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Newsletter Term 2 Week 4

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

Our Year 2 students had a great time at camp on Friday and this week it is the Year 3's turn! This morning some very excited Year 3 students, along with their teachers and helpers, headed to Camp Kookaburra in Corop, for 2 days of fun-filled activities. Thanks to Kyle, Alisha and the Year 3 team for all of their organisation. We will post photos to show you what the Year 3 campers are doing each day on our Facebook page.

Also, just a reminder for all families that this Wednesday, May 17th is a pupil free day, with staff busy analyzing data in preparation for Semester 1 Reports.

Our Colour Fun online sponsorship closed on Friday after raising an amazing $15,861.80 of which a large percentage (over $9500) goes directly to the school. Again, thank you very much to Renee and our P & F team and Ebony in the office who coordinated such an inclusive and fun filled event! To date this year through the generosity of the St Pats Race Day committee and our P&F fundraising efforts we have raised over $12,000, with all money raised used to assist with the costs of rebuilding the Ninja Playground.

Year 2 Camp
The weather was very kind to us and everyone had a wonderful time on the Year 2 camp and thoroughly enjoyed all the many experiences on offer. It seems lawn bowls was a firm favourite followed closely by exploring the bunker at the Catalina Museum and the Heartbeat of the Murray laser show! It was also lovely to see so many family members join the campers for their pizza tea at St Mary’s before they departed for the Pioneer Settlement. Thanks so much to all who came along and who pitched in and helped with serving afternoon tea and the evening meal.

St Mary MacKillop Transition Day 1
Our Year 6 students had a great day at St Mary MacKillop College as part of their transition to secondary school program. This was a great opportunity for our students to enjoy the range of experiences on offer and gain confidence and familiarity in the secondary environment and staff that work there.…. cooking and making slime certainly was a highlight!

Flying Start and Enrolments for 2024
We are open for 2024 enrolments for Foundation to Year 6 students and are taking registrations for our school transition program - Flying Start. Flying Start is a terrific way for preschoolers to prepare for life in Foundation, get to know teachers and build their familiarity with the school environment. Our parent community is one of our best forms of advertising so please let friends and families know about the great teaching and learning programs and level of care that exists at St Marys, when they are considering school options for their children. Our local preschools, including Shamrock Park are also open for for both 3 and 4 year old groups enrolments on the Shine Bright webpage. We have been fielding a number of enquiries for the option of 4 Year old preschool groups to also run on Monday and Wednesdays and ask that you direct these enquiries to the Shine Bright Office on 03 54431229.

Catholic Education Week
Next Sunday May 21st, marks the beginning of Catholic Education Week. Throughout that week we will be running daily School in Action tours for prospective families to take a tour of our amazing school and we will also hold the Junior Cross Country. We conclude the week with a celebration Mass and shared lunch on Friday May 26th in the Jubilee Centre, at St Mary MacKillop College.

Senior Cross Country
Our thanks go to Miss Clark for her organisation of the Senior Cross Country last week. It was terrific to see the way the children participated and encouraged each other. Congratulations to those children who were successful in going through to the Division Cross Country which is held tomorrow.

Buddy Benches

The children have been loving our new Buddy benches- for both rest and play!

Enjoy this beautiful Autumn sunshine while it lasts,

Kate

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

Key Dates

Monday May 15th-Tuesday May 16th
Year 3 Camp
Tuesday May 16th
Division Cross Country
Wednesday May 17th
Pupil Free Day
Thursday May 18th
Year 4 Eucharist Retreat
Friday May 19th
Assembly 12.25pm - 2D
Tuesday May 23rd - Friday May 26th
School in Action Tours
Thursday May 25th
Junior Cross Country
Swan Hill College Transition Day
Friday May 26th
CESH Mass
Sunday May 28th
Open Day

Wellbeing with Mr Prockter

In accordance with Child Safe Standard 9: Physical and online environments

What is empathy and why is it good for us?
Posted by Justine Clarabut on 16 March, 2021
In today’s world of 24-hour news and social media, our lives are exposed to other people, or to juxtapose, their lives are exposed to us! The influence of the media is such that it can misrepresent a person’s knowledge of specific events. Depending on the angle the media is taking, we are so often influenced by a certain way of thinking which can lead to being judgemental or biased without really knowing the facts. Being emphatic can help us look at all angles and understand another person’s perspective of the situation they are in without judgment.

