Dear Parents,

We have had a busy but celebratory start to Term 2 with our ANZAC Day ceremony last Friday that the Years 3 - 6 children participated in and certainly did us proud. I had so many lovely compliments about how beautifully behaved and respectful our children were. They were an absolute credit to us all. Enormous thanks to Ms Kim and her talented group of artists who created some lovely representations of the comaradarie that was renowned amongst the ANZAC soldiers. The paintings are being displayed in the foyer of the Dingley Library and will then move to the Historical Society to stay on display a little longer. Last Friday we also celebrated St Mark's Feast Day - which actually falls on ANZAC Day. We had a lovely Mass on Friday afternoon that Fr Thang and Father Huy celebrated with us and Mr Davies organised a lovely icy treat for all the children.

Uniform:

We have had a few questions about uniform this week. Please know that all children are expected to wear their full school uniform - including black school shoes (NOT black runners) every day except the day they have PE, when they wear their sports/PE uniform.

Children are permitted to wear their summer or winter uniform as long as they wear it properly e.g. NO mix and match - e.g. winter tights are not to be worn with the summer dress and the sports rugby jumper is not to be worn on school uniform days etc. Please see the attached uniform requirements document below:

Child Safety:

Can I please remind all adults dropping off or picking up children that the student toilet facilities in the yard or in any of our buildings are strictly for student use only. Adults cannot use student toilets at any time. All adults are very welcome to come into the office in the event of needing to use a toilet and our friendly office staff will direct you to the adult toilets. This is imperative for the safety of all children. If you have grandparents or other friends or family members picking up or dropping of your children, it is really important that you share this message with them.

Another reminder that children are not to be left unattended at the school gates prior to 8.30 a.m. Staff are not required to be at school until this time and the school grounds are not supervised prior to 8.30 am. and therefore are off limits to everyone. At times, special events or programs are scheduled before school, but supervision is provided for those involved in the scheduled activity only, due to required supervision ratios and the number of staff rostered to be onsite.

Good Luck!:

Good luck to the St Mark's Aerobics Team, who will be competing for the first time at the - FISAF - Schools Aerobics Competition on Sunday 10th May at about 9.00a.m. The girls have done a wonderful job of preparing for their first official competition and we wish them all the very best.

Mothers' Day events:

This year our Parents' Association is trialling a Mothers' Day afternoon tea and activities to celebrate the mothers and special carers in the St Mark's community on Friday 8th May. The event will commence at 2.30 p.m. in the undercover area and the children will join their mum and special carers at 3.20 p.m. for some wonderful activities. The choir and the aerobics team will provide some entertainment and there will be a scrumptious afternoon tea and snacks and drinks for the children. There are some wonderful raffle prizes that will amaze you and a very generous donation from one of our famileis that will be part of a silent auction. Our very popular Mothers' Day stall will go ahead as usual throughout the school day. Tokens for the Mothers' Day Stall and tickets for the afternoon tea and activities are all available on CDF Pay. Flyers with all the dtails of the Mothers' Day events have been sent out to all families.

Thank-you to all the members of the Parents' Association - both new and old for all the work they put in to organising these wonderful events.

Crazy Sock Day:

On Wednesday 6th May we will be holding our annual "Crazy Sock Day" and all funds raised support the "Dingley Make a Difference Foundation". Children are invited to wear a pair of crazy socks with their usual school uniform and bring a gold coin donation that will be given to the foundation.

School Advisory Council

We are still looking for some new members for our School Advisory Council for 2026. The group will meet 6 more times this year on a Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. The role of the School Advisory Council, in keeping with the objectives of the MACS Constitution, is to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community, the parish and our school leaders. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Frances on 9262 2000 or email: principal@smdingley.catholic.edu.au

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th May at 7.30 p.m. in the staffroom. This meeting will be our AGM.

2027 Enrolments and School Tour Dates:

If you have a child starting school in 2027 please do not delay in submitting your enrolment via our online system, accessible on our website. We have enrolments coming in thick and fast for 2027 and want to ensure we are well aware of all our current families who have children starting next year, before we offer places to new families.

Our school tour dates for 2026 have already been very popular and many of our school tour dates are almost full. Please share these dates with anyone you know who has a child starting prep in 2027 and invite them to book in for a tour by visiting our website.

4th May 9.15 a.m.

14th May 9.15 a.m.

Extra Curricular Programs at St Mark’s in 2026