St. Joseph's Primary Penshurst.

ISSUE: Week 7 Term 4, 2023.

School Vision

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

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.

Principal's Message.

Our End of Year Mass and Gr 6 Graduation is on Wednesday 13th December. Our end of year Whole School Mass will be held during school hours at 12pm for any family and parish members to attend. 

The Graduation Ceremony will be Wednesday 13th December at 6.30pm.

We will celebrate our graduates, farewell some families and enjoy a BBQ meal together back at school directly after the celebration.

The Graduation Ceremony is a significant and very special celebration in our school and we expect that students and families will attend this gathering. Students are asked to wear their summer uniform and sit with their families in the church. More information will be shared as we get closer to the date. Pop it on your calendar!

Have a great week everyone.

Darren.

Catholic School Culture

Do you have a Sacred Space? Where do you find Joy in your life?

Our Junior Room have displayed their amazing artwork and responses to an engaging Religion unit of learning that explored Sacred Spaces and Joy in our lives. We invite you to come take a look at their display that shares some very deep connections to family, friends, feeling safe and being loved.

Year F-2 Religion Artwork.

Learning and Teaching

Senior Student's Hoop Time Final.

Well Done St Joseph's Jokers!

What an impressive display of spirit, fun and passion for the game of basketball. There has been a huge buzz back at school this week as students and staff share their favourite snippets of the Senior School Hoop Time Finals in Hamilton.

The St Joseph's Jokers played an exciting brand of B-ball, sharing possession around the court, taking turns to shoot and rebound. They scored early against their Hawkesdale opposition and kept the lead throughout the match to finish undefeated and Mixed Hoop Time Champions.

Our players were very grateful for their sideline support from parents and the junior students who put down their pencils for the chance to visit the tournament and cheer on their older schoolmates.

Our students and coaches now have their sights firmly set on the State Finals in Dandenong on December 8th. We wish them all the best of luck with the travel and tournament. 

Hoop Time Champs!

A Garden to Share.

Our little veggie patch is going gangbusters with lots of produce on the way. Our students are enjoying the opportunities to nibble on snow peas during break times and there are some very eager boys who want to pull the carrots....but not just yet.

We have lots of fresh green lettuce for families to share. They will make a great addition to your BBQ salad. Parents are welcome to visit our veggie patch and cut some lettuce at pickup time if you wish. If we cut the lettuce and leave the base in the ground it will certainly grow back for a second harvest.

Please help yourselves and I hope there will be many more students eating lettuce in their salads for tea.

Community Engagement

School Support for Penshurst Races.

Penshurst Races - 25th November.

YES PARENTS ARE STILL NEEDED TO HELP OUT THE RACE CLUB AND THEIR SCHOOL.

As a supportive role for the Penshurst races this year St Joseph's aim to volunteer race day staff. In the supportive relationship that both the race club and school have, our volunteering time will be payed back to the school as a fundraising wage.


Some of the required support will be:

-  Ticket collectors at the front gate who can direct patrons.


When further roles and details are shared from the race club, roles will be passed on.

St Joseph's is aiming to get as many supportive people in action for the race day as possible. That way we can support a great community event and support the school at the same time.

Leadership and Stewardship

School Advisory Council Vacancies.

We will have some parent positions being vacated on the School Advisory Council for 2024/25.  These are 2 year positions with 1 meeting per term and an AGM in term 4.  We welcome parents who would like to be involved in the structures and policies of the school to send an email to principal@sjpenshurst.catholic.edu to register their interest.

The SAC acts as an advisory body to the Principal in all matters. The SAC supports the principal in the directions/policies of the school. It offers advice and assists with planning for the present and the future operation of the school. 

School Fees.

The end of Term 4 is quickly approaching.

Please finalise your school fees before the end of term.

If you have any concerns making payments please contact Andrea or Darren, as the school is more than willing to make realistic payment arrangements for parents who find themselves in such situations. All family information is held strictly confidential.

Andrea.

Calendar Dates

  Term Four - Special Dates to Remember:

November

  • Saturday 25th - Penshurst Races

 December

  • Friday 8th December - Senior Hoop Time Stat Finals in Dandenong.
  • Wednesday 13th, - End of Year Mass - 12pm at St Joseph's Church.
  • Wednesday 13th at 6.30 - Year 6 Graduation then BBQ Dinner.
  • Friday 15th - Last day of the year for students. 3.20 Finish.

Wellbeing & Child Safety

Student Wellbeing

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support is: A multi-tiered framework for establishing the social culture and behavioural supports needed for a school to achieve behavioural and academic outcomes for all students.

At school we are working with our students on the following:

RESPECT - Remembering to allow others their own space. 

SAFETY - Remaining in our seats and allowing the driver to concentrate when travelling in a vehicle.

RESPONSIBILITY - to play an equal role when working and supporting a team.

Asthma and Hayfever.

Grass pollen season is linked to an increase in asthma and hay fever cases, and it can also bring about a rare occurrence known as "epidemic thunderstorm asthma." This phenomenon happens when a large number of people develop asthma symptoms in a short time due to high grass pollen levels and specific thunderstorms.

Melbourne witnessed the world's largest epidemic thunderstorm asthma event in November 2016, which lead to a significant number of people experiencing breathing difficulties.

Epidemic thunderstorm asthma is believed to occur due to a unique combination of abundant grass pollen and a specific type of thunderstorm. Grass pollen particles can rupture and release tiny, inhalable particles that become concentrated in the wind gusts preceding a thunderstorm.

These particles can quickly trigger asthma symptoms, making breathing difficult and potentially severe. Both asthma and hay fever sufferers, especially those who wheeze or cough with hay fever, are at risk during these events. It's crucial for individuals with these conditions to be aware of thunderstorm asthma and take precautions during grass pollen season.

Child Safe Standards.

The new Child Safe Standards (eleven in total) came into effect in July last year and are a vital part of what we do here at St Joseph’s. But, what do these standards look like in practice?

Each week, we will look at a standard in closer detail.

Standard 11 - Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people

At St Joseph’s we can see this standard in action in a variety of ways. We have many policies and procedures in place to meet this standard. Our child safe policies are available to read on our school website. We also have strict guidelines that volunteers and contractors must follow and meet when they are working in our school. All adults working with our students must hold a valid Working With Children Check (WWCC) or Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration. These are just a few examples of the many ways in which we meet this standard.

All of these actions help to keep Child Safety at the very front of our minds!

More information about these standards can be found here: Child Safe Standards