From Our Principal

Newsletter  ~ Term 3, Week 9, 2025

Principal's Message:

Dear Parents, Carers, Families and Friends of St Mel’s Primary School,

The holidays are here and we celebrate another productive, enjoyable and focussed term of learning and teaching within our diocesan Magnify approach. I wish all our students, parents, carers and members of our hard working Staff Team a wonderful break from school routines for a couple of weeks. 

Best wishes for whatever you have planned for the school holiday break and if you still have one of the four AFL teams in the Preliminary Finals barrack loud and proud. It will be very interesting to see the next three AFL games play out! Enjoy a safe, enjoyable and wonderful time away from school!

Please find following our newsletter for this fortnight.

Sacramental Program ~ Focus on Reconciliation:

The next phase of the St Mel's Parish Sacramental Program is underway.

Enrolment Masses will were held last Sunday 14 September at the Masses.

 For more information or to register please contact Danae Napier here at school (ph: 5821 3163) or Mel Shiels at the parish (ph: 5831 2194).

10 Years of Rogationists Priests in Australia:

Our Rogationist Fathers celebrate 10 years of Ministry in Australia over three days from 19 to 21 September.

Friday 19th (Today!) - St Anthony's Parish (Melton)

Saturday 20th. (Tomorrow) - St Mel's Parish (Shepparton) 10:30am Mass & Luncheon 

Sunday 21st - Maidstone Parish (Melbourne)

This is a significant celebration for our local Rogationist priests, our school and our parish.

Families wishing to attend the luncheon on Saturday 20th. We wish Fr Ronald, Fr Ruel and Fr Addin and their brother priests a wonderful celebration over these three days.

Magnify Sandhurst' 

Every Student - Every Teacher - Every School - Every Day!

Checking in with our learners: 

During the school holidays ask your children to share aspects of their learning from time to time.

If you are out shopping, invite you to help with adding up totals or reading packets, etc...

Spend time in discussion about their interests or what you are all doing in the holidays.

These types of activities will involve the children recalling prior learning and make new connections between concepts. All this helps long term memory and fast recall!

Student Toilets:

To clarify, the toilets accessible from the yard are Student Toilets Only.

In the interest of Child Safeguarding adults wishing to use a toilet whilst on school grounds are requested to use the toilets inside the School Administration Office.

Year 3/4 Camp Experience:

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 4 students and Staff Team on their camp this week.

All participants enjoyed the camp experience away in the high country. Our campers returned pretty excited from their experience.

Annual Supporters' Day:

What a wonderful and most enjoyable day! Our children, some families and members of our Staff Team enjoyed wearing their colours to school last Friday. So many loud and proud supporters of various teams, sports and codes. Even the umpires were well supported!

The day commenced with our annual COIN LINE donation activity for Catholic Mission which raised almost $300. Congratulations to Richmond for raising the total of $120.45, with Essendon coming second raising $62.00 and Collingwood third with 34.90!

The Year 6 v Staff / Parent Netball Match was played in spectacular fashion, much to the delight of the grades watching on and cheering passionately. Congratulations to all who played so well for either team. The staff team ended up victors after extra time on both ends creating an exciting finish to what would have been an otherwise drawn match!

Orima Survey Concluded:

Many thanks to the parents / carers who completed the 2025 CESL Orima School Improvement Survey. The results will be analysed in Term Four, supporting our ongoing strategic planning for school improvement.

In addition to Year 4,5 & 6 students completing the survey, staff and parents / carers were also invited to complete the brief survey instrument.

District Athletics Week (Term 4):

We commence next term with the Year 3 to 6 students participating in the 2025 District Athletics Carnivals being conducted across FOUR days:

     Tuesday 7 October - Year 6

     Wednesday 8 October - Year 5

     Thursday 9 October - Year 4

      Friday 10 October - Year 3

We wish children in these year levels all the very best as they participate in these enjoyable and eventful Athletics carnivals. Following the District Aths children may be selected to move to State level.

St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care - Introducing Vacation Care HERE! [Repeat!]

Our new relationship with Uniting Vic Tas to operate the St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care provision here at school continues to offer a quality Outside School Hours Care service to our families and from the coming school holidays will offer Vacation Care on site.

This is a welcome opportunity for our working parents and carers. The Vacation Care program includes a range of excursions and incursions during the holidays.

Parents and carers seeking more information or wishing to register children for Vacation Care are directed to contact Uniting Vic Tas directly by:

             Phone: 1800 183 103

             Email: earlylearning@unitingvictas.org.au

School families who do not currently use the service during the school term, who wish to make use of this service are invited to contact Uniting Vic Tas:

Student Birthdays: [Repeat!]

We celebrate student birthdays as a school at our weekly assembly and in Pastoral Groups across the year. A reminder to parents not to send cakes, sweets, presents and other birthday treats to school.

Past Students on Student Free Days: [Repeat!]

The practice of past students returning on days their current school has a student free day has been identified as a liability risk to the system and individual schools. Past pupils may continue to return to their former school within the protocols associated with formal Work Placement, Work Experience and/or structured school events e.g., assisting with school athletics, tutoring, cross age activities, etc... They can also attend school and parish events open to the general public e.g., fetes and Masses. The practice of past students returning to spend the day at their former school when their current school has a student free day will not continue. 

St Mel's Hall: [Repeat!]

The St Mel's Hall is not available for private hire / private functions.

The hall is used primarily by our school and for St Mel's Parish events. Our sister school, St Anne's College, occasionally use our hall for St Anne's College events. From time to time the hall may also be used by Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited for Professional Learning events.

Foundation (Prep) Enrolment Interviews: [Repeat]

As previously announced, interviews for families seeking enrolment for Foundation (Prep) in 2026 have commenced. 

A reminder for parents/carers yet to enrol via our ONLINE ENROLMENT PORTAL 'Enquiry Tracker' so now to ensure you are in the 2026 Foundation Enrolment Interview List.

Please spread the word amongst other families and kinder parents so that families are registered for our available places for Foundation in 2026. We are also taking enrolment enquiries for higher grades via the Enquiry Tracker system.

Enrolment Enquiries & Applications ONLINE: [Repeat]

A reminder for parents and carers with students to commence Foundation in 2026 to go 'online' and complete the relevant Enrolment Application Form.

If you are aware of other members of the broader local community seeking enrolment please direct them to the ONLINE forms.

The NEW enrolment enquiry and application portal 'Enquiry Tracker' can be accessed via our St Mel's PS Website at: www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au 

OR by clicking the following live link: https://www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-application

We are continuing to accept enrolments for 2026.

Celebrating Our School ~ 'St Mel's Primary School Shepparton' Facebook Page: [Repeat]

If you are 'on' Facebook and not following our Facebook Page you are missing out on the weekly posts celebrating our learning and participation at school. Our Facebook Page is used to celebrate and share school events, activities and student participation.

[Reminder: Facebook is not the media parents/carers are to communicate with our school, ask questions or seek clarification. We have other processes in place for communication].

Staffing Update:

Robyn Banfield, Visual Arts Teacher, commenced this week participating in a Zart Art workshop prior to taking some Long Service Leave at the end of the week.

We look forward to the art activities that will be shared with our students going forward.

School Dates:

Please check the Upcoming Dates & Events section of the newsletter regularly.

Thank you for your ongoing support of your child/ren and our Staff Team.

Best wishes for the coming weekend.

Stephen 'Steve' Hicks

Principal

Did you know? ~