Newsletter Address ~ Term 3, Week 9

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Friends of St Mel’s,

This will be our final newsletter for the term. There have been many highlights and we are grateful for the generosity of many from within our community, and in reflection of the term we have had, there was much to celebrate and plenty to look forward to in our final term for the year.

Thank you to all parents who have put their hand up and helped on various occasions including Father’s Day Stall, Big Blokes Breakfast, Book Week, Principal Reader’s Challenge, reading in the mornings, classroom visits, Parent Teacher Interviews, Class Expos and excursions. Without the generosity of our parent community much of what we do would be impossible and the children would miss out on many opportunities.

We are grateful for our staff who give selflessly providing engaging learning experiences for all students in their care. We are very lucky to have such a hardworking and diverse staff and appreciate their commitment and generosity to all students and families.

We are especially grateful to our students, and as I have said many times before, they are the heart and soul of our school and are the reason we do what we do. It has been beautiful to see the growth and maturity of all students throughout the term.

Fr Peter… It is with sadness that Fr Peter will be finishing up as parish priest at St Mel’s this November. It was announced at mass on Sunday that a new community of priests called the Rogationists will be taking up residence in our diocese and Bishop Shane has endorsed that St Mel’s has been selected as their location. Whilst this decision has come at a shock, we are tremendously grateful for all that Fr Peter has given to our parish and school community. We will plan for a fitting farewell next term. I’ve attached a copy of Bishop Shane’s letter to our parish which was circulated at mass.

Student Success: Congratulations to our under 13 Netball team who played a gallant game on Saturday and took out premiership glory. It was a magnificent game and a fitting result for everyone involved. Go St Mel’s!!!

End of Term

Students finish this Thursday 14th Sept with our annual footy colours day and student v’s teachers netball game. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed in their favourite team colours. School will finish at the usual time of 3:20pm.

Please remember there is no school on Friday 15th Sept. Staff will be on retreat.

School Highlights in the past fortnight

St Mel’s ART SHOW

Our students were very proud to showcase their artistic talents last week. Months of preparation culminated in a wonderful display of student artwork ranging from Steampunk Sculpture, Pierre Bonnard inspired drawings, charcoal tree sketching, silhouette painting, Venetian Masks, weaving, clay work and illuminated artwork to name a few. Students from every grade have been proud to present their pieces to the wider St Mel’s community. Robyn Banfield our very talented art teacher always does an amazing job inspiring our students to express themselves through the arts.

Our Art Show concluded on Sunday with a cuppa and walk through for parishioners after Mass. One parishioner simply summed it up saying…’Our students are so talented’. Well done.

ASHEfest Many of our students, indigenous and non-indigenous, attended ASHEfest on Wednesday and Thursday. Our students had a wonderful time participating in traditional games, face painting, storytelling, traditional dance, music and culture. ASHEfest has become a great opportunity for schools to come together and celebrate local culture and heritage.

Sean Choolburra ~ Indigenous Dancer and performer. Last Monday Sean Choolburra provided us with an incredible performance sharing his story through dance, music, and storytelling. Sean is from the Nexus Arts performing group and travels the country showcasing his unique skills learned through ancestral understanding and knowledge. Students and staff were thoroughly entertained and engaged throughout his performance.

*** End of Term Change of Dates ***

14th September Term 3 Ends / Footy Colours Day ~ grade 6’s v teachers netball game (school finishes normal time 3:20pm)

15th September School Closure Day ~ No students. Staff Retreat Day ~ Indigenous Perspectives Winton Wetlands

** School Resumes Monday 2nd October.

Enjoy a wonderful fortnight and holiday everyone.

For all those lucky enough to have their football team still in the hunt for premiership glory, good luck!!

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

Prophet Amos cries out: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24) and so we are called to join the river of justice and peace, to take up climate and ecological justice, and to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss of biodiversity. As the people of God, we must work together on behalf of all Creation, as part of that mighty river of peace and justice.

September 1 in the church calendar marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, the theme this year is ‘Let Justice and Peace Flow.’ This season is an opportunity to focus on climate and ecological justice and our role in supporting and speaking out for communities most impacted by climate injustice and loss of biodiversity. “As people of God, we must work together on behalf of all Creation.” (Season of Creation, 2023)

What are the common treads in the following quotes from Pope Francis? Which quote resonates with you the most? Why? What can you do to work together on behalf of all creation?

“When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society. This vision of 'might is right' has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner takes all. Completely at odds with this model are the ideals of harmony, justice, fraternity and peace as proposed by Jesus.” (Pope Francis, The Joy of Love [Amoris Laetitia],no. 82)

"A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. . . Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society." (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'],nos. 49, 91)"The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us." (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], no. 159)

"We human beings are not only the beneficiaries but also the stewards of other creatures. Thanks to our bodies, God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement. Let us not leave in our wake a swath of destruction and death which will affect our own lives and those of future generations." (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel [Evangelii Guadium], no. 215)Term 4 ~ School Hats are compulsory - St. Mel's is a Sun Smart School

GIRLS' WINTER UNIFORM

Winter Tartan Skirt (Grey/Green pinstripe) with bottle green tights.

Tartan slacks (Grey/Green pinstripe) with plain white socks or

Gold skivvy or Green/gold polo shirt, long or short-sleeved, with embroidered school logo.

School jumper or bomber jacket

GIRLS' SPORTS UNIFORM

Black sports skirt or black shorts/black tracksuit pants (Winter)

Green and Gold polo top [with the embroidered logo]

Plain white socks (micro socks not permitted)

BOYS' WINTER UNIFORM

Grey trousers or cords

Gold skivvy or green/gold long-sleeved polo top [with the embroidered logo]

School jumper or bomber jackets with embroidered school logo.

Plain grey socks (micro-short socks are not permitted).

BOYS' SPORTS UNIFORM

Plain black shorts/black tracksuit pants (Winter)

Green and Gold polo top [with the embroidered logo]

Plain white socks (micro socks are not permitted)

SCHOOL SHOES

Both boys and girls are to wear plain black shoes only

While plain, black leather runners are acceptable; ALL other sports shoes are acceptable only for sporting activities. Socks must be worn with shoes. "Blundstone" type work boots are not permitted.

WEARING OF HATS

During Terms 1 and 4 all children must wear a school hat. Hats are optional for Terms 2 & 3.

Community Group Expressions of Interest to Join

Each year it is expected our school will commit to raising additional funds. All Catholic Schools have an obligation to raise additional funds to meet the capacity to contribute factor.

These funds will be put towards improving the educational needs of our students through hardware or programs and/or improving school grounds or facilities.

Please Note: Our Parents and Friends group are on the recruitment drive. If you know of anyone especially new parents who might want to be involved please encourage them to do so by contacting the school.

As a school, we are extremely grateful for the hard work and time our community members put into making our school the best it can be. We are especially grateful for contributions and donations made when we hold school fundraisers or campaigns to help maintain and beautify St Mel’s.

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!

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

SA Kitchen Garden