St Mary's Primary School Yarram eNewsletter

Dear Parents,

As we all settle back into the routine of our “COVID normal” world we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support and understanding of the changing place we find ourselves in as we navigate each new piece of advice as it is given. We have been advised this week by DOSCEL that temperature checks will no longer be required. We have also been advised that Grade 6 Graduation ceremonies can take place, however what this event may involve and look like will be guided by DOSCEL.

Since returning to face-to-face learning this term, our focus for the children is about keeping things as normal as possible and allowing them time to socially reconnect with their peers and settle back into the routine of school each day. An important part of this is helping the children to re-establish and/or develop friendships with each other. We know strong friendships allow children to grow into well-adjusted adults with strong social skills. The Department of Education website has some tips for how you as parents can support this:

Your child’s friendships can often change. It is the quality of friends that your child has that is important, not the number. Whether your child has one special friend or many friends isn’t the issue. As long as they are happy and content, they’ll do fine.

Sometimes your child will argue with their friends. Not all arguments are bad. They are an important part of growing up. Talk to your child about:

what things they like to do with their friends
the things they like about their friends
the ways your child could show their friends how much they mean to them
how their friendships are going. If there are problems, this gives your child a chance to talk to you about them.

Listen to your child and use open-ended questions.

Sometimes friends do things that upset us. This doesn’t mean the friendship has to end. Understanding that everyone makes mistakes is an important lesson to learn.

Friendships are usually made between people who have the same interests. Making friends can take time. Some children find it easy to make friends. Others find it difficult. You know your child best. If you know your child is nervous or shy when making friends, you can encourage them to:

say hello and smile
look for another child who seems shy and talk to them
ask questions to start a conversation, like what do you like to do outside of school or do you like Maths, music, running?
listen to other children when they are talking and find out if they have things in common.

You can also support your child’s interests and get them involved in clubs or groups. This means they can make friends with children outside of school too.

If your child has friendship concerns, the staff at St Mary’s are always willing to support them in navigating through this situation. Being proactive is always important in these situations so please contact the school or your child’s teacher if you have any concerns with your child’s friendship situation.

Enjoy your Melbourne Cup long weekend!

Kind regards,

Joel

What Is the Fastest-Growing Plant on Earth?

Isn't bamboo-a funny name for the fastest-growing plant on earth. Did you know that bamboo can grow almost 120cm tall in one day, just twenty-four hours?

For many years, bamboo has been used to make baskets, musical wind instruments, and fishing poles. Today there are a lot of fancier fishing poles, but now bamboo is being used in many other ways. Unlike some wood that is heavy and soft, properly treated bamboo forms a very hard "wood" that is lightweight but strong, so it can be used to make furniture or even some houses.

And recently, a company made a laptop computer with an outer case made of bamboo, and another company is making skateboards and snowboards from bamboo. And if your family ever brings Chinese takeout food home for dinner, it just might include some chewy bits of bamboo shoots.

Isn't it interesting that God made a plant that has young shoots tender enough to be used in delicious Chinese cooking but grow fast and becomes strong enough to be used to make a skateboard?

Don't be bamboozled into believing it if somebody tells you that bamboo is just a funny-looking plant. You tell them that bamboo is a baffling, bewildering plant that can be used in a bazillion ways!

TERM 4

Friday 30th October - Fun Friday World Teachers Day dress up as a teacher

Monday 2nd November - School Closure Day

Tuesday 3rd November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Tuesday 10th November - 2021 Prep Transition Day 9.30am - 12.00pm

Friday 13th November - Fun Friday School Disco

Tuesday 17th November - 2021 Prep Transition Day 9.30am - 12.00pm

Tuesday 17th November - School Advisory Board Metting @ 5.15pm followed by the end of year dinner at 7.00pm at the Country Club.

Wednesday 18th November - School Photos - order packs will go home in the coming weeks

Tuesday 24th November - 2021 Prep Transition Day 9.30am - 12.00pm

Wednesday 25th November - Parent/Teacher Interviews 2.00pm - 7.00pm (virtually or over the phone).

Friday 4th December -Fun Friday Colour Run

Thursday 10th December - End of Year Mass & Year 6 Graduation Lunch (More information will be sent home as we receive COVID-19 updates from Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd.)

Friday 11th December- Year 6 Graduation Fun Day

Friday 18th December - Last Day of Term 4, 1.00pm finish

2021

Thurday 28th January - First day for students for 2021

SCHOOL FEES

Reminder to families that school fees are now due unless period payments are in place.

Please contact Heather at the school office if you have any questions in regards to school fees.

Prep 2021 Enrolments

2021 Prep transition days have been scheduled for 10th, 17th & 24th November 2020. If you have a child attending Foundation level next year, enrolment forms are needed ASAP.

Enrolment application forms can be downloaded from our website - stmyarram.catholic.edu.au
or collected from our School Office between Mon- Fri 9.00am – 3:00pm

Forms can be emailed to hleemon@stmyarram.catholic.edu.au along with the extra required information attached – Birth Certificate, Immunisation Certificate and Baptism Certificate

They can also be completed and returned to our School Office – we ask that you please return your enrolments as soon as possible.

Junior Classroom Activity

This week in Indonesian the Junior Space learned about forests in Indonesia and some of the animals and things you can find within them. They learned some words such as Hutan-forest, ular-snake, harimau-tiger and kelapa-coconut!

Dress up like a teacher Fun Friday

Don't forget tomorrow is Fun Friday

Dress up Like a Teacher Day.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays- Summer Uniform

Girls Summer Uniform:

Blue check dress
Short white socks
Grey Skorts
White short-sleeved polo shirt with emblem
Royal blue school jumper
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 & Thursdays—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. If the weather is cold students are allowed to wear their winter uniform.

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

A flexible approach to raising kids

Please View Article

Parent Teacher Interview (phone or Video)

Teachers will be holding parent/teacher interviews either by phone or video call on Wednesday 25th November 2.00pm - 7.00pm. Students are not required to be part of the Parent/Teacher Interviews.

To make a booking please go to

go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the event code vnt7f.
or click on this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code?code=vnt7f

Enter the information required

Email
Parents Name
Phone Number
Preferred Interview Method - enter (Phone OR Video)
number of students
Students Full Name
Choose Junior or Senior Teachers
GO
Choose the time(s) you want.
GO

Interviews are strictly 10 minutes only. To allow for technical issues it is vital that parents keep to this schedule and end their appointments in a timely manner. If you think you will need more time, please discuss this with your teacher at the appointment.

If you have selected a video appointment, PLEASE KEEP THE EMAIL SOMEWHERE SAFE. You will need to return to the email on the day of your appointment.

3 minutes before your appointment time, click on the VIDEO LINK (next to your appointment time) and follow the onscreen instructions.

If you have selected a phone appointment, please check that the phone number you have provided is correct.

5 minutes before your appointment is due to start, please have your phone nearby. The teacher will call you and may be calling from a number without any caller ID (Silent number).

If you have any further enquiries, please contact the school office on 5182 5659

SCHOOL ABSENCES

Parents are legally required to notify the school of any absence during the school year. This notification may be done via the school website, school app, by phone, email - hleemon@stmyarram.catholic.edu.au or in writing. When there is an unexplained absence, parents will be contacted by phone and if parents are unable to be contacted student emergency contacts will be phoned.