Newsletter Term 4 Week 7
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
Some lovely celebrations at our Parish Masses over the weekend with many of our Year 3 students receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The NSW Open golf tournament has certainly been a highlight over the past few days and as a community, it has brought not only big crowds to town but plenty of excitement. Between the action at Murray Downs, Confirmation Masses and the dance concert Saturday night a lot was happening over the weekend.
The term is flying by and it seems incredible to think that we only have a month of school left for the children. With Christmas not too far away, our students are busy practicing carols for our annual carols night at Riverside Park on Monday December 2nd.
State Basketball
Recently the St Mary’s boys team qualified to participate in the State Basketball Finals and are representing our school today Monday, 18th of November in Melbourne. We wish them all the very best and are very proud of their achievements.
Uniform Survey Feedback
After discussion at the SAC level, a uniform sub-committee was formed, and we surveyed families to gather their thoughts on the current additional uniform and if they felt we should offer optional uniform items to what students already wear. It was terrific to see 158 families respond to the survey and share their thoughts as parent feedback is very important to ensure we do meet the needs of our families. A summary of the survey responses can be accessed by clicking here:
Foundation 2024 Information Evening & Fly into Foundation Program
We are really looking forward to Fly into Foundation, our Term 4 transition program for preschoolers who have enrolled at St Mary’s, which commences this Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd November. This 3 week program gives our newest students the chance to become familiar with the learning spaces at St Mary’s, the routine of coming to school and the development of connections and relationships with some of the teachers at our school before starting here next year. Next Tuesday 26th November, we are holding our Foundation Information evening for the parents of our 2025 Foundation children. The meeting will take place via Zoom and we look forward to seeing everyone online and sharing important information about the start of the school year. All relevant information and links have been sent to families.
St Mary’s Got Talent-Advance Notice
Back by popular demand, St Mary’s Got Talent is coming up later this term. Auditions will be held in Week 9 with 3-4 days of amazing talent on display during lunchtimes in Week 10! We all love this very popular Term 4 event and are always amazed at the talent we have amongst our student body. If your child is thinking about performing a song, dance routine or perhaps playing a musical instrument to entertain the crowd, it's a great time to start a little bit of practice at home to shake out those nerves and ensure they are confident to perform on the day!
Look forward to seeing you throughout the week or at the assembly this Friday, hosted by 1F.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Monday November 18th
Boys State Basketball
Thursday November 21st - Friday November 22nd
Fly into Foundation Session 1
Friday November 22nd
Assembly 12.25pm - 1F
Monday November 25th - Thursday November 28th
Making a Scene at Christmas - Incursion
Thursday November 28th & Friday November 29th
Fly into Foundation Session 2
Friday November 29th
Advent Liturgy - 9.10am
No Assembly
Monday December 2nd
Carols Night
Dates to Note
Wellbeing with Mr Prockter
Standard 4: Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing
About 40% of young Australians have experienced mental illness - and it's high time we do something about it
Imagine there was an illness that struck two out of every five young people in Australia.
That many of those young people were unable to go to school, form friendships or take part in important teenage milestones.
And many were so ill that they desperately needed medical care, but couldn't get it.
We don't have to imagine - this is the reality facing young Australians right now.
This stark reality was laid bare in the data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in July.
The National Mental Health Survey revealed the annual prevalence of mental ill health in 16 to 24-year-olds had surged from 26 per cent in 2007 to 39 per cent in 2020-21 - an unprecedented increase of 50 per cent in 15 years.
Our young people are in serious trouble.
The mental health of young women is declining even more rapidly than young men. These rates of mental illness are double the level of the rest of the Australian adult population.
If such a dramatic increase in prevalence had occurred in cancer, heart disease or any other major illness, it would be the catalyst for urgent and decisive action.
It would be on the front page of newspapers and leading TV news bulletins and the political leadership would be forced to respond.
But not so far.
The Danger Zone
We know the transition from childhood to adulthood is the peak period for the emergence of mental ill health and the persistent mental illness disorders of adult life.
Half of all health conditions experienced during this developmental period are mental health-related, and the most common cause of death in young people is suicide.
This means that mental illness has become the number one chronic illness throughout life, ahead of arthritis, asthma and diabetes.
And despite being the major cause of disability In Australia, it was an afterthought in the NDIS reform.
As Professor Bobby Duffy from the Policy Institute at Kings College London highlighted in his recent book, Generations, neglect of young people — and especially their mental health - has been a global phenomenon throughout history.
Limitations to Progress
Nevertheless, Australia has been the first high-income country to respond to the issue through successful national programs like headspace, which will soon be in 164 communities. This is a real bipartisan achievement.
