Dear Families,

Congratulations to everyone on an action-packed and successful term. A special thank you to the parents for making the time to speak with our staff at this week's meeting exchange.

We wish everyone a restful and happy break, with plenty of time to recharge to return to Term 3. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Warm Regards,

Deputy Principals: Joelle Diakrousis and Anthony Speranza

Qustodio Reminder

We would like to remind you of our Cyber Safety Parent App- Qustodio. We invite you to create your parent account and claim your child’s account as you partner with us in further building healthy digital habits and a safe online environment for your child. These tools will provide you with insights and visibility to help you better understand how your child is engaging with their personal device at home. You will also be able to:

Schedule your child’s screen-free times
Create custom routines (e.g. study, sleep & play)
Apply custom web filtering rules
Apply app and game time & access limits
Supervise your child’s online activity
Pause the Internet
Access expert advice via our School Online Safety Hub

Please see the e-Learning page further in this newsletter for further information

SRC Updates

The SRC leaders came together this week to assemble and organise their latest initiative, a school suggestion box for each classroom from recycled tissue boxes. Our boxes are ready to be rolled out in Term 3, and we also look forward to announcing our new Prep to Year 5 SRC Leaders for Semester 2 after the holidays.

Release and access of Semester 1 Reports

Semester 1 Reports are available via the nForma Parent Portal (https://portal.nforma.com.au/login)

Please note that parents must use their email address registered with the school to access their account.

For further information, please see the attachment below or contact the office for support (office@spmentone.catholic.edu.au)

Labelling of uniform

As the colder weather sets in, we’re noticing an increasing number of jumpers and jackets being misplaced or left around the school. To help us return lost items promptly and ensure no child is left cold during the day, we kindly ask families to clearly label all uniform items, especially outerwear.

A quick check to ensure your child’s name is on their jumper or jacket makes a big difference!

Australian Mathematics Competition, Tuesday 5th August

Thank you to the families who have expressed an interest in joining the Australian Mathematics Competition in August. Registration will remain open until the end of term.

The Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) is Australia’s longest running, largest and most well-known maths competition for students. The AMC contains a range of problems designed to challenge and extend students with proficient problem-solving skills from Years 3 to 12. Students interested in this competition can participate in the Middle Primary division for Years 3 and 4 and the Senior Primary division for Years 5 and 6. Participating students will complete the competition on a device and are given 60 minutes to answer 30 questions, 25 multiple choice and 5 written solutions ranging in difficulty. The topics covered include basic arithmetic content such as Fractions and Ratios, Algebra and Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, Statistics and probability, Problem-solving (including enumeration).

The cost to register for the competition is $9.00 per student. The school will facilitate the competition and will supervise the students.

If you would like your child or children to be registered for this competition please complete the form below:

https://forms.gle/da1at2e4GRbngCcp8

You will then be contacted at the start of Term 3 to finalise registration and organise payment.

Smart Watches at School

We kindly remind families that smart watches are not permitted at school. These devices can be a distraction to learning and may pose privacy concerns. If a student is wearing a smart watch, they will be asked to remove it and store it in their bag for the duration of the school day. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused and respectful learning environment for all students.

Resilience Groups Year 3 & 4 (Formerly Bounceback)

Mrs Diakrousis has resumed her small group Resilience sessions this week. At this stage, the groups will be offered to Year 3 and 4 students only.

These sessions will explore a range of strategies designed to support the development of resilience through small group activities and discussion. Our first focus will be on worry—what it is, how it affects us, and what we can do about it.

During the sessions, students will:

Develop an understanding of what worry is and how it feels in the body
Learn strategies to manage worry, such as Worry Time and mindfulness
Build resilience through strengthening emotional literacy and self-regulation

The program will run as an eight-week block, with sessions held once a fortnight in the afternoon.

We look forward to supporting our students as they continue to grow in confidence and emotional wellbeing.

Seasons for Growth – Grief and Loss Support Program

We would like to let families know that Mrs Diakrousis will resume the Seasons for Growth program in Term Three. Seasons for Growth is a small-group program designed to support children who have experienced significant change, loss, or grief—such as the death of a loved one, family separation, or other major life changes.

The program helps students explore their feelings in a safe and supportive environment through age-appropriate discussions, stories, creative activities, and personal reflection. It aims to build emotional resilience and equip students with strategies to cope with change.

The program will be available for students from Prep to Year 6, and groups will be organised by level: Junior (Prep–Year 2), Middle (Years 3–4), and Senior (Years 5–6).

If you feel your child would benefit from being part of this program, please contact Mrs Diakrousis at jdiakrousis@spmentonecatholic.edu.au.

Before School Drop-Off Reminder

We kindly remind all families that students should not be dropped off at the school gate before 8:30am. This is to ensure the safety and supervision of all children. Our school gates open at 8:30am, and three staff members are on duty from this time to welcome and supervise students. If you do arrive before 8:30am, we ask that you remain with your child until the gates are open.Students who walk or ride to school are encouraged to time their walk to arrive between 8:30-8:45am. Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe.

Student Achievements

Last weekend several students from St Patrick's competed in the 2025 Victorian Pool Lifesaving Championships at Caufield Grammar, competing with the Mentone Lifesaving Club alongside 105 athletes across Victoria. Many of our students took out medal places:

Ruby H(Gr3) - Competed U9

Poppi G (Gr3) - Competed U9

Gabriel D (Gr4) - Competed U9

Alex F(Gr4) - Competed U10

Evie A (Gr4) - Competed U10

Congratulations to all participants of this term's chess club. A special mention to the following students who have placed and won an award for their achievements.

1st Place: Best & Fairest - Max H

2nd Place: Silver Grasshopper Badge - Harvey P

3rd Place: Bronze Grasshopper Badge - Alfie S

Random Acts of Kindness

We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the following students for their outstanding display of kindness and compassion towards others. Your willingness to support, encourage, and uplift those around you has set a wonderful example for our entire school community. It’s incredibly inspiring to see students across different year levels go out of their way to make others feel valued, included, and respected.

Your acts of kindness—whether through small gestures or significant efforts—are powerful reminders of the positive impact we can all have. Thank you for embodying the values that make our school a welcoming and caring place for everyone. Keep up the amazing work!

Week 11

Leo J. (6MH) For selflessly giving up his turn for a friend who was feeling sad about missing out.

Jack H. (5MH) For always being a kind and caring friend to younger students. You are an amazing role model

Community Information

Music Lessons at St Patricks