Dear Parents and Friends of St Mary’s,

We have had a positive start to the school year, with all the students settling into the routines of the classroom and playground.

 Yesterday we celebrated our Beginning Of School Mass for 2023. The senior students led our celebration today with the theme being “Let you Light Shine.” 

 This message comes from Matthews's Gospel, where Jesus often refers to the light we all have in our hearts. As we begin our year, we need to recognise the light we all have in our hearts and how we share that with our peers, teachers and family.

Last evening we came together to celebrate our shared tea on the oval. It was lovely to welcome new and familiar faces and get to know each other as the children played. I thoroughly enjoy the sense of community these events demonstrate; community is the core of our connection.

We are looking forward to a wonderful week of swimming commencing on the 13th of February.

In My Swimming Bag, I Must Have

1. Sturdy swimming bag
2. Towel
3. Goggles
4. Change of underwear
5. Bathers
6. Rash vest
7. Drink bottle
8. Snack
9. Plastic bag for wet clothes

I would like to remind all parents and carers that they must access the school crossing if  parking on the opposite side of the school on Buckley Street. The students must walk across the crossing to enter the school at all times.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mara

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

TERM 1 2023

February

March

TERM 2 2021

April

Students have combined a Pop Art style Beach picture with a short story about their Summer Holiday break. In term 1 students are investigating Weather and Climate.

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. 

HOT LUNCH FRIDAYS!

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

Updated Hot Lunch Price List 2023

Instructions on placing an order

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

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 our librarian's 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 Sharon Garland on 5182 5659, or for online queries, contact Scholastic on 1800 021 233. The folks at Scholastic are fabulous.

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

Religious News: Friday, the 10th of February 2023

Our First School Mass for 2023 was celebrated yesterday.  It was lovely to welcome everyone back and to celebrate our Grade Six Leaders, our Foundation students, new families, new students and Mrs Williams. It was fantastic to see our parents joining our celebration.  Father Antony gave our Grade Six students a special blessing and was introduced to all our new students and Mrs. Williams.

Dates to put into your calendar:

Ash Wednesday – February 22^nd – Mass at 10:00am.  This is the start of the Season of Lent.

Sacrament of First Holy Communion – Sunday 30^th of April at 11:00am Mass

This sacrament is celebrated by students in Grade Four who are Baptised Catholics.

Kind Regards,

Sue Benc

To reduce disruption to primary schools, Catholic College Sale will hold an information evening on Thursday 23 February 2023. 

Interested families will be required to book a time for the information evening and tour.  The sessions and tours will be approximately 60 minutes duration.  It is hoped that this process will assist families in making informed decisions about appropriate secondary education for their child.

 Catholic College Sale enrolments will open on Friday 24 February 2023, and first-round offers will close on Thursday 9 March 2023.

All relevant information is available on the Catholic College Sale website: www.ccsale.catholic.edu.au   This includes an online Enrolment Form, online Information Booklet and Enrolment Policy.

I ask that you emphasize to your families that in 2022 Catholic College Sale could not place all families requesting a Year 7 placement and therefore it is important to have their application in by 24 February 2023.  The College will only move to a second-round offer if all placements are not filled.

Interviews of all applicants will take place on 29^th, 30^th and 31^st of March 2023.