From Our Principal

 Newsletter  ~ Term 4, Week 6, 2025

Principal's Message:

Dear Parents, Carers, Families and Friends of St Mel’s Primary School,

As per my email to parents and carers earlier this week, it has been wonderful to be back at school with our students and Staff Team following my recent time away.

Michelle and I am very grateful for the kind words, thoughts, prayers, flowers, messages and positive comments in support of Michelle's recovery and rehabilitation during recent weeks and my return to school this week. I look forward to the coming weeks as we continue to complete our 2025 school year, whilst making plans for next year. 

Best wishes for the coming four and a half weeks.

Please find the following our second newsletter for this week.

Sacramental Program ~ Our Time Together:

This coming Thursday afternoon parents and carers will gather for another collective 'Our Time Together' session here at St Mel's PS, to continue learning focused on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (forgiveness). These combined groups provide helpful modelling to our parents, carers and children in support of the 'Our Time Together' family groups being held within the parish in the coming weeks.  

Please keep our sacramental candidates in your thoughts and prayers going forward.

 For more information about our St Mel's Parish Sacramental Program, please contact Danae Napier here at school (ph: 5821 3163) or Mel Shiels at the parish (ph: 5831 2194).

No School Monday 17th. November:

Reminder, there is no school for students on the following day next week:

• Monday 17th. November - Staff Professional Learning day

School will resume for students on Tuesday 18th. November.

Magnify Sandhurst' 

Every Student - Every Teacher - Every School - Every Day!

In line with our Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd low variance and knowledge rich curriculum we continue to train members of oure Staff Team in new approaches, programs and elements of Magnify in preparation for next year.

Whilst maintaining already introduced Magnify elements going forward we will be involved in continually improving the educational experience of our children to support their ongoing learning, development and growth.

Leaving at the End of Year? OR... Know of Families Yet to Enrol? 

Thank you to the families who have indicated they will be leaving the St Mel's Community at year's end. This information is very helpful as we continue planning for the upcoming school year. 

Also, if you know of families yet to approach us for enrolment, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible!

2026 Staffing and Structures: [Repeat]

Planning for school staffing and structures for the coming 2026 school year continues with staffing vacancies advertised externally. We are seeking new teachers to join the St Mel's PS community from the commencement of the 2026 Victorian school year. 

We invite parents, carers and members of the St Mel's Staff Team to spread the word of our recruiting amongst family, friends and connections. 

The following available positions are advertised on the Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd website, local paper and Facebook:

• Teacher - Full Time Ongoing
• Teacher - Fixed Term Ongoing

• Deputy Principal

  NOTE: In line with Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd policy, the Deputy Principal role at St Mel's PS is being advertised externally, given the alignment with the end of the current appointment term for Deputy Principal and the vacancy of a Full Time Ongoing teacher becoming available with Nanette Micallef's departure at the end of this year. The next appointment term for Deputy Principal will be for six years, in accordance with CESLtd policy. Danae Napier, our current Acting Principal, is able to, and encouraged to, re-apply for this role within our community. 

Foundation Transition for 2026: [Ongoing]

Our first Enrolment Transition Session was a huge success with our new Foundation students settling into their first experience of school very smoothly. Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to have your children here on Wednesday morning.

We encourage Foundation (PREP) families to attend each transition session, as these visits play an important role in helping children build confidence, become familiar with their new learning environment, and form positive relationships with teachers and peers. 

We look forward to welcoming our new 2026 Foundation students enrolled for next year as they experience primary school as part of their transition program, as follows:

Transition Session 2:  Wednesday 19th November   12.15pm - 1.15pm  

Transition Session 3:  Wednesday 26th November   9.15am - 10.15am  

Transition Session 4:  Wednesday 3rd  December    12.15pm - 1.15pm  

Foundation (Prep) Parent Welcome Night: (Parents and Carers only to attend) 

Wednesday, 3rd of December 2025 at 7 pm in the School Hall 

• Learn about our school 
• What your child will need to bring to school 
• What your child’s day will look like 
• What learning will look like  
• How to help your child transition to school.  
• Have a conversation with our Principal, Deputy Principal, educators and key people who will work with your child. 

Statewide Prep Orientation Day 2025: 

Tuesday 9th December ~ 12pm - 1.45pm 

Year 1 Activities Afternoon & Year 2 Sleep Over:

Preparations are well underway for our  Year 2 Sleepover and Year 1 Activities Afternoon. Details in support of these activities will come out in advance of the dates to support parents and carers prepare their children for participating in each respective activity.

