We are looking forward to welcoming the whole community back to school on Monday 1st February.  Parents will be welcome onsite for our assembly on the netball court at 8.45am.  

Please carry mask in case social distancing is not possible. Following the assembly we invite you to head over to the hall for morning tea ~ a wonderful opportunity to meet up with the other parents and make some new commections. 

All students will be dismissed at 3pm on Monday and 3.20pm Tuesday to Friday.  Parents may enter the yard and wait for their children but we do ask you not to go into the buildings. 

Please carry mask in case social distancing is not possible.

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A reminder that our Getting to Know you & your child meetings will be held on Wednesday 3rd Feb and Thursday 4th Feb from 3.40 - 5.30pm.

To make a booking, click on this link 

 

Alternatively, go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and follow the simple instructions or click on the icon on our school website.
The booking code is t65bk.

Bookings are now open and will close on Monday 1st February 2021.

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This year our uniform shop will be managed by Katrina Krol (Jakub & Alfie's mum).  Thanks Katrina for taking this job on and thank you also to Patrice Cassar who has been our uniform shop manager for many years.

The uniform shop will be open on Mondays from 8.30-9am and on Wednesdays 2.30-3pm. Order forms are available on the School Website from the NEWS / Notes & Forms tab.  Instructions for ordering are included.

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Trials for the District Swimming team are being held on Tuesday 2nd and Thursday 4th February. 

All Year 3 - 6 students who are interested are welcome to attend these swim sessions however they must be able to swim at least 50m using a recognised swimming stroke. 

Please note this is not a compulsory event. 

Timing will take place at the two sessions so it is important to attend at least one of them.

If your child would like to attend and you haven't yet completed the Operoo note, please email Alessandra Sottile (our new PE teacher) asap.
asottile@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

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Dear families,

Happy new year to you all.  I hope you have had a wonderful start to 2021. We are all looking forward to what will hopefully be a regular old school year this year!

Our first two days this week have centred around establishing student needs via various assessments. This is the first time St Mary’s has begun a school year in this way and we thank you for your patience as we tweak the processes around this. We felt it is important to maximise teacher time in the classroom at the start of the year.  This process will allow for teachers to need less time out of the classroom to complete assessments at a very crucial time of year for students.

Students will all commence the 2021 school year on Monday 1 February. 

With the easing of COVID restrictions, we are no longer required to stagger our dismissals, therefore, we will revert to having all students finish at the same time (3pm on Mondays and 3:20pm Tuesday-Friday). Parents will also be allowed to enter the school grounds before and after school. We will, however, continue our practice of having students enter the classrooms without their parents. We have found this practice most beneficial for students. It promotes independence and teachers all reported that students settled in so much faster into morning routines. That said, we will be making an exception for the first few days of school for students who may be anxious about coming back to school in  new classrooms with new teachers and new classmates. There will be many staff present on the yard at the start of the year, and we will be helping any children needing extra support during this new transition.

After our short assembly on Monday morning, a lovely morning tea will be served in the hall. This is a great opportunity for parents to catch up and also for our new parents to meet. We welcome everyone along. 

If you have any questions regarding the next few days, please feel free to contact the school.

Can’t wait to see you all very soon!

Sonia

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As our summer school holidays come to a close, it's time for parents to start preparing yourself and your child for a smooth transition into the new school year.  It's hard to let go of the summer and all it brings in the way of relaxation of routines. But the time must come. In her recent blog post, Psychologist Therese Sheedy has some great tips for how you can make the return to school and return to routine a little less stressful.  Read more in her article Start the school year with less stress

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The February Action for Happiness calendar is ready to go! It's all about being friendly, which is something that we need lots of especially during difficult times. Let's focus on doing our best to be a good friend to all. An act of kindness and connection ripples out and impacts on so many more people than we realise, and it also boosts our own happy hormones! In times of stress people can react more quickly than they would normally, so let's show compassion and kindness and try to keep calm.

Please take a look...there may be some ideas that you can use with your family.

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