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Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 3! It is another exciting term ahead with many experiences and opportunities available for our children. I sincerely hope you all had a lovely break with your family and friends.
This week we celebrated Grandparent’s Day with Kindergarten leading the school in a liturgy. As always they did a fabulous job at reminding us of the importance of grandparents and the special memories they create. Thank you to the significant number of grandparents who were able to attend and then spend some time in classrooms. It was a joy to walk around and see so many families together talking about their learning and sharing their successes.
Tell Them From Me Survey
Thank you to the families who were able to complete the Tell Them From Me Survey. The main points from the parent survey were:
- Strong learning and teaching in the school
- Children feel safe at school
- Strong community feel at the school
- Variety of events, experiences, and activities for the students
There were 2 consistent messages of areas of focus for the school moving forward:
- Exploring the purpose and amount of homework across the grades
- Clarity and consistency with behaviour management structure in the school
In regards to homework, this is something the school will be looking at in more depth over the next 2 years to provide a shared understanding of the propose of homework and the research behind the impact of meaningful homework. Currently, each grade communicates their homework expectations in the Curriculum Newsletter sent home at the beginning of each term. If you have any questions in relation to homework please see the class teacher.
The PB4L is continually working on consistency with behaviour expectations and procedures. They meet regularly and have taken onboard the feedback from the survey. This year there has been a regular PB4L section in the newsletter to assist in clarity around school procedures, this will continue. Please forward any ideas or topics you would like further information on to be included.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, the feedback is taken seriously and is used in the school’s planning.
God Bless
Belinda Hughes
Principal
Welcome back to another wonderful week at Stella Maris! We hope you’ve had a fantastic break and are feeling refreshed and ready for the exciting term ahead. We started this week with a lovely Grandparent’s liturgy presented by Kindergarten and the choir. It was amazing to have so much of our beloved community with us, as our littlest students reminded us of how important Grandparents can be in our lives. Let us reverence the story of all our grandparents so that together we can make their lives just that little more special! Have a fantastic day, everyone.
God Bless
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
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Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Solidarity Solidarity means that we are all part of one big human family, no matter where we come from or what we believe. It means looking out for each other, whether we're close by or far away. Being kind to others isn't just something we do locally; it's something that reaches across the globe. At its heart, solidarity is about working for fairness and harmony. As Pope Paul VI said, “If you want peace, work for justice.” The Gospel encourages us to be peacemakers, showing love and promoting peace in a world that often faces conflict and violence. |
Stella Maris’ Feast Day - The Assumption 15 August
Celebrate with us the day Mary, the Mother of Jesus was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Parents and caregivers are invited to share with us the following activities:
- 10-11 am Mass with Nazareth at All Saints (Students will travel as a school by bus)
- 12-1 pm K-2 Novelty Games on the Stella Playground
- 12-1 pm 3-6 at Keith Hockey Oval watching the Teacher Vs Year 6 Game
- 1-2 pm K-6 Lunch on the Stella Playground - Bring a picnic lunch!
- 2-2:30 pm Open Classrooms K-6
- 2:50 pm Dismissal
Grade Masses at Stella Maris
These 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 3, 2024:
Kinder Week 3 6 August
Yr 1 Week 4 13 August
Yr 2 Week 5 20 August
Yr 3 Week 6 27 August
Yr 4 Week 7 3 September
Yr 6 Week 8 10 September
All Saints Catholic Parish NEWS
All Saints Church Mass Times: 19 College Ave, Shellharbour City
Saturday 5.00 pm Vigil
Sunday 9.00 am & 5.00 pm
Stage Masses: Celebrated at All Saints Church with Nazareth students.
Please join us on the following dates where students will be involved in participating and celebrating together:
Saturday 31 Aug 5 pmYears 1 & 2 Father’s Day
Sunday 3 Nov 9 am Years 3 & 4 Ordinary Time
Programme for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion (Year 3 Students) TBA
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.au
Uniform Expectations
Just a reminder when considering haircuts and styles, all families are asked to follow the school uniform expectations of haircuts and styles that do not invite comment or are outrageous. This includes no mullets, undercuts, mohawks, rats tails (or any tails), coloured braids, or coloured hair. All hair that is shoulder length must be tied back.
