Newsletter W4 T1 2025

Dear Parents & Carers,

Last week, we came together as a school community to celebrate our Beginning of Year Mass. This special occasion included the commissioning of our staff and student leadership team, affirming their commitment to guiding and supporting our school throughout the year. During the Mass, each student contributed to a collaborative class canvas, symbolizing our unity and shared journey - together as one.

Looking ahead, we are excited for our annual Swimming Carnival next Thursday, 27th February. This event provides a fantastic opportunity for all students to participate and represent their house; Patrician, Xavier, or Aquinas in a spirit of teamwork and friendly competition. A special thank you to Des Lowry for his efforts in preparing for this day. We warmly invite all families to join us and share in the excitement. A free BBQ lunch will be available for everyone to enjoy. As this is a normal school day, all students are expected to participate.

As we prepare for Lent, our students will take part in two significant celebrations. On Tuesday, 4th March, students will participate in an Ashing Ceremony and enjoy a shared pancake morning, reflecting on the tradition of using up rich foods before the Lenten season begins. The following day, on Wednesday, 5th March, our school community will come together for an Ash Wednesday liturgy, marking the beginning of this sacred time of reflection and renewal.

On Tuesday, 5th March, our Student Leadership Team will attend the GRIP Leadership Conference in Melbourne. This valuable experience will equip them with insights and skills to develop as leaders, fostering confidence and responsibility in their roles within our school.

Unit Masses began this week, with the Year 1/2 and Year 3/4 students attending. These gatherings provide a meaningful opportunity for students to reflect and participate in the spiritual life of our school.

We are also planning a transition to navy pants for secondary school students. These will be available for purchase this year, with a 12-month transition period for families. These pants will form part of the winter uniform rather than students wearing track pants, ensuring a more formal and consistent appearance.

A new Enrolment Agreement and Parent Code of Conduct will be sent home soon, and all families will be required to sign and return these documents.

Last Wednesday, 19th February, we held the First Eucharist & Reconciliation Parent Meeting. Please keep our candidates in your thoughts and prayers as they begin preparations to receive the sacraments.

We look forward to sharing these upcoming events with our students, staff, and families. Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement in our school community.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jess Baldock

The SWPBS focus for this week is to use time wisely and be on time.

The SWPBS focus for next week  is  to report incidents or concerns to the relevant teacher.

Foundation

This week in Foundation, we have explored the idea of reading; including what the different parts of a book are called, where we start reading on a page and the direction we read and write in a book. We have also looked at rhyme and had some fun matching rhyming words. Literacy testing is still underway, if you have not already booked in for the assessment, please do so.

In Maths we are learning to regognise numbers 1-5 without counting these as well as recognising what ‘before, after, next, morning, evening’ means in relation to a day. Students have also been ordering these events according to their daily routine.

Our Foundation students will be welcomed to St Mary’s School on Friday at our first assembly. Their Year 8 buddies will be there for support. 

Don’t forget the St Mary’s Swimming Carnival next week. Please remember to LABEL ALL items needed for the event. We will leave for the pool around 11:30 am. Just a friendly reminder that students must stay within their house colour.

Year 1/2

The Year 1/2 unit has had an exciting start to their InitiaLit lessons! While the program is familiar from Foundation, moving into a new level has brought fresh learning experiences. To support this, Mrs. W joins our team during literacy lessons, allowing us to run four smaller groups. Grade 1 students will work with either Mrs. W or Mrs. Simpson, while Year 2 students will have either Miss Sophie or Ms. O’Loughlin.

Adding to this positive transition, we also began Spelling Mastery lessons this week! Both students and staff have adapted well to these changes, and as the term progresses, routines will become even smoother. We are excited to see the growth and confidence students develop in their literacy learning!

The InitiaLit focus of this week are below:

Year 1: Reviewing Foundation sounds and skills

Year 2: ai (rain) and ay (play), nouns, imaginative texts.

You will find a pack in your child's reader bag containing the InitiaLit content for the year ahead. It’s exciting to see what your child will be learning through this program! To support their progress, we encourage you to stay updated on Class Dojo, where we share weekly learning updates. When reviewing the materials at home, please focus on work that has already been covered in class, ensuring your child reinforces their learning at the right pace. Thank you for your support in making this a positive learning experience!

This year as we transition to using the InitiaLit program, we will include the review pack for the year before and the current year to allow for students to best practice.

Year 3/4

The 3/4 students are looking forward to the Swimming Carnival which takes place on Thursday 27th of February. We are looking forward to the excitement and enthusiasm amongst students. The loud chants and cheering is always enjoyed by all.

Students have returned to their regular routine after having some time getting to know each other and learning the expectations within the school and our classrooms. We have been  learning to write narrative texts as well as new and exciting concepts and strategies in Maths. 

The 3/4 unit has been learning about tennis in their PE lessons. It has been very enjoyable and everyone is learning the how’s and why’s of tennis.

Year 5/6

It’s been another busy couple of weeks in 5/6! After a positive start to the year it’s been great to see the student’s continuing to work hard in their classrooms. 

Recently each class went through the process of presenting and voting for our 2025 Class Captain representatives. We were extremely proud of the efforts of every student that applied. The level of thought, application and delivery that went into each speech was fantastic. Congratulations to the following students who will be representing their classes this year:

5/6KP: Jaylan Brigante & Bella Molluso

5/6NZ: Heari Bui & Harper Curran

5/6WL: Lennox Albanese & Shiloh Giofrelle

Reminders:

• Excitement is building for the 2025 St Mary’s Swimming Carnival, to be held on Thursday 27th of February. Please ensure that your child has returned their permission note
• Tennis coaching continues in PE. A reminder that students are expected to wear their PE uniforms on the following days:

5/6KP - Wednesday & Thursday

5/6NZ - Tuesday & Wednesday

5/6WL - Monday & Wednesday

• Thanks to all students who completed and returned their homework last week. Homework is again due on Friday. Please also encourage your child to read nightly at home and record this in their diary.

