Dear families,

I want to start by saying a huge thank you to all the mothers, carers and family members who came to join us for our Mother’s day coffee and Mass. It was wonderful to see such a great turn out, I know that the children love having you there. Thank you to the staff in the 1-2 Pod for organising the Mass and preparing the children. They did such a great job reading and participating in the Mass.

As some of you may know, I will be taking four weeks of parental leave very soon. My wife is expecting our first child any week now. We are very excited and I am feeling very comfortable that the school will be in safe hands while I am away. Tara will be Acting Principal in my absence and the leadership team of Charmaine Wilson, Bree Burgiel and Belinda Howard as well as the rest of the staff will be supporting Tara in her role. I and the school community are very lucky to have such dedicated and supportive staff.

Please remember that the number one priority of the school is to keep every child feeling and being safe and happy. As a part of this, priority is to ensure that student’s' mental health and well-being is being supported. We are lucky enough to have Charmaine Wilson as our Mental Health and Well-Being Leader, please reach out to Charmaine, myself, Tara or your child’s teacher if you have any concerns regarding mental health or well-being.

I hope all the mothers have a lovely weekend and are spoiled by your children.

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.

3/5/2024

Georgia Foat

Judson Harrop

Jimmy Stobie

3rd May ~ Isla Caffrey

Congratulations to Isla who recently qualified for an interschool state event where she represented St Mary's Maffra.

Isla went to Werribee Equestrian Centre for a week long event.  Everyday she rode, competing in all different disciplines including show jumping, combined training, dressage and show horse.  Isla was extremely proud of her efforts as she did not have any expectations of herself.  The competition during the week was of the highest level as there were riders who qualified from across the state of Victoria.

On the final day of competition, Isla had worked hard enough to earn herself 2nd place in working show hunter for primary school.  Her dedication and diligence was rewarded and she will represent Victoria at National level in September.  She will travel to Tamworth with her family and her trusted companion and fellow representative Mr Bean.  Isla had to finish in the top 4 to progress to Nationals.  We wish her and Mr Bean the very best of luck.  What an achievement.  

Well done Isla!!

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.

St Mary's will open our doors to 2025 Foundation students on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd May 9am-11am.  This is a great opportunity for you and  your child to walk through and see our wonderful school. No appointment is necessary.

As you are aware, throughout 2024, we are working closely with The Resilience Project to support the wellbeing of our school community.

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness. You’ll hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our kids' learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.

View the first presentation of the series here:

Part 1: Meet Hugh and learn about The Resilience Project - https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/

In this presentation, Hugh shares a personal experience about his sister's battles with Mental Illness.

Note: This video contains a story about an Eating Disorder that may be triggering. Please consider this before watching. For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

We will be in touch fortnightly to share the remainder of the program, including research and wellbeing activities to integrate into day-to-day life.

If you have any questions regarding the program please reach out.

Thanks

Charmaine 

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

We love to celebrate our mother's and mother figures. Yesterday we celebrated this, starting with a coffee at St Mary's which led into our special mass that our 1/2 students have been busy preparing and practicing for.

Also, this week children had the opportunity to buy a gift for their Mum or special friend.  Thank you to our wonderful P&F ladies who helped on the day!

St Mary's wish all mothers, grandmothers and significant others a very happy Mother's Day this Sunday.  We hope you have a day filled with lots of love, laughs and wonderful memories.

Noah's Juice Bottles are NOT available for lunch orders. As they are glass they are a safety concern.
If they are ordered, they will be replaced with a pop top.
Thank you for your understanding.

St Mary's P&F will hold a sausage sizzle on Monday 27th May.  More details will be issued closer to this date.

Please be mindful when dropping children off to school in the morning and collecting them at the end of the day along Duke Street and Laura Street. 

We have had several calls from the bus company advising they have had difficulty parking due to cars being in the bus zones.  Please be aware this is an offence and infringements can be issued.

The bus zone is clearly marked, there is NO PARKING in these zones from 8-9am and 3-4pm.  These zones are for BUSES ONLY and are for the safety of everyone. Children can be quick and unpredictable so please adhere to the law.

Thank you.

Our Year 5/6 students have been busy researching different Saints in preparation for our Confirmation. Please keep the following students in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation; Chilli B, Lara B, Sam G, Sophie M, Ada P, Evie S and Louis W.

Our school, along with the 45 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sale, will celebrate Catholic Education Week from 17 May to 24 May.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is, A New Dialogue of Love, Hope and Joy, inspired by the Scripture passage, ‘See, I am Making All Things New’ (Rev. 21:5). This theme symbolises an optimistic and hope-filled perspective on the world and a renewed approach to fostering positive change. The theme emphasises the belief that transformation and renewal are possible in all aspects of life through individual choices. By following the life and teachings of Jesus, and embracing principles of compassion, peace, goodness, and justice, individuals can contribute to a more hopeful and joyful world, sowing seeds of positivity and hope. Through this theme, Catholic schools aim to inspire young people to reflect on the Christian message and to showcase their efforts in contributing to creating a better world. The hope is for staff, students, families, and parishes to embrace this meaningful time and for schools to celebrate their distinctive mission and share features that are special about their schools. 

Members of staff will be attending a Leadership Eucharist and Awards ceremony to celebrate and recognise outstanding service and excellence of staff and students in Catholic education in our Diocese at presentations during Catholic Education Week. Our school will also be attending the Peace Mass on Friday 24th May.

MAY

JUNE

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

TERM 2

16th April - 28th June

TERM 3

16th July - 20th September

TERM 4

7th October - 18th December 

Assemblies will be held every second Friday, which fall on the odd weeks this term, at 2:45pm in the hall, unless otherwise advertised.
The dates are:

Friday 17th May
Friday 31st May
Friday 14th June
Friday 28th June (last day of term)

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