St Mary's School Newsletter Term 3 - Week 7

Prayer

Artist - Morrigan, St Mary's 

A Laudato Si’ Beatitudes Prayer

God of All Creation,

Blessed are those who hold the space for dialogue with the natural world, God, and each other, for they will hear the fullness of life.  

Blessed are those who enter into relationship with the natural world, for they will know the intrinsic value of all of God’s Creation.

Blessed are those who heal the wounded earth for they will be restored to right relationship with all of Creation.  

Blessed are those who discern the voice of Creation for they will receive an experience of God in a language not our own.

Blessed are those who see with the eyes of their heart for their vision will imagine the potential for new life to emerge. 

Blessed are those who nurture the needs of the living and nonliving world, for they will be nourished in body and spirit.  

Blessed are those who live simply, for their discipline will bring harmony with the rhythms of life. 

Blessed are those who cultivate a life of prayer for they will know an inner cosmos that honours the outer world.

Blessed are those who participate in civil affairs for they will bring the cry and song of the earth to systems of power and policy. 

Blessed are those who have gratitude for they will receive the gift of abundance.       

 Amen

[Adapted from The Laudato Si Movement]

Principal's message

Hello everyone!

Riley from Kelly Sports has finshed today coaching our students. Riley has loved working with our students and commented on their fantastic behaviour, so well done to all.

Tomorrow we look forward to the dads, grandads and father figures that can come along to enjoy a breakfast with their children. A big thank you to Darcy for the fresh eggs supplied for tomorrow. We understand the difficulty in attending school events due to work committments and we want all dads, grandads and father figures to have a fantastic day this Sunday.

Next week we have R U OK day and excursion an for our P-2 class to St Joseph's Charlton for a Flying Bookworm Performance and BBQ lunch.

Foundation 2026 Enrolments – Still Open

We still have places available for Foundation in 2026! If you know of any families thinking about joining St Mary's, please encourage them to get in touch and enrol soon. We’d be delighted to welcome them into our caring and vibrant school community.

We are looking at updating our Website and our Facebook page  in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on updates!

Take care,

Melissa Drum

Victorian Police visit - Cyber Safety

A big thank you to Sarah for attending our school and chatting to students about Cyber Safety. If you have any questions, Sarah is always willing to have a conversation about safety in our community.

Classroom Reports

Grade 3 & 4 Miss McNamara

In grade 3/4 we continue to build on our spelling, reading and writing skills. We have been reading our mentor text, The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. With students investigating the main idea, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation in this text. The students have also been creating their own information reports on Iron. 

2/3/4 students have also been participating in our Synthetic Phonics Program ‘UFLI’. In each lesson students learn skills to read, write and spell words in a structured way.

In Maths we have been looking at telling the time to the nearest minute on both analog and digital clocks. Students have investigated the features of a clock and completed a number of tasks to build on their skills to tell the time efficiently. Times Tables are always a focus in our classroom and the students continue to build their confidence and fluency with tables from 0-12. 

In Religion, our 3-6 unit on Hospitality has continued as students explode this concept of what it means to be hospitable to others. The students continue to build on their knowledge of the catholic tradition. 

In the junior room the F-2 students have also begun their unit on Imagination. We have been learning about what this concept means and exploring why imagination is important. This week we built on our knowledge of the Parable of the Sower and looked into the concept of ‘The Common Good’. 

Grade 5 & 6 with Miss Hudson

This fortnight in Literacy, students combined sentences beginning with subordinating conjunctions, practised replacing nouns with pronouns, and used conjunctions to join ideas together. We also focused on inserting commas where required to improve sentence fluency. Students continued developing their note-taking skills by identifying key words and phrases. In vocabulary, we explored the meanings and uses of the words reinforce, sturdy, hygiene, tributaries, stable, exposed, symbolises, and appease.

Students planned and wrote a body paragraph for an explanation text, focusing on structure and clear explanations. They also practised writing a summary sentence to identify the main idea in the text, starting with a ‘when’ detail.

In Maths, students have been learning about fractions. We explored how fractions can represent parts of whole numbers, including numbers greater than one, and how their magnitude can be represented on number lines. Students practised ordering and representing fractions, as well as adding and subtracting fractions with the same or related denominators.