Twelve other nations have now followed our lead in constructing a youth-friendly entry channel to the health system, able to respond to milder and short-term conditions.
Such enhanced primary care models represent a base camp for the construction of a full-fledged system of care and produce very good outcomes for early stage and milder conditions.
But the surge in need for care revealed in the ABS survey has overwhelmed this base camp, with major staff losses and growing waitlists.
A new financial model and expanded workforce options are long overdue.
Furthermore, headspace was only ever intended as the first stage of a new multi-level system of youth mental health care.
It urgently needs to be backed up by a second tier capable of effectively responding to the "missing middle" - those young people, the majority in fact, who have more persistent and complex conditions and need team-based, evidence-based intervention to recover and flourish.
These specialised models of care have been designed and carefully tested and are shovel-ready to be scaled up.
The alarming national mental health survey data means this simply cannot be delayed any longer.
The reforms to date are nowhere near the scale and depth required, and they are under extreme stress amplified by the pandemic.
The lack of any sense of urgency to respond contrasts starkly with public health response to COVID itself, and with what would happen if such rises in need were to occur in cancer, asthma or diabetes.
Where is the public voice here? Why is there such limited public mobilisation in our own self-interest as a society?
How to turn the tide
The other vital response is a preventive one.
We need to understand much more clearly what trends and risk factors are contributing to this rapid deterioration in the mental health of emerging adults.
There are many candidates, and much speculation, but serious research is needed to determine which are the malleable risk factors that we must target to turn back this tide.
At Orygen, a youth mental health organisation, we have expanded the focus of our policy unit to create the Orygen Institute and we are keen to partner with analysts and experts from a range of fields to engage with this challenge over the coming months and years.
The federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has flagged that he intends the October budget to be a "wellbeing budget".
According to economist Mariana Mazzucato, this means prioritising value to society when allocating government expenditure.
The World Economic Forum has demonstrated that mental illness is the dominant health cause of loss of GDP, with double the impact of cancer.
The Productivity Commission revealed the $200 billion annual cost to the economy of the gross underspend in mental health prevention and care.
And a solid body of scientific research confirms the cost-effectiveness and return on investment that effective mental health care for young people delivers.
So this alarming data from the National Mental Health Survey demands that prevention and early intervention for the rising tide of mental ill health in Australia's young people — on whom our future prosperity depends — be a top priority in the October "wellbeing" budget.
If not now, when?
Article by Professor Patrick McGorry
Posted August 5, 2022
Published by ABC News
RE with Mrs Davies
Confirmation Masses
Over the weekend we had a large number of our Year 3 children celebrating their Sacrament of Confirmation during our Parish Masses. It was lovely to see many family, friends and teachers attend this special occasion. A big thank you to Fr James, Mary and Julie for their hard work in preparing our children for Confirmation.
PE with Miss Clark
Golf Clinic
Last week on Wednesday the 13th of November, 50 students in Year 3-6 participated in a golf clinic to promote the NSW Golf Open. They participated in three station activities thanks to NSW golf. The students were also lucky enough to watch Cam Smith and Lucas Herbert play out a hole during the Pro-Am sponsors day. What an amazing opportunity that our students were lucky to be part of.
I hope that lots of our students got to head down to Murray Downs over the weekend to see some amazing golf and maybe even catch a glimpse of some of the big name professionals!
State Basketball
Good luck to our Year 5 and 6 boys team who will represent St Mary’s at State Basketball this week on Monday in Melbourne. These boys have done a fantastic job to come first at the Division and Regional competitions to qualify for the State level. We can’t wait to hear how they go.
House Captain Interviews
Mrs Quin and I are in the process of working out a suitable time to organise group interviews for the house captain applicants. These are likely to take place within the next 2 weeks. We will let classroom teachers and applicants know when these interviews will take place.
In the meantime, students may like to start thinking about some answers to questions they will be asked at interviews such as ‘Why do you want to be House Captain?’ ‘What are your strengths?’ ‘Who is your sports role model and why?’ Interviews will be conducted as a group and everyone will be asked the same question and be given an opportunity to speak.
Goodluck to all the applicants!
St Mary’s tops
Thank you to those students that have returned their St Mary’s top they borrowed for a sporting event. Any students that still have a top at home particularly from Regional or State events to please return it to the front office or PE office.
@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.
Coming in 2025 - Changes to CDFpay
Information will be provided to families prior to the end of the year in regards to changes to CDFpay.
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
Student of the Week
Happy Birthday!
