Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of term, it is a time to reflect on the many blessings we have experienced. Thank you for another fabulous term and for joining us in the many celebrations, assemblies, liturgies, and sporting events we have had. Your support is very much appreciated and we are unable to hold some of these without your time and support.

Tomorrow we celebrate the Easter raffle and will be holding our welcome BBQ. The welcome BBQ is an opportunity to come together as a community, welcome new families, and acknowledge what makes us a unique and special place. I look forward to seeing you there and enjoying a sausage sizzle or 2! 

Thank you to the P&F and team of helpers who have organised both the raffle and the BBQ. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. 

Have a blessed Easter break with family and friends. Be safe and enjoy the time together as a family. 

God Bless

Belinda Hughes

Principal

Captains Video

The Pilgrims of Hope - Jubilee Year Passports

Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 a Holy Year of Jubilee, a special year of grace, prayerfulness and service. Held every 25 years, the goal of a Jubilee Year is to inspire and encourage us in embracing the Church's universal call to holiness and to mission, strengthening us in our witness to God’s love and mercy for all people and to do so specifically in this Jubilee Year, as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.

In order to help students, their families, and all staff to come to a fuller understanding of the purpose of this Jubilee Year, but also, to embrace some simple practices of prayerfulness, pilgrimage and service—helping individuals open themselves more fully to the love and mercy of God in the process, the Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill and Bishop Brian Mascord have made the decision to distribute Pilgrim Passports to all Catholic school staff and students (Years 2-12).

The Pilgrim Passports are compact and beautifully presented documents containing:

• A welcome and introduction from the Bishop about their use and links to Pope Francis’ Jubilee message.
• An explanation of the Jubilee practices, including, prayerfulness, service and pilgrimage and how to embrace the great mercy of the Jubilee Indulgence.
• Information about and links to our six Jubilee Pilgrim sites across the Diocese, with a dedicated space to record and officially stamp visits made to them.
• Pilgrim Jubilee Prayers and a simple guide to the powerful Sacrament of Reconciliation
• QR codes and links to all essential Jubilee Year information on the diocesan website.

For further information about the importance of the Jubilee Year, please utilise our Diocesan Jubilee Webpage https://www.dow.org.au/media-resources/jubilee-year-of-hope/

Holy Week is celebrated this year during the holidays. It begins with Palm Sunday, a commemoration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, coming in peace and riding on a donkey.  Jesus' entry into Jerusalem coincided with the Jewish festival of the Passover. He was met by crowds of followers and supporters who lined the road into the city and waved branches cut from palm trees. They laid palm fronds on the road and even laid down cloaks for Jesus to ride over. This entry into Jerusalem fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, promising that God's Messiah would enter the holy city and go to the temple.

'Triduum' is a Latin term (meaning three days) used by the Catholic Church to denote the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper and ends after evening prayers at sunset on Easter Day.

Holy Thursday, a holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. 

Good Friday, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is a day of mourning for all Christians. 

The third day of the Easter Triduum is called Holy Saturday.  Stage 3 students in Years 5 and 6 are encouraged to attend the Vigil Mass at 6pm at All Saints Parish.  This is the Church’s night of nights!

On Easter Sunday, we rejoice in the risen Christ!

Everyone at Stella Maris would like to wish all our readers a blessed Easter, and a safe and relaxing break.

God Bless,

Alicia Sanchez-Levine

Religious Education Coordinator

Catholic vocabulary term of the week:  Pope  – Title of the visible head of the Catholic Church. He is called Pope (Greek pappas, a child's word for father) because his authority is supreme and because it is to be exercised in a paternal way, after the example of Christ.

Holy Week & Easter Liturgies 9 & 10 April at 2pm

We would like to invite parents, grandparents, and carers to our Holy Week and Easter Re-enactments under the COLA.  The liturgies will be presented by the Leaders of Vision and Mission and each grade.  On 9 April we have Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2 performing with Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 on 10 April.

Project Compassion

DONATE NOW  - LINK

Thank you for your generous support towards Projection Compassion this year. 

Could all fundraising boxes please be brought back to school by the end of this week. 

Thank you for helping us make a difference!

Anzac Day Liturgy 2 May 2 pm 

Due to the holiday break, parents, grandparents, and friends are warmly invited to attend a special Anzac Day Liturgy presented by Year 5 on the 2 May at 2 pm. 

