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Newsletter Term 4 Week 2

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

Hope you had a relaxing weekend and you are ready for the week ahead. Heading around classrooms this morning, it has been a delight to see the students so settled and engaged with school this term.

All the best to students who are representing the school in the regional Athletics today, a warm welcome to Duy Nguyen and his sister Sunny who started at St Mary’s in 5D and 1F, last Wednesday and also to Trinity Corbitt and Ava O’Brien from MacKillop College who are on Work Experience this week.

Excitement is building as the children and their teachers finalise preparations for our annual Grandparents and Friends Day. This highly anticipated day is one of the biggest community events on our school calendar and takes place this Friday, October 18th so we are in the midst of dance practices and costume-making in readiness for our many special visitors.
For those who are new to our school, this event incorporates both a school concert and a visit to your child’s classroom to see the great learning that happens in our school.

The classroom visits are scheduled before the performance and are a little different to Father's and Mother's Day events as once you have visited the classroom child/children remain in class with their teacher.

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. As we no longer have the vacant block next door, car parking is at a premium so please allow additional time to find a parking space if planning to attend the concert only.

ORDER OF THE DAY
12.00-12.30: LUNCH
BYO family lunch in the passive play area
12.30-1.15: CLASSROOMS OPEN
Families are invited to tour through their child's classroom during this time (Children remain in the room with their teacher)
1.30: 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. A huge thank you to Arentz’s Electrical, BusBiz and the Swan Hill Aquatic and Recreation Centre for donating such amazing prizes and to our wonderful LSO staff who sell raffle tickets on the day to allow our P&F Parents to fully enjoy the event. Please send tickets back via the office basket this week.

Swimming Program
Taking on board feedback from families last year, St Mary’s has expanded its swimming program to incorporate lessons for children from Years 1-5. This week our Year 2 Swimming programs commence, with the other year level programs occurring later in the term.

Year 1 Camp
The Year 1 students absolutely loved the time on camp with their visit to the the movies, local CFA and Police getting the thumbs up as top attractions! A big thanks to our Year 1 teachers for organising such a terrific camp experience and I’m sure families all enjoyed hearing about how much fun their children had when out and about. Camp fun continues with Year 5 heading to Log Hill Cabin Camp next week.

Summer Uniform and being SunSmart
With a warm week ahead, 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

Uniform survey
As shared in previous newsletters, after discussion at the SAC level, St Mary’s is considering offering additional optional uniform items to our current school uniform. It was fantastic to see 158 families respond to the survey. The next step will be sharing a summary of key points gained from the survey with all families this term.

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 Monday, October 21st. Please do not assume previous requests are ongoing as we begin each year afresh at St Mary’s

I would ask that any family who believes that they will not be here at St Mary’s in 2025 to let Kate know (via email kquin@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au or a phone call) as this information affects possible class structures for next year. Thank you for your consideration.

I hope you all have a great week and look forward to seeing many of you at Grandparents Day this Friday.

Kate

"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress

Key Dates

Monday October 14th
Regional Athletics
Tuesday October 15th
Year 2 Swimming Program commences
Friday October 18th
Grandparents & Friends Day
No assembly
Saturday October 19th & Sunday October 20th
Confirmation Enrolment sessions
Monday October 21st - Wednesday October 23rd
Year 5 Camp
Friday October 25th
Assembly 12.25pm - Foundation Green
Casual Dress Day
Monday October 28th - Thursday October 31st
Year 6 Camp

Wellbeing with Mr Prockter

Child Safe Standard 4: Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing

True happiness isn't about being happy all the time
Over the past two decades, the positive psychology movement has brightened up psychological research with its science of happiness, human potential and flourishing. It argues that psychologists should not only investigate mental illness but also what makes life worth living.

The founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, describes happiness as experiencing frequent positive emotions, such as joy, excitement and contentment, combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. It implies a positive mindset in the present and an optimistic outlook for the future. Importantly, happiness experts have argued that happiness is not a stable, unchangeable trait but something flexible that we can work on and ultimately strive towards.

I have been running happiness workshops for the last four years based on the evidence from the above field of psychology. The workshops are fun and I have earned a reputation as "Mrs Happy", but the last thing I would want anyone to believe is that I am happy all the time. Striving for a happy life is one thing, but striving to be happy all the time is unrealistic.

Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being. For example, being open to emotional experiences and the ability to tolerate periods of discomfort can allow us to move towards a richer, more meaningful existence.

