St Mary's eNews
Week 2 Term 4
CyberSafety Project Partnership
Principal's Message: 13th October 2023
Dear families,
It’s been a wonderful week back from an extended break. It was so lovely seeing everyone’s smiling faces again. A big thank you to Marg Masseni for leading the school in my absence.
As is always the case, Term 4 is ramping up to be a busy and exciting one. Our Walkathon will take place soon and I extend a huge thank you to our P&F for the countless hours spent preparing and chasing some fantastic donations for the raffle. Stay tuned to learn more about these in the coming weeks. We have encountered such great generosity from local businesses.
This term we welcomed back Mrs Louise Richards after parental leave. Thank you to Ms Bek Pelar for taking the Auslan reigns in Louise’s absence.
As you will have already heard, Mr Matthew Taylor, our Learning and Teaching Leader and Religious Education Leader, has accepted a position as the Deputy Principal of St Matthew’s, Fawkner. As Marg expressed in her notification to the community, we are thrilled for him and know he will be an incredible asset to his new school community. We thank Matt for his leadership and dedication to our students and their faith and learning development in his 4 years with us.
Finally this week, we congratulate Ronan G and his family on the arrival of his baby brother, Ryan. Ronan already has plenty of practice being a big brother, which I’m sure will come in handy!
Have a great weekend,
Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage
Dates to Remember
To give you a helping hand, here are a few of the important ones you need to be aware of.
Tues 17th & Wed 18th Oct: Year 3/4 Camp
Fri 27th Oct: Red Day for Child Safety and School Walkathon
Fri 3rd Nov: School Closure Day
Mon 6th Nov: School Closure Day
Tues 7th Nov: Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Fri 10th Nov: School Sports Day at the Altona Athletics track
Wed 15th - Fri 17th Nov: Year 5/6 Camp
Mon 20th Nov: Prep to Year 2 Swimming Program begins
Fri 1st Dec: Year 6 Big Day Out
Thurs 14th Dec: Year 6 Graduation
Fri 15th Dec: End of Year Mass and final day of Term 4
We hope eveyone has a rewarding Term 4.
Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage
Children's Week
Celebrate Children’s Week by saying YES to safe online play. When you join in children’s online play, it supports family wellbeing and results in better outcomes for children now and in the future.
Want some resources to help bring play to online safety conversations? Here’s where you can start:
- Read – Online safety picture book and song.
- Do – Story puzzles with Swoosh and Glide.
- Play – Activities to introduce basic online safety concepts.
Encourage your child to share their online experiences with you.
Explore more parent/family resources here.
Regards
Marg Masseni
Wellbeing Leader
Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage
Walk/Ride to School Day
The House Captains will be waiting on the netball court to take your names.
Aussie of the Month - September
CyberSafety Project Upcoming Webinar
In this webinar, the Cyber Safety Project Team discuss key digital challenges, emerging wellbeing trends and share simple strategies to help your family manage digital pressures.
We hope you can put this date in your calendar and make the time to participate.
Parent/Guardian registration link
cybersafetyproject.com.au/
The recording will be available to watch on demand 24 - 48 hours after the live session by visiting link above.
The eSafety Commissioner has many resources on their website. One that might be of interest to you is the Online Safety Book which you can access here. They have a page on their website dedicated to helping parents navigate the online world as well as resources for First Nations People.
Click here to access eSafety parents.
Click here to access eSafety First Nations.
If you have questions or concerns about online safety, please contact me.
Regards
Marg Masseni
Child Safety Officer
Family Photo Sessions
This fantastic offer is exclusive to St Mary’s families.
A great Christmas present. Spots are limited. Use the QR code to access more information and secure your booking.
Dates: Saturday 28th of October and Sunday the 5th of November.
Times: 8 am - 5 pm for 15 min family photo sessions.
Location: Cherry Lake Park, Altona.
Cost $30 per family session.
CHRISTINAHARDCASTLE.COM
Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage
Community News
Mount St Josephs and Emmanuel College have Open Days and Information mornings coming up.
Click the links below to find out more.
Westgate July Vacation Care: Holiday Program
$10 per day with CCS Rebate
Church Bulletin
Bayside Netball Club
School Holiday Special Interest Groups
OSHC Newsletter
Emmanuel College News
MSJ Open Morning
Basketball Camp
Music Lessons
Creative Music will run lessons in Term 3 - sign up now.
We would also like to thank Mancini Real Estate for their continuous support to St Mary's Altona.
Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage
Walkathon ~ 27th October
- Last chance to get some sponsors...The Walkathon is on next Friday 27th October.
WHAT TO DO:
- Check out the amazing prizes up for grabs!
- Every $20 raised = 1 x entry to win raffle prizes
- Ask friends and family to sponsor you per lap or give a flat donation.
- Get your walking shoes on and a splash of red Friday 27 Oct - Walkathon Day and complete as many laps as possible.
- Collect your pledge money after the walkathon.
- Return funds raised in a sealed envelope along with the form to the school office by Friday 17 Nov.
- Prizes are drawn at a special assembly on Thurs 23rd Nov
Children will receive a lap card to record the number of laps.
We're seeking sponsorship for our biggest fundraiser of the year. Should families workplaces or local businesses wish to donate towards our event email parentsfriends@smaltona.
Regards
The Parents & Friends Committee