Newsletter Term 3 Week 3
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
We really enjoy the opportunity to have university students here on placement and this morning we welcomed Josh Hodgson from Swinburne, who will join Kyle Doran and 3U for the next few weeks.
This week we continue with enrolment interviews for Foundation 2024 and a reminder to our families that our Year 6 students who are off to St Mary MacKillop College, have their 2nd transition day on Wednesday July 26th. The Year 6 students are to wear their sports uniform and make their own way there and home. Country bus travellers are dropped off at MacKillop in the morning and shuttled to the Secondary College to get their bus home. Students enrolling at the Secondary College or at other schools attend St Mary’s as normal on Wednesday.
Flying Start
Flying Start was a big success last week with the preschoolers who attended embracing the program and generally having a wow of a time at school. They will be back again this Thursday and Friday to do it all over again! Thanks to Melita, Barb, Beth and the Flying Start team who make ‘big school’ so much fun for our newest students.
St Mary’s Way-Respect Blitz
Be Respectful is one of the St Mary’s Way norms and the focus of the Term 3 SWPBS blitz. As part of our commitment to School Wide Positive Behaviour (SWPBS) we begin our whole school ‘blitz’ on Respect . Over the next few weeks staff will be actively looking out for students who are displaying being respectful in the way they interact with staff , their classmates and out on the yard. In preparation to lead up to the blitz, our Year 6 students produced a fantastic video that explains what Respect looks like which you can find on our St Mary’s Facebook page.
Why not check it out here?
Casual Dress Day - Friday July 28th
This Friday July 28th, is a Casual Dress Day. The theme is "Yellow" with a gold coin donations. The money raised will be donated to the Cancer Council.
School Disco Friday August 4th
It's back! The St Mary's School Disco has returned and takes place on Friday August 4th at the Jubilee Centre at St Mary MacKillop College.
Our Year 6 students have continued to show great leadership skills supporting the P&F with organizing the disco. They have been actively involved in selecting decorations, producing the advertising material, creating the playlists and organising games for the junior disco. It is terrific to see them so invested in school events.
Check out their handy work producing the Disco flyer.
The disco is a great opportunity for some fun with friends in a safe and very well supervised environment. We hope to see your child there!
If your child is attending, please return the permission form by Wednesday August 2nd.
Last year the disco was a big success and this year is looking to rival it for fun and great music. Please consider responding to the P&F message calling on parents to help organise this special event.
Times:
Foundation -Year 2: 4.45pm-5.30pm (Foundation pick up time from 5:15 pm)
Year 3 - Year 6: 6pm-7pm
Macs Birthday
He seems to have been around for ages but in fact Mac is one on Saturday! Watch out on our socials for how we spoil him on his special day!
Parent Teacher Interviews
One for the family calendar, our second round of Parent Teacher Interviews will be conducted in Weeks 8 & 9 of this term. Online bookings will be advertised via PAM, the newsletter, and on our Facebook page closer to the date.
School Crossings
Please remind your children to use the school crossings correctly and safely. When using the Murlong St road crossing, students should: wait at the white line, wait for the crossing person to walk out, listen for the whistle to blow twice, cross safely and listen for any instructions. The car park crossings are supervised by St. Mary’s staff, allowing students to cross safely due to many cars and buses travelling through during the morning. Please ensure children are dropped off in the marked car parks so they can walk to the closest crossing.
It was lovely to see so many families at our assembly last Friday. Congratulations to 6Q who shared highlights of their final year of school thus far with us as well as their skills as filmakers. This week we look forward to Foundation Green taking centre stage,
Enjoy the week ahead.
Kate
"Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It"
Mary MacKillop - Sisters of St Joseph Foundress
Key Dates
Wednesday July 26th
St Mary MacKillop College Transition Day
Thursday July 27th & Friday July 28th
Flying Start session 2
Friday July 28th
Casual Dress Day
Assembly 12.25pm - Foundation Green
Tuesday August 1st
The NED Show - Incursion
Thursday August 3rd
100 Days of School - Foundation
Regional Girls Football
Thursday August 3rd & Friday August 4th
Flying Start session 3
Friday August 4th
Assembly 12.25pm - 4L
School Disco
Wellbeing with Mr Prockter
In accordance with Child Safe Standard 9: Physical and online environments
Thank-you to those Year 5 & 6 parents who attended the "Tuning into Teens" Parent Information meeting last week. This is something as a school that we are really excited about and look to build on moving forward.
