Newsletter Term 4 Week 1
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome back one and all to our new school term. I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed the chance to catch up with family & friends over the break and also enjoyed the time to relax at home! It was fantastic to see the excitement on the yard this morning as the children met up with friends and caught up on each other’s holiday news.
While footy and netball has finished for the season, congratulations are for many of our staff and students who were either Winners or Runner's Up in their football and netball Grand Finals over the holidays!
A new term brings new faces to our school and this week we welcome Alexa Horn, Neive Cotton and Hayley McGillivray to St Mary’s and are excited that Jona and Mila Rose Charles have returned from Kerang.
We also welcome Tamika Hogan, Anthony Rullo and Karl Fedele, who commence part-time work as LSO’s this week.
We are all looking forward to another fun-filled term with some anticipated highlights including the Year 1, 5 and 6 camps camp, swimming for our Year 1, 2, 3 & 4 students, Grandparents and Friends Day, our Carols Evening and Year 6 Graduation.
Year 1 Camp - Tuesday, October 8th
They are getting excited! Tomorrow, our Year 1 students and staff head off to Camp. The camp consists of activities in Swan Hill including a visit to the Pioneer Settlement, the Police Station, CFA, Tower Hill Park for lunch and Showbiz cinemas. A big thank you to our teachers for organising a fun day for our Year 1 students!
Grandparents & Friends Day Friday 18th October
This week the children continue their preparation for Grandparents & Friends Day which is coming up next week on Friday, October 18th. For those who are new to our school, this event incorporates a visit to your child’s classroom to see all the fun and great learning that happens in our school and then families stay on for a concert performed by the students. Families are very welcome to bring a picnic lunch to share on our grounds before the concert commences. BYO chairs are also a very good idea.
Order of the day:
12.00pm-12.30pm: Lunch
Family lunch in the passive play area
BYO food, drinks, picnic, rug and chairs
12.30pm-1.15pm: Classrooms open
Families are invited to tour through their child's classroom during this time (Children remain in the room with their teacher until lunchtime at 12.45pm)
1.30pm: Concert commences
In the outside assembly area
Parents and Friends Raffle
Parents and Friends have organised a raffle in the lead-up to Grandparents Day with all proceeds going to the purchase of student lab coats to wear while undertaking experiments in STEM. Please keep a look out for tickets going home this week. They will also be on sale at assembly this Friday.
Summer Uniform and being Sunsmart
As the weather heats up in Term 4, students need to be wearing their school hats when playing outside as part of our commitment to being a Sunsmart school. Please note that full summer uniform is to be worn this term. If you are unsure of the uniform please refer to our school webpage; https://smswanhill.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2024-Parent-Information-Handbook.pdf
The Good Kitchen
I would like to make families aware that free meals are served from the Parish Function Centre from 6pm each Tuesday night. This is a great opportunity for the community to come together and have a meal with other people. All are welcome to attend.
Uniform survey
After discussion at the SAC level, St Mary’s is considering offering additional optional uniform items to our current school uniform. Parent feedback is important to ensure we meet the needs of our families. Please take 5 minutes to complete this survey. It's been fantastic to see almost 60 families have responded so far. The survey closes this Friday. https://forms.gle/CQxz2RxUHGfEFN2XA
2025 Classes
We will commence constructing class groups for next year over the next few weeks. In doing this, academic, social and emotional considerations of all students are taken into account to inform decisions. Any parental considerations regarding your child’s 2025 placement must be emailed to principal@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au or delivered to the office in an envelope marked Att: Principal by Friday, October 20th. Please do not assume previous requests are ongoing as we begin each year afresh at St Mary’s.
