I’’ll never forget how wonderful

you are!

Well done!

addadd

58 Clegg Road, Mount Evelyn. Ph: 9736 2219 Fax: 9736 1443

Email: principal@smmountevelyn.catholic.edu.au

No. 9, 27th March, 2017

I can’t believe it is the last week of Term 1 already! What a busy and productive first term we have had. This past week has been no exception. The Prep children completed their first full week of school, with many attending the Movie Afternoon on Thursday. Thanks to the P & F Committee for running these afternoons for the children, all who attended enjoyed the social catch up! Our year four students attended the Future Stars Program at Mt Lilydale Mercy College and by all reports had a fabulous day! Congratulations to the following students from grade 3/4 R as they received the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time last week: Alizah J, Levi S, Alyssa T, Maya B, Alexander McC, Tommy P, Ava E, Emily R, James T, James B, Jordan V, Sienna C and Morgan F. Our prayers remain with Anna G and Brandon Z as they continue their preparation for this sacrament. All 3/4 classes have now celebrated this sacrament which is a very important step in their initiation into the Catholic Church and in their preparation for First Communion in June. A couple of important reminders for this week: our 5/6 students will compete in the Interschool Summer Sports Round Robin Carnival this Thursday, Parent Teacher Interviews will take place in the hall from 3:30pm also on Thursday and you are invited to join us at 11:30am on Friday in the hall as the 5/6 students lead us in a reflection around the Stations of the Cross.

NO class masses this week.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Easter and term holiday and look forward to catching up with you all when you return. We remind you that school finishes for the term on Friday 31st March at 2.30pm and resumes on Tuesday 18th April at 8.45am.

Congratulations to our Students of the Week last week: Prep B: Finn B Prep R: Ava H-S 1/2F: Oliver W 1/2H: Philip R 1/2P: Ned R 1/2R: Leevi B 3/4R: 3/4G: Chloe McC 3/4C: Morgan F 3/4F: Ruby McC 5/6B: Nathan S 5/6F: Bridie W 5/6P: Alice McC 5/6C: PJ D

NO TUCKSHOP THIS WEEK

In our hearts, O God, you have written a covenant of love,

revealed to us in the life of Jesus, your Son. Raise us up with him –

the single grain fallen to earth that yields a harvest of everlasting life.

May our lives too bring forth a harvest of good works as we follow the pattern of his life.

We ask this through Christ, our deliverance and hope, who lives and reigns with you forever.

WHATS COMING UP!

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Monday 17th April Tuesday 18th April Thursday 20th April Friday 21st April Saturday 22nd April

9.00am 8.45am 9-11am

EASTER MONDAY –PUBLIC HOLIDAY 5/6 Immigration Museum Excursion Alleluia Day School Assembly Working Bee

Upcoming Information School Assembly now every Friday at 8.45am

Thursday 30th March – Parent/Teacher Interviews FRIDAY 31ST MARCH – LAST DAY FOR TERM 1, 2.30PM FINISH Easter Monday – Monday 17th March

School Resumes for Term 2 on Tuesday 18th April at 8.45am

MASS TIMES St Mary’s Mt Evelyn Saturdays ~ 5pm (Daylight saving) ~ 6pm (after Daylight saving) Sundays – 10.30 am & 5.00p

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Monday, 27th March Thursday 30th March Friday 31st March

8.45am 3.30pm 3.30pm 8.45am 2.30pm

School Assembly Staff Meeting 5/6 Level Sport Round Robin Day PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

School Assembly LAST DAY TERM 1

SCHOOL CLOSURE DATES

2017

Tuesday 25th April – Public Holiday for

ANZAC DAY

Staff

Professional Development Thursday May 4th –

Friday May 5th

Curriculum Day

Thursday 3rd August

YEAR 5/6 INTERSCHOOL SPORTS THIS THURSDAY: T-Ball – Yarra Hills SC, Mt Evelyn, Cricket-Silock Reserve

Croydon, Softball (boys & girls)- Dorset Reserve Croydon, Rounders- Yarra Hill S Reay Road Campus.

Parent Teacher Interviews are on Thursday, please contact us at the office if you have not yet made an appointment for

your child.

Applications for enrolment are now

available for Prep 2018. If you have a child ready to begin school next year, please collect an enrolment form from the

office. If you know someone who is interested in enrolment for 2018, they can book a tour by contacting the office on 9736 2219

TERM 1 STATEMENTS WILL BE SENT HOME THIS WEEK

Please check them carefully that the information is correct. Statements will be sent out at the end of each term. Please check them carefully to make sure all information is correct.

