Dear families,

It has been a busy few weeks with many enquiries from families interested in enrolling in our school. Please see the important notice below regarding food allergies and safety for some of our STM students.

Student Allergies - Nuts and Sesame!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This letter is to inform you that we have several students within the school community who have life-threatening food allergies to nuts. The food allergies are severe, and exposure in any form (skin contact or ingestion) to these substances could result in anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal condition that requires immediate medical attention. For the safety of the students, we are asking families to support our school in managing the following restrictions in our classrooms. We are asking parents/guardians to be conscientious in the selection of snacks that your child brings to class to limit the chances of students with allergies being exposed to nuts.

Potential allergens could include the following:

• Spreads, e.g. chocolate spread, peanut butter

• Cereal bars

• Some types of biscuit containing nuts

• Condiments, e.g. satay sauce

• Cakes containing nuts

• Some snack pots containing nuts

It is important that you check the labeling of food products before sending your child to school with them – it is not always apparent that products contain nuts. We also ask that, if your child consumes any nut-based product before school, they wash their hands thoroughly and rinse their mouth before entering the school grounds. We understand that these measures may seem extreme; however, we want to ensure the health and safety of all our students. Thank you in advance for making the class environment a safe and healthy place for the students. By working together, we can make a difference for our children.

School Photo Day:

School Photos are scheduled for the first day of Term 2, April 15th. It is expected that ALL students are in full winter uniform.

Easter Raffle Donations:

We are now accepting donations for our upcoming Easter Raffle. The Easter eggs/chocolates can be left at the office with Tarnia (I promise... she won't eat them). Raffle tickets went out on Monday. We thank families in advance for their support of this event.

Parents and Friends Morning Tea:

There will be a morning tea on the first day of Term 2 (15th of April) at 9:00am in the staffroom. All families are welcome, including our new families. It is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families within our school. Please see the Parents and Friends tab for more information.

Parents and Friends Facebook Group:

Did you know that our P&F also has a Facebook group for all members of our community? All families are welcome to join.

School Fees:

School fees are now payable. Fee payments can be set up flexibly with Tarnia in the office. We kindly ask for regular payments or if you intend to make a one off payment please just let us know when you plan to do so. All fees are due by the end of Term 3 (unless on a payment plan, these plans can run all year). If anyone has any questions about fees please speak to Tarnia or myself.

Sibling Enrolments:

It seems way too early to be thinking about 2025 already, but we are asking all families who have siblings entering Prep in 2025 to complete the enrolment process by the end of Term 1. Early numbers in Prep allow us to plan for our goal of having a straight Prep class in 2025. We need your support to do this. You can pick up an enrolment pack from the office. Alternatively, you can complete an online application by clicking on the link below.

Easter Liturgies:

Our Easter Liturgies will run in the final week of Term, families are welcome to attend.

Tuesday 25th of March @ 2:30pm in the library

Wednesday 26th of March @ 2:30pm in the library

Thursday 27th of March @ 2:30pm in the hall - all students are required to bring a facewasher or small hand towel as part of the Holy Thursday Liturgy.

Icy Poles:

Just a reminder that Icy Poles are on sale each Friday for $1 each. The money raised goes towards Year Six Fun Day celebrations at the end of the year.

2024 School Closure Days:

Friday 29th of March - Good Friday (Public Holiday)

Thursday 25th of April - ANZAC Day (Public Holiday)

Friday 26th of April - School Closure

Friday 16th of August - School Closure

Monday 21st of October - School Closure

Monday 4th of November - School Closure

Tuesday 5th of November - Melbourne Cup (Public Holiday)

Friday 29th of November - School Closure

Monday 2nd of December - School Closure

Tuesday 17th of December - Students Last Day

Look out for the little chick and trivia question in this edition of the newsletter for your chance to win a $50 Woolworths voucher. The first five families to email me with the location and answer will go into the draw.

Thank you and God bless

Declan

Assembly Awards / Birthdays