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Newsletter Term 3 Week 1

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome back to school for Term 3! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday break and are back rested and ready for another exciting term of learning. New to our school this term are Bryce and Lucious Myers, who are joining 4J and 2W respectively, Jewel Shava joining Foundation Blue and Charity Makatendeka, who is joining Year 1. We hope they quickly settle into life at St Mary's, and we look forward to getting to know them and their families.

A warm welcome to Khodi Cochrane, Amy Wilson and Hugh Thompson, who have joined our LSO team and a big thank you to Stacey Hanns, Gemma Harrower and Nikita Dacey, who have all increased their teaching loads to assist in different roles across the school.

Collaborative Innovation Project
St Mary’s has a strong focus on explicit teaching, and in recent years we’ve been working hard to grow our knowledge and understanding of learner agency. We’re thrilled to share that St Mary’s, together with St Mary’s Sea Lake, has received $30,000 in funding from Catholic Education to support visits to schools leading the way in these two areas.

Over the next 12 months, our staff will have the opportunity to travel to Melbourne and visit schools that are consistently recognised for best practice in explicit teaching and learner agency. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn, reflect, and build on the teaching practices that underpin our programs at St Mary’s.

Ultimately, this project is about learning from schools that are creating cultures where students not only achieve, but also grow as confident, creative, and engaged learners. We’re excited to explore what’s possible and to bring fresh ideas back to help our students flourish. I look forward to sharing our learning with you along the way.

Enrolments
We are really looking forward to the 2025 Flying Start program continuing this Thursday and Friday and getting to know many of our 2026 Foundation students and their families before they start school next year. We have had strong interest in this very successful program with a few spaces still available in each group for any preschooler in our district to come along and join the fun! Just ring the office to find out how to register your child. A reminder that 2026 enrolments are open - forms can be collected from the office.

McDonald's Positive Behaviour Award
The award 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. Congratulations to Ingrid Collins and Dolly Murdoch, who were very excited to receive this award. They were represented with their certificates and vouchers at the assembly on Friday.

Parent Teacher Interviews
Advance notice to all families, our second round of Parent Teacher Interviews will be conducted in Weeks 6 & 8 of this term. Online bookings will be advertised via PAM, the newsletter and on our Facebook page closer to the date.

Advance Notice - St Mary’s Disco
The St. Mary’s disco is back! The disco will be held on Friday, August 29th at the Jubilee Centre (MacKillop College). Our P&F do a great job organizing events that not only raise money for the school but provide the children with lots of fun. They are looking for parent helpers to decorate the hall and/or to assist the leadership team in supervising the disco. Separate information about the disco will be sent to all families next week.

We are looking forward to a great first week of Term 3 ! Hope to see many families out on the yard or at assembly, proudly hosted by 1X this Friday.

Kate

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

Key Dates

Monday July 21st
First Day of Term 3
Thursday July 24th & Friday July 25th
Flying Start - session 3
Thursday July 24th
State Cross Country
Friday July 25th
Assembly 12.25pm - 1X
Monday July 28th - Wednesday July 30th
History Box Incursion
Wednesday July 30th
MacKillop College Transition Day 2
Thursday July 31st & Friday August 1st
Flying Start - session 4

Wellbeing with Mr Doran

Child Safety Standard 4 - Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

The Importance of Positive School Drop-offs
Starting the school day with a positive drop-off experience can significantly impact a child's attitude, confidence, and overall school experience. The transition from home to school can be a source of anxiety for many children, and a positive drop-off can help set the tone for the rest of the day. Here’s why positive school drop-offs are crucial and how they contribute to a child's well-being and success.

Building Emotional Security

Reducing Separation Anxiety: Separation anxiety is common among young children. A calm, reassuring drop-off can help alleviate their fears and make the transition from home to school smoother. When children feel secure and confident as they part from their parents or caregivers, they are more likely to start their day with a positive mindset.
Fostering Independence: Positive drop-offs encourage children to develop a sense of independence. By confidently walking into school, children learn to trust their own ability to navigate their environment, fostering self-reliance and independence.