St Mary’s BSB/ACCOUNT Details St Marys Primary School

BSB 083-347 Account Number 676054930

PHOTO INFORMATION: Manual Orders: Complete your order form and return with payment to school on

photography day Online Orders: To pre-order online, take your personal Order and ID Numbers found on your

order form and go to www.schoolpix.com.au. Orders can be placed online up to 2 working days after photography. You do not need to return the order form if you order online.

Sibling Orders: For a special photo of you children together, collect a Sibling Order Form from the office or download it from the SchoolPix website and return it on photography day. Alternatively Order Online by 10am on photography day. Remember: All orders placed online will receive a free 20cm x 25cm black and white portrait print.

PO Box 5222, Hallam VIC 3803 Ph: 1300 766 055 Email: info@schoolpix.com.au

Child Safety Code of Conduct

St Mary’s endeavours to create and maintain an environment where child safety is paramount and there is zero tolerance of any form of child abuse. What is the purpose of a child safety code of conduct? A child safety code of conduct is intended to promote child safety in the school environment. A child safety code of conduct spells out professional boundaries and acceptable and unacceptable adult/child relationships and behaviour. It should be unambiguous, widely disseminated and supported by supervision, professional development and training. A child safety code of conduct helps schools, staff and volunteers to raise behavioural issues. It provides a reference point for discussion when there may otherwise be confusion, uncertainty, or a lack of confidence about boundaries for appropriate behaviour with children. The code specifies behaviour unacceptable for a professional relationship between a teacher and a student. All parents, relatives and caregivers attending St Mary’s Primary School to help

within the classroom must hold a current Working with Children Check and must have read and signed the Code of Conduct. Please go to our website for more information

Just a reminder that as per previous years, the buses will be running 30 mins early on the last day of term 1 – Friday

LAST DAY TERM 1 FRIDAY 31st MARCH 2017 2:30 pm finish. Just a reminder that as per previous years, the buses will be running 30 mins early on

the last day of term 1 – Friday 31 March 2017.

Making ‘magic potions’ at after

school care

**************NO TUCKSHOP THIS WEEK **************

IMPORTANT NOTICE

YEAR 7 2018 and 2019

APPLICATIONS TO COLLEGES CLOSE FOR YEAR 7 2019 ON 25TH AUGUST 2017

Parents of Grade 5 Students of 2017 Enrolment process for starting year 7 in 2019

Make contact with your preferred secondary school in term 1, 2017. Follow their enrolment

requirement process. Term 2 of 2017 – St Mary’s will send you forms to complete of which

secondary school you wish your child to attend. These forms are forwarded to your applied

secondary school. Offers are made to you by the secondary school you have applied for a

placement with by May 2018.

Look in the newsletter for advertisements of open days

GRADE 4 parents of 2017 please contact your secondary school of preference to get

information on the enrolment process for year 7 2019.

APPLICATIONS TO COLLEGES CLOSE FOR YEAR 7 2019 ON

25TH AUGUST 2017

Cire Children’s Outside School Hours Care Mt Evelyn 20 Old Hereford Road Mt Evelyn,

Bookings and Enquiries: Cire Children’s Outside School Hours Care Mt Evelyn Ph: 9737 0476 (6.30am-9am & 1.30pm-6.30pm daily)Email: oshc-

mtevelyn@cire.org.au Website: www.cire.org.au

COFFEE INVITATION

COFFEE INVITATION FOR ALL ST MARY’S PARENTS

EVERY MONDAY MORNING AT THE CHURCH

Come and join us, pop in for a quick

cuppa and a chat ……

ST MARY’S FROM 9.00am until 10.00am

A great way to meet new families

ALL WELCOME!

IMPORTANT INFO FOR PARENTS

In addition to our existing forms of communication, which include blanket text messaging, we are also in the process of including ‘Skoolbag’ to our

communication options. This is an app for iPhone and Android that will enhance communications with the Parent/Student community. Parents

wishing to access this service will need to install the St Mary’s School ‘Skoolbag’ App. To install the app, search for our school name (St Marys

Catholic Primary School Mount Evelyn) in either the Apple App Store, or Google Play Store.

We are still waiting for the Apple iPhone App to become available. We will advise once confirmation of availability occurs. For Windows Phone, and

Windows 8.1 or 10 users, search for ‘Skoolbag’ in the Windows store, install the app and find your school.

