Communication

Please see attached our Communication Road Map. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, queries or concerns. We are thrilled to be able to connect more regularly with families and look forward to having families in classrooms and in attendance at whole-school gatherings. We hope this road map, supports you on the most effective ways to communicate, depending on your area of concern, thank you.

Assembly

Next Tuesday 31st May, we welcome all families to our Whole School Assembly. We are loving having parents attending our whole school gatherings and celebrations.

Online Accounts

Please continue to chat with your child about appropriate use of technology and keep regular checks of their device use. We will continue to communicate expectations and educate students of the risks involved with technology use however this needs to be a combined effort and we seek your support with this.

Bus Travel

Please refer to the bus guidelines if you have any queries or questions related to bus travel. If you have a concern with a child or behaviour on the bus, please contact our school staff bus leader,

Kristi Larkin at klarkin@smechuca.catholic.edu.au.

If you have a concern or query with the service of the bus we ask that you contact the bus company directly. Thank you for your ongoing communication and cooperation with safe bus travel.

Link attached

Head Lice

Currently we have an increased number of cases of headlice presenting at school. Please find attached a Fact sheet of treatments and preventative measures which may be a support to families. If head lice is detected at school, home will be contacted.

In line with school expectations, any child with below shoulder length hair is required to tie their hair back while at school. Please ensure if your child has longer hair it is tied back for the school day.

Pick Up & Drop Off Time

St Mary’s staff are expected to be onsite daily at 8:15am for preparation and supervision of students. Our school gates open at 8:15am to ensure we are adequately available to supervise any students. A reminder to parents to only drop off or allow your children to arrive at school from this time. The students safety is paramount and we need our families' support on this.

At the end of the day the school bell for dismissal is currently 3:05pm. Staff are expected to supervise students until 3:25pm for all modes of end of day collection and travel. A reminder to parents to make adequate arrangements to ensure your child is collected within this time frame. Staff regularly have meetings to attend and supervision on a regular basis is not available past this time. Please contact the office if an emergency occurs and you may arrive late. Thank you for your cooperation.

FLAGGED / MARKED SCHOOL CROSSING

A reminder that all children crossing roads in and around the school area are to use our marked crossings. We have a marked and supervised crossing on Bridlington Avenue, one on Wilkinson Drive and the traffic lights on the Murray Valley Highway. Recently we have had some dangerously close calls and we urge parents to model safe crossing by using the resources that keep us safe while traveling to school.

For further support visit:

https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/road-users/parents?drop=1

St Mary’s new website

St Mary’s website is new, live and refreshed! For those of you yet to explore it please find us at the link below. Over the remains of the term, St Mary’s will continue to evolve this mode of communication.

www.smechuca.catholic.edu.au

Lunch Orders

Students are able to order their lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We encourage you to order online but if you decide to send money and order to school in a brown paper bag please note no change is given.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CHILD'S YEAR LEVEL TO AVOID YOUR CHILD'S LUNCH GOING TO THE WRONG CLASS.

Online details and price list will be shared with families once received.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

If you have a current Health Care Card or Pension Card, you may be eligible for the Camps/ Sports/ Excursions Fund (CSEF) payment.

The CSEF is an annual payment of $125 to the school to be used towards camps, sports and / or excursion expenses for the benefit of the eligible student.

If you have applied for the CSEF last year, you do not need to complete an application form in 2022 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. e.g. New student enrolment, your child has started or changed schools, or you did not apply at the same school in 2021.

Please click on the button below and return the form to the office.

Bus Passes

If you are travelling on an Echuca town bus (Blue and Yellow bus), you do not need a bus pass but you must pay $1.20 each way. (It is best to have correct money)
If you live in Victoria and are on the town bus network (blue and yellow bus) and are residing more than 4.8km from St Mary's Primary School you are entitled to a conveyance bus pass. Please complete the 2 forms below and return to the office with a photo attached.

If you are in Victoria and live outside the township of Echuca, your child will be on a country bus and will need to fill in the below form and return to the office.

If you live in Moama, you require a bus pass please go to the below website to apply.

www.transportnsw.info/school-students

Under Name of school the student is attending in 2022 please type Echuca, then select

St Marys from the list.

If you live outside Moama - Dyson (eg Wimbi, Perricoota Run)

If you live within town - James Newton Bus Service

Learning and Teaching