2023 St Mary's Primary Term 4 Newsletter Week 6

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

Dear Families and Friends of St Mary's Primary School.

Last Sunday 5th November was a very special one in the lives of Colby, Campbell and past student Jagger and their families.  After many hours of preparation, they received the Sacrament of Confirmation at mass at St Mary's Church.  Confirmation is one of the Initiation Sacraments of the Catholic Church and helps the candidates to be united more firmly with Christ. May Colby, Campbell and Jagger be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We wish you all a blessed faith journey.

There were two significant feast days recently. Wednesday November 1 was All Saints Day, and on Thursday November 2, All Souls Day. All Saints Day is eclipsed in our society by Halloween, but it is actually intimately connected to Halloween. Halloween is otherwise known as All Hallows Eve, that is, the evening before All Saints (Hallows) Day. It is a day when we call to mind all the holy men and women throughout the ages who have served God. Some served in heroic ways and are well known to us, like Mary the Mother of Jesus. Some are well known and often invoked, but little is known of their actual lives, like St Christopher the patron saint of travellers. But there are countless others who in their daily lives lived out the Gospel and who are in Heaven now interceding for us. 

All Souls Day is the day we remember our departed brothers and sisters and pray for their souls. It is a time we might especially remember and pray for our family members who have died and others who are close to us. This was beautifully reflected through the prayers written and spoken by Wheat students in their assembly last week.  Our faith and the Church remind us that we can still be connected to our loved ones and that we have great reason for hope.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

In other news, we recently have had exciting school activities, including Mission month fete and the Lentil's Push Cart Challenge. We have a very busy few weeks ahead of us!

We are aware of instances of COVID-19 presenting again in our student body.  Should your child test positive, it is recommended that they isolate for at least 5 days and until they are symptom free. It would be appreciated if you could contact the school and advise of a positive result.  

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida 

Principal    (principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au)

Sacramental Program 2024

This year St Paul VI Parish completed its first Sacramental Program involving over 50 children and their families. The program has been engaging and enjoyable, as well as educational and inspiring. Parents and their children re-discovered the richness of our faith, responding with their lives to the words of Jesus “ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7:7)

Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. The fruit of parents playing an active part in helping their child prepare for the Sacraments this year has been evident, and therefore the Parish based Sacramental program will run according to this model in 2024 also.

For those families who have a child in Year 4 and above who has not received the Sacrament Reconciliation or Holy Communion, or for children in Year 6 and above who have not received the Sacra-ment of Confirmation – please feel welcome to the information session at Warracknabeal: Tuesday 5 Dec 3.30pm (in church)

Remembrance Day - Saturday, 11 November

Thank you to our school captains and leaders who will represent our school at the wreath laying ceremony this Saturday November 11. This will be held at the Cenotaph in front of the Warracknabeal Post Office at 10:30 am. We have been asked to assemble at the Cenotaph at 10:15am.  Students to please wear school summer uniform. Thank you families for coordinating your child's attendance amongst family and sporting engagements to allow your child to represent the school.

Congratulations Arielle!

Congratulations to Arielle in Year 6 for her placing at the State Athletics Championships this week in the High Jump,  A fantastic achievement - we are very proud of you!

Barley Assembly - next Thursday 16th Nov

A reminder to all that Barley assembly will be held next Thursday 16th November in the school library.  This will include a special presentation to our local police in recognition of the service they provide to our community. All parents and special friends welcome. 

October Mission Month

Thank you families for your generosity in your donation for Mission Month to support the Lentil's Mission Day Fete  last week.  All students across the school had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed the activities the students thoughtfully organised. The posters and stations set up throughout the school provided the festive fete atmosphere and the Lentils students should be very proud of the amazing afternoon and great range of activities they put together for for students to engage in as fundraising for Mission Day.  A very big thank you to Mr. Malcolm and Bron for their tireless efforts in preparing  the students for this day.

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Push Cart Challenge - thank you Parent Club for the BBQ lunch!

