Newsletter Address ~ Term 4, Week 7/8

Principal's Message:

Dear Parents and Friends of St Mel’s,

Next Sunday 26th November we celebrate the Feast Day of Christ the King of which our parish is named after. The solemnity of Christ the King recognises all the Lord has given us and all He represents. It also marks the end of the liturgical year and soon we begin the season of Advent ~ the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

Also on that day, Fr Rene, our new parish priest will have his installation mass at 5pm with Bishop Shane. All members of our community are invited to this special celebration at 5pm.

For more information please email XavierTanner: xaviertanner25@gmail.com or phone 0409 388 845. Or call the Parish office on 58 312 194.

Last Saturday we commemorated Remembrance Day. A huge thank you to our year six leaders Sienna Bok, Ava Hamilton and Noah Hawker who laid a wreath on behalf of St Mel's at the Shepparton Cenotaph. It was a wonderful example of leadership as they proudly represented our community. Well done.

On Monday we commemorated our own Remembrance Day ceremony as a school community. It was a beautiful service with all students stopping for a minute silence to remember all servicemen and women who have died and continue to serve our country in peace keeping duties across the world. Traditions such as these are important to continue, and I hope your children have been able to share in the things they have learned.

For information regarding the origins and significance of Remembrance Day visit:

https://www.army.gov.au/our-heritage/traditions/remembrance-day

Last Friday was our Athletics Day. The day was hot, totally the opposite to when we had to cancel in term 3. Despite the hot conditions, our students were exceptional in their participation and encouragement of one another. Congratulations to Red House (O’Reilly) who were the overall house team winners. A special mention to several of our students who received a spirit award on the day. Congratulations to the following students:

Michael Kita & Ethan Currey (great helpers and encouragement)

Niall McCarroll & Harry Campbell (High Jump extraordinaries ~ clearing 149cms!!)

Lilly Aradazza & Hayley Austin (Good Sportsmanship and team encouragement)

In today’s newsletter there is information regarding next year’s school fee structure. Please take the time to read this information and feel free to contact the office if you have any questions.

This week we welcomed many of our new foundation students for 2024 who joined us for their first transition days last Monday and on Friday. Seeing our new ‘preppies’ together for the first time brings us much joy.

Prep Information Night ~ Wednesday 29th November 7:00pm. Details have been sent to families.

Enrolments are still open to families or those you might know who haven’t decided on a primary school for 2024.

A reminder ~ 1st December is our Staff Planning Day ~ this is a pupil free day.

Enjoy a wonderful fortnight everyone.

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

Wednesday 13th December: Aquamoves Funday ~ details to come.

Friday 15th December: Last day for students

School finishes 3:30pm ~ details to come

Little Angler Kits

The Victorian Government is investing $1.5 million from the Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Fund to provide up to 95,000 Little Angler Kits to primary school aged children in Victoria.

The free kits provide a wonderful school holiday activity for children with their families and help ease the cost of living, providing a fun activity close to home.

Grade 5 students at all Victorian schools, including St Mel's, will be offered the opportunity to receive a FREE Little Angler Kit. Grade 5 students have been selected based on the Victorian Curriculum focus, movement and motor development, and safety considerations.

The program is entirely voluntary. Schools were provided with the option to opt out of the program. Our school has opted to stay in the program so that parents can decide whether they want their child(ren) to receive a free fishing kit.

Parents of Grade 5 students can advise the school if they do not wish their child(ren) to participate for any reason whatsoever. We support parents in making decisions that align with their family values and beliefs.

The roll out of kits will occur through the second half of 2023 (16 October - 4 December) so that all participating children will have a kit in time for the summer school holidays.

The kits include a rod, reel with line, tackle tray, some tackle and information on how to use them to catch a fish. Please note that the tackle tray includes fishing hooks. The tackle tray will be wrapped in cardboard and placed inside a pocket inside the fishing kit bag, which will be sealed with a cable tie to discourage students from opening their kits until they are with a parent or carer.

Kits will be handed out to students to take home with them as soon as the school receives them. Teachers will tell students not to open the kits until they are safely at home with a parent or carer, however parents can contact the school and request to collect their kit from the school themselves if they prefer.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority will create a Little Angler hub on their website, which will be live when the kits start being distributed. It will have useful information, instructional videos and online resources about where and how to fish linking to existing resources from Fishcare and new resources to be produced just for the Little Angler Kits program.

https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/featured/little-angler-kit-project

This initiative aims to grow recreational fishing participation in Victoria by actively encouraging primary school aged children to learn how to fish, as well as learning more about marine life and the natural environment.

Our grade 5 students will receive their kits at Monday’s assembly at 2:45pm.

Enjoy!!

School Closure Days Term 4

We have several scheduled school closure days this term. Please make note of the following days when students won't be at school.

