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A Warm Welcome Back to Term 4!
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope this message finds you and your family well and that you were able to enjoy some time together over the recent school holiday break. It feels wonderful to be back at school, and I look forward to partnering with you for what promises to be a busy, productive, and joyous final term of the school year.
A Journey of Faith: Ireland, Rome, and Assisi
As many of you know, I was fortunate to spend the break and the beginning of this term on a deeply moving pilgrimage through some of the most significant sites of our Catholic heritage: the rich, faithful history of Ireland, the eternal heart of the Church in Rome, and the serene, humble spirit of Assisi. It truly was a profound privilege to walk in the footsteps of saints and feel the weight of centuries of faith.
This journey was deeply personal, deepening my own spirituality and reminding me of the extraordinary mission we share here at our school. I am incredibly excited to share these reflections and lessons—particularly the call to joyful service and simplicity—with our students and the school community throughout this final term.
A particularly special moment was witnessing our very own Bishop Brian Mascord meet the Holy Father, Pope Leo, in Rome. That moment was a tangible reminder that we are part of a universal Church, connected through faith and purpose.
Our Call to Prayer and Action
Our commitment to Catholic education grounds every endeavor we undertake. Throughout the pilgrimage, the Bishop led us through deep reflection and reminded us, the primary way we are called to live out our faith is through prayer and action. This is the framework we will emphasise this term: fostering a vibrant prayer life in our students while ensuring they are engaged in meaningful action that serves others, both within our school and the wider community.
May we all embrace the final term with energy, gratitude, and a spirit ready to put our faith into practice. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our shared vision.
With every blessing for the term ahead,
Belinda Hughes
Principal
Socktober DONATE NOW!
Stella is proudly supporting Catholic’s Mission Socktober fundraiser, which connects our students with people experiencing challenges in the developing world through education and the world game of soccer.
This year, our collective fundraising efforts will contribute vital funds to Zambia, who despite its natural wealth and strong spirit, many families face daily challenges, especially in rural areas. Today, one of the most urgent issues is the severe hunger crisis that threatens the wellbeing of millions.
As a school, we can contribute in a special way, but only if all our stars jump onboard. I’d like to invite you to take a moment to donate for Socktober and make a difference for children around the world.
This term, we’ll have a chance to come together at our school’s Socktober Event Day, where the children will be able to literally kick goals for good during a Socktober Shootout. This is a fun and educational day, and you are invited to join us. We will keep you updated in school newsletters and emails throughout Term 4 as we continue to build momentum towards our Socktober Event Day on 12 November. Students will be able to wear “Sensational Socks” on this day with a gold coin donation. Thank you for your support and for helping your child/ren kick goals for good. Let’s reverence the story of all people together!
Why is Socktober so important?
Socktober points to applicable Catholic Social Teaching, drawing on Human Dignity, Solidarity, Common Good, Preferential Option for the Poor, Stewardship of Creation, and Subsidiarity among others.
So what is Catholic Social Teaching?
Catholic Social Teaching (CST) offers a way of thinking, being, and seeing the world. It provides a vision for a just society in which the dignity of all people is recognised, and those who are vulnerable are cared for. It consists of an interrelated body of Catholic social thought and principles which can be used to reflect on and guide how we relate to one another in our local and global communities.
The perspective and principles of Catholic Social Teaching are a rich heritage, developed as the Church has engaged with key social issues throughout history. Catholic Social Teaching includes insight from the Scriptures, as well as understanding from the thinking, reflections, and lived experience of people throughout the life of the Church.
https://cssa.org.au/resources/catholic-social-teaching/
“An authentic faith – which is never comfortable or completely personal – always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it.”
(Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium)
God Bless
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
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Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Charity (Caritas) – love in action, the highest form of goodness. |
The Most Holy Rosary
The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7. Students in all classes at Stella Maris will have opportunities to pray the Rosary during this month.
Grade Masses at Stella Maris
Grade Masses take place at our Stella Maris Church on Tuesdays at 9:30 am. Parents, grandparents and carers are most welcome to attend. Please find below a schedule of the Masses for Term 4, 2025:
Week 2 - 21/10 - Year 1
Week 3 - 28/10 - Year 2
Week 4 - 4/11 - Year 3
Week 5 - 11/11 - Year 4
Week 6 - 18/11 - Year 5
Week 8 - 2/12 - Kindergarten
All Saints Day -1 November (Reflection by Greg Sunter)
Saints are sometimes regarded as ‘Catholic superheroes’. Stories of miraculous and remarkable deeds abound, though more in the vein of conversions and cures than speeding bullets and tall buildings. But to get caught up on the Saints of the stained glass windows is to overlook the vast majority of saints. You see, a saint is anybody whose soul is in heaven. The Church celebrates a certain number of Saints whose lives provide a glimpse of God for the rest of the Church. But there are many, many more saints whose glimpse of God was only ever experienced by their family, friends and those with whom they worked. The feast of ALL Saints is an opportunity to remember and reflect on the lives of those saints who’ve been known and loved by just a few and whose sphere of influence was such that they will never be recognised as Saints by the universal Church.
