Dear families,

This week we celebrated World Teachers Day at school with a special morning tea for all of our wonderful teachers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our amazing teachers for their passion, dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality education for our children. We are extremely lucky to have such a great group of teachers at our school.

Assembly has been moved to 2:00pm on Friday afternoon. This decision was made because holding assembly after house sports was causing the children to be very unsettled during assembly. We are trialling this new time and it has been successful in helping the children to be more calm for assembly and is working well for teachers. I am aware that this time may not be ideal for all parents and we want to make sure parents feel welcomed in the school. I am open to feedback from parents about the timing of assembly and can bring this to staff to find a time that will work best for students, staff and families.

On Wednesday the whole school attended Mass for All Souls Day. This mass is a time to think about and pray for all people who have passed away. In recognition of this day, it is an opportunity for us all to think and pray for all those special people in our lives who have gone before us but will forever be in our hearts.

Please enjoy the weekend with your family.

Kind Regards,

Julian

Congratulations and well done to all students who were nominated this fortnight for their wonderful choices in the classroom or on the playground.  This is a weekly award and all nominted children should be very proud of themselves.  

Congratulations to the following students who were drawn out of a box of nominees for this fortnights Positive Behaviour Awards.  St Mary's have introduced this reward system to acknowledge the wonderful behaviour of students who regonise our school values of Respect, Act and Learn.

28/10/2022

Rusty Morgan

Bay Oldham

Olivia Hunt

04/11/2022

Payton Robson

Alby Bramich

Riley Gallatly

To celebrate student's achievements, we will be presenting children with Star Of The Week awards.  This is a self nominated award of something a student is proud of.  It could be something academic, sports related, or a personal achievement. Have you learnt to ride a bike?  Won 1st place in a dance competition?  Read a book by yourself?  Anything that makes you proud!

Forms can be found on the link below.

Week 4/5 

The last 2 weeks PE lessons have been challenging with the weather conditions. Unfortunately in week 4 all students had their PE sessions in the hall. We completed a range of activities and games focusing on developing and consolidating gross motor skills. 

On Wednesday this week we combined all our Foundation and Grade 1/2 students together for Sport. We were fortunate to have some amazing senior students come and run a range of sport rotations and all students thoroughly enjoyed the session. 

The Grade 3-6 students were able to make it to the Maffra Lawn Tennis courts to finish off our tennis unit. It was great to see students putting their skills in to action and having a great time. Thank you to the Maffra Lawn Tennis Club for allowing us to utilise their amazing facility. If students enjoyed the tennis unit, please see the end of the newsletter for information on how to get involved in the tennis club. 

Our school was lucky enough to be selected by Sporting Schools Victoria to have coaches come and present ‘School Games’ sessions. For the next 2 weeks all students will be participating in some new and fun school games. 

Congratulations to our Grade 3/4 girls Hooptime team who competed at Traralgon last Wednesday.  The girls came away victorious and will compete in Melbourne next month. Thank you to Mrs Burgiel who has done a fantastic job working with the girls to get them gelling as a team. Good luck!

Monday 28th November - Pupil free day

Friday 16th December - Last day of Term 4 (students)

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   12:00noon

WEEKDAY MASSES

Heyfield:

Tuesday      9:30am

Maffra:

Wednesday   9:30am

Thursday      9:30am

Friday          9:30am

Saturday      9:30am

The Maffra fire brigade are seeking new juniors aged 11-16 for this upcoming season. This is the sport side of this field which can later be converted into fire fighting skills.

I think it would be a great sport for many to enjoy with the combination of competing and making friends from different towns all over Victoria. Yes, it may seem very competitive but it is much fun for everyone to enjoy and is really a friendly sport from all teams, from all towns. Maffra has open arms to everyone!  Come and enjoy the sport that present runners absolutely love.

Trainings are free and will be run on Mondays and Thursdays from 4pm to 5:30pm. (There may be a small fee for state and interstate competitions)

If you’re interested in finding out more information or wish to bring the kids along please Email Brent on  bm.mckenzie28@gmail.com

JOIN NIPPERS AT SEASPRAY THIS SUMMER  

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. It is not a learn-to-swim program. Sessions will be held on Sunday mornings in December and on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings during January. 

All participants must have their swimming ability assessed by a qualified swimming instructor. Assessments will be done on Sunday 27 November at Aqua Energy in Sale.   

The assessment times are: 

9am: Under Eleven, Under Twelve, Under Thirteen and Under Fourteen 

9.30 for a 10am start: Under Six, Under Seven, Under Eight, Under Nine and Under Ten 

Please enter through the outdoor entrance just off Guthridge Parade. Those who are not Aqua Energy members may be asked to pay the entrance fee ($4.70 for children aged up to 15). If you are an Aqua Energy member, please bring your membership tag.  

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.  

Children must be aged 5 years or more as of September 30, 2022 to participate in Nippers. The program is not designed to cater for children aged younger than this.  

For details of the assessment requirements for each age level, please visit https://lsv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Pool-Junior-Evaluation-Preliminary-Assessments-2022_20231.pdf 

If you have questions about Nippers at Seaspray and the season ahead, please email nippers@seaspraysurfclub.org.au. 

Uniting are very excited to announce a brand new program for parents/carers of 2-12 year olds, which can be done live online or in person!

In a world where children face greater mental health risks than ever before “No Scaredy Cats” will teach parents how to directly support their children to deal with anxiety, manage stress, get problems in perspective, and become more emotionally resilient.

Please see attached flier for booking details and help spread the word about this fantastic free program.