St Mary's Bulletin

We accept apologies and give others the opportunity to do the right thing and to have another chance.

This Sunday, we begin the season of Advent, a period of preparation extending over the four Sundays before Christmas. The word  Advent  comes from the Latin advenio, "to come to," and refers to the coming of Christ.  The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent is a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ. 

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the color violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice. 

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah. 

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. 

The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical colour for joy. The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent. 

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.” 

This year, we will be holding one liturgy to acknowledge the season of Advent, on Monday, 5 December at 9.00am in the Hall.  All are welcome to join us.

The students have all been working hard preparing their items – I have been fortunate to hear and see glimpses of it from my office during rehearsals.  The Kindy to Year Two concert will begin at 5.30pm and the Year Three to Six concert at 7.00pm. I can't wait to see you all there for what I'm sure will be another fantastic St Mary's School Concert!

Thank you to those families that were able to attend the AGM on Monday night.  Families were able to meet and hear from Mr Andy Di Carlantonio, learn about what is planned for 2023,  and learn what the class structures and teacher allocations were for the new year.  The 2023 Budget was also presented along with the 2023 Fee Structure.

 Our school has been approved to increase our school fees in line with the changes to the overall funding model for Catholic schools in Western Australia. Our school and Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) are able to utilise a greater level of data to inform how we determine fees in a way that better matches our school and community’s unique context.

 As a result, and in consultation with CEWA, the School Advisory Council has endorsed next year’s school fees as shown in the table below.  This table outlines the fee structure for each year group.

 I understand that the increase in fees comes at a time where cost of living pressures are impacting families across Western Australia. For this reason, CEWA and the school’s focus has been to minimise any increases to fees for 2023.

 The fee increases are determined by changes to the Federal Government’s Direct Measure of Income (DMI), which reflects, that families within our communities would be able to contribute more to their child’s education. However, if your family’s individual circumstances mean that this increase will impact on your school choice please contact me directly, to discuss your concerns.

Catholic Education in WA provides an important choice in schooling for more WA families than ever, and our school remains committed to providing the high quality, Christ-centred and child-focused education that our families have come to expect.

I wrote in the Bulletin of Week Five that we, like many workforces, have found it difficult to attract staffing despite advertising through a number of mediums. This is not an issue limited to just our school or our town it is state-wide and nation-wide. The staffing and class allocations from Year Three to Year Five are subject to change, if and when an extra teacher is employed.  I have spoken with Mr Di Carlantonio and we will continue to advertise for a teacher until mid-January. You will be informed by email of any changes.

There will be no change to the staffing and class compositions up to Year Two.

We will be holding our 2023 Kindy and Pre-Kindy Orientation sessions on Monday in the Library.  The Kindy Orientation will be held at 9.00am and the Pre-Kindy Orientation at 2.15pm.  We still have some vacancies in both year levels for 2023, so if you know someone who is considering sending their child to St Mary’s School please direct them to contact the Office for further information.  Word of mouth is definitely our best advertisement. 

Congratulations go to Clancy Sutherland (Year Three) who received a Distinction in the UNSW ICAS Mathematics Assessment.  Clancy was presented with his certificate at last week's assembly.  

God Bless and have a lovely weekend with your families.

Ms Adriana Coniglio

Principal

As per Semester One, reports can be accessed via Seqta Engage from 8 December. Seqta Engage can be found on the link below: 

https://stmarysmerredin.engage.cewa.edu.au

 If you have forgotten your password, there is a button to press that will reset the password. 

 If you require any assistance in setting up or accessing Seqta Engage, please email zoe.omalley@cewa.edu.au 

Kind Regards,

Zoe O'Malley

Assistant Principal

The school currently has a large collection of lost property in its lost property box located outside the unisex toilets. if your child is missing any items please call in and check to see if any of the missing items are there.