What is the difference between All Saints & All Souls day?
The feasts of All Saints (Nov 1) and All Souls (Nov 2) can be seen as something of a twin feast that celebrates all those who have died. With the feast of All Saints we celebrate all those who have died and have entered into direct and immediate communion with God in heaven. With the feast of All Souls we celebrate and pray for those who have died but have not yet entered into that direct communion with God. These two different states revolve around the Church teaching on purgatory – a state or process of purification before entering into heaven.
All Saints Day Celebrations
The feast day of our Parish falls on a Saturday this year and Father Joe thought it might be nice to celebrate it as a community at Mass on Sunday, 2 November at 9 am.
Part of the ceremony will be Nazareth and Stella Stage 2/3 students singing the song for reflection. In addition to this, students from each school will be dressed as Marian Titles, processing into the Church. Please join us as together we join with our parish on this special day.
All Saints Catholic Parish NEWS
All Saints Church Mass Times: 19 College Ave, Shellharbour City
Saturday 5.00 pm Vigil - Children’s Liturgy
Sunday 9.00 am & 5.00 pm - Children’s Liturgy (am)
All Saints Feast Day Mass Sun 2 November 9 am - Nazareth & Stella Student Reflection during the ceremony
Programme for the Sacrament of Communion (Year 3 Students)
Save the Date - First Holy Communion Sunday, 23 November 11 am
Timetable of Events after the Vigil/Sunday Masses:
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Vigil/Sunday 25/26 October 30th Sun Ord Time |
Instructions for candidates on how to receive Holy Communion. Allow 40 minutes after Mass Monday 27th - Thursday 30th October Third week of workshops |
Vigil/Sunday 1 /2 November All Souls’ Day |
Monday 3rd – Thursday 6th November Fourth week of workshops |
Vigil/Sunday 8/9 November Dedication of the Lateran Basilica |
Reconciliation for State School Students Stella Maris candidates to attend after their school morning mass at Stella Maris Church. 4 November at 10 am. |
Vigil/Sunday 15/16 November 33rd Sun Ord Time |
Rehearsals and Seating Allocation After Saturday Vigil Mass |
Sunday 23rd November 11 am |
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION MASS Sunday at 11 am Certificates will be distributed during Mass |
| Sunday 30th November 9 am | Post Communion Mass |
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.au
Congratulations to Mrs Casey Sablowski, who has accepted a role with Hockey NSW. Mrs Sablowski is a great loss to our community; however, a return to her roots and her passion is something that is close to her heart. We wish Mrs Sablowski all the best in her new adventure, and we are sure she will still come and visit from time to time.
Classes 2026
As Term 4 progresses, we begin planning for 2026. This includes classes for 2026. If you have any unique or extra ordinary circumstances that you would like considered in class allocation, we invite you to please email the school office. Many factors are taken into consideration for class allocation each year, and it is a complex process. Please note that an email submission does not mean it will be able to be acted upon.
Year 6 Gift to the School
Our Year 6 Captains have shown outstanding initiative this year by actively contributing ideas for the traditional Year 6 gift to the school. One of their standout suggestions is a themed mufti day to raise funds for the Creative Arts
The Year 6 Captians created the idea of a mufti day, dress up as your favourite entertainer and bring in a gold coin donation. The purpose of this upcoming mufti day, initiated by our Year 6 captains, is to raise funds for purchasing new and up-to-date resources to support creative arts across the school.
On Friday, 21 November, students are invited to dress up as their favourite entertainer and bring a gold coin donation.
Key Dates For Term 4
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28 October |
P&F Meeting |
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12 November |
Socktober Silly Socks Fundraiser |
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21 November |
Year 6 Gift to the School Mufti Day |
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5 December |
Colour Run |
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9 December |
End of Year Mass at Stella |
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11 December |
Christmas Mufti/Celebration Day |
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12 December |
Year 6 Graduation |
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13 December |
Mass & Christmas Carols at All Saints |
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17 December |
Last Day of Term 4 |
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18/19 December |
Pupil Free Days |
School Counsellor News
Student Names: William Yeo, Carter Crosswell, Nicholas Nadis
Short Blurb of their Project: The Suspension Chair is designed as a safe alternative to wobble stools and chair swinging. Using shock absorbers attached to the legs of the chair, users are able to get the sensation of swinging without any legs leaving the ground!
