Newsletter, Week 6, Term 3 #3
Principal's Report
Dear Parents & Carers,
Term 3 is flying past and many exciting things have been happening in our school over the past couple of weeks.
Last week we held our annual Athletics Day. Athletics Day is always filled with fun, healthy competition and activity and this year was no exception. The day was made even better by being able to hold it on our own school grounds, making it much more convenient for all involved even though there were a few minor timetable issues that can easily be resolved moving forward. Thank you to Des Lowry for his hard work organising the event, to all the staff who helped out, to the students for their enthusiastic participation and to the parents and family members who came to support us. A special mention to the parent volunteers without whom we would not be able to run the day. Congratulations to Green House who were victorious on the day and to our Age Champions. Many of our students have qualified to participate in the Primary and Secondary Division Athletics, in Mildura and Ouyen, respectively and we wish each of them the very best of luck in these competitions.
This week we celebrated Science Week and what a week it has been! All our students were treated to the extremely engaging and informative Science show ‘Fizzics’. We were lucky enough to have Robinvale College students join us for this performance. We owe a huge thankyou to Robinvale Op Shop and the Community Age Shop whose kind donations enabled us to bring the ‘Fizzics’ show to all Robinvale schools.
The highlight of Science Week was without a doubt our very own Year 7 & 8 Science Fair. The standard of this year’s displays and experiments was outstanding as I’m sure anyone who was able to join us would agree. After seeing their work, I have no doubt we have some aspiring scientists in our midst. A huge thank you to Maryanne Leslie for putting together this week, her energy and passion for teaching Science are obvious and helped make this event such a great success.
On Tuesday we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption. This is an important day in the Christian calendar when we take time to honour Mary and reflect on her being taken into heaven. As it is a Holy Day of Obligation all our students attended Mass. Thank you to Fiona Pike for her preparations for this special celebration.
As mentioned in the last newsletter our building project is coming to an end. There are only a few final touches to be added to the updated Junior Wing and then we will be ready to begin the process of furnishing the rooms and preparing them for occupation. We are very excited about this and can’t wait to show off the new buildings at our grand opening next term. The completion of the project means that we will be able to begin using our main gate and updated bus shelter again. This will mean making changes to our pick up and drop off points again from the start of Term 4. More information will be shared with you about thai before the end of term
While we continue to use the Parke Street gate as our main student entrance and exit point please be mindful of where you park your car to drop off and collect students and particularly avoid parking too close to the school crossing. For your information please note that Road Safety Rules stipulate that ‘A driver must not stop on a children’s crossing, or on the road within 20 metres before the crossing and 10 metres after the crossing unless the driver stops at a place on a length of road, or in an area, to which a parking control sign applies and the driver is permitted to stop at that place under these Rules’. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding with this matter as we work together to keep our students safe.
Kind regards,
Andrea Welsh
Religion
The Feast of the Assumption
The Feast of the Assumption is one of two ‘Holy Days of Obligation’ in Australia. That means that the Assumption (15th August) and Christmas Day are the only two days (besides Sundays) where Australian Catholics are required to attend Mass! At St Mary’s we celebrated the day with Mass in the church.
The Feast of the Assumption commemorates Mary’s importance in the Christian story. Solemnised in 1950, it recognised the long tradition in the Church that Mary did not die, but was instead ‘assumed’ into Heaven (taken up to God, body and soul). Traditional artwork throughout the past 1500 years has frequently sought to capture this mystery and Catholic writings show that it was a significant part of Catholic theology from quite early in the Church’s history.
Social Justice
This term our Social Justice Leader and SRC are promoting the charity “It’s in a bag”. The aim of this charity is to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness and provide essential hygiene products to those in need. Students and families are asked to donate any old handbags or backpacks in good condition along with donations of personal hygiene products such as: deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush etc. Items can be donated in the tub in the library.
Mercy Mission
Our SRC will be hosting a hot dog lunch fundraiser to support Mercy Mission this term. Hot Dogs will be available on Tuesday August 22nd at lunchtime, all hotdogs must be pre ordered and paid for via the order form sent home this week.
OUR DIOCESAN COMMUNITY
The July 2023 edition of 'Our Diocesan Community' is out now!
https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ODC-July-2023-web.pdf
SWPBS
This week our SWPBS focus is to stop and actively listen when a teacher speaks to you.
The SWPBS focus for next week is to follow staff instructions.
Primary
Foundation
Well done to all Foundation students on participating in their very first school Athletics Carnival last Thursday. A special congratulations to our two age group champions (Arlo & Evie). This week we have enjoyed participating in Science Week and seeing the awesome experiments in the gym. We also did our own experiment using dish washing liquid and sugar to create bubbles. It was a lot of fun!
Please continue supporting your child to read at home each day and practise their Tricky Words. Thursday the 7th of September is ‘Prep Tea’ which is not to far away in Week 9. More information will be shared soon.
Year 1/2
It has been a busy couple of weeks for the 1/2 team. Last week it was great to see students participate in the school Athletics Day. They were very excited about their events all week.
