From Our Principal

Newsletter  ~ Term 3, Week 7, 2025

Principal's Message:

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

What a fortnight of learning and extra-curricula activities we have experienced since last newsletter!

Two weeks of learning and further activity to follow before we break for a well earned rest. 

I am extremely pleased with the children's engagement and participation at school across what has been an other busy term of learning for students and staff underpinned by the various elements of Magnify, our low variance and knowledge rich curriculum.

By the time the school holidays roll around, we will all be in need of a good break from school routines. Students, parents, carers, families and our hard working and dedicated Staff Team. 

Please find following our newsletter for this fortnight.

Sacramental Program ~ Focus on Reconciliation:

Last night we gathered in the St Mel's Parish Meeting Room for a highly informative session outlining the 2025 / 2026 Parish Sacramental Program. Mel Shiels and Danae Napier, supported by the Parish Sacramental Team and school representatives delivered an overview of the Parish Sacramental Program schedule and provided documentation caurrently required for registration and journeying through from Reconciliation to Confirmation / Eucharist.

Enrolment Masses will be held on Sunday 14 September at 9:30am and 5:00pm in Christ the King church (St Mel's Parish church). 

 For more information or to register please contact Danae Napier here at school (ph: 5821 3163) or Mel Shiels at the parish (ph: 5831 2194).

Shared Mission - St Mel's Parish & St Mel's Primary School:

Fr Ronald, Danae and I met yesterday to discuss the Shared Mission Statement between our school and parish which provides guidance to how our school community and our parish community collaborate, interact, support and communicate with one another. All Catholic schools and parishes across our diocese are required to complete this process and review annually. Our conversation with Fr Ronald also covered annual dates, school and parish events, our support of and involvement in the Parish Based Sacramental program and the current changes occurring across the local parishes.

Fr Ronald, along with Fr Ruel have maintained a regular presence in and around our school community and we are grateful for their ongoing support of our school community.

We look forward to continuing to work with our local priests as they take on roles across the parishes of St Mel's Shepparton, St Malachy's Nagambie, St Brendan's Shepparton, St Mary's Mooroopna and St Mary's Dookie. Five parishes and seven schools!

2025 World Day of Prayer for Creation Mass:

Our Year 5/6 students, teachers, support staff, Danae and I joined Fr Ronald, Fr Ruel and parishioners for a special Mass to pray for the precious gift of creation on Monday. 

Answering Pope Leo's call for churches and parish communities across the globe to gather in prayer for creation, Fr Ronald invited parishioners and our school to participate in this special gathering of world solidarity to pray for our planet!

Our senior students represented our school community so respectfully and reverently at this special Mass held in Christ the King church (our parish church).

10 Years of Rogationists Priests in Australia:

Our Rogationist Fathers celebrate 10 years of Ministry in Australia over three days from 19 to 21 September.

Friday 19th - St Anthony's Parish (Melton)

Saturday 20th. - St Mel's Parish (Shepparton) 10:30am Mass & Luncheon 

Sunday 21st - Maidstone Parish (Melbourne)

This is a significant celebration for our local Rogationist priests, our school and our parish.

Families wishing to attend the luncheon on Saturday 20th. September are directed to book through the St Mel's Parish Office on: 5831 2194

Big Blokes Breakfast:

Thank you to the large number of dads, grandpas, pops, uncles, grand dads, older borthers and special people who attended the annual breakfast this morning in the St Mel's Hall.

We certainly had a wonderful roll up of men, children and a few ladies to join in a very special morning for these very special people in our lives. Many thanks to the St Mel's Parent Carer Social Committee for organising this event.

We wish all these special people a wonderful day of celebration on Sunday!

Magnify Sandhurst' 

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

Engaged Learners / Engaged Learning: 

Our children and Staff Team continue to refine learning experiences underpinned by the Magnify  low variance, knowledge rich curriculum based on the Victorian Curriculum. 

We continue to implement our SIX school wide routines as an integral component of our whole school Framework for Positive Behaviour and Support:

• Cue to Start - to gain student attention before providing direction / instruction.
• Classroom Entry 
• Classroom Exit
• Classroom Exit (End of Day)
• Movement Routine (How we move within our Learning Suites) and,

• Voices - Silent Voice, Quiet Voice, Partner Voice, Group Voice, Class Voice

         (The different voices we use for certain activities).

Kirsten, an Instructional Coach from the Knowledge Society, spent the day with us on Wednesday conducting classroom Drop In visits to view teachers, learning support staff and students during these school wide routines.  Kirsten's role also includes coaching Danae, Di and myself to continue coaching our broader Staff Team in implementing the school wide routines across the school with fidelity.

2025 School Disco... 'Oh What a Night!'

A large group of students enjoyed dancing the night away at our annual disco last Thursday night in St Mel's Hall to the spinning tunes of guest disk jockey 'DJ Giddy Up!'

Complete with cowboy boots and hat, our guest DJ was kept pressured by a large list of popular song requests across the night. So wonderful to see our children enjoying a fun night of music, dancing and song! Well done to all our students able to attend this exciting fun filled evening! Thank you to the parents our St Mel's PS Parent / Carer Social Committee and volunteers for running such a successful evening!

Book Fair:

Sales from this year's Book Fair totalled $ 3088.00, which means there are plenty of new books in the hands of our students. How wonderful our parents and carers have responded so positively to this opportunity to purchase quality books for our children to enjoy and to support their positive reading habits.

