From Our Principal

St Mel's is a proud Catholic Education Community, striving, learning

and achieving together through Christ our light.

Newsletter ~ Term 1, Week 8, 2025

Principal's Message:

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

This week we conclude our Harmony Week celebration of our diverse cultural and religious community with a special Out of School Uniform Day. Again, so wonderful to see our children arrive in cultural attire, religious dress and / or dressed in orange (the colour of Harmony Week). We are truly fortunate to have such similarity and difference to respect, honour, celebrate and learn from in our multifaith, multicultural Catholic education community. So interesting the sharing of family stories about Lent, Ramadan, Holi and other cultural and religious events being observed at this time.

This week we have also celebrated the Feast of St Patrick (Monday) and St Joseph (Wednesday). The children have enjoyed learning about both saints this week in class.

Volunteers - Support Required for St Mel's Parents & Carers Social Committee:

Our wonderful Parents and Carers Social Committee is in need of MORE support to organise and run their activities this year. I encourage all parents and carers to read the information contained in the newsletter today (and recently sent home) to see where you can support our Social Committee and our school by being part of these enjoyable events.

Not only are the activities fun for our children and enjoyed by adults, they along raise funds in support of us support student learning.

'Magnify Sandhurst'

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

Learning Support and Teaching Staff continue to implement MiniLit Sage and MacqLit intervention programs to students across the school as part of our MultiLit Literacy approach. We look forward to following the development and growth of children engaging in the MultiLit suite of programs and approaches.

Next Thursday and Friday Bridie Cooke, Charlotte Wilson, Laura Mammone and myself will participate in MultiLit training to complement the large number of staff who have accessed this training since last year. I am grateful to the CES Ltd Catholic Education Office for supporting this extensive training program for our staff (and myself).

As mentioned on the last Wednesday of Term One (2 April) our staff will be joined by the staff of St Joseph's PS Cobram and St Joseph's PS Numurkah for a Professional Learning day focussed on the low variance Behaviour Curriculum. This will be a Student Free Day for our learners and the School Administration Office will also be closed that day.

Neuroscience of Learning - First Week of Term 2 (Student Free Days):

Our staff team will join the staff teams of schools across the Sandhurst Diocese for three consecutive days of professional learning in the first week of Term Two focussed on the Neuroscience of Learning as part of Magnify Sandhurst. With Easter Monday at the beginning of Week One and the Anzac Day public holiday at the end of Week One the next holiday break for children will be three weeks long.

Our children will commence attending school on the second week of Term Two from Monday 28 April 2025.

Staffing Announcements:

Karen Myers, Administration Officer, has recently been appointed to the Finance Team of Catholic Education Sandhurst after three years supporting our school community in our Finance and Administration Team. Whilst we celebrate Karen's appointment to her new position we are sad to be losing her from our Administration Office and school community on a daily basis. Karen is a highly skilled and experienced financial and administrative officer and will be wonderful support to the schools she will be working with in her new role, including our school into the future. Karen will commence a pre-planned period of Long Service Leave on Friday 28th April and return in Term Two to support a hand over of roles and responsibilities. We wish Karen every success in this new role within our Catholic Education Office.

Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd is taking this opportunity to centralise a number of Payroll, Human Resourcing and Finance tasks which will be supported by Administration Officers based in Tatura and Bendigo (including Karen). A part time Administration Officer position will be advertised shortly. Maria Makin will continue in her role as Administration Officer, with responsibilities in our Library.

Chris Dywer, one of our valued Learning Support Officers, will also conclude her time with us at St. Mel's PS at the end of this term. Chris has supported students and teachers predominately in our senior school since the beginning of last year, though has a much longer history of supporting St Mel's PS as a past parent and volunteer of many years. We with Chris and her husband Michael (another very involved past parent of the school) all the very best as they enjoy retirement. Thank you Chris for your wonderful support to our students, to our staff and to our school community.

Student Attendance is UP!

Thank you children, parents and carers. Our overall school attendance percentage has increased, with a number of children improving their regular attendance from previous years.

The importance of high levels of school attendance is important in supporting each child's learning journey. I am pleased our ongoing efforts to encourage more regular attendance and discourage non-attendance is reflected in these positive attendance figures.

Remember: We should be aiming for 95% attendance as "Everyday Counts"!

