Newsletter 19th October 2022

Upcoming Dates

21st, 28th October &  4th, 11th  November:  Combined Schools Days at St Mary's

28th October:  World Teachers' Day

31st October:  School Closure Day - Report Writing & Planning Day for Staff

1st November:  Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

11th November:  Remembrance Day

15th November:  St Mary's Annual General Meeting, 7:00pm

17th November:  Junior Stayback and Grade 2 Sleepover

18th, 25th November & 2nd, 9th December:  Combined Schools Days at St Brendan's

29th November:  Orientation Day for Year 6 students at Catholic Secondary Schools

14th December:  End of Year Excursion to Xtreme Bounce & Waterpark

16th December:  Last Day of Term 4

30th January 2023:  First Day of Term 1, 2023

Principal's News

This past week has been a difficult for many across the state. The exceptional amount of rain with the forecast of more to come has been challenging for many towns. We keep all those communities and individuals impacted by flooding in our thoughts and prayers over the coming days.

Last Thursday I travelled to Barwon Heads to spend some time with other Ballarat Diocese Principals. We spent time with Dr Amiee Maxwell who spoke about the importance of wellbeing for all. As a group we revisited the challenges of the past three years, what we have learnt, what we need to change and what we need to let go. Her quote –

really struck a cord with me. How often to we hold onto things or thoughts that are not life giving? They may actually do us harm. Moving on and adapting to changing times requires us to  -

Reconcile with changes

Reconnect with the flow

Restore what’s life giving

Relinquish what isn’t

and live with Resilience.

An important thought for all of us.

Relationship and Sexuality Program

On Monday, Jim Waight from DOBCEL conducted meetings that went through why we teach the program in our schools, how it fits with the context of our Catholic faith and the Child Safe Standards we adhere to. Thanks to the many parents that could be part of the meetings. If you couldn’t make it and would like an outline of the theme, "My Body", please contact the school. The program will begin this Friday. This particular unit is one of six themes taught as part of ‘The Fullness of Life’ program that we have adopted this year. Please see your child’s teacher if you would like more information.

Grandparents' Days

On Monday, we welcomed the children’s grandparents to St. Mary’s. What a beautiful morning it was, with children sharing their learning, interviewing their grandparents, all participating in a Liturgy and morning tea, as well as the children singing a beautiful song to their grandparents. The weather was kind to us and many grandparents spent recess time with their grandchildren out in the yard, playing and chatting. Many of our visitors shared wonderful stories about their own school days and how things have changed over time.

A huge thanks to the staff for making this special event happen, to the grandparents for making the effort to join us and the children for being so welcoming towards the visitors that came.

The smiles on everyone’s faces were heart-warming.  It was a very special occasion that all enjoyed.

The children and staff at St. Brendan’s are busy preparing for their visitors next Monday.

Annual General Meetings 2022

Save the date!! I have put in the dates for the Annual General Meetings for this year. St. Brendan’s will be held on Tuesday, the 22^nd of November at 7pm and St. Mary’s on Tuesday, the 15^th of November at 7pm. All are welcome. It is a time to reflect and celebrate all that we have achieved over the past year.

Wine and nibbles will be provided, so come along and join us for an hour.

Four Day Weekend for Families

A reminder that Monday, the 31^st of October is a school closure day for both schools. Staff will be working writing reports and planning. The Tuesday is Melbourne Cup. I know some families take this opportunity to have a break before the real busyness of the end of the year really sets in.

Combined Schools Days

Once again, thank you to everyone for supporting the CSDs. The children and staff really enjoy them and the children are really settling into the routine of the days.

We will be at St. Mary’s for the next four Fridays. Remember, the days are in the school calendar which everyone can access.

The warmer weather is something to be grateful for and seems to lift everyone’s spirits. Our schools are buzzing and everyone appears positive and happy. Children are settled and it is a time of getting on with things, learning and enjoying each other’s company.

Enjoy the sunshine and take a few minutes to reflect on what you are grateful for today.

Take care,

Inez

Junior Room - Grandparents' Day

The Junior class loved having their grandparents visit them this week. One grandparent commented that the students were wonderful teachers during their visit!  

Thank you to all the Grandparents that were able to come and we hope to see them all again, along with those that couldn’t make it this year.

Adelaide:   On Monday at school, my grandparents came to visit me.

Kaezia:  On Grandparents' Day we played Zingo and we had morning tea. We sang two songs and we had lunch and they went home. 

Paige:  On Monday it was Grandparents' Day at school. My Nan and Pop came to school.  We played games and we had morning tea. I read a book to Nan. I had a fun time. 