From these sales Maria has been able to purchase $772.00 worth of books for our library. Whilst increasing the range of quality books available to all students, these new books are now available to students who may not have been able to purchase books from the Book Fair.

Thank you to the families and staff who supported our 2025 Book Fair by making purchases of quality books for your child/ren.

Book Week & Parade:

What a wonderful day in celebration of reading, literature, books, learning and adventure.

Based on our theme for Book Week 2025 our students, staff, younger siblings and some parents & carers came dressed in a range of different characters from books. 'Book an Adventure' was a perfect theme to inspire the imagination behind some wonderful costumes.

In addition to joining in our parade our children completed Book Week activities in their classrooms during the day.

Athletics Day:

Last week we travelled to the Shepparton Athletics Track for an enjoyable and exciting annual Athletics Carnival. Thank you to the Staff Team and secondary students from St Anne's College for assisting the children across the day. The children enjoyed participating and competing in the wide range of activities across the day.

Congratulations to Mercy House for being awarded the House Spirit Award.

Congratulations to Scalabrini House for finishing the day with the highest amount of points from all activities to win the trophy!

Thank you students, staff and families for contributing to the success of the day.

St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care - Introducing Vacation Care HERE!

Our new relationship with Uniting Vic Tas to operate the St Mel's Uniting Outside School Hours Care provision here at school continues to offer a quality Outside School Hours Care service to our families and from the coming school holidays will offer Vacation Care on site.

This is a welcome opportunity for our working parents and carers. The Vacation Care program includes a range of excursions and incursions during the holidays.

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:

3/4 and 5/6 Camps, Year 1 Long Day & Year 2 Sleep Over: [Repeat]

Preparations are well underway for our Year 3/4 Camp, Year 5/6 Camp, Year 2 Sleepover and Year 1 Long Day. Details in support of these activities will come our in advance of the dates to support parents and carers prepare thir 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 sleep over 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 3/4 and Year 5/6 camp, Year 1 Long Day and Year 2 Sleepover this term.

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.

Student Birthdays:

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.

Past Students on Student Free Days:

The practice of past students returning on days their current school has a student free day has been identified as a liability risk to the system and individual schools. Past pupils may continue to return to their former school within the protocols associated with formal Work Placement, Work Experience and/or structured school events e.g., assisting with school athletics, tutoring, cross age activities, etc... They can also attend school and parish events open to the general public e.g., fetes and Masses. The practice of past students returning to spend the day at their former school when their current school has a student free day will not continue. 

St Mel's Hall:

The St Mel's Hall is not available for private hire / private functions.

The hall is used primarily by our school and for St Mel's Parish events. Our sister school, St Anne's College, occasionally use our hall for St Anne's College events. From time to time the hall may also be used by Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited for Professional Learning events.

Foundation (Prep) Enrolment Interviews: [Repeat]

As previously announced, interviews for families seeking enrolment for Foundation (Prep) in 2026 have commenced. 

A reminder for parents/carers yet to enrol via our ONLINE ENROLMENT PORTAL 'Enquiry Tracker' so now to ensure you are in the 2026 Foundation Enrolment Interview List.

Please spread the word amongst other families and kinder parents so that families are registered for our available places for Foundation in 2026. We are also taking enrolment enquiries for higher grades via the Enquiry Tracker system.

Enrolment Enquiries & Applications ONLINE: [Repeat]

A reminder for parents and carers with students to commence Foundation in 2026 to go 'online' and complete the relevant Enrolment Application Form.

If you are aware of other members of the broader local community seeking enrolment please direct them to the ONLINE forms.

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

We are continuing to accept enrolments for 2026.

Enquiry Tracker Online Enrolment Platform:

Thank you to our current and new families using the new online enrolment platform for 2026 enrolments. This is a learning experience for our school staff and parents/carers as we navigate the new diocesan enrolment software. I have appreciated the patience of parents, carers and staff as we continue to learn the software and gain greater confidence using it.

Annual ORIMA School Survey: [Repeat]

The annual survey period will commence Monday 18 August and conclude Monday 15 September. Students in Year 5/6, Staff and a sample of families will be involved in the survey period. The surveys provide useful information in support of forward and strategic planning for ongoing school improvement. Surveys for students and staff have been released. Parent / carer surveys are to follow.

Celebrating Our School ~ 'St Mel's Primary School Shepparton' Facebook Page: [Repeat]

If you are 'on' Facebook and not following our Facebook Page you are missing out on the weekly posts celebrating our learning and participation at school. Our Facebook Page is used to celebrate and share school events, activities and student participation.

[Reminder: Facebook is not the media parents/carers are to communicate with our school, ask questions or seek clarification. We have other processes in place for communication].

Staffing Update:

Danae Napier (Deputy Principal) and I joined with other diocesan school leaders for a day focussed on analysing the various student assessment data sets on Tuesday. The professional learning day also provided further information in relation to the roll out of the next elements of Magnify. More to follow... 

Cyndilee Watson, Year Three Pastoral Group teacher has returned from her recent illness and resumed supporting the learning and teaching program in Year 3.

School Dates:

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

Thank you for your ongoing support of your child/ren and our Staff Team.

Best wishes for the coming weekend.

Stephen 'Steve' Hicks

Principal

Did you know? ~