St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 2 Week 5

Acknowledgement of Country

St Mary’s Primary School respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the
Wotjobaluk Nation, the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk
peoples, and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Nation Peoples of the Wimmera Mallee area. 

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 2 Week 5

Dear Families and Friends, Staff and Students of St Mary's,

Catholic Education Week 

On Wednesday 24th May we travelled to Hopetoun to celebrate Catholic Education Week.  The theme for the week was "Let the words you speak always be full of grace" from Colossians 4:6. Grace is the gift of God’s presence in our lives. How we engage, speak and dialogue, be in conversation with others, can bring God’s presence into being.

A REFLECTION FROM POPE FRANCIS 

To let your speech be full of grace and seasoned with salt is to speak the truth in love by being mindful that words have the power to break or connect communities. "If there is one word that we should never tire of repeating, it is this: dialogue. We are called to promote a culture of dialogue by every possible means and thus to rebuild the fabric of society.” Pope Francis- Address upon receiving the Charlemagne Prize, May 6, 2016 . 

So what does this mean for our students and our community?

"Let the words you speak always be full of grace" carries an important message for our children. This verse urges us to be mindful of the power of our words and to use them in a way that promotes kindness, empathy, and respect. It teaches us to create an atmosphere of love and understanding in their interactions with others, fostering healthy relationships and contributing to a harmonious community.  

Wednesday 24th was chosen to celebrate the day for Catholic Education Week as this was also National Simultaneous Storytime where schools, libraries, early year services and and other providers all read the same book all at the same time. This year the book which was read was ‘The Speedy Sloth' written by Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie. The story was read in the St Jopseph's Church to all the children at the same time, and then we split into groups with children from all the particiapting schools to complete an activity of choice on the theme of the Speedy Sloth. Then we met together at the Church again for a lovely liturgy. The highlight in the liturgy were the videos each school prepared to show how they “Let the words you speak always be full of grace.” Our school's video, brilliantly directed and edited by Sarah-Jayne, is now on our Facebook page. The liturgy was followed by lunch and play with all students from all the schools. Our students really enjoyed playing with the different outside play experiences at St Joseph's. Thank you Mr Chris Robarts and the St Joseph's staff and community for a fabulous day!

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

My New Gallery

Barley Assembly

Thank you all for attending the Barley Assembly. As you can see the children have been very busy so far this term. The children were thrilled to write a Persuasive Ad to promote their school. The Ad's were written to show that our writing has a purpose. The Ads showcased  and described all the wonderful things that happen at our school and that we are proud to be part of such a fantastic community. The children have investigated the Earth surface and its composition. We took a closer look at the surface using microscopes to see what it really looks like. Later we will investigate what happens to the Earth's surface when we disturb our natural environment through our everyday activities. We prayed that we can follow Jesus' footsteps in respecting our Earth and each other. Questions families can ask their Barley children- How can we help the Earth with what we do at home? Do we recycle, reduce, reuse, restore and rethink? ( Mrs Clare Letts - Barley Teacher)

The next assembly is Wheat on Wednesday 31st May (as June 1 is our Closure day)

Thursday June 1 School Closure Day

Thank you families for your organisation around work, arranging of childcare and other responsibilities for the school closure day next Thursday.  On this day, teachers will be reviewing student testing data gathered across different curriuculm areas and use this to inform teaching and learning to improve student outcomes. We are all learners too and appreciate your support for our ongoing professional development.

Walk to School Day Friday 19th May

Friday May 19 marked National Walk Safely to School Day, an event when all Primary School children were encouraged to walk and commute safely to school.  Students from St Mary's, Warracknabeal Primary and Warracknabeal Special Development Schoool all met at ANZAC park. Thank you to Warracknabeal Police, along with school staff and parents, for escorting the children to school. 

Alpha Show's Production "Hercules"

With support from the Country Education Partnership (CEP) our school enjoyed Hercules, a full theatrical musical especially for children.  It contained a powerful social & emotional learning (SEL) focus on the values of forgiveness, the journey to atonement and the hero within.  
The story dealt with the isolation Hercules feels from his extra strength, which helps children gain some compassion and connection with how many young people feel today. It followed Hercules quest to become a hero, and to rejoin his father Zeus in Olympus. Whilst coming head to head with the nasty Hades, Hercules learns the best lesson – that strength of heart is far more important. A special sequence in the show allowed the audience to connect in with their inner hero and was great for helping children to step up into being more confident and certain they can accomplish their life’s purpose. The children were invited to step up, take action and be a true hero in their everyday life and to find their inner beauty and the gifts they have to give to the world. It was a thoroughy enjoyable production and we were very lucky to have this provided to us through CEP. 

