Dear families,
Welcome back to the new school year. I trust you had a wonderful Christmas.
It’s been a lovely start and while I know there are a few anxious ones among us, adults and children alike, it will take some of us longer than others to get into a new routine.
It’s always so exciting to welcome new families and new preps to our school.
It was great to see so many family members join us for morning tea on Thursday morning. Thank you to the P&F who organised the gathering.
I’m looking forward to a great year of learning in this special community.
Morning and afternoon routines
To help ensure a smooth transition for our students and families, we ask that parents do not accompany children into school corridors in the mornings. These areas can get very crowded and some children may find it difficult to say goodbye if they see their parents or other parents around. There may be exceptions to this of course and these arrangements will have been made with staff for particular student needs.
We also ask that parents don't peer through the windows of classrooms as this can be distracting for the students. I know it’s tempting to see how your child is doing, but I can assure you that if things aren’t going well, we will let you know.
Finally, parents are also asked to wait for the gates to open at 3pm each school day rather than walking through the office.
Changes
From this year, our finish time will be 3:15pm Monday to Friday.
We will now host assemblies from 2:45pm onwards so that parents can still attend.
We ask that parents wait in the office until instructed to go through to the hall for the commencement of assembly.
Great new learning in 2024
This year, we are looking forward to partnering with Real Schools to work on further developing our processes around Restorative Practices and school culture. There will be opportunities for parents to learn about this and participate in sessions that will help develop positive strategies at home. Watch out for more information.
St Mary’s will also be launching our Learner Characteristics. I have no doubt you will be learning all about these through your children, but we will also be sharing some practical applications for using these with your child at home.
We all know how powerful learning can be when we use the same language at home and school, so we look forward to sharing lots of great ideas with you.
Staffing news
We had some staffing changes over the holiday break with Randa Assaad (Miss A) announcing that she would be taking the year off from school due to family reasons. We keep Randa in our thoughts and look forward to having her return next year.
Mrs Ronnie Tucker has been appointed our new Prep teacher.
Stella Solarino, our learning support officer, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of last term. Stella is currently undergoing treatment and will not return for at least the next semester.
We have so many people in our community currently struggling with so many difficulties. Please keep them in your prayers.
I know the children were tired by the end of today. They’ll need the downtime this weekend. I think all of us will!
Until next week,
As mentioned in an eNews notification at the end of 2023, our school has invited the CAMHS and Schools: Early Action (CASEA) Program to be part of the school community for 2024.
This is an early intervention program for children (Prep to Grade 3) who present with challenging behaviours, including school refusal, emotional regulation and anxiety etc.
The CASEA Program offers a behavioural screen for all Prep to Grade 3 children. All Prep to Grade 3 parents should now have received information and questionaires from the Royal Children’s Hospital regarding the CASEA program.
We ask that you complete the short questionnaire and consent form and return both to your child’s class teacher by next Tuesday 6th February.
A little more about the program...
The program will run at St Mary’s Primary School in Terms 1 and 2 on Tuesdays. Its aim is to promote: prosocial behaviour, positive self-esteem, social skills, problem-solving skills and assertiveness.
The CASEA Team will conduct small family groups and child groups on Tuesdays for approximately 8 students/families who would benefit from some extra assistance and social strategies.
During Term 2, teachers will conduct CASEA classroom activities that focus on teaching students interpersonal, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. The CASEA Activities will be fun, practical, hands-on and child-focused. The children are taught in constructive and engaging ways to improve their capacity to regulate their behaviours and act appropriately, improve social relationships with others and develop their social problem-solving skills.
This program will be run by Declan Bourke and Aavi Desai (Psychologists), along with a Provisional Psychologist, all from the Royal Children’s Hospital. Two staff members from St. Mary’s will co-facilitate these sessions.
We are very excited to be working with people with such great expertise in this area.
If you have any questions about the program or you have not received your paperwork, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Marg Masseni - mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
or Cathy Sims - csims@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
Thank you in advance for your support of this program.
Regards
Marg & Cathy
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Sacraments or these dates, please feel free to reach out to me.
Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Leader of Religious Education
mtaylor@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
The annual Run for the Kids is happening on Sunday the 17th of March 2024. The Run for the Kids supports the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
We know that the Good Friday Appeal unites many and holds a special place in the hearts of many people in our community. We are reaching out to any families who may wish to join some of the St Mary’s staff to participate in the event.
There are multiple events that you and your family can be a part of, ranging from walking to running two distances of 4.8km or 14.4km. There is even an option to volunteer! We have a number of staff joining in both of the courses.
If you are interested in joining us, you can sign up using this link to join our team. Please note that you can only join the St Mary’s team by using the link below:
https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=50163&G=188974
You can also help us reach our fundraising goal by donating to the appeal via this link:
https://runforthekids.gofundraise.com.au/page/STMARYSALTONA
Money raised will continue to support projects in the following areas of the Royal Children’s Hospital:
If you have any questions or would like some more information, you can contact Miss Sottile asottile@smaltona.catholic.edu.au or visit the Run for the Kids website https://www.runforthekids.com.au/