Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

Mary Mackillop Feast Day Prayer Service
For any parents who would like to part of our prayer service this Friday, August 8. Our senior students prayer service will start at 12pm and our junior students will be celebrating their prayer service commencing at 9am. Please ensure you sign in via the office. 

Basketball Court Open
There was plenty of excitement this week as students were able to play on our new basketball court. The removal of the temporary fencing and the addition of new landscaping have also greatly improved the overall look of the area. To help protect the fresh landscaping, we’ve asked all students to stay out of the dirt areas while the grass grows and to avoid walking on the new turf until the roots have fully established.

Uniform Expectations
Following our recent swimming program, some students have been arriving in non-uniform items. A reminder that our uniform policy asks students to avoid coloured nail polish, excessive jewellery, non-school coloured hair ties, and non-uniform jackets or jumpers, especially during the cooler months.

To maintain consistency and pride in our school, all uniform items should be purchased through our preferred supplier, Beleza School Uniforms. This ensures consistency in colour, quality, and style. If there are any uniform concerns, please speak with your child’s teacher.

National Tree Planting Day
On Tuesday August; Toyota Warragul and Habitat Creations will come together to give students a chance to plant over 200 trees along the fence line along Downton Street. Students have been busy preparing the area during their lunch times by moving 10 cubic meters of mulch. Students have been asked to bring some gumboots in a plastic bag that they can wear to avoid any mud being brought back into the classrooms. Please see the flyer attached for further information. It will be a great opportunity for students in our junior years to work with their buddies in a whole school activity. If you have completed your volunteer pack and would like to support please reach out to Mickey Davies via email:
mdavies@stangelawarragul.catholic.edu.au 

Science Week
Next week is Science Week, and our teachers are busy planning exciting ways to bring science into their classrooms. This is a great opportunity to spark curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in our students through hands-on experiments, investigations, and discoveries. We’re looking forward to a fun and engaging week of learning! Mrs Davies has also planned some activities throughout lunch time that have been funded by the recent grant she won. 

Great work in 5/6D
Sophia in 5/6D recently entered the Parliament Prize competition. This competition is open to support student voices and hear what young Victorians have to say about issues affecting their community. Sophia spoke on the women’s pay rights and the right to equality. Sophia was shortlisted and although she didn’t win, she pushed through feelings of anxiety and self confidence to deliver a highly polished and persuasive piece that she would like to share with families at our next assembly. Well done Sophia. 

100 days of School Celebration
Students in Foundation had a wonderful day celebrating their 100 days of school today. It was great seeing people in the school looking older than I am! The foundation team decorated their rooms with colour and balloons and provided fun activities involving the number 100 and lunch for the children. A big thank you to families and teachers for getting right into the spirit of the day and creating some wonderful costumes! 

Book Week
Book Week is fast approaching, a quick reminder for parents to find a book and simple costume. Again, it is not compulsory to dress up, so please don’t feel pressured to purchase any items, sometimes a few creative things from home can be just as good. A Book Week parade will be held on the Junior School deck at 9am, and all parents are warmly invited to attend.

Wrapper free Wednesdays
The Chat team were busy looking through classes today tallying the number of students who had a wrapper free Wednesday! The children will keep a tally over the term and see which class wins the prize in the last week of term. 

Warm Regards,
Stephen Pitt | Principal

Positive Partnerships are providing some wonderful free online workshops for parents and carers. These workshops are designed to support families of children on the Autism Spectrum and provide valuable insights and strategies. Please see the registration links below.

Please note separate registrations are required for each session.

Tuesday 19 August 12:00-1:30pm(AEST)- Session 1 – Diversity of Autism

Tuesday 26 August 12:00-1:30pm (AEST)- Session 2 – Sensory Processing

Tuesday 2 September 12:00-1:30pm (AEST)- Session 3 – Understanding Behaviour

Tuesday 9 September 12:00-1:30pm (AEST)- Session 4 – Working Together

We will be celebrating Book Week with a dress-up day and a parade. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character or in a costume that celebrates the joy of reading. The theme for the 2025 Children’s Book Week is
“Book an Adventure!”
inspiring children to explore new worlds through stories, so let your imagination run wild! 

Warragul and Drouin Parishes will be launching their 2025 ALPHA Program on Thursday, August 7, which runs for 11 weeks, including a one-day retreat. Sessions will be held in the Marian Room, located at the rear of St Joseph’s Church in Warragul.