From the Deputy 

Dear families,

Thank you for everyone’s kind words and care as I returned to “full health” in February. I would also like to acknowledge the work that Cathy and the School Leadership Team picked up for me in my absence. Supporting each other is certainly what we do well here at St Mary’s.

School Closure Days, Thursday 9th and Friday 10th March

A reminder that next Thursday and Friday the school will be closed to pupils as our staff undertake two important professional developments.

On Thursday we will be joined by Ben from the MacKillop Institute to introduce our staff to the ReLATE model - a holistic approach to curriculum and strategies to engage all students in cognitive and behaviour change. The model will be informing our school policies and strategies to strengthen our young people’s wellbeing and learning outcomes. This is an excellent opportunity for our staff and students, as the ReLATE model is based on the most recent research and evidence-based practices. The ReLATE program will really compliment our improvement initiatives commenced last year in wellbeing (Positive Behaviour for Learning and School Wide Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports).

On Friday we will be joined by literacy consultants from MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) to commence an intensive partnership with our school to improve literacy outcomes for all students. Again using recent research and evidence-based practices, MACS will be developing our teacher’s understanding of analysing and using assessment data to meet the needs of all students.

ICT Information Evening, Year 3 to 6 parents and carers

The planned ICT Information evening for February will be rescheduled to Thursday 23rd March and is for parents and carers in Years 3 to 6 to attend, as it relates to the 1-to-1 Laptop Program. Family partnership is essential in the success of this program. The webinar will be online and families will receive a link via Seesaw in due course.

Ride To School Day and Active March

This year our school will be acknowledging Ride2School Day on Friday 31st March, where our community will be invited to Ride, Scoot, Skate or Walk their way to school as much as possible without the use of cars on this day. Active modes of travel have so many benefits for us. Exercise in the morning increases cardiovascular health and mental wellbeing. Less car use means reducing our impact on the environment. It’s not always possible to do without vehicles, but families may wish to park a block or two away from our school to incorporate a bit of exercise on their way to school. “Part of the way” is certainly OK!

Our bike and scooter racks have been very well used in the month of February, by both students and parents! We encourage families to keep this up in the month of March. On certain days of March we will be collecting anonymous data about our travel habits. Our school is currently engaged with a number of organisations including the local council and VicRoads to assist with a number of initiatives this year in order to make active travel for our school community easier, safer, and more accessible.

Soccer Club Wednesday’s 8:00am & Parent/Carer Friendly Soccer Match 15th March

We had a great turn up last Wednesday to our first Soccer Club meet up, but it’s unfortunate that the weather was not kind to us yesterday. A reminder that the club for this Term is open to all year levels and abilities, every Wednesday at 8:00am on the Main Campus courts. Like yesterday, a Seesaw message will be sent advising any cancellation on a Wednesday morning due to poor weather or unsafe conditions.

We are keen for some parents to take over the club after Easter. Thank you to the parents who have already advised they can help. We are seeking a few more, so if you are interested please let me know. It would be great to run a Junior, Middle and Senior club.

The school is currently investigating an on-premise, after school soccer program run by professional coaches for Term 2 and Term 3. Stay tuned for further information.

Due to popular demand last year, there will be a Parent / Carer Friendly Soccer Match on Wednesday 15th March at 5:00pm on the Basketball Courts outside our Specialist Campus next to Alma Park Oval. Further information and a form to register your interest will be sent via Seesaw. We hope to see many families there!