This week is Science Week. On Tuesday we were lucky to see a Science Show that travelled all the way from Melbourne. We saw lots of exciting things and a few of us were lucky enough to participate in the experiments. In class we will be reading and writing some experiments of our own. We also enjoyed seeing the 7 and 8 students share their science work on Wednesday at the Science Fair. A reminder to keep up the reading at home and to swap books over.
Year 3/4
The 3/4 students have been actively participating and enjoying the different school events conducted in the last few weeks. It was a pleasure to watch the students' curiosity be kindled during the Science Show and to see them deeply engaged in the questions and answer sessions. Congratulations to all the participants and winners from the Yr3/4 Team on Athletics Day. For Reading, students have been working on learning about the purpose and structural features of Procedure Texts. The information reports the students have been writing about their role models created by students for the writing lessons are worthy of praise. They actively engaged in research related to their role models. Students enjoyed learning about right relationships during Religion lessons. Maths has been engaging with yr 3 students exploring odd and even numbers and the yr 4 students learning about multiplication facts. In Humanities, we have been learning about map reading skills and also researched and gathered interestings facts about Australia. We have continued to learn about soil and rocks in Science.
Year 5/6
The 5/6 teachers would like to thank all students for their participation and excellent behaviour during our Melbourne camp. All students were respectful, organised and represented our school well. They are now busy creating written recounts and reliving their experiences from their trip away! Students are enjoying researching countries in Europe and adding this information to their passports.
Just a reminder to all parents that chewing gum is banned at St. Mary’s. We would appreciate if you could speak to your child about this matter as it seems to be an ongoing issue.
Performing Arts
Over the last few weeks Years 1-4 have been learning about beat, rhythm, pitch, and tempo. We have looked at various instruments and had a go at making a lot of different sounds with them. We have used rhythm sticks, sound blocks, bells, tambourines, maracas, triangles and xylophones.
Years 5-6 have continued to develop their drama skills and have learnt about Freeze Frames, improvisation, voice projection and expectations of an audience member. This week they used newspaper headlines as a stimulus to perform small news segments.
All classes have begun working on their class item that will be performed at Grandparents Day next term. There will be singing, dancing, acting and lots of laughs! More information about Grandparents Day will be sent home at a later date.
Secondary
Year 7/8 Homeroom
Week 6 in the Year 7 & 8 Homeroom has been a whirlwind of activities, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of learning, community, and achievement. Science Week brought a surge of scientific curiosity as our students enthusiastically engaged in various activities that ignited their passion for discovery. The celebrations continued as we gathered to commemorate the Feast of the Assumption with a meaningful mass, fostering a sense of unity and spirituality within our school community. Amidst this bustling schedule, it's important to acknowledge those students who participated and reached some personal best in the Athletics last week, with commendations to those who have secured their place in the upcoming division competition in Ouyen. These weeks have exemplified the diverse talents and commitment of our students.
Maths
Year 7 & 8 students have registered with the up and coming ESSI Money Challenge that starts on Monday 21st of August and runs for two weeks.
What is the ESSI Money Challenge?
The ESSI Money Challenge is an interactive and engaging program designed to enhance your financial literacy skills. But you might be wondering, what exactly is "financial literacy"? Well, it's all about understanding and managing your money wisely. From budgeting and saving to making informed spending decisions, these skills will be invaluable as you navigate through life.
The ESSI Money Challenge will consist of engaging online modules, interactive quizzes, and real-life scenarios that will put your financial decision-making skills to the test where there are random prizes to be won.
SCIENCE WEEK
Year 7 and 8 students truly embraced the spirit of Science Week with their remarkable participation in the Science Fair event. The culmination of their hard work and enthusiasm was showcased through an array of captivating science fair displays that left both parents and fellow students thoroughly impressed. The fair not only demonstrated their innovative ideas and scientific knowledge but also highlighted their dedication to exploring the wonders of the natural world. It was so good to witness the engagement and excitement among all attendees as they interacted with the exhibits and delved into the fascinating realms of biology, chemistry, physics, and more. The Science Fair provided a fantastic platform for our young scientists to shine, fostering a deeper appreciation for science among our school community.
Winners of the Science Fair for 2023
Year 8
1st: Jayden Murray (Thermoelectric Generator) and Carla Nguyen, Jade Healy and Chanel Garreffa (Screaming Gummy Bear)
2nd: Hayley Camera, Violet Camera and Gisele Molluso (Testing pH Levels)
3rd: Margareth Brander, Tiana Nguyen, Cindy Le, Michelle Nguyen and Ella Yambao (Popping Boba Balls)
Year 7
1st: Miller Natale and Jesse-James Natale (Hydraulic Can Press)
2nd: London Gallace, Ivy Giofrelle and Ava Mezzatesta (Fire Tornado)
3rd: Nathan Felipe (Bottled Buoyancy) and Torah Mannix (Lemon Volcano)
BOOK WEEK
Book Week Parade Friday 25th August, 9.00am
It is almost Book Week and we are looking forward to our annual dress up day and Book Week Parade on Friday August 25th.
If you need assistance with a costume for your child, please contact Ferne O'Loughlin via email foloughlin@smrobinvale.
