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Dear Parents and Carers
It is incredible to think that we are less than three weeks away from Christmas! Whilst we are reminded about Christmas being just around the corner, with shopping centres adorned with decorations and pre Christmas sales, as Catholics, we are encouraged to also take this time to honour the waiting and journey time before Christmas as well.
Advent began on Sunday 1st December. I encourage you to prepare for this special liturgical time of the year in your hearts ... and take the time in our homes and workplace to focus on this advent wonder, hope, and a time of waiting, before rushing in towards all things Christmas.
Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. It commemorates the beginning or arrival of something anticipated, both the historical birth of Jesus and the yearly spiritual rebirth of Christ within each one of us at Christmas. It’s a season when we slow down and look forward to the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Waiting is not always easy, but it does have a purpose. It can help us prepare our hearts for Jesus' coming, both as a man in the past and for his second coming in the future.
As this will be my last Principal message for 2024, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the staff and students for an amazing year. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated and committed staff who provide educational excellence and most importantly compassion and live out our motto of Faith, Hope and Love. Thank you to Mrs Vanessa Hanns who will be acting Principal from Thursday 12 December.
A sincere thank you to the parent community of Stella Maris. It is a privilege to be a part of such a welcoming community who is involved and shares in the schooling journey with us. Thank you for your ongoing support, the respect you show our staff, and your willingness to assist where you can.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas that is blessed and filled with the Christmas spirit. Surrounded by family and friends I pray for a safe and joyful Christmas break. I look forward to working with you again in 2025 and I can not wait to see what it may bring.
God Bless
Belinda Hughes
Principal
SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER Nazareth School Grounds
If there is inclement weather, the event will be relocated to the church.
5:00 pm Outdoor Mass
Following Mass students from the parish schools
(Nazareth, Stella Maris and Corpus Christi) will perform Christmas carols.
Families are encouraged to bring picnic blankets/chairs and their own snacks to enjoy while watching the carols. Please note: it is an alcohol-free event.
God Bless
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
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Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Luke (Gospel of) — The longest of the four Gospels, it is a testimony of faith in the person, life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus, directed to a Gentile Christian community in the Roman Empire after 80AD. It appears to be the first of a two-part work with The Acts of the Apostles being its sequel. Luke’s Gospel has journeying as a major theme. Like Matthew’s Gospel, Luke’s is thought to draw heavily for much of its content on Mark’s Gospel and a lost source document scholars call Q. |
Advent
The start of December marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Advent. The four weeks are a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the Second Coming. The term is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming".
Jubilee Year 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope
Next Year, the Universal Church celebrates the Jubilee Year 2025, the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord. The theme for the 2025 Jubilee, chosen by Pope Francis, is “Pilgrims of Hope”. The Jubilee Year will be celebrated throughout 2025 via a calendar of special events, focusing on particular groups of people and specific themes.
Grade Masses at Stella Maris
The Stella Maris Church is currently closed for maintenance. A notice will be posted when we can resume our weekly grade Masses on Tuesdays. Thank you for your understanding.
End of the School Year & Farewell Mass under the COLA
Tuesday 10 Dec 11 am. Please join us as we celebrate the end of our year and farewell those who have served us with their faith, hope and love over the years. The choir students have a lovely song to present to our leaving educators.
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
Special Masses at All Saints this Term
Please come and join us as we celebrate Mass together on the following days:
Wed 11 Dec 5 pm Year 6 Graduation Mass & CelebrationSat 14 Dec, 5 - 7:30 pm Outdoor Mass & Christmas Carols on the Nazareth Playground, presented by each school
Christmas attire/colours to be worn
Programme for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year 3 Students 2025)
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Vigil/Sunday |
Programme |
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7/8 Dec |
Enrolment forms and $25 fee collected. After counting the number of candidates, the required number of workshops will be determined and organised. Allow 10 minutes after Mass. |
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8/9 Feb |
Group preference sheets will be distributed and parents will be required to provide preferences for the workshop days and times. Allow 15 minutes after Mass. |
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15/16 Feb |
The assignment of families to workshops will be distributed. Allow 15 minutes after Mass. |
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.au
| KB | Miss Grace Sullivan |
| KG | Mrs Christina Curcio |
| Kinder LIGS Teacher | Mrs Emma Morgan |
| 1B | Mrs Shari Mayo |
| 1G | Mrs Lauren Mahar & Mrs Krystle Caires |
| Year 1 LIGS Teacher | Mrs Krystle Caires |
| 2B | Amelia Birchall |
| 2G | Mrs Kelly Mang |
| Year 2 LIGS Teacher | Mrs Anna Clori |
| 3B | Mrs Emma Gallinar |
| 3G | Miss Chantelle Zuza & Mrs Peta Wright |
| Year 3 LIGS Teacher | Mrs Maryanne Heddles |
| 4B | Mrs Jess Shelton |
| 4G | Ms Eliza Treble |
| 5B | Mrs Sanchez-Levine & Mr Cain Holgate |
| 5G | Mrs Kelly Young & Mr Cain Holgate |
| 6B | Mr Zaiden Smith |
| 6G | Mr Chris Price |
| PE Teacher | Mrs Casey Sablowski |
| Creative Arts | |
| Library | Mrs Jo Love |
| MiniLit | Mrs Tarsh Hosking |
| MacLit | Mrs Jo Love |
| Maths Intervention and Extension | Mrs Kate Mace & Mrs Amy Moran |
| Indentured casual | Mr Kyle Smith |
It is with mixed emotions that we say farewell to the following staff and thank them for their contribution and commitment to Stella Maris. Mrs Sonia Sozio, Mrs Annalise Biddle (Daphne), Mr Jayden Allen, Mr Grant Dodds and Mrs Sharon Harrison. We wish them well in their future endeavours.