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)

This week we concluded the Reconciliation Workshops at Stella Maris and the Grealy Centre.  Thank you to all the teachers who volunteered their own time to lead these important sessions and the parents who continue to support their children in faith development.

The ceremony for First Reconciliation will occur this Saturday 5 April.  We pray for the children who will receive this holy Sacrament…

Loving God,
Help us to teach our children that You love us totally and unconditionally. 
Help us to encourage our children to grow in love and to learn how to say sorry, knowing that You always forgive. 
Give us the courage to pray with our children and to share our faith with them as We journey together. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord. 
Amen

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

School Readiness Information Session

Registration Link

Carnivals

School Cross Country Carnival

On Thursday the 20th of March, the 2025 Stella Maris School Cross Country Carnival was held at Ron Costello Oval. In hot conditions, the students showcased incredible talent, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout the day.

Mackillop House claimed vital points early on in the day after securing 1st place in the House War Cries competition. It was so wonderful to see many students stepping outside their comfort zones and taking on new challenges. Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 4 in their races:

Age Champions

The first three competitors in the U8/9, U10, U11 and U12/13 age group will be invited to attend the Regional Cross Country Championships in Willandra on the 6th of May. We wish these students all the best for the upcoming competition.

A special thanks to the vendors (Nicole - Coffee Van & Michael - Big Pink) who attended the carnival to provide refreshments to the students and their families. The Kao Creative team and Mr Fosteris who set up our starting and finishing arches. Melissa Loudoun and the Corpus Christi students who were outstanding representatives for their school. A final note of thanks goes out to all the teachers for helping ensure the success of the carnival, whether that be in the planning, organisation, or on day preparation, your contributions were very much appreciated.

Diocesan Representative Sport

Rugby League

On Tuesday the 1st of April, the U11 & U12/13 Rugby League trials were held at St Gregory’s College. We had 11 students attend the trial with 6 students successful in their selection. Congratulations to the following students on their selection into the Wollongong Diocesan Team:

U11

• Harry Kenneally
• William Riddell

U12

• Sione Amone
• Spencer Glasson
• Spencer Tracey
• Olly Lachlan

These students will trial for the Mackillop Team early next term, we wish them the best of luck.

Mackillop AFL Trials

Congratulations to Karmichael Fosteris who attended the Mackillop Boys AFL trials last week in Wagga, representing the school and Diocese with pride.

Soccer South Coast Trial

On Monday of Week 10, we had 10 students attend the Soccer South Coast trial. Congratulations to the following students who have now progressed through to the next stage early next week and will now trial for the Wollongong Diocesan Football team.

• Mia Bailey
• Isaac Krstevski
• Lucas Mihailov
• Davey McMullen

Gala Days

Gala Day nominations will be sent out before the end of term. Please have a look at the sports on offer and chat with students about the sports they wish to participate in over the year. These are offered for students in years 3-6 for most sports. Cricket is only offered for students in Years 5 & 6. Netball is looking to be offered for boys in Years 3 & 4, which is in addition to the Years 3-6 girls and Years 5 & 6 boys already offered. Preference will be taken into account, but where possible, we will create teams based on student numbers.

Sporting Schools AFL

The Sporting Schools AFL program is underway for students in Years 3-6. These lessons are offered during their PE timeslot and held at the oval. This program will run until the end of the term.

We are wrapping up a very busy Term in Sport. Congratulations to all those students who participated in the many Catholic School Pathway Sports throughout the term and we continue to follow the progress of those students who are still trialling for various Wollongong, Mackillop and NSWPSSA teams in Term 2.

The canteen has had a great start to the year, with lunch tubs full each day with orders. There is a lot more variety available to our students and a significant amount of home made healthy options.

The canteen is now open Monday to Friday. 

Canteen Menu

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.

Take A Break Tuckshop advertises canteen news, specials and updates via their Facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/takeabreaktuckshop

Easter Raffle & Welcome BBQ

We are finalising the two events tomorrow and are excited to see everyone there! Just a reminder that Friday is a mufti day with an Easter egg donation and the raffle will be drawn from 1.30pm.

Upcoming events - Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Breakfast & the Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Friday 9th May - more information will be provided early next term, however mark the date in your calendars and if you are able to assist with either of these events please let the P&F know via the Just One Thing form.

Just one thing

We are very grateful to all who have volunteered their time already. Please see the link below to participate in the 'Just One Thing' initiative and make 2025 a great year for the children of Stella Maris.

Just One Thing Form

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter and school holiday period.