Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term Two of the school year. I hope you all managed to have some time together over the Easter break. All of our students have settled into the school routine as we start our learning journey once again. A reminder that from next week all students need to be in full winter uniform. If you have any questions regarding the uniform please feel free to contact the school office.

This term we have a number of events happening that I will share with you in today’s newsletter. This includes:

NAPLAN

Students in Grade 3 and Grade 5 will complete NAPLAN from Tuesday, 11th May to Thursday, 20th May. This time includes extra days for any absences over the two week testing block. NAPLAN is a national assessment that aims to provide information for teachers, families and the government to establish ways to support all students with Literacy and Numeracy. All children at St Mary’s completing these assessments will do so on chromebooks. We wish all students the best during this assessment period.

Parent and Teacher Interviews

Next Tuesday, 4th May the school will be holding Parent and Teacher Interviews from 1.30pm. If you have yet to book a time we still have some space available. We ask parents to use this time to discuss student progress and any further information that will assist in building home and school partnerships.

Mother’s Day

To celebrate Mother’s Day the Parents and Friends have organised a Mother’s Day Stall for next Thursday, 6th May. All children can bring $5 and pick a present for their mum.

Catholic Education Week 2021

St Mary’s will celebrate Catholic Education Week from Monday, 24th May to Friday, 28th May. During the week we will be having some collaborative activities and a school mass. We also look forward to having Open Days for children commencing Foundation in 2022. Our school will be open on:

Tuesday, 25th May - 9.00am-11.00am

Wednesday, 26th May - 9.00am- 11.00am

Thursday, 27th May - 9.00am - 11.00am

Visiting families and their children are asked to sign in at the front office and take part in a school tour. At the conclusion of the tour an appointment can be made if you are considering enrolling to St Mary’s in 2022.

Insight SRC Parent Survey’s

Some families have been randomly selected to participate in a parent survey which assists the school in aspiring for school improvement. As well as parents, all teachers and students in Years 3-6 will also take part in a survey.

Child Safety

As part of the school's ongoing commitment to Child Safety, this term members of the Staff Leadership Team will be holding some forums that involve hearing the ‘voice’ of students. We want to hear about their experiences at school and how they are feeling when outside in the playground and working with teachers and peers in the classroom. We will inform families about our informal conversations before the event.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Jason 

On Monday at St Mary's we commemorated ANZAC Day with a school service.  We gathered to remember the sacrifices made by the ANZACs.  We remembered their courage, their mateship and the unwavering loyalty they demonstrated, fighting for our freedom and values.  We remembered the sacrifices made by the servicemen and women in all conflicts and pray for all those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy peace and freedom.  We gathered to keep them in our mind and in our heart as we came together to pray and remember.

TERM 2 - Monday 19th April - Friday 25th June

TERM 3 - Monday 12th July - Friday 17th September

TERM 4 - Monday 4th October - Friday 17th December

Monday 14th June - Queen's Birthday

Friday 7th May

Friday 25th June

St Mary's Maffra P&F will very kindly run a Mother's Day stall this year on Thursday 6th May.  Children will have the opportunity to choose a gift for their Mum at a cost of just $5.  We wish all our wonderful mothers a very happy Mother's Day on Sunday 9th May.

WEEKEND MASSES

Heyfield:

Saturday    6:00pm

Maffra:

Sunday    9:00am 

Cowwarr:

1st and 3rd Sunday   11:00am

Newry:

2nd and 4th Sunday  11:00am

Dargo:

5th Sunday   12:00pm

WEEKDAY MASSES

Heyfield:

Tuesday      9:30am

Maffra:

Wednesday   5:00pm

Thursday      9:30am

Friday          9:30am

If you would like to be our next Star of the Week, please fill in the nomination form sent home.  Spare nomination forms can be found at the office.  A new student will be selected for each assembly.  

This is a self nominated award.  Nominations are to go into the gold box located in the office.  

23rd April ~ Sam Nowak

Congratulions to Sam who used his teamwork and discipline skills when he was part of Basketball Victoria Country Championships, where he and his team won the Division 2 title against tough opposition from across the state.  Sam had recently joined the team and made a great addition by showing maturity and supporting all his teammates.  Well done!! 

30th April ~ Ishnoor Kaur

Congratulations to Ishnoor who showed courage to perform on stage by herself to sing.  I'm sure Ishnoor was extremely proud of her efforts as it can take tremendous bravery stepping outside your comfort zone to do things you wouldn't ordinarily do.  She has shown dedication to practice her singing and I'm certain she will keep family and friends entertained.  Well done!!

Congratulations to all our students at St Mary's for their efforts, behaviour and sportsmanship on Tuesday at our House Cross Country.  We were fortunate to  have perfect weather on the day which enabled the day to run smoothly.  The results for the day were:

1st Place - Curran (Red)

2nd Place - Mackillop (Gold)

3rd Place - Corbett (Green)

Thank you to all those who were able to come and watch our Cross Country, there was a great show of support from families and friends on the day which was great to see!!  

For students who progressed, HDSSA zone, this will be held on Monday 10th May. A note will be sent home next week.

Our P&F Committee have 2 Lunch Order Bags available to purchase from the front office.

Lunch Wallets - $10.50

• Designed to replace paper lunch bags 
• Sturdy flat base makes them easy to pack and stack
• Made from non woven polypropylene (like green shopping bags) as it is durable and easy to clean
• Clear pocket with zipper for money and written lunch order to be clearly displayed
• Lunch wallets available with 7 binding colors - pink, yellow, blue, red, purple, green and grey
• Size of lunch wallet is approximately 23cm (H) x 18cm (W) x 10cm (D)

Insulated All Rounder - $12.50

• Designed to replace paper lunch bags
• Made from non woven polypropylene (like green shopping bags) as it is durable and easy to clean
• The insulated PEVA lining keeps food and drinks hot / cold
• Extremely easy to wipe with a damp cloth
• Hygienic zipper pocket to separate money from contact with food & clearly display order
• Insulated All Rounder available in 3 binding colors - blue, grey and red
• Insulated All Rounder is approximately 23cm (H) x 19cm (W) x 11cm (D)

St Mary's Maffra is now on Instagram!!  Follow us by searching for us at stmarysmaffra