St Mary's Primary School Swan Hill eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Dear Parents & Families,

Welcome to Week 3! It seems a lot has happened at St Mary's since last Monday’s newsletter. We had a beautiful sunny day for school photos, a great turn out for our Opening School Mass and fantastic weather for the swimming trials on Thursday. The children really enjoyed the Backflips against Bullying workshop Friday and in the classrooms, our 'Learning to Learn’ units have continued, providing the foundation for teachers and children to establish their routines and expectations.

Friday was also the final day at school for a little while, for Mrs Codie Brown who commenced maternity leave. Many of our students have been lucky enough to have been taught by Miss Hull/Mrs Brown and know first hand what a terrific teacher she is. We wish Codie and Shane all the best as they prepare for the birth of their first child, and I know we are all going to miss her calm and compassionate presence and the high level of professionalism she brought to our workplace.

Today we welcome Ryan Hayes to Year 1X at St Mary’s. We hope Ryan will all be very happy here and we are looking forward to him being part of our learning community.

This week our Year 6 children are looking forward to their Student Leadership Development Day where they focus on learning more about themselves and their peers as leaders and team players. Thanks to Mrs Davies, Mrs Lawry, Mr Smith, Mrs Martin and Mr Daniels for organising such a terrific day.

Backflips Against Bullying
On Friday Luca and Charli from Action Education flipped, jumped, and did tricks, all while teaching students a very valuable lesson – Bullying doesn’t make you tough!

The presenters role-played different scenarios which allowed the students to reflect about what is expected and what is unacceptable and showed the students some appropriate ways to deal with situations. They spoke about what it means to be an upstander (standing up to somebody who is showing unacceptable behaviour). They also spoke about the importance of treating one another kindly, so that the school environment is positive and pleasant.

There was such a high energy in the gym as the hour-long incursions took place, and the students thoroughly enjoyed learning an important message in a fun and exciting way!

Please take a few minutes to ask about the show and discuss these important messages with your own children this week.

PALS
Our Foundation and Year 6 students got together last week for their first PAL session and had an absolute blast! Check out these special friendship moments...

Our Year 6 School Captains and some of our foundation students had fun making a short video to showcase the highlights of being (or having) a PAL.

School Uniform
Just a reminder to all families that students should be in their correct summer uniform with PE uniform only worn on the days of the week they have level sport or their PE lesson with Miss Clarke. This means all students should only wear their PE uniform no more than twice a week, with their regular summer uniforms and correct footwear worn on the remaining school days. As we start off the school year it is important that all students have their school hats as these are an essential part of our uniform in Term 1 and 4. If your child has not yet bought their hat to school, please put it into their school bag this week.

Family Fee Assistance Scheme
In all Ballarat Diocesan Catholic Primary Schools, tuition fee discounts are available to families eligible for a means tested Centrelink or Veteran Affairs concession card. The scheme offers tuition fee discounts to both Catholic and non-Catholic families, to new and current students. If you are eligible for the above concession card and require further information regarding this scheme, please contact the school office for more information.

Camps Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. $125 per year is paid for eligible primary school students. Payments are made directly to the school and are tied to the student. More details are available in the “News from the Office” section of the newsletter

Have a lovely week and hope to see many of you as you drop off or pick up from school,

Kate

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

Key Dates

Wednesday February 15th
Year 6 Leadership Day
Monday February 20th
Division Swimming
Monday February 20th - Wednesday February 22nd
History Box Incursion
Monday February 20th - Friday February 24th
Book Fair
Tuesday February 21st
Shrove Tuesday
Wednesday February 22nd
Ash Wednesday Liturgy 9.15am
Friday February 24th
Assembly 12.25pm - 5I
Monday February 27th
Pupil Free Day - Staff PD Day
Monday March 13th
Public Holiday
Tuesday March 14th - Friday March 17th
Year 6 Camp
Wednesday March 15th
NAPLAN Testing Period commences
Sunday March 19th
St Pat's Cup Family Day
Monday March 27th & Tuesday March 28th
Year 4 Reconciliation
Wednesday March 29th
Italian Day
Thursday April 5th
Holy Week Liturgy 9.15am
Thursday April 6th
End of Term 1

Wellbeing with Mr Prockter

It’s been pleasing to see students coming into the school grounds each day with overall ease. ‘Drop off’ can be a mixture of feelings but eventually the children will feel more and more confident as time goes on, this is evident every year.

‘Shifting your perspective’
Continuing on from last week:

One of the key insights of Mental Fitness is that our thoughts are not facts! With practice, we have the potential to completely reshape both the contents of our thoughts and our relationship to them.