I hope you all have a fantastic week ahead and that many of you have the opportunity to join in the fun at the Year 1 camp or can come along when 1H leads assembly this Friday.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Monday October 7th
Start of Term 4
Tuesday October 8th
Year 1 Camp
Friday October 11th
Assembly 12.25pm - 1H
Monday October 14th
Regional Athletics
Tuesday October 15th
Year 2 Swimming Program commences
Friday October 18th
Grandparents & Friends Day
Monday October 21st - Wednesday October 23rd
Year 5 Camp
Wellbeing with Mr Prockter
Curriculum with Mrs Hall
Term 4 Curriculum Newsletters
Today all families will receive a copy of the Term 4 Curriculum Newsletter. These newsletters provide an overview of key subjects, outlining the specific topics students will be exploring in areas such as English, Mathematics, R.E, SEL and all our specialist areas. The newsletters also highlight special events, hands-on activities, and educational excursions. Our curriculum newsletters help foster a strong connection between home and school, allowing parents to support their child's learning journey effectively.
RE with Mrs Davies
Sacrament of Confirmation 2024- Year 3 and above
This term we are looking forward to our Year 3 Children (for baptised Catholics) who will be preparing and celebrating their Sacrament of Confirmation. Children above Year 3 who have not yet been Confirmed are also welcome to be part of the program. The program begins with attending one of the enrolment sessions in week 2 of this term.
Invitations have been sent directly to the families of baptised Catholics the school has a record of. If for whatever reason you miss this invitation, and want your child to be part of the program, please contact the Parish directly via email northeastmallee@ballarat.catholic.org.au or phone 50324144 and they can assist you.
Below are some other important dates to remember -
Enrolment Sessions- Monday 14th & Wednesday 16th October- (need to book in via trybooking)
Presentation Masses - Saturday October 19th 6pm or Sunday October 20th 10.30am
Retreat - Monday November 11th
Mass Celebration - Saturday November 16th 6pm or Sunday November 17th 10.30am
PE with Miss Clark
Division Athletics
On Monday the 16th of September, St Mary’s had 73 students represent our school at the Division Athletics held at Ken Harrison Reserve. All students showed amazing effort and sportsmanship in their events and I hope they enjoyed the competition. A huge congratulations to 36 students that either came first or second in their events which means they qualify to go onto Regional Athletics early next term in Bendigo. Thank you to all the staff for helping out on the day and to all the parents and family who were able to come down to support our students.
State Netball
On Wednesday the 18th of September, St Mary’s had a team of nine Year 5 and 6 girls that represented our region at the State Netball Finals in Melbourne. The girls played 3 games and were up against some very tough teams however only lost by small margins. It was not the ending that we hoped for but the girls can be super proud of their efforts for getting to the State competition level. I would like to say a very big thank you to Mrs Davies who helped coach the girls which included a number of lunchtime training sessions to best prepare the team for the day. Thank you also to all the parents who travelled down to Melbourne and helped out.
@2 Murlong Before & After School Care
The Out of School Hours Care program, @ 2 Murlong, is operating out of the gym hub and provides before and after school care for school age children in the Swan Hill area. Please express your interest via the following link;
https://prodadmin.myxplor.com/enrollment/index/dHdBOThsSW9JeHUxYTEwaHNxZlMrdz0
News from the Office
Working with Children Check
A reminder to bring your Working with Children Check with you if you are coming on to the school grounds for volunteer purposes.
Student Absences
Just a reminder that if your child is absent from school, you need to let the office know, preferably via PAM, prior to 9.25am.
Country Bus Travel
Country Buses are to be used for registered travellers only. If Country Bus travel is required in an emergency, please contact the office so that the appropriate paperwork can be completed.
Breakfast Club
We kindly ask for donations of jam and vegemite for Breakfast Club. Donations can be dropped in to the office.
Thank-you to those families who have donated fresh fruit, this has certainly been a hit with the students!
News from the Canteen
Volunteers Needed:
We are always on the lookout for volunteers in our school canteen. You just need your VIC WWCC. Volunteer hours at 11.30am-1.30pm. Please email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au if you are able assist
Ordering from the canteen:
Recess and lunch orders are placed online only via CDF Pay. The orders close at 9.30am each day, so it is recommended you place your order the night before. Our canteen is a very busy, so late orders will be offered limited options. Please contact the office if you need help with CDF Pay.
https://smswanhill.cdfpay.org.au
Canteen Roster
Just a reminder to sign in at the office when you are on canteen duty
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