Newsletter Term 1 Week 5

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

This week, a highlight on our school calendar is the annual Welcome picnic for all families, held tomorrow evening from 5:30 pm. Families are warmly invited to bring the picnic rug, and a picnic tea and enjoy time from 5.30 pm-7.00 pm, mixing informally, having a look around our school and enjoying some music by Tony Haley in the passive play area.

Classrooms are open from 5.30-6.15, it's a great chance to relax for the evening and there are loads of games and activities for the kids. to enjoy! Look forward to seeing you there.

Ninja Playground
This week all classes have a chance to Come and Try the new Ninja playground before the portable fencing is removed and it officially opens next week. A huge thank you to our Parents and Friends who committed their fundraising efforts for over 2 years to assist in making this amazing new area a reality.

Play Pod
Over the past few months, we have converted part of the sports shed to house a Play Pod and have been collecting items to use in the Play Pod for construction and creative play during lunch times.  Last week each class had a turn checking out the Play Pod and learning the expectations about using this space at lunchtimes.

Our amazing Year 6 Pod Squad Leaders have been busily putting the final touches on the Play Pod and tomorrow it is open for business!

Open Day 1 - Wednesday 5th March Tours at 5 pm 
We are happiest when prospective families visit us to see for themselves what makes us St Mary’s such a wonderful school. New and existing families are warmly invited to join us to learn about St Mary’s at our first Open Day on Wednesday 5th March with tours starting at 5pm. We will have further Open Days on weekends in April and May and the opportunity to see our school in action throughout the day during Term 2. Current families are our best form of advertising so please be sure to let family and friends know we have Open Days coming up.

Please call the office on 50332541 or register online; https://smswanhill.catholic.edu.au/book-a-tour/

Diocesan Strategic Plan
I have just returned from our termly Diocesan Leadership Gathering, where principals from across the Ballarat diocese come together for professional learning and operational updates. During that time we continued working with educational experts, Pasi Sahlberg and Dave Runge on the Diocesan Strategic Plan, a ten-year vision aimed at building a system of High-Performing Catholic Schools. Now in its second year, the plan is gradually unfolding, and this year we aim to share more with our school community so that you, too, can gain a clearer understanding of the direction we’re heading. Staff will engage further with the Strategic Plan on an upcoming Northern Zone school closure day on Tuesday, May 27th.

Casual Dress - Friday 28th February
At St Mary's, our Student Representative Council (SRC) coordinates our casual dress days on the last Friday of every month. They help support a wide variety of organisations from local community initiatives through to larger worldwide organisations such as the Catholic Mission. These days align with our Catholic values and commitment to social justice and encourage our students to develop compassion, empathy, and a sense of global responsibility. Throughout the year, we will involve students in learning about the importance of giving and how our collective efforts can make a real difference. This Friday will be our first Casual Dress Day for 2025. It will be normal casual clothes with our usual gold coin donation going towards our school sponsoring a child through Caritas Australia. 

School Closure Day - Friday 7th March
Just a reminder for all families that Friday the 7th of March is a pupil-free day (no school) as our staff work collaboratively with St Mary’s Sea Lake and St Mary Mackillop College on deepening our knowledge of the new Victorian curriculum.

NAPLAN
NAPLAN is being held this term in Week 7-8, March 12th- 24th

Students in Years Three and Five will complete four assessments - Writing (narrative or persuasive), Reading, Conventions of Language and Mathematics.  Each online session will run between 40-50 minutes depending on the topic and year level.  NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in Literacy and Mathematics against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia.  The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure them that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program and to advise them to do the best they can on the day.   Students who are funded under Special Needs may be exempted from completing the NAPLAN tests. Parents/Guardians who do not want their child to sit the test, please contact the school for an Exemption form.

If your son/daughter is not a funded student, a parent/guardian may withdraw the student from one or all of the NAPLAN tests. Parents/Guardians need to contact their child's teacher, Kyle Doran or myself if they wish to withdraw their child from any of the NAPLAN tests.

 NAPLAN information has been sent to all families with students in Years 3 & 5 via email.

It’s been lovely to catch up with so many families since the start of the school year and I look forward to seeing many of you at the Welcome Picnic  or at assembly, led by 6O  this Friday.

Kate

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

Key Dates

Tuesday February 25th
Welcome Picnic
Wednesday February 26th
Foundation Rest Day
Thursday February 27th
Year 5 Open Watering Learning Experience
Friday February 28th
Assembly 12.25pm - 6O
Tuesday March 4th
Shrove Tuesday
Wednesday March 5th
Ash Wednesday Liturgy - 9.15am
Open Day - Tours at 5pm
Friday March 7th
Pupil Free Day - Staff PD
Monday March 10th
Public Holiday
Tuesday March 11th
Regional Swimming

Wellbeing with Mr Doran

Recent research supports several previous studies that have shown a correlation between the amount of screen time among young children and the presence of developmental delays particularly in communication and problem-solving skills.

“There is emerging evidence that there may be some structural brain changes associated with greater exposure to screen time as a young child,”

Your child's total screen time might be greater than you realize. Start monitoring it, and talk to your child about the importance of sitting less and moving more.

Article - https://shorturl.at/g6oNi

Tips to manage screen time
·   Eat together as a family without screens 
·    Keep screens out of the bedroom 
·    Take toys or books instead of a screen when going out 
·    Set time limits for screen time 
·    Stop using screens at least 1 hour before bed 
·    Be a good role model - reduce your screen time too  
·    Swap screens for quality time as a family (go for a walk, play card games, or board games) 
·    Cook or garden together to develop life skills 

Curriculum with Mrs Hall

Respectful Relationships
Initiating conversations about respectful relationships with children is crucial for their emotional and social development. By addressing topics like kindness, empathy, and communication, parents create a foundation for healthy interactions. These discussions promote awareness of boundaries, consent, and mutual understanding, fostering a safe environment where children can thrive. Teaching respect from an early age equips kids with essential skills to navigate friendships and romantic relationships, building a future based on empathy and equality. Open dialogues about respect empower children to recognise and value their own feelings and those of others, cultivating a positive and harmonious approach to all relationships.

