Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week we celebrated the Feast Day of St Anne and St Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus, with a wonderful Grandparents Day. We started our celebrations with a packed church and enjoyed a beautiful Prayer Gathering together. After our Prayer Gathering, our grandparents joined with their grandchildren to do some craft activities that expressed the love we have for our grandparents. We finished the morning with a delicious morning tea provided by the staff of St Mary’s. This was a wonderful celebration and was cherished by our grandparents and their grandchildren. We thank all of our grandparents for joining us for this special celebration.

Thank you to our parents for attending and supporting our recent Parent/Student/Teacher meetings. These meetings enable us to work with you to ensure we are meeting the needs of your child and to continue to build the relationship between school and home. These meetings were a great success and highly valued by the staff of St Mary’s.

We have been advised that there is an Increase in Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Cases

MAIN POINTS

The Department of Health, Victoria has issued a health alert, Increasing pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Victoria.

The key messages are:

• cases of pertussis are increasing in Victoria, mostly affecting children aged 10-12 years
• pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness known for causing a cough and can lead to life threatening infections in babies
• symptoms of pertussis may be very similar to other respiratory infections, especially in the early stages, meaning diagnosis by a doctor as soon as possible is important.

If a student at our school is diagnosed with pertussis, the diagnosing doctor will be responsible for notifying the Department of Health.

The below exclusion periods apply to diagnosed cases and contacts:

For diagnosed cases:

• students diagnosed with pertussis should be excluded from primary schools for a minimum period of 21 days after the onset of cough, or until they have completed five (5) days of a course of effective antibiotic treatment
• the treating doctor will complete the required notifications to the Department of Health

For Contacts of diagnosed cases:

The exclusion requirement only applies to contacts who meet all three (3) of the below criteria:

• aged less than 7 years;
• in the same class as the student with the diagnosed case; and
• have not received three (3) effective doses of pertussis vaccine.

Students meeting these criteria should be excluded for 14 days after the last exposure to the infectious case, or until they have taken five (5) days of a course of effective antibiotic treatment.

Kind regards,

Lisa

Last term saw us finish off our major art piece of the Australian Artist Pete Cromer. We used his artistry style as an inspiration to replicate or inspire our art pieces.

Foundation, Grade 1 & Grade 2 students had the opportunity to recreate Dreambirds and Big Cats. They then had the opportunity to use this piece as an inspiration to create their own Dreambird or Big Cat with their own visions and personalities.

Grades 3/4 & 5/6 had the opportunity to recreate one of Pete's artworks using the method of collage. This saw students creating the artwork from scratch including the mixing of paints to create their colours. They then cut their colours into the appropriate size and shapes and layered them to create a collage. 3/4's used Pete's Australian Animals as their inspiration and 4/5/6's used Pete's Australian Sea Life Animals as their inspiration. It was a large project spaced over 6-7weeks and the students had a great time creating their artwork.

All artwork is on display in the school corridors, which I hope to leave up for the remainder of the year to brighten our corridors, share each others creations and encourage students to feel proud of the work they are creating. 

When you come in for your parent teacher interviews in Week 2 please take the time to admire your child/rens work. I am extremely proud of the work they have created, as I am sure you will be too!

Term 3 will see us finalising our Indigenous Art from Term 2 then moving into the Performing Arts for the remainder of the year.  Mrs Nelson :)

Some photos from our Grandparent's Day celebration

To place orders online please click the link below: 

Orders will be filled at the school during the week and sent home with your child. If an exchange is necessary please contact the office who will organise this on your behalf.

Lunch Orders

August

• Friday 16th - District Basketball (year 5/6)
• Thursday 22nd - Assembly 2.30pm
• Friday 23rd - Book Week Dress Up Day
• Thursday 29th - Division Basketball (year 5/6)
• Friday 30th - Father's Day Stall & Raffle drawn

September 

• Monday 2nd - Father's Day Breakfast & Prayer Gathering
• Thursday 5th - Assembly 2.30pm
• Monday 9th to Thursday 12th - F to 2 Swimming Program
• Monday 16th to Thursday 19th - F to 2 Swimming Program
• Tuesday 17th - Division Athletics
• Thursday 19th - Assembly 2.30pm & Students last day for term 3
• Friday 20th - School Closure for Staff Professional Development

October

• Monday 7th - Students first day Term 4
• Thursday 10th - First Communion parent meeting 6pm
• Sat 12th/Sun 13th - First Communion Committment Mass
• Thursday 17th - Assembly 2.30pm
• Friday 25th - National Teacher Appreciation Day
• Thursday 31st - Italian/Multicultural Day

November

• Monday 4th - School Closure for Staff time in lieu
• Tuesday 5th - School Closure for Melbourne Cup
• Wednesday 6th - School Closure for Staff Professional Development
• Thursday 14th - Assembly 2.30pm
• Sat 15th/Sun17th - Sacrament of Holy Communion
• Thursday 28th - Assembly 2.30pm

December 

• Monday 9th - St Mary's Christmas Carols and Picnic 5pm
• Thursday 12th - End of Year Mass & Year 6 Graduation Dinner 
• Monday 16th to Tuesday 17th - Year 3/4 Camp Waratah Bay 
• Tuesday 17th - Students Last Day