The Pushcart event is a challenging yet enjoyable way of introducing energy use and technology to young students. In past years St Mary's students have competed in Energy Breakthrough - Push Cart Category - which is held each year in Maryborough in November.

The machines are based on the humble billycart, and are pushed energetically through an obstacle course, sprint and circuit events. The teams of students may obtain the assistance of other students, parents, friends, local trades people, community groups to build their pushcart.

We are rebuilding student interest and engagement in the Push Cart and this year purposely included Push Cart challenge into the curriuclum so all Lentil students had the opportunity to be involved. Fiona Holland led the students through all aspects of the Challenge reflecting the Energy Breakthrough guidelines.  On Tuesday November 2, the Lentils class provided a presentation to the school to demonstrate their knowledge and undertstanding of the Push Cart.  Students were also required to show their understanding of the vehicle and the concepts involved in its design and construction. Students prepared for the day asking Parent Club to if they would be kind enough to provide a BBQ lunch and the students also made snacks for the rest of the school. And then for the fun part, the students raced each other in pairs for time trials.  Unfortunately it was a very hot day, and many students were absent so an alternate format of the trials were run. Thankyou Parent Club for providing the students with a BBQ lunch - it is always a favorite!. 

Overtime we hope student commitment to this will increase and perhaps one day we can return to Maryborough with a team to pursue Energy Breakthrough!

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School Advisory Council (SAC) and Parent Club Annual General Meeting

On Wednesday 1 November the AGM for School Advisory Council and Parents' Club was held.  Thank you parents for your wonderful response in wishing to nominate or remain on SAC.  Our SAC members for 2024 are James Gregson (Chair), Courtney Williams, Jess Boyd, Dale Stephan and we welcome new members Jess Lang, Kyle George, William Hewitt and Sally Anderson.  Thank you all for your willingness to be a SAC member to provide informed advice and a community voice in supporting me as principal in my leadership responsibility for the St Mary's educational community. The role of the School Advisory Council is to support the overall governance of DOBCEL and give consideration to and advice on important school matters to support the principal and the strategic interest of the school. Please contact any of our SAC members or myself if you wish matters to be discussed at SAC. 

I thank outgoing members Ali Perris, Narelle Drage and Manique Cox for their time and commitment to SAC through their terms, which has been greatly appreciated. 

Parents' Club also held their AGM.  As the current committee members began their terms at the beginning of this year, they will continue their terms into next year. Thank you to Jess Boyd, Sam Schulz and Abby Stephan for your membership and to all involved in Parents' Club for the wonderful work you do for our students.  

Transition - Forward to Foundation

In the lead-up to the State-wide Orientation Day on Tuesday 12^th December, St Mary's invites the kinder children who are already enrolled or who intend to enroll for 2024 to attend transition days. The purpose of transition days is to let the children become familiar with school routines and expectations including- getting to and from school, playing and learning with other children, meeting staff and becoming familiar with the school buildings and grounds.

Our school day begins at 9.00am. The morning session has a fruit break at 10.00am and concludes at 11.00am. Children then play before eating their morning tea together. The middle session begins at 11.30am and concludes at 1.00pm. Children then play and eat their lunch at 1:30pm. School finishes at 3:15pm.

Transition Dates

• Tuesday, 28^th November, 9:00am - 11:00am
• Tuesday, 5^th December, 9:00am - 12:00pm
• Tuesday, 12^th December, 9:00am - 1:45pm (State-wide Orientation Day)

(Parents on  - please meet with Louise Kemp in the Chickpea classroom at 1:00 where Louise will share with you further information to assist with your child's transition. At 1:30pm, while your child eats lunch with their buddies, parents are welcome to a cuppa and light refreshments in the staffroom)

 What to Bring

• Fruit snack, morning tea, water bottle
• Sun Hat
• Lunch (on 12/12)

We will display samples of the school uniform on 28^th November in the front office for parents to view. Clothing can be purchased at the front office. We also have some good quality second hand uniform to purchases with donation

Please refer to information that has been sent home with siblings or posted home. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming your child to the St Mary's school community. It is an exciting and important time for families, so we will do our best to ensure both parents and students make the transition smoothly. If you have any questions please ring Paula in the General Office on 5398 2001 or email principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au.

