Newsletter 10th August 2022
Upcoming Dates
12th & 15th August: Circuit Breaker Holidays (Student-Free Days)
16th August: Parents' and Friends' Meeting, 2:30pm-3:30pm
19th August: Combined Schools' Day at St Brendan's Dunnstown
24th August: Little Feet Big Footprint Session at St Michael's Daylesford
26th August: Book Week - Dress Up Day; Combined Schools' Day at St Brendan's Dunnstown
30th August: Art Show at St Brendan's Dunnstown, 6:00pm-8:00pm
1st September: SEED Visit to St Patrick's College & Loreto College (Year 5 students)
2nd September: Combined Schools' Day & Father's Day Liturgy & Breakfast (at St Brendan's Dunnstown)
8th September: St Mary's Art Show, 6:00pm-8:00pm
9th September: Combined Schools' Day at St Brendan's Dunnstown
16th September: Last Day of Term 3
Principal's News
It is wonderful to be experiencing a period in our schools that is reasonably settled with most staff and children being well and attending each day. The ‘vibe’ at both St. Mary’s and St. Brendan’s is one of positivity and an enjoyment of being at school while settling into a reasonably regular routine of learning, teaching and being with friends. I continually feel blessed each day that we are able to manage these ever changing and sometimes challenging times in our schools in a calm way so that there is as little disruption as possible.
Having said all of that, it is still very timely that we have our ‘circuit breaker’ 4 day break this weekend. I am grateful that it is happening and that staff and families can take some time to reenergise and prepare for the last half of Term 3 which will be busy. We know that we are not through the flu and COVID peak yet and taking this Friday and Monday may help everyone who is tired or unwell to rest, relax and recover from any aliments or COVID hangovers that they may be experiencing.
Principals' Gathering in Horsham
Last Thursday and Friday I gathered in Horsham with other Principals from the Ballarat Diocese. These days are always informative, supportive and a time to work with others that are experiencing the various highs and sometimes lows that come with being a leader in schools in these times. As well as looking at budgets, employment awards, the shortage of teachers and what is happening in each of the Dioceses, we heard from Aimee Maxwell, Zenith Psychology, who spoke about ‘Leading in times of Crisis’ and the importance of looking after ourselves and each other. She provided us with many practical things we can do, one of which is to stop at least 3 times a day to take a few deep breaths and think about something we are grateful for. This is such an important practise for all, as we so often focus on the negatives in our day, even if it was one or two things that were hard amid the many things that were great and went well. It is something staff do frequently with our children and helps build a positive culture in our schools, where mistakes and challenging times are something we can learn from, accept as part of life and then bounce back from.
Upcoming Dates
There are a number of very important events coming up that our school communities are welcome to be part of.
All of the upcoming dates are in our calendar on the schools’ websites or the School Zine app.
Circuit Breaker Weekend
This upcoming weekend is an extra-long weekend with pupil-free days on the Friday and Monday.
Combined Schools' Days
We have had 4 very successful CSDs at St. Mary’s this term and will now move to St. Brendan’s on Friday the 19th of August for the following 4 Fridays. We will not have a CSD on the last day of term.
A very special thank you to staff and parents for making these happen. The feedback about these days is very positive, especially from the children. They enjoy having different opportunities such as Art, having more children to play and learn with and seeing different teachers. For this reason, we will continue them next term in the same format. Trish will also continue on in her role on the Fridays until the end of the year. Please let me know if you have any concerns about this. As always, we are happy to help out with transport at any time. Just let me know how we can help.
Father’s Day
We discussed Father’s Day with the children and what could happen as it is a scheduled Combined Schools Day. The suggestion from the students was that we do it together. After the staff also thought about it, we decided this could work. It would give the Dads in our schools an opportunity to come together with the children and perhaps even meet some new faces. As our CSD is at St. Brendan’s on Friday, 2nd September, this is where we will hold the gathering. We invite all Dads and Grandfathers to join us at 7.45am for breakfast at St. Brendan’s on Friday, 2nd of September. Invitations will go home soon and we will be asking for numbers for catering purposes.
Art Shows
The Art Shows are fast approaching and the children and teachers are getting very busy preparing a visual extravaganza for you all to enjoy. The teachers have made up posters to promote the night at each school. If anyone can help out by displaying a poster in a proponent place, please let the school know and we can supply you with some posters.
The St. Brendan’s Art Show is Tuesday, the 30th of August from 6–8pm and the St. Mary’s night is Thursday, the 8th of September from 6–8pm.
Please spread the word – all are welcome!
Assemblies
There is an assembly at 2.45pm at St. Mary’s this Thursday and on the final Friday of the term for St. Brendan’s at 12.30pm. These are always well attended and a time for children to share their learning with others.
Grandparents' Day
Although this event is in Term 4, we thought that is worth giving the heads up well in advance as we know some Grandparents may by travelling to attend this special day.
St. Mary’s date is Monday, October the 17th and St. Brendan’s will be Monday, October the 24th. The grandparents will be invited to join us in the mornings with definite times to be decided upon.
Work with Tony Dalton
I am continuing our work with Tony Dalton on promoting our schools and looking forward. He has collated all of the data from our last community meeting and I am meeting with him on Thursday afternoon. If anyone would like to be part of that meeting, we are gathering at St. Mary’s at 1.15 pm for an hour. We will plan a way forward following the meeting.
Thanks to our families that are so supportive and passionate about our schools. Your attendance at the community meeting was amazing!
As well as working with Tony, we are continually exploring ways to promote our schools. Hopefully you will see new signage around the communities in the next few months. I am always ready to hear new ideas, so contact me if you have anything in mind.
Enjoy the extra long weekend!!
Go gently, look after yourself and each other,
Inez
Junior Room News
On Thursday, 21st June, the students from both St Mary's and St Brendan's were lucky enough to travel by bus to the Melbourne Cricket Ground where they participated in a guided tour of the MCG Sports Museum. We were very lucky on this day as all AFL Clubs were there with their AFL Captains from both their male and female teams.
Here are some of the students' favourite parts and highlights of the day :
"My favourite part of the day was having my picture taken with footy players."
"Something interesting was having my photo taken with Dyson Heppel from the Bombers."
"Something I did - at the end we played at the MCG on some of the games."
"Something interesting was the ice bath. It was deep and cold."
We all had a great day, met some interesting people and learnt a bit more about the MCG.
Our Visit to the MCG
Senior Report
We have been lucky to do lots of "fun stuff" during this year but one of our favourite things has been the excursion to the MCG in Melbourne. It was a great trip and we were able to play games and step out onto the MCG.
In the Senior Room we have also been working on mental maths, cooking, JEMM and C Fats. The junior students have been doing multiplication and division in Maths and writing about Quokkas and Wombats. During share reading time, we have been learning about the planets.
Evie & Tara
MCG Sports Museum
Outstanding School Fees
I would like to remind families to remember to pay their school fees in a timely manner. If for any reason, you require assistance with your school fees, please make contact with me at any time. I am always contactable via email: mmuller@smclarkeshill.
As per DOBCEL directive, school fees must be paid in full by the end of Term 3, beginning of Term 4.
Thank you,
Majella
Happy Birthday
Happy belated birthday to Kamden Singline who turned 8 on 30th July. We hope you enjoyed your day, Kamden!
It's been a busy time in the Singline house: Happy birthday to Evie who turned 10 on 8th August. Many happy returns Evie!
Gardening & Tidying Roster 2022
1st August - 15th August: Riordan Family
16th August - 29th August: Slater Family
30th August - 12th September: Summers Family