Newsletter Term 3 Week 7
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
Our Year 3 students are preparing to head off to Camp Kookaburra this week, and we will be sure to share all the fun moments with you on our social media channels. With all the exciting activities available at this camp, they are especially excited about stepping out of their comfort zones to try new experiences.
P & F School Disco
“What a night! Our school disco was a fantastic success, with over 400 students coming along to join in the fun.” The photo booth, smoke machine, glow sticks, and the playlists put together by our students were all big hits! As well as being an exciting night for the kids, the disco was also a successful fundraiser, with all proceeds going towards new equipment and resources for our ‘Play Room’ — a very popular lunchtime space.
A big thank you to Flick and the P & F for all their work in organising the event, to the many staff and parent helpers who got involved and joined in the fun. Also to Ebony, who puts in a lot of effort behind the scenes in the lead-up to the night itself to make sure everything runs so smoothly.
Fathers and Special Friends Day
We had a fantastic turnout for Donuts for Dad this morning! It was so special to see dads, grandpas, uncles, and special friends joining us in classrooms and out in the yard — shooting hoops, digging in the sandpit, kicking the footy, or simply enjoying time with their children. The playground was filled with such positive energy, and the kids absolutely loved celebrating and showing their appreciation for the love, support, and guidance the important men in their lives provide.
To all our dads, grandads, uncles, and special male figures in our school community — we hope you enjoyed a very happy Father’s Day on Sunday. You truly deserve it!
Parent Teacher Interviews and Student Led Conferences 9/9/25
It was fantastic to see so many families here to share learning successes and discuss future goals with staff and their child last week. Just a reminder that Tuesday, 9th September, has been set aside for staff to conduct our second round of Parent/Teacher Interviews. The online booking is filling quickly. Please ring the office if you have any issues with your booking. 6O & 5B - please refer to a separate letter for your booking details.
Please ring the office if you have any issues with your booking. 6O & 5B - please refer to a separate letter for your booking details. To log on, follow the link
https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code
Code: duxfy
Junior Athletics Day
You wouldn't want to miss this great day out! They have been practising hard under Miss Clark's guidance and are all very excited about the upcoming school sports! This Thursday, September 4th the Foundation to Year 2 students will take part in their Athletics on the St. Mary's oval. Many thanks to those who have offered to help on the day.
Kindness Blitz
This week we launched our Kindness Blitz! Students have proudly produced a video showcasing the pro-social skills of kindness, with a focus on reducing inappropriate and unsportsmanlike behaviour. Together, we’re building a more positive and supportive school community. This aligns very nicely with the Weekly McDonald's Positive Behaviour Award, which went to Rory Phillips and Harrison Graham on Friday. Congratulations, Rory and Harrison, for both being positive role models to your peers.
2026 Enrolments
We are still taking enrolments for Foundation and other year levels for 2026 and encourage you to let your family and friends know about the warm and supportive environment offered at St Marys for all students.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Monday September 1st
Father's & Special Friends event
Wednesday September 3rd-Friday September 5th
Year 3 Camp
Thursday September 4th
Junior Athletics
Friday September 5th
Assembly 12.25pm - Foundation Yellow
Tuesday September 9th
Parent Teacher Interviews
Friday September 12th
Pupil Free Day
Monday September 15th
Regional Athletics
Wellbeing with Mr Doran
PE with Miss Clark
Senior Athletics
The Senior Athletics took place last Thursday down at Ken Harrison Reserve. It was extremely windy and even rained for a short period but we still managed to get through the day! It was great to see all the children trying their best at all of the events and it was lovely to hear lots of students encouraging their peers. A big thank you to all of the parent volunteers who braved the conditions and helped out on the day. Thanks also goes to the Swan Hill Little Athletics Club for letting us use their facilities and equipment. The overall results are as follows;
Relay Winners
1st - Bandicoots- 27 pts
2nd - Dingoes 21pts
3rd - Wombats 18 pts
4th - Bunyips 17 pts
OVERALL WINNER
1st - Bunyips 15.16
2nd - Bandicoots 15.03
3rd - Wombats 14.73
4th - Dingoes 14.62
AGE GROUP CHAMPIONS
8/9 Girls: Raya M
8/9 Boys: Paddy W
10 Girls: Eva R
10 Boys: Jimmy H and Lenny H
11 Girls: Arlee P and Sailor S
11 Boys: Judd O
12/13 Girls: Mia H
12/13 Boys: Sebastian C
SPORTS PERSON AWARD
Gurbaj S, Aaliyah M, Reeva S, Treesa V, Kye T, Madison D, Jimmy W, Minh D
RECORD BROKEN
We had a record broken this year!!
12/13 boys Jai P Shot Put 11.10m
Previous record since 2011: 12/13 boys Jesse K 10.83m
Certificates will be presented this week at Friday's assembly.
Children that qualified for the Division Athletics which will be held again at Ken Harrison Reserve on Monday the 15th of September will be notified this week and the permission note will be up on PAM.
Junior Athletics
It is going to be a warm one this Thursday on September 4th as students in Foundation - Year Two will have their Junior Athletics here at St Mary’s on the oval. Information in regards to this has been sent out via PAM. Thank you to those parents who have already signed up as a helper.
@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
Donations for Breakfast Club
We are kindly asking for donation of vegemite, jam and fresh fruit for Breaky Club. Donations can be left at the office.
Picking your child up early? These are our announcements times....
Just a friendly reminder that if you need to pick your children up early from school, our announcement times are at 11am (Recess), 1pm (Lunch) and 3pm (End of Day). This is to avoid disruption within the classroom. Please consider this when making appointments/arrangements.
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
How to make your 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.
News from the Canteen
Happy Birthday!
Book Week Parade Highlights
Community News
