2024 St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 4 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

As we celebrated World Teachers' Day yesterday, I’d like to acknowledge all our dedicated staff for their hard work and passion in shaping young lives. It’s a reminder of the power of education and the importance of community.  To Paula, Jess, Fiona, Louise, Bec, Deb, Claire, Victoria, Cath, Clare, Meg and Bron - our teachers and education support staff - your dedication and commitment to our students makes a real difference every single day. We are incredibly fortunate to have such an inspiring team and we thank them for all they do!

Let's continue to support one another and embrace the positive impact we can make together. 

We still have a very busy term ahead of us, especially preparing for transitions days, end of year celebrations and student leadership for 2025.  Please see further information in the newsletter for more details.

Travel safely with God's blessings,

Nerrida

Monday 28 Oct - Japanese assembly and Mission Day

Next Monday 28 October, there will be a whole school assembly for Japanese.  Thank you Mrs Boyd for organising the assembly. Following the assembly, the students will be engaged in class cooking activities with Mrs Boyd and Mrs Holland.  Then from 2-3pm, all students will be involved in the Year 5 and 6 Mission Day activities. Thank you to Mrs Letts, Bron and all the Year 5 and 6 students for your work in organising the posters and stalls for the students to partipate in. October is World Mission Month, where Pope Francis invites us to extend the invitation to the banquet far and wide, building bridges of solidarity and unity. Each family has been asked to donate $5 towards fundraising for Mission Month.  Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Final SAC meeting and Parent Club AGM for 2024

A reminder to those attending and have have RSVP'd, our final SAC meeting and Parent Club AGM will be held at school at 6:00pm next Wednesday 30 October in the meeting room. This will be followed with catering from the General Store.  If you are unable to attend please let Paula know. 

School Closure Days for 2025

Please read last week's newsletter for details regarding the school closure days for 2025. Please note the dates for your planning:

Thursday 13 February

Tuesday 22 April, Wednesday 23 April, Thursday 24 April  (Note Mon 21 and Fri 25 are also public holidays - so a three week break for Term 1 holidays)

Fri 19th September (last day of Term 3)     

STOMP returns

We were excited to have Kirra from STOMP return for our annual hip hop dance intensive. The majority of students really enjoyed this program. Well done to all of those who stepped out of their comfort zone and challenged themselves to be an important part of their class team.  On Friday 11 October, students presented their class and whole school dances to families.  Thank you to Kirra, who led you to learn and present your dances with only three days of sessions! Congratulations to all students!

Canola Golf - Tuesday 15 October

Parliament visit St Mary's!

On Tuesday 23 October, education officers from Parliament Victoria came to St Mary's for a regional visit to run a role play with the students to experience the law-making process firsthand. Canola students took on the roles of Speaker, Clerk, Serjeant-at-Arms, Premier, Leader of the Opposition and other members of Parliament to pass a law. The session was very informative and engaging, with students become more aware of the democratic process in our society.

Cricket Blast Wednesday 23 October

Thank you Mark Williams in assisting me in taking 11 students to Horsham on Wednesday for the Cricket Blast.  Well done to Matilda, Ryan, Hudson, Caleb, Nathan, Kirby, Devon, Issac, Charlie, and last minute call ups Oaklee and Jacko. Everyone put in their best and had a great day with lots of big bashes and great catches!

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F-2 day trip to Halls Gap Zoo Thursday 7 Nov

The F-2 excursion to the Halls Gap Zoo is now on Thurdsay 7 November. In addition to spending time at the zoo visiting  the animals and displays, the students will also have an Animal Keeper talk to learn about Australian animals,  endangered species, their habitats and adaptations.

Staff attending are Victoria McPhee, Louise Kemp, Cath Bellis, Deb Templeton, Rebecca Lewis and Claire Schulz. The cost for the excursion will be $30 which will be added to your school fee account.

Students will leave school at 9:00 am. Please make sure your child is at school on time. The estimated return time is now 4:30pm. Families will be notified on Facebook/ PAM when the bus is leaving Halls Gap and close to Warracknabeal.

