St. Joseph's Primary

Penshurst

Acknowledgement of Country

At St. Joseph’s Primary School we pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land, the Kolorer gunditj people and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

The area around Mount Rouse is the country of the Kolorer gunditj clan of Aboriginal people. Their title is derived from their name for Mount Rouse which is Kolor. The permanent spring that is now located within the Penshurst Botanic Gardens was a traditional meeting place for Aboriginal people in the region.

School Vision

St Joseph’s Penshurst, as partners in Catholic education and with our school community, pursues fullness of life for all.

Prayer

God of grieving, God of silence, there is a strange gift in having time, one whole day, to sit with questions of why and how long and to hear no response at all. To rush from Friday to Sunday, from death to resurrection, wouldn’t do either justice. Nor would it dignify the life of those whose daily pain and grief and constant pleas for justice go unanswered in the world’s daily rhythm. Let your silence fill this silence, until our empty noise dies out. Amen

Message from the Principal

Hello Everyone. Hopefully you all had a chance to rest and enjoy some time with family. It is hard to believe that we are in our final term of 2021. We look forward to getting back to some form of normality very soon so we can end the year together as a community.

I understand the concern about Covid cases in regional Victoria and we are doing everything we can to maintain a CovidSafe school, including temperature checking all students as they enter. We thank you for your understanding and remind you to please monitor your children for any symptoms before sending them to school. Mr H

Learning & Teaching

We welcome Mrs. Tayla Gow to our community this term and are grateful that she gets to start the term with her students. We also welcome Hunter Kelly, a new foundation student to our school starting Monday. The Prep - 2 class is working on the themes of  'Gardening' and 'New Beginnings' this term.

Week 1 will see a home learning program for 3-6. We will have more details in regards to Week 2 and 3 as soon as possible. Mrs. Hallowell and Katie will be in contact with Grade 3-6 students about work for this week and packs will be available for pick up today. If students are working at school for supervision please make sure they bring along their computers and work packs.

Community Engagement

It has been really hard not being able to have some of the community events that we would normally have as a school. Parents and families are essential to a school community and it is challenging to not have your presence around our school. Tools like ClassDojo are a good way to stay connected.

If you are needing to come into the school for any reason please follow the correct CovidSafe procedure. Use the QR code at the front entrance to check in, wear a mask and sanitise hands. We thank you for your patience and support.

Calendar Dates

Term 4 - Special Dates to Remember

4th October - Term 4 Begins

1st November - School Closure Day

2nd November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

11th November - Remembrance Day

7th December - Proposed Orientation Day for 2022

17th December - End of Term 4


Birthdays - August & September

Due to lockdown and holidays we have not been able to celebrate birthdays recently.

The following are students who have celebrated their birthdays in August and September.

August

Clancy Mullins - 11, Raine Hoyt - 10, Hilton Mullins - 10, Charlotte Turner - 12, Riley Turner - 12

September

Mia Nash - 8


Wellbeing

Fortunately, there’s plenty parents and carers can do to help their children feel less anxious about being back at school.

Discuss things openly. Professor Brett McDermott suggests openly discussing any issues your child may be experiencing during this transition period, including why and how things might feel different to normal. In doing so, he advises you to be upbeat but matter of fact.

“Getting across that it’s business as usual and modelling this with positive words and behaviour will help set the tone,” says McDermott.

Stick to a steady routine. Sticking to a reliable, steady daily routine can help with feelings of anxiety.

McDermott recommends starting each school day the same way, including setting the alarm, eating breakfast together, dressing in school uniform or doing whatever you would normally do.

Use incentives and highlight the positives of being back in school. For example, you might organise for a school friend to come by in the morning on the first day back so they can go in together, or arrange a playdate after school with their best friend/s.

Tell them you’re confident in them. Remind your child that they’ve already shown great resilience and adaptability during what has been a challenging year, and that you have full confidence in their ability to do it again.

Regularly check in with your child. Ask them how they’re feeling, what they’re enjoying, and what might not be working so well. Help your child find solutions to any issues they might be having. Supporting your child in becoming confident in problem-solving will help them build resilience.

Catholic School Culture

Unfortunately we were unable to celebrate the Sacrament of Eucharist with our students and families last term. We will work with Father Paddy Mugavin on hopefully being able to plan this event this term.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all families at this time of Covid and lockdowns.