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 who commands us to love, God who remains God with us: your answer, your solution, your remedy for our ills is not a product we can hold or a lesson we can recite.

It is a life,

a story,

an ongoing relationship.

It is a life that lives on for us.

It is a story we can be a part of.

It is a relationship we enter with you and with others.

Help us remain together in love, responsive to one another’s needs, and changed by our one-ness in you. Amen.    

Message from the Principal

Hello everyone. Term 4 Week 6 is upon us.

Today we were visited by future Principal of the school, Mr. Darren Lloyd. After a tour of the town and some organisational work, the students got to find out a little bit about him at our assembly this afternoon. He is very excited about 2022 and all that it entails at St. Joseph's.

This week is a fairly normal week, touch wood. We will continue with our Bike Ed classes on Wednesday, commemorate Remembrance Day on Thursday and have a visit from the Kinder students on Friday.

Hope you all have an amazing week.

End of Year Excursions

Plans are in place to give students some memorable excursions to celebrate the end of 2021. More information will be sent out in next week's newsletter. We understand the disappointment of cancelled camps and excursions this year and any money not used for end of year excursions will be appropriately reimbursed to families.

School Advisory Council Meeting & AGM

The final School Advisory Council meeting for 2021 will be held on 24th November. We will also hold the Annual General Meeting on the same evening. More information to come.

Sacrament of Eucharist

CHANGE OF DATE - Eucharist will now be on Sunday the 28th November at 10:30am, 5 students from our school will be celebrating the sacrament of Eucharist at mass in the church.

We ask that all the community keep Mason and Karley Watson, Clancy and Hilton Mullins and Zoe Calvert in their thoughts and prayers as they celebrate this special occasion.  

Happy Birthday

Happiest of birthdays to Evie Cameron who turned 7 and Archie Adams who turned 9. Both birthdays were on the 3rd November.

Hats and Summer Uniform

Students at school are required to wear hats when playing outside in Term 4. If you have not sent your child’s hat to school yet, can you please do so ASAP. New hats are available to purchase through the school. 

As we are in Term 4 it is now time to start wearing our summer uniform.

Calendar Dates

Term 4 - Special Dates to Remember

11th November - Remembrance Day

28th November - Sacrament of Eucharist

23rd & 30th November - Prep Transition Days

7th December - Orientation Day for 2022

13th December - Graduation & End of Year Celebration Evening

16th December - Proposed Excursion Date

17th December - End of Term 4

Wellbeing

Hello, As we are now half way thru term 4 I thought the following article from the Victorian government education website, would be of interest to parents whose children are transitioning from grade 6 to High school visit  https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/going-to-school/Pages/tips-starting-school.aspx for more information.

Moving from primary school to secondary school is a major step. It's a time of big changes in your child's life. Talking about the changes with your child will help make the move positive.

What's different

Some of the main differences between primary and secondary school are:

  • more subjects and teachers

  • more homework

  • more challenging school work

  • the responsibility of getting to classes in different rooms on time

  • the need to manage themselves, their learning and their equipment

  • using lockers and carrying books between classes

  • adapting to different teaching styles

  • having no 'home' classroom. (Many schools have a designated area for year 7 students).

 

Tips to prepare during the school holidays

  • Be positive and enthusiastic. Your child is more likely to look forward to starting high school if you’re positive about it.

  • Organise school uniform. Your child should wear their new school shoes around the house to make sure they are comfortable

  • Get books and stationery. The school will give you a book list.

  • Learn about school routines. What time does school start and finish, what time is recess and lunchtime?

  • Learn about travel to school. Make a plan around the public transport timetable. Have a backup plan in case they miss public transport. If you plan to drive your child to school, do a trial drop off and pick up, and check for parking.

  • Talk to your child about their timetable. It will list subjects and classroom numbers. It’s good to make a few copies of the timetable to keep in different places.

  • Create a comfortable place for your child to study. This should be a quiet place away from distractions.

  • Remind your child that is normal to feel nervous about starting high school. These nerves may last past the first day. Encourage your child to talk about what they might be worried about.

  • Encourage your child to keep in touch with their primary school friends.

  • Have an emergency safety plan. Be clear about who your child should contact and what you expect them to do in an emergency.

Kind regards, Lisa Gonnet, Schools Pastoral Care Worker. 0400 994 032

Catholic School Culture

Dear Father, everything we have is a gift from You. Help us to remember to give back to You with a cheerful heart.  In Jesus' name, amen.