Dear families,

What a huge term we have had so far, with lots fantastic events happening throughout the term. I want to start by acknowledging all the staff at St Mary’s for the time and effort that they have put into organising and running special events for the children. There is so much that goes into running any event and staff put in a great deal of time and work flexibly to allow these to happen.

We had our first Japanese Cultural Day two weeks ago and this was such a great success. Sensei did a mountain of work to organise the day and staff made sure the children were supported throughout the day. The children learned so much and they all had such great things to say about the day afterward. 

On Thursday we held the school Colour Run. I was devastated to miss the day (getting slimed is still happening) but from all reports it was such a fun experience for the children (and staff) and we raised a lot of money to go toward improving our school garden and soon to be sensory space. Well done to Bec Stobie for her organisation of the day, it was a huge success and I’m sure the children will look forward to doing it again. I am definitely looking forward to being slimed.

The Foundation students were lucky enough to visit the Melbourne Zoo on Friday. Once again this takes so much organisation beforehand and is a huge day for students and staff, keeping everyone safe and having fun. I have heard so much about the zoo from the students and have seen some fantastic writing about what they learnt. We also had a volunteer from the zoo contact the school to tell us how impressed they were with our students and staff. Another great example of what a fantastic school that we have.

Kind regards,

Julian

Congratulations and well done to all students who were nominated for their wonderful choices in the classroom or on the playground.  This is a fortnightly 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.

2/11/2023

Parker Talbot

Kayden McKenzie

Georgia Rawson

2nd November ~ Frankie Forsyth

Congratulations to Frankie who has taken an interest in Geography.  He has been researching and learning all about the 195 countries in the world.  Frankie now knows most of the flags and has been taking quiz's to improve his knowledge.  

Who knows where his love of geography will take him in this world.

Well done Frankie!!

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.

TERM 3

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

**  Please go to our school website for the full year of calendar dates.

     Also, please note dates may change as they are printed in advance.

TERM 4 2023

2nd October - 15th December

TERM 1 2024  Thursday 1st February - Thursday 28th March

~ Foundation will have the first 4 Wednesdays off to rest -  Wednesday 7th February

                                                                                   - Wednesday 14th February

                                                                                   - Wednesday 21st February

                                                                                   - Wednesday 28th February

TERM 2 2024 Tuesday 16th April - Friday 28th June

TERM 3 2024  Tuesday 16th July - Friday 20th September

TERM 4 2024  Monday 7th October - Wednesday 18th December

**  Please note, dates are indicitive only.

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 $150 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.

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:

Tuesday       2:00pm  (Mass & Adoration)

Wednesday   9:30am

Thursday      9:30am

Friday          9:30am

Saturday      9:30am

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Gumnuts Maffra OSHC will be running Long day Care for the following days:

Friday the 3^rd of November

Monday the 6^th of November

We will be operating from 8am through to 6pm .

New Families will need to fill out an enrolment form  and have a meet and greet before they can attend .

If you require care on either or both these days you can book through James at gumnutsoshccoord@gmail.com or by phoning 51 44 6952

Booking are essential 

JOIN NIPPERS AT SEASPRAY THIS SUMMER  

Want your child 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 most Sunday mornings and two Thursday evenings in December, and on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings during January. 

All participants must have their swimming ability assessed by a qualified swimming instructor. Assessments will be done on Sunday 26 November at Aqua Energy in Sale.   

The assessment times are: 

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

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

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 ($4.90 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, 2023. That means, a child who turned 10 years old on 1 November will be in Under Ten, as they were nine years old at the end of September.   

Children must be aged 5 years or more as of September 30, 2023 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 visit https://www.seaspraysurfclub.org.au/club-activities/nippers/ or email us at nippers@seaspraysurfclub.org.au.