During the day please direct any queries eg change in pick up etc through the office. Staff on the excursion will have parent contact numbers in the case of an emergency.

Students will need to bring: Fruit snack, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a water bottle. They may also bring books or quiet games to pass the time on the bus. NO DEVICES are allowed. Students are to wear their sports uniform. Staff will bring the childrens’ hats for the day and collect them from the students on return to school.

Medication: If your child requires medication that we do not usually oversee during the day, especially for travel sickness, we need to know BEFORE Thursday 7 November. If your child does experience travel sickness and takes medication for it, would you please ensure that you:

1. Administer the medication PRIOR to the bus travel.
2. Provide us with any ADDITIONAL medication in a CLEAR PLASTIC BAG with your CHILD’S NAME for the RETURN journey, and
3. Complete a MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION PERMISSION FORM, available from the office, which will include the name of the medication and the required dosage.

Please inform your child’s teacher if additional medication through the day will be necessary so the form can be sent home for completion. This permission form and medication must be submitted by Wednesday 6th November to prevent delays on the morning of travel.

Thank you for your cooperation and we are looking forward to a terrific day with the students.

Remembrance Day Monday November 11

On Monday 11 November at 11:00am, all Year 6 students will attend the memorial service at the Cenotaph outside the Warracknabeal post office.  We will assmeble there from from 10:30am.  Students will walk to town with staff leaving at 10:15 am.  Would all Year 6 students please wear their proper summer uniform and Grade 6 jumpers - please ensure your child is wearing black shoes, correct socks and no black basketball shorts.  This is one of the final times this year our Year 6 students will be together to publicly represent the school. 

Transition Days

Families with students beginning at St Mary's in 2025, your child will soon receive a letter inviting them to the Foundation transition days for 2025. The dates and times are in the key dates calendar at the beginning of the newsletter and also as below:

Tuesday 26 November Foundation Transition Day     9:00-11:00 am

Tuesday 3 December Foundation Transition Day 2     9:00 -11:45 am (students stay for recess and end of eating time)

Tuesday 10 December statewide transition Day - whole school transition from 9-11 am, 2025 Foundation students at St Mary's until 1:45pm, for 2024 Grade 6 students there are no classes at St Mary's this day, until 11:45am.  

Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT)

All grades will be taking part in their PAT reading and maths tests over the next three weeks. Progressive Achievement Tests, commonly known as PATs, are one of the main sets of assessments schools use. PATs are multiple-choice tests designed to help teachers determine achievement levels of students in Mathematics and  Reading Comprehension. Our Year 1-6 students complete PAT Reading and Maths tests online using Chromebooks or iPads. Foundation will complete a paper test.  Data gathered will inform teachers of students’ current strengths and areas for improvement which can be used for planning teaching and learning, and monitoring progress over time. 

Student Leadership Speeches and Elections

Our current Year 5 students have been busy preparing their speeches for student leadership for 2025.  Students have been spoken to on the importance of the role, and that it is not a popularity contest. Students were also spoken to about how each year the number of Year 6 students including the number of boys and girls in Year 6 changes. The student leadership team is chosen by staff and students to reflect this.

Students will present their speeches to the school on Wednesday 20 November at 9:00am at the stage area.  Parents are welcome to attend. Nomination and voting procedures will occur over the following days, with the 2025 student leadership team announced at the Chickpeas Assembly on Wednesday November 27 (note change of date for Chickpea Assembly)

End of Year Celebrations

We now have all our end of year dates confirmed:

Wednesday 11 December  Year 6 Graduation Dinner at the Creekside Hotel

Thursday 12 December  Canola Assembly

Tuesday 17 December   End of Year Graduation Mass 5:30pm St Mary's Church.

Wednesday 18 December   Students' last day, End of year pool party 10am -1pm at Warracknabeal Memorial Pool; BBQ lunch suppled by parent club

Class Assemblies Term 4

Assembly Time Table for Term 4

Fee Statements.

Families, please be aware all fees need to be finalised by November 8. Camp and excursion payments should already be paid prior to this date. If you are experiencing difficulties paying your fees please contact Nerrida.  For direct debit and payment plan availability, please contact Paula at the office. 

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