Newsletter Term 4 Week 7
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Families,
This week we farewell Jason and Cindy Zheng. Arriving 12 months ago from China, Cindy and Jason quickly learnt English and have made many friends at St Mary’s. We are going to miss them both and wish them all the very best with their move to Sydney. Friday is also the last day for our two ACU student teachers, Madisyn Huy and Ruby Pivetta who have been working in 5I and 6R respectively.
Both have embraced school life at St Mary’s and we wish them all the very best with their studies and hope their stint in the country has fuelled a desire to look to working in a regional area upon graduation.
2024 School Captains
Recently, Mr Perry and I had the pleasure of interviewing 10 of our Year 5 students who had been voted by their peers to possess the leadership qualities that would make a great school captain and last Friday the successful candidates were announced. They are as follows :
2024 Captains: Henry O’Bryan & Kathleen Kennedy
2024 Vice Captains: Belle Lovell, Tyler Mazzarella, Daisy Morris & Charlotte Thamm.
We think they will be terrific leaders and are really looking forward to working with them in 2024.
Junior Hub Update
Good things come to those that wait! Obtaining building insurance which must be approved by DOBCEL, is proving to be a slower process than anticipated which has meant a slight delay with moving into the new hub. Always an upside, it does allow time for some additional cabinetry to be installed this week.
RSL Award Winner
Congratulations to Dane Rosmalen who has been selected as the recipient of the annual Remembrance Day Awards. Each year the RSL presents this award to one of our Year 6 students, identified by their teachers as making a sincere effort with their studies and our community. This year, Dane was nominated by our Year 6 staff and will receive a $300 scholarship to go towards his first year of Secondary Education.
Fly into Foundation Program
We are really looking forward to Fly into Foundation, our Term 4 transition program for preschoolers who have enrolled at St Mary’s, which commences on Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th November. This 3 week program gives our newest students the chance to become familiar with the learning spaces at St Mary’s, the routine of coming to school and the development of connections and relationships with some of the teachers at our school before starting here next year.
State Basketball
Recently, the St Mary’s girls team qualified to participate in the State Basketball Finals and are representing our school tomorrow, Tuesday, 14th of November in Melbourne. We wish them all the very best and are very proud of their achievements.
Year 6 Market Day
In what has been a great initiative, our Year 6 students have been very industrious, setting up their own enterprises producing everything from face painting, car washing, baking to candle making as part of their inquiry unit. Provided with a small cash start up which is to repaid from their business profits, the students have learnt a great deal about budgets, profit and loss and marketing. Their Market Day (aka sales day!) which is open to Year 3-6 students is on Wednesday November 15th with all profits made, being donated to a charity chosen by the Year 6 students.
St Mary’s Got Talent-Advance Notice
Back by popular demand, St Mary’s got Talent is coming up later this term. Auditions will be held in Week 9 with 3 days of amazing talent on display during lunchtimes in Week 10! We all love this very popular Term 4 event and are always amazed at the talent we have amongst our student body. If your child is thinking about performing a song, dance routine or perhaps play a musical instrument to entertain the crowd, it's a great time to start a little bit of practice at home to shake out those nerves and ensure they are confident to perform on the day!
Class Groupings 2024
Parent requests have now closed and our teachers are putting the final touches to class groupings for 2024. In doing this, academic, social and emotional considerations are taken into account to inform decisions. We are fortunate that St. Mary's teachers plan learning activities that often allow our children to mix across the year group where they are working alongside all the children within their age and class grouping. School is a place where children learn how to relate to other children. It is important that children learn to mix with lots of children. In doing this, they learn about themselves in relationships and identify qualities within others that they find positive and assuring for themselves.
We are also finalising staffing needs and will publish teachers and levels by the start of December.
I would ask any family who believes that they will not be here at St Mary’s in 2024 to let me know as soon as possible. Thank you for your consideration.
Look forward to seeing you throughout the week or at assembly this Friday, hosted by 6O.
Kate
"We have much for which to be thankful"
St Mary MacKillop 1875
Key Dates
Tuesday November 14th
State Basketball (girls)
Wednesday November 15th
Year 6 Market Day
Thursday November 16th & Friday November 17th
Soccer Clinic - Year 4
Friday November 17th
Assembly 12.25pm - 6O
Saturday November 18th & Sunday November 19th
Confirmation Masses
Thursday November 23rd & Friday November 24th
Fly into Foundation Session 1
Friday November 24th
Soccer Clinic Year 4
Final Assembly for 2023 - 12.25pm
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 :)
Curriculum with Mrs Hall
Foundation and Year 6 PALS: Inquiry Learning - Investigating Push and Pull Forces
Our students in Foundation are thoroughly engaged in their current unit investigating and observing the way different objects and toys move. This unit caters for many fantastic learning opportunities, promoting creativity, exploration and learning through design. This week our Foundation students were assigned the task to design and create a toy that can be pushed or pulled. Our Year 6 students joined them for the session, developing and supporting their problem solving and cooperation skills. Our PAL sessions are great experiences for our junior students to foster positive relationships with the older students and our senior students keenly embrace the sense of mentorship.
Fostering creativity and design skills in young children is not only enjoyable but also an essential part of their development. Our photos certainly highlight the creativity of our wonderful students!!
RE with Mrs Davies
Confirmation - 18th/19th November
This weekend we are looking forward to a large number of Year 3 children completing their Sacrament of Confirmation at our Masses. These will be held Saturday 18th 6pm & Sunday 19th November at 10.30am. We invite our school community to attend these special celebrations in support of our students.
PE with Miss Clark
Regional Cricket
St Mary's had a Year 6 boys team and a Year 5/6 girls team play in the Regional Cricket competition at Swan Hill and Tyntynder ovals last week on Friday the 10th of November. Considering the incredibly hot conditions, our students played really well.
Out of the 3 matches that both our teams played, the boys won 2 out of 3 and the girls won 1 out of 3 but unfortunately neither team made it to the grand final.
Well done to our boys team: Archie B, Finn H, Bohden B, Kel P, Tyler P, Jasnoor K, Aiden K, Blake S and Jack B and to our girls team: Belle L, Georgia M, Sammie H, Madison M, Brydie A, Indi L, Laine M, Pearl D, Ella F and Hattie M.
Star players for the day were;
Bowling: Blake, Kel, Finn, Ella, Hattie
Batting: Blake, Jack, Finn, Sammie, Belle
Archie and Finn both took a great catch, Belle took several great catches, Pearl D was a great aim at the wickets to get a run out and Indi L bowled a batter out.
Thank you to Tenay for supervising the boys team on the day and also to all the family members that were able to come down to support our students.
State Basketball
St Mary’s will be wishing our girls Basketball team the best of luck for Tuesday’s State Finals in Melbourne. This is such a fantastic achievement to make it to the state level and we hope the girls play well and enjoy the experience. Thank you so much to Tenay Fellows and Adam Kerr (U/14 Flyers Coach) who will help with coaching on the day and down to parents and family members for travelling down to support our students.
St Mary’s tops reminder
If any students have a St Mary’s top from a sporting event this year such as Athletics, Basketball, Footy etc they have not returned yet could they please do so to the PE 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
Breakfast Club Donations
We are kindly asking for donations of Vegemite for our Breakfast Club Program. Donations can be left at the office.
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.
Hats & Jumpers
Just a reminder to clearly label all school items, in particular jumpers and hats.
News from the Canteen
How to order:
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 during Term 4, please contact the office on 50332541 or email office@smswanhill.catholic.edu.au
Student of the Week
Birthday Wishes
