Newsletter Term 1 Week 9

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

Excitement is building for Italian Day this Wednesday! We can’t wait to see all the creative Italian-themed costumes the children wear. The parade will take place on the hardcourts near the gym after morning assembly—you are more than welcome to attend.

Our Year 5-6 students have been preparing for the upcoming Division Summer sports, held this Friday, while many of our Year 4 students have been preparing for their First Reconciliation. This takes place on this evening. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Nudie Tuesdie
The Sustainability Leaders are thrilled to share the wonderful results from our recent Nudie Tuesdie, a special initiative which was aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability within our school.

This incredible effort saw a remarkable 71% decrease in the number of food wrappers brought to school. A big thanks to all families for their support in encouraging their children to pack food in reusable containers and make choices that reflect our values of sustainability and care for creation. 

As we reflect on this success, it proves our community’s commitment to caring for God’s creation and being mindful of our impact on the environment.

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue fostering a culture of sustainability within our school. We hope to make Nudie Tuesdie a regular event and explore more initiatives to further reduce waste and promote environmental consciousness.

Congratulations to all of the students in 2R and 5C who both only had 5 wrappers between each of their classes!

Parent/Teacher Interviews: Tuesday 25th March
It was fantastic to see such a great turnout for our first week of Parent-Teacher Interviews! These important conversations continue tomorrow, and we strongly encourage all families to book in and make the most of this opportunity.

Parent-teacher interviews provide a valuable chance to celebrate your child’s learning journey so far and set meaningful goals for the months ahead.
Year 5-6 students take the lead in Student-Led Conferences, showcasing their learning and growth.
Year 2-4 students participate in Three-Way Interviews, where they play an active role in the discussion alongside parents and teachers.
Foundation and Year 1 families engage in a traditional Parent-Teacher meeting, without students present.
We look forward to seeing you there 
You can log on and choose your preferred time or contact the office and we can do this for you. The allocated time is 10 mins per chat. 

Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held at:                                                         
3.40pm  – 6.00 pm on Tuesday 25th March

The web address for booking is http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au  and the login code is : edd9n

Enrolments for 2026
Enrolments are now open for children who start Foundation in 2026. Interviews for new and existing families will take place later in Term 2 and continue in Term 3. Parents of existing families who have a child to start in 2026 please ring the office so an enrolment form can be forwarded to you.

P&F Easter Raffle
This week your child will bring home a flyer for the Easter raffle. Tickets are $1 and the prizes are hampers of delicious Easter goodies! Always a favourite with the kids (and big kids too!). Proceeds from this raffle and the St Pat’s Races go towards the new robotics equipment to use in STEM classes. Please return all tickets and donations by Wednesday April 2nd.

Together, we create a thriving school community.  Look forward to seeing many of you at Italian Day or at our Friday assembly proudly hosted by 3H. Please note our next casual dress day will be our last day of term (not this Friday). Have a great week!

Kate

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

Key Dates

Monday March 24th
Year 4 Confirmation
Tuesday March 25th
Parent Teacher Interviews
Wednesday March 26th
Italian Day
Friday March 28th
Year 5/6 Summer Sports
Assembly 12.25pm - 3H
Thursday April 3rd
Open Day
Friday April 4th
End of Term 1
Casual Dress Day
Tuesday April 22nd
Pupil Free Day - Staff PD Day
Wednesday April 23rd
First day of Term 2 for students
Friday April 25th
Public Holiday - ANZAC Day

Wellbeing with Mr Doran

Keeping Kids Active
Anyone who has seen kids on a playground knows that most are naturally physically active and love to move around. But what might not be apparent is that climbing to the top of a slide or swinging from the monkey bars can help lead kids to a lifetime of being active.

As they get older, it can be a challenge for kids to get enough daily activity. This can be due to:

• increasing demands at school
• a feeling among some kids that they aren't good at sports
• a lack of active role models
• busy working families

Benefits of being active 
When kids are active, their bodies can do the things they want and need them to do. Why? Because regular exercise provides these benefits:

• strong muscles and bones
• healthy weight
• decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• better sleep
• a better outlook on life

Physically active kids also are more likely to be motivated, focused, and successful in school. And mastering physical skills builds confidence at every age.

When kids enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it. Practicing a skill — whether it's swimming or riding a tricycle — improves their abilities and helps them feel accomplished, especially when the effort is noticed and praised. These good feelings often make kids want to continue the activity and even try others.

RE with Mrs Davies

Sacrament of Reconciliation Celebrations - Monday 24th March
Over the past few weeks some of our Year 4 children have been busy preparing for their Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are really looking forward to celebrating this special sacrament on Monday 24th March. Timeslots will be held from 5-6pm and 6.30-7.15pm - a shared document has been shared with families via the Parish to choose a time that suits your family. Please contact the parish office if you have any questions or queries.

PE with Miss Clark

Division Summer Sport
Goodluck to all the Year 5 and 6 students participating in Summer Sports this week on Friday the 28th of March. It is a great opportunity to showcase the 5 weeks of coaching from the Mackillop students in a friendly and competitive environment against other primary schools in our local area. The last coaching session will be this Tuesday. The sports on offer were Basketball, Softball, Cricket and Tennis. Parents and friends are welcome to watch and support our students during the day. All sports will start around 10am and the draws will be emailed this week when they are finalised. Go St Mary’s!

@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 do I let the school know if my child is absent from school?
PAM is our preferred notification method for absences. Absences must be entered prior to 9.25am on the day your child will be absent. Absences can also be entered in advance.

On PAM, you can add an absence if:

• Your child is going to be absent for the day (All Day)
• Your child is going to be late to school (Arriving Late)
• Your child is going to be leaving early from school (Leaving Early)
• Your child will be leaving school and returning eg. for an appointment (Partial)
• Your child is going to be absent for more than one day (Multi-day max of 7 days)

To add an absence:

• Log in to your PAM account 
• Select “Parent Notified Absences” listed under “Students”. This can also be accessed by selecting the 3 line menu bar on the top right hand corner of the screen and selecting “Parent Notified Absence”.
• Select “Add Absence”
• Select the child who will be absent
• Select the reason for your child’s absence
• Select the appropriate absence period
• Select the absence date
• Notes can be added if required
• You can edit or delete current and future absences, by clicking on your child and amending it if required

ANZAC Day
We have ANZAC Day items available to purchase from the front office.
Prices range from 50 cents to $5.

News from the Canteen

Happy Birthday!

Student of the Week

What's happening in STEM?

Community News

Woorinen Auskick & Under 10s Football
Sign up now!
Register to play Auskick or Superkick with Woorinen. 9.30am Saturdays
(Home games only).
https://www.playhq.com/afl/org/woorinen

Register to play Under 10s Football with Woorinen. 10.30am Saturdays.
https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/b3e5cf