From Our Principal

icesNewsletter  ~ Term 3, Week 5, 2025

Principal's Message:

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

We are at the end of a very engaging and exciting few weeks focussing especially on literature, language, stories, books and adventure leading up to today's Book Week Parade.

So wonderful to again see our children, staff and attending families get into the theme of Book Week 2025 'Book an Adventure!'

Thank you for supporting this special few weeks, with Book Fair purchases, dressing your child/ren up and promoting healthy reading habits in the home. An added extra special feature of Book Week and the Book Fair for us was the recent release of Di Walker's next book 'Secret Keeper', which is experiencing a high volume of sales at our Book Fair as well as in book stores around the country! Happy Book Week to you all!

Please find following our newsletter for this fortnight.

Sacramental Program ~ Focus on Reconciliation:

Information had been made available to families of students in Year Three in preparation for the next phase of our Parish-based Sacramental Program commencing in September.

A parent/carer information / formation session is scheduled for Thursday 4 September from 7:00pm in the St Mel's Parish House for parents / carers with children taking part in the Reconciliation program during Term 4. For more information or to register please contact Danae Napier here at school (ph: 5821 3163) or Mel Shiels at the parish (ph: 31 2194).

Magnify Sandhurst' 

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

Engaged Learners / Engaged Learning: 

Our children and Staff Team are commended on their calm, engaging, inviting and welcoming Learning Studios (classrooms) which supports high engagement and participation in student learning.

Guided by a clear, prescribed low variance, knowledge rich curriculum based on the Victorian Curriculum (MAGNIFY), our teachers (supported by our Learning Support Staff) are continually focussed on student development, growth and improvement.

We continue to implement our SIX school wide routines as an integral component of our whole school Framework for Positive Behaviour and Support:

• Cue to Start - to gain student attention before providing direction / instruction.
• Classroom Entry 
• Classroom Exit
• Classroom Exit (End of Day)
• Movement Routine (How we move within our Learning Suites) and,

• Voices - Silent Voice, Quiet Voice, Partner Voice, Group Voice, Class Voice

         (The different voices we use for certain activities).

So wonderful to visit our rooms on a daily basis to see and experience our MAGNIFY curriculum enhancing learning here at St Mel's Primary School. 

Book Fair:

Thank you to the families and staff who supported our 2025 Book Fair by making purchases of quality books for your child/ren over the past two weeks. Not only does this provide children with books to read at cherish at home, a percentage of the sales is returned to the school to purchase additional books for our library. This makes new books available for all!

We look forward to announcing the total fundraising for this activity once Maria has completed the required administration in support of the Book Fair.

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

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].

Athletics Day:

We look forward to gathering as a school community at the John McEwan Reserve (Numurkah Road, Shepparton) on Monday for the 2025 St Mel's PS Athletics Carnival. For the past weeks of Term Three our children have been preparing for the various track and field events they will participate in on the day. It will be enjoyable to see our children dressed in their House Colours and enjoying the day. Parents, carers and families are most welcome to attend to observe the children taking part in this special day of sporting fun. 

Our whole school will travel to the Athletics Track by bus to arrive in time for the Opening of our Athletics Carnival:

           9:45am      Long Distance Races and Fruit Break

         10:15am      Heats One to Four

         11:55am      Lunch

                               Preps return to school

         12:20pm     Heats Five to Seven.  (Years 1 to 6)

            1:35pm    Break (Children assemble in Houses)

            1:50pm    Relays (Year 3,4,5 & 6)

            2:20pm    Winning House & Hose Spirit Presentations

            2:30pm    Return to School

Best wishes to all for Monday's participation and competition.

'Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter!'

St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care:

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

3/4 and 5/6 Camps, Year 1 Long Day & Year 2 Sleep Over:

Preparations are well underway for our Year 3/4 Camp, Year 5/6 Camp, Year 2 Sleepover and Year 1 Long Day. Details in support of these activities will come our in advance of the dates to support parents and carers prepare thir children for participating in each respective activity.

NOTE: Following a review of camps and excursions from this year onwards the Year Two students will participate in a sleep over at school, which will involve Year One children staying later at school on this day, enjoying activities with the Year Twos, a meal and then going home to sleep. The Year One children will not be sleeping over at school. 

As many parents and carers will know from last year, in mid-2023 the new Catholic Education Enterprise Agreement was passed and introduced into our school system. Along with many changes to employment conditions for school staff this agreement included the introduction of Time In Lieu for teachers and support staff and a reduction in the allowable formal meeting hours.

This has had a significant impact on 'out of school hours' participation of staff, especially in relation to school camps and overnight stays (ie Sleep Overs).

Subsequently, the day/s following these activities now involve staff receiving their 'Time in Lieu' (ie not attending school for the overtime incurred on camp!)

This has added additional financial and organisation considerations for schools as we are also trying to keep the costs of these activities down for families.

As in previous years, acquitting the 'Time in Lieu' involves running an alternate program on the day, or days, following each activity with minimal staff supporting the children who come to school on the day following a camp or sleepover. Again, as in 2024, families electing to keep children home after these activities supports our arrangements. This option will again be offered in support of the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 camp, Year 1 Long Day and Year 2 Sleepover this term.

Given challenges in accessing classroom relief teachers (CRTs) and our Leadership staff already taking on additional teaching roles this term, your support of post-activity day arrangements is greatly appreciated.

Student Birthdays:

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.

St Mel's Hall:

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.

Annual ORIMA School Survey: [Repeat]

The annual survey period will commence Monday 18 August and conclude Monday 15 September. Students in Year 5/6, Staff and a sample of families will be involved in the survey period. The surveys provide useful information in support of forward and strategic planning for ongoing school improvement. Surveys for students and staff have been released. Parent / carer surveys are to follow.

Staffing Update:

We are delighted Renae Almond, Year One teacher is now able to teach five days per week from this week onwards. Renae will teach her Year One Pastroal Group each Monday in addition to her prior Tuesday to Friday work allocation. We are also grateful Bridie Cooke taught our Year One group each Monday for the year and provided a consistency to the Learning Community. We also congratulate Bridie, who is pregnant and expecting a new baby mid Term Four. We wish Bridie and family well and look forward to hearing of an arrival during next term.

Cyndilee Watson, Year Three Pastoral Group teacher is currently on sick leave following surgery. Cyndilee is recovering well at home and hopes to be back with her Learning Group soon. Many thanks to Nanette Micallef (Year Four), our Classroom Relief Teachers and Leadership for teaching Year Four in her absence. I enjoyed a very focussed and engaging day with the Year Three students on Wednesday as we continued their learning program. 

Danae Napier, Deputy Principal, has been away this week participating in the CESL Mungo Immersion Program with teachers, leaders and CESL Central Team staff focussed on Aboriginal Perspectives. The experience will support Danae's leadership of our school in the area of Aboriginal heritage, culture and tradition. The CESL Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Team are facilitating this unique immersion experience.   

Di Walker, Leader: Learner Diversity, Pastoral Wellbeing and Mental Health, and Renae Almond, Year One Pastoral Group teacher participated in Positive Partnerships training earlier this week focussed on supporting neurodiverse students. Di and Renae found the training to be extremely affirming of our approach to supporting students, whilst also picking up some additional strategies to further enhance our school-widpractices.

Many thanks to Natalie Bibby, who has organised our 2025 Athletics Carnival and PE Specialist Teachers Chris Munari, Natalie Bibby and Lily Beer for preparing our students (with CRT support) over past weeks.

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? ~