For any students who do not follow the school expectations the school procedures are:
- Class teacher will follow up with families
- If it is not rectified, it will be passed on to the stage leader to follow up with families
- If it continues to be an issue it will be referred to the Assistant Principal or Principal to follow up.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
Please ensure that all children are wearing the correct winter uniform. A reminder that the second-hand uniform shop is open each Friday morning on odd weeks and Friday afternoons on even weeks if you require any extra items.
Morning drop off and Afternoon Pick Up
To best support our children and their learning, it is important that children arrive on time for school and early pick-up times are kept to a minimum. The school gates are opened at 8 am for supervision. Please note, the car line gate will close at 8.30 am. Any late arrivals must proceed through the front office to be signed in.
The school will continue to support Parents/Carers and frequently send home letters allowing Parents/Carers to provide the school with an explanation for absences. There may be instances where parents may receive a pastoral phone call in support of regular attendance and/or receive a further letter at the end of a term indicating emerging attendance concerns.
As a school, we implement the Diocesan PB4L policies and procedures. To assist families to understand the procedures and to facilitate positive conversations at home we have developed an infographic that outlines the school’s procedures and practices. We anticipate this will provide clarity and a shared understanding across the Stella Maris community.
Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s “Parental Guidance” and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au and is considered one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts.
The parent session will focus on the topic of Resilience, in this session, parents will learn the psychological secrets that build their child’s sense of identity, strengths, and growth mindset in order to perform better, be happier, and build resilience.
Tickets can be purchased using this link https://events.humanitix.The live session runs from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm and refreshments will be provided from 6:30 pm on the night.
Science Week Science Fair
On August 22nd, Stella Maris will be celebrating National Science Week. National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology, aiming to encourage an interest in science and a fascination of the world we live in. Kindergarten to Year 4 students will participate in a variety of exciting science activities run by our teachers, ranging from building catapults and parachutes to chemical reactions and eruptions. Our Year 5 and 6 students will be engaging in experiments and activities organised by Corpus Christi staff and students, and we thank them for volunteering their time to help us celebrate Science Week.
- Students will receive a Principal's Award once they receive 2 Gold Awards
- Gold Awards that contribute to the count need to be from Mrs Hughes, these are Gold Awards that were handed out after January 2023 when Mrs Hughes started with Stella Maris
- Parents will be informed via text from Compass when their child is going to receive their Principal's Award
- Principal Awards will be handed out at our Friday Assemblies
- Week 4 Friday assembly - Year 6
- Week 6 Friday assembly - Year 5
- Week 8 Friday assembly - Years 3 & 4
- Week 10 Friday assembly - Year 2
Week 4 - Tuesday 13th August - South Coast Athletics Championships - Beaton Park
Week 4 - Thursday/Friday 15th & 16th August - NSW All Schools Boys Netball U12’s Championships - Sydney (Cooper R, Heath P, Harry T, Mason G)
Week 5 - Tuesday 20th August - Wollongong Diocesan Athletics Selection Trial - Beaton Park
Week 5 - Friday 23rd August - South Coast Soccer Gala Day - Various Locations
Week 7/8 - Saturday 7th - Friday 13th September - Australian All Schools Boys Netball U12’s Championships - Victoria
Representative Sport
Cross Country
On Tuesday of Week 1, Reid C competed at the NSW PSSA Cross Country Championships in Sydney. Reid placed 19th overall out of 76 competitors in the U12 Boys age group and completed the course in a time of 11 minutes and 9 seconds. We wish to congratulate Reid on his outstanding achievements.
Swimming
In Week 1 Lachlan M attended the Australian School Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast. Lachlan had an outstanding meet posting the following results in each of his events:
1st - 12 Yrs Boys 100m MC Breaststroke - NATIONAL CHAMPION
2nd - 12 Yrs Boys 50m MC Breaststroke
Finalist in the Freestyle relay
Along with these incredible results, Lachlan managed to record personal bests (PB’s) in all of his events throughout the meet.
South Coast Athletics Championships
The South Coast Athletics Championships are held in Week 4 at the Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre in Beaton Park. All team submissions needed to be in by Tuesday of this week. If your child no longer intends to participate, please notify Mrs Sablowski or the office staff as soon as possible so we can organise a replacement. Trainings are being conducted every Wednesday during lunch in the lead-up to the event. Students participating in Relay events and field events are encouraged to attend to make use of the school equipment. If your child wishes to borrow any equipment from the school for practice at home, please contact Mrs Sablowski as soon as possible.
