Principals Announcments

Newsletter Address ~ Term 3 Week 1 2022

NAIDOC Week Prayer

God of all wonder, 

We pause in the busyness of our days to listen deeply to the wisdom of this land and those who belong to it. 

May our minds be open to dialogue, 

May our hearts be open to transformation and 

May our hands do the work of reconciliation. 

We ask that the Spirit accompany us on our journey of healing on these lands, seas and waterways; We also ask the Spirit of peace be with all those who are living a life of fear, dispossession and distress. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus our brother and friend. 

God of all creation, as we journey together in this

Great Southern Land, 

We pray for healing, forgiveness, and unity, 

Creating a path of good will, with justice and compassion. 

Jesus, through the power of your love, 

You have given us the courage, wisdom, and strength 

To share our gifts and talents in humility. 

In peace and understanding we reconcile with each other. 

Creator Spirit, we come together in prayer and thanksgiving 

For the many blessings we have received. 

Allow your Spirit to wash over us and give us strength to walk together as one.

A prayer for the beginning of term

Lord God,  

At the beginning of this new term teach us to  

be your hands and feet where we are,  

At the beginning of this new term teach us to  

love as you love us  

At the beginning of this new term teach us to  

pray for those in need

So that You are honoured and glorified 

Amen

O Risen Christ, we rejoice in your resurrection and exult in your living presence. 

Risen Christ, you come to transfigure our human nature. 

Risen Christ, in you our resurrection has already begun. 

Risen Christ, you fill our hearts with peace.

Risen Christ, your Spirit burns away our sadness.

Risen Christ, you come to gather us as one in your Body, the Church. 

Risen Christ, from the waters of baptism you raise us up with you and renew your gift of life within us. Help us to grow as your people towards the fullness of life and love. Kindle in us the fire of your love.

St Mel’s Parish Prayer

God our Father,

Bless our Parish so that we may love you more. Encircle our families with your loving care.  Help parents to be good examples to their children and our youth to grow in strength as good Christians. To the sick, grant health. To the aged, bring serenity and to those in sorrow, joy.

May we grow stronger in faith and may our love for one another become

 deeper in our daily living. 

Amen

Child Safe Commitment:

All students enrolled, and any child visiting St Mel’s, have a right to feel safe and be safe. The wellbeing of children in our care will always be our first priority and we have zero tolerance to child abuse. We aim to create a child safe and child friendly environment where children feel safe and are free to enjoy life to the full without any concern for their safety.

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Friends of St Mel’s,

Welcome to Term 3. I hope everyone had a happy and restful break.  Looking back last year things were very different, we were amid lockdowns and heading back into another round of remote learning.  Fingers crossed Term 3 is without the headaches of staff shortages and student absences due to illness.   Having said that, please keep vigilant and continue to follow our Covid safe practices of staying home if unwell, washing hands, good hygiene, and testing for Covid if the symptoms are there.   

Last week was NAIDOC week and our students have been focussing on the theme of ‘Get up! Stand up! Show up! in some of their learning this week.   It’s important we continue to remind our students and ourselves how lucky we are to be living in a culturally diverse country and to always respect our indigenous culture past, present and future.   

We welcomed our new staff members Brooke Cimera and Anita Damainopolous to our staff team and to the 1/2 Learning Suite this week.  Brooke and Anita are experienced teachers and will be a great asset to our school.  Brooke and Anita will be job sharing Bridie Cooke’s class as she goes on maternity leave.  Anita will also be covering P-2 PE on a Wednesday.  Welcome Brooke and Anita.

It’s always nice to speak to the children at the beginning of the term and hear of the many stories and holiday adventures families have had.  For most, staying warm at home and doing the odd trip here and there was most popular.   

Third term is a great term for consolidation of student learning and teachers have been busy preparing units of work and assessment tasks to ensure student goals and targets are being met.  We openly encourage parents to come in and speak to their child’s teacher regarding any aspect of their children’s learning.  It’s important for parents to be active and interested in their children’s education and we love it when parents can be involved.  Teachers can’t do it alone and appreciate parental support in any way, shape or form. 

Students in 5/6 attended the NDC Matinee of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" at Westside Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday.   And as part of their Inquiry Learning into science, grades 3/4 will be visiting the Discovery Science and Technology Centre in Bendigo next Tuesday 19th July.   These are great experiences for students in the Upper and Middle learning suites.

After a recent insurance claim due to water damage, we have had new carpet and cupboards replaced in the library, library resource room, teacher resource room, and staff room over the holidays.   The upgrades look great and have given these spaces a bit of a freshen up.   