CAR PARK RULES AMENDMENT - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Car Park For the safety of all our children we ask that driver courtesy, patience and the utmost care is practised at all times. No

standing in the driveway or roundabout areas unless ALL parking spaces are taken. When you have accessed a car park, do not leave it to join the queue and DO NOT block vacant car park spaces as we need

access for emergency and delivery vehicles and buses. Blocking the driveway also means that others are unable to access available parking spaces and causes a dangerous back up of traffic in Clegg Road. Pick up and drop off on the roundabout only at the designated place. Please ensure that your child can do up their own seat belt if you are using this area, as this will ensure an uninterrupted flow.

Maximum speed anywhere in the school grounds is walking pace – our school grounds begin at the Clegg Rd entrance.

The driveway in front of the church, in front of the Presbytery carport and the driveway to the rear of the presbytery is to be kept clear at all times to allow 24hour access.

Please keep the access to the staff car park clear

When backing into allocated car parking spaces please indicate & avoid backing over two lanes from an opposite bay and ensure that your car is not overhanging the walkway.

Please depart from the car park as soon as possible after collecting your children, so that others may park in the designated areas.

The school property begins at the green gates at Clegg Rd. When departing from the school grounds, it is necessary to give way to traffic coming from the right of the roundabout at Clegg Rd. Traffic, other than school traffic, use this roundabout.

Please avoid parking on the nature strips at the front of the school or blocking the driveways of our neighbours. You may incur a fine from a visiting parking inspector.

Please be polite and respectful of everyone (including our neighbours) at ALL times. If we all cooperate the car park does work. We find that generally, the car park is virtually cleared by 3.30pm. so it may be beneficial to come a little later, rather than earlier.

Do you find that your child is having emotional or behavioral issues or is overly anxious? OnPsych are a team of fully qualified and registered psychologists who specialise in child and adolescent services working in primary and secondary schools in both individual and group settings. Services are performed on site at school, at NO COST to the school, student or parent, through Medicare bulk billing. These services are also available to parents. We now have an OnPsych psychologist, Arabella Mayne, working here at our school. The approaches that

Arabella use include: CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) Client centred and solution focussed therapy. Employs a collaborative approach.

Issues covered by a mental health plan include: Anxiety, Attention deficit, Alcohol/drug abuse, Adjustment disorders, Bereavement, Conduct disorder, Depression, Eating disorders, Enuresis (non organic), Neurasthenia, Obsessive compulsive disorder, Panic, Phobia, Psychosis, Post- traumatic, Stress, Sleep disorders, Mood disorders, Spectrum disorders, Interpersonal, learning or behavioural disorders, exam stress, harming and adjustment difficulties (social and situational) If you believe that this service may benefit your child or yourselves, please contact Lynne

O'Meara or Angela Glennie on 9736 2219 for further information on how to access Arabella’s services.

(CSEF) CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

REMINDER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS WITH A HEALTHCARE CARD

Every Vict o r ian ch ild should have access t o t he w or ld o f learn ing op p or t un it ies t hat exist b eyond t he cl assroom . The Cam p s, Sp or t s and Excursions Fund

help s ensure t hat no st ud en t w ill m iss out on t he op p or t un it y t o jo in t heir classm at es f o r im p or t an t , ed ucat ional and f un act ivit ies. It is p ar t o f m aking

Vict o r ia t he Ed ucat ion St at e and t he Governm ent ’s com m it m en t t o b reaking t he link b et w een a st ud en t ’s b ackground and t heir out com es.

IF YOU HAVE A CURRENT HEALTHCARE CARD

Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

Other news in Religious Education:

Commitment to Weekend Mass:

Please note that children who are preparing for First Holy Communion and Confirmation

need to attend Mass each weekend. Fr. Michel would like your child to have the Sunday

Mass (Saturday Vigil Mass) sheet signed by him or the priest where Mass was attended. This

sheet is then placed in the classroom bucket or handed into the office. Fr.Michel will collect

these and collate them. Insufficient attendance may require your child to complete the

sacrament next year.

Sacraments – All forms and money should now be in. Any questions please email or see

Ronnie Pritchard rpritchard@smmountevelyn.catholic.edu.au

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Caritas/Project Compassion campaign

throughout Lent. If you have any Project Compassion boxes at home, they can now be

returned to school.

