St Mary's School Donald Newsletter

St. Mary's community, with Jesus as our inspiration, aims to educate and nurture the development of the whole child.

MISSION STATEMENTS:

Catholic Culture

As part of St. Mary's Parish, and inspired by our Catholic faith, we care for all people and creation.

Community Engagement

Work in close partnership with families, parish and the Donald community to enhance faith, student learning and well-being.

Learning and Teaching

Provide opportunities for each student to achieve their academic potential in an engaging, contemporary educational environment.

Well-Being

Ensure a child-safe, respectful and inclusive environment that celebrates achievement, promotes dignity and resiliency.

Leadership and Stewardship

Be educators, with a clear sense of purpose and direction, who work collaboratively to deliver quality outcomes for all students.

Hello everyone,

Our beautiful weather is just starting to ease into the season of Autumn which is a reminder to pack those jumpers for the cooler mornings.

We would like to let the O'Shannessy family know that our prayers and thoughts are with them at this sad time on the passing of Elizabeth (Liz). Liz was a lovely lady and great friend in the towns of Banyena and Donald. Please keep Robert, Fabian, Celeste, Rory, Cameron and Tristan in your prayers. Also we keep Anne Anderson in our prayers with the sudden loss of her nephew, Clinton

On Friday we have the St. Patrick's Grade 5 & 6 students attending our school to be part of the Caritas Leadership Day. This will be an opportunity for our cluster school students to get together. Thanks to Mrs. Hogan for organising the day.

Next Monday is a school closure day. Staff will be preparing for the school review with guidance from Christine Bulger and Murray Macdonald from our Diocese offices.

Have an enjoyable week.

Melissa Drum

Friday April 1st - Grade 5 & 6 Caritas Leadership Day

Monday April 4th - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Friday April 8th - Last Day of Term 1 - 2.30pm finish

Monday April 25th - ANZAC Day public Holiday

Tuesday April 26th - Start of Term 2

God, Father and Creator,

we thank you for all the gifts

you have given us, 

especially your Son.

During this holy season of Lent,

help us to change and grow and

become the kind of people

you created us to be.

Fill our hearts with love for you,

and love for other people,

created in your image.

Show us how to use the gifts you have given us

to help others in your name.

As we journey together toward the light of Easter,

we know you are with us in all that we do.

May we live always as people of your kingdom

praising your name now and forever.

AMEN

This Friday, students in Grades 4, 5 & 6 will participate in a Caritas Just Leadership Day at St. Mary's. We will be joined by the senior students from St. Patrick's in St. Arnaud.

Caritas Australia runs Just Leadership Days to engage students with social justice issues, and to encourage them to be just leaders, in their schools and in their communities, for both local and global change. At Caritas Australia, it is the belief that modifying structures that cause poverty requires personal transformation first. Just Leadership Days are one of the core education components. The purpose of Just Leadership Days is to enable students to challenge injustices, and to develop the leadership qualities to encourage others to do the same.

Students will need to bring their morning snack, lunch and drinker bottle as usual for the day. 

A reminder that there is NO SCHOOL for students on Monday April 4th.

Staff will be in attendance to participate in Professional Development.

NO STUDENTS will attend on this day.

Last Friday our Grade 6 school leaders, Sophie, Zachariah, Libby, Elijah and Skye, presented their speeches in the Multi-Purpose Room.

What wonderful school leaders we have again this year. All students spoke very well and were all proud to be a St. Mary's leader in 2022.

We congratulate all our school leaders and wish them well for their final year at primary school and into the future.

Today we had a visit from Martin Nunn, the new police officer at Donald Police Station.

Martin  visited to speak to students about what he does and to familiarise himself with St. Mary's and the students. 

Students asked lots of questions and were each given the opportunity to try on Martin's police hat and vest. 

I think we may have a few prospective police officers in our ranks!

Thank you to Martin for his visit. He will return soon and bring the Police car with him.

Don't forget to return your Project Compassion donation box.

Boxes need to be returned to school by May 2022.

Solomon Islands

Shaniella from the Solomon Islands was determined to forge a path out of poverty, moving away to a rural vocational school. With your support, she was able to overcome the challenges of natural disasters, and gain the skills she needs to create a brighter future for herself.

Shaniella grew up in a remote village in the Solomon Islands in a province which has limited educational and job opportunities – and one of the country’s highest poverty rates. 

After leaving school, she decided to move closer to the capital city, Honiara, to study hospitality and tourism. 

However, her vocational training school was hit by a landslide and cyclone in quick succession, destroying its water supply system and the vegetable garden that it relies on for food. The landslide destroyed the school’s main source of water, damaged school buildings and devastated the garden which the school relies on for food. 