NOTE: Following a review of camps and excursions from this year onwards, the Year Two students will participate in a sleepover at school, which will involve Year One children staying later at school on this day, enjoying activities with the Year Twos, a meal and then going home to sleep. The Year One children will not be sleeping over at school. 

As many parents and carers will know from last year, in mid-2023 the new Catholic Education Enterprise Agreement was passed and introduced into our school system. Along with many changes to employment conditions for school staff this agreement included the introduction of Time In Lieu for teachers and support staff and a reduction in the allowable formal meeting hours.

This has had a significant impact on 'out of school hours' participation of staff, especially in relation to school camps and overnight stays (ie Sleep Overs).

Subsequently, the day/s following these activities now involve staff receiving their 'Time in Lieu' (ie not attending school for the overtime incurred on camp!)

This has added additional financial and organisation considerations for schools as we are also trying to keep the costs of these activities down for families.

As in previous years, acquitting the 'Time in Lieu' involves running an alternate program on the day, or days, following each activity with minimal staff supporting the children who come to school on the day following a camp or sleepover. Again, as in 2024, families electing to keep children home after these activities supports our arrangements. This option will again be offered in support of the  Year 5/6 camp, Year 1 Long Day and Year 2 Sleepover this term.

The support of our parents and carers following the Year 3/4 camp was wonderful and enabled us to significantly reduce the impact financially and organisationally. Very much appreciated.

Given challenges in accessing classroom relief teachers (CRTs) and our Leadership staff already taking on additional teaching roles this term, your support of post-activity day arrangements is greatly appreciated.

School Hats: [Reminder]

As we move further into Term 4 and the warmer weather approaches, students are now encouraged to transition to their summer uniform as the weather permits. As a SunSmart School, it’s essential that all students wear their school hat when outside for play, sport, or learning activities. 

While our days are warming up, mornings can still be quite cool, so please make sure all jumpers and jackets are clearly named. This helps us return any lost items quickly and keeps our lost property pile to a minimum.

Thank you for your support, we look forward to learning & playing in this spring sunshine together.

Student Toilets: [Repeat]

To clarify, the toilets accessible from the yard are Student Toilets Only.

In the interest of Child Safeguarding, adults wishing to use a toilet whilst on school grounds are requested to use the toilets inside the School Administration Office.

St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care - Vacation, Student Free Days and Before School Care: [Repeat]

Our new relationship with Uniting Vic Tas to operate the St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care provision here at school continues to go from strength to strength with the introduction of NEW services within this provision.

Last holidays, St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care offered a Vacation Program for nine days of the school holiday break. This new initiative has been well attended and will continue for the Christmas / New Year school holiday period.

Outside School Hours Care will also be offered on Student Free Days where our Staff Team are engaged in Professional Learning or Administrative Days, where it is appropriate to have students on site under the care of St Mel's Uniting OSHC staff.

Following a trial of Before School Care, for the first two weeks of this term, St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care will continue to provide this service to our parents and carers.

With increasing numbers of parents and carers seeking a Before School Care option and increasing numbers of students arriving prior to 8:30am across the week, it has been decided to extend the current provision of Outside School Hours Care to meet this growing need in support of our working parents.

Offering yard duty supervision for an additional 50 minutes across mornings of the school week, within our staff yard duty roster, has been challenging for our school to sustain. The Before School Care provision will enable us to reduce the yard duty requirement by reverting to the 8:30 am school opening time each day. 

Where parents and carers require students at school prior to 8:30am, they will need to be registered with St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care for a fee.

More information is available in the attached flyer.

Parents and carers seeking more information or wishing to register children for Vacation Care are directed to contact Uniting Vic Tas directly by:

             Phone: 1800 183 103

             Email: earlylearning@unitingvictas.org.au

School families who do not currently use the service during the school term, who wish to make use of this service, are invited to contact Uniting Vic Tas:

Student Birthdays: [Repeat!]

We celebrate student birthdays as a school at our weekly assembly and in Pastoral Groups across the year. A reminder to parents not to send cakes, sweets, presents and other birthday treats to school.

Enrolment Enquiries & Applications ONLINE: 

The NEW enrolment enquiry and application portal 'Enquiry Tracker' can be accessed via our St Mel's PS Website at: www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au 

OR by clicking the following live link: https://www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-application

School Dates:

Please check the Upcoming Dates & Events section of the newsletter regularly.

Please note: SIMON Everywhere and PAM remain temporarily unavailable. We are now able to send emails via SIMON and will continue to share updates and reminders through this platform while system issues are being resolved. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Best wishes for the weekend ahead and a return to school learning on Tuesday 18th. November.

Stephen 'Steve' Hicks

Principal

Did you know? ~