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Term 1 |
Tuesday 4 February - Students (Yrs 1-6) first day Wednesday 5 February - Kindergarten first day Monday 17 February - Swimming Carnival Yrs 2-6 Tuesday 18 February - Stella Maris Opening School Mass, 9.30 am @ All Saints 12-24 March - NAPLAN Thursday 20 March - Cross Country Carnival Friday 11 April - Last day of term |
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Term 2 |
Monday 28 April - Pupil Free Day Tuesday 29 April - Students first day Thursday 29 May - Athletics Carnival Friday 4 July - Pupil Free Day |
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Term 3 |
Monday 21 July - Pupil Free Day Tuesday 22 July - Students first day Friday 26 September - Last day of term |
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Term 4 |
Monday 13 October - Pupil Free Day Tuesday 21 October - School Photo Day Tuesday 9 December - End of Year School Mass Friday 12 December - Year 6 Graduation Wednesday 17 December - Last Day of term Another Pupil Free Day - TBA |
CFD Sports Awards
On Friday the 15th of November, the 27th annual CDF Sports Awards were held at St Mary Star of the Sea College in Wollongong. We had 8 students receiving awards on the night for their outstanding achievement in Diocesan Sport in 2024.
Congratulations to the following students who received Primary Medallions having gained selection in two or more Diocesan Sporting teams:
Cooper Roche
Diocesan Team - Rugby League, Rugby & Netball
Harry Thomson
Diocesan Team - Rugby League, Touch Football & Netball
Mackillop Team - Rugby League
Hugo Manns
Diocesan Team - Rugby League & Rugby
Heath Paulissen
Diocesan Team - Rugby League & Netball
Leo Jimenez
Diocesan Team - Cross Country & Swimming
Oscar Creighton
Diocesan Team - Touch Football & Swimming
Congratulations to the following students who received Primary Red Awards for their representation in two or more Mackillop teams and/or selection into a NSWPSSA team.
Reid Coelho
Diocesan Team - Cross Country, Rugby League, Rugby, Touch Football
Mackillop Team - Rugby league, Touch Football & Cross Country
Lachlan Mackay
Diocesan Team - Swimming
Mackillop Team - Swimming
NSWPSSA Team - Swimming
2025 Swimming Carnival
Just a quick update to let you know the planned date for our annual swimming carnival for 2025 has changed. The annual Swimming carnival will now be held on Monday the 17th of February. We will be using automatic timing for all races which will be operated by Oak Flats Swim Club. We will still require parent volunteers for timekeeping roles and in pool support for our 25m races so if you can assist please let us know via the Compass online consent form.
When the Compass event is shared, please enter your children into races. Please remember it is much easier to withdraw a student than to add a student to a race so if you are unsure, please enter them in. The same list of events will be available for the 2025 carnival as it was for the 2024 end of year swimming carnival, please see below:
Carnivals
Throughout the year, Stella Maris hosted several exciting and competitive carnivals that brought our school community together to celebrate student participation and achievement in sport. These events provided all students with the chance to compete, regardless of skill level, while fostering a sense of camaraderie and school spirit.
Sports Incursion
Olympics Unleashed: We were fortunate enough to have Nick Timmings, who represented Australia at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the sport of Skeleton talk to our students. Nick discussed his Olympic journey and sporting experiences with our Year 4, 5, and 6 students on Wednesday of Week 8.
Sports incursions have proven to be a fantastic way to expose students to a wider range of sports and foster a love for physical activity beyond traditional offerings.
Conclusion
The 2024 academic year has been another highly successful year for sport at Stella Maris. Through our focus on representative sport, carnivals, gala days, and sports incursions, we have provided our students with numerous opportunities to excel, grow, and enjoy physical activity in a supportive and fun environment.
We would like to express our gratitude to the students, staff, coaches, and parents who have supported the school’s sports programs throughout the year. Their enthusiasm and commitment have been key in helping to make this year a success. We look forward to continuing to build on this success in the upcoming year.
Casey Sablowski
Sports Coordinator
Christmas Market - Friday 6 December
We hope this is a great event for all of the school as well as the extended community and look forward to celebrating the 2024 year with you all on the night. Please come along for a browse, some dinner or some shopping. Entry is free and it is expected to be a nice warm night.
Your last chance to purchase raffle tickets - they will not be available on the night. You do not need to be present to win!
BUY TICKETS HERE - https://www.raffletix.com.au?ref=8dya7
Our final message for 2024 is a big thank you to our volunteers who have worked in the background and at each and every event this year. The children would not be able to participate in the fun events that the P&F organise without volunteers. The committee is extremely grateful for the assistance you have provided to bring every idea to life.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the families of Stella Maris a wonderful Summer break with a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.
P&F Association
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.
School Holiday Sporting Activities
Cricket
Registration is via the following link: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/bf26ea