Practical Tips for Positive Drop-Offs

Prepare Ahead of Time: Ensure that everything needed for school is prepared the night before. This can include packing lunches, laying out clothes, and organizing school supplies. A smooth, stress-free morning routine can contribute to a positive drop-off experience.
Stay Calm and Positive: Children often mirror their parents' emotions. By staying calm and positive, parents can help reduce any anxiety their child might be feeling. A cheerful tone and a smile can go a long way in making the drop-off more pleasant.
Keep Goodbyes Short and Sweet: Lengthy goodbyes can increase anxiety. A quick, positive farewell with a hug or a special handshake can provide reassurance without prolonging the separation.
Establish a Routine: Having a consistent drop-off routine can provide a sense of predictability and security for children. Whether it’s a special phrase, a hug, or a high-five, creating a ritual can make saying goodbye easier.
Acknowledge Feelings: If a child is feeling anxious or upset, acknowledge their feelings without dwelling on them. Acknowledge their emotions, reassure them, and encourage them to look forward to something positive about the school day.

Positive school drop-offs play a vital role in shaping a child's school experience. They help build emotional security, enhance engagement, and strengthen parent-child relationships. By fostering a positive start to the day, parents and caregivers can help children feel more confident, independent, and ready to take on the challenges of the school day. Implementing simple strategies can make a significant difference, ensuring that children begin their school day on a positive note, ready to learn and thrive.

RE with Mrs Davies

Social Justice Visits
At St Mary’s, we believe in living out our faith through action and this year our students have truly embraced the spirit of service through a number of social justice visits to local organisations. Guided by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, different year levels have reached out to support and connect with members of our wider community.

Students have visited Alcheringa, Hope, and Logan Lodge – three local organisations that provide vital support to people in our region. These visits were not only opportunities to offer kindness and companionship, but also meaningful ways for students to learn about dignity, compassion and the importance of community.

Our Year 3 students brought joy to residents at Logan Lodge through shared activities, conversations, and music. Year 6 visited Alcheringa, helping to brighten the day for others by being present and showing care. At Hope, students from Year 1 engaged in reading books and sharing stories, offering their time and smiles to those in need.

These experiences have helped our students deepen their understanding of Catholic Social Teaching—especially the values of solidarity, the dignity of the human person, and the call to serve the common good. More importantly, they have made genuine connections, showing that even small acts of kindness can have a big impact.

We are proud of our students for their respectful, compassionate approach to these visits and for living out the Gospel values in such a meaningful way. Together, we are helping to build a stronger, more connected community. This term we are continuing with these visits as well as new visits to Swan Hill North Kinder and Shamrock Park.

PE with Miss Clark

Welcome back everyone!
I hope everyone had a great break over the holidays and are ready for an action packed in PE! The main focus this term is to prepare students for our Senior Athletics (Thursday 28th of August) and Junior Athletics (Thursday 4th of September). We start the term with a few students qualifying for State Cross Country. We also have several teams that have qualified for Regional level sports including Boys Soccer, Girls AFL, Girls Netball and Boys Netball. Look out for the Newsletter reports on how these teams and events progress.

State Cross Country
On Thursday 24th of July we will be wishing Nylah K, Conor M, Raf F and Wilhem F the best of luck as they will be competing in the State Cross Country in Melbourne. All four students have achieved amazing results to get to this level and St Mary’s will be cheering all these students on as they race towards the end of this week!

@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

Book Club - Issue 5 orders close Monday August 11th
Scholastic Book Club Issue 5 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

News from the Canteen

Vic Kids Eat Well: Refresh the Fridge
We've just completd out Refresh the Fridge actions as part of Vic Kisa Eat Well progam! With easy swaps in our fruit juoce and slushies base to remove added sugar and increase % of fruit juice in our drinks. We are continuing to championing water as the drink of choice. Keep adding our water bottle in our lunch boxes to help kids stay focused, fuelled and ready to learn! Small swaps, big impact!