St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 3 Week 6
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.
Enrolment 2023 – Personalised or group Tours available anytime!
Enrolments for 2023 are open! We invite all prospective families to come to St Mary's school for a visit to see for themselves our great school and learning in action. New and existing families are invited to contact principal@smwarracknabeal.catholic.edu.au or phone 5398 2001 to arrange a personal or small group tour of our school and learn more about how St Mary's Primary school can be your first choice for your child’s primary education.
Our well-organized transition program working with Warracknabeal Memorial Kindergarten aims to ensure that your child starts their education at St Mary's Primary feeling confident and happy. For our Foundation children, we have many opportunities for your child to become familiar with their teachers, peers, and buddies.
Students enrolling in all year levels will be invited to attend the State-wide Transition Day which is usually held in early December. This date will be confirmed closer to the time.
Principal's Report
Welcome to Term 3 Week 6
Dear Parents and Families,
I do hope you were able to find rest and relaxation at some point over our extra long week end. I am sure that both staff and students are more refreshed and re-energised for the coming weeks. Looking forward in our calendar we have many fantastic events coming up. Book Week, WWSSA athletics day, soccer clinics, golf clinics. Father’s Day breakfast, Kinder to Foundation transition information evening and- just in - a special lunch for all students with grateful thanks to Parent Club for the last day of term! Please keep a close eye on the calendar in PAM for all dates and times, and also the key dates section in the newsletter.
On Monday, 15 August the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this Feast, Catholics traditionally celebrate Mary going to heaven. The tradition is that 'God took Mary, body and soul, to heaven after her life on earth had come to an end'.
Father in heaven, all creation rightly gives you praise,
for all life and all holiness come from you.
In the plan of your wisdom she who bore the Christ in her womb
was raised body and soul in glory to be with him in heaven.
May we follow her example in reflecting your holiness
and join in her hymn of endless love and praise.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
Travel safely with God's blessings
Nerrida Holland
Principal
Kindergarten/ Foundation Information Evening
We will be holding our information evening for our Fondation students from new and current families on Monday 22nd August from 5:00 pm for a 5:30 start. There will be a light supper provided and child minding available. We are very much looking forward to sharing with you the exciting opportunities St Mary's can offer your child and why St Mary's should be your first choice for primary education for your children.
Staff Vacancies for 2022 and 2023
We have staff vacancies Term 4 and into 2023, and have advertised through Catholic Education Ballarat/ Victoria and regional media. Please let your networks know we are seeking staff for 2022/2023 and casual relief teachers.
School Closure Days Term 4
Our final school closure days for 2022 will be next term - Tuesday 25th October for our Fullness of Life Religious Education program (Sexuality and Puberty) and Thursday December 1st Learner Agency whole school implemention. I hope this early notice gives families plenty of notice for their organisation and planning for these days.
WWSSA Athletics postponed till Thursday 25th August
Emails were sent to families of students involved in the WWSSA Athletics - hopefully the weatrher will be sutiable for the day to go ahead in Week 7
Key Dates
| Week 7 | Monday 22nd August Foundation Student 2023 Information afternoon 5:00pm for 5:30 start Tuesday 23rd August Book Week dress up day and parade 9:15 am Wednesday 24th August Golf Clinics Barley and Lentils (sports uniform) Thursday 25th August WWSSA Aths Day ( rescheduled) |
| Week 8 | Wednesday 31st August Golf Clinic Barley and Lentils (sports uniform) Friday 2nd September Fathers Day Breakfast 8:00am |
| Week 9 | Friday 9th September Little Desert Athletics Horsham |
| Week 10 | Friday 16th September - last day of Term Finish 2:15 pm |
Term 4 Week 1 | STOMP program 1:45Pm-3:15 October 3,4 5 and 7 Thursday 6th October Warracknabeal Show Day |
Week 2 | Tuesday 11th October Lentil Assembly |
Week 3 | School Advisory Council Meeting 6:30pm and AGM Thursday October 20 Lentil Assembly |
Week 4 | Monday 24th October Barley Assembly Tuesday 25th October School Closure - Fullness of Life Staff PD |
Week 5 | Friday 4th November Mission Day (more information to come) |
Curriculum
Lentil Assembly
Thank you Lentils for sharing with us your learning. Students showed their understanding of different forms of energy and how energy can be generated. Students explained the use of solar, wind and fuel generated energy systems. We heard wonderful descriptions and were shown fabulous posters and simulations demonstrating knowledge of potential and kinetic energy.
The video of the assembly is uploaded to our Family Facebook page.
Congratulations to all our award winners for this week.
Book Week - Dress Up Day and Parade 23rd August
Don't forget Book Week is during the Week 22nd-26th August. Staff have been very busy and have special events planned. The theme for this week is 'Dreaming with eyes open We will be having our Book Week Parade on TUESDAY 23rd AUGUST at 9:15 am. Students are asked to come to school dressed as their favorite book character or something related to the Book Week theme.
Soccer Clinics - they are back!
Thank you to Jason and the Positive Start Program supported by the Department of Education and Training Victoria for free our soccer clinics. Tuesday 16th August saw the return of our clinics for Term 3. Infortunately the weather was not too kind, but all had great fun regardless!
Student Well Being (School TV) Cyberbullying
Our schoool subcribes to School TV which provide a broad range of articles, videos and reports to support families.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying using technology such as the Internet or mobile phone. It can be shared widely and quickly with a lot of people, making this form of bullying extremely dangerous and harmful. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers. Cyberbullying can be identified as being repeated behaviour by an aggressor with an intent to harm or embarrass someone. This type of behaviour can include posting rumours about a person, posting direct threats or sexual remarks, even disclosing a victim’s personal information. Internet trolling is another common form of cyberbullying often found in online gaming or social media circles. Internet trolls often do this to elicit a reaction or disruption from their victim purely for their own personal amusement.
Take the quiz below to test your knowledge on Cyberbullying
Catholic School Parents Australia 2022 Parent Survey Now Live
Have your say on what matters regarding the wellbeing and learning of your child.
For example, has COVID-19 or your partnership with the school affected your child’s wellbeing and learning?
If you are a parent or carer with a child in a Catholic school, CSPA would love to hear from you.
Click on the survey link and share your feedback to assist CSPA in reporting to the Federal Government and Catholic education.
Your feedback will remain anonymous.
Child Safety
Child safety and wellbeing at St Mary's Primary School: information for families and the school community
Below is the updated Statement of Commitment to Child Safety from the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV). This statement has been updated in light of the revised Child Safe
Standards that came into effect from July 1st. Please take the time to read the updated statement.
We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further
strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact Nerrida
Diocesan Bulletin
Please find below the link for the July 2022 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”
https://www.ballarat.catholic.
Community News
Attention - Families of secondary children with a disability
NDIS Victorian Pathway to Post School Life
Monday 17 October 2022, 7.00-8.30pm
Tuesday 25 October 2022, 7.00-8.30pm
The National Disability Insurance Agency would like to invite Victorian students with a disability in Years 9 -12, their parents, carers and education professionals, to attend a virtual information session about building skills and paving a pathway to post-school life.
There will be discussion of a range of NDIS-funded supports and other assistance to help young people build skills to prepare for their transition, and support them in achieving employment and other goals, post-school.