Dear Parents and Carers,

As we continue our faith journey, we are reminded that Lent is a time of preparation for the commemoration of Jesus' passion and death and the celebration of his resurrection at Easter. Traditionally this preparation involved abstaining from meat on Fridays, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God's gifts — not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446). May we all prepare for Lent in a way that helps us to grow closer to God and allow him to come closer to us.

Kayaking at Lilydale Lake

On Friday I had the opportunity to accompany some of the Year Five and Six students on a Kayaking expedition at Lilydale Lake. This activity, organised by Upper Yarra District Sports Association was run by Paddle Victoria.

Following a safety briefing, the students went out onto the water where they played some games to familiarise themselves with the environment and equipment they were using.

The children were given instructions on the technique required to maneuver their kayaks before heading out as a group to explore Lilydale Lake. They had a great time together and are looking forward to canoeing at Phillip Island Adventure Resort on their School Camp from Wednesday 24 to Friday 26 May.

Student Attendance

Some recent tracking of student attendance has revealed some interesting and pleasing data. Our average attendance between 2017 and 2021 was 92%. This dropped significantly to 88% in 2022, with COVID and Influenza widespread in the school community. It is pleasing to see that this has bounced back to a very healthy 94% in the first half of Term One, 2023. We attribute this to the relatively low number of COVID Cases in our school community and are hopeful that this will continue as we head into the cooler months.

With greater opportunity for full attendance, we would encourage all parents to do everything they can to ensure their children are at school every day each term, when they are well. Please read the article below regarding the importance of regular school attendance:

Communicating COVID Cases to School

Despite the relatively low case number of cases in our school community, COVID-19 is still more prevalent in the wider community than it was in either 2020 or 2021. One need only look at the statistics published on the Coronavirus Website to see the impact it is having across our state.

We are also aware of the disruption it caused to student learning throughout 2022 and the impact on the school staff. It also had a catastrophic effect on our staff replacement budget, sending it deep into the red and reducing our overall bank balance. The best way for us to keep our school free from COVID-19 is for us all to test and stay away from school when we are symptomatic. The school has a huge stockpile of RATs which are freely available at the office. Please feel free to pick up a box or two when you are in or ask your child to collect them from the office.

We are very hopeful that the worst of this is behind us and that we can look forward to a full year of uninterrupted learning. Please call me directly on 0425736305 or email me principal@sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au if your child tests positive to COVID-19.

Late Arrivals/Early Dismissals

If a child is arriving late at school or returning from an appointment, parents are asked to sign them in at the office. The child will then make their way to the classroom or be delivered by a staff member. When a child is departing school early, parents are asked to sign them out at the office and the child will be called to the office for collection.

Parents are asked not to bypass the office and drop their children to the classroom or collect them from the classroom without signing them either in or out. Any parents visiting the classroom are reminded to sign in and out at the office. It is a requirement under Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Child Safety policies for us to have a record of who has been on-site at any given time.

School Crossing Supervision

I am still receiving almost daily messages from Yarra Ranges Shire Council regarding unsupervised crossings before and after school. If you have a child who uses these crossings and you would like to be notified about these changes, please send me an email with the text Unsupervised School Crossings in the subject line. Please include your mobile phone number in the body of the email and I will forward you the messages when I receive them.

Not Receiving the Newsletter

It seems pretty obvious ........ if you were not receiving the newsletter, you wouldn't be reading this message. However, if you know anyone who is not receiving it, tell them to send an email to principal@sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au with the word Subscribe in the subject line. I will add them straight away. Important that everyone is in the loop with the goings on at St Joseph's.

Parent Helpers in Classrooms

Parents who have completed the Parent Helpers Course, who hold a current Working with Children Card and who have signed the Parent Code of Conduct are invited to volunteer for child-related work at St Joseph's School.

Parent Helpers Course

We would like to offer an opportunity to both our new and existing parents to complete the parent helpers course. If you are interested they will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday 7 March 9:00am
Thursday 23 March 2:00pm

The parent helpers course needs to be completed every three years so, if you have completed this training in 2022, you will not need to do it again until 2025. Please reply to the email sent to you today to register for your preferred meeting.

A Working with Children Card is required for anyone aged over the age of 18 years who wishes to engage in Child Related Work. This includes members of all parent committees, including School Advisory Council, Parent Association and Works and Maintenance Committee. It also includes (but is not restricted to) anyone attending excursions, being a classroom helper, assisting at school sporting events, cooking the barbecue at a sausage sizzle.

Parent Code of Conduct

All parents within our School Community are requested to complete a Parent Code of Conduct. This is a non-negotiable for parents wishing to engage in Child Related Work

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful weekend.

Nick.

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