So what is empathy?
Empathy in its simplest form is to have a sense and awareness of the emotions of other people. It is the ability to understand what others are feeling and imagine what they may be experiencing. Empathy enables people to get on with others, whether it be a loved one, colleague, friend or complete stranger. Ultimately, it is essential for developing good relationships, both in your personal life and at work. An empathetic person is perceived as warm and caring, whereas, someone who doesn’t show empathy can often be seen as cold and self-absorbed.

Psychologists have defined three different kinds of empathy: Cognitive, Emotional and Compassionate
Cognitive empathy is sometimes called ‘perspective taking’. It refers to our ability to identify and understand other people’s emotions. It is as much about thought as it is about emotion. For example, understanding sadness is not the same as feeling sad. Cognitive empathy enables you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes but not necessarily sense or feel their emotion.

Emotional empathy is when you physically and emotionally feel what the other person is experiencing. Sometimes known as ’emotional contagion’, this type of empathy helps us to respond to others in distress. Emotional empathy is essential for those in caring professions as it enables them to respond appropriately.

Compassionate empathy enables us to not only understand and feel what another person is going through but also the ability to help that person. Being able to recognise the emotions in others, and to understand their perspective on a situation enables us to use that insight to support them through challenging situations.

Remember to be kind, have a great week!

Mr Prockter :)

RE with Mrs Davies

Sacraments - Eucharist Retreat Day Thursday 18th May
This Thursday we have a group of very excited Year 4 students who are heading down to the Parish to participate in a Eucharist retreat day in preparation for their First Holy Communion celebrations in June. This will be a special day to learn about the Eucharist through activities and reflections (and some games too) to help prepare the children to celebrate the Sacrament for the first time.

Children are asked to bring their own food and drink bottle for the day. Please inform the Parish if your child is coeliac or has a gluten intolerance as part of the day will be practising to receive by consuming an unconsecrated host.

Parents are very welcome to attend for all or part of the day.

Sustainability with Mrs Ward

Making your Weekend Sport Sustainable

Pack lunch and snacks in reusable containers
Don’t forget your reusable water bottle
Top your thermos up with delicious coffee or tea
Carpool with other family or friends to the sporting event

PE with Miss Clark

The Great Race individual laps
The individual award winners for the Great Race were announced and presented with their certificate at assembly on Friday. Well done to the following staff and students who achieved the most laps for their year level:
Foundation: Jude T, Eierene K
Year 1: Nyran F, Jamison C, Jasnoor K
Year 2: Jimmy H, Rosie A
Year 3: Judd O, Maeve M
Year 4: Mattaeus C, Ivy P
Year 5: Hamish L, Lily N, Daisy M
Year 6: Leo K, Lucas O, Bohden B, Asha N
Staff: Mrs Hogan and Jo Rogers

Senior Cross Country
Last Tuesday St Mary’s had their Senior Cross Country for students in Years 3-6 at Riverside Park. It was a bit fresh but perfect running conditions. Thank you to all the parents, friends and families supporting our students on the day. The students who ran a place in the top 5 will be representing St Mary’s at the Division Cross Country this Tuesday 16th of May at Riverside Park.

Division Cross Country
Goodluck to all the St Mary’s students competing at the Division Cross Country this week on Tuesday the 16th of May. They will be racing against local schools at Riverside Park for their chance to qualify for Regionals. All families are welcome to attend this event and support the students. The first race begins at 11.00am.
The races will be held at the following times (approximate only):
11:00am 12/13 year girls (3km) 11:20am 12/13 year boys (3km)
11:40am 11 year girls (3km) 12:00pm 11 year boys (3km)
12:30pm 10 year girls (2km) 12:45pm 10 year boys (2km)
1:00pm 9 year girls (2km) 1:20pm 9 year boys (2km)

Winter Sports Coaching
Training for Year 5 and 6 Winter Sport started last week. The students could choose from Netball, Football, Soccer or Teeball. All training sessions are conducted by Mackillop students and held here at school on Friday afternoons. The Division Winter Sports day will be held on Friday 16th of June. Information for this event is on PAM.

PMP Volunteers
A final call out for any parent volunteers to help with Foundation and Year One PMP this term starting in Week 5! In particular Foundation Green, Blue and Orange and Year One A, B, W and X. Volunteers will be asked to help run a station activity with a small group of students under my guidance during their PE specialist time. If you are interested please return your child/ren’s note or contact the office.

@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 a great time to purchase a school beanie! Available on CDF Pay for $15.00.

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 hamburger 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

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

We are after more parents/grandparents/special friends to help fill out canteen roster. All you need is your VIC WWCC.