Dear Parents,

Welcome back to everyone to Term Three. I trust that you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday. I know that many of our families headed overseas or interstate for better weather. I hope you have all enjoyed the time spent with your children and that the children have come back to school refreshed and ready for the challenges of Term Three. There are still a number of families who haven’t returned to school this week as many have older siblings who attend independent schools which have an extra week's holiday.

This term will be a great opportunity for some intensive teaching and learning to take place with very few interruptions. This week was Wellbeing Week meaning that the focus in the classrooms has been around wellbeing and readdressing the expectations of behaviour. This term will be busy with the Centenary celebrations, School Production and everything.

This Saturday night will see the school celebrate its centenary with a ball at Sandringham Football Ground. Like with all of these events a lot of work goes into making them successful not only from a community aspect but also as a fundraising event. We have received incredible support from the St Mary's community as well as local businesses, donating their time, goods and services to auction off this week. You will be able to bid on all items listed here until 9pm on the day of our Gala Ball - Saturday 20th July. A special thank you to Marissa Vincent and the committee who have been instrumental in the organisation of this event.

The fundraising from this special event will make a significant difference to the school and the learning conditions for the children. This year the money raised will be invested in three areas:

Furniture for Small Group Instructions
Revamping of STEM spaces and resources
Refurbishing stairs near the library

Earlier this week the school community received correspondence regarding the online auction that is currently taking place. The link for the silent auction is: https://airauctioneer.com/st-marys-centennial-gala-ball-online-auction-2024

If you are not able to attend the evening, this online auction is a great chance for you to support and donate to our school. In addition to this, we encourage family members and friends to also participate in this online auction - so feel free to share the link far and wide!

Staff News

As outlined late last term, Renae is on Long Service Leave for the first four weeks as she moves into her new house and she has been replaced by Mary Maguire in the front office. Mary can be contacted via email using office@smhampton.catholic.edu.au. Mary has hit the ground running with the busyness of school life. I would like to thank Mary for taking up this short term role and I know she is looking forward to interacting with our school community.

At the end of Term two Robyn Muir our Physical Education teacher, resigned as she accepted an exciting new role with Get Active Victoria. Robyn has been a valued member of St. Mary’s, and she will be missed. We wish her all the best in her new position. Robyn has been replaced by Kirsty Rummans as PE teacher - Kirsty will be working Tues-Thurs.

Battle of the Boots

One of the highlights each year for the school community is the Battle of the Boots where St Mary’s and Hampton Primary dads have their annual football match. This year’s game is confirmed for Sat Aug 24 to be played at Brighton Beach Oval due to the ongoing renovations at Boss James. Game time will be around 2pm.

As per each year, we will have some funding (usually 20% of profits) going to a charity and this year we have decided that it will be White Ribbon Australia. This organisation is a global social movement working to stop men's violence against women. They strive for a society where all women and children are safe. Refer to website - https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/our-vision/ for more information.

As per each year the balance of funds are split 50/50 between the 2 schools.

School Production

The highlight for many of the children for this term will be the school production ‘Frozen Jr’ which will take place on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th September at 7:00pm at St Bede’s College Mentone. All children will perform on both evenings and it is compulsory for all children to attend both nights. Tickets will go on sale in the middle of August.

There will be Production Rehearsal Day on Tuesday 3rd September at St Bede’s and we will send home more details closer to the event.

New Homework Policy

From the commencement of this term we have introduced our new policy and procedures for our homework. A copy of the policy and expectations were sent out to all families at the end of last term and I would ask that all families are aware of the expectations.

Student Representative Council

Our first-semester representatives were fantastic and did a great job—well done to all! Each class will elect new representatives for the second semester, and we hope to present the new representatives at the assembly on Monday, July 29.

Naplan Testing for Years 3 and 5

Today parents with children in Years 3 and 5 will receive their child’s NAPLAN testing that was completed in March. Once again our students continue to perform well in these tests but as a school we are always looking for opportunities to improve our teaching practices. Please contact your child’s teacher or myself if you wish to discuss your child’s NAPLAN report.