Kamden:  On the 17th October it was Grandparents' Day. We played Zingo, I won Zingo, my Nan and I had fun. I ate food, it was good but my Nan had to go home. I had lunch, some grandparents went home. Everybody had fun, my nan said thank you! I sang a song and my Nan said I was good, I did too! I was happy, I liked Grandparents Day. 

Quinn:  On Monday my grandparents came to school. We ate morning tea and we played games. We sang two songs. My Pop and Nan came.

William:  On the 17th of October it was Grandparents' Day. We played Zingo and sung two songs. My Nan gave me a kiss.

Patrick:  On Monday morning our grandparents came to the school. We sang two songs, played games and we ate morning tea.  

Grandparents' Day Review - Senior Room

Liam:  In my opinion the Grandparents' Day went really well because we worked on lots of activities such as math and spent time chatting.

The first thing we did was write a letter to our grandparents and then they sent it back with the RSVP before a certain date. The day we got our letters back, Claire came to the room and gave everyone their letter.  Paige and I were so excited to read our letter.  

Then on Monday, the grandparents came for morning tea and everyone had at least one grandparent present.   We sang two songs and gave our grandparents a delicious morning tea. I think they enjoyed it!

I think next year the school should do it again so every child can experience the comfort of having their grandparents at the school because it was a huge success.    

Maeve:

*  I like how all grandparents saw how we were going and we got to celebrate their special day with them. 

*  But we did math. It was good but challenging but I did find out my Nan was really good at math. 

*  I think it would be really cool if the next time we did we could decorate cupcakes if the Grandads don't want to do it they can do cool Coloring Ins     

*  I only gave it a four out of five star rating because we did math but I think we could have done something more interesting like cooking, painting and coloring competitions.

Tara:

Grandparents are awesome you dont know what they can do 

If I'm ever scared I hold on to you

You let me play in your backyard

You tell me stories that make me laugh so hard 

All together grandparents are the best 

But my grandparents are truly above the rest

Grateful

Reliable 

Amazing

Nice 

Determined

Patient

Astonishing

Relaxed

Enjoyable

Noble

Terrific

Successful      

Please enjoy the gallery of photos following!

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Setting Goals in the Senior Room

The senior students began the term by identifying an area of their learning they would like to focus on. They discussed this with Jenny and then came up with a specific goal to work on. They made sure it was something achievable, identified what they would need to do and who could support them to be successful.

Students were asked how setting goals helps them with their learning and why it’s important to set goals that are achievable?

“Setting goals is important because it's something you can work towards and practise.”(Maeve)

“It helps me to work hard to achieve something.” (Leo)

“It's important to set achievable goals so we can finish them and then work on other goals.” (Liam)

“Setting goals helps get me determined to complete the goals.” (Chloe)

“It feels good to achieve your goals.” (Sull)

“It's important to set achievable goals so when I achieve my goal I can make another one.”(Tara)

“Setting achievable goals helps you know you can do them.” (Pat)

“We set goals to help us learn things.” (Evie)

The goals are displayed in the classroom and referred to regularly to help keep us all on track. We invite parents to ask their children what their current goal is and support them in achieving their goal.

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Happy Birthday!

Quinn Slater will celebrate her 7th birthday, this Friday, 21st October.  We all hope you have a wonderful birthday, Quinn!

School Fees

Just a reminder regarding school fees.  As per our School Fees Policy, all school fees must be finalised by the 30th November of the current school year.  If you are experiencing difficulty in managing your school fees please make an appointment to discuss this with Inez. 

Hats

Term 4 means that children should be wearing their summer uniform and hats are needed for outside play. It is easier if children leave their hats at school, rather than take them home each day. Teachers will collect the hats on Thursdays to take over for combined school days.

The warmer weather also means that the UV rays are stronger. As we are a Sun Smart school, we encourage all children to come to school with sunscreen already applied.  However, it will be available at school for the children to use as well during the day. If your child has sensitive skin and requires their own sunscreen, please let the teachers know and if possible, send along their own sunscreen.

It is also that children bring a water bottle to school each day to stay hydrated, especially as the weather gets warmer. 

Simon Everywhere Update

Children's Week in the Moorabool Shire

Loreto College Open Morning & Year 7 2024 Parent Information Night

Loreto College would like to invite prospective families to come along to their upcoming Open Morning and see why a Loreto Education is so special. The Open Morning will be led by student representatives between 9am to 12pm. You can expect to see interactive displays and activities as well as meet with students and staff. There will also be the opportunity to chat with the College Leadership Team. Please note that availability is limited.

For further information, please visit our enrolments page at https://loreto.vic.edu.au/loreto-education/enrolment/ 

Damascus College Information Evenings for 2024 commencement

Gardening & Tidying Roster 2022