Dear families,
Our school has been a hive of activity this week (When is it not, really?!)

 

Our seniors had their Life-Saving Victoria water safety excursion earlier this week, our Prep and Junior teachers undertook professional learning in UFLI, our recently implemented new phonics program and the week ended with a coaching visit from Kirsten from Knowledge Society, our partners in the Western Science of Learning pilot program. Our teachers had the opportunity to observe Kirsten. We also had some staff volunteer to be observed for feedback. I think it’s truly commendable that we have several staff offer to put themselves out there for not only their own professional improvement but for the betterment of our school practices as a whole. 

Our Uniform policy has been updated and is currently being reviewed by the School Advisory Committee. It will be shared with the community late next week.

Our staff have begun to outline the homework expectations for our revised policy, based on the information collected through the Homework survey at the end of last year.

Once this is collated, it will be shared with the School Advisory Council before implementation.  I expect we will commence enactment of the policy in the next 2-3 weeks. 

Staff and community news

We congratulate Mr Hein and his partner, Mel, on the announcement that they are expecting a child in August. We wish Mel a smooth pregnancy and look forward to meeting their little one soon.

We offer condolences to the Azzopardi family of our community on the passing of their dear mum (grandmother to Dante and Aria and great-grandmother to Jacob). May her soul rest in peace and may the memories created by the family provide comfort during this time.

Dealing with student conflict

When hundreds of children interact each day, things don’t always go as planned.  When this happens, we always encourage children to seek the support of one of our staff to help them navigate these challenges as they occur. 

It is imperative that parents allow us to manage these conflicts at school, during the school day. 

As parents, we are wired to be fiercely protective of our children, as we should be. I ask that you resist the urge to get involved outside of school and allow us to navigate your child’s school problems at school. If these problems spill out between parents, it only makes matters worse all around. The best thing we can do in these situations for our kids is to positively model appropriate ways to deal with conflict.

Have a wonderful weekend, and stay sun smart.

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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Take a look at this weeks Community News. We have news from our local secondary school Emmanuel College and Hobsons Bay Community. Hobson Bay Community News

Emmanuel College Latest News




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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Dear Parents and Carers,

We are pleased to confirm that school photos will be taken on Monday, 24th February. This includes class, individual, family, Student Leader, and JSC photos. Please ensure that all students attend school in their academic uniform. PE/sport polos and shorts are not to be worn on this day. Additionally, students will be required to remove their jumpers or outerwear for the photos.

For your convenience, all photo ordering will be done online. Please refer to the attached PDF for further details on how to place an order. Ordering Flyer

If you have any questions about the ordering process, feel free to contact the school office or email us directly.

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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These enthusiastic students are dedicated to making a positive impact in our school community. With fresh ideas and a passion for leadership, they will work together to represent their peers, organise exciting events, and foster an inclusive environment for all students.

Prep TS	Jude Harcombe (5/6)
Prep S	Dante Buhagiar (5/6)
1/2K	Ava Ogrinz
1/2LB	Oliver Sirotic
1/2A	Ava Dalli
1/2S	Emilia Meilak
3/4FB	Mia Danecek
3/4MB	Jack Schembri-Meli
3/4W	Mila Ciavarella
5/6H	Alyssa Falzon
5/6B	Olivia Tran
5/6K	Owen Collinson

We wish them well in their endeavours in 2025.

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Is your child showing signs of anxiety? Is their resilience in difficult situations low?

Like physical fitness strengthens the body, mental fitness boosts emotional resilience, focus, and relationships. Children can develop these skills early to enhance overall wellbeing to better prepare them to navigate life’s challenges.

While stress, anxiety, and depression are on the rise, Smiling Mind's latest research shows that practising mental fitness skills can make a real difference when it comes to supporting our mental wellbeing. 

Building a daily mental fitness routine as a family, is a great way of beginning to address some of the stress and anxiety making it's way into your life.

Smiling Mind has a wealth of information for you and your family including an app which can help you build a mental fitness routine that's right for you.

Click here for more information 

For further reading on how Smiling Mind can support children and families go to the Smiling Mind website.

Regards
Marg Masseni
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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The Jubilee is marked by Seven Characteristics - Pilgrimage, the Holy Door, Reconciliation, Prayer, Liturgy, Profession of Faith, Indulgences.

The Vatican Jubilee site is linked here for more information and resources for involvement on a personal level in the Jubilee characteristics.

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School Closure on Monday 10th March & Tuesday 11th March 2025.  Monday is a public holiday and staff will be attending Professional Development on Tuesday.

If you need your child booked into Camp Australia for the day, please contact them to make a booking.

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College invites grade 4 students from St. Mary’s Altona to partner with the College to offer a joint 4-week cooking class project. The program aims to develop skills and confidence in the kitchen by learning about nutrition, different ingredients and cooking techniques. The sessions will be facilitated by a
qualified Food Technology teacher and the Year 11 Supportive Friends.
Parents would transport the students to and from the classes. If parents wish to remain for the session, we will prepare a nearby room with refreshments. The College has set up a Trybooking ticketing platform whereby
parents can pay directly to Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College and they can inform us of any food allergies, cultural
requirements or special needs via Trybooking. We will share the list of participants with St. Mary’s also.

YEAR LEVEL: Grade 4

COST: $20 per student for the 4-week course

DURATION: 4 weeks

DAYS: Wednesday March 12th, 19th, 26th and April 2nd

TIME: 4:00 – 5:00pm

LOCATION: MSJ Food Technology Kitchen – Enter via Gate 1, TWLC Building, Room T3

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 12

PROPOSED RECIPES: Week 1: Berry muffins, Week 2: Pizza, Week 3: Cookies, Week 4: Rice paper rolls
If this project is something St. Mary’s would like to be involved in, we would love to hear from you.
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact me or the Marketing Officer, Nicole
Magee at the details below.

Kids in the Kitchen

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Everyone who likes to read will enjoy this. This year, the Book Fair will be held in the Tri Centre.

Sales will be held on Thursday 6th March to Thursday 13th of March, from 8:30 - 9am and 3 - 4pm

The students will have a chance to walk through the book fair before hand to see if they like any books. 

See you there!

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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