Last Day of Term

Dear St Mary's families,

As we come to the end of another wonderful term, we would like to thank our students and families for your ongoing support and for making this such a positive and successful term. It has been a pleasure to see our students learning, growing and living out our school values each day.

A reminder that today is the last day of term, with students finishing at 1:30 pm.

We wish all of our families a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break. We hope everyone has the opportunity to relax, spend time with loved ones and return refreshed for the new term.

We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Monday 13 July.

Thank you once again for a fantastic term. Have a wonderful holiday!

Kind regards,

St Mary's staff

Kind  Safe  Responsible

 PUPIL FREE DAYS / EARLY FINISHES

Friday 18th September - All Students 1:30pm Finish time (End of Term)



KEY SCHOOL DATES

Thursday 10th September - R U OK Day
Wear a splash of Yellow!

Kind  Safe  Responsible

• Link to the online family information session
• How to enrol
• Customer Service contact information

Introducing MACSEYE: Your new before and after school care provider.


Online information session:
https://youtu.be/jg0C4kgrHW4


How to enrol:

1. Visit our dedicated MACSEYE OSHC webpage:
https://macseye.vic.edu.au/oshc/oshc-locations/st-marys-oshc-altona/

This web page contains all the key information needed to get started, including:
• Session times
• Fees
• Enrolment information
• Enrolment form link

We encourage all families to complete your enrolment by the end of this term, even if you are still thinking about when you might need care. That way you can book as soon as you are ready.
All children must be enrolled with MACSEYE to attend.

For more information, you can also please refer to the attached MACSEYE brochure.


2. Click the green 'Enrol Now' button and complete the online enrolment form.


Contact MACSEYE - Customer Service
If you need support with enrolment or have any questions, the Customer Service Team is available to assist, Monday to Friday between 9am – 5pm (AEST):
1300 501 029
enrolments@macseye.vic.edu.au

Kind  Safe  Responsible

This week in Community News:

• Church bulletin
• Deborah Barrese, upcoming show

CHURCH BULLETIN

https://www.smaltona.catholic.edu.au/source/BULLETIN%2006-09-26%20with%20ad.pdf


------------------------------------------

DEBORAH BARRESE LIVE SHOW

Details below for Deborah's next live show.

Deborah is a parent of our school community.




------------------------------------------


SIMONDS CATHOLIC COLLEGE




------------------------------------------


MAGIC BASKETBALL

 

------------------------------------------


WESTERN BULLDOGS AFLW ALL GIRLS AUSKICK AND SUPERKICK PRE-GAME CLINICS

 

Calling all future Bulldogs!

 

Girls aged 4–12 are invited to join our AFLW All Girls Pre-Game Clinics at Mission Whitten Oval. Each clinic will take place two hours before every Western Bulldogs AFLW home game.

 

 Perfect for girls of all skill levels!

 

•  Auskick (Ages 4–7) – Learn the basics through fun games and activities.
•  Superkick (Ages 7–12) – Build skills and confidence in a game-based environment.

 Location: Mission Whitten Oval

 Clinic Dates:

• Saturday 22 August vs Richmond
• Saturday 5 September vs Sydney
• Saturday 3 October vs St Kilda
• Friday 9 October vs Essendon

 Only $55 for the program

 

 

 Special Offer: Use promo code FCB008C6 at checkout to receive $20 off registration.

 

 Register now:

 Auskick (Ages 4–7): https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/9dd463

 Superkick (Ages 7–12): https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/251cd8

------------------------------------------


ALTONA BEACH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

 

This is our twelfth year of showcasing short films by filmmakers from Altona and around the world.

 

We welcome participants of all ages and abilities to use their cameras, phones or tablets to create a short film no longer than 7 minutes in keeping with this year's theme "Home". Entrants' short films will then be shown at our Festival Gala Screening & Awards Night and go in the running to win cash prizes in the following categories:

 

Best In Festival
Special Recognition
President's Encouragement Award
Best Pre-Teen
Best Young Adult
People's Choice

 

Awards 1 - 5 will be decided by a panel of esteemed judges from the community. The People's Choice Award, however, will be decided by the audience on the night, so make sure your students bring as many of their friends and family as they can to ensure a higher chance of winning!

In past editions of our festival our junior entrants have truly had their moments to shine, with children taking away wins in many of our non-age-related categories several times.

 

Entries into this year's festival are currently open from now until 31 August 2026 at www.altonabeachfilmfestival.com.au

We will be contacting all participants to confirm their place in the lineup by no later than 01 September 2026.

 

This year's ABFF Film Screening & Gala Awards Night will be held on Saturday 19 September 2026 at the Altona Sports Club - 11 Altona Road, Altona VIC 3018.

Tickets are available at reception at the club for $5 per child, $10 per adult, or $20 per family (2x adults + 2 children).

 

We can't wait to see you there!

Kind  Safe  Responsible

Thank you from the P&F for a successful School Disco & Cookie Fundraiser.

We have shared photo's of these events, as well as Pyjama Day.

THE SCHOOL DISCO!

The St Mary's School Disco was a huge success, with students enjoying an evening of music, dancing and plenty of fun.

A sincere thank you to our amazing Parent Committee for organising such a fantastic event. We also extend our appreciation to our teachers and the many parent volunteers who generously gave their time on the night to ensure everything ran smoothly.

A special mention must go to our Grade 6 Leaders and School Captains, who enthusiastically spent part of their lunch break helping to set up before the event. Their willingness to pitch in and lead by example was greatly appreciated. Disco fever was well and truly in the air long before the first song began!