With your kind support, Caritas Australia Solomon Islands (CASI) was able to help the school to install eight water tanks. This restored students’ access to clean drinking water and the tanks also supply water to nearby schools, health centres and the wider community.

CASI also supported the school by providing it with improved planting materials, 200 chickens, and training in agricultural skills and poultry management, to help it to boost its food security. 

To ensure that the school is better prepared to respond to future disasters, CASI ran Disaster Risk Reduction training workshops, raising awareness about evacuation procedures and how to respond during an emergency. It provided additional support when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, by helping the school to improve hygiene practices to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Shaniella can now complete her job skills training and the school has enough food and water for its students. She is also better prepared when disaster strikes and can share her knowledge with her community back home.  

Your generous support can help young people in the Solomon Islands to build bright futures for themselves - and for future generations. 

Along with your generous support, this program is supported by the Australian Government, through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP). 

The third dose vaccination requirements apply to any visitor or volunteer performing work on the school site. This includes:

• volunteers that attend an education facility and that work in close proximity to children, students or staff, (including parent helpers) 

Visitors and volunteers must adhere to COVIDSafe requirements - including vaccination, physical distancing, face mask requirements, cough etiquette, and good hand hygiene.

We require all visitors and volunteers to present to the office BEFORE entering any other part of the school.

If you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact the school.

In Victorian Catholic schools, parents, carers and other adult visitors who enter school buildings must be able to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid medical exemption.

The following limited exceptions apply:

• when attending to administer medical treatment to their own child when treatment cannot be administered by the school
• when attending to collect their child who is unwell and cannot leave the school building unaccompanied by their parent/carer
• when attending for a momentary period that does not involve any sustained contact with staff or students, for example to collect a completed art project, collecting a rapid antigen test or similar.

Again, we ask that ALL visitors present to the office BEFORE entering any other part of the school.

In all Ballarat Diocesan Catholic Primary Schools, tuition fee discounts are available to families eligible for a means tested Centrelink or Veteran Affairs concession card. The scheme offers tuition fee discounts to both Catholic and non-Catholic families, to new and current students. If you are eligible for the above concession card and require further information regarding this scheme, please contact the school office for more information.

• Isolate at home or in private accommodation for 7 days (inclusive of weekends) and do not attend school during this period.
• Inform the school that they have tested positive to COVID-19.
• A negative test result is not required to return to school following completion of 7 days of isolation.
• Follow the Checklist for COVID cases located at: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist-cases

• You have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation or care facility.
• Follow the Checklist for COVID contacts located at: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist-cases
• Student must quarantine for 7 days (inclusive of weekends) and must not attend school during this period.
• Contact at school is not included in this definition, unless the contact has occurred in a school based residential setting, e.g. school camp or boarding school.

• If asymptomatic, students should continue to attend school and monitor for symptoms.
• If symptomatic, they must stay or return home, take a rapid antigen test.
• On receipt of a negative test result, and if well enough, the student can return to school. If students are too unwell to attend school, usual leave/absence policies apply.
• Follow the Checklist for COVID contacts at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist-cases

• Girls - Summer dress or pale blue polo shirt with school logo and navy shorts/skort, maroon jumper, plain white socks, black shoes
• Boys - Pale blue polo shirt with school logo, grey shorts, maroon jumper, grey socks, black shoes.
• Sport - Red polo shirt with school logo, navy shorts, plain white socks, runners (Wednesday and Friday)
• Hats - Students must have a navy school hat to wear in the playground in Terms 1 & 4

Other uniform requirements

Earrings - Students may only wear sleepers or small studs

Nail Polish - Students are not to wear nail polish to school

Tattoos - Students may not wear visible temporary tattoos or transfers

Hair - Students with hair below the collar of their shirt or dress must tie it back.

Please make sure that if any of your contact details have changed that you notify the office.

This includes telephone numbers, addresses and details of your emergency contacts.

It is vital that we have current details, especially if we need to contact you or your emergency contacts urgently.

A details form can be found on the app.

During 2017 the Minister for Education reviewed the Attendance Guidelines. An updated Attendance Guideline document has been completed. A copy of the full document will be placed on the School App and Website.  

·         Schools must advise parents/guardians of unexplained absences on the same day, as soon as practicable.

·         In accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6-17 years.

·         Families are reminded that they can use the School App to record absences, ring the school from 8.30am on 54971116 or 0418 701650 or email  principal@smdonald.catholic.edu.au

Please note that if you have not contacted the school by 9.30am to advise of your child/children’s absence, the school will make contact with you, either by a telephone call or a text message.