WELCOME

I extend a warm welcome to all our existing and new families to the 2021 school year. Already the students have settled in extremely well to their new learning environments. Today we welcomed Kindergarten children on their first day at “Big School.” It will be wonderful to see them grow, learn and develop as the year progresses.

I thank all our staff for their efforts in preparing for the new school year and we look forward to a rewarding, productive year. In particular, I welcome back Mrs Kate Mace (2Blue /Job Share) and Mrs Krystle Caires (Kinder Early Intervention Teacher) to Stella Maris.

We welcome the following new families to our special school/parish community:

Fosteris Family, Bolton Family, Thompson Family, Saraceno Family, Povea-Purcell Family, Van Kessel Family, Huetter Family, Amone Family, Parsons Family, Hilder Family, Andronopoulos Family, Di Nunzio Family, Glover Family, Lipscombe Family, Marsh Family, McConnell Family, McFarlane Family, Roberts Family, Roecken Family, Schuback Family, Scioscia Family, Sheather Family, Sovrano Family, Tasevski Family, Tzanis Family, Vescio Family, Whittle Family, Apolo Family, Chapman Family, Christodoulou Family, Cleary Family, Cohen Family, Davies Family, Eid Family, Ghaleb Family, Jonson Family, Menegazzo Family, Mikutowski Family, Nascimento Family, Neels Family, Patterson Family, Thomas Family, Thompson Family, Van Zanen Family, Wright Family. 

SPORTS UNIFORM DAYS

This year library and PE classes will once again be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This means that the following classes will be wearing sports uniform on these days:

WEDNESDAYS

Year 1 Blue, Year 1 Gold, Year 2 Blue, Year 4 Blue, Year 4 Gold, Year 5 Blue, Year 5 Gold.

THURSDAYS

Kindergarten Blue, Kindergarten Gold, Year 2 Gold, Year 3 Blue, Year 3 Gold, Year 6 Blue, Year 6 Gold.

Of course all students wear their sports uniforms every Friday for Class Sport.

Music this year will be held on Mondays: K- 2 & 3 Gold with Miss Steele and Thursdays: 3Blue - 6 with Mrs Hogan.

 PARENT INFORMATION EVENINGS

Parent Information sessions will be held in classrooms in weeks Three/Four at the following times:

Tuesday 9 February- 6 pm: Kindergarten (school library); 7.15 pm: Year 2 (school library).
Thursday 11 February- 6 pm: Year 3 (3 Blue Classroom) & Year 4 (4 Blue Classroom).
7.00pm: Year 5 (school library) & Year 6 (6 Blue Classroom).
Tuesday 16 February- 6pm- Year 1 (Year 1 Blue Classroom).

Only one parent/carer per family is asked to attend each session due to Covid-19 restrictions. If you are feeling unwell or have flu-like symptoms, please refrain from attending and visitors will be asked to sign in upon arrival.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher and to find out what will be happening in your child’s class in 2021. Good communication between home and school is vital in creating and sustaining a climate that is conducive to productive learning.

BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURES

At this stage we are allowing parents of students in Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 to enter the school grounds to drop off their children before school. This will finish tomorrow (for Year 1 and 2 parents) and next Friday (for Kinder parents). It is important that we minimise numbers of visitors on site at any one time, so I thank parents for their understanding and cooperation in this matter. The afternoon dismissal will continue to be from 2.30-2.50pm, when parents can collect children from their lines/classrooms. It is still important for everyone to be maintaining the 1.5 metre social distancing requirement and not to stay in the playground having long conversations with others.

UNIFORM/ HAIR

The students have returned to school looking smart in their summer uniform, complete with new, polished school shoes. Thank you to parents for assisting in maintaining the high standard of uniform that exists in the school. Just a reminder, that joggers should be predominantly white and worn with white sport socks (not anklets). Long hair is to be tied back with green or gold hair ribbons/ elastics and alternative hairstyles such as mullets, mohawks or shaved symbols in hair are not acceptable. Bracelets/ bangles and nail polish are also not part of school policy.

Could I also ask that parents label EVERY ITEM of clothing, as we had a plethora of lost property at the end of last year with no name, making it impossible for us to return the items to their owners.     

CATHOLICCARE COUNSELOR

Once again this year we are fortunate to have Ms Bree Lord, our CatholicCare Counselor, at the school twice a week to offer support and guidance to students and their families. Bree will be at Stella every Wednesday and alternate Thursday/Fridays. If parents are considering counseling for their children, they are encouraged to discuss the situation with either myself or the class teacher and to complete a referral form.

CONGRATULATIONS

We congratulate Chris and Leah Price on the birth of their son last week. Both mum and son are doing well and we look forward to meeting them later in the term. I know everyone at Stella Maris sends their best wishes.

PARENTS and FRIENDS’ COMMITTEE

The Annual General Meeting of our P & F Association will be held in the school library on Monday 15 February at 6pm. I would strongly encourage all parents to consider nominating for one of the key executive positions as a vibrant, well-organised P & F is a huge asset to any school community. 

SCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

This year, the Wollongong Diocese’s Social Media Policy is being implemented in every Catholic School. The policy outlines the expectation that schools use

social media in valid educational contexts to support student learning and wellbeing. It also outlines expectations for all in the school community when using social media. 

These include that individuals will:

• respect the dignity of self and others in the context of their role
• not promote perspectives contrary to the Catholic faith
• not bring the school into disrepute
• not publicly criticise CEDoW, schools, staff or students
• align with the parameters of the intended purpose of the social media presence.

Parents can access the full policy at www.dow.catholic.edu.au/socialmediapolicy.

GOOD NEWS CALLS 

Once again this year, we are having good news calls.  Each week a child is chosen by their teacher to call a parent, sharing a success they've had in school.  These will occur around 11.15am on Tuesdays, for Blue classes and Fridays, for Gold classes.  

FRIDAY ASSEMBLY

Friday Assemblies will go ahead this year however, we are still unable to have parents on the grounds for this event, due to COVID restrictions.  We will continue to live stream the event to Zoom each week.  The codes are 955 491 655 and the password is sms. The assembly will commence at 1.50pm.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS 

This Sunday’s Gospel

Mk 1:29-39

Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law.

All Saints Catholic Parish Shellharbour

Mass times: All Saints Church

19 College Ave, Shellharbour City

Saturday  5.00pm Vigil 

Sunday    9.00am 

                                   5.00pm 

Mass at Stella Maris 

Years 5 & 6 Mass TBC

Years 3 & 4 Mass TBC

Years 1 & 2 Mass TBC

Opening School Mass at All Saints

This year we will be having an Opening School Mass at All Saints on the 12 February.  Students and teachers will travel via bus from school.  Due to current circumstances, families will be unable to attend.

Beginning of the Year & Leaders Induction Liturgy at School

Unfortunately, due to current restrictions we will be unable to have families attend this year's opening liturgy on the 16 February.  We will however have Zoom coverage.  This link will be forwarded via COMPASS, once it becomes available.  

Year of St Joseph

On December 8, Pope Francis launched the “Year of St Joseph”. The Apostolic Letter “Patris Corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”) outlines the Pope’s devotion to this great saint. He writes that his desire to share his reflections increased during the months of the pandemic, when “we experienced, amid the crisis, how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone... How many people daily, exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all. Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”

Mrs Alicia Sanchez-Levine REC

Canteen News

We are a school run canteen and rely on volunteers to operate.

Canteen is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to make and prepare lunch orders and serve the children over the counter.

Online orders can be made via the My School Connect app - www.myschoolconnect.com.au/stellamarisps click on create account.