Newsletter Term 2 Week 1
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
It is wonderful to see all our students, families, and staff return after the holiday break. It seems lots of families went camping or headed away over Easter, footy and netball have started, and many have told me about catching up with friends and relatives. Whatever you did, I hope everyone had the opportunity to rest up and relax, ready for the new term.
With a number of our regular LSO's on Uni placement or on extended leave, we are delighted to welcome Bianca Milano & Bailey Reeves to the staff. Also great to have the much-loved Brenda Ford back assisting in various classrooms this term. Finally, a warm welcome to Maria Elisha, who joined 2W today. We’re excited to have you at St Mary’s and hope you quickly feel right at home in our school community.
School Closure April 22nd Learner Agency PD
Yesterday, staff continued working with presenter James Anderson to deepen their understanding of practical strategies for fostering student agency. This included developing a comprehensive F–6 scope and sequence and building a bank of lessons and resources to support the teaching of Habits of Mind. The focus was on helping students build resilience, perseverance, a positive mindset and embracing challenge as a natural part of learning.
Easter Raffle & Crazy Hair day
There were some very excited students when the Easter raffle winners were announced, and I only hope most of those chocolates made their way home safely on the bus! The raffle raised $1082.62 which was a fabulous effort and along with fundraising from the St Pats Races raffle totaling $958.31 by our P & F to support creating a new sensory room from these events. Likewise, our April Crazy Hair Day was a great success with over $800 raised for the Leukemia Foundation and Good Friday Appeal.
ANZAC Day
On Friday, 25th April, we pause to pay respect and honour to those who have given so much to the peace of our nation.
Students have been learning about the meaning of ANZAC Day. Due to the weather forecast, the ANZAC parade in Swan Hill has been cancelled. Our school captains will represent our school at the modified service at the Swan Hill RSL at 11am.
The Great Race - April 28th-May 2nd
The Great Race is always one of the highlights of our school year! Kicking off on April 28th, this much-loved event leads into our Senior and Junior Cross Country races. Students and staff can earn points for their teams by walking or running laps of the school oval during lunchtime, promoting fun, fitness, and teamwork. It is a wonderful sight to see so many children involved in this activity and parents are very welcome to come and join us each day. Children are allowed to wear their runners to school each day of the Great Race week so that they can participate fully at lunchtime.
To wrap up the Great Race in style, we’re excited to bring back the hugely popular COLOUR RUN, on Friday, May 2nd —this time with the added fun of a bubble machine! Running from 2:00–2:45 pm, this fantastic P&F fundraiser will help support the creation of our new sensory room. It's sure to be an afternoon full of colour, laughter, and high energy!
Keep an eye on PAM later this week for more details about the Colour Run.
School in Action Tours
We love welcoming prospective families to experience firsthand what makes St Mary’s special! We warmly invite both new and existing families to join us for School in Action Tours through the Foundation rooms on Wednesday, 30th April and Wednesday, 7th May with guided tours between 9.30-10:30 am.
Our current families are our greatest ambassadors, so please spread the word to family and friends! For more information or to book a tour, call our office at 5033 2541 or register online;
https://smswanhill.catholic.edu.au/book-a-tour/
Enrolments for 2026
Enrolments are now open for children who start in 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.
School Uniform
The beginning of Term 2 is a transition period from Summer to Winter uniform. At the moment, students can wear either Summer or Winter uniforms based on the weather for that day. Further notice will be given in the newsletter when the full transition to Winter uniform is required. Hats or beanies are both acceptable as we transition into Winter uniforms. To avoid a phone call home or a uniform notice, please ensure your child is only wearing their sports uniform on the day they have PE with Miss Clark or their level sports day. Thank you for your support in ensuring your child is in the correct uniform each day.
Hope you all have a lovely week as you ease back into routine.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Wednesday April 23rd
First day of Term 2 for students
Friday April 25th
Public Holiday - ANZAC Day
Tuesday April 29th - Thursday May 1st
The Great Race
Wednesday April 30th
School in Action Tours
Thursday May 1st
GRIP Leadership Conference
Friday May 2nd
Colour Run
Colour Run - Friday May 2nd
Wellbeing with Mr Doran
RE with Mrs Davies
Loving God,
We thank You for the life of Pope Francis,
A kind and humble leader who taught us with his words and actions.
He reminded us to care for the Earth,
To help the poor,
To forgive others,
And to treat everyone with love and respect.
He showed us how to live like Jesus—
By choosing peace instead of anger,
Kindness instead of judgment,
And hope instead of fear.
Thank You for the joy he brought to the world,
For the lessons he gave us,
And for his gentle heart that made so many people feel welcome and loved.
As students, help us follow his example:
To be kind to one another,
To speak up for what is right,
And to use our gifts to make the world a better place.
May Pope Francis rest in Your loving arms,
And may his life continue to inspire us every day.
Amen.
PE with Miss Clark
Welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a great break over the Easter holidays and are ready to get back into an action packed term full of PE events!
The Great Race
Dingoes were the winning house last year, which house will it be this year?
Our first PE event in Term 2 is The Great Race which starts in week 2 from Monday 28th of April- Thursday 1st of May. Both staff and students are encouraged to participate at lunchtimes for four days and run or walk laps of our school oval to gain points for their house. Students can wear their sports uniform for the week. The Great Race is to help prepare our students for the Senior and Junior Cross Country also held this term. Information will be sent home during the week about the event. Goodluck to all houses!
Great Race Finale!
On FRIDAY the 2nd of May from 2-2:45pm, we are celebrating the conclusion of the Great Race week by students participating in a COLOUR RUN. There will be no laps counted on this day and is a chance for the students to be proud of their efforts in the Great Race for the week and have some fun with their classmates.
Senior Cross Country
The Senior Cross Country will be held on Thursday the 8th of May for the Year 3 – 6 students at Riverside Park. Every student is encouraged to do their best to complete the course. The 9 and 10 year olds will run 2km and the 11, 12 and 13 year olds will run 3km. The top students for their age group qualify to represent the school at the Division Cross Country on the following Tuesday the 13th of May. Information regarding this event was sent out towards the end of last term via SIMON. Please ensure permission has been given for your child/ren to attend this event. Parents and friends are welcome to watch and support the students.
The following is approximate times of each event;
10 year old girls: 11.30am
10 year old boys: 11:40am
8/9 year old girls: 11:50am
8/9 year old boys: 12pm
11 year old girls: 12.10pm
11 year old boys: 12:20pm
12/13 year old girls: 12:30pm
12/13 year old boys: 12.40pm
@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
Book Club - Issue 3 orders close Tuesday May 13th
Scholastic Book Club Issue 3 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
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!
