Newsletter Term 2 Week 9
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
Congratulations to our Year 4 students who received the Sacrament of First Eucharist at our parish Masses over the weekend. It was a beautiful celebration of faith and a special milestone in their faith journey. A warm welcome to Robyn Naylor, who has joined our fantastic team of LSOs, and to Malia Codling, who will be joining the wellbeing team next week. We’re excited to have them join our St Mary’s school community. We also say a big farewell to Dhruthika Sowoji and Zion Pratap who are both leaving this week to head to different parts of Queensland with their families. We wish you every happiness and success in your new school—you will be greatly missed by all of us at
St Mary’s.
St Vinnies Winter Appeal
At St Mary’s, we place a strong focus on social justice and strive to live out the Gospel through our actions. Guided by Catholic Social Teachings—particularly the call to care for the poor and vulnerable—we are committed to supporting those in need. One way we do this is through our annual support of the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. This appeal provides emergency relief to people at risk and those experiencing homelessness.
Over the next two weeks, we are collecting donations of non-perishable food, which will be organised into hamper bags and distributed to those in need within our local community. This initiative is being proudly coordinated by our Student Representative Council (SRC), who are leading our school in putting faith into action.
We also have several classes visiting our local aged care facility or helping out at the kinder this week as part of our social justice outreach to the community program.
Nudie Tuesdie
Back tomorrow! Our Nudie Tuesdie initiative has been a big success, with students and families really embracing the push to reduce rubbish and packaging in school lunches. A big shoutout to 2R, who won a games session with our Sustainability Leaders for having the least amount of packaging in their lunchboxes during our last challenge.
Flying Start and 2026 Enrolments
We are busy getting ready for Flying Start, which commences on Thursday. We are still taking enrolments for this fantastic program with the 8.30am sessions proving to be very popular. If you still need to do so, remember to contact the office to confirm a place for your preschooler. Places are filling steadily, especially in the 8.30 am session, so contact the school to confirm a place for your preschooler. Flying Start is on Thursday or Friday mornings from 8:30 to 10:15 or at 11:30 – 1:00 for all interested families. Ring the office for more information.
Stay warm and look forward to seeing many of you at assembly led by 6M.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Tuesday June 17th
Nudie Tuesdie
Thursday June 19th & Friday June 20th
Flying Start session 1
Thursday June 26th
Casual Dress Day - PJ Day
Thursday June 26th & Friday June 27th
Flying Start session 2
Friday June 27th
Year 5 & 6 Division Winter Sports
Friday July 4th
End of Term 2 - 2.15pm finish time
Wellbeing with Mr Doran
Child Safe Standard: Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing
A Special Report: Discussing War & Conflict
Children are frequently exposed to distressing news through the 24-hour news cycle and social media. These experiences can provoke anxiety, especially in young minds still forming their worldviews. Parents and caregivers should be mindful of overexposure to such content as it can lead to symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Children’s responses to trauma can vary, from being strong emotional reactions to being indifferent. It can leave an emotional imprint that can affect a child's behaviour and perception of danger.
Children need reassurance about their safety as they navigate uncertain times. Tailor conversations to your child's age and emotional maturity. Younger children benefit from simplified explanations focusing on peace, empathy, and cooperation, whilst older children can delve into historical events, root causes of conflict, and the complexities of international relations.
Before discussing these topics with your child, it is also important to assess your own emotions and comfort level. By staying calm and providing physical comfort will help your child regulate their own emotions. In challenging times, compassionate adults play a crucial role in helping children cope with anxiety and providing hope and understanding in our complex world.
This Special Report provides guidance on how to tackle this difficult topic and helps children understand there is still hope in our complex world.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
Here is the link to your special report:
RE with Mrs Davies
Social Justice - Year 6 Meals on Wheels
Last Tuesday some of our Year 6 students along with Mrs Davies volunteered to help out with Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is a community service that delivers nutritious meals to elderly or vulnerable people who may be unable to cook for themselves. It offers more than just food — it brings companionship, care, and a sense of connection to those who may be isolated. This service strongly reflects the Gospel values of compassion, service, and dignity promoted in our Catholic school. By caring for others in need, Meals on Wheels demonstrates love in action, just as Jesus taught us to “love your neighbour as yourself.” It encourages students to see the importance of helping others, showing kindness, and living out their faith through acts of service.
PE with Miss Clark
Division Girls Footy and Boys Netball
We had lots of our Year 5 and 6 students compete in Division Boys Netball and Division Girls Footy on Wednesday the 10th of June. A big thank you to coach Belinda Davies and coach Tenay for helping out on the day.
The boys Netball team won all their games for the day and then won the grand final against Swan Hill Primary.
Congratulations to;
Deacon R, Mack H, Indy C, Jai P, Will O, Patrick K, Vann N, Mattaeus C, Rory P and Leo E
In Girls Footy, the B team certainly learnt a lot from their 4 games as very few of these girls play footy. They can be very proud of their efforts with some great tackles, kicks and marks and an awesome goal from Mila W kicking it to Georgie M who then scored!
The Girls A team won all their games and then won the grand final also against Swan Hill Primary.
Congratulations to;
Isabel F, Mia H, Maggie O, Eliza M, Scarlett F, Rubi K, Ivy P, Meave M, Arlee P, Thea T, Eve G, Stella W, Emme B, Tawney M and Indi P
Both girls and boys winning teams will progress to the Regional competition next term in August.
Year 5/6 Winter Sports
The Year 5 and 6 students will have their last training session with the Mackillop students next week on the 24th of June before the Division Winter Sport competition held on Friday, 27th of June. Students will compete in either Football, Netball, Soccer or T-Ball. Parents and guardians please refer to the permission note on PAM for details of the day.
@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
School Beanies
With the weather cooling down, now is the perfect time to purchase a school beanie. Available on CDF Pay, under "Shop" for $20.00. Remember to put your child's name on them.
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 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.
Please note you can not add your child to a Country Bus unless they are registered to travel on that particular bus.
News from the Canteen
Student of the Week
Happy Birthday!
What's happening in 1U?
Community News