Important dates: Sunday 9 April Palm Sunday; Monday 10 April Holy week begins; Holy

Thursday 13 April; Good Friday 14 April; Easter Sunday 16 April 2017

Alleluia day Thursday 20 April. There will be a Whole School Mass 9am followed by a day

of activities to celebrate on our Lord’s Resurrection.

Please ensure that all items of uniform are well maintained, including sports

uniform and hats.

UNIFORMS All St. Mary’s students are required to wear the full correct school

uniform. We believe that the wearing of uniforms promotes the

children’s pride in their school and self-discipline. Uniform items

can be purchased or made at little cost. The uniform shop at St.

Mary’s carries all uniform items, including school and library bags.

There is a small amount of second hand uniforms available in the

shop.

Children are expected to have a school bag with

the St Mary’s School logo.

Please ensure that your children bring their correct school bag.

WINTER UNIFORM TERM 2 & 3

Girls’ Winter Uniform Boys’ Winter Uniform

Navy tunic or tailored pants Navy Trousers (no jeans, jean style or cargo pants) (no jeans, jean style or cargo pants) St Mary’s polo shirt St Mary’s polo shirt St Mary’s windcheater St Mary’s windcheater Navy socks or tights Navy socks Black polished shoes Black polished shoes (no sneakers/runners) (no sneakers/runners) Navy gloves and scarf (optional) Navy gloves and scarf (optional)

Girls’ Winter Sports Uniform Boys’ Winter Sports Uniform

Navy track suit pants Navy track suit pants St Mary’s windcheater St Mary’s windcheater Navy unisex sports shorts or Navy unisex sports shorts navy skort. St Mary’s polo shirt St Mary’s polo shirt White St. Mary’s sports socks or plain White St. Mary’s sports socks or plain white socks and runners white socks and runners

St Mary’s School logo school bag

No jewellery – plain studs, sleepers, watches excepted.

No make-up No nail polish No extremes of hairstyles

Long hair to be tied back at all times with navy ties and ribbons

An important note on Uniforms. Whilst it is not compulsory to purchase

uniform items only from our uniform shop, we trust that parents will only purchase items that are of the

same as sold in the shop. We would ask that you continue to support us as we strive to ensure a

disciplined atmosphere in our school, by ensuring that your children do wear the standardised uniform.

Your children may, at times, tell you that it is okay because, “others do it” or “have it”, but this is a good

signal that it is NOT okay!

A note about hair. As we are a primary school, we feel that any change of colour is

inappropriate for children. In the spirit of our practice at St Mary’s, to keep children as

children, we ask that you cooperate with this and leave the hair colouring as something

that they can look forward to in their older age. We also differentiate between “weekend

hair” and “school hair”. The use of hair gel, etc., and spikey styling is considered to be a

“weekend hair” practice. Not only does this give a more disciplined and uniformed

approach, but also saves you time and money!

OTHER STUFF

School Vegetable Garden News This week the garden club will be working in the garden on Wednesday 29th March from 10.45 till 11.30am. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you would like to assist with cooking, please complete the form below. Or email rpritchard@smmountevelyn.catholic.edu.au. Thank-you - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - VEGETABLE GARDEN VOLUNTEER AVAILABILITY

Name:_______________________________________Mobile:______________________________ Availability: Helping in the garden ⟥ Thursdays 10.45am (Please tick preference) Food preparation and cooking (Date and time to be advised) ⟥ Thank-you

TENNIS LESSONS BEFORE SCHOOL AT ST MARY’S

STARTING 2017

www.platinumtenniscoaching.com.au E: matt@platinumtenniscoaching.com.au Ph: 0425711879 Before School Tennis Lessons at St Mary’s

Contact Matt O’Toole on 0425711879 for further information

Platinum Tennis Coaching strives to provide a fun, positive and challenging environment for your child to learn

and enjoy tennis. Lessons are now being offered at St Mary’s at a convenient time before school, which means

a positive start to the day for your child by engaging them in physical activity before they head into class. Also

every student who signs up for a Term of Coaching receives a free racquet!! Tennis is a fantastic sporting

activity and our coaching reflects the passion we have for everyone to learn and participate in it.

We feel very privileged to be able to conduct these lessons on the outdoor courts at St Mary’s Catholic Primary

School.

I look forward to seeing you out on the court! Matt O’Toole – Head Coach

2017 Medical Forms Medical confirmation forms will be sent out in term

2. Please read them carefully to ensure all details are

correct. Please return them to the office for us to keep

on file for when we need to contact you.

We have children attending our school with

severe (life threatening) peanut allergies.

