Principal's Message
Dear Community,
What a week! A massive thank you to our parent, student and staff community who attended the Working Bee on Sunday. We braved the warm and wet weather, had a laugh together and made our school look even better! Thank you to parents/families Charlie, Chris, Nat, AnneMaree & Damien, Clare, Oliver & Nick, Danica (and baby Gwen!). Our amazing students who helped our were Clancy, Alastair, Amaya and Loic. Also, our wonderful staff Mrs Cotter, Mrs Burchett and Mr Carter! The school is looking fantastic - check out the photos.
Helping Kids Information Session
We held our Helping Kids Information on Monday evening from 5:30pm - 7pm in the library. Another big thank you to Mrs Cotter and Mr Carter for attending the evening and engaging in rich discussion about how we can best support young people after such events, what to look out for and exploring helpful strategies. Kate, a clinical psychologist from Castlemaine Community Health, has kindly put together a helpful document that summarises the evening and may be helpful for you at home. Kate noted that sometimes changes in behaviour and the reason for this is not always clear but delayed responses to events can present in a manner of ways. I trust that this information will be useful to you!
Child Safety - 11 Standards, 11 Months
Child Safety is our greatest priority and MACS has launched their MACS Care initiative to raise awareness for families, students and staff about our priorities and responsibilities in regards to Child Safety.
Each month, we will focus on a different Child Safety standard, ensuring we are acknowledging these responsibilities.
The first standard is:
Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
Although we do not have any students who identify as Aboriginal at St Mary's, we always maintain a culturally safe environment for all, acknowledging and paying respects to Aboriginal cultures and its' people.
Please find a more detailed piece attached for your reference.
Anaphylaxis/Asthma Plan updates
If your child has an Anaphylaxis or Asthma Plan, these require yearly reviews. Could you please provide the school with an updated copy of this so our records are current at your earliest convenience.
School Advisory Council
Thank you to our School Advisory Council who met on Thursday 5th March - Ian, Jen, AnneMarie, Fiona and Marie. We had some very open and passionate discussions about where to next at St Mary's, which is very exciting. If you are interested in joining the School Advisory Council please reach out to principal@smcastlemaine.catholic.edu.au for more details. The council meets once a term in the evening and discusses some important logistical and visionary items that impact our school trajectory.
Open Mornings in Week 8!
Please share the flyer below with family and friends - we are excited to open our doors to current and prospective families. Please join us if you can on the dates listed below.
Key dates & what's on in Week 7!
A reminder that we have a school closure day on Monday 9th March for the Labour Day Public Holiday. Students will return to school on Tuesday 10th March.
Enjoy your long weekend!
Kind regards,
Shannon Betham
Acting Principal