Student Names: Abbie Chapman, Anabella Condy, Isla Clarke
Short Blurb of their Project: Social Buddyflys is an app designed to help children and teenagers strengthen their social skills. The app has questions that ask children how they feel about social interactions and the AI robot, specifically coded with children in mind, allows users to practice social interactions and provides tips on making and sustaining friendships.
Key Sport Dates:
Week 5 - Friday 14th November - 27th Annual CDF Sports Awards - St Mary Star of the Sea College
Representative Sport
Cricket
Cricket trials are on Wednesday the 29th of October at Wests Illawarra Cricket Ground/Figtree Oval. All successful nominations will receive an event notice in Compass. Please complete this online permission as soon as possible. All students with unsuccessful nominations will also be notified.
Basketball & Tennis
Nominations for all remaining sports are due on Monday 27th October. Basketball and Tennis trials will be held in Week 7. Students will be notified in the coming weeks if their nominations were successful. All other representative sport nominations will be viewed and confirmed next year.
2025 CDF Sport Awards
The 2025 annual CDF Sport awards, recognising the exceptional sporting achievements of students within the Wollongong Diocese is on Friday the 14th of November (Week 5) at St Mary, Star of the Sea, Wollongong. Invitations for students receiving awards will be sent out to parents in the coming weeks.
Gala Days
Cricket
On Thursday, the 16th of October, the Catholic School Cricket Gala Day was held at Myimbarr Community Park. Some beautiful conditions on the day allowed for all students to develop and showcase their skills and have fun with their friends. All students demonstrated great sportsmanship and camaraderie throughout the day. A big thanks again to our parent volunteers, Mrs Lewis, Mr Healey & Mrs Creighton for managing teams on the day. Another thanks to our teaching staff, Mrs Sanchez and Mrs Norris, for your assistance on the day as well as Mr Smith for the organisation and coordination of the event.
Oztag
Our final Gala Day of the Year, the Catholic Oz Tag Gala Day is being held on the 13th of November at Reed Park, Dapto. This is an opportunity for our Year 3 - Year 6 students to participate in this event. We have nominated 12 teams across Stage 2 & 3. Students who have been offered a position to attend have now been added to the Compass event. Students on the reserve list have also been notified. If you are able to assist in managing a team on the day, please indicate this via the online permission form, and/or contact the office staff.
SPORT PATHWAY FOR MULTICLASS STUDENTS
Please view the following website for further information on Multiclass sporting opportunities.
https://csnsw.sport/students-with-disability/student-with-disabilities-links/multi-class
The Multiclass Pathway is for students with a physical or intellectual disability. Athletics, Swimming and Cross Country provide Multiclass events and provide a pathway for students in the school system. Students will need to have a classification in order to progress through the sports pathway as a multiclass athlete. This can take some time to organise so if you are considering this option for your child, please act as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please see Mrs Sablowski.
CEODoW Website
CEODoW has released a new website. You can access this new website via the following link. To navigate to the sport section please follow the below process:
Go to the CEODoW website: https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/
Click on the three lines in the yellow box at the top right hand side of the page
Click on ‘Student Experience’
Click on ‘Sport’
Click on ‘Primary Sport’
Navigate through the options
CEDOW Instagram
Don’t forget, the Sports Council at the CEO DOW has set up an Instagram account to help spread the news about sport in our Diocese. Please follow @cedow.sport to keep up to date with all the latest news and information.
Congratulations
Colour Run
Planning is in full swing for our Colour Run, which will be held on the 5th December. Donation forms were sent home at the end of last term
We are very grateful to all who have volunteered their time to help run our events. If you can volunteer your time for the Colour Run, please see the link below..
Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be held on the 28th October - we hope to see as many parents in attendance as possible.
We want to hear your ideas for future events for the school. If you are unable to attend or have anything you would like to raise with the P&F, please email parents@smsdow.catholic.edu.au at any time.
We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday break.
The Lunch Lab
The canteen is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The canteen is closed on Tuesdays.
Please see the attached menu for a preview of what’s available.
Online Ordering – QuickCliq setup to place lunch orders online; families will need to create a QuickCliq account. Here’s how:
- Visit https://www.quickcliq.com.au/register and follow the prompts to create your account
- Receive a link via email to ACTIVATE your account before logging in
- Add your child’s/children's details and link them to Stella Maris Shellharbour. Add notes on any dietary requirements in health warnings.
- Families can choose to either top up their account in advance or pay at the time of placing an order.
- Select MEAL ORDER and DATE to start your child's/children's order.
If you have any questions or need help setting up your account, please contact the school office.
