2025 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.

Principal's News

Dear families, 

As you read this newsletter, the Lentil Class, Mrs Holland and myself will be on our way to Robe for the Year 5/ 6 Camp. This will be a very busy fortnight with the Canola Class heading to the Lady Northcote Camp next week.  We look forward to special editions from our students following their camp experiences. Until then, have fun and stay safe!

A huge congratulations to Miki Spicer, Ollie George and Oaklee Rowe for making it to the Regional Atheletics. This is a great achievement for a child from a small country school to compete at this level and we are very proud of their efforts. Oaklee Rowe will go to the next level and will compete at the State Championships in Shot Put. 

The month of October is Mission Month. Due to camps etc, St Mary's will celebrate World Mission Day with a varity of activities beginning at 1:45pm on Friday 7th November. The theme this year is “Missionaries of Hope among the peoples.”  World Mission Sunday is held every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October. 

Thanks once again to the Parent’s Club for providing a special Lunch last Friday. The pies, sausage rolls and dim sims worked a treat. I’d also like to thank Jess Lang for organising the Lions Eye Health  screening and the volunteers that worked to ensure all our students had the opportunity to have their eyes tested. 

Last week we began advertising for a Learning Support Officer (LSO) and we look forward to receiving applications shortly. We are also currently in the process of structuring classes, appointing teachers and preparing for Phase B in our Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP), Literacy Program.  (Special Edition). 

In recent years the rate of student attendance has become a national concern.  Regular attendance is vital for every child’s learning and wellbeing. Even small absences add up and can impact progress and confidence. We invite families to look at the effects this has on your child’s learning and social emotional wellbeing.

                                                           Every school day really does make a difference! (Special Edition)

We encourage families to regularly take a look at our St Mary’s FB Page. Schools and family life in general are very busy places.  Often reminders or events and activities are posted.

Continue reading for Special Editions and some Flyers

 Julie Leonard

Key Dates

School Promotional Video

Athletics Champions

Miki Spicer, Ollie George and Oaklee Rowe made it to the  Regional Atheletics. We at St Mary's are very proud of their achievement to complete at this level. Last week they showed great pride in themsevles when recieving the Principal's Award.  Oaklee Rowe is looking forward to competing at the next level in the State Championships in Shot Put. 

Latrobe Flare Project 📚

                                                           A Systematic Synthetic Phonics Literacy Program. 

As we enter Term 4, our staff have been working extremely hard to implement a new, research-based literacy initiative introduced by DOBCEL (Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited). This initiative, called Flare:  has been developed by DOBCEL and is being rolled out across all Catholic schools in our diocese.

Why Flare?
Flare was created in response to the need for a consistent, evidence-informed approach to literacy teaching across the Catholic education system. Recent research into how children learn to read highlights the importance of explicit, systematic instruction in areas such as phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Flare aims to ensure that every student receives high-quality literacy teaching grounded in the latest educational research, giving all learners the best chance to succeed.

Warm regards,
Principal:  Julie Leonard & Literacy Leader: Clare Letts

In addition, I invite you to copy, paste and watch this clip about teaching sounds                  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pw81jre11dA

Student Absence

As we move through the term, I’d like to take a moment to highlight the essential role that regular school attendance plays in every child’s learning and wellbeing. Every day at school matters. When students miss even a few days, it can interrupt their learning, make it harder to stay connected with classmates, and impact their overall progress and confidence.

We understand that family holidays, long weekends, or giving children a “rest day” can sometimes feel necessary. However, when these occur during the school term, they can significantly affect a child’s educational routine and continuity. Even short absences add up over time.

We ask that families plan holidays and extended breaks during scheduled school holidays whenever possible, and ensure students attend school each day unless they are genuinely unwell. Consistent attendance helps children build strong learning habits, deepen friendships, and feel part of the school community.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping your child make the most of every learning opportunity. Together, we can ensure all our students thrive.

Julie

SLEEP: Concerns now?

“Teenagers are the most sleep-deprived segment of the population. This is a very under-recognised problem and the cost to society in the healthy development of young people is profound.”

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

We are a BARR school (Bushfire at Risk)

Pleae read the communication below. As a Bushfire at Risk school, on days there is a Catastrophic fire danger forcasted in our district, the school will close. Other educational providers in our area will also close, and there will be no school byses running. We need to receive notification from the Department if Education and also DOBCEL in order to close. The school will always endeavour to notify families as soon as practical. We did have two Catastrophic school closure days earlier this year. 

Please ensure you have downloaded the SIMON everywhere app to receive the first notification of a sudden school closure through PAM, as this is the official school emergency notification platform.

Then emails will be sent to families, followed by a Facebook update. 

DOBCEL Strategy 2035

Please find below a letter from Catholic Education Ballarat Executive Director, Tom Sexton and DOBCEL Board Chair Terry Harney regarding the DOBCEL Strategy 2035.

This letter introduces the new strategy that all DOBCEL schools will be working through over the next ten years.

Child Safety at St Mary's

St Mary's is committed to zero tolerance of child abuse, listening to and empowering children and young people and keeping children and young people safe. We are committed to being proactive in the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people. Child Safe Standard 11 as below highlights what we as an organisation must do. regarding documentation. If you ever have any concerns, regarding the safety and wellbeing of your child please contact the Principal. Your information makes us more aware of what needs to be addressed and how we can improve. 

For more information please visit this link Child Safe Standards 

Thunderstorm Asthma

Community Events