Gala Days
Touch Football
We attended the Touch Football Gala Day on Wednesday, held at Albion Park Football Fields. The students braved the chilly conditions, each participating in 4-5 matches throughout the day. A huge thanks to our parent volunteers who assisted on the day in team manager roles, your support was greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the teachers who assisted on the day.
Students who have been successful in their nomination for the Soccer Gala Day will be notified over the coming week. The Soccer Gala Day is being held on Friday the 23rd of August (Week 5). The Soccer Gala Day format is changing this year, with proposed micro venues being established to host a ‘local’ competition. The location for our region is proposed to be held at Terry Reserve, Albion Park. Please find below the proposal for the new Gala Day:
- All venues - looking to create 10 modified fields (half size/GSAP size)
- Formation: 9 a side (8 field players and one goalie) - ideal team size 10-11 players
- Per round - 5 fields for girls and 5 fields for boys
- Alternate rounds - junior followed by senior
- Ball size: Size 4
- Student-centered games and organisation to fields, including preparation of teams - students take on roles within their teams to build skills aligned with organisation, sportsmanship, communication, problem-solving, and creating positive and supportive learning environments
- Game time: 9 min halves 1 min half time (5 min between games)
- Divisions: can have 10-12 teams per division - Jnr Girls, Jnr Boys, Snr Girls, Snr Boys
- Schools will send both junior and senior teams to the same venues
- Game times are 8 minutes each way, 1 minute half time turnaround, and 3 minutes between games
The schools that will likely be at our venue will include: St Johns, Dapto, St Pauls, Albion Park, Nazareth, and Shellharbour.
* Shin pads and boots
All students are required to wear shin pads on the day and there may be a requirement for all students to wear football boots or runners. As part of the online event set up on Compass, there will be a couple of questions related to this. In short, it will be a ‘one in all in’ requirement for students to either wear boots or runners. This has come from the Department of Education Guidelines and requirements and a venue-based decision will be made.
Basketball
Basketball nominations have been submitted. We have requested additional teams on top of the allocated allowance. This will be subject to approval based on the number of schools and teams that have applied and venue allowances. Once we have confirmation of teams, students will be added to the event in Compass if their nomination is successful. The same process will be applied to this Gala Day with students receiving places based on their preferences and age/stage.
If you believe your child has placed a Gala Day sport preference as 1st, 2nd or 3rd and does not get a place in one of the Gala Day teams, please contact the school as there may have been a human or processing error from our end, or it may have been that the online form has not been completed correctly. To date, there has been a very limited number of students who have not received a placement in a Gala Day, even outside the 1st-3rd preferences.
CEO DOW Sports Website
For more information on any of the upcoming Diocesan carnivals, or representative sports please visit the following website. For further information regarding Gala Days please click on the link ‘About Primary Sport’ link on the above website.
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.
Mrs. Sablowski
Sports Coordinator
Gold Awards
Sophie Whittle
Matthew Yeo
Toby Badger
Ava Andronopoulos
Hendrix Hodges
Ivy Chisholm
Karmichael Fosteris
Emilia Lewis
Canteen News
The canteen is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The canteen menu is on our website.
Online orders can be made via the My School Connect app - www.myschoolconnect.com.au/stellamarisps and click on Create account.
Kiama Social Netball - Term 4
Who?
- Ages 9-15 (born between 2009-2015)
- All genders and experience levels welcome
- Beginners encouraged!
When?
- Mondays at 5.30 pm and 6.15 pm
- Starts: 14/10/2024
- Ends: 09/12/2024 (9 rounds)
Where?
- Kiama Netball Courts (outdoors)
What’s the deal?
- Social netball—no finals, just fun!
- Learn new skills and play with friends
- Groups: Red (introductory) and Blue (team-based)
- Mix of skills and games—no scoring, just enjoyment!
How to Join?
Register by 07/10/2024 or earlier if spots fill up!
Pre-register here: Pre Registration Link
For more information check out our Facebook page "Kiama Social Netball Comp" or contact Nat Allan at 0413 662 970 or by email kiamasocialnetball@gmail.com.