Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and could take some time to rest and relax.  It was lovely to hear the excited greetings and chats from the children as they shared holiday stories and caught up with each other. We have a jam-packed and exciting term ahead, so let's enjoy Term Four.

This is the latest correspondence from the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit.

RE: Pertussis (whooping cough) Outbreak Notification   

 There has been a recent diagnosis of pertussis (whooping cough) in three children who attended St Mary’s Primary School, Yarram, during the month of September 2024.  

To prevent further spread of pertussis (whooping cough) to others in the school community, the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit (GRPHU) advises you to: 

• Exclude children and staff with pertussis from school whilst infectious 
• For public health purposes, a case is considered infectious if within: 
• 21 days after the onset of any cough or 
• Before completing five days of an appropriate antibiotic course. 
• Exclude children aged less than seven years who are not fully vaccinated AND were in the same room with a child diagnosed with whooping cough (referred to as a “contact”) 
• Inform the school community that pertussis is circulating and provide advice on how to reduce the spread of pertussis. 

You may use the attached Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Frequently Asked Questions (Primary School and Children’s Services). 

• Provide regular updates to the school community if more students and staff are diagnosed with pertussis.
• Keep the attached line list updated.

 For more information on pertussis (whooping cough): 

• Please see Better Health Channel – Whooping Cough 

• RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL: 

  • Frequently Asked Questions for School Community: Pertussis  - attached.

  For more detailed information on pertussis and vaccinations, refer to the following resources: 

  • Maternal and Child Health Services 
  • Department of Health – Pertussis 
  • Australian Immunisation Handbook – Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine 
  • For local vaccination appointments in: 

  o    Baw Baw, Bass Coast, South Gippsland, Wellington and East Gippsland 

  o    Latrobe City – contact the Latrobe City Council Immunisation Team on:

  1300 367 700   

  • For a pertussis factsheet available in other languages, refer to the Pertussis (whooping cough) Factsheet—Health Translations. 

  We recognise that there may be some concerns or anxiety regarding pertussis case(s). If you would like to discuss this further or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit via email at grphu.cd@lrh.com.au.

  Please abide by the information provided to keep us all safe and well.

Maria

Prayer for Peace Within

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

- Minnie Louise Haskins

Parent/Teacher/Student interviews will be held from 1:45 - 7:00 pm on  Thursday, 17th October.  

To Book your meeting, Go to:

http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/ufdmt

Or open this link in your browser: www.schoolinterviews.com.au

and enter the code ufdmt

Or scan the QR code below:

Enter your details

Select the teachers you wish to see

Select the appointment times that suit your family best

When you click FINISH; your selected bookings will be emailed to you immediately. If you do not receive your email, please check your junk mail, or enter the event code again and check your email address spelling.

Update your details if the email address is incorrect.
DO NOT DELETE the email you receive. Keep it somewhere safe. You may
need to refer back to it at a later date.

REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR APPOINTMENTS TO YOUR CALENDAR - reminders will not
be sent home.
Bookings must be finalised by Monday, 14th October 2024

If you need to view, cancel, change or print your bookings:
● Click on the link in the confirmation email you received after you made your bookings
● OR return to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code and the email address you used when making your bookings.

Please keep in mind that interviews are strictly 10 minutes and spaces are limited. If you require more time with a particular teacher, please arrange a separate meeting by telephoning the school on 03 51825659

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthdays this fortnight. We hope you have a wonderful day.

Abigail Griffiths - 15th October

Leeroy Griffin - 17th October

Mental Health and Wellbeing News

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4. The year has gone so quickly and before we know it we will be celebrating Christmas. This Term the school-wide expectation we are focusing on is “Be a Learner”. Being an active learner includes having a positive mindset, being engaged, having ambition, and setting goals for oneself.  Helping your child develop these skills is a way to assist them become life-long learners.

Active learning is where children engage in their learning by thinking, discussing, investigating and creating. Children need to be doing more than just listening in order to learn. It is not passive. In order to be active in learning, our children need to be empowered to learn. This can be encouraged at home as well as at school. The learning does not have to be academic but can involve lots of things that you might do at home.

EMPOWERING THE LEARNER

When learners are empowered they become motivated, work harder and strive to do well. For our children, when they feel empowered, then learning is going to be more fun and they will be happier. This is true not only in learning but in all aspects of life.

How can we empower our children in their learning? These can be done at school and also at home. 

1. Help them find their passion 
2. Encourage critical thinking, debate and expressing ideas
3. Brainstorm
4. Encourage problem solving
5. Find opportunities to use leadership skills

It is wonderful to see your children participating well in what they are learning. It can be easy to bog children down with unnecessary stuff that can drain their motivation. 

How we can engage learners:

1. Set goals. You can do this together, especially if your child is older. When expectations are known, it is easier to keep attention and motivation.
2. Make learning favourable for your child.
3. Choose an area that interests your child.
4. Give rewards. Met a goal? Reward! Working ahead of schedule? Reward! There are many different types of rewards, from some time off or screen time, or a tangible something they have been wanting. 

Working together as a school/home partnership will ensure our students have the best opportunities available to them to “Be a Learner” and gain valuable skills and insights into their own learning styles.

If you have any questions or would like further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Deb Owens

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader.

Religious News:  Thursday 10^th of October

Welcome to the month of the Rosary.

Along with the cross and the holy water fonts, the small beads that make up the Rosary Beads are the most familiar and recognised symbols of Catholicism.  The main function of the Rosary Beads is to count prayers, the prayers that are counted on rosary beads are collectively known as the Rosary.

The word rosary means “crown of roses” and each prayer in the rosary is considered a flower presented to Mary. The prayers we repeat are biblical and the mysteries we meditate upon are taken from the lives of Jesus and Mary.

The Rosary is meant as a family prayer and traditionally many families would pray the Rosary each evening as a family together.

October includes the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary which was on Monday the 7^th of October.

Hail Mary, full of Grace.

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Prayer for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RERoQ1biLdE&t=176s

Kind Regards

Sue Benc

Please note that we are making the transition into our Summer uniforms. All students will be expected to come to school wearing their full Summer uniforms from Monday, 21st October 2024.

Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays - Summer Uniform

Girls' Summer Uniform:

• Blue check dress
• Short white socks 
• Grey Skorts
• White short-sleeved polo shirt with emblem
• Royal blue school jumper
• White socks
• Black leather school shoes
• Blue/white or grey ribbons

Boys' Summer Uniform :

• Grey school shorts
• White short-sleeved polo shirt with emblem
• Blue school jumper
• Grey socks, black leather school shoes or boots

Tuesdays & Fridays - Sports Uniform

Girls' Sports Uniform:

• Royal blue track pants/ shorts or sports skorts
• Royal blue sports polo with emblem
• Royal blue sports jacket or polo fleece jumper
• White socks
• Sneakers

Boys' Sports Uniform:

• Royal blue track pants or shorts
• Royal blue sports polo with emblem
• Royal blue sports jacket or polo fleece jumper 
• White socks
• Sneakers

Leggings are not part of the school uniform and are not to be worn under school dresses or skorts.

School Hats must be worn at recess and lunch times in Term 4. 

Sneakers are only to be worn on Sports days (Tuesdays and Fridays)

Grade 6 Students may wear their Grade 6 Polo on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.