St Mary's Primary School Newsletter Term 3 Week 7

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.

Key Dates

Principal's Report

Welcome to Term 3 Week 7

Dear Parents and Families,
We were definitely dreaming with our eyes wide open this week! - what an incredible display of costumes and creative  outfits as our students embraced our Book Week Parade.   Thank you to the  parents for your efforts and innovations in supporting your child in embracing these activities.  And a huge thank you to all staff for the work involved in creating the door displays, staff outfits (thank you Bec!)  and the fabulous activites available for all students in the afternoon.  We also had another successful day at the WWSSA Athletics held at Anzac Park with our 18 competitors giving their best. Congratulations to all who participated.

This past week has been a busy week in very cold, wet and wintery conditions.  All students are to be congratulated on the way they have dealt with this year’s exceptionally wet conditions.  We are now starting to see signs around our school that spring is not too far away and warmer weather will hopefully be soon with us.

Travel safely with God's blessings

Nerrida Holland

Principal

URGENT - SIMON Everywhere app upgrade

There has been an upgrade to the SIMON everywhere app system. Parents will now need to upgrade to the new version of SIMON Everywhere via the App Store which is now available.  Please see the flyer below as to how to upgrade the app, as the old version will cease to function after the rollout. 

Book Week Parade and Activities

Happy Book week everyone, thank you to all the staff, parents and students for their work and efforts in making our parade on Tuesday 23rd August so spectacular. It was wonderful to see so many parents come and see the parade. The sun was out and it was a magnificent display of costumes and creativity.  Well done everyone!  

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After a morning of learning including soccer activities, the students gathered in four groups to read two of the Book Week nominated picture story books and make two different art activities related to these books. The books shared were 'The One Bee' and 'Walk of the Whales'. Students then thoroughly enjoyed making a small bee and a small whale. We are eagerly awaiting to see which book is the winning book. 

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 gives families plenty of notice for their organisation and planning for these days.

Father's Day Breakfast next Friday 2nd September 

All fathers and significant adult male family members are invited to breakfast with their children from 8:00am on Friday September 2.  Thank you to all who have responded for catering purposes.

WWSSA Athletics Thursday 25th August

Congratulations to all students who competed in the WWSSA Athletics this week.  After the event being postponed last week, it is terrific this could still go ahead.  Thank you to the parents who volunteered their time in assisting in the running of the sports, especially Jo Credlin, Narelle Drage and Emma Mansfield.  Thank you staff for officiating,  marshalling and supervision and as always, to all back at school in rearranging the day to allow the rest of the school to run smoothly. 

Students who have made it through to the Little Desert zone level are Eljah, Pippa, Tom, Isaac, Charlie, Campbell, Evan, Aleah and Harlow.  Best of luck for the next level of competition in Horsham on Friday 9th September.  A full report of students achievements and placements will be in next weeks newsletter. 

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Curriculum

Barley STEM excursion to St Brigid's Horsham

On Wednesday, Barley class travelled to Horsham to St Brigid's College to participate intechnology and coding classes. After a tour of the school led by principal Mr Raven, students logged onto their Chromebooks, ready for a session on learning the basics of game making using the Scratch program with Technology teacher, Mr Clusker. 
Mr Clusker led the students through making characters and how to code them to move in different directions. It was delightful hearing "oh it works," followed by another comment of "We haven't learnt how to do that before".  St Brigid's Technology students were on hand to assist and guide the students as needed. 
After lunch and a play (downball is fun wherever we go!), Mr Raven shared another website-based coding platform where students completed puzzles and mazes using coding.  The students had a lot of fun guiding their character through the maze.  The basics students learnt in coding at St Brigid's  have formed the foundations of our coding skills for next term.  Thank you Jayden for accompanying us to St Brigid's for the day.  We appreciated your help.

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Golf Clinics

Thank you to Tony for our Golf sessions. Lentils had a great time, and Wheat students were able to have a taster this week as Barley were on another excursion. Next week Barley will be able to show their skills, and Lentils will also have another session. 

Student Well Being (School TV) Building Belonging Post Pandemic

Building Belonging Post Pandemic

Having a sense of belonging involves more than simply knowing other people. It is also focused on gaining acceptance, attention and support from others, as well as having the opportunity to provide the same to other people.

When the pandemic interrupted our lives and changed the way we live, this meant that suddenly many of our young people’s main sources of connection with peers and extended family members was removed overnight without warning. As human beings, we have a basic emotional and biological need for connection. It provides us with feelings of identity, security, support, acceptance and community.

Students who have a sense of belonging will experience these feelings which in turn supports their academic, psychological and social development. When young people come together again after a period of instability, there is a period of adjustment. Whilst the rules of the group may be established, acceptance remains paramount and can therefore mean some behaviours become far from rational, making it difficult for their brain to focus on things, such as learning. All these factors combined, leave young people open to being vulnerable. It can sometimes tempt them into making choices or becoming involved in situations they might not ordinarily consider.

As a result of the pandemic, there are still many young people struggling to connect and regain their sense of belonging. This Special Report provides guidance to families who find themselves in this situation. 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 seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report 

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

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.

Parish Bulletin