Newsletter Term 4 Week 1
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome back to our new school term. I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed the chance to catch up with family & friends over the break and also enjoyed the time to relax at home! It was fantastic to see the excitement on the yard this morning as the children met up with friends and caught up on each other’s holiday news.
While footy and netball has finished for the season, congratulations go to many of our staff and students who were either Runners-Up or Winners in their football and netball Grand Finals over the holidays!
We welcome a new student this term, Jacob Gentile who is joining us in Year 4. We welcome back Codie Brown who will commence teaching in 1T each Monday and Carla Gorman has moved into the STEM role each Tuesday for Term 4.
Grandparents & Friends Day - Wednesday 29th October
This week the children continue their preparation for Grandparents & Friends Day which is coming up in Week 4. For those who are new to our school, this event incorporates a visit to your child’s classroom to see all the fun and great learning that happens in our school and then families stay on for a concert performed by the students. Families are very welcome to bring a picnic lunch to share on our grounds before the concert commences. BYO chairs are also a very good idea.
Summer Uniform and being Sunsmart
As the weather heats up in Term 4, students need to be wearing their school hats when playing outside as part of our commitment to being a Sunsmart school. Please note that full summer uniform is to be worn this term. If you are unsure of the uniform please refer to our school webpage.
Swan Hill Show
I am sure a number of our families attended the Swan Hill Show over the weekend. Well done to lots of our students who entered many of the art, craft and writing competitions. A big thanks to Mrs Holyoak for coordinating our school entries. Well done to those students who received a certificate for their work.
Upcoming School Camps
In Week 2 the Year 6 students and staff will head off to Melbourne for 4 days of fun-filled activities. It will be the turn of the Year 5 students and staff in Week 3 when they head to Log Cabin Camp in Creswick. A special mention must go to our Admin staff for their many hours of organisation, dedication, and behind-the-scenes coordination. Thanks to their efforts, we know the camps will be a huge success and that students will thoroughly enjoy the amazing opportunities they will experience.
Jason
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Monday October 6th
Start of Term 4
Monday October 13th
Regional Athletics
Monday October 13th - Thursday October 16th
Year 6 Camp
Tuesday October 14th
Year 3 Swimming program commences
Thursday October 16th
T20 Cricket
Monday October 20th-Friday October 24th
Book Fair
Monday October 20th-Wednesday October 22nd
Year 5 Camp
Year 3 Confirmation Parent Sessions
Wellbeing with Mr Doran
Child Safety Standard 4 - Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Is Routine Important For Kids?
So: the holidays are over and your normal routine is out the window. How do you get the kids back into their routine? Is it even important?
Routine is important to kids and is defined as an established sequence of events occurring at the same time and in the same order every time. It makes their life predictable, helping them to feel safe and reducing anxiety. Routine will also aid in the development of self-confidence, and independence and in the transition between activities.
But how do I get into a routine again?
- Bedtime/wake up time. It’s important to ensure kids get enough sleep. The Australian Centre for Education in Sleep recommends 10-12 hours per night for primary school and 8-10 hours for high school students. Adequate sleep contributes significantly to overall health, emotions, concentration, problem solving, creativity and motor coordination. Establish what time your children need to get up, allowing plenty of time to get ready, then work backwards to reach your bed time. If your child needs to leave the house at 8:30am, allowing say, 45 minutes to get ready (just an example) means they have to be up at 7:45am. Aiming for 10 hours sleep means bedtime is 9:45pm
- Bedtime hygiene. This refers to creating the optimum environment for sleep. After children get home you avoid all drinks that contain caffeine or high levels of sugar, for example, energy drinks. Electronic games, TV, video games etc. should be turned off 1 hour before bed and quiet activities such as reading are introduced.
- Routine Charts. A routine chart will help you to identify for your child all the jobs they need to achieve and when. Complete the chart with all the jobs they need to complete for each day of the week and display it in a prominent position such as on the fridge.
Back to school checklist. Whilst not necessarily part of establishing a routine, using a checklist for yourself to ensure that all those back to school tasks are completed takes some of the pressure off you to remember everything, allowing you to better focus on establishing a routine. Identify all the tasks that need to be done – uniforms, books, haircuts, shoes, etc – and write these down, along with a timeline of when you want it done.
https://psychprofessionals.com.au/re-establish-school-routine-holidays/
RE with Mrs Davies
Sacrament of Confirmation 2025 - Year 3 and above
This term we are looking forward to welcoming our Year 3 Children (for Baptised Catholics) who will be preparing for and celebrating their Sacrament of Confirmation. Children above Year 3 who have not yet been Confirmed are also welcome to be part of the program. The program begins with attending one of the enrolment sessions in Week 3 of Term 4.
Invitations will be sent directly to the families of Baptised Catholics the school has a record of. If for whatever reason you miss this invitation, and want your child to be part of the program, please contact the Parish directly via email sacramentalprogram.holyfamily@gmail.com or phone 50324144 and they can assist you.
Below are some other important dates to remember -
Enrolment Sessions- 22nd, 23rd or 24th October- (need to book in via Try-booking)
Presentation Masses - Saturday Oct 25th 6pm or Sunday Oct 26th 10.30am
Retreat - Tuesday Nov 11th
Mass Celebration - Saturday Nov 22nd 6pm or Sunday Nov 23rd 10.30am
PE with Miss Clark
Division Athletics
In the last week of Term 3, St Mary’s had 65 students represent our school at the Division Athletics held at Ken Harrison Reserve. All students showed amazing effort and sportsmanship in their events and I hope they enjoyed the competition. A huge congratulations to 29 students who have qualified for the Regional Athletics on Monday October 13th in Bendigo. Thank you to all the staff for helping out on the day and to all the parents and family who were able to come down to support our students.
@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
Bookfair next week!!
Bookfair begins Tuesday October 21st - Friday October 24th. Last orders will close on Friday October 28th.
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.
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!
