Newsletter - 16th August 2023
Upcoming Dates
23rd & 30th August; 6th & 13th September: Combined Schools' Days at St Brendan's, Dunnstown
23rd August: Book Week Dress Up Day
30th August: Bush Dance at the Bungaree Community Centre, 6:00-8:00pm
3rd September: Father's Day, 7:45am at St Mary's
12th September: Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 Sports day with St. Michael’s at Daylesford
13th September: Footy Day
14th September: Last Day of Term 3 for students
15th September: Pupil-free day
2nd October: 1st Day of Term 4
Principal's News
There is not a lot to share this fortnight as things in both schools are moving along smoothly and calmly at this point.
We do have a number of families taking the chance and get away to find some sunshine and others that are unwell either for a day, or a few days. Please remember to let the school know if your child is away. It is our policy that we contact parents if the school has not been notified by 9.30am and it can save our admin ladies time if they know why a child is away. It also saves you needing to explain what is going on if you are busy or at work.
The best way to contact the school is ring or leave a message on the mobile.
St. Marys: Landline - 5334 5280; Mobile - 0491 734 779
St. Brendan’s: Landline - 5334 7604; Mobile – 0490 762 877
Upcoming events
We do have a number of important events coming up so please put them into your calendar.
The first is our annual Book Week dress up day next Wednesday at St.Brendan’s. Parents and siblings are invited to also dress up and join us from 9.00–9.30am as children take part in a parade, sharing what they have dressed up as and the book their character is from.
The following Wednesday, the 30th August, is our family Bush Dance at the Bungaree Community Centre. The Billy Tea Bush Band will teach the children some dances in the afternoon at school. We will then all gather from 6–8pm. All families and extended families are welcome. Please bring a plate of food as we will have a shared supper at 7.30pm.
During that same week, on Friday, the children and their Dads, or special person in their lives, are invited to join us at St. Mary’s for a Father’s Day Breakfast. The invitations have gone home. Please contact the schools by Monday, the 28th August, with numbers, including adults and children, so that we can cater for everyone.
A reminder that the last day of term (Friday) is a pupil free day as the staff will be doing a Professional Development Day. We will be looking at the changes to the Victorian Curriculum F-10 Mathematics Version 2.0, as well as the assessments we currently do.
Professional Development is an important part of a teacher’s role. It is an investment in teachers' growth, improving skills and growing knowledge which directly benefits students' education. It enables teachers to keep up to date with the ever-changing educational landscape, ensuring they can provide the best possible learning experience for their students.
Children receiving the Sacraments
Last Sunday, Bishop Paul Bird celebrated Mass at St. Michael’s, Bungaree. There were 13 children from the Parish that received the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation. They included Billy, Jai, Adele, Sophie, Felicity and Jack from St. Brendan’s, and Evie and Kamden from St. Mary’s. It was a beautiful Mass with many family and parish members part of the ceremony.
A very special thank you to Dianne Reynolds who ran the program this year, to the parents for being at the sessions and working with the children, and to the staff for supporting the children at school and at the Mass.
Little Feet, Big Footprints
Last Thursday, our Year 6 children participated in the second day of the Little Feet, Big Footprints program with four other country Catholic schools. They all came together at St. Brigid’s, Ballan where they joined together for a Liturgy and then did a session with Fr. Justin on Catholic Social Teachings. There was also some time to play together and reconnect with old friends and make new ones. This program is an important part of how we support our seniors as they transition to Secondary School.
Take care everyone. Go as gently as possible.
Inez
Junior Room News
Over the last two weeks we have been learning about Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop. Mary did many good works in her lifetime. She was dedicated to providing a proper education for country children and poor children.
Adelaide: On Tuesday we celebrated Saint Mary Mackillop's Feast Day. We celebrate her because she is Australia's first saint. She taught children who needed a proper education and they couldn't get it because they lived in the rural areas and were poor.
Vanessa: We learnt how to do a 5 finger prayer as part of the whole school prayer. We were lucky to have family and friends come to share the whole school prayer with us.
Paige: To celebrate Mary Mackillop we enjoyed a shared luncheon. We made subway sandwiches. I made a sandwich with avocado, carrot, lettuce, cheese, tomato and cucumber. We ate lunch together and after that we had an icy pole.
Kaezia: Mary Mackillop is a saint and she taught poor children and started in a farm shed. Now there are schools all around Australia and New Zealand because of her and people are also helping children in Fiji and Timor Leste.
Patrick: We celebrated the Feast Day of Mary Mackillop in our school on Tuesday last week. We had a school prayer at 2:45 and family and friends came to celebrate with us. Mary is important to us because we are named St Mary's, she is Australia's first saint and she dedicated her life to children without an education in country areas. We can relate to this as well because we are small country school.
Learning in the Senior Room
Last Tuesday we celebrated Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day. The theme "Fierce but Fair” showed how Mary MacKillop stood up for what she believed was right and fair, especially around education for everyone, including the poor. We had a liturgy and a special shared lunch. Maeve
We spent time with Sue learning about what helps us to learn. We wrote down our goals for the term and also chose 5 actions that we think will help us learn and achieve our goals. We check in each day to see if we have been using the actions. Tara
On Thursday the Grade 6's went to St Brigid’s in Ballan for Little Feet, Big Footprints. We celebrated Mass with the school and then we talked about the Good Samaritan story. We each were given a character from the story and discussed the actions and feelings of the character during the story.
In maths we have been learning about area and perimeter. The area is the inside measurement of a space, the perimeter is outside edge measurement, like a paddock boundary. To find the area you multiply length by width and for perimeter you add all the sides up.
On Friday we designed a backyard and had to work out what features we would include and then work out the area of each feature. We learnt a little trick to help us remember when to add and when to multiply. “P for Perimeter, P for Plus”. Sull
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to two young ladies in our Junior Room - Adelaide and Vanessa. Adelaide will turn 7 on August 20th and Vanessa is celebrating her 10th birthday on August 26th. We hope you both have a wonderful birthday!
Latest Editon of Our Diocesan Community
The latest edition of Our Diocesan Community is now available online. Please use the link below to access the publication.
Child Safety Information – all on website
As is stated on our Vision and Mission, our schools ‘…are committed to the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children and young people.’ Our procedures and policies are now in line with the 11 Child Safe Standards and can be found on the St Mary's website under the tab – Child Safety.
Damascus College - Open Night & Open Morning
ATTENTION GRADE 5 2023 STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
If you are interested in learning more about Damascus College and have a child in Grade 5, then don’t miss the opportunity to attend the upcoming Open Night and Open Morning events at Damascus College.
Open Night – 3 sessions
Tuesday 17 October, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm
The Open Night is a great way for prospective parents, guardians and students to learn more about Damascus College. Families with children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Attendees will participate in an information session and guided campus tour, where students and staff will be situated around campus with displays and demonstrations showcasing Damascus facilities and offerings.
Open Morning
Thursday 5 & 19 October, 9am – 10.30am
Open Morning provides an opportunity for prospective families to take a guided tour of the College led by current students and is an opportunity to experience Damascus during school hours. Open Mornings commence at 9am and conclude at 10.30am.
REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE BY USING THE LINK BELOW: