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Dear Parents and carers,
It has been a fabulous start to the year and students are settling in very well. The opening school mass was a special way to acknowledge and celebrate our student leaders. Thank you to all who were able to join us.
This week I would like to take the opportunity to draw attention to the new Diocsean Attendance Policy. As communicated last year, the school was working towards streamlining processes for both families and the school to monitor, track and notify of absences and to encourage attendance at school, this is inclusive of arriving late and leaving early.
After recent meetings with Principals, I would like to outline some key changes to the attendance policy that will impact how absences are recorded.
Attendance Levels
New attendance levels have been established to address students’ attendance patterns:
- Regular Attendance: 90% – 100%
- Targeted Intervention: 71% – 89%
- Intensive Intervention: 70% and below
Notification Requirements
Parents who intend for their child to undertake a period of extended absence (more than five days) for any of the following reasons must provide advance notice to the school by completing the Notification of Extended Absence form and submitting it to the Principal:
- Misadventure or unforeseen events;
- Participation in special events not related to the school;
- Domestic necessity such as serious illness of an immediate family member;
- Attendance at funerals;
- Travel within Australia or overseas;
- Participation in recognised religious festivals or ceremonial occasions.
Travel-Related Absences
For extended absences due to travel, parents must submit the Notification of Extended Absence form along with relevant travel documentation. This documentation should include: Dates, locations of travel, Purpose and reasons for travel outside school holidays.
Acknowledgment of Extended Absence
After considering the explanation for the extended absence the school will issue an Acknowledgement of Extended Absence to the parent, regardless of whether the
explanation for the absence is accepted or not accepted by the Principal. The acknowledgment may include agreed matters relating to the student’s learning and well-being. Accepted extended absences will be recorded as explained absence and Unaccepted absences will be recorded as unjustified absence.
Generally, an explanation for an extended absence for the purposes of travel should not be accepted by a Principal, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
A detailed flowchart from the CEO is included in the school news for your perusal.
I sincerely hope this assists families when making decisions about absences. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school office or myself. We are committed to working with you in promoting attendance at school, whilst adhering to the new Diocesan Policy.
God Bless
Belinda Hughes
Principal
What a wonderful start to the school year!
It is absolutely amazing to see smiling faces all over the school as we settle into our new classes with old and new friends. This week we enjoyed our Opening of the School Year Mass with the Commissioning of Leaders. We are very proud of Year 6 who will lead the school this year reverencing the story of all people in faith, hope and love.
May we open our eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year brings. Let us open our hearts and minds to new friends and teachers. God, give us the courage to accept new opportunities and responsibilities. We ask God’s blessing on our school and our schoolwork, our students and teachers, our parents and friends, our sports and activities, and on everything that is part of our school, family and community.
God Bless,
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
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Catholic vocabulary term of the week: Pilgrims of Hope – As boldly stated in the opening words of Pope Francis' Bull of Indiction, ‘Spes non confundit. Hope does not disappoint’, hope is the unifying theme of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025. The 2025 Jubilee is centred on the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. As His Holiness Pope Francis so beautifully expressed it: ‘We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision’. During the Jubilee Year, the Pope invites every one of us to embark on a pilgrimage of hope, so that, ‘Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it’. |
Project Compassion
DONATE NOW - LINK
As Lent approaches, we bring forth our vision, to ‘Reverence the Story of All People’, by considering others, breaking down barriers, and supporting those who are on the margins.
On Tuesday 4 March, Stella Maris’ Year 6 Captains Summer and Henry, will represent our school with Mrs Hughes at the launch of this year’s Project Compassion. Led by Bishop Brian, we will be reminded of our role as the body and hands of God in this world, to help those who need us most, and to raise awareness and funds - ‘Uniting Against Poverty.’
Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Stella Maris’ mission as ‘a faith-filled, respectful community of learners’ engages us in our vision to ‘Reverence the Story of All People’ and as such lead us this year to begin raising funds to support those who are on the Margins. Our Year 6 Leaders of Vision & Mission will lead this year's Project Compassion campaign for the school. Students will be getting involved this year in classes by watching the stories of Project Compassion and helping with fundraising.
Your generous support can help change lives today by ‘Uniting Against Poverty.’.
Each child at school will soon bring a box home to assist with fundraising. Please encourage family members to give generously. Once your box is full, bring it back to school and we will add the funds to the ongoing total. Together, we can make a difference!
Another way to donate is to use this LINK
Additionally, we will be hosting lenten events, beginning with Pancake Day on Shrove Tuesday 4 March at 8 am at the Canteen.
A GOLD COIN DONATION FOR A PANCAKE
TO EMPOWER PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY AROUND THE WORLD.
Often referred to as Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday is a Catholic tradition that marks the day before the start of Lent. It's a day of preparation and feasting before any fasting in Lent. This year, thanks to the P & F, we will be selling pancakes at the canteen before school to fundraise for Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s main annual fundraising campaign, which raises much-needed funds to help alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in the world.
Ash Wednesday 5 March
As we enter the liturgical season of Lent, Years 1-6 will celebrate Ash Wednesday with a liturgy at 2 pm under the COLA. We welcome all parents and caregivers to this special celebration led by the Leaders of Vision and Mission.
The Year 6 Leaders of Vision & Mission only will be attending Mass with Mrs Sanchez-Levine at All Saints Parish Church at 9 am, traveling to and from on the Corpus Christi minibus.
Harmony Day 21 March
Harmony Day is part of Harmony Week, which celebrates Australia’s amazing cultural diversity. On Friday 21 March, Stella Maris will celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional custodians of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world. Students can come to school on this day wearing traditional cultural costumes, showcasing the many countries we belong to. They may also bring their national flag to share in the celebration. Alternatively, students may wear orange as it signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and the encouragement of mutual respect.
Students are asked on this day to bring in a gold coin donation for Project Compassion to ‘Unite Against Poverty’, supporting our vision to ‘Reverence the Story of All People’. On this day, students will share their cultural diversity in the classroom and participate in activities that celebrate inclusivity and diversity. Let’s come together to celebrate Harmony Day 2025 and continue building a school where everyone truly belongs.
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
Programme for the Sacrament of Penance (Year 3 Students)
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Vigil/Sunday |
Programme |
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22/23 Feb |
The books for workshops will be distributed after Mass. |
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1 /2 March |
Examination of the children’s ability to recite the Our Father and Hail Mary. Parents, please teach and pray with the children. |
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8/9 March |
Distribution of Holy Cards with Act of Contrition. Workshops begin at Stella and Nazareth. These workshops will continue for 4 consecutive weeks. |
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15/16 March |
Examination of the children’s ability to recite the Act of Contrition. Parents are also asked to recite the Act. |
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29/30 March |
Parents advised of ceremonies for First Reconciliation. |
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Sat 5 April |
Celebration of Reconciliation 11 am Mementos for First Penance distributed to the children at 5 pm Vigil Mass and 9 am Sunday Mass |
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.au
Enrolment News 2026
Click on the link to ENROL NOW
Stella Maris Open Day
Click on the link to register your attendance
Attendance Flowchart
Communication Channels
The school’s communication processes have been streamlined to assist families with communicating with teachers and the school. A reminder that day-to-day messages that the class teacher may need to know about are done through Class Dojo. Any significant details, medical reports, requests for meetings, etc should be emailed to the school office and this will be passed on to the appropriate person. Communication from the school of whole school events or grade specific events will be communicated via Compass.
Please be mindful that staff will reply to messages and or emails in a timely manner and during school days and appropriate hours. It is not appropriate for staff to be engaging in or replying to messages over a weekend or late afternoons.
Enrichment Initiatives
In previous years, the Catholic Education Office has supported the enrichment of highly capable students through a program called SPLICED, however, this program is no longer running.
To address this we are implementing several initiatives at Stella Maris facilitated by Mrs Kate Mace. Kate has experience supporting our highly capable students and continues to undertake professional learning in this field.
For Term 1, Kate will provide selected students Mathematics enrichment twice a week, to broaden the scope to other areas of talent & interest during the year. These students have been identified through current PAT data, which will be cross-checked with another whole-school assessment tool (PVAT) once this has been analysed.
In addition, we have partnered with Ss Peter & Paul Kiama, and St Michael’s Mittagong, to create a Mathematics enrichment project that will incorporate a range of inter-school opportunities, including resources from our secondary schools. This is a work in progress, and more information will be given when further details have been decided.
NAPLAN - 2025
NAPLAN 2025 is scheduled to take place between 12th and 24th March. The schedule for Stella Maris is as follows:
Wednesday 12 March - Writing
Thursday 13 March - Reading
Monday 17 March - Conventions of Language
Tuesday 18 March - Numeracy
The National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy, assesses students’ in Year 3 and 5 across three Literacy areas - Reading, Writing and Language Conventions, and in Numeracy. All assessments, except for the Year 3 writing test, are completed online using an adaptive process. This process monitors students’ responses, and based on their accuracy, selects the difficulty level of the next group of questions. This adaptive process produces more precise data about what students know and understand. You can find information for parents at https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers
This assessment scheme is one of many ways we collect student data, and while NAPLAN data is important, and we want all students to perform at their best, it is absolutely unnecessary for students or parents to be worried about these assessments. Students are well-prepared at school by building familiarity with the processes needed and have had similar experiences during PAT assessments completed every year. Please minimise any discussions at home about this assessment, and avoid creating any pressure on students about it by practising or studying. The students are well-prepared at school through their regular classroom teaching and practises where needed.
PB4L
Updated Uniform Policy
Allergies and Food Choices at School
A gentle reminder that Stella Maris is a nut-free school. This means that children should not come to school with peanut butter sandwiches or any foods that contain peanuts, Nutella, or nut-related food products. This is to keep all children safe.
