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Dear Parents and Friends of St Mary’s,
We had a fantastic night coming together for our school BBQ on Tuesday. The weather was looming, but we enjoyed each other's company welcoming new families and sharing delicious food. I would like to thank Janette, Ian and Anthony for cooking the BBQ and setting up marquees. I would also thank the staff for cleaning up and making scrumptious salads.
This week we celebrated Harmony Week and focused on the importance of cultural diversity. The students wore orange to highlight the importance of how we embrace and celebrate different cultures. The money raised from the children's gold coin donation will form part of our donation to Caritas Australia and Caritas Ukraine. So far, we have raised $ 391.00.
We are all excited for the Grade 3-4 students who will be busily packing their bags this weekend, ready for three days of fun and adventures at Forest Lodge from Monday to Wednesday. After missed opportunities over the last two years, this will be their first camp, and the nervous yet excited chatter coming from the students is wonderful to hear.
We will come together tomorrow to celebrate the theme of peace for our school liturgy. We pray for those surrounded by war and violence in these troubled times and a future unknown and fragile.
Kida Regards,
Maria
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
TERM 1 2022
March
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|
25th Last day for Book Club orders Hot Lunch day -orders to be in by 9:00 |
||||
|
28th Grade 3 & 4 camp - Forest Lodge |
29th Grade 3 & 4 camp - Forest Lodge |
30th Grade 3 & 4 camp - Forest Lodge |
31st
|
April
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|
1st Yarram & District Athletics Hot Lunch day -orders to be in by 9:00 |
||||
| 4th School closure day | 5th | 6th | 7th |
8th Hot Lunch day -orders to be in by 9:00 Last day of Term 1, school reopens on 26th April.  |
|
25th Anzac Day Holiday |
26th Term Two begins for Students |
27th Grade 5&6 Melbourne Camp |
28th Grade 5&6 Melbourne Camp |
29th Grade 5&6 Melbourne Camp Hot Lunch day -orders to be in by 9:00 |
|
2nd Cross Country |
3rd |
4th | 5th |
6th |
HARMONY WEEK
This week (21st Monday - 27th Sunday) is Harmony Week, which celebrates Australian multiculturalism and our amazing diversity.
On Tuesday, 22nd March, our students were encouraged to wear something orange with their uniforms to represent Harmony Week.
Most of us remembered and where we forgot, we improvised!
NATIONAL CLOSE THE GAP DAY
National Close the Gap Day is an annual awareness event that aims to close the health and life expectancy gap between the indigenous and the non-indigenous communities in Australia. This year our school captains were honoured to be able to participate in a smoking ceremony at the Yarram Hospital.
St Mary's will be holding a lucky jar stall at the Yarram Easter Country Fair.
Saturday, 16th April, from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Yarram Recreation Reserve.
Whe have 30 jars filled already, we would like to have 200 jars (or as close as we can to 200) and your help would be very much appreciated.
We have some jars that are ready to be filled. If you would like us to send jars home, please call the office or send us an email.
Help Required prior and on the day of the Carnival:
- help on the day at the stall
- numbering the jars
- purchasing products to make extra jars (schools expense)
- making up extra jars as we are hoping to have 200 or more lucky jars on the day.
- donation of empty jars.
Please contact Debbie at the school office if you can help with any of the above.
Easter Raffle Donations.
We are asking all families to help support our Easter Raffle by making a donation towards the prizes. This could be Easter Eggs or something else that reflects Easter.
Please drop your donations into the office before Friday 1st April.
Thank you for all your support.
Easter Raffle 2022.
Tickets have already been sent home with the students. Tickets cost $1 each and there are 20 tickets in a booklet.
Please return all sold and unsold tickets to the office by Tuesday 5th April.
Raffle will be drawn at school on Wednesday 6th April.
We Pray For Peace- This Is Our Call
March 25th- World Day of Prayer for Peace
On Friday the 25th of March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, Pope Francis has called all
Catholics together to pray for peace. As we pray, Pope Francis and other religious leaders around the
world will consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the hopes of lasting peace.
During the week Butterfly House ( an organisation started by Andrew Chinn
and fellow artists – we sing a lot of their songs at our Masses and Liturgies)
released ‘Sunflowers’ by Timothy Hart- A song of solidarity, offered in prayer
and hope to the people of Ukraine, and also in support of the Caritas appeal.
The sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower where golden fields of them face
the sunrise in the east. They are grown in gardens, worn for special
celebrations, the seeds - part of the diet, and oil a big part of the economy.
Because of their affinity to the sun, sunflowers symbolise warmth and love,
and throughout Ukraine’s history, have become a symbol of peace. In recent
weeks, the sunflower has become a global symbol for strength, resistance and
solidarity.
As you watch the clip, notice how the fields of sunflowers resemble the crowds
of people gathered in protest in various locations around the world. As you
listen, notice the bright ring of the tambourine - an instrument which
epitomises protest, and is used to musically represent the warmth of the
sunflower.
The song also draws on the imagery of the nightingale - Ukraine’s national bird.
The nightingale is renowned for its beautiful warbling song, and is a symbol of
hope and freedom. As you watch the lyric-video you will see the blue and gold
nightingale sing her song of peace and justice bringing warmth and colour. The
nightingale is like the Holy Spirit at work in the world, speaking out through the
voices of all those who stand in solidarity with Ukraine waving their signs.
As you listen, notice the fluttering movements of the piano, which resemble
the warble of the nightingale. As we pray for the needs of the world today, we
ask that the people of Ukraine are held in warmth and love, and that the
conflict will come to a peaceful end. We also pray for one another that we
have the courage and strength to speak up and speak out against wrong doing
and harm in our world as we choose to ‘stand with’ those who are oppressed.
May this give us hope. May we be hope for one another.
Kind Regards
Sue Benc
(This article was written by the Butterfly House organisation)
POSSUM MAGIC!
Our Junior Class have been reading the delightful storybook about an invisible possum who journeys with her grandmother on a culinary adventure to make herself visible again.
Our students coloured and decorated little possums with 'magic' glitter and wrote about what they would do if they were invisible.
Our middle class students have been reading the beautifully illustrated book: 'You and Me : Our Place'. A touching book of connection between old and young, culture and tradition and the friendships we form along the way. They picked a page that spoke to them and wrote a few words about that page.
The Senior Class students have been studying about the Daintree Rainforest and have composed their own poems about what they learned.
A parenting style for the ages
Thereʼs been a great deal of conversation lately about the most appropriate parenting style to raise kids eectively. How do you get cooperation from your child without nagging, yelling or using other less pleasant, coercive means? How do you build a strong connection with your child or young person, so that they you can build a lasting and respectful relationship?
