Dear families,

With wintry weather well and truly among us, I trust you are keeping warm and healthy. 

There was a huge turnout for our annual Mother's Day celebrations yesterday, with close to 200 mums and significant women attending morning tea, Mass and class visits.

I'd like to thank our leadership team in particular, for organising morning tea and our liturgy, Maree Ryan for arranging the floral gifts for our guests, and many others who contributed to yesterday's festivities.

P&F

A big thank you to the P&F for another successful Mother's Day stall. By all accounts, the children were tremendously pleased with their selections. Let's hope our mums feel the same come Sunday! While we are on the topic of P&F, please remember that we are hosting a special P&F session this Tuesday night in the staffroom, complete with pizza, open to all interested parties. Come for the pizza, stay for the fun!

A heartfelt thank you to Katarina (parent of Katija, Year 4) and Rocky (parent of Allegra, Year 6), who both work for Toyota and each took the initiative to submit a grant application through their employee giving program. We're thrilled to share that both applications were successful, bringing in a combined $2,000 toward paying off our Ninja playground. What a wonderful contribution to our school community!

Cross Country

Today, our Cross Country team, led by captains Thomas and Olivia, attended the District event with Mr Hein and Tom. Thank you to Mr Hertz for coordinating trials and the event.

Congratulations to the whole team on the way they represented the school.
We are pleased and proud to announce that 9 students will move on to the Divisionals on 28 May. Well done to the following students:

• Austin, Max, James (2016/17 Boys)
• Tiana, Lily, Elise, Oriana (2016/17 Girls)
• Thomas (2014 Boys)
• Aisha (2014 Girls)

MACSEYE

I have begun meeting with representatives of MACSEYE, who will take over our OSHC provision from the beginning of Term 3.

Keep an eye out for a notification on upcoming online meetings, when parents will have the opportunity to discuss the transition with members of the MACSEYE team.

MACS Family Survey

Families within the MACS education system are encouraged to complete a survey to help inform MACS' strategic planning, decision-making and engagement. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes and is completely anonymous.

If you'd like to participate, you can do so here.

2027 Prep Enrolments

We have been pleased by the volume of enrolment enquiries we are receiving for Prep 2027. The interest from families in our local community has been remarkable and the feedback from parents and children who have joined us for school tours has been genuinely heartwarming. To hear families speak so positively about our school, our staff, and the environment we have worked so hard to create is deeply meaningful to all of us.

Enrolments close at the end of this month, with Prep interviews to follow shortly after. Places are filling quickly, so we strongly encourage anyone interested in enrolling their child for Prep 2027 to complete an enrolment form as soon as possible. If you know of a family in our community who is considering our school, please do pass this information along.

Before and After School Access to Buildings

We kindly ask all parents to note that classrooms are not accessible before 8:30am or after 3:15pm, unless you have a pre-arranged meeting and are accompanied by a staff member.

This boundary is in place for a number of important reasons. Our teachers use the time before and after school to prepare lessons, mark work, meet and take care of the many tasks that happen quietly behind the scenes to ensure each school day runs smoothly. These moments are essential to the quality of teaching and learning your children experience every day.

There are also important health and safety considerations that underpin this request. Unaccompanied access to classrooms and school buildings creates potential liability issues for the school, and in some circumstances, for families themselves. By ensuring that all visits are pre-arranged and staff-accompanied, we are protecting everyone involved.

Beyond the classroom, we also want to ensure that when we meet with families, we can give you our full and undivided attention. A pre-arranged meeting means your teacher is prepared, present, and ready for a meaningful conversation, rather than being caught on the go.

We understand that the occasional brief update or quick check-in at the classroom door is perfectly appropriate. However, for anything beyond that, we encourage you to reach out to your child's teacher or the front office to arrange a dedicated time to meet. As noted above, this ensures that both you and your child's teacher can engage in a proper, unhurried conversation that gives the matter the attention it deserves.

Thank you for your understanding and for helping us maintain a safe and well-organised environment for all.

July Closure Date Change

We have changed our planned closure date for the first day back next term due to our facilitator's availability.

School will now run as usual on the first day back, Monday 13 July, and there will be no school for students on Monday 20 July. MACSEYE will be operating on this day.

TED Talk

As the parent of an adult child recently diagnosed with OCD, I stumbled across this TED Talk and felt compelled to share it.

