Newsletter Address ~ Term 4, Week 9/10

Principal's Message:

Advent Message:

Last Sunday marked the start of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting, a time of preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas time. For those in ancient times, the promise of a Messiah or the Christ was going to bring peace, hope and freedom from oppression. The birth of Jesus viewed through the perspective of his life, death and resurrection does offer peace, hope and freedom. It also challenges those who live in our times to continue to work towards peace, hope and freedom. It challenges us to make the presence of Jesus, the Christ, a reality through the way in which we live our lives today.

The ancient texts or stories of the bible invite us to consider a future thinking of the world in which we live. As a Catholic school through the season of Advent we will take the time and opportunity to consider what the message of Jesus’ birth means today - how do we bring about peace, hope and freedom? Our learning certainly captures the Christmas story but goes beyond the literal presentation of cattle and the baby in the manger. In preparing for Christmas, Christians often put up a Christmas tree, a nativity scene, begin to consider gifts for others, buy food for Christmas day, and join in the singing of carols. For young children, the preparation of lists of what Santa may bring is also a key feature. There is an incredible busyness and excitement. The season can in many ways be hijacked by consumerism, which shifts the focus elsewhere. This in a sense can blur our perspective and notion of the real message of Christmas. The message of Jesus and his hope for peace and freedom should be considered as the way to view Christmas. Also to ask ourselves: how can I be a message of hope and peace this Christmas?

Principal’s Message:

Taken from last week’s new principal announcement…

Bishop Shane Mackinlay has ratified the appointment of Steve Hicks as Principal of St. Mel’s Primary School Shepparton, to commence in January 2024.

Steve currently holds the position of Education Officer: Student Pastoral Wellbeing at Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd. Prior to this, Steve held significant positions, including Principal at St. Joseph’s Benalla, Foundation Principal at St. Luke’s Shepparton North and Principal at St. Joseph’s Kerang. A dedicated educator and leader, Steve brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of educational excellence to our school community.

A local of Shepparton and past student and parishioner of St. Mel’s, Steve is excited about the prospect of returning to his roots and contributing to the vibrant community at St. Mel's. He is married to Michelle, and they have two grown up children, Sarah and Ben.

Congratulations Steve!!! Welcome back to the St Mel’s community and we wish you and your family every happiness in your appointment as principal of St Mel’s.

Dear Parents and Friends of St Mel’s,

Can you believe this will be our last full newsletter for the year? And in less than a month, it’ll be Christmas! Every year we ask ourselves “Where has the year gone?” Maybe we should ask ourselves, “What have I done this year to make a difference?” It’s not too late to make that difference. I’ve been reminding our students not to count the days but rather make the days count. A good message for us all.

The season of Advent commenced last Sunday. Reflecting on the Advent message in this week’s newsletter, now is the perfect opportunity to think of others and to give generously to those we love and to charity. St Vincent de Paul society has a wonderful Christmas appeal each year as do many other charities in the form of ‘giving trees’, ‘toy drives’ or ‘Secret Santa’s’. With rising costs, this year, more than ever, families will be doing it tough at Christmas and by doing something special for others will go a long way to helping families in need. Christmas is also a great opportunity to give your time in the service to others. I know of families who go out of their way for a few hours on Christmas Day to serve at the various Christmas lunches across greater Shepparton for the homeless or visiting the elderly or those saddened at this time of the year. Maybe this year just being more ‘present’ for our families and friends will be the best ‘present’ we can give. What a wonderful gift it would be to brighten the lives of others this Christmas season.

Parish Education School Council news…

Thank you, Melissa Hamilton School Council Chair Retirement,

Thank you, Melissa, for your dedication and service to St Mel’s as school council chair for the past 10 years. Melissa has been an incredible advocate for St Mel’s and all that our community stands for. Melissa has been an outstanding chairperson whose vision for the school has always been in the best interests of our student and their families. I am privileged to have had Melissa as chairperson and I am honoured to have worked alongside her for the past 6 years. Much has been achieved ~ opening of the senior learning centre, new landscaping, installation of 1-1 iPads / learning devices across the school and navigation through Covid. Her support has been appreciated beyond measure. On behalf of our school community, THANK YOU!!.

Thank you also to Renae Almond who will be stepping down from her position on school council at the end of the year. Renae’s service has spanned the last 8 years and we are grateful for all she has contributed.

We are currently in the process of sourcing a new school council chair and school council members. If you, or anyone you know who might be interested in joining our school council in 2024, please contact the school.

Staffing Updates:

We have a number of staff leaving us at the end of the year and we sincerely thank the following staff for their dedication and service at St Mel’s.

Carmel Hutchison, Jodi Cox, Hannah Chasemore, Tanya Brand, Cathy Anderson, Jane Shattock, Elley Drummond, Julia Barnes, Emma McNamara, Katie Nicholson and Sunny Alessi.

New staff for 2024:

With change comes new opportunities and we welcome and welcome back the following staff to St Mel’s.

Alexa Mori, Lauren Calder, Wendy Baldwin, Ros Heathman, Anita Damianopolous and Renae Almond.

All other staffing announcements will be made at the end of the year.

Prep Information Night.

We had a good turnout of parents and carers at our prep information night last Wednesday night. Our teaching staff gave a wonderful presentation about everything a new family needs to know about St Mel’s. We look forward to all new families and children starting with us in 2024.

Transition Day Tuesday 12th December. Students will be informed of their new class placements and teachers for 2024 next Tuesday 12th December.

