2024 St Mary's Primary School Fortnightly Newsletter Term 2 Week 3

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 2 Week 3 

I have been very fortunate to return from some Long Service Leave  which allowed me to take time to reflect, renew and re-energise. Thank you everyone, this was very much appreciated. I am very grateful for the wonderful team here at St Mary's who all stepped up to allow me the time to take an extended break and a special thank you to Claire Schulz for taking on the Acting Principal role in my absence.

For the first part of my leave I attended the World EduLead conference in Singapore. The conference's theme was "An education revolution in the AI age". The key note speakers highlighted how the landscape of education is rapidly changing and the consequential need for us to redefine what it means to be an educator in the 21st century. Presenters shared we are at the basic "pong level" (the old video game) - of artificial intelligence and on the brink of an AI explosion, not just in education but throughout the world. Our students will be competing for jobs against those who are exposed to and experienced with AI. We want to to educate our students to not have AI do the thinking for them, but use AI to become better thinkers. In teaching our students digital literacy we now need to include the skills to navigate AI environments and use AI tools responsibly and efficiently. The key takeaway from the conference is that AI will not be taking jobs, but people who know how to use AI will be.

After the conference in Singapore, Gerard and I then headed to Greece and Turkey where St Paul the Apostle developed the first Church in Asia Minor. Because of St Paul, Greece became the gateway for Christianity’s spread to the rest of Europe, and we visited some of the places associated with his apostolic mission. However, our highlight was visiting the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey where St Paul preached to the Ephesians. From here, he wrote letters to Galatia, Philippi, and Corinth. We walked through the remains of the main Agora and Great Theater, where St. Paul addressed the crowds (Acts 19:29), and the site of the riot from which Paul escaped.

We also visited the House of the Virgin Mary.  It is recorded that the Virgin Mary went to Ephesus and lived there for some time. The site was officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1896, has received 3 Papal visits and is a sacred space for Christians and Muslims. Here we lit candles for our loved ones. After Ephesus we then went to the Greek island of Patmos and walked in the cave where St John lived in exile and wrote the Book of Revelations. We were also fortunate to visit other islands including Rhodes and Crete, including sightseeing and experience amazing travels through other areas in Turkey and Greece.

Our trip was a wonderful and spiritually fulfilling experience which we will always treasure. Again thank you to the staff and also the St Mary's community in supporting Claire in my absence, to allow my leave to occur.  It has been lovely to return in Catholic Education Week, acknowledging 150 years of Catholic Education in the Ballarat Diocese and witness the school's celebration - article and photos further in the newsletter. 

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

ANZAC DAY 25th April

Thank you to Isaac, Pippa, students and staff who attended the ANZAC day service and represented our school proudly.  Those who gathered with our local community to remember the brave and courageous sacrifice of our fallen heroes who fought for our freedom and peace, gave thanks to those who served and those who continue to serve.  This was an opportunity for us to stop and reflect on the ANZAC’s values of mateship, loyalty, selflessness and service.  

Let us endeavour to display these same values in our own lives on a daily basis.

Lest we forget.

Catholic Education Week Celebrations

Thank you to all the staff who designed the Liturgy and activities for Catholic Education Week, which was celebrated on Wednesday May 1.  It was a special celebration this year as we acknowledge 150 years of Catholic Education in the Ballarat Diocese. The themes of Community, Remember, Revitalise and Hope resonated through the Liturgy and the activities for the students. The morning began with the student-led Liturgy, and then the students were read the book "It takes a Village" before moving into groups to rotate through three activities - badge making, biscuit decorating, and creation of their own building/space for our school "village". Then towards the end of the day the school came together for the children to eat their biscuits and reflect on the meaning of the activities of the day. The staff did an amazing job and are to be congratulated for the engaging and fun day for the students which brought everyone together in community and spirit. 

Mother's Day Celebrations

Thank you families for submitting your orders for our Mother's Day breakfast on Friday 10 May. Mums and grandparents - please remember to bring with you a travel mug for your morning cuppa. Breakfast will be served from 8:15am, followed by Chickpeas Assembly with a special tribute to our mums. After the assembly, guests are invited to walk through the classrooms to see the children working in their lessons. 

Cross Country in Nhill

Congratulations to 9/10 year olds Ollie, Nash, Harry, Ryan, Chloe and Miki; 11 year olds Heidi, Harlow and Aleah, and 12 year olds Isaac, Charlie and Pippa, who have all made it through to the Little Desert Regional Cross Country to be held at Nhill Racecourse Monday 13th May. Thank you parents who have already offered to drive and take children - there are spots available in cars so please contact Nerrida if you child needs tranpsort on the day. 

School Camps 2024

The rising costs of fuel, staffing and budgetary contraints makes it increasingly difficult for small schools to run camps and offer the same experiences to our students as those from bigger cities. Many small rural schools are no longer running camps every year and have moved to a bi-annual experience to cover costs. I raised this at our recent SAC meeting and shared St Mary's will continue to seek all avenues to provide quality camp experiences for our children. 

Our Grade 5/6 students will have a Melbourne experience and the Grade 3/4 students will have a camp, however the number of nights will be reduced for both camps.

For the Year 5/6 Urban experience we have been very fortunate to be accepted into the DOXA City Camp  September 11, 12 and 13.  https://doxa.org.au/city-camp/. We will travel by bus to Ballarat and catch the train to Melbourne. From there we will be met by the Camp coordinators to stay the heart of Melbourne and use public transport to reach our destinations. It will be a true Melbourne experience for our students! DOXA staff will be with us at all times, including travelling on public transport. 

The Grade 3/4 camp will be an overnight camp in Halls Gap from 16-17 September. We will leave early on the 16th and arrive late back on the 17th so students get two very full days at a venue closer to home without having to spend a long time travelling. Parents may choose for their child to have a rest day on Wednesday 18th September. 

There are excursion opportunities currently being planned for Foundation to Grade 2. St Mary's is committed to continue seeking financially viable options of camps and excursions for our students.

School TV - Trauma Recovery

Trauma in children significantly disturbs their sense of safety and normalcy, leading to substantial emotional and behavioural changes. Such disturbances often result from exposure to traumatic events, which may be exacerbated by continuous media coverage. This exposure can trigger stress, anxiety, and trauma, with varying recovery timelines due to the unpredictable nature of trauma's impact. Observing young people grappling with these effects can be highly distressing for parents and caregivers.

It's important to establish a nurturing environment to help restore a child's sense of security to help promote resilience. Active involvement in their recovery is essential, as is recognising the unique, personalised needs of each child in responding to trauma. Depending on their age, children may present with different symptoms, such as regressive behaviours in younger ones or withdrawal and agitation in older children and teens. It is important to monitor and manage the type of information children may access to reduce their emotional distress.

The brain stores traumatic events as powerful emotional memories, influencing behaviour through mechanisms beyond a child's conscious awareness. By providing young people with support and equipping them with coping mechanisms to handle uncertainty, parents and carers can greatly enhance a child's capacity to recover and build long-term emotional resilience.

This Special Report will help you identify a child experiencing trauma and how you can support them to overcome it.

Here is the link to your Special Report 

https://smwarracknabeal.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-trauma-recovery

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.