Dear Families,

As we embark on another enriching term at our school, I find it fitting to reflect on the profound words and philosophies of Pope Francis, particularly regarding the significance of children, education, and love. His messages resonate deeply with our mission and values as an educational community.

 Pope Francis often emphasises that children are not merely the future; they are a vital part of our present. He reminds us that each child is a unique gift, deserving of protection, respect, and love. In his teachings, he has poignantly stated, “Children are the hope of humanity.” This belief underpins our commitment to fostering a nurturing environment where every child feels valued and empowered to explore their potential.

Education, according to Pope Francis, is a pathway to freedom and growth. It is not just about academic achievement but also about developing moral and ethical values that shape compassionate and responsible citizens. He urges us to provide children with an education that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and a sense of responsibility towards others. As a school, we strive to cultivate these qualities through our curriculum, encouraging our students to be curious learners and empathetic individuals.

Love is at the heart of Pope Francis’s vision for education. He teaches us that love is not just an emotion, but a commitment to the well-being of others. In our school, we strive to create a culture of love—one that is inclusive, supportive, and respectful. We believe that when children feel loved, they thrive academically and socially. Our dedicated staff works tirelessly to build strong relationships with each student, ensuring they know they are cared for and understood.

Let us take inspiration from Pope Francis’s messages and reinforce the values of love and education in our daily lives. I encourage you to engage in meaningful conversations with your children about kindness, respect, and the joy of learning. Together, we can create an environment where our students feel encouraged to express themselves and explore the world around them.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in our mission.

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.

28/6/2024

Ben Murphy

Hugh Booth

Louis Wilkinson

26/7/2024

Arlo Boyle

Jude Hekman

Samuel Gell

28th June ~ Tillie Allman

Congratulations to Tillie who recently learnt to kneeboard one handed.  Tillie has shown tremendous determination and perseverance to master this challenge.  She has had to continue to get back on her kneeboard when falling off and show great resilience.  Tillie has rewarded herself as she can now enjoy time on the water and has shown herself what she is capable of when she doesn't give up.

Well done Tillie!!

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.

On Thursday 8th August, we will celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary MacKillop became known as Mary, Sister of St Joseph after officially opening the first Saint Joseph's School in South Australia. We are a Josephite school, meaning that our school was established in 1905 by the Sisters of St Joseph, who continued Mary MacKillop's work. 

On the final day of term 2, St Mary's held a whole school maths games session in our middle block.  This was a fun and inclusive way to enjoy part of the last day for students.

Yesterday our school enjoyed a successful Bunnings workshop where students enthusiastically made and painted birdhouses. The kids had a fantastic time creating these vibrant homes for the birds that visit our school. Be sure to check out the colorful and unique birdhouses displayed around the school, each crafted with care and creativity by our talented students. A big thank you to Bunnings for their support and to our students for their hard work and enthusiasm!

5/6 Girls Soccer Team Wellington Level

Written by Anastasia Dwyer and Summer Domaille 

On Friday the 19th of July, the 5/6 girls soccer team went to participate in the Wellington Division Winter Sports.

In the first game we played Gippsland Grammar and did an excellent job. We won 4-0. In our second  game we played against 545 Sale and won 2-0. We had two more games in which we lost both. They were against Aruluen and St Mary’s Sale.

After those games we had our grand final against Gippsland Grammar. We ended up winning 2-0. It was a tough game but we still did our best and it paid off. That means that we get to move on to regionals in Sale.

The girls who played were Georgia Foat, Larni Burns, Caitlyn Dingwall, Summer Domaille, Anastasia Dwyer, Anushka Hollingsworth, Jacinta Schoemaekers, Kate Hart, Matilda Olsen, Isla Caffrey, Lara Butcher, Olivia Nicolaci and Olivia Lawrence.

5/6 Boys Soccer Team Wellington Level

Written by Louis Wilkinson and Lockie Gallatly 

On Friday the 19th of July the 5/6 boys played soccer in Sale for winter sports. We had lots of fun and the feeling of winning was exhilarating, plus nearly everyone scored a goal!

In our first match we knew we had a decent matchup with Boisdale Consolidated School, but we held them down to a 2-0 win. We were lucky to get through their amazing midfield. We had a little rest after, before we played Saint Thomas's. Their defence was remarkable, but we got a few lucky breakthroughs and ended with a 2-0 win. In our next game we played Maffra Primary, they tried their hardest but we ended up with a convincing win 8-0. 

Our last game for the day was the semi-final against Gippsland Grammar. We had a muck around with them before the game, and realised that they meant business. We held up amazingly and our goalkeeper Sam Gately saved lots of goals. At the end of the match the scores were tied at zero so we went into overtime, where Grammar scored a lucky goal off the top bar and stopped us from scoring. 

Congratulations to all the teams who played on the day. At the end of the day, we all had lots of fun and enjoyed spending the day together and away from school. Thank you to our teachers for coaching on the day and to the parents who came to watch. 

Assembly will be held at 2:45pm in the hall unless otherwise advertised.

Term 3 School Assembly Dates;

Friday 9th August

Friday 23rd August

Friday 6th September

Friday 20th September

TERM 3

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

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

TERM 3

16th July - 20th September

TERM 4

7th October - 18th December 

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

Please find attached a copy of the Term 3 timetable for Supported Playgroups.

We're super excited to announce that Sale is getting its very own Superkick Centre in Term 3. This is the first time Sale, and Wellington Shire in general will have the chance to participate in the Superkick program.

Superkick is a program targeted at ages 8-12 (open to 7 -16), when participants are aging out of the Auskick Program and is a good stepping stone before reaching Junior Community football. It is open for both males and females.

The Centre will run for 5 weeks during Term 3 – and best of all it will be indoors to keep nice and warm over the cooler months!

The program will begin on August 12^th and run until September 9^th, running on a Monday afternoon 4pm – 5pm at GRSC Sale!

The total cost of the program is $50.

https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/f30a1c is the direct registration link.

I have attached our promotional flyer for the program, and registrations are now OPEN!

Taking place from Tuesday August 6th to Thursday August 8th, the Australian Maths Competition (AMC) is Australia’s longest running and most well known maths competition for school aged students. Topics for the AMC vary and will include a wide range of mathematical concepts, as well as problem solving questions. The competition includes a total of 25 multiple choice questions and 5 integers designed each year by leading educators and academics to challenge and extend students’ problem solving skills.

This competition is available to students from Years 3-6. Primary divisions are allocated 60 minutes to complete the AMC and they will complete this under supervision at school. Registrations are now opened with online entries closing Friday August 2nd. The cost to participate in the AMC is $8.50 per student. If your child is interested in participating in the AMC please collect a form from the front office and return the signed form and $8.50 to the school by Monday July 29th.

Please find attached a resource video, activity suggestions and flyer for competitions about Future Wellington that teachers may like to incorporate within their lessons early this term.