Newsletter Term 2 Week 10
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
This week we welcome Malia Codling who is joining our wellbeing team and we have Scarlet here from MacKillop College completing work experience. In some lovely staff news, we were excited to hear about the safe arrival of Miller, another beautiful grandson for Trudy to love and spoil.
Flying Start and 2026 Enrolments
We had a great time at the first Flying Start program session which commenced last week and enjoyed getting to know many of our 2026 Foundation students and their families before they commence school next year. Limited places are still available in some sessions so please let family and friends know there is still time to ring the office for more information and to come along and join in the fun.
St Vinnies Winter Appeal
Lots of donations of non-perishable food items have started to stockpile in classrooms with families being very generous in their support of the St Vinnies Winter Appeal. Items can be sent through all week with hamper bags being organized and distributed to St Vinnies and other local agencies that support families in need in our community. As part of the appeal, we are holding our ‘Winter Pyjamas’ casual dress day this Thursday, June 26th
Due to all the fantastic items already donated, we will not be having a gold coin donation for this day.
Mia Hirst
As well as serving as one of our school captains, Mia is a positive role model who consistently sets a wonderful example for our students. She is also an exceptionally talented athlete, well known to many families for her remarkable achievements on the sporting field.
We are thrilled to share that Mia has recently been selected to represent Victoria at the national level in both football and basketball—a truly outstanding accomplishment. The entire school community is incredibly proud of her.
Next term, Mia and her family will travel to Queensland to compete in the national championships. In support of her journey, and with encouragement from School Sport Victoria (SSV), Mia has created a profile with the Australian Sports Foundation.
For any school community member who would like to support Mia, the link is;
https://asf.org.au/campaigns/mia-hirst
Uniform update
Clarks has advised that they are no longer able to source an affordable and consistent supply of formal navy pants. Phil has worked hard to accommodate, but the issue is reflective of broader changes in the industry, with many uniform suppliers either going out of business or significantly reducing their stock lines.
Given this, and the fact that only 15–20 pairs of navy pants were sold last year, we have made the decision to offer an alternative for families who wish to purchase a navy pants option for winter. Moving forward, a track-style navy pant will be allowed in place of formal navy pants.
Two different styles of navy track pants – selected to suit different body shapes and preferences – have been approved and are available through Clarks. One of the options is our current navy track pant bottom. Both offer a practical and inclusive alternative while still maintaining a neat and uniform school appearance.
McDonald's Positive Behaviour Award
Due to the generosity of Francois Lotter, the new owner of the Swan Hill McDonald's store, we have a new award that focuses on promoting Positive Behaviour.
The program aims to recognise students who consistently demonstrate kindness, respect, responsibility, and other core values. and fits in very well with The St Mary’s Way.
Starting this week and running for 15 weeks, 2 x selected students will receive:
- A Positive Behaviour Award Certificate
- A McDonald’s reward voucher
We will award these certificates at assembly each Friday.
Enjoy the week ahead, and good luck to our Senior Students who are participating in the Winter Sports Carnival this Friday.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
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
Monday July 21st
First Day of Term 3
Wellbeing with Mr Doran
Welcome to our Wellbeing Team.....Malia Codling
A warm welcome to Malia Codling, who started at St Mary's today. Malia comes well credentialed with a background in Psychology and other agency services, and we are looking forward to her adding a different perspective to our wellbeing support in the school. Malia joins Kyle Doran, Krishell Wilson, Brooklan Caruso, Anthony Rullo & Mac, who make up our wellbeing team at St Mary's.
Curriculum with Mrs Hall
Exploding with Learning in Science!
This week, our Year 2 students had a blast exploring chemical reactions through an exciting Lemon Volcano experiment! As part of our science unit on changes in materials, students learned how mixing an acid (lemon juice) with a base (baking soda) creates a bubbly reaction that mimics a volcanic eruption. Through hands-on discovery, they made predictions, observed real-time changes, and compared their results—developing both scientific thinking and vocabulary. It was a colourful, fizzy experience that brought science to life and left everyone eager for more experiments!
RE with Mrs Davies
Eucharist Celebrations
Some of our Year 4 students recently celebrated their First Eucharist sacrament at the church, marking a very special and sacred moment in their faith journey. Dressed in their best and filled with excitement, the children reverently received the Body of Christ for the first time, surrounded by their families, teachers, and parish community. The celebration was a beautiful and meaningful experience, filled with prayer, song, and reflection. It was a proud and joyful occasion, as the students deepened their relationship with Jesus and became more connected to their Catholic faith and school community.
PE with Miss Clark
Year 5 and 6 Division Winter Sport
The Year 5 and 6 students will have their last training session with the Mackillop students this week 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.
Football (AFL) - Tyntynder Oval and Swan Hill Oval
Netball - Tyntynder Netball Courts
Soccer and Teeball - Ken Harrison Reserve
Students are required to wear full sports uniform on the day. Students going to AFL are strongly encouraged to wear mouth guard. If students have their own helmets and footy boots for AFL and shin guards for Soccer they are welcome to bring them along to wear. Students will be provided helmets and shin guards from the school if needed.
@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.
Labelling your school items
Just a reminder to clearly label any items your child brings to school, in particular jumpers. We collect a huge amount of jumpers every week, some of them brand new and they can't be returned unless they are named.
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 - Adding a student absence
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
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