It resonates with me both personally and professionally. At home, my husband and I continue to fervently debate how much support to offer and when and how to step back. In my work as an educator, I see families wrestling with similar concerns against the backdrop of a growing childhood anxiety epidemic.

But this talk isn't just for those of us parenting a child with additional needs. I think it will speak to any parent, or anyone who has ever loved someone they desperately wanted to protect.

I'd encourage you to take some time to watch it when you get a chance. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

Finally, I wish our mums, near and far, a wonderful Mother's Day this Sunday. I particularly acknowledge our own Mrs Sims, who lost her dear mum, Mary, recently.

Stay warm,

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

They are now:
Thursday September 3rd 11:30am & 3:30pm
Tuesday September 15th 11:30am & 3:30pm
Wednesday September 16th 11:30am & 3:30pm
Thursday September 17th 11:30am & 3:30pm
Bookings will open at the beginning of Term 3.

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

At our school, keeping children safe is a shared responsibility. Child Safe Standard 4 focuses on the important role that families and communities play in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

We are committed to keeping you informed about our child safety policies and practices in clear and accessible ways. We also value your voice and encourage families to be actively involved in conversations about student wellbeing.

You can support child safety by:

• Talking with your child about feeling safe and respected
• Being aware of our school’s child safety policies
• Reviewing the attached documents to build your understanding
• Sharing any concerns or feedback with us

By working together, we can create a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where every child feels valued and protected.

For more detailed information, we encourage you to read through the documents attached to this newsletter. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school.

Together, we all play a part in keeping children safe.

Nikita West

Wellbeing Leader & 5/6 Teacher 

        

 

---

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

As we reflect on our beautiful Mother’s Day celebrations, we would like to sincerely thank all the parents and special guests who joined us for this wonderful occasion. Your presence helped make the day truly special for our students and staff.

Our Mother’s Day morning tea provided a lovely opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate the amazing mothers, grandmothers, carers, and special women in our lives. We hope you enjoyed the coffee, cake, and time spent connecting with other families.

We also greatly appreciated the many parents who visited classrooms throughout the morning. The students were so excited to share their learning and activities with you, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces around the school.

Thank you as well to everyone who attended our Mother’s Day Mass. Your participation was a beautiful reflection of the strong sense of faith, love, and community that makes St Mary’s such a special place.

As we approach Mother’s Day this Sunday, we extend our warmest wishes to all mothers and caregivers for a day filled with love, happiness, and treasured moments with family and friends. We thank you for the care, support, and guidance you provide each and every day.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our P&F for organising the Mother’s Day Stall and helping make the celebrations so memorable for our students.

Thank you again for your continued support of our school community.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

At Round 2 of the FIM Mini Moto series, Xavier delivered an outstanding performance across the weekend. He set an impressive lap record of 1:01.63 during qualifying, securing pole position for Race 1.

Despite a slow start, Xavier showed determination and skill to charge through the field and claim victory.


Race 2 saw a closely fought battle, with Xavier holding his composure under pressure to secure another win. In Race 3, he experienced a setback after a crash, but demonstrated resilience by remounting and finishing in third place.

The final race was a thrilling contest, with Xavier managing to hold off strong competition to take the win by a narrow margin of just 0.168 seconds. His consistency and strong results across all races earned him overall victory for the round. Xavier now looks ahead with excitement to the next competition in South Australia.

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Term 2 has kicked off brilliantly, and as the weather  starts to change we have some changes to the canteen.

Our senior student leaders will be selling icy poles & bags of chips for $1 each lunchtime from Monday to Friday. 

All proceeds will go towards supporting the development of our exciting new ninja playground.

Thank you for your support in helping us make this fundraiser a success and for giving our students a fun way to stay cool this term!

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Attached is the Open Day flyer, which includes a QR code for registration, or you may use the following link: https://www.msj.vic.edu.au/visit-us/open-day-registration

Attached is the Open Morning flyer, which also contains a QR code for registration, or you may use this link: https://www.msj.vic.edu.au/visit-us/open-morning-registration

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open, and we’re excited to be taking part!

All students from Prep to Year 6 are welcome to join in.

The number of books read can be varied for everyone's needs.

All children who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former premiers.

To learn more about the Challenge, visit Premiers' Reading Challenge | vic.gov.au

To register your child, please email me with your child's name, year level and class name at blycke@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

Happy reading! 

Thanks 

Brenda lycke

Literacy Leader

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage