Dear Families

Well we have almost made it out of Winter, and hopefully we can see an improvement in attendance.  The last few weeks have seen plenty of families struggling with illnesses so we hope the sunny weather this week is good for both our souls and sinuses!

We have enjoyed a busy fortnight both in and out of our classrooms - Judging by the length of this newsletter the next few weeks do not look any quieter.  Last week we celebrated our school's faith story by have a trip to Sacred Heart church to join with our sister schools (Sacred Heart and Lumen Christi) to share a Mary MacKillop Mass.  As Australia's First Saint Mary MacKillop is worthy of our attention but more importantly we recognise her as starting the sisters of St.Joseph who created all three of our local Catholic Primary Schools.  There is even evidence that Mary MacKillop visited Sacred Heart in the early 1900's.  We had our own St.Joseph moment this month when we finished our new cross at the entrance of the school.  One of our school tradies Luke followed in the footsteps of Jesus' earthly Father, St.Joseph the Carpenter, and savaged some old timber from a worksite in Morwell to create a wooden cross which was then beautified by Alison Answer, our Admin Officer, by adding coloured grass to pick up on the 'Rainbow' reference from the Bible.  We thank these two workers for completing this passion project during their own time and we hope for more sunshine to sparkle up Alison's lead-lighting.

Attached in this edition of the newsletter is the announcement of our 2024 Mary MacKillop Awardees.  Congratulations to these students and staff on the way they consistently model out Gospel Values that Mary MacKillop so humbly lived out across her years of service.  We have a wonderful community but it is always important to not take that for granted so these awards are a nice tribute to thank those nominated.

On the sporting front we have been kept busy with Basketball and District Athletics,  our school's athletics squad enjoy near-perfect conditions for the District Carnival today.  In Paris our Aussie Athletes have been busy while in Morwell our Aussie Artists have produced some spectacular work - Please spend some time in the St.Vincent's Louvre and enjoy our artwork in the foyer.  Incredible quality of work!

Working hard behind the scenes are also the Fathers Day Stall squad.  Orders can be made via CDF-Pay and pre-ordering this year allows for multiple purchases.  Please log in and order your gifts prior to the closing date to avoid disappointment ..... and also allow our gift makers enough time to prepare the gift sets.

Please take time to enjoy reading, watching and looking at this newsletter.  Please note the Health notes and be aware of continued illnesses across staff and students.  We appreciate you support in staying home if you are unwell.

Dave

The 8th August is the Feast Day of St.Mary of the Cross MacKillop,

St. Mary MacKillop, with the support of Fr. Julian Tenison Woods, opened a school in the South Australian town of Penola on the 19^th March 1866.  The school operated out of a stable. This was the beginning of the Sisters of St.Joseph.  Over the next decades further schools were established across Australia as more young women joined Mary’s ranks, reaching out to educate children across the country.

In 1954 the Sisters of Joseph took charge of establishing our school in a tin hut, curtained off in the middle to separate the younger and older children.  The post-war migration waves saw many Europeans settle in Morwell and the number of students quickly grew.  Mary’s sisters became key figures in Morwell fulfilling the spiritual and educational needs of these families.

Mary and the Sisters of St.Joseph are excellent role models to us all at St.Vincent’s as we live out our school motto ‘Learn with Love’.

In 2022 we created a tradition of presenting MARY MACKILLOP Awards to students and staff from across the school that exhibit behaviours and attitudes aligned to St.Mary.  We congratulate the awardees of this very significant recognition.

Jim Quilinan provides our Diocese with an article once a month.  Please enjoy Jim's most recent reflection titled "THE KOOKABURRA"

As we hit some cooler weather we will likely find an increase in illnesses in the community.  Some common ones to be aware of are influenza, gastroenteritis, slap cheek and head lice.  

The Department of Health has issued a health alert of increasing cases of Whooping Cough (Pertussis) in Victoria.

Please find attached a link to the Department of Health website that provides parents with useful information about different infectious diseases and school exclusion.  We ask for your support in keeping children home that are unwell.  Apart from reducing the risks of spreading germs, it is sad to see little bodies trying to cope with school when they are not feeling 100%.

Our 2024 School Concert (Let’s Get Started) will be held on Thursday 19th September at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon. 

Tickets for this event was released on Wednesday 21st August at 10:00am. Tickets will be $17 dollars each. Please note that this is a one-off performance and is expected to sell out. To avoid the disappointment of missing out it is recommended that you purchase tickets sooner rather than later. There is no limit to the number of tickets you are able to purchase. Seats are allocated as per ticket purchases. Join us for a night of nostalgia, laughs, music, live acting, plenty of dancing and good times.

Today parents face a multitude of modern day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. Whilst there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.

SchoolTV addresses this as an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.

St.Vincent's is proud to partner with SchoolTV to offer our school families a range of resources.  We urge you to check out these wonderful resources.

SchoolTV is available via our school website under the Wellbeing menu.

https://stvmorwell.catholic.schooltv.me/

This week we have shared discussions and resources to acknowledge this National Week of Action.

Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The new hero colour for the campaign is purple – symbolising peace, strength and empowerment to take a stand against bullying behaviour.

The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected.

“Positive school climates that value diversity and inclusion can foster a sense of belonging and provide a protective factor against negative peer relationships and reduce bullying.” (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023).

For more information about Bullying No Way Week and bullying prevention, visit the Bullying No Way website.

The Children's Book Council of Australia for decades have led the celebration of Book Week.  The date tends to fall within August.

This year's theme is: READING IS MAGIC.

At St.Vincent's we have three key targeted events to celebrate Book Week this August.

BOOK WEEK DRESS-UP DAY: Wednesday 21st August

Come dressed as a character or be inspired by the theme READING IS MAGIC.  Maybe just come in your favourite, comfortable reading clothes.  Please don't feel like you need to spend money on a fancy costume - Keep things simple.  

In the morning we will have a parade in the Gym to start the day, followed by some multi-age activity group rotations between recess and lunch.