RE with Mrs Davies

Shrove Tuesday
Next week on Tuesday 4th March we will be celebrating the much loved Shrove Tuesday (or Pancake Day as most kids know it!) Shrove Tuesday is celebrated by Christians around the world. Traditionally it is seen as the last chance to eat rich foods before Lent, and a chance to use up all the luxury food items that may exist in one’s home which may go off during lent. As a result of this, Shrove Tuesday is associated with eating pancakes. Here at St Mary’s each classroom will be making and eating pancakes together on this day.

If your child has any allergies to pancakes, please make contact with your child’s teacher to organise other arrangements.

Ash Wednesday
On Wednesday 5th March we will celebrate our Liturgy with Father James for Ash Wednesday, which is the commencement of the Lenten Season (the six weeks in the lead up to Easter) and culminates in the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. Lent is about the preparation for Easter, which includes prayers, fasting and penance over forty days. It is a time for personal reflection as we struggle with our bad habits and find new opportunities to turn back to God. 

Lent is a wonderful opportunity to spring clean our lives and start anew. Many of us will connect Lent with Project Compassion and donate money to help with projects around the world which impact greatly on the lives of others. We also connect Lent with giving up something we enjoy, like chocolate. Making sacrifices is also an important part of Lent, we are called to come from a place of selfishness towards caring about and appreciating others and hopefully our lives will take on a meaning that is more about others than ourselves. 

Project Compassion boxes will be coming home next week as a part of the Lenten Program. If you have any spare coins laying around, you may wish to have your children place these in the Project Compassion box for Caritas Australia. You are also able to visit the Caritas website to see some of the stories behind the project. https://lent.caritas.org.au Thank you for your on-going support for the wellbeing of others. You make a difference!

All families are welcome to attend our Ash Wednesday Liturgy on Wednesday 5th March to be held in the outside assembly area beginning at 9.15am. Year 5 Students will be leading this with Fr James. 

PE with Miss Clark

Division Swimming
We had 26 swimmers represent St Mary's at the Division Swimming last week on Monday the 17th of February. It was a chilly start to the morning but then got quite hot towards the end of the day. All of our students can be proud of their efforts. A big thank you to Renita, Tamika and Rose for helping down at the pool.

The following students received ribbons for their podium placing;
Harrison B: 2nd Breaststroke and 2nd in Freestyle 
Paddy W: 2nd in Backstroke and 2nd in Freestyle
Lachlan L: 1st in Freestyle and 2nd in Backstroke 
Jai P: 1st in Backstroke and 2nd in Freestyle
Maddy M: 3rd in Backstroke
Isabel F: 2nd in Backstroke
Mia H: 3rd in Backstroke and 3rd in Freestyle
Jayla P: 1st in Breaststroke
Ivy P: 1st in Breaststroke
George M: 3rd in Freestyle
Heidi H: 1st in Freestyle

Relay teams
9/10 girls: 2nd- Alira C, Arlee H, Queenie K, Nylah K
11 girls: 2nd- Maeve M, Willow C, Jayla P, Leni W
11 boys: 1st- Aarav B, Harrison B, George M, Lachlan L
12/13 boys: 3rd- Vann N, Jai P, Otto P, Braith C
Girls Medley: 2nd- Mia H, Heidi H, Ivy P, Isabel F
Boys Medley: 2nd- George M, Jai P, Lachlan L, Harrison B

 Well done to all our swimmers. Only students that came first will progress to Regionals in a few weeks.

@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. If you would like to apply for a Working with Children's Check, please follow the link below;

https://service.vic.gov.au/find-services/work-and-volunteering/working-with-children-check

PAM (Parent Access Module) - How to make bus changes on PAM
We encourage you to make bus changes via your PAM account. This includes bus passes, not on bus, change of bus etc. 

• Log in to your PAM account.
• From the three line menu in the top right hand corner, select “Transport Passes”.
• Ensure the date is correct, displayed above the student schedule table.
• Click on the “Edit” button of the child you wish to add/remove from a bus. 
• “Select New Route” will allow you to add your child to a bus, add your child to a different bus or select “No transport needed” if your child is not to travel on the bus on that particular day.

 Scheduled Transport - this is for children who are on a regular bus schedule. It is the bus that your child would usually catch on that day.

Actual Transport - the bus that your child is catching on that particular day eg. if a change has been made.

 Bus changes via PAM must be made by 2.30pm. For last minute changes, contact the office on 50332541. You can action bus changes up to 7 days in advance. If your child requires a permanent schedule change, please contact the office. Need assistance? Please contact the office 50332541.

Book Fair
Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school in Week 4 (Monday 17th of February - Friday the 21st of February). The books will be displayed in the library where the children will complete a wish list in their normal library time. This will be sent home with an order form, if you wish to make any purchases. 30 -40 % of the sales from Book Fair will be used to purchase new books for our school library. Last orders are due in by Friday the 28th of February.

News from the Canteen

Volunteers Needed:
We are looking for canteen helpers in 2025!
You will need your VIC WWCC. Volunteer hours at 11.30am-1.30pm.
Please email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au if you are able assist.

Sushi special coming to Wednesdays!
Available through CDF Pay, Niko Niko Sushi is available on Wednesdays!!
Order now!! Limited amount available.

Happy Birthday!

Student of the Week

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