2024 St Mary's Primary School Fortnightly Newsletter Term 1 Weeks 7 and 8

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 1 Week 7  

This Sunday March 24 is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where the crowd of people laid out palm branches to honor him as king. In true humility, Jesus rode over those branches into Jerusalem, not on a magnificent stallion, but on the colt of a donkey. Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, begins Holy Week celebrating the glory of Jesus Christ

Humble and riding on a donkey, we greet you;
Acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children, we cheer you;
moving from the peace of the countryside to the corridors of power,

We salute you: Christ our Lord.

You are giving the beast of burden a new dignity;
you are giving majesty a new face;

you are giving those who long for redemption A new song to sing.

With them, with heart and voice, we shout:

Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
—from Common Order, Panel on Worship, Church of Scotland, 1994.

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy and symbolizing the beginning of Holy Week leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. It serves as a reminder of Jesus' teachings and the significance of sacrifice and redemption in Christian faith. As we enter into the final days of the term in the midst of Holy week, may we strive to finish the term with grace and determination.

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

Thank you Parent Club!

Thank you to all involved in the preparation, selling and also the purchasing of the goods for the recent bake sale. Well done Parent Club for this fabulous result - what a successful outcome for our students! 

Fr Matt Restall New Posting

Bishop Bird has announced the Diocesan postings for clergy in 2024, which appear in our Bulletin this week. After his first couple of years ministry as a priest, Fr Matt is amongst those clergy moving this year, which will place him at Ballarat East, with Fr Justin Driscoll. There are several ‘organic’ moves of parish boundaries across the Ballarat/Central Zone region, as those of you familiar with the Ballarat traditional
parishes will observe, by the Bishop’s announcement. St Paul VI Parish will farewell Fr Matt but will also bid welcome to Fr Sajan Matthew who is currently serving in the Bungaree Parish region. We will formally welcome Fr Sajan as the April moves arrive. We will have opportunities around our Parish for farewells with Fr Matt, particularly after Masses in appropriate locations. Our school communities within St Paul VI Parish are particularly grateful to Fr Matt for his dedicated Chaplaincy and visits, so too his work with parents and children preparing for reception of Christ’s Sacraments.

Fr Matt’s first years of priesthood have been demanding in a wide expanse of ministry and pastoral area. We pray that such experiences will stay with him and be built upon in coming years and decades of service. Also, our recent weather reminds us that Fr Matt’s CFA skills will, no doubt, be ‘warmly’ welcomed in the Ballarat region, while missed in Warracknabeal.

‘Ad multos annos!’ - Mons Glynn

From all of us here at St Mary's Primary School, we will miss Fr. Matt terribly.  Fr. Matt has been an integral part of our school, visiting our school regularly over the past 18 months with classroom visits, school activities and celebrating with us our school liturgies and masses.  Best wishes Fr. Matt for your new posting in Ballarat and we look forward to Fr. Sajan Matthew joining us soon after Easter. 

Local Excursions Permission Form

Great news everyone! DOBCEL have approved a blanket permission note for excursions within the Warracknabeal town boundary. This will save staff and parents a lot of paperwork - something I'm sure we’ll all be happy about. There will be a PAM notification sent through soon which will allow you to provide consent for this. Once consent is obtained, local excursions will be included as an activity on SIMON (PAM/SIMON Everywhere app) but will not require parental consent on each occasion.  Parents will also be informed of upcoming excursions in the newsletter.

School Sports next week

On Tuesday 26th March the field events will be held.  These will start at 12:30pm. We are still in need of more helpers on Tuesday to assist with the students and the events. 

The track events will be held on Wednesday 27th March, with events starting around 9:10 am after roll call and organising the students to be outside and ready for their events. Thank you to those who have offered to help - if we could have some helpers to assist in setting up the shade tents before school this would be greatly appreciated. 

Students are to wear their house colour top on the Wednesday 27th, but can also wear it on Tuesday 28th if they wish. 

                A program will be placed on the school Facebook Page on Monday 25th March

Volunteer requirements

We are very grateful to all who offer to volunteer at St Mary's, whether this be listening to children read, being a classroom helper, assisting with Parent Club activities on site (even after school hours) or helping with specific roles with students on a school sports day. 

All volunteers need to provide a Working With Children's Check, sign our Code of Conduct and also complete a Child Safety Induction with Nerrida. 

 Please contact Nerrida if you can help us to make the day run smoothly for the students. 

School Advisory Council

 Parent Representatives

• Courtney Williams
• William Hewitt
• Sally Anderson
• Dale Stephan
• Jess Lang
• Jess Boyd
• Kyle George

Ex Officio

• Fr. Matt Restall - Assistant Parish Priest
• Nerrida Holland - Principal
• Paula Winsall - Secretary, Principals' nominee

Meeting Dates

• Wednesday 15 May             6:00pm
• Wednesday 14 August        6:00pm
• Wednesday 30 October      6:00pm

We held our first SAC meeting last Wednesday 13th March.  Janet Claassen, Educational Consultant from DOBCEL attended, explaining her role and then guided the SAC members through their roles and responsibilities.  Through the meeting the Child Safe Standards were presented and there was discussion of parent engagement and also camps with consideration as to ways to provide financially viable extracurricular opportunities for the students.  Please contact Nerrida or any of the SAC members if there is anything you wish discussed at SAC. 

Wheat Assembly Award Winners

Congratulations Isaac!

