Newsletter Address ~ Term 4 Week 7 , 18th November 2022

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Friends of St Mel’s

This Sunday 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.

CHRIST THE KING CELEBRATION. This Sunday, November 20th, St Mel’s Parish will celebrate the feast of Christ the King with a special gathering at St Mel’s Parish Hall, Hamilton Street (beside the school). The event will begin at 12 noon and conclude around 3pm. Food, refreshments and entertainment will be provided. All are welcome!

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

Remembrance Day - Last Friday we commemorated Remembrance Day.

Our year 6 leadership team led a beautiful service in the hall as we stopped for a minute’s silence before 11am. All students have been learning about the history and significance of Remembrance Day and made their own poppies to wear to our liturgy. 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

Camps

I had the privilege of attending the grade 5/6 ‘Angahook’ Camp at Airey’s Inlet this week and I can honestly say it was one of the best camps I have attended. The students were outstanding not only in their behavior and attitude, but more importantly in their willingness to have a go and the respect they presented for each other, their teachers, camp staff and the many excursion guides along the way. I am extremely proud to be able to call myself their Principal.

The grade 3/4’s were also on camp this week (Thursday to Friday) and from all accounts and pictures I’ve seen the kids and staff are having a wonderful time at ‘Camp Kookaburra’ in Corop. Thank you to all staff who attended and organised our camps this year. Our students have had a wonderful time.

Well done to the 1-2’s last week. The sleepover and fun day were a great experience for the kids, one they will gain confidence, resilience and remember for years to come. Thank you to the 1-2 teachers for all you do and organise for our students. It was an extremely well organised and planned event.

The process for student class placements will commence soon. Please be aware that teachers spend a great deal of time considering the many needs of all the children in their class. Teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know where the children are at and have a view of the ‘bigger picture’ when it comes to teaching and learning.

Many factors come into consideration when placing students in class groups ~ friendships, learning needs, class spaces, past teachers etc. However, as parents if you feel your child has extra needs to be considered please send me an email. Requests will only be taken into consideration on exceptional circumstances. Class structures and teachers are yet to be finalised and I will notify families as soon as these have been decided.

Prep Transition Days

This week we welcomed many of our new foundation students for 2023 who joined us for their first transition last Monday. Seeing our new ‘preppies’ together for the first time brings us much joy.

Prep Information Night ~ Wednesday 30th 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 2023.

New Student: We welcomed Karlien Milan and her family to St Mel’s last week. Karlien has moved from the Swan Hill area and has commenced in Prep JR.

Events on the horizon:

Sunday 20th November ~ Christ the King parish celebration.

Friday 2nd December: School Closure Day ~ staff planning day for 2023

Tuesday 13th December: Whole school Transition Day ~ Tuesday 13th Dec 12:15-1:45pm. Details to come.

Tuesday December 13th ~ Whole School & Grade 6 Graduation Mass at Christ the King Church. Family picnic in the school grounds after mass ~ BYO food & drinks (no alcohol).

Thursday 15th December: Last Day of Term ~ Aquamoves Funday

School finishes 2:30pm ~ details to come

Everyone is invited to our Whole School End of Year Mass, with the focus being on our Grade 6 graduates. Please see the flyer below.

Mass will be on Tuesday 13th Dec at 6 pm at St. Mel's Christ our King Church followed by a picnic dinner back at school. Our Social club will organise a bbq, drinks etc and families will also have the option to bring their own dinner. More details to follow.

This is always a great night of celebration for our school community.

Enjoy a wonderful fortnight ahead everyone.

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

Term 4 School Closure Days

Friday 2nd December ~ Staff Planning Day 2023 - PUPIL FREE

Outstanding fees

As we approach the end of the school year, we kindly ask families to finalise any outstanding accounts. If you are not on a payment plan, we kindly request that all school fees are paid up by the end of the month. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions regarding your fees or myself if you need to discuss payment options. The successful running of school programs for your child’s education relies on fees being paid. Thank you for your cooperation.

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.

Uniform: Thank you for ensuring your child/ren is wearing their correct summer uniform. Hats are compulsory for term 4 and students not wearing a hat will be required to sit in the shade. Please make sure all belongings, especially clothing, is clearly marked.

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

Reminder

The front administration area is not to be used as a throughway for students or families before or after school hours. Please use the side gates to enter and exit the school. Thank you.

Happy Birthday to everyone who is celebrating his or her birthday during the month of November:

Keilah Bwihambi, Munarra Graham, Ava Snowdon-Hennessy, Aarush Panchal, Imogen Dodd, Oliver Currey, Zaiden Trickey, Dakota Schulz, Ethan Jones, Luca Care, Luka Garner-Griffiths, Harry Campbell, Bella Ryan, Harjas Rahal, Jordan Sagoleo, Robyn Banfield, and Demi Wood.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TO BENEFIT FROM A RE-ELECTED LABOR GOVERNMENT

With less than two weeks until the Victorian state election, we are delighted to let you know that we have secured a commitment for Catholic education from both major political parties.

We’re very pleased to see the Andrews Labor Government commit $717 million towards non-government schools and kindergartens if re-elected in November. This will include the initial build of five new Catholic schools in growing suburbs and expanded capacity at 13 others.

Our youngest students will have the opportunity to start their faith-based learning early with a $250 million commitment to build and upgrade kindergartens at Catholic schools, and a $17 million expansion of the

Smile Squad dental program to Catholic schools will mean better dental outcomes for our students and help alleviate cost-of-living pressures on families.

Please visit our website www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/funding to stay updated as new announcements are made.

We are calling on all parents and carers, families and friends of our students to continue to show their support and keep spreading the word that Catholic education matters.

Star Focus Term 4

STAR Focus for Term 4:

Helping Others Succeed

What does this mean? How can you help?

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

Amanat Kaur, Charli Gleeson, Karlien Malan, Lily Arradaza, Ashmin Kaur, Stella Campi, Fatima Fahad, Joy Yakani, Ollie Napier, Harjas Rahal, Kobe Campanelli, George Dainton, Joel Nicholson, Dakota Schulz

Enjoy a wonderful fortnight everyone.

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

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School Calendar for the remainder of 2022

UPDATE - School Calendar for the remainder of 2022

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

Attendance Matters…

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.

School Fees Update October Fee Statements

October Fee statements will be emailed on Monday 31st October

Thank you to the families who have contacted the school office or who have responded positively when our office has called to discuss payment of fees or organise payment plans.

Fee statements will continue to be sent out Monthly by email ensuring that all families are aware of the balances of outstanding school fees. If you have not received any correspondence by email then please contact the school office to confirm we have the correct email address.

Please check your statements. Should you be experiencing financal hardship we strongly urge you to contact the school office to discuss your situation and a possible payment plan.

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