In Inquiry, students have started a research project on historic buildings. They are learning how to investigate the history and significance of these buildings by exploring their purpose, construction, location, and cultural importance. They are also working on organising their findings into clear sections and presenting information in their own words, supported by labelled images and diagrams.

In Auslan, students have been describing physical characteristics and practising using handshapes to explain functions in the human body. Students have been learning to describe three physical characteristics of a person and use two different handshapes to explain the function of a heart.

UFLI - Structured Literacy with Miss Chapman

A CONVERSATION CAN CHANGE A LIFE

R U OK? inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the  people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.

You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener. 

Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:

1. Ask R U OK?
2. Listen
3. Encourage action
4. Check in                          

Next Thursday, September 11th,  Emily Noonan from Headspace and Liz McIntyre will coordinate a day around R U OK activities. We are encouraging students to wear something yellow.

The activities will involve cupcake making, sandpit smilies, team building and R U OK conversations. There will also be time in the afternoon for families to come along and participate in a family session.

2:00-3:00   Family session with Emily integrating team building with the Wellbeing Continuum.

Resilience Project

This week in Resilience Project lessons

P/1/2 Class - Lesson 23

Mindful Origami - We are learning to practise being mindful. By making an origami character, students focus is on folding the paper, feeling relaxed, calming down and our concentration in that moment.

3/4 Class - Lesson 19

Getting and Giving - We are learning to build on our understanding of gratitude through the lens of receiving gifts. Gifts are more than just objects given by someone. We can also be aware of what we can offer others.

5/6 Class - Lesson 16

Understanding Chemical Responses - We are learning to understand the different chemical responses triggered by emotions in our bodies. Emotions can evoke a sense of warmth, pain maybe even tiredness. We can react according to our emotions at the time. Our processes regulate and manage our emotions and experiences.

Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere app is here!

The Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere app) is our "go-to" for all parent information. Download the SIMON Everywhere app from the app store on your mobile phone and login using your PAM credentials.

Simon Everywhere delivers instant notifications to parents' mobile phones, delivering the functionality of PAM in an easy to navigate app. We will use Simon Everywhere for all important notifications.  

You will be able to manage all your day-to-day school needs from Simon Everywhere, including:

• notify us of absences;
• access reports
• view the school calendar;
• provide permission for student activities;
• update medical/contact information;
  
• read the newsletter.

Please contact the office with any questions.

Our Newsletter can be read in a variety of languages!

When you open the school newsletter, click on “select language” beside TRANSLATE, at the top of the newsletter. Simply scroll to choose which language you would like to read the newsletter in! 

Breakfast Club

Breakfast clubs for students at school offer numerous benefits that contribute to their overall wellbeing and academic success:

• Improved Academic Performance: Eating a nutritious breakfast improves concentration, memory, and problem-solving skills, leading to better academic outcomes.

• Nutritional Benefits: Breakfast clubs ensure children receive essential nutrients that might otherwise be missed, promoting healthier growth and development.

• Social Interaction: It provides a relaxed setting for children to socialise with peers and staff, fostering positive relationships and a sense of belonging.

• Establishing Routine: Regular attendance at breakfast clubs helps establish healthy eating habits and a consistent morning routine, which can improve overall behaviour and attendance at school.

• Reduced Hunger: Children who eat breakfast are less likely to experience hunger during the morning, allowing them to focus on learning rather than their empty stomachs.

• Support for Families: Breakfast clubs can ease morning stress for families by providing a convenient, affordable option for ensuring their children have a nutritious start to the day.

Overall, breakfast clubs contribute significantly to the physical, emotional, and academic wellbeing of children, making them a valuable resource for schools and families alike.

Breakfast club will continue to run every morning between 8:30-8:50am. 

On Monday we have Milo/ Hot chocolates and Friday is Cheese Toasties!

Change of Emails/Addresses/Phone Numbers

Could families please inform the school if they have changed their mobile number, address or email. It is vital that the school has the most up to day information, to enable us to contact you when needed.

Student late arrival, early departure, temporary absence procedures

All student late arrivals, early departures or temporary absences must be recorded in the Passtab iPad located in the foyer.  Please ask office staff for assistance.

Happy Birthday in September!

7th Emmanuel & Evan

10th Aiden

22nd TeRina & Mr D

24th Quill

Community News

Child Safety

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all.

St Mary’s School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students.

St Mary's School is a child safe school.