We have another busy term ahead with, parent-teacher-student conversations (Tues 16th & Wed 17th August), Book week (Aug20th-26th), Arts on Show (30th  Aug) Big Bloke’s Breakfast & Father’s Day Stall (1st  and 2nd Sept), School Athletics Day (Wed 14th Sept - TBC), and Supporters day (16th Sept) all on the horizon, it’s busy but there’s much to look forward to.  

Enjoy a great week and start to the term everyone.

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

Shepparton Police

Please be read the following information from Shepparton Police Station regarding driver behaviour.

Shepparton Police and Shepparton Highway Patrol will be conducting a traffic operation over the next couple of weeks targeting poor driver behaviour in school zones throughout the Shepparton area.

 This has been advertised on Vic Police local Eyewatch page, the radio and local media. Shepparton police Station has asked us to convey this message to our local school community.

 As there are in excess of 20 schools within the Shepparton area that will be targeted, we are unsure as to when attendances will be made to our school zone, however there will be police and highway patrol presence in and around St Mels surrounding streets during this time. 

Any queries in relation to this can be directed to Karyn Murtagh via email -  karyn.murtagh@police.vic.gov.au or on 58205777.

2023 enrolments

We are currently taking enrolments for 2023. We ask anyone considering St Mel’s next year to submit an application for enrolment as soon as possible. 

Enrolment forms are available from the office or can be downloaded from the school website: https://www.smshepparton.com

Interviews will commence later next term. If you know any families who will be beginning school in 2023, please invite them to call the school office.

VISIT FROM BISHOP SHANE MACKINLAY ~ All Welcome to attend

This Sunday July 17th, St Mel’s Parish will welcome Bishop Shane Mackinlay.

Bishop Shane will lead our 9:30am and 5pm Masses on this day. Following the 9:30am Mass there will be a light morning tea available, all welcome.

During both our Sunday Masses, our Sacramental Candidates from last year and this year, will be invited to take part in a special blessing from the Bishop. We encourage all candidates and their families to attend one of these Masses.

Lunch Orders

We are pleased to announce Eastwood Orchard will be providing a new way for St Mel’s Primary school families to order a school lunch for their children on a Tuesday. Families will require the QKR App to place orders which will be delivered directly to the school each Tuesday. 

PLEASE NOTE - Orders can only be made through the QKR App

Eastwood Orchard is a family run business that has been providing school lunch services to many schools for over 15 years.  

Please see the Canteen News Page for further information regarding the QKR App and ordering process. 

• For families who may need help with the ordering process or are experiencing difficulties loading the new App, come along to the staff lounge on Thursday 21st July after school, have a cuppa and staff will be available to help set up and run through the new lunch order App.

NCCD ~ National Consistency Collection of Data

Every August, our school is required to complete the ‘National Consistent Collection of Data’ survey (NCCD), indicating the number of students who have a physical, social/emotional, sensory or learning disability or difficulty that impacts on their ability to access the curriculum and environment.  The Government then provides funding for schools to provide additional support, Learning Support Officers, training, resources and environmental adjustments, to meet the needs of our diverse learners in our quest to ensure that all our students can flourish.  

Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you require further information.

Staff have been busy preparing documentation and conducting parent support group meetings to ensure everything will be in place to apply for funding for students with disabilities in 2022. Thank you to Chris Quinn and Cherie Malnati who have run many meetings in person and online with parents.

For families who are new to the school or unfamiliar with the process, the NCCD Portal is a comprehensive online resource to support principals, teachers, school support staff and parents understand and complete the NCCD, with free and practical resources such as   e-learning modules, videos, case studies and templates.

The Portal also includes information for parents, guardians and carers.

For more information on the NCCD, visit www.nccd.edu.au

July Birthday's

Happy Birthday to everyone who celebrate his or her birthday this month: 

Ali Alnasrawi, Kendra Saville, Michael Kita, Charlotte Almond, Haidar Khalifa, Cassidy Atkinson, Amanda McKenzie, Albi Shparthi, Armann Sidhu, Tammy Alexander, Daffodil Gandionko, Yash Nayee, Ellis Howard, Rianna Kaur, Shazmann Pannu, Vihana Rawat, Matthew Khan, Cruz Rodriguez, Jasmeet Bhatti, Dakora Graham, Lily Arradaza, Nimrat Pannu, Lucas Baschiera, Clare Young, Judd Emanuelli, Deeman Khangura, Laura Emanuelli and Chris Quinn.

Congratulations to all students who were students of the week last week of term. Thank you for doing your best, respecting our school and helping others succeed.

School Calendar

Please visit the 'Upcoming Dates & Events' page to keep informed about what's coming up and any date changes to events.