P&F Committee:

All are welcome to join our school P&F Committee. If you would like to be involved next year, come along to our first meeting of 2026. (Stay tuned for our first meeting date early in term one). All most welcome! If you are unable to attend our monthly meetings due to work or other commitments, please feel free to email and you will be added to the group so you can contribute and stay connected.

THANK YOU to our parents and friends who have assisted with social and fundraising events this year – your assistance enables us to provide such events for our school community. Have a lovely break over the summer holidays and we look forward to a wonderful 2026 working together!

Term 4 Student Special Lunch Days:

Recently our students enjoyed a healthy, tasty lunch organised by our P&F Committee. The school yard was full of smiling faces and the words of gratitude for the tasty wraps and rolls from the students were lovely to hear! Thank you to the parent helpers who assisted – we are unable to provide these special lunches for our students without your time and support.

Monday 15th December – End of Year BBQ (sausages and veggie burgers) – provided.

To celebrate the end of year, students were able to enjoy a sausage or veggie sausage at lunch time. It was lovely to join together for a picnic lunch with our school community! Once again, THANK YOU to the wonderful helpers who volunteered to assist on this day...without your assistance these special lunches would not be possible for our students.

St Mary’s School Community Fair – Term 1 2026: Friday 27th March

It is here again – our St Mary’s School Community Fair! Planning and organisation for this event is well underway. If you would like to join the St Mary’s School Community Fair Committee, please send through an email (see below). It is a fantastic way to be involved and every volunteer helps ensure the success of the event! Thank you to all those already supporting this fundraising event.

Exciting News - PRD Real Estate, now establishing a local branch in Castlemaine, have generously offered to support us by sponsoring our fair attractions. We are incredibly grateful for their generous support and wonderful community spirit. THANK YOU!

Please return the Stall Form next year early in term one (or if you need another, please pop into the office to collect one)– this form includes all stalls at the fair and calls for volunteers to coordinate, work shifts and/or donate to the different stalls. Thank you to those who have already filled in and returned the form. We will send out the form again at the beginning of term one next year. We will also secure the classroom stalls so you will be aware of your child's/dren's stall.

If you would like to run a stall at the fair let us know via email or add it to the space provided on the fair stall form.

If you would like to sponsor entertainment for the fair in exchange for advertising for your business, please let us know!

*Please drop off any donations that you may be able to contribute for the following stalls to the school office. You may be able to collect some over the school holidays ready for when we resume school:

Book Stall – second hand books in good condition that you no longer want or need.
Adopt a Pet Stall – we will be having a soft toy stall. All toys will be washed and given a name tag! If you have any soft toys to donate, please drop these off at the school office. Thank you!
Hamper Stall - body products, tea, coffee, chocolate, stationary, gardening products (and hamper baskets!)
Craft Activity Table - jewellery making sets, temporary tattoos, scratch art, mindful colouring pictures.
Hand Made Items Stall - eye pillows, knitted items, bookmarks, cards.

Thank you in advance for your support of our major school fundraiser.

Our next meeting will take place next year in early term one – stay tuned!

Toast:

Toast is available each morning for all students who would like some extra fuel before they begin the school day. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who prepare and serve the toast each morning and to those who collect the bread as well as top up the supplies! If you would like to join the roster, please let me know or you can pass your name onto Krystal in the office.

THANK YOU to all of our helpers this year - our students have really enjoyed this option in the mornings before they begin their school day! Please let Clare know if you would like to continue helping, or join the toast crew, next year.

THANK YOU to Castlemaine Fresh, our local fruit and vegetable store, who has kindly agreed to donate a bag of fresh fruit per week to our school. We wanted to add some fresh chopped fruit to our breakfast on offer each morning for our students to enjoy! Some will also be available if needed for those students who require it during the school day, particularly at fruit snack time in the mornings.

Sushi Lunch Orders:

Every Friday, students have the opportunity to have a sushi lunch order provided by Lunch Box Sushi Castlemaine. If you would like to organise this for your child/ren, please jump online to School lunch online to organise ordering. Orders need to be placed prior to 5pm each Thursday afternoon.

Second Hand Uniforms:

Second hand uniforms are available from the school office should you require any. Please also donate any uniform items you may no longer need for others to use. Thank you! (New uniform items can be purchased from Hip Pocket Castlemaine).

Sensory Garden:

A huge thank you to all those families who have been involved in this project. We appreciate your ideas, time, labour, donations of materials and effort to bring this project to life! Students are really enjoying this uplifted space.

Final sensory engaging accessories and finishing touches are being added this term, including windchimes (which sound beautiful), a mud kitchen and play materials as well as a chalkboard. Later we will develop the teepee, incorporate musical instruments and add storage areas for equipment. If you would like to assist with any donations of materials or labour to help install these items, please send through an email or let us know…THANK YOU! As they say, many hands make light work!

Term 4 St Mary’s Parents and Carers Catch Up:

Friday 12th December – 6:30pm at the Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine for dinner and/or drinks.

This was a great opportunity to gather together, connect and celebrate the end of the year before we all part ways for the Christmas and summer break. It was lovely to catch up and enjoy a meal together! Stay tuned for our first catch up in term one of next year! All welcome.

Family/Student Volunteers – Church:

The Parish is seeking student helpers to run the projector at church on Saturday evenings at 6pm mass and on Sunday mornings at 10:30am mass. This does not need to be each week. If your family/child is happy to assist, could you please leave your family name/their name at the office plus a contact number. Thank you!

Parents of St Mary's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/14Fws3874w/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Wishing all those in our school community and beyond a wonderful, joyful Christmas and a safe and relaxing summer break! Thank you again for your support of our students and our school community.

Take care.

From the St Mary's School P&F Committee.

Clare Grainger

P&F Committee President

c-majella@hotmail.com

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Blythe and Mrs Cotter