Newsletter Term 1 Week 10

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

It is hard to believe that there are only a few days left until the Easter break. This term has flown and both our staff and students are to be congratulated on the way they have worked to make their classrooms such positive and vibrant learning communities.  

Throughout the term the students have had many exciting activities, opportunities and experiences-highlights being the Year 6 camp, The History Box incursion, Italian Day and the Summer Sports Day. Many of these learning experiences have been shared via Seesaw over the term while this week your child's Term 1 Personal Qualities sheet will be uploaded. As we head towards holidays, it is also timely to acknowledge the amazing work of our staff this term. Their dedication and care for each student under their care is commendable and I am grateful every day for their efforts to ensure our school is as safe and productive as possible.

All the very best to Ananya and Arnavreddy Jakkanagari who are moving to Melton over the holidays. We have loved having them at St Mary’s and wish them every success at their new school. Thursday is also the last day in 1W and 3T respectively for Miss Jennings and Mr Herily who are heading off overseas to work and travel. They have both been a terrific addition to our staff and will be missed by their students and the staff.

Holy Week Liturgy
Holy Week is one of the highlights on our religious calendar for the year and this Thursday we are looking forward to the Year 2 students leading our Holy Week Liturgy together with Fr James. This will begin at the gym at 9:15 am. All are welcome.

Easter Fun
Last week our newly elected SRC met with Mrs Davies, Mr Dullard and Mr Davidson and planned a terrific array of activities in the lead up to Easter. Starting with an Easter themed casual dress which raised $361.85 to support  Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, the fun continues this week. There will be a number of activities running throughout the week - an Easter dance off, Easter chalk drawings, colouring, as well as the very popular  ‘Guess how many Easter Eggs are in the jar’’ with the winner announced on Thursday. A reminder that donations and raffle tickets are due back by Wednesday for our Easter Raffle. 

Community Groups
The children had so much fun this morning completing some Easter themed activities  when we held our first community group session for the year. At St Mary’s we have many opportunities for children to mix and get to know each other and other teachers. Community Groups is one of these. We run Community Groups once a term with children being vertically grouped with family members and the same teacher for the year. This is a great way for children to meet other children and teachers and to build positive relationships with others.

Italian Day
Mamma Mia there was a lot of fun here on Wednesday with our long held tradition ‘Italian day’ happening. After our parade, students had an array of Italian inspired learning experiences and activities to enjoy, not to mention the  pizza, gelati and cannoli!!! Thanks so much to our wonderful Italian teachers for organising this fabulous day.

Enrolments for 2024
Enrolments are now open for children who start Foundation in 2024. Interviews for new and existing families will take place later in Term 2 and continue in Term 3. Parents of existing families who have a child to start in 2024, please ring the office so an enrolment form can be forwarded to you.

ANZAC Day 
It seems early to be highlighting this important day on our national calendar but we return to school on the 24th April  just one day before , we pause to pay respect and honour to those who have given so much to ensure  the peace of our nation. 

Many year levels are learning about the meaning of ANZAC Day this week and will revisit this work when we return after the break.

We have our school captains representing us at the ANZAC Day Parade. They will be meeting Mrs Quin, Mr Perry and Mrs Davies at 10:00 am and marching down to the cenotaph where they will lay a wreath from our school. We would like to invite any other students who would like to march together as a school group to meet in their St Mary’s uniform by 10 at the Beaurepaires Corner in McCrae St Tuesday April 25th

Last time we marched it was exciting to see approximately 50 students represent our school, it would be wonderful to build on this number in 2023.

Save the Date - Friday May 5th
The Colour Run is back on Friday May 5th. More information to come at the start of Term 2 about this fun filled event.

A reminder that Thursday is the end of Term 1, which means an early finish (first bell at 2.15pm).

Wishing you all a blessed Easter and a safe holiday and look forward to seeing you all when we return on Monday 24th April.