AFL Clinics - Primary Play Program

St Mary's has been fortunate to be involved through Terms 2 and 3 with the AFL's free Primary Play Program. This program involves highly trained staff coming to the school to teach the fundamentals of AFL Football through fun and engaging games and activities that suit the age/skill level of the students. We have been fortunate to have  the AFL staff for four afternoons each term. They will visit again next Tuesday 30th May and also Tuesday 6th June. Students F-6 to can wear their sports uniform these days. 

Lightning Premierships in Nhill 15th June

Barley and Lentil students are involved in the Lightning Premierships to be held in Nhill on Thursday 15th June.  Students will be participating in TeeBall, Netball and Football and will have been practicing these in Sport. Please ensure your Barley and Lentil child is wearing their sports uniform each Monday. A PAM permission form has been sent - please note there will be no canteen on the day, so children need to bring snacks, lunch and drinkbottle. 

Thank you to Sarah Spicer and Emma Mansfield who will assist with Netball and Football. All parents are welcome to come along, and if there is room on the bus you are welcome to travel with the students. Please note all students are to travel together as a team on the bus. Please email Nerrida if you would like to come on the bus with us. Football players will wear their school sport shorts and a football jumper (provided) and it is highly recommended to have a mouthguard.  Netball and Tee Ball players will wear their own sports shorts and St Mary's representative top (provided).   We will be leaving need as close to 8:45am as possible, meaning as soon as the last bus and all students are here. If your child will be absent on the day - please notify the school by 8:15 am through PAM or phonecall

Friday 23rd June St Vincent de Paul's Poor Man's Liturgy and $5 Fundraiser including BBQ lunch ( and Free Style Ministry Dance)

St. Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660) was a French Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. He was concerned about all people, from children to the elderly. The St Vincent de Paul Society is founded in his name and is committed to actively and passionately speaking out against the causes of poverty and inequality on behalf of the people they serve.

On Friday 23rd June we will have a fundraising day and hold a short liturgy (at 9:00am) to reflect on the works of St Vincent de Paul in our community. To fundraise for the works of SVDP in our community, each family is asked to donate $5. Students will be provided a BBQ lunch, courtesy of St Vincent De Paul, Warracknabeal.

Also on this day (last day of Term 2), Freestyle Ministry of Dance will be here where children will be involved in hip hop dance routines. They really enjoyed this last year.  It looks like it will be a fun day to end the term! (especially as we finish early at 2:15pm!)

Resources to prepare children for life online

Research from the eSafety Commissioner shows 81% of Australian parents with children aged 2-5 report their child is using the internet – a figure set to increase in line with global trends.

While the thought of more kids having access to critical learning tools might seem like a good thing to many, there have been growing concerns about the online habits of young people, particularly with regards to screentime, cybersecurity, and cyberbullying.

Complaints about cyberbullying increased by almost 70% last year alone, and the eSafety Commissioner’s research shows almost two-thirds of young people have been exposed to harmful content of some kind by age 17.

To help schools, parents and carers develop children’s online safety skills, the eSafety Commissioner has created a package of resources for schools 

• Wanda the echidna: I am responsible – I protect my personal information
• River the sugar glider: I show respect – I am kind and caring to others
• Dusty the frilled neck lizard: I trust my feelings – I ask for help when something doesn’t feel right
• Billie the bilby: I investigate – I question what I see, hear, and do online

There is also information specifcally for parents https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents 

Seussical the Musical Art Display

The Horsham Regional Art Gallery are excited to be showcasing a range of set and costume pieces from Horsham Arts Council’s recent hit production of Seussical the Musical!

 Our local artist’s extraordinary talent will be on display from Saturday 27 May through to Sunday 25 June, open daily from 10am to 4pm.  Students will be able to see how the creative journey began, and take a close look at the detail in the costumes and set pieces that took hundreds of hours to create… including one of the GIANT books! For more information, go to https://www.horshamtownhall.com.au/hthevent/seussical-the-musical-community-gallery-exhibition/

Parent Club Fundraiser- Wonder White Recycling Program

Recycle, earn and play. A fun, easy way to fundraise. White, wholemeal, low GI, wraps all of the above. Collect Wonder white bread bags and send them into the school in the specially marked box. The more bread bags we can collect, the more reward points we can earn, therefore the more sports equipment we can collect for the school.  (Emma Mansfield)