Friday 1st December ~ Staff Planning Day 2024

Friday 15th December ~ Last Day for students (3:20pm finish)

Month	Dates / Events
November	2nd November Grade1/2 Sleepover 6th Report Writing Day ~ pupil free day 7st Melbourne Cup Holiday 10th Athletics Day Prep Transition Day 11th Remembrance Day 13th Prep Transition Day 17th Prep Transition Day 20th Prep Transition Day 24th Prep Transition Day 28th School Council Meeting 29th Prep Information Night
December	1st Staff Planning Day ~ pupil free day 4th Year 6 Reflection Day & Year 5 Leadership Day 12th Statewide Transition Day 12th Reports Home 12th End of year Graduation Mass 14th Aquamoves Fun day (TBC) 15th Students last day ~ Updated 3.20pm finish 18th Staff Reflection/PD day/ 2024 preparations
2024	Students commence school ~ Wednesday 31st Jan 2024

Expected Behaviours at School ~ PBIS (Positive Behaviour is Schools) approach

At times we all feel frustrated and find ourselves doing/saying/acting in ways that are unkind and hurtful to others. Unfortunately, our actions or reactions can and do have long-lasting consequences. Children need to be taught from an early age that it’s not ok to name-call, get angry with one another, bully or even body shame others for the way they look. Sadly, we are not immune to these behaviours at school, and we work hard to teach students how to be the best versions of themselves by being respectful, courteous, and kind and how to deal with their emotions, especially anger.

St Mel’s has been working closely with Dan Petro to develop and upskill in evidence-based strategies, when respectfully supporting the behaviour of students. There are often many questions related to the PBIS school-wide approach.

What does PBIS (Positive Behaviour in Schools) approach mean?

PBIS is a well-researched, evidence-based framework that recognises that behaviours change when people are explicitly taught what the expected behaviours should look like. PBIS is a framework that aims to prevent, reduce and replace problem behaviours and build respectful relationships. The main purpose of the PBIS approach is to put time into explicitly teaching positive and appropriate behaviours, opposed to continually punishing misbehaviour. PBIS is a frequently-used framework across many school settings, nationally and globally.

So, does these mean kids don’t have any consequence for bad behaviour?

This is a question that is frequently asked. Many people believe that children "get away with it" or "do whatever they want" with a PBIS school wide approach. The short answer to this question is, “No!” Children do have a consequence for behaviours of concern; however, we do not use punishment that is used to humiliate, embarrass or control the child. Instead, we prioritise teaching how expected behaviours should look. When implementing a consequence, the dignity of the person is our priority. The consequences given are related to the behaviour of concern and the focus of consequences is to enable the student to learn to regulate their behaviour and to educate the child how to behave in socially acceptable ways. We seek to model appropriate conflict resolution when dealing with behaviours of concern, and we use a calm, neutral tone, as this models to our students that when people "misbehave", we still maintain respect and recognise that all people deserve to have their dignity intact. This is critical for our young people as they will soon be in relationships, have jobs, and be actively participating in our community.

Modelling respectful behaviours aims to promote and instil in our young people respectful relationships. Our community seeks to provide an environment that will support students’ efforts to develop self-management skills, promote academic achievement and to develop independent and likeable citizens.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the school or your child’s teacher if you have any concerns regarding student behaviour.

Encouraging Positive Behaviour with Kids ~ Try these tips to encourage the behaviour you want in your child.

Children do as you do. Your child watches you to get clues on how to behave in the world. You’re her role model, so use your own behaviour to guide her. What you do is often much more important than what you say. If you want your child to say ‘please’, say it yourself. If you don’t want your child to raise her voice, speak quietly and gently yourself.
Show your child how you feel. Tell him honestly how his behaviour affects you. This will help him see his / her own feelings in yours, like a mirror. This is called empathy. By the age of three, children can show real empathy. So you might say, ‘I’m getting upset because there is so much noise I can’t talk on the phone’. When you start the sentence with ‘I’, it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective.
Catch them being ‘good’. This simply means that when your child is behaving in a way you like, you can give her some positive feedback. For example, ‘Wow, you are playing so nicely. I really like the way you are keeping all the blocks on the table’. This works better than waiting for the blocks to come crashing to the floor before you take notice and bark, ‘Hey, stop that’. This positive feedback is sometimes called ‘descriptive praise’. Try to say six positive comments (praise and encouragement) for every negative comment (criticisms and reprimands). The 6-1 ratio keeps things in balance. Remember that if children have a choice only between no attention or negative attention, they will seek out negative attention.
Get down to your child’s level. Kneeling or squatting down next to children is a very powerful tool for communicating positively with them. Getting close allows you to tune in to what they might be feeling or thinking. It also helps them focus on what you are saying or asking for. If you are close to your child and have his attention, there is no need to make him look at you.
‘I hear you.’ Active listening is another tool for helping young children cope with their emotions. They tend to get frustrated a lot, especially if they can’t express themselves well enough verbally. When you repeat back to them what you think they might be feeling, it helps to relieve some of their tension. It also makes them feel respected and comforted. It can diffuse many potential temper tantrums.

Keep promises. Stick to agreements. When you follow through on your promises, good or bad, your child learns to trust and respect you. So when you promise to go for a walk after she picks up her toys, make sure you have your walking shoes handy. When you say you will leave the library if she doesn’t stop running around, be prepared to leave straight away. No need to make a fuss about it – the more matter of fact, the better. This helps your child feel more secure, because it creates a consistent and predictable environment. Sun Smart

Time to find those hats again! Please remember all students are required to wear their hats. Consequences for not wearing a hat will be: No Hat, No play.

A Message from the Sun Smart Team:

It's the start of spring and the start of October so it's time for those five SunSmart things to remember!

1. Slip on sun protective clothing

2. Slop on SPF 30+ or higher sunscreen

3. Slap on a wide brimmed hat

4. Seek shade

5. Slide on some wrap-around sunglasses

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

Star Awards & PBIS

Our PBIS Thermometer ~ we made it to our first goal!!!