Maths Online - Offer for Parents

Little Angler Kits

The Victorian Government is investing $1.5 million from the Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Fund to provide up to 95,000 Little Angler Kits to primary school aged children (Year 5) in Victoria.

The free kits provide a wonderful school holiday activity for children with their families and help ease the cost of living, providing a fun activity close to home.

Year 5 students at all Victorian schools, including ours, will be offered the opportunity to receive a FREE Little Angler Kit. Year 5 students have been selected based on the Victorian Curriculum focus, movement and motor development, and safety considerations.

The program is entirely voluntary. Schools were provided with the option to opt out of the program. Our school has opted to stay in the program so that parents can decide whether they want their child(ren) to receive a free fishing kit.

Parents of Year 5 students can advise the school if they do not wish their child(ren) to participate for any reason whatsoever. We support parents in making decisions that align with their family values and beliefs.

The roll out of kits will occur through the second half of 2023 (16 October - 4 December) so that all participating children will have a kit in time for the summer school holidays.

The kits include a rod, reel with line, tackle tray, some tackle and information on how to use them to catch a fish. Please note that the tackle tray includes fishing hooks. The tackle tray will be wrapped in cardboard and placed inside a pocket inside the fishing kit bag, which will be sealed with a cable tie to discourage students from opening their kits until they are with a parent or carer.

Parents of our Year 5 students can call in to the school office to collect your child’s kit. Students are not to open the kits until they are safely at home with a parent or carer.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority will create a Little Angler hub on their website, which will be live when the kits start being distributed. It will have useful information, instructional videos and online resources about where and how to fish linking to existing resources from Fishcare and new resources to be produced just for the Little Angler Kits program.

This initiative aims to grow recreational fishing participation in Victoria by actively encouraging primary school aged children to learn how to fish, as well as learning more about marine life and the natural environment.

School Fees 2023 due and Levies 2024

It would be appreciated for families to please finalise their 2023 school accounts by November 30. Statements have been emailed.

School fees for 2024 are:

Family fee $895  per family

Capital fee $90 per family

Student fee $180 per student

Technology levy $100 per student

If you have concerns regarding fees and fee payments, or wish to have a confidential discussion regarding how you can best contribute to your child's fees, please call the school or contact Nerrida at principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au

Prelude to Christmas - Sunday 3rd Dec 6:00pm at the Lutheran Church

This annual event will return this year, on the evening of Sunday Dec 3.  This year the Anglican Church will be hosting the event, with the event held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at 6:00pm. This is a wonderful ecumenical evening where community members from the various churches in Warracknabeal can celebrate together the advent season and love of Christ, through scripture readings and performances.  The children will present two songs, so all children are expected to attend, and all families are warmly invited. Students will practice their songs at school and also at the church leading up to the event. A PAM permission form will be sent closer to the date 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 Is The Time" and "Walk to Bethlehem".  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.

Upcoming dates - see also Key Dates at beginning of Newsletter

Saturday November 11: Remembrance Day, St Mary's student representatives at Post Office by 10:15am

Weeks 9 and Weeks 10:   Student Swimming Program  Mon Wed Fri - Bring swimming gear  in waterproof bag, - bathers, goggles, swim cap, towel - NO THONGS/CROCS

Thursday November 23: School Captain/School Leadership speeches 9am Stage Area

Thursday December 7: Graduation Dinner at the Creekside Hotel 6:00pm

Wednesday December 13: Graduation Mass (with presentation of the Shine Award and farewells to families and staff leaving St Mary's.)

Thursday December 14: Santa visiting by helicopter ANZAC park from 10:30am

Friday December 15:  Students last Day  To be confirmed St Mary's students Pool Party 

Community News

Prelude to Christmas Songs