"Tuning into Teens" will commence on Monday August 7th 5.30pm - 7.30pm and will run for 6 consecutive weeks with the final session on Monday September 11th. The program will be held in the staffroom at St Mary's (snacks provided!) and is for parents/carers/guardians (no children).
Registrations for the program close today. Please contact the office on 50332541 to book your place.
We are very lucky that Headspace have offered to run this at our school.
Curriculum with Mrs Hall
Young Writers Award - “SPORT”
The Young Writers Award Writing Competition is an exciting opportunity for Prep to Year 10 and multi-class school children across the Swan Hill district. The competition is devised to inspire pupils to write a narrative piece of no more than 500 words for primary students. As a school we are proud to be involved with this great initiative and look forward to reading many wonderful narratives written by our students across all year levels. This year’s theme is “SPORT”.
Prizes will be awarded to shortlisted entries and the winner in each of the seven categories. Winners will be announced at a presentation to be held at the library during Children’s Week (week four of term four), on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 7pm. Shortlisted entries will be on display at Swan Hill library during November 2023.
RE with Mrs Davies
World Day for Grandparents and Elderly
Sunday 23rd July 2023
In 2021, Pope Francis established the celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly on the fourth Sunday of July. The theme for the 2023 celebration selected by the pope is “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50) We pray for all grandparents and the elderly and thank them for their gifts to families and to our parish communities. Grandparents have a unique vocation that must be fostered and cherished in the spirit of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus and parents of Mary.
Mac update with Mrs Ward
Mac’s First Birthday
Plans are busily underway as the school prepares to celebrate Mac’s first birthday at Friday’s whole school assembly.
Mac monitors have been having lots of fun planning a birthday party for Mac, whilst other students will be decorating their own party hats to wear at assembly.
PE with Mr Smith
Division Girls Football
Last Thursday, July 20th, 40 St Mary’s students participated in the Division Girls Football carnival. All girls played in great spirit, and it was pleasing to see such outstanding skills from our girls on display. It was a successful day for the girls with the following results;
Division 1 Girls: St Mary’s A 1st place
Division 2 Girls: St Mary’s B 1st place
St Mary’s C - one sensational win against tough competition.
Thanks to Tenay and Mr Cruickshank for coming along and coaching. The Division 1 team now advance to the next stage at regional level on Thursday 3rd August.
Division Boys Netball
Last Thursday, July 20th, 10 Year 6 boys got out of their comfort zones and participated in the Division Boys Netball competition held at Alan Garden Reserve. The boys played in great spirit and were lucky enough to come away with a well earned victory. These boys will now proceed to the Regional Netball competition on Tuesday 8th August.
SSV Primary Golf Event
The SSV Primary School Golf Event will be held at the Bendigo Golf Club on Monday, August 7th 2023. This event is aimed to encourage students of any ability, both beginner and experienced, to get out on the course and have a go at golf. The event and course is modified to suit the primary aged student with all holes shortened and equipment available to borrow. To be eligible to play students must be enrolled in grades 3, 4, 5 or 6 at a School Sport Victoria member school. The event consists of three stages: division events, second round finals and the state final. Entries for this event close on Thursday, August 3rd 2023. For more information please click the link below;
https://www.golf.org.au/events#/competition/3678843/info
SSV Track and Field Team
For children wanting to try out for the State Track and Field team this year they will need to register through the SSV website to compete in the Team Vic Track and Field Selection Trial. The team will not be selected from this year’s State Track and Field event. This event is held outside of the St Mary’s carnival.For more information head onto the SSV homepage by clicking the following link;
https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/sport/Track-field
Athletics Sports Carnival Volunteers
To run a successful event, it always takes great volunteers. Over the coming weeks, I will be sending out expressions of interest to assist with the St Mary’s Primary School Athletics Carnivals. The dates are as follows;
Senior Athletics (Years 3-6) at Ken Harrison Reserve - Friday, August 25th 2023
Junior Athletics (Foundation-Year 2) at St Mary’s Primary School oval - Thursday, September 7th 2023.
If you are willing to help out at either of these, please save the dates. More details to follow.
@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
The mornings are freezing so now is a great time to purchase a school beanie! Available on CDF Pay for $15.00.
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 5 - Due Monday July 31st
Scholastic Book Club Issue 5 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
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 need your help to fill the Term 3 roster!!!
Birthday Wishes
