St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 4 Week 5

Acknowledgement of Country

St Mary’s Primary School respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the
Wimmera Mallee area, the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk
peoples, and pays respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all.  St Mary's Catholic Primary School  is committed to the safety and well-being of all students.

Key Dates

Principal's Report

Perhaps there might be too much of a good thing and for some it has been the rain. We now pray for lots of sunshine to allow the paddocks to dry and the crops to ripen in readiness for harvest.  Our thoughts are with all on the land who still have crops underwater with these recent showers. Hopefully brighter, warmer times are ahead. 

On Wednesday afternoon our students celebrated Mission Day. Thank you families for your generosity of spirit, many of whom are doing it really tough at the moment. Collectively our school raised well over $300 for Catholic Missions for others in the world who are also struggling.  Before the afternoon began, the school gathered to understand further the reason for the day. Mrs Letts explained to the students how in RE, the Lentils class have been learning about the importance of transformation, to bring about change for the betterment of others. The money that the school has raised will help transform the lives of others. It was also acknowleged the time and effort the Lentils students gave for the day, the giving of their leadership skills,  which provided the rest of the school the opportunity to have a fabulous day whilst raising money for those in need. Thank you very much Mrs Letts and Bron for your work and leadership in guiding Lentils to arrange a magnificent afternoon. 

We welcomed back on Thursday Eilish Flagg from her amazing trip to Rome. When she has had some time to recover from her travels we look forward to hearing more of her experiences (including meeting the Pope!).

We are so blessed at St Mary's to have such amazing and talented teachers. Congratulations to Fiona Holland who now, nearing completion of the Teacher Excellence Program, has been selected to be a teacher representative of the TEP alumni advisory group (TEP-AAG).  Along with the Program Director, Board members, selected graduates and master teachers, Fiona will be working with the group to provide advice and input into the professional learning and research opportunities as well as raising the profile of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Learning and the Teaching Excellence Program.

Next Friday is Rememberance Day, where we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve. Our school Captains Eljah and Finn have been asked by the RSL to represent our school at the service outside the post office at 11:00am.  At this time the rest of the school will also take time to remember. 

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

Mission Day Wed 2nd November

The Lentils students should be very proud of the amazing afternoon they put together for the rest of the school to engage in as fundraising for Mission Day.  There was such a great range of activities, including class raffles at the end of the day- all students had a terrific time! Check out the photos of all the different activities the children were able to experience!

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Fullness of Life for All - Staff Professional Development Day

On Tuesday 25th October staff engaged in professional development for the Fullness of Life for All program. Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat are committed to providing Relationships and Sexuality Education in partnership with families that nurtures the flourishing of each student. Staff explored the curriculum which is committed to fostering student well-being and personal dignity through essential learning in the areas of sexuality, personal development, anatomy, physiology, morality and spiritual development. Learning for the students is informed by the Diocesan Awakenings Religious Education Curriculum and also the Victorian Curriculum. 

Further information of the program will be provided to families, to show how the learning is developmentally appropriate and responsive to the mulitple elements that our young people are exposed to in today's society,  before this curriculum is presented to the students. 

Curriculum

What is happening in Digitech!

This term, students in each classroom have been learning about coding and how it applies to everyday life. Chickpeas have been using Botzees, Wheat have been making games in Scratch online, Barley have been using Microbit and Edison to explore self driving cars and Lentils have been using Microbit to explore things that can be used in a Smart Home. It has been very challenging for our students to learn how to use new programs and extend their programming knowledge. (Fiona Holland)

Wheat Assembly and Award Winners

This week another fabulous assembly took place, hosted by Wheat under the guidance of Mrs. Kemp. The children did an amazing job sharing their learning and proudly displaying examples of their work. Thank you to the families who were able to attend - our audience numbers have been growing and it is so lovely to have parents able to visit the school to see the children speak in front of the school.   Please see our family facebook page for the video, again thank you to Sarah- Jayne for filming.  Our next assembly is for Chickpeas Wednesday 16th November (previously advertised as Tue 15th).

