As we reflect on the beautiful celebration of Mother's Day, we extend our gratitude to all the parents who joined us for our special event. Your presence truly made the day memorable, and we are grateful for your participation.

Our Mother's Day morning tea was a delightful opportunity to gather together and honor the incredible mothers and caregivers in our community. We hope you enjoyed the coffee, cake and the company of fellow parents.

We also appreciate the parents who took the time to visit our classrooms this morning. The students were thrilled to see so many happy faces join them in their special activity.

Furthermore, we want to express our gratitude to those who joined us for Mass on this special occasion. Your presence was a beautiful testament to the love and support that surrounds our school community.

As Mother's Day approaches, we extend our heartfelt wishes to every mother for a wonderful Sunday filled with love, joy, and cherished moments with your loved ones. Your dedication, love, and nurturing spirit are invaluable, and we honor and celebrate you not only on this day but every day.

Once again, thank you to all the parents for your continued support and involvement in our school community. We are very grateful to our P&F who made the Mother’s Day Stall possible. 

Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day!

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Are you keen to note upcoming school events such as school holidays, school closure days, excursions etc so that you can plan ahead?

  Then this is information you need to read!
You will find our calendar in two places:

1. Under the 'PARENTS' tab you will find a link to our calendar in the drop down.  This calendar is 'month to a page' and events can be easily added to your digital calendar by simply clicking on them.

  

2. The 'Event Quick View Calendar' is a widget at the very bottom of the home page.  Here you will find events for the next 30 days, that can be expanded. Once again, click on any of them and you can easily add them to your own calendar.

    

Please note the information in both calendars is the same....so you only have to decide which view you like the best! 

If you have any questions please contact me.

Regards
Marg Masseni (mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au) 
Website Curator

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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This week saw the beginning of the CASEA Program for a selected group of children in Year 1/2.  The eight-week-program is run by psychologists and provisional psychologists from The Royal Children’s Hospital, in conjunction with Cathy Sims and Marg Masseni. 

The program aims to support the development of important skills for managing emotions and behaviour.

During Week 1, the CASEA group focused on “Getting to Know Others”, creating group rules and appropriate consequences, and helping group members identify and understand their strengths.  All children in Prep to Year 6 will participated in classroom activities where they “get to know” others and develop an understanding of each other’s strengths.

A great book for you to read with your child (it was also used in many classes) is All the Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell.  It focuses on the fact that we all have different strengths that should be celebrated.  After reading the book, you could discuss with your child their strengths and yours and perhaps make a visual reminder to display. 

During Week 2 of the CASEA Program, the focus of the group is on Feelings. Group members will discuss how they identify and express their own feelings, and how to recognise how others are feeling.  In particular the importance of recognising feelings by looking at facial expressions, body language, and listening to a person’s tone of voice, will be discussed.  The session also focuses on Strong Emotions.  The aim is to support group members in understanding how the intensity of emotions can change. They will learn to recognise their body’s “warning signals” so that they can identify when they are becoming angry. 

A great resource for next week is the book When I'm Feeling Angry. 

If you have any questions about the classroom activities, please see your child's class teacher.  If your questions are about the CASEA program in general, then Cathy and I are the best ones to approach.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Mental Health Leader

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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Congratulations to our April Aussie of the Month students.  Click here to see their smiling faces and to find out why they are so wonderful.

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After taking on board requests from members of the community, we have decided to increase our usage of our School App - Updat-ed.  It will become the medium we use for sending quick alerts & reminders about school events and to update you, if for example the bus coming home from camp is late.
When we send an alert, your phone will ping and the message will land in the ALERTS folder.
Another feature of the app is the EVENTS folder. In it you'll find all our calendar dates. Just click on an event to save it directly into your phone's calendar. Easy!

       

Click on the images below to download Updat-ed, or visit the App Store for iphones and Google Play for Androids. Search for Updat-ed.  

      

If you already have the current app there is no need to download it again. 



If you have any questions about the app, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Regards
Marg Masseni - mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
Website Curator

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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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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It is with great pride and joy that we extend our congratulations to Ronan for being awarded a full scholarship to Bacchus Marsh Grammar. This achievement is a testament to Ronan's dedication, hard work, and academic prowess.

Throughout his time here at St Mary’s Primary School, Ronan has consistently demonstrated a passion for learning and a commitment to excellence in all aspects of his education. His inquisitive mind, diligence, and positive attitude have not only inspired his peers but also earned him the admiration of teachers and staff alike.

As Ronan embarks on this exciting new chapter, we have no doubt that he will continue to shine brightly and make the most of every opportunity that comes his way. We are immensely proud of Ronan's achievements and wish him all the best as he begins this exciting new chapter at Bacchus Marsh Grammar.

Congratulations, Ronan, on this incredible achievement! 

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St Mary's P&F Proudly Presents School Disco Night!
It's that time of year again to get those disco clothes and dance shoes ready.

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Once again, St Mary's will be taking part in the Premier's Reading Challenge! 

In the past, children had lots of fun reading and logging as many books as they could to meet the Challenge markers.

For Prep to Grade 2's, children have to read 30 books or more before the end of the year, and Grade 3's to 6's have to read 15 or more. 

At the end of the year, each successful Challenger receives an official PRC certificate signed by the Premier, and the children who read the most books in the Junior, Middle and Senior sections will win a prize!

To register your child, or for more info, please email me at blycke@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

I need your child’s name, year level and class 

 

Thanks 

Brenda lycke

Literacy Leader

 

Happy reading!

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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