Newsletter, week 6, term 1, No 3 2022
Principal's Report
Dear Parents & Carers,
It’s hard to believe that we are over half way through this term and we are already in autumn!
Time is certainly flying by but I’m very pleased to be able to say that things have returned to (almost) normal at school. It is wonderful to have many of you coming in and out of school and we are looking forward to seeing you at our first whole school community assembly today.
A friendly reminder that we will celebrate the Labour Day public holiday next Monday the 14th March and that Monday 28th March is a school closure day. No students are required to attend school on either of these days. Foundation parents, please note that as of next week these students attend school every day.
A concerning trend we have noticed lately is that several of our students are carrying mobile phones or using SMART watches while at school. The Victorian Government has banned phones in schools and St Mary’s students are not permitted to have them in their possession while at school. If your child brings a phone or any other internet enabled personal device to school it must be handed into the office in the morning to be collected in the afternoon. SMART watches can be worn if the internet access is disabled but our preference is that students don’t have them at all. There are no exceptions to this rule so please be aware of this and remind your child that if they are found to be in possession of a phone or other personal device while at school it will be confiscated and there may be other consequences implemented.
As you know, due to circumstances beyond our control, our building project was held up at the end of last year. I’m very happy to be able to report that the project is finally about to begin. At this stage we anticipate that the builders will arrive onsite during the April school holidays. This means that some staff and students need to vacate and relocate to other areas of the school including all our Year 3/4 classrooms, admin and learning diversity. There is no doubt we’ll be a little cramped for a while and access to the front of the school will be limited but we’re sure the resulting new administration facilities and Junior Wing will be worth the inconvenience. The process of moving into new (temporary) homes for everyone will begin soon. Rest assured that the staff at St Mary’s will be working hard to ensure that the building project will not affect our student’s learning and that all our usual school routines are maintained.
Although the worst of our recent COVID outbreak seems to be over it is still present in our community. Please remember that we strongly recommend all our students take twice weekly Rapid Antigen Tests. A pack of tests to use in Weeks 7 & 8 should have come home either yesterday or today with each student. Thank you for your cooperation and support in this regard.
Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that we will be holding our annual St Mary’s Swimming Carnival on Friday 25th March. This is always a wonderful community event which will be made even more special this year because it is the first we’ve been able to have for a while. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Kind regards,
Andrea Welsh
Religious Education
Last week we celebrated Pancake Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Our students enjoyed a pancake kindly cooked by our parent helpers. There were many students who returned for another pancake. The meaning of the day was not lost as all classes participated in learning more about this day in preparation for Lent.
All students were respectful during the Ash Wednesday online liturgy. Thank you to Fr Anthnoy for sharing last year's Palm Sunday branches with us and for blessing the ashes prior to Wednesday.
A note regarding Caritas was sent home last week. At St Mary’s we support the work that Caritas Australia provides. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
The theme of Project Compassion 2022 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and this reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting (by giving up something that is a treat for you) and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Please keep this in mind and keep your caritas boxes safe.
Let us also think of the people affected by the floods in Queensland and New South Wales, may they find support from those around them. We also acknowledge the people of Ukraine. Let us hope that peace comes quickly.
Information for Year 5 First Eucharist Candidates and those who missed out in 2021.
Preparation Day will be held on SATURDAY 19 MARCH FROM 9am - 3pm. Please phone the parish contact, Mary Knight: 0438 627 920 or email: robinvale@ballarat.catholic.org.au if you have any questions.
Wellbeing
This week our SWPBS focus has been to following staff instructions.
To ensure a positive learning environment and student safety it is important that students follow instructions given to them by a staff member. Please discuss with your child the importance of following instructions, not just at school but when they play sport and as they get older and have jobs.
Next week our focus will be speaking politely and using good manners.
This is an opportunity to discuss with your child what manners are and when we should use them. It is also important to talk to them about their tone (the way they speak) and about the timing of their conversations. It is important that students wait their turn to speak to allow everyone the opportunity to seek help, ask questions and participate in the conversation.
Primary School
Foundation
Over the last two weeks, we have been very busy with our learning in Foundation. Our new friend that we have met is ‘Tommy Tiger taps’ for the letter ‘t’. Please encourage your child to practice writing the letters we have learnt so far ‘m’, ‘s’, ‘t’ at home. In Mathematics, we have been building on our knowledge of numbers from 1-10 and learning how to write each numeral correctly. Last week, we had our very first Foundation unit visit to the church. It was nice to meet our priest Fr Anthony.
Just a reminder that this week is our last rest day. Foundation students will attend school full-time next week (Week 7) after the Labour Day long weekend (14.03.22).
Please ensure your child has brain food (fruit, vegetables, yoghurt or cheese), some other healthy snacks for recess and lunch (sandwich, wrap, roll or other nutritious meal) each day.
Year 1/2
We have had another busy two weeks in Year 1/2. In Reading, we are learning to make predictions and connect the big book that we are reading to our lives. For writing, we have been using a stimulus picture to write sentences that include a proper noun, common noun & verb.
The students are thoroughly enjoying learning about insects in our environment, like ants and worms. They used microscopes and magnifying glasses to look closely at the sections of each small creature. Please remember students are encouraged to read their readers at home on a daily basis
Year 3/4
The teachers in year 3-4 are preparing for our camp in week 10. We are off to the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement for a few fun days exploring how people lived in days gone by.
We all enjoyed Pancake Tuesday last week and this was our inspiration for our outside class display of pancakes with lenten promises written on them. In reading and writing we have been exploring the features of a narrative. We have heard many interesting picture story books that evoke our imagination of the setting and characters.
