Dear Parents

Over the last two weekends we have had a number of students celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist. Under the guidance of Di Austin and during COVID limitations they were prepared together with parents before receiving the Body of Christ. Thanks to Father Edwin who celebrated mass with families and also made himself available for Reconciliation. At St Mary’s Cathedral in Sale on Sunday I was fortunate to hear Bishop Greg deliver a homily of hope that our environment and lives will soon come back to some normality. I would like to praise the children for working hard and making a commitment to the sacrament.

Our Colour Fun Run was a major success held recently at school. The donations and money raised was outstanding. Many of the children now will be looking forward to receiving gifts as a result of the monies raised. The course was fun and challenging and it was great to see everyone outside having fun together.

Orientation for our Foundation 2022 class commenced last week. It was a major success with our visitors loving every minute of being at St Mary’s. It was similar today with our second session seeing the kids complete a number of activities together. They are all looking forward to starting school. We currently have 21 students in Foundation which will be a class held on it’s own.

In the final full newsletter in a fortnight the class and grade structure together with the teaching staff will be made available to you all. I can let you know and we need to congratulate Mrs Di Austin for her appointment as a Teaching Advisor / Religious Education at the Catholic Education Office (DOSCEL). We will miss Di but understand this is a great professional opportunity. Mrs Liz Coleman in 2022 is taking 12 months leave and we will also miss her dedication and commitment to our school. Liz is and has been a major support to myself over many years. We wish Di and Liz the best of luck next year.

On Wednesday, 8th December our Grade Six students will be graduating from primary school. A mass and shared dinner will be held at our school this year. It is always a fantastic occasion to listen, reflect and wish our graduates well before they enter secondary school. Due to the current restrictions and rules all parents will be required to show proof of vaccination or exemption before entering the school. I thank all families for your support and understanding with a number of regulations we must follow.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Jason

Congratulations to students who have received the Sacrament of Eucharist.  We wish all the best to those who will receive theirs this weekend.

Back Row ~ Georgia Rawson, Letycia Murphy, Chloe Murphy, Father Edwin, Jasmin Evans,     

    Angus Johnson, Brody Watson

Front Row ~ Jack Murphy, Shayla Dingwall, Maeve Nowak, Lewis Phillips

As we navigate our way through COVID, at St Mary's, we can now welcome you back to our school assemblies.  Our assemblies are held every Friday from 10:40am.  As you will appreciate, St Mary's must comply with COVID guidelines.  This means anyone wishing to attend our assemblies must be double vaccinated and show their certificate upon entry at the office. Alternatively if you have an exemption, proof of this also needs to be shown. You will also need to scan the QR code found at reception.  Thank you for your understanding.

2022 Booklist costs will be included in your school fees.  You will not need to provide any stationery for your child next year.

WEEKEND MASSES

Maffra:

Sunday    9:00am 

Cowwarr:

Saturday Vigil  6:00pm

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   9:30am

Thursday      9:30am

Friday          9:30am

Stretton Park:

2nd Friday  10:00am

Term 4 School Closure Dates

Monday 1st November - Report Writing Day

Tuesday 2nd November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Last Day Term 4

Wednesday 15th December - 3:20pm finish

Staff First Aid

Thursday 16th December

Friday 17th December

Wednesday 15th December - 3:20pm finish

All students, including Foundation, will return to school on Wednesday 2nd February 2022.

However, testing for students will commence on Monday 31st January and Tuesday 1st February.  You will be given a time for this.

Foundation will have the following Wednesdays at home and be scheduled for testing on one of these days:

Wednesday 9th February 2022

Wednesday 16th February 2022

Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Wednesday 2nd March 2022

Foundation will commence full time from Monday 7th March, 2022.

Financial concessions are available to eligible families. It is important to note, when concessions are provided, there is no impact on the overall school funding situation.

These concessions may include the Camps Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) of $125 per child. Concessions are available through the following two categories.

Category 1: Eligible, means-tested Centrelink Concession Card holders:

A family in which the fee payer holds an eligible, means-tested Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) is automatically eligible for a school fee concession. There is a simplified application form and streamlined approval process.

Category 2: Special Consideration:

A family experiencing genuine financial difficulty and not eligible under Category 1, is encouraged to apply for a fee concession. This application requires detailed information in order that an equitable assessment may be made of eligibility for and level of a fee concession.

Application forms are available from the school office and only need to be completed if this is a new application.  Current concession holders do not need to reapply.

School Fees 2021 - updated information

18 November 2021 

SIGN UP NOW TO JOIN THE NIPPERS PROGRAM AT SEASPRAY 

Want to be part of the Nippers program at Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club this summer? 

If so, it’s time to get registered and get along to Aqua Energy to have your Nipper’s swimming ability assessed. 

Nippers is a beach education program for children aged between five and 13 that introduces participants to life saving. They learn valuable water safety and life saving skills and gain confidence in the surf.  

Sessions will be held at 9am on most Sundays in December and on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5.30pm during January. 

All participants must have their swimming ability assessed by a qualified swimming instructor. Assessments will be conducted on Sunday 5 December at Aqua Energy.  Children in the Under Six age group do not need to be assessed. 

The assessment times are: 

9am: Under Elevens, Under Twelves, Under Thirteens and Under Fourteens 

9.30 for a 10am start: Under Sevens, Under Eights, Under Nines and Under Tens 

Please enter from the main indoor reception area off Brayakoloong Close. The Guthridge Parade entrance will be closed. Those who are not Aqua Energy members may be asked to pay the entrance fee ($4.60 for children aged up to 15). Members should bring their membership tag. Aqua Energy requires everyone aged over 16 who enters its facility to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and to show their vaccination status via the Service Victoria app, a printout of their vaccination certificate or an official letter from their doctor with evidence of a medical exemption. 

Our age managers will be running activities in the outdoor pool after the assessments if time and weather conditions allow. 

Before assessment day, please make sure your child or family is registered and the appropriate Seaspray Surf Club membership is paid.   

To help us out on the day, please ensure you are clear of your Nipper’s age group. Remember, age groups are determined by a child’s age on 30 September. That means, a child who turns 10 years old on 1 November will be in Under Ten, as they were nine years old at the end of September.  A child who turned 12 years old on September 1 will be in Under Thirteen as they were 12 years old on 30 September. 

For more information about Nippers at Seaspray and the season ahead, visit https://www.seaspraysurfclub.org.au/club-activities/nippers/.