Dear families,

I begin by congratulating our community and thanking our P&F for their incredible efforts in raising over $5,000 at our Bunnings BBQ and cake stall.

Particular thanks to Vee and Katrina who coordinated the stalls. 

I am so proud to belong to such a generous community.

First Communion celebrations

Our Year 4 students recently received their first Communion. The celebrations were beautiful and the reverence of our students was a testament to their families and teachers. 

A big thank you also to Mr Taylor who coordinated the preparation of the Sacrament. Thank you also to Fr Michael who made the celebration a wonderful, memorable moment in these students’ Sacramental journey.

Wednesday Canteen update

When ordering online, please remember to provide your child with cutlery as none is provided.

Sensory Garden/Tram update

After receiving positive feedback, we will be combining our outdoor sensory garden with our tram project.

Our sensory garden will now be built alongside our tram so that our students can move between an indoor and outdoor space. 

We had intended to commence work on it this term, but as I will be on leave from the 28th August, we will pick up this project upon my return early in Term 4.

Parent Communication

Our teachers are always willing to chat about your child’s progress. 

I ask that if you need to discuss something important or something that may take some time, that you arrange a time to meet.  Teachers are required to actively supervise their classes from 8:45 each morning, so it is not possible to discuss anything at great length at that time. We also have staff meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays immediately after school.  I ask that you contact your child’s teacher and make arrangements to meet at a mutually convenient time. This will ensure that both parties are able to give their full attention.

Photographs/Videos at Parish Masses 

We ask that parents do not take photos or videos of children during Parish Masses.

Whilst parents are allowed to take footage during assemblies and other events on school premises, we remind you that this footage should be for your use only as you are not permitted to share footage of another student without express parental consent, particularly on social media platforms.

Choir

Our choir has done a magnificent job singing at many Masses and Grandparents’ Day celebrations over recent months. A particular highlight for me was the beautiful rendition of the Mary MacKillop reflection song on her recent Feast Day.

Student News

In a recent assembly this term, we heard about Thomas Y’s selection for the Under 12s Australian National Hockey Tournament.

While the team had mixed results, Thomas was awarded the Best on Ground Tasmanian Buchet Hat for the best player in the Tasmania v Victoria game.

What an amazing experience and achievement, Thomas!

Alumni news

Zali, (class of 2020), will soon participate in the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships in Greece. Zali took up artistic/synchronised swimming in 2016 and was selected as only one of 12 students to participate in these upcoming championships.

Good luck Zali!


Have a wonderful weekend,

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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The P&F team proudly present the St. Mary's School Disco!

Friday 25th August
Funds raised will go towards the restoration of our tram, as well as other building upgrades throughout the school.

Dress in neon or white!

Times:
Prep to Grade 2: 5 - 6:15pm
Grade 3 to 6: 6:30 - 8pm
(Grade 3's can choose to come to either session.)

Tickets are sold at $10 each, which will include a set of glow wear for each child to collect on the day. More can also be purchased during the event.

Tickets can be purchased here 

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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We have many exciting activites planned for Book Week this term from August 17th to August 25th.

One activity will be a dress up day on Thursday August 24th. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. Home made costumes are cheaper, more sustainable and encouraged! 

Take a look at some examples for inspiration.

     

                        




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

                     

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Father's Day Donations
This year the P&F are asking for donations of items to sell at our Father's Day Stall.
We're hoping when grabbing your groceries you may pick up a chocolate block or two to donate. Or if you're passing Big W, Men's business socks are on sale for $3 each or 5 pairs for $12

Any donation big or small is greatly appreciated. There will be a container at the front office to drop donations off. 

Thank you again for your generosity and support.

St Mary's P&F Committee

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as effective school communities and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices.

 

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys.

MACSSIS is a set of surveys that have been built specifically for Catholic schools in Melbourne by the Learning Services team at MACS, in partnership with researchers at Learning First and in wide consultation with principals in our schools.

In 2023, students, families and staff are invited to participate in MACSSIS via our secure and purpose-built online platform. The online platform is where our school leaders will access the summary reports that visualise the results of the student, family and staff surveys.

The MACSSIS survey platform is operated by an independent supplier, ORIMA Research Pty Ltd. The platform meets with the high security and privacy standards for handling student and school data. Participating schools are in the process of updating their privacy policy to ensure school communities are fully informed and protected. 

Students at our school will be provided with supervised sessions, where teachers are on hand to help and answer any questions. Families and staff can complete the survey anytime over the three-week window via an emailed link and password. Feedback has indicated that previous surveys were completed across a range of mobile devices and different web browsers. Schools will be providing more information about MACSSIS throughout Term 2 and 3, via newsletters and social media.

Our community’s opinions are critical to understanding how our school is performing – MACSSIS is a key data source for guiding the ongoing work to improve our school.

All participation is invited, welcomed and 100 per cent voluntary. The surveys are not a test; they are an inclusive way to support the work we are already doing to improve our school. Everyone has the right to refuse to participate, or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during or after completion of the survey. Please notify the school if your child does not wish to participate.

If you would like more information, please contact the school.

Regards

Sonia Riccardi
Principal

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                  Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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The National Day of Action is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative for schools, encouraging whole-school communities to work together to implement evidence-informed positive and proactive solutions to prevent and address bullying.

In 2022, 68% of Australian schools joined together to say Bullying. No Way! The NDA is an opportunity to create a shared understanding of what is bullying, outline your bullying prevention policies and show support to students who may be experiencing bullying.

The NDA theme for 2023 is 'growing connections'. This theme supports research findings that strong school community connections and social skills are protective factors in the prevention of bullying and help enable positive, help-seeking behaviours in students.

At St.Mary's in the coming weeks, classes will be talking about how we can grow connections and work together to reduce bullying and inappropriate actions. 

On Friday 18th August we are asking that students wear a splash of orange to show their support for the day of action.  We will have a short assembly before lunch where classes will present their ideas for growing connections. Students will be invited to sign a pledge which states they promise to do their best to make St. Mary's bully free and to be upstanders if they see or find out that  bullying is happening.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, student or member of the broader community, everyone has a role to play in preventing bullying.  Therefore, we hope that you will discuss this very important day with your children and come up with ideas about how you as a family can grow connections.

If you have any ideas that you would like to share with the community, please catch up with me for a chat.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader

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Bayside Netball Club are still looking for some new 9 years and under players and we have information included about a new holiday program.  You can sign up for Creative Music lessons in Term 3 and also read our Parish Bulletin.

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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Families with multiple children will likely experience sibling conflict at some point. Whilst very common, conflict between siblings can be disruptive and frustrating, shattering our notion of a harmonious household and happy family. Teaching emotion regulation is a vital part of parenting.
The first step is recognising emotions and naming them, appropriate to the age of the children. But how?

Dr Deborah Trengove, a former school psychologist and school wellbeing leader has written this article for The Parent's Website which offers very useful tips and information to help you out when life becomes rocky.
I hope you enjoy the read.

Reagrds
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader / Deputy Principal

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True happiness comes from caring for ourselves AND caring for others. The Action for Happiness organisation has got lots of suggestions for little acts that make a big difference. And being kind also brings us a greater sense of fulfilment too. Their Altruistic August calendar is full of great ways to help spread happiness this month. Please share it with others too. 

Check out the Action for Happiness website and help create a wave of happiness to spread around the world.

May you all have a great August.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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