St. Mary's eNews

Term 4 Week 11


Principal's Message: 16 December 2022

Dear families,


We’ve made it!  It’s been a tiring but rewarding year.


Thank you all for your support of your children and our staff. We are truly blessed to belong to such a special community. 

 


I once again thank Mrs Hicks, Mrs Talbot and Mrs Russell for their commitment to our students over many years. 

I can also announce that Miss Gallagher (Miss G, to her students) who is currently on parental leave, has accepted a position closer to home where she will be a classroom teacher and wellbeing leader. It was great to see Katie here yesterday and I know the students loved seeing her, especially the Year 6s at last night’s Graduation. We wish Miss G all the best.


Next year holds great promise.


Here is just a taste of what awaits:


  • Once again be able to host our beginning of year Mass and get together as well as the much-missed Buddy evening, early in the school year.
  • Continue to build on our school-wide goal to strive to challenge every student to new learning heights
  • Further develop our work in unpacking our school values and teaching the students how these values can be demonstrated in our community of learners. 
  • Select our House Team names based on people who have displayed these values in their lives
  • Develop a school-wide list of learning dispositions/characteristics. 
  • Expand on our canteen services by offering new items on the lunch menu and implementing a lunch delivery service on the days our own canteen is closed
  • Fully operational offsite and online uniform shop via Noone’s

This morning we celebrated Mass together and welcomed our 2023 Student Leaders. These moments are always bitter-sweet. We acknowledge the end of an era with our departing cohort, celebrate our new leaders and also think about the students who will be experiencing disappointment in not having secured a position of leadership. Yes, we know this is a good learning experience and a part of life, but I would like to thank all the students who put their all into applying for a position, but were not successful in this instance. It takes courage to put ourselves out there and set ourselves up for potential disappointment. You are the epitome of courage, a value we endeavour to develop in all our students.


I thank you so much for contributing to this beautiful community.

Enjoy time away from the craziness of school drop offs, pick ups and lunches.


I look forward to a new and exciting year in 2023.


Wishing you a blessed Christmas Season with family and friends,





Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 



2023 Return to School

Sadly the holidays are coming to an end but we are very much looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces next week as we begin our 2023 School Year.   A few reminders before we begin... Students in Year 1 - 6 will attend school on either Monday 30th Jan or Tuesday 31st Jan for their assessment sessions. Check Operoo for the times allocated to your family. Students can wear casual clothes and should bring food, a water bottle and a sunsmart hat.

Our 2023 Preps will attend school from 9 - 12 noon on Tuesday 31st Jan for an orientation session.  Preps should wear their school uniform. 

On Wednesday 1st February all students will start school at 8.45am.  There will be a short assembly on the netball court before students move into class.  

All families are invited to a morning tea in the hall once the students have gone to class.  It's a great opporutnity to catch up with friends and also to meet and welcome our new families.  We hope you can make it.

Our 'Getting to Know Your Child' meetings will be held on Monday 6th February and Tuesday 7th February after school on both days.  Please click this link to make a booking or go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the booking code is 2xbdu

At the end of last year a stationery order list was sent via Operoo.  Please take a look and ensure that your child has all the things they need for the start of the year. Click here to view the list.

We hope that the year goes well for everyone, especially our new families.  We look forward to working with you all.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Deputy Principal / Wellbeing Leader


Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage



End of year message and beginning of school mass

Well, we have come to the end of a momentus year where we have achieved so much in the sphere of Religion, Sacraments and Catholic Identity.  I want to thank everyone for their patience and participation in the many masses, liturgies and sacraments in 2022. A special congratulations to our Year 6 students on being involved in the Advent liturgy, graduation mass and the end of year mass in their final weeks of primary school.

I also want to announce that we have set a date for our opening schoolo mass. It will be held at 5pm on Thursday the 16th of February in the church followed by a picnic on he oval. This will be a great opportunity to regather as a community after the Summer break.

I wish you all a blessed and Merry Christmas and look forward to working with you all again in 2023.

Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Religious Education Leader
mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au


Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage



Update from the Special Art Team

Update from the Special Art Team

A huge thank you to everyone that brought in lids for us to recycle and use in our house murals.  Hopefully you had a chance to see them at the Arts Spectacular!  We didn't quite finish the green one but we will early next year.  Although we are no longer taking lids here at St Mary’s, but you are in the habit of saving them, The Louis Joel Centre is.  They don't take everything but they do take soda lids, milk lids and UHT caron lids.  For more information on how they recycle them, click on this  link.

Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year, Mrs Z.



Advent donations - thank you

On behalf of our Social Justice Leaders, Zara and Amelie, I want to extend our thanks to the St Mary's school community for your generosity in supporting our annual Advent Appeal. Loads of cans, kilos of pasta & rice, boxes of biscuits, sweets, long life milks & custards and loads of books & toys will all be making their way to those less fortunate this Christmas due to your big hearts. Our local St Vinnie's will organise packing and sorting and are thrilled to again be supported by St Mary's School.





Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor

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




Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage



Sacraments - 2023

After a productive parish meeting this week, we have set the dates and times for Sacraments in 2023. Like this year, a form will come out early in 2023 for parents to nominate their children for Sacraments and booking forms for exact dates and times will go out via Operoo closer to each Sacrament.
Reconciliation

This is an individual Sacrament and will be celebrated as it was this year, with sessions offered at 11:30am and 3:30pm over four cosecutive Wednesdays (17/5, 24/5, 31/5 and 7/6). This Sacrament will be offered to all baptised Year 3 students and any new elible students to St Mary's since we did the Sacrament in 2022.

Eucharist
This Sacrament will be offered to all elible Year 4 students and those in Years Five and Six who may have missed out this year. This Sacrament will be offered over two consecutive Saturdays (22/7 & 29/7) at the regular parish mass time of 9:15am.

Confirmation
This Sacrament is exclusively for our Year 6 students who have already celebrated their first Eucharist and Reconciliation. There will be two sessions (11:00am and 2pm) on the same day (19/8) for children to celebrate this Sacrament.

If you have any questions or concerns now or next year, please email, phone or ask to speak with me.

Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Religious Education Leader
mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au


Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage



Literacy: Summer Slide and Big Summer Read Challenge

As we enter into the final month of the school year, it’s time to think about avoiding the ‘summer reading slide’. 

 

Like many skills we acquire in our lives, if we don’t use them on a regular basis, we lose them. This holds true with reading, including important skills in decoding, comprehension, visualisation, thinking and language ability. 

Over the summer, it’s important to keep up a reading routine with your children that is easy to manage and enjoyable. Here are some tips to instill the love of reading and literature into your family routines:

  • Read together and discuss the information you’ve read 
  • Set an example - during down time, pick up a book yourself
  • Let your children read what they want for enjoyment - tap into their interests, this could include cook books and graphic novels as well 
  • Read signs and packaging in shops, traffic signs, signs posted on hiking trails, etc
  • Create a summer scrapbook to record events and fun outings (also helpful for those with ‘Holiday Recount Writer’s Block’ at the start of the school year)
  • Celebrate finishing a book - draw the character, make cookies or treats around the theme of the book, act out a favourite scene or create it with Lego
  • Write letters - have your child write letters to family or friends
  • Schedule a daily reading time
  • Subscribe to magazines 
  • Make your own book about a family trip or event or daily life 
  • Visit the library*
  • This year Hobsons Bay Libraries are running a BIG SUMMER READ Challenge again - check out their website for how to register and get involved Hobson's Bay Big Summer Read
Thanks for supporting your child in their learning adventures, have a safe and happy summer break.

Brenda Lycke

Literacy Leader

blycke@smaltona.catholic.edu.au



Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage



Do Good December

December is underway and moving fast but it's not too late to help make things better with simple acts of kindness. Even little things can make a big difference, like asking someone how they are and really listening, or sending a friendly message.

Check out the latest Action for Happiness Do Good December calender for lots of ideas on how to do that.

Help to make everyone's Christmas a Happy one.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader


Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage





Community News

There are a few interesting things to check out in this week's community news, including the Big Summer Read, learn a new language, a Summer camp, Summer Holiday Programs, Synchronised swimming camp, and music lessons.


BIG Summer Read!

A message from After School Care

Learn a Language

Basketball Camp
Free Summer Camp

Summer Holiday Programs

Try Synchronised Swimming

Emmanuel College News

Mount St. Josephs News

Parish Bulletin

Williamstown Community News

Music Lessons

We would also like to thank Mancini Real Estate for their continuous support to St Mary's Altona


             




Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage