St. Mary's eNews

Term 3 Week 2


Principal's Message 23rd July 2021

Dear families,

I pray you are all managing to find your own ways of getting through this extended lockdown.

 

It is great to hear from teachers that the majority of students are engaging in the online meetings and submitting required work. Teachers will be following up more stringently on students who miss days of online learning. We are still required to mark the roll and note students who are present online or onsite. If your child will not be present and completing work on a particular day, please ensure you are filling out the online absence form as you would for any day. That way our teachers will know not to expect any work from your child.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, Remote Learning is one of those things, alongside uniforms and homework, that we will never be able to meet every single person’s preferences. The model of Remote Learning we have ultimately come to adopt is one based on the feedback that was received from families across the first 3 lockdowns. This current version has more online meets/contact with teachers as it was what many parents wanted/requested. Some families will want more and some will want less. From our feedback, this current model suits most families.

This model does allow us to be able to cater to particular needs/requests. Many families have already approached their child’s teacher wanting more/less assistance, which in most cases has been able to be accommodated. If you feel your child needs something a little different than what is being offered, please know you can contact your child’s teacher to try and arrange some reasonable changes that better meet your and their needs.

I’m sure you’re all awaiting to hear what the next few days will bring regarding the easing of restrictions. Whatever comes, we can do this!

Please reach out if we can help in any way.


Stay well, stay safe.

Sonia



Supporting Social and Emotional Wellbeing

COVID 19 continues to shape who we can see and what we can do - at home, at school, at work and at play. Noone really knows yet what impact, if any, will be on children. 
Snap lockdowns can put pressure on relationships when stuck at home together. 
 Here are some tips that might help

A letter from the PM!

Isabelle C from 5/6KC wrote a letter to the Prime Minister regarding action on climate change. Have a read...she makes some great points. Scott thought she did too as he sent her a reply! 
Well done Isabelle. We are proud of you.

Community News

Take a look at this weeks Community News. As well as our Church Bulletin we also have news from our local secondary school Emmanuel College.
Church Bulletin 

Emmanuel College News 

Walk/Ride to School Day

Fingers crossed our next Walk/Ride to School day will be on Friday 30th July.  Come along in an active way and join in the fun.   Add your name to the House team lists on the netball court to get points for your team.

  Who will be the Most Active House team and Class? 

How will you get to school?

Keeping Safe Online

Join the eSafety Commissioner’s expert education and training team for two  FREE live webinars as part of their Parent Series.
Guide to Popular Apps ~ Taking a look at TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube!
This webinar focuses on popular apps used by young people. It will include case studies, research, and targeted advice so you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences

eSafety’s parent guide to online sexual harassment and image-based abuse
This webinar will provide parents and carers with an understanding of online sexual harassment
and image-based abuse.

Get Active Victoria

Round 2 of the Get Active Kids Voucher Program is NOW OPEN!

Do your children love sport and getting active? You may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost associated with your child’s sport and active recreation activities.


To be eligible children must be Victorian residents, aged 4 to 18 and named on a valid Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, as well as Medicare card.

Additionally, special consideration also applies for children named on their own valid Health Care Card or are residing in Care Services as well as temporary or provisional visa holders, undocumented migrants or international students. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for more information.

The Get Active Kids Voucher Program helps eligible families get their kids involved in organised sport and active recreation activities by reimbursing the cost of membership and registration fees, uniforms, and equipment. Eligible children may be able to receive up to $200 each.

Sporting pursuits, swimming lessons and outdoor active recreation programs are examples of eligible activities under the Program.

The Program encourages kids to re-engage or to participate for the first time in new activities by reducing the cost of participation which can be a significant barrier to participation.
The Program is being delivered across four Rounds until 15 April 2022.
Applications for vouchers in Round two of the program open 31 May 2021 and close 30 July 2021.
For Round two of the Program, you can claim eligible expenses which were incurred between 1 January 2021 and 30 July 2021.
You can claim one voucher per eligible child, per round.
To find out if you are eligible, how to apply, what costs are covered and more, visit
www. getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers



Jump Back Up July

The July Action for Happiness calendar is up and running.
This month's theme is all about resilience and understanding how we can build skills that will help us to bounce back.
 We can't always predict or control what life throws at us, but we can build a range of skills and nurture our resources to help us respond flexibly, effectively deal with challenges, recover more quickly and even learn and grow as a result.

Here's how you can get involved and make a difference:



Grandparent's Day

St Mary's Grandparent's Day celebration may be postponed but Pope Francis declared earlier this year, World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly an annual event. Pope Francis said that the day will be marked each year around the feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

“It makes no difference how old you are, whether you still work or not, whether you are alone or have a family, whether you became a grandmother or grandfather at a young age or later, whether you are still independent or need assistance,” he wrote. “Because there is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren. You just need to set out and undertake something new.”

Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement, said “In honouring them, we honour their lives and journeys, and open up a richness of experience to draw from. The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly gives the Church a chance to more deeply celebrate the role older people have played in forming us as people and as believers.”

We cannot gather as we would usually this coming Monday for the feast of Sts Anne and Joachim, our annual Grandparent's Day celebration, but we hold our older generations closer in our hearts at times like these and we make a commitment to trying to host an event later in the year when safe to do so.

Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor

Leader of Religious Education
mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au