Have a great week!

Year 7/8 Homeroom

🏉 AFL Footy Tipping Competition 🏉
Exciting news! The 2025 AFL Footy Tipping Competition is kicking off soon, and all secondary students are encouraged to join. It’s a great way to test your footy knowledge, compete against friends, and see who can predict the most winners throughout the season. Stay tuned for more details on how to sign up!

The Year 8 Shirts have finally arrived and they look great. All Year 7 students are very excited about receiving their Chromebooks this week. 

📚 Learning Highlights 📚

Year 7:

• In English, students have been refining their persuasive writing skills, focusing on modality words, sentence starters, and persuasive devices to construct effective arguments.
• In Maths, don’t forget that Maths Mates are due every Tuesday!
• For PE, students are playing Modified Sports, a mix of Netball and Soccer, where teamwork and multi-sport skills are the key focus.

Year 8:

• English classes are exploring cinematic techniques, analysing the effects of visual and sound elements in films.
• Maths Mates are due every Wednesday – stay on top of your work!
• PE lessons have been all about Invasion Games, developing strategy, movement, and team coordination.

🌍 Languages – French & Spanish 🌍
Both Year 7 and Year 8 students are starting Unit 2, where they will be learning how to talk about where they live and their nationality in French and Spanish.

👨‍🍳 Food Tech – Pork San Choy Bow 👨‍🍳
Students put their knife skills to the test this week, cooking up a delicious Pork San Choy Bow! Using an electric frying pan, they prepared a flavorful stir-fry with pork mince, fresh vegetables, and lettuce leaves.

A great effort from all students so far this term – keep up the fantastic work!

English

Year 7: Students have been focusing on persuasive writing techniques including Modality words, Sentence Starters and Persuasive Devices and constructing effective paragraphs.

Year 8: Students are learning about cinematic techniques used in film. They have been focusing on Visual techniques and Sound techniques and their effects on the audience.

Maths

Year 8: Laws of Indices

Religion

Year 7:  Students have explored Catherine McAuley and the Mercy Values of compassion, justice, and service. Inspired by her work, they’ve reflected on how these values can be lived out in Robinvale, strengthening our community through kindness and care for others.

Year 8:  Students have explored the common good, which means working for the well-being of everyone, especially the vulnerable. They have reflected on how they can live this out in Robinvale, showing kindness, fairness, and support for those in need

PE

Year 7: Modified Sports. A mixture of Netball and Soccer where students have to incorporate a variety of different skills from other sports and work together as a team.

Year 8: Invasion Games.

Health

Year 7: Students have explored the importance of diversity and inclusion in our community. They have discussed how our differences—whether in culture, background, or abilities—make us stronger and how we can show respect and understanding in everyday life.

Year 8: Students have combined health and physical activity through tennis coaching. They have developed skills in teamwork, coordination, and resilience while learning the importance of staying active for overall well-being.

Humanities

Year 7: Students have been learning about referendums and their role in shaping Australia's Constitution. They have explored why most referendums fail, including the double majority rule, and investigated key votes in history, such as the 1967 referendum on Indigenous rights.

Year 8: Students are researching the growing impact of social media in politics. They are exploring how platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram influence political campaigns, shape public opinion, and even affect election outcomes.

Languages

Year 7s and Year 8s: Both year groups starting Unit 2 in French and Spanish: Where do you live? What nationality are you?

Food Technology

Pork San Choy Bow. Both year groups cooked a stir fry with pork mince, vegetables and lettuce leaves. Working on knife skills and using an electric frying pan.

Uniform Update: Transition to Navy Pants

We are planning a transition to navy pants for our secondary school students. These will be available for purchase this year, and families will have 12 months to fully transition. More details on stock availability and uniform expectations will follow soon.

SCHOOL CROSSING REMINDERS

When the flags are out, all people crossing Watkin Street should be using the school crossing.

Please be aware of times on the crossing signs, do not park in the crossing area in these times.

8.00am - 9.00am and 3.00pm - 4.00pm

Watkin Street is a 40 km zone at all times. Please drive slowly.

LUNCH ORDERS

All lunch orders must be written on white paper bags, with your child's name, room number and order. The correct money is to be put in a recloseable bag.  Lunch order bags and reclosable bags are availalbe from the School office.

HEALTHCARE CARD

Parents/Carers who hold an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card are eligilbe to apply for support under the Family Fee Assistance Scheme. If you have a Health Care Card, can you please provide the School office with a copy before end of Term 1.

Robinvale Euston F.N.C. Auskick Centre

• Thursday, 4:30 - 5:30 PM (starting May 1st, 2025)
• 10-week program (only pay for 8 sessions)
• John James Oval, Riverside Park
• S.F.N.L. bye rounds scheduled into the 10-week program and will be communicated ahead of time
• Ages: 5 - 8 years old
• No specialist clothing is required; closed-toe shoes are a must

Sign up to any Sunraysia Auskick Centre by 12:00 PM on Friday the 7^th of March to go into the draw to win a signed 2025 Carlton F.C. guernsey. Winners will be notified by email.
For more information please contact the Eagles' Auskick Coordinator Travis Bussell on 0458 906 538.