Newsletter, Week 2, Term 4 , No 1
Principal's Report
Dear Parents & Carers,
Welcome to our first newsletter for term 4.
Most of you will be aware that at 12.59pm on Wednesday 12th October the current Victorian pandemic orders ended and isolation for positive COVID cases is no longer required. However, it is strongly recommended that people continue using RATs and that they choose to remain at home if they test positive or if they are symptomatic. Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation as we move into this next phase of the pandemic.
Last Friday we celebrated Grandparents Day and what an amazing celebration it was! It was wonderful to have our school filled with Grandparents and special friends once again. I think the smiles on everyone’s faces said it all! Particular mention needs to go to Kiera from Stomp Dance Company who worked with our students to create a very entertaining dance performance. Thank you to Leanne Chirchiglia who put together the lovely photo display and to all the staff and students who worked with her to prepare the liturgy and put the event together. Thanks also to the many members of our community who supported us by providing food for the delicious shared morning tea and by being a part of the event. We hope to see you all again next year.
Another special event took place last Friday during which Fr Anthony officially became an Australian Citizen. Leanne and I were honoured to be invited to his citizenship ceremony and we would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Anthony on this very important milestone, on behalf of our entire school community.
Parents of students in Years 3, 5 & 7 should have received a message last week letting them know that this year’s NAPLAN reports are ready for collection from classroom teachers. If you would like your child’s report please contact your child’s classroom teacher to arrange a time to come into school and collect it from them. Reports will not be sent home with students and any that are not collected from teachers will be distributed with Semester Two reports at the end of the year.
This week a panel of external reviewers have come into our school to ratify the work we have done over the last four years and to help us determine future directions. It has been a very affirming process as we collated all our achievements over the last few years to form a report for them. It certainly highlighted how hard our leadership, staff, students and community have worked to improve our school. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the review through workshops, surveys, report writing, focus groups or by simply being a part of the work that we do. We definitely have a lot to be proud of and a bright future to look forward to!
On Monday a group of our Year 5/6 students competed in the Regional Mini Olympics in Bendigo. Every student who participated represented themselves and our school well. One student did exceptionally well and came first in the 800m sprint. He will now head to Melbourne to compete at the State competition. Congratulations to Ja’von Costantino, what an amazing achievement! As always, these events couldn’t take place without the support of the parents and staff who coach, transport and support the children, so well done and thank you to all who contributed.
If you have been onsite recently you will have noticed considerable progress on our building project. The walls are beginning to go up and our new administration/staff centre is taking shape. Meanwhile, work is taking place in Rooms 1 & 2. They have now been stripped back and their refurbishment is beginning. Please keep an eye on the site as we continue to see more progress in the weeks ahead.
As you know, the final term in any school year is busy and this year is no exception. Included in this newsletter you will find dates for this year’s Prep Transition which is set to begin on 17th November and our End of Year dates, including our final Mass, graduations, awards ceremony as well as final days for students and staff. Hopefully having access to these dates early will help with your planning for this busy time of the year.
Finally, I’d like to wish all our Confirmation & First Eucharist candidates every blessing as they continue their preparations to receive the Sacraments. We look forward to being able to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with the candidates and their families at 6pm Mass on Saturday 22nd October and First Eucharist at 6pm on Saturday 29th. Please keep the children and their families in your prayers during this special time.
Kind regards,
Andrea Welsh
Religion
Last Friday we celebrated Grandparents an Special Friends day and it was so wonderful to see so many people back at St Mary’s to celebrate this special occasion.
October is the month of the Rosary. The rosary appeals to many. It is simple. The constant repetition of words helps create a calming atmosphere which can counterbalance our often stressful lifestyles. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in our ability to be centred and we learn to trust that God will bring us through difficult times to inner peace.
Our Prep students will receive their Rosary beads at the parish mass, which will be held on Thursday October 20th. An invitation will be shared with Prep families wih more information.
Congratulations to the students who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on October 22nd. May you continue to grow spiritually, and may your faith always be strong. May God always be in your life, may He always answer your prayers and never leave you.