As always, we are concerned for the safety of our children, and ask everyone to avoid bringing any items that may

contain peanuts to school, as the smallest amount of peanut or proteins of peanuts on benches, etc., can affect an

allergic child. Whilst I can appreciate that there may be children who just love to have their peanut butter sandwiches or bars, I am sure that if it was your child with the allergy, you would also appreciate people helping out in

this way

THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS COMMITTEE

DONATIONS REQUIRED FOR UPCOMING RAFFLES FOR 2017 GENERAL RAFFLE COLLECTION If you have anything that we can use for raffles during 2017 please send the item’s to the office. We do

require new unused items.

MOVIE NIGHT The movie nights were a great success, thank you to Shelly Holt, Melissa Morse and Meegan Mcsween for ALL their hard work in preparing this fundraising event and not to forget all of the other helpers that are constantly hands on and lending their valuable time to St Mary’s to help make things happen.

FOOD BANK 2017 Once again we are collecting donations for our Food Bank. Every year a team of ladies set aside a

couple of days from their own busy lives, to cook and prepare meals to

freeze for families that may be going through a difficult time. This has

helped many members of our St Marys Primary School Community last year.

We are asking for donations of, lasagne sheets, pasta sauce, tomato paste,

cheese, stock and anything else we can use to make up trays of yummy lasagne

and Bolognese sauce. We would also appreciate monetary donations so we can

purchase food stuffs to try some new recipes.

If you know of anyone from St Mary’s Primary school that may need some help with a meal for their

family, please contact the office.

WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK

All Parents and Friends visiting St Marys must have a ‘Working With Children Check’. These are available FREE on line.

CHILD SAFETY CODE OF CONDUCTS CAN BE COMPLETED AT THE OFFICE

**************NO TUCKSHOP THIS WEEK **************

Community Craft Club – Volunteers

desperately wanted to help – please leave

your details at the office…..

First session week 3 term 2

Our craft club is a well-loved tradition here at St Mary’s and enjoyed by many students and parents. As mentioned

late last year, two of our co-ordinators have now moved on to Mt Lilydale College and we are looking for new

volunteers. If you might be interested in getting a little ‘crafty’, meeting other parents and don’t mind getting your

hands dirty, why not consider finding out more? Leave your name with Deb or Bec in the office and someone will call

you or you can talk to Kat Anderson. kat.ben@bigpond

Wellbeing tips for primary school kids

By Michael Grose It’s time for parents to have a clear understanding of wellbeing and how we can support our kids to cultivate their own. Wellbeing – it’s a word we hear a lot these days. We understand that it’s important for our kids; but it’s not always clear exactly what it is, how we know if they’ve got it, and how we can help them to get more!

Put simply, our kids’ wellbeing is a combination of their physical, mental, emotional and social health. And because a range of different elements contribute to their wellbeing, there are a bunch of activities we can do with them, role model for them and teach them, to improve it.

Developing wellbeing is more than ensuring the absence of ill-health, it’s about taking action to adopt thinking and behavior patterns that researchers have shown to foster flourishing physical and mental health.

Here are 5 practices that you can put into action to enhance your kids’ wellbeing:

1. Get them outside and moving

There’s so much we can do! Park further from school at drop off and pick up and increase their daily exercise at the same time; stay a while after school to let the kids play; stop at the park on the way home or head outside after bags are unpacked and have a bounce on the trampoline.

2. Create plenty of opportunities for your kids to foster

positive connections with their friends, family and of

course with you!

Positive social relationships not only enhance kids’ wellbeing, but are key to their future wellbeing as adults as well. Time spent with friends helps our kids to develop social skills including sharing, compromise, listening and conflict resolution.

3. Keep screen time to a minimum

Kids love screens, but we’re the parents and we can work with our kids to create clear and consistent limits. Kids aged 2-5 are recommended to have one hour of screen time per day and two hours a day max for 5-12-year-olds.

4. Help your kids develop mindfulness skills

Mindfulness is about paying attention in the present moment, letting thoughts come and go without getting caught up in them. Sounds easy, but like any skill it takes time and practice. It gives kids’ overstimulated minds a rest! I highly recommend the Smiling Mind app for age appropriate mindfulness meditations.

5. Last but not least – ensure your kids get ample sleep

Primary school kids need 10-12 hours per day. Often, what helps enormously is establishing clear and consistent routines including no screen time one hour before bed, a ‘wind-down’ routine which may include a bath/shower, being read a book and then quiet reading before lights out.