This week's community news we have some information about the church Bulletin, Emmanual college and more. Altona Sports Centre - Lanard Copeland Winter Holiday Basketball Camp

Altona East Soccer Club - Girls wanting to play Soccer u7s to u15s & Seniors State

Creative Music- Interested in playing a musical instrument.

Seabrook Netball- Looking for players to join in 2026

Emmanuel College News - Latest news and information mornings on Saturdday 2nd August

Church Bulletin

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A reminder that Monday 30th June students will finish at 1pm.

Parent teacher interviews will commence from 1.30pm - 8pm.

 

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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In term 3, Elaine O'Connor, OT and Play Therapist and mum of Ronan in Year 3/4, will once again host a Parent Workshop, this time titled 'Big Feelings, Brave Responses: Helping Parents Navigate Anxiety, Regulation & Connection'.

Elaine will do a brief review of the material presented in her term 2 workshop before moving on to discuss emotion regulation and gentle parenting amongst other things.  More details to follow in the coming weeks via Operoo but for now...

Details:

• Date: Tuesday, 5th August

• Time: 6.30pm - 8.00pm

• Location: Upstairs in the TriCentre

This presentation is FREE for St. Mary's parents. Child minding will also be available for St. Mary's students, making it easier for parents to attend.

In the coming weeks we will send an Operoo note from which you can express your interest. 

Regards
Marg Masseni
Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Is Your Primary Schooler Feeling Anxious? You're Not Alone.

More and more kids are dealing with anxiety these days—but the good news is, there’s help out there. If your child is showing signs of anxiety, there are simple, everyday things you can do to support them—and look after yourself, too. A little guidance can go a long way for both of you.

Before we get onto the resources!

Early in Term 3 Elaine O'Connor will run another Parent Workshop. Some of the topics to be covered will be:

• a short recap on the previous workshop which focussed on childhood anxiety
• emotion regulation
• gentle parenting - what's it all about?
• and more...

Once the date is confirmed we will send out more information but keep it in mind.  It will be in the first four weeks of term.

Now check out these resources:

1. Clinicians at Swinburne University have developed a program to help parents manage childhood anxiety in children aged 6-11 years. The One Step at a Time Program involves: 

• an assessment of your child's anxiety
• online counselling 
• parent-child sessions
• access to resources

Take a look at this flyer for further details and information.

2. Coping Skills for Kids
USA based Mental Health Counsellor Janine O'Halloran offers free tips via her podcasts which are available on Spotify and You Tube.  Her most recent and upcoming will explore various coping styles, including Deep Breathing, Relaxation, Distraction, Sensory, Movement, and Processing.

Her first is a short (less than 3min and yes, it sells her other products but you don't have to buy) Deep Breathing technique called 'Smell the Cocoa, Cool the Cocoa'.
It's a good one to get started with and there will be more in the series. You can sign up to receive her emails (also no obligation to buy anything). 

3. My Brain is a Home book Series

We have purchased a set of these books (the link is in the title) for school use however if you would like to take a look please email me. 

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Exciting News – Ninja Playground Equipment Coming to St Mary’s!

St Mary’s Primary School is thrilled to announce the exciting addition of Ninja Playground equipment to our school grounds! 

This new initiative will see a variety of equipment introduced over the year, and we’ll be fundraising throughout to help make it possible.

Each class’s Junior School Council representatives were recently shown several equipment options, and after careful consideration, they’ve chosen the vertical wall obstacle as the first item to be installed. This challenging and fun piece of equipment will help build strength, coordination, and confidence in our students.

To support this project, we’re holding a Casual Clothes Day on 30 June. Students are encouraged to come dressed in their favourite casual outfit and bring a gold coin donation to help kickstart the fundraising effort.

We’re excited to see the Ninja Playground take shape and thank our school community for supporting this fun and active addition to our playground.

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

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• Monday 30th  June from 1.30 – 8.00 pm with Classroom teachers

• Tuesday 1st July from 3.45 – 5.30 pm with Classroom teachers

 

Please note that students will be dismissed at 1pm on Monday 30th June and at the regular time of 3.15pm on Tuesday.

 

To book an interview please go to https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code and use the code 8stn4. 

 

For further information please refer to the Operoo note sent on May 21st.

 

If you require assistance with the booking process please contact the school office.

Regards

John Hein

 

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Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

 

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