St Mary's Newsletter

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus shares with the disciples, The Beatitudes. Beatitude means blessing. They show us that God’s values are not the same as the world’s values. In society, it is the winners, the wealthy, powerful, strong, beautiful, and popular who are respected the most. Jesus says that God greatly blesses the poor, lonely, and hurting, especially if they suffer because they love him. 

Our first children’s liturgy will be held during Sunday’s 10.30am Mass.  Mrs Herbert will be leading Children’s Liturgy and all families are welcome to attend.

This week the Year Three and Four classes began the CIAO Italia online program.  CIAO (Collaborative Italian Access Online) is an exciting online programme offered by the Italo-Australian Welfare & Cultural Centre Inc (IAWCC). The oral component of the programme is delivered weekly via Skype with a teacher from IAWCC. The lessons are conducted in simple Italian, using pictures, gestures and other clues to facilitate the learning and classroom teachers join in and help out during each online lesson. Each Skype lesson is followed by a practical task to consolidate learning and provide the opportunity for students to practice reading and writing in Italian.  The children and teachers in Year Three and Four enjoyed their first CIAO Italia lesson!

We are half way through our swimming lessons for the Year Three to Six students and the children are all gearing up for the Faction Swimming Carnival on the 7th  March, 2019.

The Healthy Food and Drink Choices Policy at St Mary’s includes:  

Crunch and Sip  

Crunch and Sip is a set break time where children can eat fruit or vegetables and drink water in the classroom. Students refuel with fruit or vegetables during class time each day, assisting physical and mental performance and concentration. Each student also has a water bottle in the classroom from which they can drink from throughout the day. Through Crunch and Sip, St Mary’s demonstrates its commitment to nutrition education in the classroom, by making links with the curriculum and creating a supportive school environment that promotes healthy eating.  

The objectives of the Crunch and Sip break are to:  

·         Enable students, teachers and staff to eat fruit or vegetables during all allocated Crunch and Sip break in the classroom.  

·         Encourage students, teachers and staff to drink water throughout the day in the classroom, during break times and at sports, excursions and camps.  

·         Encourage parents to provide students with fruit or vegetables every day.  

·         Develop strategies to help students who don’t have regular access to fruit and vegetables.  

Conduct Statement One:  You act safely and competently.  

For STAFF this includes but is not limited to: 

Adequate ratios on the duty roster (enough people on duty on the right time) 

High-vis vests walking students outside of the school grounds (ie swimming) 

Adequate staffing when leaving school grounds 

Not being alone in a classroom with a child 

Ensure WWC and TRBWA registration are up to date  

For PARENTS this includes but is not limited to: 

Car park safety 

Parents not approaching other students directly about an issue or concern (this must go through the classroom teacher) 

For STUDENTS this includes but is not limited to: 

Knowing the procedures and policies of the school (lock down, fire drill, bushfire)  

Knowing the boundary lines within the school  

For VISITORS/VOLUNTEERS this includes but is not limited to: 

Sign-in at the office 

Having a current Working with Children Check  

Respecting the rights and opinions of others  

The combined AGM/Parent Information Night was held on Tuesday, 12 February and was very successful.  Thank you to all the parents who came along firstly to the Parent Information Evenings and then stayed for the AGM.  A big thank you also to the P&F who organised a sausage sizzle dinner – this was well received by everyone.  Congratulations to Wade Roberts and Mel Davis who were nominated onto the School Board and to Lauren Franklin and Chesney Maloney who were nominated onto the P&F Executive.

Invoices for additional fees, which include textbooks, diaries, and IT software were sent home with the students on Wednesday.  If you haven’t received this, please check in your child’s bag.

Our first P&F meeting will be held on Monday, 18 February at 7.30pm in the Library.  Please put this date in your diary and come along to support the P&F.

God Bless and have a lovely weekend with your families. 

Ms Adriana Coniglio

Principal

St Mary's School is extremely blessed to have Sam Macdonald who comes in to provide Guitar and Piano lessons to the students.  Sam is here on a Tuesday and Wednesday.  If you would like your child to learn either instrument please contact Sam on 0401 259 181 or macdonsp@yahoo.com.au . 

Welcome to the 2019 school year at St Mary’s School. This year, I am the Religious Education Coordinator. If you have any questions and/or concerns about the Religious Education Program or Sacramental Program throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact me. We have a busy term with many liturgical and sacramental events – see below for these events, dates and times. 

Term 1 Liturgical Events 

•         Children’s Liturgy - Sunday 17th February 10:30am
•          Ash Wednesday Mass (Year 5) - Wednesday 6th March 9.00am
•          Year 6 Reading at Mass - Sunday 10th March 10:30am
•          St Joseph’s Mass (Year 6) - Tuesday 19th March 9.00am
•          Holy Week Liturgy - Friday 12th April 9.00am 

Term 1 Sacramental Events 

•       Sacramental Parent Night (for all Sacraments) - Thursday 14th March 7.00pm
•       Sacrament Commitment Masses (students are to attend one)
•       Saturday 23rd March 6:30pm
•       Sunday 24th March 10:30am
•        Saturday 30th March 6:30pm
•        Sunday 31st March 10:30am

Welcome to the new school year.   2019 has got off to a busy start getting to know each other and learning our new class prayers. This term we will be learning more about how God has given people gifts and talents to grow and share with others. These talents can be natural talents or spiritual gifts. Jesus teaches that these talents are to be used to reach out to others with love and compassion while doing God’s work. Our class focus is respect and kindness to everyone. 

Lots of exciting activities already happening in Performing Arts so far this term, from the older students going on a “Quest” to the younger children trying on hats to become new characters. Following is an outline of our focus for this term; 

Kindy and Pre Primary

Term 1 – Exploring role and dramatic action in dramatic play through games and music. 

Year 1 and Year 2

Term 1 –Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation and process drama 

Year 3 and Year 4

Term 1 – Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama. 

Year 5 and Year 6

Term 1 – Explain how dramatic action and meaning is communicated in drama they make, view and perform.

Digital Technolgies develops knowledge, understandings and skills using information systems, data and computer science.  

It encourages students to design, create and problem-solve.  It helps the students to develop skills and understandings in managing and operating to investigate, create and communicate.  

Digital technologies incorporates digital citizenship when considering ethical and social impacts of using technologies.  

We will be working with the Spheros that we purchased last year with different year groups.  The students are able to give directions to the Sphero and to put in a code for the Sphero to move.  

It's called Sphero (for its spherical shape) and it can be both controlled and programmed directly from your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. You simply connect the robot just like you would any other Bluetooth device.  All the students like working with Spheros.