Dear families,

We are gearing up to welcome our students back to school and we couldn’t be more excited.

Earlier this week we shared a message via Operoo that outlined the structures that will be put in place each week, especially in regards to dismissal procedures and the wearing of masks. Please ensure you read over the information carefully and if you have any questions, please contact me.

Our canteen will re-open on Monday 18th October for lunch orders only. Students in Prep will have access to place an order from their first day back.

Please keep Adriana Everett, one of our learning support staff, in your prayers. Her father passed away peacefully this morning.

I remind you to please try to complete the survey that was sent to you last week. The information gathered from these surveys provides us with directions for improvement each year.

2022 News

As we begin to get to the pointy end of the year, (yes, can you believe it!) there will be more and more information being shared with you in the coming weeks/months.

Earlier this year I shared the news with you that we were exploring the transition to AUSLAN as our LOTE (Language Other Than English). I am pleased to announce that we have hired an AUSLAN teacher who will commence at the start of next year. The downside of this of course, is that we will be farewelling Signor John at the end of the year.  I have enjoyed our many conversations in Italian and wish Signor John all the best in his future endeavours. It will be lovely to all be back onsite so our community has the chance to see him before the end of the school year. I’m sure we will see him back onsite in various fill in capacities beyond 2021.

As of 2022 our canteen will operate 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It will continue to operate in the usual manner on these days.

I will keep you updated as more decisions are made.

Have a blessed weekend.

Looking forward to seeing our Prep and Year 1/2 students next week,

Sonia

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The month of October is a powerful time to pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Mary… who said “Yes” to God.
Mary… who visited Elizabeth.
Mary… who was with Jesus as he grew up in Nazareth.
Mary… who journeyed with Jesus and celebrated his life with her own. The Rosary is especially remembered during the month of October.
This beautiful prayer, which repeats the prayers of the “Our Father”, the
“Hail Mary” and the “Glory Be,” can be said alone or with others.
Rosary beads are often used to keep track of the number of prayers.
In fact, the word, “bead,” actually comes from an Old English word meaning
“prayer.”

This year, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network have a gift for families for the month of October. Rosary for the Family, a free e-book that can be used with the free Click to Prayer eRosary, features watercolor illustrations of the mysteries of the Rosary, quotes from Pope Francis’ 2016 document, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), and questions meant to prompt sharing about faith in the family.

The 21-page e-book is available on Amazon Kindle and Google Play Books as well as online from www.laityfamilylife.va in English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese.

For more information head to the Cath News website.

Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor

Leader of Religious Education

mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

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While many will thrive on the return to school, we know that some students might need extra support returning to the classroom after lockdown. 
   In this article, Penny Van Bergen and Erin Mackenzie offer five tips for parents to help their children adjust.  It's a great read. Please note that there are hyperlinks in the article. Being Sydnersiders, Penny and Erin have added a link that will take you to the NSW Government website which of course is not relevant for us.

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Hi! I’m Fiona, one of the Administration Officers at St. Mary’s.

I’ve been an Altona Local for years and have a lot of history here. My mum went to St. Mary’s when she was a child, and my Grandparents were even married at the old Church here!

I have a beautiful Australian Shepherd named Juno who demands multiple walks a day, so if you’re an Altona local, you might spot him strutting his stuff.

I love music and love to play the drums (pretty poorly - but it’s good fun!)

I also love swimming and have tried to get into the habit of swimming at the beach even during winter. Spoiler alert; it’s really, really cold.

I’m really enjoying my time here at St. Mary’s. Bear with me while I try to learn all the students’ and famliy members' names!

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Although many other rules around COVID protocols have changed, it is still a requirement that students in Year 3 to 6 wear masks when indoors on school premises, unless a medical exemption applies.

Thanks to everyone who has been wearing their mask in the correct way.

 We understand that some children may feel uncomfortable and anxious about doing this so we have sourced this short story that can be read with them.

The story explains in simple terms the importance of doing so. 
Click here to access.

Lawful medical exemptions exist for the following only:

• A physical or mental health illness or condition, or disability, which makes wearing a face covering unsuitable

• Obstructed breathing (this does not generally include Asthma)

• A serious skin condition of the face

• An intellectual disability

• A mental health condition

• persons who have experienced trauma

 

If your child qualifies for an exemption, please contact Sonia to discuss this further. 

Students who are exempt may choose to consider wearing a face shield.

It is an expectation that for the safety of all staff and other students, that all students unless lawfully exempt, wear a mask when indoors onsite. 

Students who do not wear a mask will be asked, when and where practicable, to maintain distance from others when indoors.

It is highly recommended that students in Prep-2 wear face masks but this is currently not a requirement.

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Zali and Jack, our student wellbeing leaders, have been busy organising activties for Red Day for Child Safety which will be held on Friday 29th October. 
   Students are asked to wear a splash of RED on the day, whether it's to school (with their uniform) or to their online class meetings. Students will be involved in class discussions in the coming weeks about how they can be safe and how they can ensure the safety of others. Classes will contribute messages about being safe to a Google Slide presentation which we will share with the community. 

Come along to our live assesmblies (Mondays at 2.30pm) or take a look at our assembly slides shared via Seesaw.  Jack and Zali are giving a safety message each week that are great reminders for eveyone about the importance of keeping child safe.

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Smiling Mind have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents who are seeing the impact their programs are having on their child’s wellbeing. If you're looking for ways to bring more mindfulness into your home, they've got you.

Smiling Mind have produced a guide to creating a mindful home for your family.

This guide contains:

• An introduction to mindfulness
• An overview of the science behind it
• Advice on supporting learning at home
• Tips on how you can start your own practice

Click this link to find out more.

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This weeks Community News has a message from Liz and Grace from Camp Australia, a letter from Father Michael, the Church bulletin, and tutoring information from Now We're Talking.
Camp Australia Message

Letter from Father Michael 

Church Bulletin 

Now We're Talking - On site tutoring available 

Social Skills Group Program

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Introducing...Scholastic Books Plus!

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Milly will then contact you when your books are ready for collection from the front office.

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