Prelude to Christmas

This previously held annual event will return this year, at the Uniting Church on Sunday 27th November, at 6:30pm.  This is a wonderful ecumenical event where community members from the various churches in Warracknabeal can celebrate together the advent season and love of Christ, through scripture readings and performances.  All children are expected to attend with all families are warmly invited. Students will practice at the church leading up to the event, with days and times yet to be confirmed. There will be Operoos sent out for permission for the children to walk to and from the Church for these practices. 

Songs have been chosen and students will start learning and practicing these over the coming weeks.  The songs are Christmas Star and Christ the King.  At the end of the newsletter are links to You Tube clips for the songs and copies of the words. Please practice these with your children! (Sing out loud and sing it proud!).  We want the students to learn the words by heart and your help  is greatly appreciated.

Free Triple P Parenting Program

The Australian Government has funded Triple P – the Positive Parenting Program to roll out the Parenting Education and Support Program (PESP). Under the initiative, Triple P online programs will be freely available for families across Australia with children aged 0-11years.

Triple P is an Australian, evidence-based parenting program. Developed at the University of Queensland and backed by more than 40 years of ongoing research, Triple P gives practical evidence-based strategies to help families approach the challenges of parenthood in a positive way. It’s backed by research and proven by parents.  

More information is in the link below

School TV - A Guide to Safe Partying

Teenage gatherings provide young people with important opportunities to interact and build on their social skills and experiences. Celebrations, partying and socialising are a fundamental rite of passage and one of the most important aspects of a young person’s life. However, it is possible for the best young person to get carried away with their peers and the euphoria of the moment. For parents and caregivers, keeping your young person safe can at times feel daunting and is often a compromise and a challenge. Most teenagers try to do the right thing most of the time, but your leadership as a role model is crucial. Your child may appear to be physically large and mature, but this is not necessarily matched by their emotional maturity and responsibility in behaviour. Every party has the potential to get out-of-hand as sometimes it’s hard for young partygoers to make good decisions. Communication and regular discussions are vital, particularly because young people are often faced with peer pressure to do things they prefer not to engage in. Hosting a celebration at home or at a venue can be a fun and memorable event but it is important to agree on the ground rules well before your event is announced to ensure there are no misunderstandings later on. If hosting an event, you owe your guests a ‘duty-of-care’ and should ensure all reasonable steps are taken to keep partygoers safe. This Special Report provides caregivers with list of things to consider when planning a celebration. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.
Below is the link to your special report

Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

Please continue to apply sunscreen and insect repellent to your children each day.  We still have some soggy patches and water laden areas around the school waiting to dry out which will have mozzies. We are expecting warmer weather over the next week and hopefully these will dry out soon.  Children are welcome to wear mozzie patches on clothing and repellent wristbands if you wish. 

School Uniform reminders

As students have now moved back into summer uniform, parents please check sizing as many children have had a growth spurt! In particular, girl's summer dresses may need to be lengthened.  As this is Term 4, purchasing new uniform before another growth spurt over the Christmas break may not be worthwhile, so please know we do have a range of good quality second hand uniform available. 

Also, scrunchies/ headbands/ ribbons must be in school material or dark navy blue. 

Community News

Uniting Wimmera Summer Camp 2023

Uniting Wimmera have been hard at work organising what will be their third Summer Camp at Roses Gap and are now ready to start taking expressions of interest from students to become Campers.

Please see the flyers below. Closure date for the Expressions of Interest is December 2^nd

Facilitators of the campare also seeking enthusiastic community members that would be interested in volunteering their time to be Camp Leaders, and help us give children a memorable experience they can tell their peers about once the new school year begins. 

All relevant information about being either a Camper or Camp Leader is provided on both flyers, as well as contact information should you parents/carers have any queries.

Seussical The Musical

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham?! 
Then maybe you’ll enjoy auditioning for Horsham Arts Council’s…
SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL!

Check out the YouTube video and Google Drive link below for all the information you need on auditioning for HAC’s May 2023 show.

Could you be our Horton the Elephant?  Or maybe you’re more of a Cat In the Hat!  What about our Gertrude McFuzz, or Mayzie LaBird?  We can’t wait to see what talent awaits us in the Wimmera! 

We can’t wait to see who joins us on our trip to the crazy world of Seuss…ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE! 

https://drive.google.com/.../1v62Snw3UYoGt3RmHOBafby7ywzJ...

Songs for Prelude to Christmas Sun Nov 27

Parish Bulletin