Transition time will be between 12:05 pm – 1:55 pm for all grades. Grade six students will attend their new school / colleges for the entire day. Our new Preppies will join us at 12:00pm – 2:00pm.

Outstanding fees

As we approach the end of the school year, we kindly ask families to finalise any outstanding accounts. If you are not on a payment plan, we kindly request that all school fees are paid up by the end of the month. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions regarding your fees or myself if you need to discuss payment options. The successful running of school programs for your child’s education relies on fees being paid. Thank you for your cooperation.

Enrolments are still open to families or those you might know who haven’t decided on a primary school.

Aquamoves Funday ~ Wednesday 13th December

Please be advised our Aqua moves funday is now on Wednesday 13th December and not Thursday 14th as was originally advertised.

The last week of school looks like this...

Tuesday 12th Dec ~ Statewide Transition Day & Year 6 Graduation Mass

Wednesday 13th Dec ~ Aquamoves Funday 10am - 1:30pm

Thursday 14th Dec ~ Luisa's Retirement Mass 9.15am & Final assembly approx 10:30am

Friday 15th Dec ~ Last day for students ~ 3:20pm finish

Please keep an eye out for messages or emails this week.

~ Last Day for Students ~ School Finishes ~

Friday 15th December 3:30pm

End of Year Mass/Year 6 Graduation ~ Tuesday 12th 6pm

This a beautiful opportunity to acknowledge our Year 6 Student Leaders & farewell them as they start their Secondary School journey. It is also a great celebration of our 2023 school year and would love to see our whole school community in attendance.

Our Picnic Tea is a great celebration after our Mass. Feel free to BYO your family's dinner or a BBQ will be provided. BBQ Order Forms will be out in the coming days.

Class and teacher allocations for 2024

The process for placing students to their classes is exhaustive and takes many hours of consideration. This is something we do not take lightly and is fully consultative between all staff. Students are placed considering friendship groups, social & emotional wellbeing, academic ability and siblings. Teacher / student relationships are also carefully considered.

** Please understand that requests for class placements will only be considered for exceptional circumstances. Please contact the school if you have any concerns.

To all in our community who currently have loved ones unwell our thoughts are with you. Thanks everyone for all you do in support of one another. It’s what make St Mel’s such an amazing place to be.

Enjoy the last remaining days everyone. ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count’.

Do your best. Respect our school. Help others succeed.

School Commences Wednesday 1st February 2022

Calendar Advertising 2024

It’s that time of year again… We are preparing for the publication of our Parent School Calendar for the 2024 school year.

We are looking for new and existing advertisers.

Please contact the school if you are interested in advertising your business for 2024.

Kind regards

Parent Social Club: socialclub@smshepparton.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for your continual support of our school.

Lost Property and wearing the proper Summers Uniform:

As we begin the term please ensure your child/ren are in the correct uniform and all items of clothing are clearly marked. We noticed an assortment of colours and the wearing of incorrect items creeping in towards the end of last term. Students wearing the incorrect uniform without a valid explanation will be required to sit under the shade sails or go to the library at recess and lunch.

2023 enrolments

We are currently taking enrolments for 2023. We ask anyone considering St Mel’s next year to submit an application for enrolment as soon as possible. Enrolment forms are available from the office or can be downloaded from the school website: https://www.smshepparton.com/

Committee Recruitment

St Mel's relies on the support of our parents to make sure we can offer the best learning opportunities for our children. We are grateful for the commitment of those who are already on our Parish School Education Council and Social Committee and ask anyone who would like to be involved to please contact the school. All new or existing parents are welcome!

Volunteering at St Mel’s

A school volunteer is anyone who helps at school supervise, assist student learning or attends camps / excursions. As part of our commitment to keeping all students safe, all volunteers MUST have a current Working with Children’s Check (WWC), have signed a parent code of conduct and volunteer’s application form. These documents can be downloaded from our school website or collected from the school office ~ as attached to this week’s newsletter.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at St Mel’s please take the time to read our Volunteer’s Policy and complete the required documentation.

To apply for an online WWC please visit:

www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au

Friday 15th December ~ Last Day for students (3:20pm finish)

Month	Dates / Events
November	2nd November Grade1/2 Sleepover 6th Report Writing Day ~ pupil free day 7st Melbourne Cup Holiday 10th Athletics Day Prep Transition Day 11th Remembrance Day 13th Prep Transition Day 17th Prep Transition Day 20th Prep Transition Day 24th Prep Transition Day 28th School Council Meeting 29th Prep Information Night
December	1st Staff Planning Day ~ pupil free day 4th Year 6 Reflection Day & Year 5 Leadership Day 12th Statewide Transition Day 14th Reports Home 12th End of year Graduation Mass 13th Aquamoves Fun day (TBC) 15th Students last day ~ Updated 3.20pm finish 18th Staff Reflection/PD day/ 2024 preparations
2024	Students commence school ~ Wednesday 31st Jan 2024

Attendance Requirements

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by phoning or emailing the school.

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

All Victorian schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained.

This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

URGENT REMINDER!!! Medical Update ~ Asthma Plans & Anaphylaxis Plans

If your child suffers from Asthma or Anaphylaxis, please remember to send in an updated Asthma Plan or Anaphylaxis Plan. These MUST BE arranged through your family GP. Without an updated plan your children will not be able to participate in school functions

Star Awards & PBIS

Our PBIS Thermometer ~ we made it to our first goal!!!