Below is a summary of our mean results for this year and last year. At this stage we do not have National or State means:

Year 3

	Reading	Writing	Spelling	Grammar and Punctuation	Numeracy
2024	451	443	428	437	435
2023	447	442	439	439	430

Year 5

	Reading	Writing	Spelling	Grammar and Punctuation	Numeracy
2024	522	539	521	511	512
2023	546	540	504	508	512

Key Events and Dates for Term Three

P and F Meeting

The first meeting for the Parents and Friends committee will take place on Tuesday 23rd July at 6:00pm.

Family Cybersafety Night

We will be running a cybersafety session on Wednesday 7th August at 6:00pm and it is an expectation that all children from Years 3-6 attend along with one or both of their parents. The format of the evening will include a guest speaker who will work with parents advising them of the current trends as far as what apps and programs are using as well as ways to keep your children safe. The children will work in their classrooms with some of the Year 6 leaders who will engage the children in activities related to safe online practices.

Centenary of School Student Celebrations

On Friday 9th August the students will celebrate the centenary with a day of activities relating to a hundred years of schooling. The children will have the opportunity to dress up as students might have during the school’s hundred years. As part of the activities the junior school will have an incursion: ‘Then and Now’.

Year 5 Camp

On Wednesday 14th to Friday 16th August the Year 5 children will head away to Forest Lodge camp in Gippsland. School camp is a fantastic opportunity for children to develop new skills, friendships and interests. Some children may feel anxious about being away from home. The following staff will be attending camp:

Sam Sullivan: Grade 6 Classroom Teacher
Catherine Wensley: 5MW Classroom Teacher
Tayla Kent: 5MW Learning Support Officer

Sam Sullivan and Kelly Moxom will be swapping roles for the duration of the camp.

Sacrament of Confirmation

On Saturday 31st August 2:00pm the Year 6 children will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Bishop Tony Ireland will be celebrating the sacrament. More information will be forwarded to families of Year 6 children in the coming weeks.

District Athletics

The Inter School Athletic Carnival will take place on Friday 23rd of August. Selected children from Years 3 to 6 will be part of the school team for this event.

Father's Day Stall

The annual Father’s Day Stall will take place on Thursday 29th of August where all children will be able to buy a small gift for their father or father figures. More information will be forwarded by the Parents and Friends closer to this event.

Father’s Day Breakfast

We will be celebrating Father’s Day with breakfast and a liturgy for all father figures in families on Friday 30th August from 7:30am. We have given all the dads and grandfathers plenty of time to organise an hour off from work to attend this occasion. More details will follow in coming weeks.

Basketball Lightning Premiership

On Friday 6th September the school will be selecting teams to represent the school in the basketball Lightning Premiership.

Rugby Gala Day

The Rugby Gala Day will take place on Friday 13th September with children from Years 5 and 6 selected to represent the school.

Year 5 and 6 Cluster Day

The Year 5 and 6 children will take part in a cluster day with local Catholic schools on Thursday 19th September. The purpose of the day is to continue to develop stronger ties with students from St. Finbar’s and St Mary’s Hampton. Students participate in activities designed to engage and stimulate them in a positive learning environment whilst strengthening established friendships between the three schools.

Footy and Pie Day

To celebrate the AFL finals, all children may wear their team colours to school on the last day of Term Three, Friday 20th September.

Conclusion of Term Three

Term Three will conclude on Friday 20th September at 1:00pm.

Assembly

Assembly is held on Monday afternoon commencing at 2:30pm. Parents are invited to join us for this weekly event. Assembly will be held in the hall. Class awards will be presented and birthdays celebrated at each assembly. Parents may attend assembly. Each class will take a turn at hosting the assembly. Below is the timetable:

Monday 22nd July Year 1

Monday 29th July Prep

Monday 5th August Year 4

Monday 12th August Year 3

Monday 19th August Year 2

Monday 26th August Year 5

Monday 2nd September Year 6

Monday 9th September Prep

Monday 16th September General Assembly

Tony McMahon

Principal

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