Dear Parents and Friends of St Mary’s,

Welcome back to the beginning of our 2023 school year. It has been wonderful to see our students' happy and eager faces and hear the excited chatter as they reconnect after the holiday break.

After meeting with the staff, we all agreed that the students feel settled and the Learning Spaces are a hive of activity as students settle into the routines and expectations of learning at St Mary’s.

We welcome our Foundation students, Mitchell, Liam, Makaysha, Ashton, Amelia,  Levi, and Teige.

We also welcome Sofia Ana in Grade 6 and Jonathan P in Grade 3. We wish them all the best as they begin their learning journey with us at St Mary’s.

Communication is vital for a positive relationship between home and school. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your child's teacher or me to make a time and discuss concerns.

We gathered to discuss arriving and leaving our school grounds. The students will line up in their classes at the end of the day and walk quietly to the adult awaiting them. Those that will access the crossing will wait behind the designated line with the teacher on crossing duty. All students and parents are asked to please use the crossing to meet their students if parking on the opposite side of the road.

Our School-Wide Expectation for the beginning of Term One is Be Respectful Through our Learning Spaces, we have been discussing what this means at St Mary’s.

The students have described the attributes of someone displaying Respect.

• Greeting someone with a hello and smile.
• Speaking to others with a gentle tone.
• Using your manners …. Please and thank you!
• Taking care of others and school belongings.
• Participate in activities with an open mind.
• Trying your best….. embrace mistakes; its how we learn.

 Kind Regards,

Maria Moore

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

TERM 1 2023

February

March

TERM 2 2021

April

HOT LUNCH FRIDAYS!

School canteen lunches are every Friday. All lunch orders are to be in by 9:00 on Friday morning.

Hot Lunches - Price List 2023

Instructions on placing an order

Please contact the school office if you would like a price list sent home. 

SCHOOL FEES SCHEDULE 2023

School fees are important for the school to meet its financial commitments. School fees are set annually in consultation with the School Board and Parish Administrator. Families who experience difficulty in paying school fees please do not hesitate to make contact with the Principal or Administration Officer to make alternative arrangements.

All fees and levies for the entire school year will be invoiced in February. Fees are to be paid in full by the end of Term 3. Alternatively, you can pay in equal instalments over 12 months from January to December.

Family Fee Assistance Scheme

All families in which the fee payer holds an eligible health care card or pensioner concession card are eligible to apply for the Family Fee Assistance Scheme. 

This allows for a significant reduction in your school fees. Application forms are available from the school office or click on the following link: School Fees Concession Application

For more information about concessions, please contact the school.

CSEF Assistance
This is a government assistance scheme for families with an eligible Health Care Card. Applications are available at the office or click on the following link: CSEF Application Form 2023

Conveyance Allowance
Victorian Conveyance Allowance is available for children who reside in Victoria and are more than 4.8 kilometres from the nearest free school bus service. Please call the office to complete an application form.

Terms of Payment for School Fees Accounts
Fees can be paid in one lump sum, by term, monthly, fortnightly or weekly. At the beginning of the year, you are asked to nominate a payment frequency eg. Weekly, fortnightly, or per term. If no payment mode is nominated it will be presumed that you will pay by the end of Term 3,  Friday, September 15th 2023

There are numerous options available to pay your school fee account. Money can be received via:

• Cash, Cheque or Credit Card at school office
• Direct Credit to our account from your bank.
• Centrepay-Centrelink can deduct school fee payments prior to paying you Centrelink.

Applications forms are available at the school office or click on the following link:Centrepay Deduction Authority

We would ask that you consider all the payment options available to you and make a commitment to one of them. 

2023 SCHOOL FEES

Fees per Family (per annum)  

Family fee - $1075

Capital fee -$$165.00

Fees per Student (per annum) 

Tuition Fee - $165.00
Swimming - $70.00
Excursion - $70.00                         

Camp Fees per Student

Year 2, Sleepover - $20.00   

Year 3 & 4, Phillip Island - $400

Year 5 & 6, Canberra - $400

Additional Fees  

Sacramental Program
$25.00 per student                                                                                                                 This fee is for Catholic children who participate in the Sacraments.

Please contact Debbie at the school office if you would like to set up a payment plan for 2023 school fees. For families who already have one in place, this will continue for this year. 

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS & INFORMATION

A primary source of communication between home and school is our weekly newsletter. This will be sent home with students and emailed every Thursday. The newsletter is also available on our school website. https://www.stmyarram.catholic.edu.au/

All school information, updates and news will be on our new SZapp and on Class Dojo. 

Please go to our website https://www.stmyarram.catholic.edu.au/

click onto Get Our School App and follow the Installing Szapp Instructions. 

This year, Book Club catalogues have a new look. These catalogues are sent home twice each term for the school year. 

To Order: 

- Fill out the form in the catalogue with your name on it, place it in an envelope along with payment and send it to the school office.

- Orders can also be placed online at scholastic.com. Then go into LOOP orders and sign up, and add your child's name. After you click on 'St. Mary's' it will have my name (GARLAND)

All orders are sent to school and handed out to the students to take home with instructions not to open until safely at home.

If you order a present or a surprise for your child, please write that on your order form.

If you have any questions, please contact me (Sharon Garland) on 5182 5659, or for online queries, contact SCholastic on 1800 021 233. The folks at Scholastic are fabulous.

St. Mary's has purchased many library books and classroom supplies from the rewards we have earned through your orders. Thank you for your continued support.

Regards,

Sharon Garland

The students are to wear their sports uniform on  Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

CLASS DOJO

Class Dojo is a school communication platform that teachers, students, and families use every day to build close-knit communities by sharing what’s being learned in the classroom home through photos, videos, and messages.

Invitations will be sent to parents of each classroom via Email in the next few days. 

Click on the link below for instructions on how to set up your CLASS DOJO account:

Class Dojo Setup Resources