Information about Camp Australia's before and after school program at St Mary's.
Dear families,
It’s been great being back onsite seeing our community again after a few weeks off recovering. Thank you all for your kind words and warm welcome back.
As we head into the halfway point of the term, I can see the students are engaged in some great learning in each of the year levels. Recent excursions provided some fantastic immersion into new concepts.
Dias family fundraiser
I want to thank our families for the generosity shown towards our recent fundraiser for the Dias family. We have raised around $2000 which will be given to the family as a travel voucher.
Camp Australia
Camp Australia will be opening for our upcoming closure day on Friday 7 June. Please visit their website to register. If we have solid numbers attend, they will be exploring opening for other closure days in the future.
Nuts at School
As it has been a while since we have updated families on our policy, it is a timely reminder that in accordance with the Royal Children’s Hospital advice, we are not a nut free school. At the start of each school year, families are notified if there is a child in their class who is anaphylactic, and families in these classes are asked not to provide nuts in their child’s lunchbox. Apart from these instructions, while we don’t encourage parents to provide nuts for their child everyday, we acknowledge that for some students, nuts can be a nutrient-rich snack when options may be limited.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Student illness
We have a large number of students very unwell at the moment. Many students are coming to school unwell and parents are being called to pick up their child.
I understand it is often difficult to arrange for care, but I urge you to try and keep your child home if they are feeling sick to avoid more of our students becoming sick.
Student News
We celebrate Eileen in Year 1/2 who was baptised in April. We welcome Eileen into our Catholic faith and traditions and pray that our Lord blesses you and keeps you in his loving care.
We congratulate Chloe Agius who has been selected to represent Victoria in Hockey at the upcoming SSV u/12 Hockey Championships in Cairns.
What a great acknowledgement of your sporting abilities, Chloe!
We will celebrate Chloe’s achievement in an assembly closer to the day.
Fees
If you have opted to pay your fees in full this year, we remind you that these are now due at the end of this term.
Families on a Health Care Card who qualify for the CSEF are eligible for a concessional fee discount. Please note that in order to access this discount, parents will need to sign up for a direct debit payment plan. Please note that as outlined in the MACS policy, failure to make regular payments forfeits this discount.
Parish/School Pilot program
Our parish and school have been invited to participate in a pilot program that will gather data around parish/school partnerships.
We are looking for parents who would be interested in participating in this pilot program. More information is found below.
If you are interested or want more information, please contact me.
Background
Following an invitation from Dr Edward Simons (Executive Director MACS) and Fr Mark Reynolds (Episcopal Vicar for Catholic Schools), Parish First was asked to consult on the MACS Parish Support Program - designed to encourage school families to offer active financial support of their parish. The initial stage is the Pilot Program to be conducted in 2024 with the following structure:
Pilot Program 2024
A Pilot Program will be conducted by MACS with 10 Parish Priests across the 4 regions of the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2024.
Pilot Program Structure
The MACS Parish Support Program was presented to an April meeting with Dr Simons, Fr Reynolds and Parish Priests involved in the Pilot at a meeting at James Goold House, Room 5.4, 228 Victoria Pde, East Melbourne.
Qualitative research to be conducted with selected school parents/families from the 10 parishes involved in the Pilot Program. The research will involve their attitudes to the Church, their Parish, School-Parish connection, their personal connection to their Parish, and financial support. This research to be conducted by Parish First via confidential ‘one on one’ 20-25 mins discussions with individual parents/families. The findings will provide important feedback on current attitudes and will inform the communications strategy. This research will be conducted May/June 2024.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Keep warm.
Hello, Challengers!
Every May, Challenge runs a special campaign called A Day in May, St Marys is participating this year. We will be encouraging students to dress as a Rockstar on the 23rd of May in exchange for a gold coin donation.
A Day in May is more than just a fun event; it's a crucial fundraiser for Challenge's Musical Moments Trust and Music Therapy programs. Music can positively affect a child's cancer journey—providing comfort, inspiration, and healing during difficult times. Your support would be amazing so we can continue to offer musical scholarships, music therapy sessions and gift instruments to children who need them most.
By participating in this day our school has a chance to win $1000 worth of musical instruments!
Warm Regards
Stephanie Murdoch
Wellbeing Leader