Thanks to the incredible support of our school community, the evening raised just under $2,000. These funds will go directly towards supporting the cost of our new Ninja Playground.

While the event was a great success, we're already reflecting on the valuable feedback we've received. We're committed to continually improving the logistics and overall experience, ensuring each school disco is even better than the last.

COOKIE DOUGH FUNDRAISER

Our very first Cookie Dough Fundraiser was a fantastic success!

Thanks to the incredible support of our St Mary's community, we sold more than 249 tubs of cookie dough, raising over $1,000 towards our new Ninja Playground.

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased, promoted and supported the fundraiser. 

We hope your freezers are stocked and your kitchens are about to be filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies over the school holidays. Happy baking, and thank you once again for helping make our first cookie dough fundraiser such a sweet success!



PYJAMA DAY!

Kind  Safe  Responsible

We love capturing and sharing the special moments that make our school community so vibrant. If you have photos or videos from school events that you'd like to share, please send them to ecross@smaltona.catholic.edu.au

To help protect the privacy of all students and families, we kindly ask that photos and videos from school events are not shared on personal social media accounts or other public platforms.

Please note that any images or videos shared through the school will only be published in accordance with your child's current photography consent agreement. If you would like to update your child's photography permissions or are unsure what consent is currently in place, please contact the school office - We are happy to assist.

Kind  Safe  Responsible

BOOK WEEK IS IN 1 WEEK! Are you ready?!

Friday 28th August: Dress up day!
We will have a costume parade at 9:00 am.

There will be lots of other exciting activities planned for Book Week, from Monday 24th - Friday 28th August.

The theme for this year's Book Week is Symphony of Stories!

Bookweek theme and artist, Briony Stewart's (Author & Illustrator of 'Gymnastica Fantastica') introduction to 2026 Book Week & Theme:
https://youtu.be/wz-psnQnUmQ?si=_BfrV-bY7yyJ88aH

On Friday 28th August, students are encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite book character.

Home made costumes are encouraged! 
They're fun, creative, sustainable, and a great way to keep costs down! 

We will have a costume parade at 9am.

We can’t wait to see our school filled with students favourite book characters, colourful costumes and a whole lot of storybook magic! 

Kind  Safe  Responsible

We are still collecting eligible containers to raise money for our environmental projects.

Our fundraising title is 'Recycle and Grow'

How can you help?

There are two simple ways to support our school through the scheme:

Option 1: Donate Your Refund at Collection Points

• When you visit a CDS Vic return point, you’ll be asked if you want to donate your refund.
  
  
• Simply download the app and enter our donation code (2000063591) or search for our school name on the app.
  
  
• All your refunds will be transferred directly to our school account!
  
  

Our donation code is: C2000063591

You can find your nearest return point at: https://cdsvic.org.au/locations 

Option 2: Send Eligible Containers to School

• We will be setting up a collection bin at school next to 3/4W so students and families can bring in eligible containers.
  
  
• Please make sure containers are:
  
  
• Empty and not crushed
  
  
• Have the 10c eligible label
  
  
• Not broken or overly dirty
  
  

We’ll return them in bulk, and the refunds will go straight to our school for our ‘Recycle and Grow’ fundraiser. All funds raised through container deposits will go directly towards keeping our outdoor environment thriving.

Thank you for supporting our school and the environment. Let’s turn trash into treasure and make this initiative a big success!

Kind  Safe  Responsible

Trivia Night Success!

Our Trivia Night was a huge success, with plenty of laughs, fun and friendly competition throughout the evening!

Thanks to everyone who came along and helped make the evening such a fantastic success. Together, we raised just short of $3,000 on the night alone.

A big thank you again to our major sponsors, Xynergy Realty and Loaram Construction.

Kind  Safe  Responsible

Would you like to know more about ADHD?

This coming Tuesday August 18 from 6:30 - 8pm we have psychologist, Stewart D’Silva, running a workshop for parents to explore ADHD and how this can present in people.

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Whether you are seeking clarity, practical strategies, or simply a supportive community, you won't want to miss our upcoming ADHD Information Night!

We are thrilled to host Stewart D'Silva, a psychologist with a wealth of knowledge in child development and neurodiversity. Earlier in the day, Stewart will be running specialized professional development sessions with our teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSOs)—and in the evening, he is opening the floor to our parent community.

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, August 18
• Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
• Where: Tri Centre, St Mary's Primary School
• Guest Speaker: Stewart D'Silva (Psychologist)
• Babysitting available
  
  

What We’ll Cover

• How ADHD uniquely presents in children (and what to look out for)
• Practical, compassionate ways to support your child both at home and at school

Over 35 parents have already signed up, but it’s not too late to join us! Whether you’re at the start of your journey or looking to add new tools to your parenting toolkit, you are warmly invited.

We look forward to seeing you there for an insightful and engaging evening!

Warm regards,

Cathy Sims 

Learning Diversity Leader

Kind  Safe  Responsible

Our very first Family Book Club was a wonderful and memorable evening!

Families came together to celebrate the book Leo and Ralph, a story about friendship and embracing what makes everyone different, with a night full of activities including:

An out of this world game of Bounce the Moon with balloons
Dreaming up and naming our very own aliens and their planets
A sausage sizzle 
Sharing our best book reviews and favourite parts from the story
Gazing through a telescope and spotting the moon in the night sky

A huge thank you to all the families who joined us and to our amazing staff who helped make this such a special community event.

Kind  Safe  Responsible