Missing mornings, afternoons and days of school means children are missing valuable low variance curriculum delivery.

Acceptable absences from school include: illness, accidents, attending or observing religious event or obligation, bereavement or sorry business and/or cultural observarence.

Other than these reasons children should attend school to fully engage with the curriculum.

Student Arrival at School:

We encourage our students to commence arriving at school from 8:30am each morning.

This provides an opportunity for children to catch up, play with one another and be here well before our first bell at 8:55am. Preferably ALL children will be onside from 8:45am so that once the first bell goes they are ready to enter Learning Suites and ready to engage in their morning learning routine.

2025 & 2026 Enrolment:

St Mel's PS Uniform:

Wearing our correct school uniform shows pride in our school and pride in ourselves.

We Do Our Best when we wear our correct school uniform.

2024 JUN SMS Uniform Information.pdf

Uniform Labels:

Parents and carers please check your child/ren's uniform items are clearly named/labelled and that your child is bringing home (& wearing) their uniform. We have recently had a run of children wearing hats and jumpers not belonging to them.

Sacramental Preparation:

Please keep the children and their families preparing for the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to gather in groups to learn more about their faith and these sacraments in coming weeks.

2025 National Assessment Program for Literacy & Numeracy (2025 NAPLAN):

Our Year 3 and Year 5 children have completed their NAPLAN assessments this week.

Well done to our children for participating so well across the various components of these annual standardised assessments of student learning. We look forward to the

Student Illness:

A reminder to parents and carers, whilst attendance each day at school is important in supporting children's learning journey, children are required to stay home from school when they show symptoms of illness. Not only does this support them recover more quickly, it significantly reduces the possibility of spreading illness to their peers and/or our staff.

Parents and carers will be called to collect children from school who are unwell.

Time Capsule Contents 1973 to 2000 to 2025:

The contents of the 1973 and 2000 Time Capsules are on display in the School Administration foyer for parents, carers and community members wishing to visit to view the items. Arrangements are bring made to display the contents in the St Mel's parish church in coming weeks prior to reburying the contents along with items from this year to be opened in 2050.

We Need You! And... you and you and you and you! (CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!)

Our St Mel's Parent & Carer's Social Committee is in need of MORE parents and carers to indicate their support for our various school events, fun-raising and fund-raising activities.

Recently a letter was sent home detailing ways in which parents and carers can support activities such as: Mothers' Day Stall - We need an indication of help next week!

Ladies' High Tea - We need an indication of help next week!

Pie Drive

Fathers' Day Stall

Fathers' Day Breakfast

School Disco

Without support from our parents and carers we may need to change and possibly abandon activities going forward. Please find following a copy of the Volunteer Sign Up form.

Please return the form next week.

2025 Volunteer Sign Up Form.pdf

Volunteer in Support of our School Community

- St Mel's Parent & Carers Social Committee: [REPEAT]

The St Mel's PS Parents & Carers Social Committee consists of volunteer parents, carers and other members of our community (e.g. grandparents, former parents, staff members, aunties, etc.) whose aims are as follows:

To cater for the general wellbeing of the school community.
To liaise and co-operate with the School Advisory Council and the St Mel's parish community as a whole.
To raise funds to assist with purchase of equipment and resources for the school. This amount helps keep school fees down.
To foster and develop a spirit of community among parents and friends.

In other words... FUNraising, FUNDraising and Social Connection.

All parents, carers and friends are welcome to attend meetings. Details of time and venue of meetings will be available in the school newsletter.

In 2024 our Parents & Carers Social Committee organised our Annual Student Disco, Mother's Day High Tea and Gift Staff, our Father's Day Breakfast & Gift Stall and very popular Colour Fun Run. Funds raised contributed to: new headphones for our students to use with their iPads, new readers for our students and our new Ga Ga Pit (outdoor play equipment) to be installed in our grounds this year.

For more information about the St Mel's PS Parents and Carers Social Committee or to join please contact our Deputy Principal Danae Napier or Social Committee member Leah Hawker on socialclub@smshepparton.catholic.edu..

School Dates:

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

A reminder of approaching Student Free Days:

Term One - Wednesday 2 April

Term Two - Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 April

Best wishes for the long weekend this weekend.

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