Dear families,

I hope you are managing as well as can be expected these days.

I continue to be amazed & thrilled at the work our students are producing, especially during this week’s science week. 

It’s also so lovely to see families enjoying each other’s company through the sharing of photos for our facebook page. 

I’m sure there are trying times as well, but it is so inspiring to see how so many of you are doing so well in the face of such adverse conditions. If you or your child are struggling at any time, please reach out to us at school or your child's teacher. Our staff has been so willing to adapt and do what needs to be done to ensure the diverse range of needs are being met, so please don’t hesitate to make contact. 

I am working on creating a banner for the front of our school showcasing the amazing connections we’ve been able to make with each other, even in isolation.  I loved so much seeing the photos of the Hut that the Nisbett family started off, I am asking any family who has visited the hut to take a photograph of yourselves with it and send it to Mrs Masseni at mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au. 

Please send all photos by Tuesday next week, so I can send it for publishing.

Condolences

This week has also been a difficult time for others in our local community with many families losing loved ones.

Beryl, our dedicated Book Club organiser and long-standing member of St Mary’s community lost her father and brother-in-law.

Sue Sherman, parish secretary at Queen of Peace passed away this week after a battle with cancer.

Finally, Jan Keogh, founding principal of St Francis of Assisi, Tarneit, passed away this week, also after battling cancer for the last 3 years. I had the pleasure of knowing Jan when she was principal of my former school’s sister school, St Catherine’s in Lalor.

I ask that we please keep Beryl and the families of Sue and Jan in your prayers. 

It is never a good time to lose a loved one, but I cannot imagine the extra burden placed on families who need to say goodbye to their loved ones during these times.

Planning for 2021

Looking toward 2021, we are beginning to take a look at class numbers and structures.  If your family is not intending to return next year, please contact me immediately on principal@smaltona.catholic.edu.au.

If there are any parents with a newly acquired Health Care Card or with a card that have not informed the school, please send a photo of this card to principal@smaltona.catholic.edu.au as you may be eligible to claim $125  per student as an ongoing deduction from the excursion levy.  You may also qualify for ongoing fee assistance. 

We acknowledge that times are difficult for many of our families, but remind you of the mission of Catholic Education is that “no baptised student is denied a Catholic education because of an inability to pay.” Whilst this document specifies baptised students, as a community, we are always willing to help the families experiencing hardship, so please let us know if you need help.

May God grant His blessings on you and your families,

Sonia

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In the coming weeks three of our teachers, Britt Densmore, Nancy Leone and Jane Kirkwood, will be leaving us to start a new chapter in their lives as parents.
  Britt will finish up at the end of next week, while Nancy and Jane will be with us until the end of term. However at this time we would like to introduce the three teachers who will join St. Mary's community.  
Ms Rhona Cloud will be teaching Prep D
Ms Randa Aassad will be teaching Prep L
Mr Marcus Wheelahan will be teaching Year 3/4K

Click on their names to read a brief profile about them. 

We hope you will join us in welcoming them into the St. Mary's community.

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At this time, we pause to recognise the enormous contribution our parents and grandparents make to our families, our community and our school. They bear the burdens of this global pandemic with grace in the face of adversity, 

often shielding their children from all that they do to promote and portray love and hope.

Today we stop to say thank you and offer this prayer in their honour.

Yours in Faith

Matthew Taylor

Religious Education Leader

God of mercy and love,

Be with my family – my children and grandchildren,

as we are facing illness and fragility during this time in our world.

Be with my family – my children and grandchildren,

as we face physical isolation and, at times, aloneness.

Be with my family – my children and grandchildren

as we face irritation, fear and anger.

God of mercy and love,

Be with my family and all families of the world

and help us to see that we are not alone.

Help us to see that you are with us always.

God of mercy and love,

Be with my family and all families of the world

as we gather together constructively and creatively,

trusting that we can experience the peace and joy of your 

Resurrection in our lives. 

Amen.

 

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The Great Realisation by Tomos Roberts is a story for any reader, young or old, who dares to dream of a brighter future–of a fairer, kinder, more sustainable world. A timely reminder that, even during our most challenging moments, there is always hope.
  Click here to watch: The Great Realisation

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This week in Physical Education, students in grade 3 to 6 had the opportunity to participate in the Virtual Track and Field events supplied by School Sports Victoria. Students had to go onto the SSV website, participate in the Athletics events and submit their results.
Each time a student from St Mary's would do this it would gain points for our school.  Check out the live School Points and Ranking Ladder. We currently rank 4th in the state for participation. Awesome effort everyone. Students receive a point for every event they take part in. 

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A reminder for our upcoming event The Altona Beach Film Festival is happening tomorrow Saturday 22 August. This is great not for profit local short film festival that provides young and aspiring film makers with a platform to showcase their films. 

 

 

Councillors love this event which will be virtual this year due to COVID. Please share this event with your networks.

https://www.facebook.com/creativecityhobsonsbay/posts/3237693719639538

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Click on the links to access a range of information & activities across our community, including news & information from the parish and local secondary schools as well as, this week, information about Creative Music and Workshops for parents re teens.
NEW this week...
Church Bulletin 21st October
Emmanuel College Update 21st October
Hobsons Bay Children's Week
Creative Music - Sign up for Term 4

Tuning in to Teens is heading into its Term 4 sessions so we’re getting the word out to parents who may want to join in. This 7-week program is designed to support parents in raising emotionally intelligent teens to improve relationships, communication skills and overall wellbeing.

Two Tuning in to Teens courses will be running in term 4:

• Wednesday 6 to 8pm from 14^th October to 25^th November.
• Wednesday 6.30 to 8.30pm from 28^th October to 9^th December.

Registrations essential. Learn more over on our webpage: www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/teens

Archive...
Emmanuel College Update - 16th October
Camp Australia
Joseph's Corner newsletter
Camp Australia

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Frenzy - behaviour that results in losing control of your feelings

  Noun / 

Synonyms: agitation, fury, madness

  In a sentence: The seagulls were in a frenzy to get as many chips as possible.

She was in a state of frenzy when she realised her dog ripped up the carpet.

What are WOWs?

WOWS, or Words of the Week, are words that will appear every week both in the newsletter and in the display cabinets around the Prep/1 building as a way to help the students at St Mary’s Primary School build their vocabulary.

What we know from research about the importance of a large vocabulary is as follows:

1. Having a large vocabulary helps children think and learn about the world around them.

 

2. Vocabulary implications for literacy, in particular comprehension of written word essential for being able to answer questions about and successfully predict things from text.

 

3. A child’s vocabulary growth is directly linked to his or her overall school achievement.

 

What can we do with the Word of the Week?

It is important to talk about the words of the week with your child. Initially, discuss what the word means and put it in a sentence. Use the word frequently throughout the week – at set times like in the car after school or at the dinner table but also incidentally throughout general conversation where appropriate. When the child has a solid understanding of the word, you can think about other ways to build upon this knowledge and further increase vocabulary by thinking about other words that mean the same thing (synonyms) and words that mean the opposite (antonyms) to the WOW. 

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