Week 8
- Thursday 20th March - School Cross Country Carnival - Keith Hockey Oval
Diocesan Representative Sport
The representative school pathway has kicked off again for 2025 with Boys AFL and Touch Football trials being held this week.
Touch Football
Congratulations to Pearl Coehlo & Evie Guiterrez (as shaddow) who have been selected in the Wollongong Diocesan team and will attend the Mackillop trials in Wagga Wagga on the 13th of June. This is an outstanding achievement for Year 5 students. We wish Pearl & Evie and her team the best of luck.
AFL
Congratulations to Karmichael Fosteris who has been selected for the second year in a row in the Wollongong & Canberra/Goulburn Diocese AFL Team. We wish him and his team all the best at the MacKillop Trials held in Wagga Wagga at the end of March.
Remaining Sports
The nominations for Netball and Hockey have been finalised with students and families already notified of the outcome. Softball students will be notified soon. We are still awaiting confirmation of Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union trial lists. We will notify students as soon as this information becomes available.
Carnivals
Swimming
On Monday, students in Years 3-6 (and Year 2 competent swimmers) participated in our annual Swimming Carnival at Oak Flats Pool. Our K-2 students participated in water-based activities held at school. A full write up will be provided in the Week 6 Newsletter. Age champions will be presented at the assembly this Friday (21st February) along with the winning House.
South Coast Swimming Championships
Students will be notified shortly if they have been selected to represent the school at the South Coast Swimming Championships, held at Corrimal pool on Tuesday the 4th of March. Below is an overview of some important information from the CEODoW:
Important note:
*Students turning 7 years of age in the year of competition are ineligible to compete at Diocesan Swimming events. There are no pathway opportunities for 7-year-olds at MacKillop or PSSA levels where this rule is strongly enforced. Individual schools at a local level may decide to have 7-year-olds compete, however, it is not an option for them to continue into the Diocesan level for swimming.
• Age Groupings are Junior - 8, 9, 10 years, 11 years and Senior: 12 & 13 years
• Relay and Medley Age Groupings Junior: 8, 9, 10 years Senior: 11, 12, 13 years
• Multi Class Age Groupings Junior: 8, 9, 10 years Senior: 11, 12, 13 years
• A competitor may not compete out of his/her age group (relays included) except in open events
• Each school may enter the following number of competitors in the events listed for both boys and girls:
All Age 100m Freestyle – 1
50m Freestyle 8 yrs – 2, 9 yrs – 2, 10 yrs – 2, 11 yrs – 2, 12 yrs – 2, 13 yrs – 2
Backstroke Junior – 1, 11 yrs – 1, Senior – 1
Breaststroke Junior – 1, 11 yrs – 1, Senior – 1
Butterfly Junior – 1, 11 yrs – 1, Senior – 1
Junior Medley 200m – 1
Senior Medley 200m – 1
Relays 4 x 50m Freestyle 1 junior team, 1 senior team (there is no 11-year-old relay event)
Multi Class Events 50m Freestyle – 2, Backstroke – 2, Breaststroke – 2, Butterfly - 2
Please note that students need to have finished first (or second in the 50m Freestyle) in the appropriate age category and in their overall time in order for them to progress to the South Coast Swimming Championships.
Cross Country
Our annual Cross Country Carnival is being held on Thursday of Week 8 (20th March). This year we will once again have two distances for the U8 - U12/13 Year olds. The competitive distance for the U8/9/10 is 2 kilometres and the U11 & U12/13 is 3 kilometres to align with the distances they are required to run at the Cross Country Championships held in Willandra. Competitive multiclass athletes will also run 2 kilometres. There will also be a 1 kilometre course for those students wishing to take part in a participation event for students in the U8 - U12/13 age group. Event distance nominations will be available on Compass in the coming weeks.
Gala Days
Rugby League
The date of the Rugby League Catholic Legends Tackle Gala Day has been released and is coming up on Thursday 10th April (Week 11). There are options for girls League Tag and Rugby League in the Year 5 & 6 age groups. We will be seeking student expressions of interest from students in Year 3-6 in the coming weeks.
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.
* NEW 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.
Casey Sablowski
Sports Coordinator
The canteen is now open Monday to Friday.
The canteen menu is also on our website.
Online orders can be made via the My School Connect app - www.myschoolconnect.com.au/stellamarisps
Click on Create account.
The association organises social events, and fundraising activities, and provides support for school programs or improvements. They might also act as a liaison between the school administration and families, sharing information, addressing concerns, and encouraging parent involvement in school life.
Our meetings can include presentations from the school on academia, building works, or other important changes to the school environment as well as discussions on events and questions from the parent body to the school.
Overall, the goal is to build a positive, collaborative relationship between the school, families, and the community to enhance the educational experience for students.
P&F Meeting Date
Second-Hand Uniform Shop
Items can be donated to the office at any time and we are in particular need of size 8-10 of everything.
Event Information
Financial Audit Call Out for Assistance