While our emotions can be thought of as signals to act in a certain way, they are not always helpful for navigating the complexities of modern life.

Attached below is some information on some free sessions run by Headspace locally in Swan Hill - in particular the TINT sessions. If you would like any more information about this please call the office and set a time to discuss further. Great opportunity for all parents- in particular Year 5/6s. Our Wellbeing staff will be looking to work alongside Headspace in the future.

Have a great week

Stay positive 👍🏼 😃

Curriculum with Mrs Hall

Supporting Reading at Home
At St. Mary’s we strongly value your partnership and support with home reading.

RE with Mrs Davies

Beginning of Year Liturgy
It was a lovely celebration last Thursday morning as we held our Beginning of Year Liturgy in our school gym. Fr James and the school captains led this special occasion - celebrating God’s love and the love that we can share with one another this year together at St Mary’s. All staff and students received a blessing and special prayers to help strengthen and guide them through the year ahead.

PE with Miss Clark

Swimming Trials
On Thursday 9th of February, 67 St Mary’s students entered the school swim trials at the Swan Hill Outdoor Pool. It was fantastic to see so many students get involved and they should all be proud of their efforts. A huge thank you to the parents who volunteered their time to help with the running of the trials. Students who qualified will go to the Division Swimming held on Monday 20th of Feb.

Year 5/6 Summer Sports practice sessions
Students in Year 5 and 6 will begin their coaching session for Summer Sports with their first session on Friday afternoon during their sport time. They will have five sessions in total on the following dates; 17th and 24th of February, 3rd 10th, 24th of March all on Friday afternoons. The students will be coached by St Mary MacKillop College students. The sport options available to the students were Basketball, Tennis, Cricket and Softball. This program allows students to practice and enjoy their nominated sport for the upcoming Division Summer Sports competition towards the end of the term.

Year 6 Sharon Denham visit
Starting this week, the Year 6 classes will have Sharon Denham help run several Basketball lessons during their PE class. Sharon has many years of experience coaching at a high level in Basketball and we can’t wait to learn from her. The year 6’s will have 4 weeks worth of Basketball lessons where they hope to gain new skills and knowledge about Basketball from Sharon.

Sustainability with Mrs Ward

This week’s sustainability tip is from Max M in 6O and is a great one to use in the warmer months.
“When finished with milk containers/soft drink containers we fill them up with water and freeze them for large ice blocks that you can use in your esky”.

@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

Bus Travel Arrangements
With a new school year comes the beginning of new after school activities. Please take the time to confirm your child's bus travel arrangements and notify the office of any changes. It is also a good idea to chat with your child about how they are getting home from school each day and a reminder to let the office know, rather than your child's teacher if there are changes to their normal travel arrangements.

School Fees 2023
We have finalised the school accounts for 2023 and these will be emailed or posted out this week. If you would like assistance setting up a direct debit or have any questions or queries about the fees please contact the office, we are more than happy to discuss them.

Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)
Applications for CSEF close on 23rd June 2023

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child. The annual CSEF amount per student is $125 for primary school students.

HOW TO APPLY:
New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the CSEF website www.vic.gov.au/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund

If you applied for the CSEF at your child’s school in 2022, you do not need to complete an application form in 2023 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools in 2023 or you did not apply in 2022
changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2023.

If you are unsure please contact the school office on 50332541.

If you are eligible for CSEF you are also eligible for the Family Fee Assistance Scheme. The FFAS amount for 2023 is $850.00. This amount is credited against your school fee account once your CSEF application has been validated.

Breakfast Club
Our Breakfast Club program is in need of vegemite, honey and jam. Donations can be left at the office. We are also looking for a parent helper every Tuesday from 8.25am-9am. Please contact the office if you would like to assist.

Book Fair
Our Book Fair will be running from Monday February 20th - Friday February 24th. During this time, student will bring home a "wish list" and an order form. If you would like to purchase books, order will be taken up until Friday March 3rd. Parents are welcome to come in before school or at lunch time.

Rapid Antigen Tests
We have excess supply of Rapid Antigen Tests available for families. You can collect test kits from the office between 8.30am and 4pm.

Book Club Issue 1 - due Thursday February 16th
Scholastic Book Club Issue 1 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

Ordering from our canteen for recess or lunch is online via CDF Pay
www.swswanhill.cdfpay.org.au
Orders are to be placed by 9.30am. We recommend ordering the night before.

We need your help in the canteen in 2023. Volunteer hours are 11.30am-1.30pm and all you need is your VIC WWCC.

Please contact the office via phone 50332541 or via email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au if you would like to be added to the roster.

Newsletter Term 1 Week 3