Well done Isaac, for your success in the 50m freestyle finals at the recent swimming championships in Horsham.  Issac now progresses to the Greater Western Region championshisp to be held again in Horsham this Friday March 22. 

School TV: Harmony Week

Harmony Week is celebration held annually in March across Australia. It’s aimed at promoting diversity, respect and inclusiveness. This event is an excellent opportunity for parents to teach their children about different cultures, traditions and customs. The goal is to encourage everyone to appreciate and celebrate differences and promote a sense of community and belonging for everyone.

During Harmony Week, there are a number of events and activities held to bring people from different cultures together. These activities include multicultural food festivals, cultural performances, art exhibitions and workshops. Participating in these events helps children to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse communities that make up Australia.

As a parent, you can engage your children in discussions about multiculturalism and encouraging them to ask questions. Promoting a more harmonious and inclusive society, can help children grow up with a greater appreciation for the richness and diversity of Australia's cultural landscape.

This Special Report hopes to instil positive values and create an opportunity to start a conversation with your child about understanding diversity and multiculturalism. 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 consider seeking medical or professional help.

Click on this link to view the Special Report https://smwarracknabeal.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-harmony-week-au

This Thursday is Harmony Day where we will center on the message that “Everyone belongs", reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians.  All students are invited to wear a "splash of orange" eg orange hair ties, ribbons, badges, shoelaces, arm bands, orange socks - over the regular school uniform. School shorts, school tops, dress and school shoes are still to be worn. Please bring a gold coin donation ( or more if you wish!)  towards fundraising for Project Compassion. 

Project Compassion

Enhancing Catholic Schools Identity (ECSI) Survey 

The ECSI Survey is a key element of this process and all parents are invited to participate. The online survey gathers responses from students in Years 5 and 6, all staff and those parents who choose to participte.

The survey is completed online and your responses are guaranteed to be kept anonymous. If you have any questions, please email principal@smwarracknbeal.catholic.edu.au or contact me through the school office.

Parents of Grade 5 and 6 students - please email Nerrida if you do not wish your child to participate in the survey.

All details are in the letter sent home.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your anticipated participation.

Body Safety

Body Safety Education aims to empower children with 5 essential rules to protect them from harm and abuse. Developed by educator Jayneen Sanders, this program equips educatorsand parents with resources to teach children about body safety without discussing sex or sexual abuse.
It teaches kids:
Your body is yours; nobody should touch your private areas.
If someone touches you inappropriately, tell a trusted adult and keep telling until believed.
Learn to differentiate between safe and unsafe touch.
Understand the concepts of respect and consent.
Know what to do if feeling worried or unsafe.
Follow this link to a great YouTube video teaching body safety to children

School Closure Day

On Friday 8th March staff were involved in professional development with Dr. Jayne Louise Collins and  Catholic Education Officers Sam Meerbach and Sarah McKnight to further our understanding of Learner Agency. Student samples were gathered across the school asking the following questions:

* Who is someone you think is a great learner? What do you notice about them? Why are they a
great learner?

 * What about you? How would you describe yourself as a learner? What helps you learn well?
Is there anything that is not so helpful to you?

* What decisions do you get to make at school about your learning? Is there something that you’d like to make decisions about or influence? 

This data obtained with readings and findings from research formed the basis of our discussions and decision making in planning towards programs to engage our students more deeply in their learning. 

NAPLAN for Year 3 and 5 students

NAPLAN assessment is now underway for our Year 3 and 5 students. Students completed the Writing task last week and this week will complete the other assessments. Please reinforce to your child to not feel anxious or worried about NAPLAN, that each of the tests are a short test to help teachers know more about their  learning. If a student misses an assessment we will do our best to try to ensure a catch up session when staff are available or on Friday 22 March. 

Tuesday 19 March                             Reading

Wednesday 20 March                      Conventions of Learning

Thursday 21 March                          Numeracy

Friday 22 March                                Catch Up Day

Student Absence from School - Every Day Counts

It is a legal requirement for parents to explain absences from school. Please remember to log on to PAM and state if the absence is due to 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. 

Every Day 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. Of course we do not want children to come to school if they are ill, and their health is priority. But please consider if the reason for your child to miss a day of learning is important. If your child's school report shows less than 90% attendance for the semester, that represents at least 1 week absent a term or two weeks absence over a semester  -  at least 10% of learning opportunities missed. 

Family holidays - if there are planned holidays during school term time, parents are to notify Nerrida at principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au. Please do not write a note in a diary or talk to a teacher for long planned absences, this must come through me, as the Principal has the responsibility for overseeing attendance and all reasons for absences.   For known absences of 3 days or more, parents are to contact the Principal. 

School Fees

Thank you to families who have paid their student levy and arranged payments.  If you are experiencing difficulties with fees please contact Nerrida for a confidential discussion and payment plan options. 

Community News

Yarriambiack Shire Easter Colouring Competition

Good Afternoon,

 Please find attached our Easter Colouring Competition sheets from your local library.

 Can you please ask participants to write their name, age and contact number on the front of their work.

 The following dates and locations of where you can submit your master piece are as follows:

 Warracknabeal colouring sheets are available to pick up in the Library. Closing date for Warracknabeal 5pm - Friday 22nd March submitted at Warracknabeal Library.

 We look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations.

 Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at the Yarriamabiack Libraries 03 5398 1270.

 Kind Regards

 Trish Penny     

The colouring sheets from the Museum have been sent home with students and may be returned to school by Thursday March 21st.