Studies have demonstrated that the way we respond to the circumstances of our lives has more influence on our happiness than the events themselves. Experiencing stress, sadness and anxiety in the short term doesn't mean we can't be happy in the long term.

Two paths to happiness
Philosophically speaking there are two paths to feeling happy, the hedonistic and the eudaimonic. Hedonists take the view that in order to live a happy life we must maximise pleasure and avoid pain. This view is about satisfying human appetites and desires, but it is often short lived.

In contrast, the eudaimonic approach takes the long view. It argues that we should live authentically and for the greater good. We should pursue meaning and potential through kindness, justice, honesty and courage.

If we see happiness in the hedonistic sense, then we have to continue to seek out new pleasures and experiences in order to "top up" our happiness. We will also try to minimise unpleasant and painful feelings in order to keep our mood high.

If we take the eudaimonic approach, however, we strive for meaning, using our strengths to contribute to something greater than ourselves. This may involve unpleasant experiences and emotions at times, but often leads to deeper levels of joy and contentment. So leading a happy life is not about avoiding hard times; it is about being able to respond to adversity in a way that allows you to grow from the experience.

Growing from adversity
Research shows that experiencing adversity can actually be good for us, depending on how we respond to it. Tolerating distress can make us more resilient and lead us to take action in our lives, such as changing jobs or overcoming hardship.

In studies of people facing trauma, many describe their experience as a catalyst for profound change and transformation, leading to a phenomenon known as "post-traumatic growth". Often when people have faced difficulty, illness or loss, they describe their lives as happier and more meaningful as a result.

Unlike feeling happy, which is a transient state, leading a happier life is about individual growth through finding meaning. It is about accepting our humanity with all its ups and downs, enjoying the positive emotions, and harnessing painful feelings in order to reach our full potential.

By Lowri Dowthwaite
Article By The Conversation, 2018

Curriculum with Mrs Hall

Young Writers Award
We are thrilled to announce that four of our students have been shortlisted for their outstanding writing in the Young Writers Award! We congratulate

Vidura R - Foundation
Hattie M - Year 1/2
Indi M - Year 1/2
Miyana B - Year 5/6

We wish our shortlisted finalists the very best and acknowledge the significant accomplishment by all students. The winner's presentation is on Wednesday 30th October at 7 pm, at the Swan Hill Regional Library.

Shortlisted students, their families, teachers and friends are warmly invited to join this event and the honour of being nominated. Winners will be announced at the presentation. All shortlisted entrants will receive a certificate and gift.

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

Regional Athletics
Goodluck to the 35 students attending Regional Athletics in Bendigo today. The weather is perfect for students to do their best in their events. What a fantastic achievement by so many students to get to this level. Go St Mary’s!

Swan Hill Show Competition Results

Swan Hill Whitfield Excavations Show Competition Entries
If you went along to the Show this year you may have already seen that we had a great deal of success with our entries in the Handwriting Competition;
Grade 6
First Place- Emma W
Second Place- Evie S
Encouragement Awards- Charlotte T and Charlotte S
Grade 5
Third Place- Mary D
Grade 3
First Place- Sailor S
Third Place- Joseph K
Encouragement Awards- Amahlia M and Alira C
Grade 2
First Place- Tullie W
Encouragement Award- Sahib K
Grade 1
Encouragement Awards- Madison C and Evelyn F
Foundation
Encouragement Awards- Rocco C and Ethan L

The display of artwork was really beautiful to see and we had many talented students recognised for their work in a range of areas;
First Place
Isabelle C
Second Place
Dallas F
Nikolas G
Evie S
Third Place
Athena R
Encouragement Awards
Zishu X
Lenny S
Tom D
Dustin M

@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.

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.

Book Club - Issue 7 orders close Monday October 28th
Scholastic Book Club Issue 7 has been sent home. We will not be accepting cash payments for orders. Please order online following the instructions below. This is the link for LOOP, which will allow you to make an online order and payment;
https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx If you are not registered for LOOP, click on the link above and create a new account. You will need to enter your details, add children and select our school (typed as is here); St. Mary's SWAN HILL
If you have any questions or are having trouble with the LOOP ordering system, please contact the office via email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au

Book Fair Monday October 21st - Friday October 25th
The ever popular Book Fair will be back from Monday October 21st - Friday October 25th. Children will bring home a wish list with last orders due by Friday November 1st.

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