St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 4 Week 7

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

Welcome to Term 4 Week 7

Last Sunday was the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Church’s calendar, Year C. The Gospel from Luke, encourages us to trust and have hope in our God. It is not always easy when there is so much war, terrorism, violence, greed and injustice in our world but we need to trust in God and remember that he has everything under control! Our role is to be happy and positive and work for
peace and justice in our world. With the upcoming harvest looming we remember this week our farming community in our prayers.

Almighty God, You keep on giving abundance to men and food out of the richness of the soil. We give thanks to you for the fruits of the field which we are soon gathering. We ask you to bless our harvest; preserve it, and keep it from all harm.   

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

Please check your child's diary every day for notes!

Would all parents please check their child's diary every day for notes.  At this very busy time of year there is a lot of notifcation being sent home and it is essential parents check school bags each night - staff are finding letters for home still in bags and diaries which have been sent a few days previously. 

Transition - Foundation Students 2023

All of our new transition students and families should have received in the post their invitation to the transition days, which will begin in  Week 9 to the lead-up to the State-wide Orientation Day on Tuesday, 13^th December. The purpose of these mornings is to allow the children to become familiar with the school routine, the process of getting to school, playing with the other children, learning the layout of the school, as well as meeting the teachers

The dates and times for these  mornings are below. The school day begins at 9.00 a.m., Recess is at 11.00 a.m., Fruit break is 10.00 a.m., Lunch time is 1.30 p.m. with pick-up time at 1.45 p.m. On the longer day Tues 13th December, the children are invited to eat lunch with the school children before they go home at 1:45pm

(The school has a 'play before recess/lunch' policy. The children stop for recess at 11:00 and the lunch time break at 1.00 p.m. and go straight out to play. When the bell rings everyone comes in to eat their snack/lunch. Letting the children play before they eat stops food being wasted, lets them run off a bit of steam after being cooped up inside and helps them settle for learning. The fruit break at 10.00 am keeps them going until 11.00 a.m.

Transition Dates are:

• Tuesday 29th November, 9.00 a.m. -11:00 am.
• Tuesday 6th December  9.00am – 12:00 pm.
• Tuesday, 13^th December 9.00am – 1.45pm  (State-wide Orientation day )
  

Kinder children need to bring a hat, snack for Recess, fruit (for fruit break) and lunch

If you have any questions about the transition days, please ring the school on 5398 2001.

We look forward to meeting you and your child as we begin your child’s primary school education. This is the beginning of a wonderful partnership to enhance your child’s learning.

Transition - Grade 6 to Secondary

The transition day for the Grade 6 students attending Warracknabeal Secondary College will be held on  Thursday 8th December.

Please note on Tuesday 13th December, there will be a whole school transition in the morning, for 2023 Prep to Grade 6 students to be in their new classes. Staffing for these classes is still being finalised. 

Our current Grade 6's are still to come to school on Tuesday 13th December.  In the morning while the rest of the school is undertaking transition activities, Ms Holland will meet with the Grade 6's to become familiar with the new Child Safety Standards and to seek their input into creating student friendly standards for our school.  Normal classes will resume after recess. 

Student Absence from School

A reminder that it is a legal requirement for parents to explain absences from school. Please remember to log on to PAM and state if sickness, doctor’s appointment or family reasons. Alternatively you can email or phone the school prior to 9:30 am on the day of absence, otherwise an absence SMS will be generated. If there is a scheduled absence please advise us in advance. 

Family holidays - if there are planned holidays during school term time, parents are to notify Nerrida at principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au. 

Everyday Counts

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education.
Students learn new things at school every day– missing school puts them behind.

Blessing of St Brigid's STEAM building

Earlier this week Fiona Holland and Nerrida Holland were invited to the official Opening and Blessing of St Brigid's College STEAM, (Science, Technoligy, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Building and Landscape project.  The building was offically opened by Senator Jana Stewart, Senator for Victoria and the youngest Aboriginal woman to serve in the Federal Parliament.  Monsignor Glynn Murphy conducted a lovely blessing. 

These brilliant new facilities provide the staff, teachers and students of St Brigid's College with contemporary learning spaces in which to work, teach and learn.  These facilities are also fortunately available for all our Catholic primary schools in our area, including St Mary's.  We look forward to continuing our partnership with St Brigid's and  our St Mary's students having access to these wonderful facilities to extend their science and technology learning experiences. 

Science Dome Excursion

This week our students attended the Science Dome with funding support from the Country Education Project.  Thank you, Warracknabeal Primary School for hosting the event.  Students were fascinated by the presentation and had many interesting and challenging questions for the presenter! The one hour session covered the sun, earth and solar system.  Students were mesmerised by giant comets and asteroids and learnt more about the earth - its movement and spin in space, night and day and the seasons.  Students also learnt about the sun and the rocky and giant gas planets.  Lunar eclipses were also modelled. 

Interschool Golf

Last week Eedie, Finn and Eljah travelled to Horsham to compete in the State Schools Victoria Primary Golf competition in Horsham

Eedie came first amongst the girl competitors and won a golf club bag. Eljah and Finn also had a great day and enjoyed the sunshine playing golf with students from the other competing schools. 

Student Wellbeing

What is  a Growth Mindset?

“Growth mindset” has become a bit of a buzzword in education and business sectors so it is important to fully understand what this actually means for the learning of our children. Those who believe their talents can be developed, through hard work, good strategies, and input from others have  a growth mindset.  They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and put more energy into learning. When learners embrace a growth mindset, they become empowered and committed to their learning. It’s critical for teachers and parents to reward not just effort but learning and progress, and to emphasize the processes that yield these things, such as seeking help from others, trying new strategies, and capitalising on setbacks to move forward effectively. 

In the video below, Dr Kaylene Henderson provides advice on how to use praise to promte growth mindet in children. 

School TV - Bullying

This month on School TV - Bullying

Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.

Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.

In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Below is the link to this month's edition. 

Child Safe Standards - A Summary

Graduation Mass, Stomp and Basket Tea

Our school’s Grade 6 Graduation Mass, which is also our End of Year Mass, will be held on Thursday 15th December at 5:30pm. It is expected all our families will attend this special celebration to give thanks for our school year and farewell our Grade 6 students.  It is especially important all our Foundation students also attend, as they are the Grade 6 buddies and will be part of the Mass proceedings.  Fr Matt Restall will be celebrating Mass with us. Families, friends and parishioners are warmly invited to this special celebration. Students will sit together as a school.  Our new Foundation students and families are also warmly invited to attend this special event.

After the Mass, we will return to school for the students to present their STOMP dances to their families, which will run for approximately 20 mins. Afterwards will be the opportunity for a basket tea if families wish to bring tea along to stay and share hospitality with others.  

Please ensure your child has eaten afternoon tea/a light snack before Mass at 5:30pm, otherwise they won't have tea until about 7pm. 

For our organisation, if your child and family are unable to attend the evening of the Dec 15th, please notify Nerrida.   Thank you. 

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.

Our Diocesan Community

Please see the link below for the October edition of the "Our Diocesan Community Magazine".  Included is the article of Eilish Flagg before she headed to Rome.

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 camp are 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.

Songs for Prelude to Christmas Sun Nov 27

Parish Bulletin