Kate

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

Key Dates

Thursday April 5th
Holy Week Liturgy 9.15am
Thursday April 6th
End of Term 1 - 2.15pm finish
Monday April 24th
Start of Term 2
Tuesday April 25th
Public Holiday - ANZAC Day
Monday May 1st - Friday May 5th
Great Race Week
Wednesday May 3rd
Open Day - tours at 4.45pm
Thursday May 4th
Flying Bookform Performance
Friday May 5th
Colour Run

Wellbeing with Mr Prockter

Reinvesting in Meaning
Three strategies in particular can help us discover a more sustainable sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. 

The first is value-orientated living. Instead of solely focusing on ticking off satisfying short term emotional needs, value-orientated living is aimed at living a life consistent with regularly re-identifying with what is truly important to us. This might include doing and overcoming things that are difficult or out of our comfort zone. 

Another strategy is to direct our attention away from ourselves more often. Common methods include belonging to a worthwhile group or cause, contribution to others or a project bigger than us, and finding awe in the complexity and beauty of the natural world. These experiences allow us to feel useful, to contribute to making someone or something better. 

Finally, we can find meaning in disappointment and setbacks. We can become the ‘author of our own story’ by more consciously choosing how we react to negative surprises. 

Have a great week and a safe, relaxing holiday period. 
Mr Prockter 🙂

RE with Mrs Davies

This week we enter the most sacred and special time of the Church Year - Easter. We have been journeying through Lent in preparation for the special time that awaits us ahead. 

On Thursday morning at 9.15am we warmly invite families to attend our whole school Easter Liturgy led by Fr James and the Year 2 children. This will be held in the Gym. 

Please see below Mass times for Easter -

Mass Times - Easter
Holy Thursday 6th April
Mass of the Last Supper 6pm Swan Hill

Good Friday 7th April
Stations 10am
The Lord’s Passion: 3pm Swan Hill

Holy Saturday 8th April
Easter Vigil 6pm Swan Hill

Easter Sunday 9th April
Mass 10:30am Swan Hill

PE with Miss Clark

Year 5 and 6 Summer Sports
What a great day we had for the Year 5/6 Summer Sports last Friday the 31st of March. St Mary’s had lots of success on the day. Well done to all students who competed and showed great effort and sportsmanship in each of the sports.  A very big thank you to the MacKillop College students who coached our St Mary’s teams. Thank you to the Year 5/6 teachers, other staff members and parents who helped to support our children on the day. There were lots of pairs in Tennis from St Mary’s who came either Runners Up or Winners in their Division pool. Some of the day's results are listed below. A special mention to both the boys and girls Division 1 team for Basketball as they have qualified for Regionals later in the year.

Regional Tennis
Today there are two students who are representing our school at Regional Tennis at the Swan Hill Tennis Courts. A couple of big days of sports for these boys with Basketball at the Summer Sports on Friday and Tennis today. Best of luck to Oliver S and Hugh A! 

Term 2 Sport Events
And that’s a wrap for Term 1! We have lots of exciting sporting events to look forward to in Term 2 including; The Great Race, The Colour Run, Cross Country, State Swimming, PMP, Footy clinics and more. A reminder to parents who have children in Year 3-6 especially to make sure you have given your child/ren permission on PAM to attend Senior Cross Country at Riverside Park. See everyone next term and stay active in the holidays!

Sustainability with Mrs Ward

Sustainability Tip of the Week
Planning to get stuck into some chocolate this Easter? Foil chocolate wrappers are 100% recyclable! 

The best way to recycle Easter egg foil is to scrunch the foil up into a small fist-sized ball before placing it in the recycling bin. This makes sure the small bits of foil don’t get lost in the recycling process.

If it’s got chocolate on it, rinse it off first and if it's still too dirty then it's better in the waste bin.

You could even make a game of it with your family or friends and see who can make the largest ball!

If you haven’t consumed enough chocolate to make a fist-sized ball of foil, you can place the foil pieces into an aluminium drink can to contain them before placing it in your recycling bin.

@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

ANZAC Day
We have ANZAC Day merchandise available to purchase in the office. Prices range from $1-$5.

How can I notify the school of my child’s absence via PAM?
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

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. 

News from the Canteen

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

If you are able to help in the canteen on any of the dates in yellow, please contact the office on 50332541 or email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au

If you are able to help in the canteen in Term 2, please contact the office with your availability.

Student of the Week

Birthday Wishes

Italian Day Highlights

Community News