Dear Parents and Friends of St Mary’s,

Welcome back to Term Three, and what a busy and exciting term we have ahead of us.

I hope you all could get some well-deserved rest time over the holidays and were not having to deal with lurgies and colds that wreaked havoc over the last term.

The students are busily preparing for the Eisteddfod, and from what I have seen and heard over the past few days, the students are well underway with their recitations, vocal groups and play. The newsletter and Class Dojo will make all Eisteddfod details available in the coming weeks.

As we face another wave of COVID, below is the latest information regarding the use of face masks. 

The Victorian Government has supplied schools with a stock of N95 masks suitable for staff and older children. Child-size surgical masks are available for younger students, therefore all staff and students have access to a range of appropriate face mask options.

Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you. Face masks stop droplets from spreading when you talk, cough, sneeze and laugh, which lowers your chance of spreading or catching COVID-19.

Schools should communicate the following face mask advice to staff, students and families:

• It is strongly recommended that face masks are worn indoors (noting that exceptions to the recommendation apply to teaching circumstances when clear enunciation or visibility of the mouth is essential).
• Any students or staff members who wish to wear a face mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk.
• Everyone aged eight (8) years or over must wear a face mask when travelling on public transport, taxis or ride-share vehicles unless a lawful exemption applies. This includes when travelling to and from school, school activities, school camps and excursions on school buses or via public transport.

We continue to follow all COVID safe measures for our school to prevent the risk of spreading infection.

Take care,

Maria.

TERM 3:

Monday, 15th August

TERM 4:

Monday, 31st October

SCHOOL TV SPECIAL REPORT - MANAGING OVERWHELM

Willingly or not, we have all been exposed to a piece of bad news that has lingered in our thoughts for days afterward. This seems to be more common in the current environment than ever before. Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place, so it is easy to see why we might feel impacted. It can often seem like there are many stressful events occurring simultaneously, and the hyperconnected nature of our environment means we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can often leave us feeling overwhelmed.

Please click on this link to visit the School TV website

Happy Birthday to Kyle Banfield, who celebrates his birthday on the 19th of July. We hope you have a wonderful day!

Book Club catalogues were sent home with all students, please note that orders are due back by Monday, 1st August.

SPECIAL BOOK CLUB NEWS - Grow your library (and independent readers) with the FREE BOOK OFFER!

If you place an order on Issue 5 on LOOP, you can select up to 3 FREE BOOKS. To qualify, all you have to do is spend over $30 and you can select 1 FREE book, spend over $50 and select 2 FREE books, and orders over $70 can select 3 FREE titles from a special online list. The list will display after you create your order and head to the checkout. For more information, visit: www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP

Religious News:  Week One Term Three

The Bible

During Term Two we began to study the Bible more closely within our Learning Spaces.  We had many thoughts and wonderings about the Bible.

We asked ‘What is the Bible?’ and ‘What does it contain?’

The Bible is a Sacred collection of books written by people who believed in God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).  The writers of the Bible tell us about their lives and God’s presence in their lives.  It contains messages which we consider as religious truths.  The Bible was written in ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek and was deliberately collected and edited. The Bible is Jewish and Christian Scriptures and comes in many versions. The Bible has two parts; The Old Testament and the New Testament.

We have created a Bible display outside the Art Room where classes can gather to learn more about the Bible.  If you come through the school, please stop and have a look.

Kind Regards

Sue Benc

Parent/Teacher/Student interviews will be held from 2:00 - 7:00 pm on  Wednesday, 27th July. 

To Book your meeting, Go to:

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

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

and enter the code wceez

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 Friday, 22nd July 2022

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

Last week National NAIDOC Week celebrations were held across Australia, to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.  Boomerangs are an internationally recognised symbol of Australia. For Aboriginal people, the boomerang is a symbol of cultural endurance and a tangible link to their long presence on this continent. The boomerang features in Aboriginal creation mythology, and for Aboriginal people, the boomerang is considered as old as the continent.

As part of our celebrations of NAIDOC Week, all students were able to design and paint a model of a boomerang after learning more about the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  The wooden boomerangs were made and donated to the school by Dave Hester.  Thank you, Dave.

As you may be aware, at the moment more and more children are coming into foster care programs across Victoria and there are not enough carers available to meet these needs, meaning children are often moved from short-term to short-term options. It is imperative that we understand the importance of stable, safe homes that foster their well-being, esteem, and positive cultural identities and how this can directly impact their receptiveness to education. If you are able to spread the word and support VACCA to raise awareness of the need for foster carers, you will be supporting children who are at risk to find stability, safety, nurturing and the home-based care they need; to be able to focus on healing, empowerment and be able to achieve their dreams and goals.

Please click to view flyer