From the Deputy 

Dear families,

It’s hard to believe that September and Spring have rolled around so quickly. It’s been a bumper term including 3/4 camp, Confirmation, Prep 100 Days, Prom Gone Wrong, Book Week, Student Movie Night, Swimming, and not to mention all of the classroom learning that has happened in the last 9 weeks. I’m sure that the students will be looking forward to having a break, and will really lap up the upcoming holiday period.

A reminder that Friday 16th September will be the last day of this term and students will be dismissed at 1:00pm. TheirCare program is available at the earlier time for parents who cannot collect their children early, however registration is essential.

On the last day of term we will also be holding a Footy Day to celebrate various codes of football (AFL, Soccer, Rugby). This will be a casual dress day and students can come dressed in their favourite team colours. There will be no assembly on this day however parents are welcome to attend the parade at 9:10am.

Last week our swimming program concluded at St Mary’s College with the Swimable swim school. Skill reports for each student will be issued next week which summarises their achievement over the 2 week period. Swimming is a life skill in Australia and we are very proud of the students for participating with enthusiasm. A special thank you to Pooja (Athira & Atarv’s mum), Louise (Alyssa’s mum), Jacqui (Harrison’s mum), Julie (Sophie’s mum), Lynn (Jarvis’s mum) and Joyce (Amelia’s mum) for being of tremendous assistance with transitioning the students and changing in and out of swim gear between classes.

Last Friday we also celebrated Father’s Day and Special Friends with a breakfast and mass. A huge thank you to the P&F and all of the volunteers who made this morning possible. Ms Curtis and the students in Year 3C also gave a heartfelt presentation at assembly about the special men in their lives who love and care for them. Days like last Friday remind us to be thankful and grateful for those who care for us, and the sacrifice that they make out of unconditional love.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) 

Thank you to the families who have responded to the MACSSIS survey issued last week. Our response rate is currently sitting at 17% which is a great start, we would love to see this heading upwards to at least 30%. 

One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our school. We believe that it is important to encourage all families to have a voice and contribute to shaping our ongoing development moving forward. The average completion time is under 10 minutes, and we really do appreciate the time taken to provide perception data to the school.

The survey closes on Friday 16th September 2022. If you have misplaced the survey link, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Seesaw Learning Journal App

Parent invites were issued this week to all families to join their child’s learning journal using the Seesaw app. By using Seesaw, we hope to give families insight into their child’s learning progress over time, which was identified as a top priority in our recent Reporting & Communication survey and focus group with families. Seesaw will also allow classroom teachers and the school to streamline communication to families, so as to make our partnership between school and home even more effective. Therefore, much like our newsletter and Operoo App it is essential that parents are connected with the Seesaw app.

Currently we have over 50 families connected which is a terrific start. If you have misplaced the invite, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the classroom teachers, Daniela Borgese as ICT Leader or myself.

A reminder that multiple parents or carers can be connected with the same child by using the same invite, and that connected family members can only see their own child’s learning. Seesaw takes parent and student privacy very seriously, and for further information please see their privacy policy at https://web.seesaw.me/privacy .

Below is a helpful video that gives an overview to parents about connecting and navigating with the Seesaw app.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWE_NlWfa4c

St Mary's Family Education Program (Puberty, Growing & Changing) online, hosted by Cath McCallig on Wednesday 5th October 7:00pm, For Year 5 and Year 6

We are pleased to offer our annual Family Education Program this year hosted by Cath McCallig which will be online in week 1 of next term (Wednesday 5th October, starting 7:00pm).

The program is strongly recommended for students and parents/carers in Year 5 and Year 6, and there will be plenty of opportunities on the night for child and family to discuss topics together.

Bookings are essential and can be made at https://www.trybooking.com/CBEXL . The price is $20 per family. Families will be sent a zoom link upon receiving booking confirmation.

Further information about Cath and the program which she will be hosting can be found below:

2023 Technology Program, 1-to-1 devices in Years 3 to Year 6

We are pleased to announce that in 2023 we will be introducing an affordable 1-to-1 device program in Years 3 to 6, where every student in those years will have access to their own computing device for the purposes of education. Parents are welcome to join us for an information evening to ask questions, and hear about our plans for this program including how it will be funded and supported moving forward. Reliable and adequate access to technology is an important part of our school plan to ensure that students are educated to become fluent, creative, ethical and respectful users of technology.

It is anticipated that the cost of the family owned device will be a once off payment, less than $500.

The information evening will be on Thursday 6th October, online at 7:00pm. Please register at the following website to receive the video link.

https://forms.gle/agDVWgyoMkxQ9TS4A

The registration form also provides the opportunity to enter questions that families would like to have answered.

Italian Day, Wednesday 19th October

On Wednesday 19th October we will be celebrating Italian language and culture with a whole school Italian Day. On this day parents will be able to order a special treat for their children; authentic gelato and margherita pizza! Orders are now open and can be booked at the following website: https://www.trybooking.com/CCPZY

Please note that bookings must be closed on Friday 14th October and will not re-open.

On Italian Day, students are encouraged to come dressed in a creative costume related to Italy. For example, they may come as Pinocchio, Barilla Pasta, Pizza, a Roman toga, a gladiator, a gelato, a racing car driver, the blue fairy godmother in Pinocchio, a gondola, an artist, a soccer player, etc. Families are encouraged to make their costume by reusing resources, rather than making purchases.

Students can also come dressed in an item of clothing representing the Italian flag colours (green, white or red). 

Please see the two attachments below for further information

Art Expo, Wednesday 19th October

Also on Wednesday 19th October through to Friday 21st October we will be having an Art Expo in the specialist campus, which will be a celebration of all of the student’s artwork from this year. Stay tuned for further details.

Chess Club, Kelly Sports, Taekwondo

All of our extra-curricular activities have been very well attended to this term and the Chess Club, Kelly Sports and Taekwondo will all continue in Term 4.

For those who are currently registered, the relevant organisation will contact you about enrolling into Term 4.

For any interested families who wish to enrol their child in any of the extra-curricular activities in Term 4, please contact the relevant person or organisation listed on the community page of this newsletter.

Summer Uniform

A reminder that as we head into Term 4 we will be transitioning into Summer uniform, which is expected to be worn in week 1 of Term 4.

As per our sunsmart policy all students must wear a hat when outdoors between break times in Term 4.

In preparation for the change in uniform, the P&F will open the second hand uniform store on the following days:

Tuesday 13th September 3:00pm - 3:30pm (Last week of Term 3)

Tuesday 4th October 3:00pm - 3:30pm (First week of Term 4)

Tuesday 11th October 3:00pm - 3:30pm (Second week of Term 4)

Wishing everyone in the St. Mary’s community a happy, safe and restful holiday break!

A reminder that the school will be closed on Monday 3rd October as the staff will be undertaking professional development. We look forward to seeing students and parents on Tuesday 4th October.

Anthony

Deputy Principal