Lennox Albanese, Jaylan Brigante, Carter Costantino, Harper Curran, Rocco Giofrelle, Shiloh Giofrelle, Zahri Giofrelle, Alphie Jukes, Ariana Lamattina, Asela Lausi, Salote Lausi, Imogen Shawcross, Fonongatapu Vakauta
Don't forget to support Catholic Mission by wearing crazy/ colourful socks with your school uniform next Tuesday, October 18th. Please bring in a gold coin donation. We will learn more about the work of Catholic Mission with a school liturgy, this will be led by our SRC representatives.
Wellbeing
SWPBS
Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behaviours is an important step of a students educational experience. Teaching behavioural expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehaviour to occur before responding.
This week our SWPBS focus was " Follow the St Mary’s Acceptable Use Agreement & report cyberbullying or incidents and concerns to a relevant adult. This was an opportunity to review our school ICT policies and talk about the potential benefits and risks of using technology. Our SWPBS focus next week is "Supporting our Community". This is particularly relevant as we are celebrating Catholic Mission this month. We will be hosting a gold coin donation and crazy socks day to help raise much needed funds to support this worthy cause. However, there are many ways we can support both our local and global community.
Primary
Foundation
Welcome back everyone after a much deserved break. We hope you all enjoyed our STOMP dance performance last Friday. It was so much fun! Our final term is also going to be another busy one.
Next Thursday the 20th of October all Foundation students will be presented with their very first set of Rosary beads from Fr Anthony. These will be presented to students at the Parish Mass at 9:30am until approximately 10:30am at the St Mary’s Church. All parents/carers/families are invited to join this special celebration with us. Fr Anthony will bless the rosary beads and these will be a keepsake for many years to come. An invitation to all Foundation families will be sent home this week.
On the 27th of October (Week 4) will be our Prep Tea after school. A permission/consent form will be sent home soon so please keep an eye out for this inside your child’s library/school bag. As we’re nearing the end of the year we are frequently making contact via ClassDojo. It has become clear that often these are unread. Please ensure you're checking ClassDojo posts and messages regularly to keep up to date and in contact with your child’s teacher.
Year 1/2
The Year 1/2 students have settled back into school very well in Term 4. We had a fantastic week enjoying the dance moves that Kiera taught us in STOMP, and though there were a few nervous performers, the unit starred with their performance on Friday. We loved having the Grandparents and Special friends visit.
In Humanities, we are looking at Special Places, beginning with places that are special to us, then special places in our local and further environment.
We are looking forward to our sleepover next week, and remind parents and carers to please return the note along with the $20 required for next Thursday and Friday.
Year 3/4
My goodness! What a ripper way to start the term! The year 3/4 students applied so much focus and pride to their STOMP performance and were fantastic on Grandparent’s Day. Well done, everyone.
We have been working on figurative speech in our reading and writing, with particular focus using alliteration and tongue twisters. In maths, year 4’s are working with concepts of time and the year 3’s are completing a unit on multiplication and division.
Our geography unit we have us learning about natural and man-made landmarks of Australia, including states and their capitals.
Please make sure you are checking Class Dojo regularly for any contact from teachers. Daily home reading is encouraged as part of our homework expectations, with students bringing in their homework and reading diaries regularly to their teacher.
Year 5/6
Welcome back and what a great start to Term 4! There are lots of exciting events and learning happening this term. Students enjoyed watching and performing their STOMP dance in front of their grandparents. In writing, students are creating formal and informal letters. They are looking at the structure and language features of different kinds of letters. In reading, students are looking into the deeper meaning of protest songs. They have been describing and writing about emotional responses to a song and the message or viewpoint of the songwriter. A friendly reminder for all parents to ensure Class Dojo is checked regularly for important messages or updates.
Secondary
Science
In Year 7 Science our new topic is Earth in Space. The Year 7’s have started creating a mobile solar system of the planets they are researching the seasons, tides and are keeping a diary of the cycle of the moon.
In Year 8 Science students are learning about Elements, compounds and mixtures. They are learning about the periodic table and making model compounds.
Technology
Year 8 students are continuing with Food Technology this term. Our focus this term will be looking at protein and an ingredient. Students enjoyed a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and milkshake last week and are looking forward to cooking Hamburgers this week.
Electives
Our second term of elective began last week. Students worked really well in wood work. It was pleasing to see them helping each other and waiting their turn to use equipment.