3/4 LC&SM are busy practising for their assembly performance on Friday March 18th. They are performing a play based on the 3 Little Pigs, written by Miss Mitchell. Look out for more wolves, sustainable living and revolving doors!
The vast majority of our students have undertaken their homework. Please remember that students need to read for 10-20 minutes each day and record this in the their reading diaries. Diaries are to be brought to school each day to be sighted and signed by the teacher.
Year 5/6
It has been another busy week for the year 5/6’s and they are eagerly waiting for Class Captains to be announced in each of the classes. Speeches and votes have been finalised and we are looking forward to announcing our 5/6 leaders in the coming weeks.
In reading, students are focusing on comprehension strategies and have identified some strategies to find the main idea of the text. In writing, students have been focus on narrative writing. They have enjoyed creating their own stories and sharing them with their classmates.
5/6SM is looking forward to presenting at assembly this friday with a focus on the Australian Government.
Just a friendly reminder that students are expected to read four nights a week. They must record this in their diary and bring in their reading diary to school each day.
Specialist
Languages
Primary students have enjoyed learning about their favorite fruit juice in Italian. They read a story called Juice Bar with characters and different fruit juice preferences.
The 7-8 students are using a program called Education Perfect to help with their learning of Italian. It was nice to see students putting into practice their greetings.
Digital Tech
It was great to see all students return their ICT user agreements. All classes have been busy creating our classroom Norms and Expectations for Digi Tech. The 5-6 students transformed the rules into a poster using the canva.com program and these are proudly displayed in the classroom.
PE
It’s been great to see all the basketball skills St. Mary’s students have! Students from F-6 have been improving their shooting and dribbling skills.
Remember to wear your sports uniform and sneakers on your PE days.
Art
The Foundation students have completed their all of their activities about the Primary colour yellow. They have all followed instructions very well and have enjoyed making crowns, necklaces and sunflowers.
The year 1/2 students have had so much fun with symmetry painting and finding interesting things within their work that they have drawn over the top of their work.
Secondary
English
Year 7 and 8 students have been practicing and improving their skills of inferencing in both fiction and non-fiction texts. They understand how their context; family, community and their own knowledge, may have them inferring differently to others.
Maths
In year 8 maths this week we are learning about Index Laws. We have just completed our first Maths Mate test where we had three students share top scores of 32 out of 33 and some students who had a 50% personal growth rate, which is fantastic.
Science
In Year 7 Science we are about to start our new topic on Classification and in Year 8 we are about to study Cells - the basic units of life.
Technology
In technology we are continuing to develop our knowledge of raising agents. Last week students used self raising flour to make cupcakes and this week we looked at yeast when we made pizza’s. Students are developing their knowledge of cooking techniques and using different equipment.
Arts
Students are completing their magazine pages and are beginning to write annotations for each component of the page. They have been identifying how the picture, colours, fonts, main story and bylines attract the buyer to purchase their magazine.
SCHOOL CROSSING REMINDERS TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR CHILD SAFE
- please wait BEHIND the yellow line until the whistle is blown
- if you park on the church side of the road you MUST use the crossing, to cross to and from the school
- there is to be NO PARKING between the No Stopping Sign and the crossing These rules apply in ALL weather conditions
BOOKCLUB ISSUE 2
is due back no later then:
WEDNESDAY 16TH MARCH
Family Fee Assistance
Family Fee Scheme applies to families who hold a current Health Care Card.
Please bring your Health Care Card into the School office before the end of Term 1 to receive the discount off your School Fees.
Are you contact details up to date?
Important information is sent out via sms and email.
Please contact the school office to make sure we have have your correct details.
Parent Access Module (PAM)
PAM provides you with information on a range of areas relating to your child's education, including medical information.
ARE YOU USING PAM?
If you have not so already, please download the web app and log in. If you have misplaced your username and password please contact the school office.
It is important that we have updated medical information for all students. e.g Medicare no, Doctors name and phone no. Medical information can be updated on PAM.
Information & Registration Day – Sunday 20 March 2022
Three Colours will be holding its Club information and Registration day on Sunday 20 March 2022 between 11am – 1pm
Free sausage sizzle
Girls, Boys and Ladies needed
With the increase in playing divisions this Season, the Club is seeking additional boys, girls and ladies to play.
Jerseys are supplied for the Season and it is a great way for the whole family to keep fit.
For more information contact Lucy on 0439 302 090
Training Nights
- Under 6-10’s: Start Thursday 17/3/22 and will be held 5pm-6pm every Thursday
- Under 12’s : Start Tuesday 14/3/22 and will be held 5pm-6pm every Tuesday & Thursday
- Under 14’s & 16’s: Start Tuesday 14/3/22 and will be held 7pm-8pm every Tuesday & Thursday
- Womens: Start Thursday 17/3/22 and will be held 7pm-8pm every Tuesday & Thursday
- Reserve’s & Seniors : Have commenced and is held 7pm – 8.30pm every Tuesday & Thursday
For more details contact Michael on 0439 302 090.
Coaches and Volunteers needed
The Club is recruiting coaches for all J-League age groups and people to assist with our weekly meal nights
Heaps of fun and helps the Club provide the enjoyment that comes with having teams and equipment
For more information contact Lucy on 0439 302 090
3 colurs HUMM now available
As part of its ongoing commitment to make Football accessible to everyone, Three Colours SC has joined HUMM
The Club will allow payments for registration fees, merchandise and club functions to be paid by instalments to approved persons.