Dear Parents,

We recently had a beautiful celebration of the Sacrament of First Communion at St Mary’s church.  I congratulate the children who made this special sacrament. It was a lovely evening and it was wonderful to see the church so full.

Congratulations to our senior basketball teams who won the boys and girls interschool tournament. Both our boys and girls teams represented our school this week at the division level and our boys have made it through to the regional level. Great work to the students who represented our school and a huge thank you to the parents who coached them.

Preparing for 2026 Together

As we look ahead to next year, one of the most important tasks we undertake is planning our class groups for 2026. This process is approached with great care and consideration by our staff, as we want every child to feel supported and excited about the learning opportunities that await them.

Our teachers and leaders bring deep knowledge of the children, their strengths, interests, friendships, and learning needs. When shaping classes, we look at each child’s growth, their social and emotional development, the connections they have with their peers, and the best ways to support their wellbeing and their learning. We also consider family circumstances, teacher expertise, enrolment numbers and the spaces available in our school.

While this is a detailed process, we see it as a privilege to work together to create learning communities where every child has the best chance to thrive.

If there are particular needs or important information about your child that you would like us to consider as we prepare for 2026, we invite you to share this in writing by emailing principal@stmnewbor.catholic.edu.au before Friday 26^th September. Each year, new information is required as circumstances can change, so we do not carry requests over from previous years. Please keep in mind that requests should focus on your child’s needs and not on preferences for teachers or class arrangements.

We also ask that families let us know of any changes in enrolment for next year, such as moves or new siblings starting school. This helps us to plan carefully and ensure smooth transitions for all students.

Thank you for the trust you place in our staff and for working in partnership with us. Together, we can continue to build a school community where every child feels a strong sense of belonging and is supported to flourish.

On behalf of our staff, I would like to thank you for your continued support, openness and trust.  It is through this partnership that we give our children the very best start to 2026 and beyond.

We will soon be celebrating Father’s Day and I take this opportunity to wish a very happy Father’s Day to all of our dads, grandfathers and the special men in the lives of our children. We hope it is a wonderful celebration of the important role you play in the lives of your children.

I also take this opportunity to thank our amazing Craft Group for the fantastic job they have done to prepare the raffle and the items for the upcoming Father’s Day stall, to be held next Friday. They have made some wonderful gifts and we are most grateful.

Father’s Day Prayer

Loving God,

We thank You for the gift of our fathers, grandfathers, and all the special men in our lives.

Bless them with strength, patience, and wisdom as they care for their families.

May they know the love and gratitude we hold in our hearts for all they do.

Keep them in Your care, and guide them to be examples of kindness, courage, and faith.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Kind regards
Lisa

Book Week in 2HA

What a wonderful Book Week we had in 2HA! The classroom was filled with colour and excitement as children came dressed as soccer players, Disney princesses, classic story characters like Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking and Madeline. We even had a very creative Hungry Caterpillar, just to name a few.

The highlight of the week was joining with the Year 3 and 4 students to enjoy a range of Book Week stories and activities together. The children also took part in a class book exchange, swapping books with their classmates and discovering new favourites to enjoy at home.

Many students, like Hamilton, Grace, Demi, Scarlett, Zarah, Myles, Evie, and Cooper, said the parade was their favourite part of the Book Week day. Others enjoyed special activities in classrooms—Amelia loved learning about dung beetles, Tex liked making bugs, Mila enjoyed Mrs Griffiths’s activity, Carter enjoyed working with Mr Aliotta, and Jobe had fun making a dragon plane. Madeline and Harper highlighted the book swap and trading, while Elizabeth and Logan enjoyed activities with Miss Dignan. Overall, Book Week was filled with excitement, creativity, and colourful fun.

What a fantastic effort from both the boys and girls teams who represented St Mary's at the District Basketball on Friday 15th, August.

Both teams were undefeated and have progressed to the Division Basketball held on Thursday 28th, August.

We would like to thank Lisa & Renee for coaching on the day, very much appreciated. 

We wish them all the best for the Division Basketball competition.

Book week was FABULOUS!!

Thank you to everyone who made the effort to dressing up and be involved in this great day. The kids enjoyed the activities and had a wonderful day.

On Monday 25th August, our Grade 3's & 4's took part in the Prepared Reading Solo section of the Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod in Traralgon. We are very proud of you all for representing our school so well. Congratulations to you all on a fantastic achievement.

The boys and girls teams competed in the Division Basketball at Traralgon Stadium on Thursday 28th of August, which saw the girls win 3 games and lost 1 and the boys winning all their games. The boys have now progressed to the next round which is Regionals on 30th of October.

Great effort by all involved and again thank you to the coaches for their time & efforts.

Please place orders via the CDFpay App.  This can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Alternatively scan the QR code below;

PAM (Parent Access Module)

September 2025

• Wednesday 3rd - 3/4 MCG Excursion
• Thursday 4th - Disco
• Friday 5th - Father's Day Stall
• Monday 8th - Father's Day Prayer Gathering/Breakfast
• Friday 12th - Footy Day (BBQ)
• Tuesday 16th - Division Athletics Carnival
• Friday 19th - Last Day of Term 3 (1pm Finish)

October 2025

• Monday 6th - First Day of Term 4
• Wednesday 22nd - Production Day Matinee (Time TBC)
• Thursday 23rd - Production Day Evening 4pm & 6pm
• Monday 27th to Wednesday 29th - 5/6 Camp 
• Thursday 30th - Regional Basketball 

November 2025

• Monday 3rd - School Closure Day
• Tuesday 4th - Melbourne Cup Public holiday
• Wednesday 5th - School Closure Day