Dear families,

We find ourselves at the end of our students’ first full week back. While the initial buzz of excitement may have reduced, this has been replaced by the lovely hum of learning as I visit classrooms each day. It’s lovely to see students engaged and happy.

 

We received some feedback from parents regarding the new school hats. I am pleased to announce that we have arranged for Noone’s to sell legionnaire’s hats as an option. We have also added art smocks to the list of available options. There is no obligation to buy art smocks from Noone’s. Any will do.

Please take care when parking and driving around the school during morning and afternoon pick-ups. We ask that you are particularly respectful of driveways, especially Altona Early Education in Sargood Street. Our starting times often coincide and I ask that you do not block off driveways. This may mean doing extra laps, parking a few minutes later or a little further. I urge that you continue to be considerate of others in our school and the local community.

Next Thursday we have our Beginning of Year Mass commencing at 5pm. This will be followed by a BYO picnic. All are warmly invited to attend. At the end of Mass we will officially welcome our 2023 student leaders and present the with their badges.

In staff news, we are excited to announce that Mrs Richards and her family welcomed baby Reed Sydney Richards over the holidays. Reed was born on the 4th of January, 4 weeks early, weighing 2.5kg. Look at that pose!

May you enjoy a rejuvenating weekend,

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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The School photos have been confirmed for Wednesday 1^st March!

Class, individual and family photos will be taken as well as Student Leader and JSC photos.

All students are to come to school in their academic uniform.
 If students have Phys Ed/Sport on the day, they can bring their runners to change into before their class if they wish.  No PE/Sport polos and shorts are to be worn on this day.  

We understand that some people may be concerned about the mixing of the old and new uniforms in the class photos.  We will put this in the hands of our very experienced photographers to ensure the photos are as balanced as possible.  All students will be required to remove their 'jumpers/outwear' for the photos.

Please read...
School Photos Ordering Information
All ordering is done online.

If you have any questions about the ordering system, please contact the school office or email me (mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au)

Regards
Marg Masseni
Deputy Principal

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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A date for your diary ...

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Our staff will be engaging in professional development at the end of Term 1. Our two day conference will include one day working with Shane Crawford (not the one of football fame) from the Corwin Australia learning more about Visible Learning and the impacts it has on our teaching practices.
On day 2 we will work with Sandhya Menon, an Educational and Behavioural Psychologist and author of The Brain Forest. 

In her work, Sandhya supports children and families in learning about their emotions and brains, and to learn to predict and work with the uncomfortable feelings that arise. She explores challenging situations, delves under the iceberg into what is causing these emotions to arise, and then works with families and schools, so environments around the child support can support their success and growth.  
We hope to learn a great deal from her. 

These two days lead into the school holidays and the Easter break.

Please also note that Monday 24th April will also be a Student Free Day.  On this day we will be working with MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) staff to prepare for our School Review which will be happening in June.  More details about that to follow. 

Regards
Marg Masseni
Deputy Principal

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Meet our amazing group of LSO's for 2023!

We are so lucky at St Mary’s to have such hardworking and knowledgeable Learning Support Officers (LSOs) .

An LSO has a variety of roles, however their primary role is to assist students in the classroom under the direction of the teacher.  

This can include:

• Overseeing the class while the teacher works with individual students or small groups to cater for their specific needs

• Working with a small group of students or individuals to practise or reinforce learning 

• Providing additional social and emotional support for students

If you have any questions about learning support please contact me.

Cathy Sims

Learning Diversity Leader     csims@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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There are a few interesting things to check out in this week's community news, including the Australian Girls Choir, Mount St. Joseph open days, lots of new sports teams to sign up for,  the Parish Bulletin, and music lessons here on site.

Australian Girls Choir 

Emmanuel College News

All Girls AusKick 

Girls Rugby

Altona Lacrosse Club

Altona Junior Football Club

Williamstown February Community Newsletter

Parish Bulletin

Music Lessons

MSJ Class of 2022

MSJ Open Days

VISITING MOUNT ST. JOSEPH GIRLS’ COLLEGE IS A GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE OUR DYNAMIC LEARNING SPACES AND EXPERIENCE LEARNING IN ACTION.

We invite you to join us at our Open Events in 2023 on the following dates:

OPEN DAY 10:00am – 2:00pm
Sunday 7 May
OPEN MORNINGS 9:15am – 10:30am
23 February (Coming soon, register now!)
24 March
8 June
20 July
3 August
7 September

You will meet our College Principal, students and staff and see why Mount St. Joseph Girls College is the best choice for your child. Tours of the College are led by our student ambassadors. This gives visiting families the unique opportunity to ask questions and gain an honest insight into our programs and what it is like to be a student at Mount St. Joseph Girls College.


ENROLMENT DATES

YEAR 7 in 2025

Applications for Year 7 at Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College should be made during Year 5 of your child’s primary school education.
Parents/Carers should complete an online application form with the required
documentation and payment of a non-refundable $50 application fee. Applications for Year 7 in 2025 close 18 August 2023.

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


             

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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The P-2 teachers have been been busy deepening their knowledge and understanding of the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) program which focuses on sounds and sound blends to assist students with their reading and writing. 

To prepare for their classroom sessions, Kathleen Smith and Anna Lennon attended professional development sessions on Tuesday and Friday this week. 

They are so excited to implement what they've learned with their students.



We will be running an information night for parents about the program on Tuesday 21st February from 7:00pm - 8:30pm in which we will explain what Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) is, how it works in the classroom and tips for what you can do at home with your child/children.

You can read more information about the program here

Brenda Lycke
Literacy Leader
blycke@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

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Our first before school Fun & Fitness session will be held on Wednesday 15th February.
 Fun & Fitness is held every Wednesday morning from 8 - 8.30am on the basketball court.  Sessions are run by Mrs Masseni and are open to all children from Prep - Year 6.
Parents and siblings are also welcome to attend and join in the fun but there is no obligation to stay.

We engage in a variety of games and activities suitable for all ages levels.  The more the merrier ~ so come along and try it out.

For more information, contact me via the school office, email (mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au) or catch me in the yard before or afterschool.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader

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Hi, My name is Stephanie Murdoch. I have been teaching for many years and I have a passion for learning support and wellbeing. I grew up in Altona and now I am bringing up my young family in the area as well. I am married and have two children that keep me on my toes. 

I love the beach, swimming and spending time with my family and pets. 
This year I am fortunate to be teaching the lovely 5/6M and I look forward to meeting and getting to know the St. Mary's families.

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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We are pleased to announce that we will be inviting parents, guardians, grandparents and relatives to help in the classrooms. In fact we are thrilled, excited and hoping to see many of you there. 

Those who are interested will need to have a current Working with Children Check and ideally be available on a regular basis so that teachers can cater their planning to make the most of your support. Parents would also need to be available to come in on their own (without younger children). 

Tasks we envisage you could be involved in may include, but are not limited to, reading with individual students, reading with small groups, working on writing, counting practice, simple Maths skill based games and activities, changing take home readers, various laminating and cutting tasks for teachers, etc. 

We will be running a classroom helper preparation session on Friday 24 February in the staff room and repeating the same session on Monday 27 February. Both sessions are from 9:00 -10:00 am and those interested in helping in classrooms this year must attend ONE of these sessions. 

For anyone who is interested, please look out for the form shared via Operoo.

Brenda Lycke

Literacy Leader 

blycke@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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