Newsletter, W3, T4, 2025

Principal's report

Dear Parents & Carers,

Welcome to our first newsletter for term 4. Before we know it the year will be drawing to a close, but before then there is a lot to do and much learning and fun to be had!

The term has started with a series of school camps. In the first week our Year 7 & 8 students head to Warrnambool for their coastal camp experience. By all accounts a huge amount of fun was had and some new skills learned. I believe we have some budding surfers in our midst! Thank you to Maryanne Leslie, Aidan Davies, Ruairi Meban, Charlie Ford and Ash Roper who ensured the students had a wonderful time and returned safely at the end of the week. This was followed the week after by the Year 1/2  Sleepover & Mildura Show Excursion. This is always a fun event and often the first time many of our younger students have the opportunity to sleep away from home. We are thrilled that we can offer this experience in a comfortable and secure environment, enabling our children to grow in confidence and develop independence.  Thank you to Mikayla Simpson, Sophie Westland, Ferne O’Loughlin, Molly Heeps, Ebony Dickie and Jess Baldock who managed the sleepover and to all the extra staff who pitched in to make sure the children were fed, entertained and had a comfortable place to sleep.  

Several of our  secondary students took a detour on the way home from camp to compete at the Regional Athletics competition in Bendigo. A huge congratulations to  Ja’von Costantino who won 2nd place in the 800m sprint, Jarrod Healy who took out 3rd in the 100m sprint and Liam Healy who achieved 2nd place in discus. Congratulations also to Samuela Polata, Pauline Taualupe and Dominic Tute who also competed and represented our school proudly. The following week we took a large contingent of students to the Primary Regional Athletics, also in Bendigo where Viliami Lemani did incredibly well to win 1st place in the shot put event. Well done to Viliami and all our other competitors! Thanks to Des Lowry, Will Lowry and Jess Baldock who supported our students on the day. That same week we sent two teams to the Regional Basketball competition in Bendigo where our students played admirably against some stiff competition. Well done to each of you and thanks to Des Lowry Charlie Ford (boy’s coach) and Jill Appleton (girl’s coach) for their time and effort both on the day and in  training for the competition.

While all of this has been going on we have been busy preparing to welcome our 2026 Foundation students into our school community. This week myself, Jess Baldock and Leanne Chirchiglia visited our new students at their kindergartens. It was lovely to meet them all and we are very excited to have them join us at the first transition day here at St Mary’s on Thursday 13th November.  Another friendly reminder to anyone who is looking to enrol a child at St Mary’s next year, regardless of the year level, to please return a completed enrolment form asap or call into the office for more information. We are only too happy to help.

Last Friday we celebrated our annual Grandparents Day. This is always a wonderful celebration and this year did not disappoint. Our Grandparents and special friends were treated to a moving liturgy, a lovely morning tea and, most importantly, a special performance involving every student in the school. Our students certainly shone as they sang, danced, told jokes and acted out skits to the delight of all present. Thank you to everyone who came along on the day, we hope you realise how much you are appreciated! A special mention to Sarah Sutton who wrote and choreographed the whole performance, amazing! And to the rest of the Grandparents day committee, Sindy Nel, Nicole Zappia and Mikayla Simpson without whom this event would not have been the huge success it was. Last but certainly not least, a massive thank you and well to all our students who absolutely stole the show!

Finally, a reminder to all our school families that next Monday 3rd November is Student Free Day and no students are required to be at school on this day. This will be followed by the Melbourne Cup public holiday on Tuesday 4th November. We hope all our students  have a terrific extra long weekend and come back on Wednesday rested and ready for the final dash to the end of the year! 

Kind regards, 

Andrea Welsh

Wellbeing

School Refusal

School refusal, sometimes called school avoidance or school phobia, is not uncommon. It is different to ‘wagging’ or truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. School refusal may start gradually or happen suddenly. Although it is normal for a child to occasionally miss a day of school, parents should only be concerned if a child regularly complains about feeling sick or often asks to stay home due to minor physical complaints.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will learn how best to approach this issue and work towards a solution.

Here is the link to the School Refusal edition of SchoolTV https://smrobinvale.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-refusal

Primary news

Foundation

The Foundation students received their Rosary Beads at Mass last week. It was lovely to see parents and friends who came to celebrate this special occasion. These rosary beads are kindly made in memory of Nancy Petrucci by her family and friends. Nancy had been donating rosary beads for the Foundation students  at St Mary’s School for many years. 

Grandparents Day is fast approaching. A note was sent home with your child for what Mrs Sutton would like each class to wear. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact your child’s teacher. 

In InitaLit, we have been learning more sounds ‘th’ as in thumb, ‘oo’ as in moon and ‘ay’. Please remember that reader swap days are each TUESDAY and THURSDAY. We have new tricky words: what, where, want, come, some.

For maths, students have been revising addition, subtraction and ordering the days of the week. They have enjoyed using hands-on materials to support their learning and are showing more confidence when explaining their answers to the class. 

Year 1/2

What a busy start to Term 4 we have had! We have had so much happen to report on, but most excitingly was the 1/2 Sleepover and excursion to the Mildura Show.

Some of the highlights students have mentioned are listed below:

Visit to the new playground: Thursday, we walked down to the new playground near the Skate Park in Robinvale. Students enjoyed playing on the new equipment, especially the swings and the giant slide!

Making teddy bears: Students enjoyed making their own teddy bears, including stuffing the bears and attempting to stitch up the hole. They then designed their own shirt for their bear to wear. What a special memento from the sleepover!

Having supper and watching a movie before bed: Students enjoyed some biscuits and cold Milo while watching Toy Story in the Gym!

The Mildura Show: Students watched a show by MadStyle Moto, where the talented motorbike riders did flips and tricks over a big inflatable ramp. Students explored the Emergency Services displays, where they met representatives from the Australian Navy, Ambulance Victoria, and Fire and Rescue; visited the animals at the petting zoo; and found their colouring entries in the art display. Before we left, Tubby the Robot even came by and said hello!

Congratulations to the four students who won prizes for their colouring-in entries:

1st Place - Luca Davoli

3rd Place - Neeva Bussell

4th Place - Xavier Carey

Encouragement Award - Scarlett Lazarra

Year 3/4

And just like that, Term 4 has arrived! 

We have lots of exciting learning opportunities coming up this term; in Science we will be learning about heated, cooled, solid, melted, in humanities we will be learning all about Indigenous People  and in Religion we will be learning about the concept of Gift. In writing we have taken the time to fine tune our understanding of narratives; the children have enjoyed upskilling themselves! In Maths we are learning about Angles and Measurement. 

A huge congratulations to our children who represented St Mary’s in Bendigo for the Loddon Mallee Regional Athletics Day. They made us proud, as always! 

Important dates to remember:

Friday 24th October - Grandparents and Special Friends Day (09.30am liturgy followed by a performance and morning tea)

Monday 3rd November - Student Free Day

Tuesday 4th November - Melbourne Cup Day (Public Holiday)

Year 5/6

Welcome back for Term 4!

We have had a busy and exciting start to the final term of the year, with plenty of things happening in the 5/6 unit. 

The term began with a contingent of our students travelling to Bendigo to compete in the Loddon Mallee Athletics Day. A huge congratulations to everyone who made it to this level of competition and all represented themselves and St Mary’s with pride on the day.

This week we celebrate our Grandparents and Special Friends, with the students taking the time to plan, write and present a speech to the rest of their class on their chosen individuals. It has been wonderful to see the effort and care that each student has put into this work and the result has been some informative, entertaining and most importantly heartfelt writing pieces. 

Looking ahead, we are all very excited for our camp to Melbourne next week, from Monday 27th of October to Thursday 30th October. Please ensure that students are at school at 7:00am Monday morning to allow for a smooth departure. It should be an awesome few days! A reminder that all 5/6 students are not to attend school on Friday 1st November.

Finally, in Religion we are exploring the concept of Solidarity. We have learnt that October is Mission Month, and the students have discussed ways in which we could contribute meaningfully to this. This could prompt some great discussion at home about how we can act in solidarity with the community around us. 

Thanks for your support throughout the first weeks of the term and we are certainly looking forward to what's ahead!

Foyer Display – Dreamtime Stories by Year 3/4 SN
Our foyer has come alive this week with the vibrant and imaginative work of Year 3/4 SN, who have created a stunning display inspired by Dreamtime Stories. The students have beautifully captured the spirit and symbolism of these traditional tales through their colourful artwork. Thank you to Year 3/4 SN for sharing your creativity. Be sure to stop by and take a look!

Secondary news

Year 7/8

It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of Week 3 of Term 4! The term began with plenty of energy as our Year 7 & 8 students headed straight from the holidays into their Warrnambool Camp at Warra Gnan.

Students enjoyed an incredible range of activities, with surfing being a definite highlight. We received wonderful feedback from staff at the various venues we visited, all commenting on the excellent behaviour and politeness of our students — a real credit to our students, their families, and our St Mary’s staff.

A huge congratulations to Liam, Samuela, Pauline, Ja’von, Jarrod, and Domenic, who left camp bright and early to compete in the Northern Zone Athletics. Special mentions to Liam who placed 2nd in Discus, Ja’von who placed 2nd in the 800m, and Jarrod who placed 3rd in the 100m — a fantastic effort from all after such a busy week away!

Last Friday, our Year 7 & 8 boys and girls basketball teams travelled to Bendigo to compete in the Regional Basketball Competition against schools from Swan Hill, Bendigo, and the surrounding district. It was tough competition, but a great experience for all involved. A big thank you to our coaches Miss Jill, Mr Ford, and Mr Lowry for supporting our teams and providing this great opportunity.

Our students are now busy preparing for PAT testing, which begins next Monday, 23rd October. Additionally, our School Captains and selected Year 7 students will represent St Mary’s at the 40th Anniversary of the Robinvale–Villers-Bretonneux Twin Towns Relationship on Monday, 27th October at 11:00 a.m. in Memorial Park — a proud community event for our students to be part of.

This term is certainly shaping up to be a busy one! Please take some time to check the calendar of events for upcoming activities. A reminder that we have a School Closure Day on Monday, 3rd November, followed by our La Trobe University / SuniTAFE Visit on Wednesday, 5th November.

There’s so much to look forward to this term - a wonderful mix of learning, experiences, and celebrations as we move towards the end of another great school year!

Student of the week

GRANDPARENTS DAY