custodians of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world.

With the motto ‘Everyone belongs’, Harmony Week encourages us to appreciate our differences and similarities, promote inclusiveness, and show mutual respect for everyone, regardless of race, colour, religion, or background.

On Friday March 21, our students from F-6 will be come together to participate in a Harmony Day collaborative art activity. We will then celebrate with a whole school lunch on the oval to help continue building a school community, where everyone truly belongs. If your child would like to wear a touch of orange with their school uniform on this day (such as a ribbon, pair of socks, headband or bandana), they are more than welcome to do so.

ORDERS CLOSE
MONDAY MARCH 24

Now – Down the Mountain

Peter’s, often blundering, steps strike a chord with me. I feel I know Peter. And, as a pretty ordinary photographer and painter and an average wordsmith, I understand Peter’s impulse to somehow capture the astounding event he and James and John are witnessing (Luke 9:28-36). Often, I try to capture sunsets, beach scenes, landscapes and even grandchildren. I want to record them at their peak moments, but I rarely succeed to my satisfaction. Peter probably thinks this is Jesus’ peak moment, hence his somewhat silly suggestion to build dwellings or tents or memorials signifying the great prophets, Moses and Elijah and Jesus. He is quickly shut down. Moses and Elijah disappear, and Peter’s creative moment is gone. Confirmation of Jesus greatness is the beginning not the end. Immediately, Jesus is identified as the Chosen One and they are instructed to listen to him so that they (and we) may learn to truly follow Christ on his continuing journey.

What Peter has failed to realize, as many of us often do, is that what is important is not so much that Jesus is transfigured, but that we be transfigured – that’s what Jesus came to do: to transform us more and more into his image and likeness, that we might become, as C.S. Lewis said, “Little Christs.” This glorious “Transfiguration” event might seem a little left field in the context of Luke’s narrative, sandwiched as it is between Jesus forecasts of his imminent death. But it points us forward to along this Lenten journey, emphasising the glory in prospect for each of us, but recognising too that we need to pass through harsh times before the glory. Peter, James and John (and we) need to come down from the mountain, joining Jesus in his journey of love and service and walking together towards whatever future God plans for us. 

Deacon Mark Kelly

The School Savings Bonus is a State Government initiative designed to assist families with cost-of-living pressures.

Under this funding, each eligible student is entitled to a $400 bonus for application towards activity levies and uniform purchases from approved supplier. Within our school, all CSEF applicants are eligible to receive this funding.

All families who have a Centrelink Health Care Card and have not applied for CSEF in the past are encouraged to contact the school office and initiate an application this year. Please refer to the below link for more information:

https://www.vic.gov.au/receiving-school-saving-bonus#non-government-school-information

We’ve Earned Our First Star:
Resource Smart Schools Core Module Certification! 

We are thrilled to announce that our school has officially earned its first star in the Resource Smart Schools program, achieving the Core Module Certification! This is a fantastic milestone for our school community, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, passion, and dedication of our students, staff, and the incredible C.H.A.T Team (which stands for Caring, Healthy, and Active Team).

What does it take to earn the Core Module star?

The Core Module is the first of four certification modules in the Resource Smart Schools program, which focuses on sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of our school. To earn this star, we had to demonstrate that our school is meeting key environmental criteria. This included:

1. Waste Minimisation: We reviewed and improved our school’s waste management practices, focusing on recycling, composting, and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. The team worked hard to implement better systems for sorting waste and educating students on proper disposal methods.

2. Energy Efficiency: We conducted energy audits to assess how we use energy in our classrooms, hallways, and facilities.Thanks to our new buildings and energy efficient structures in place, this was easily achieved.

3. Water Conservation: Our school made a conscious effort to reduce water use by  promoting awareness about water conservation among students and staff.

4. Community Involvement: The success of this project relied heavily on the collaboration between the students, staff, and the wider school community. Our school actively engaged in discussions and participated in various activities designed to make sustainability a part of daily life.

Achieving this certification is a reflection of the commitment to sustainability that we are fostering within our school. We’re proud of how our community has embraced these initiatives, and we look forward to continuing our efforts in making our school even more eco-friendly.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed, especially the C.H.A.T Team, for their unwavering support in making this vision a reality. This is just the beginning, and we are excited for the next steps in our Resource Smart Schools journey!

Stay tuned for more updates as we work towards earning stars in additional modules!

Together, we’re making a difference!