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A SPRINGTIME PRAYER
As the earth once again turns to face the sun we rejoice in this season of spring.
We give thanks, O God, that each day grows longer in light and that the earth has been liberated from the cold of winter.
We remember the resurrection of Your Son Jesus from the depths of the tomb.
We lift our hearts to You in gratitude. We thank You for the gift of a day and the graces it holds.
We ask for the grace, O God, to live in a new way. Grant us fresh dreams and new visions. May this day come upon us like Spring herself, so that our hearts may be filled with hope.
May we taste more deeply the joys of simply being alive. May we find the countless hidden treasures that You have scattered throughout this day and season!
May Your peace rest upon all the members of the earthen family with whom You have made us one. Amen.
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I wish all our families a safe, relaxing Term 3 holiday filled with opportunities for rest, play and just having the time to enjoy each other’s company. It will give everyone a break from remote learning and hopefully some beautiful springtime weather will enable us to venture outside and enjoy the many natural features our region has to offer.
TRANSITION BACK TO SCHOOL
For the commencement of Term 4, the students will still be engaged in Remote Learning. Parents are asked to continue to keep their children at home where possible (e.g. no one at home to supervise student learning or pastoral/educational concerns). Term 4 officially commences on Tuesday 5 October. At this stage the school roadmap, which outlines when students will be able to safely return to school for face-to-face learning in a COVID-safe way is as follows:
Present |
All schools in NSW at Level 4 restrictions (remote learning). |
25 October 2021 (Week 4) |
Kindergarten and Year 1 will return to face-to-face learning with Level 3 COVID restrictions on school sites. |
1 November 2021 (Week 5) |
Years 2, 6 and 11 will return to face-to-face learning with Level 3 COVID restrictions on school sites. |
8 November 2021 (Week 6) |
Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 will return to face-to-face learning with Level 3 COVID restrictions on school sites. |
NAPLAN 2021
Parents of Years 3 and 5 students will have received their child’s report in the mail this week. It is important to remember that these tests are only one form of assessment and teachers are regularly gauging how students are progressing in their learning through a variety of assessment procedures. This year’s NAPLAN was conducted online and overall our school performed extremely well in both grades, having increased numbers of students in the top bands in both literacy and numeracy.
SCHOOL REPORTS
I would like to thank all parents and carers for their role in supporting their children during these times of remote learning, I understand how difficult this has been. I do need to inform you that the majority of the end of year school report will need to be based on remote learning. If your child has not been consistent in engaging with learning this will be reflected in the school report at the end of the year.
SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH
Earlier this week I was involved in a professional learning webinar which was aimed at raising parental awareness regarding their children’s mental health. Whilst the webinar focused on teenagers, I believe that the advice given would be just as appropriate for primary-aged children. I have summarised below some of the tips that were provided and I hope to be able to share the 40 minute presentation with parents via our school Facebook page early next term. Some useful advice included:
- Set limits on your children’s behaviours, such as watching television or use of devices
- Look for regular opportunities to spend quality time as a family
- Let your children make their own mistakes whilst focusing on developing their problem solving skills
- Know your children’s friends and identify positive influences
- Develop your children’s independence and confidence
- Regularly discuss and identify positive choices and the resulting consequences
- Establish a consistent balance with your children, between sleep, exercise and healthy food choices.
SUMMER UNIFORM
The changeover to summer uniform officially starts on the first day of Term Four, Tuesday 5 October. During these difficult times, parents are asked to contact the school office if they are having difficulty accessing various items and to send a note in if their child is not able to wear the correct uniform (once the students return).
MINI VINNIES
Our Mini Vinnies students, under the guidance of Mr Dodds, deserve congratulations on organising school initiatives like the Olympics Challenge during these times of lockdown. They continue to be involved in activities which are aimed to help us stay positive.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
This Sunday’s Gospel
Jesus teaches that to rank first, disciples must serve all.
Mass times: All Saints Church - All Masses have been cancelled till further notice.
19 College Ave, Shellharbour City
MASS ONLINE WITH FR JOE
Watch Mass with Fr Joe live each weekday at 7:30am on the Parish Facebook page
facebook.com/All Saints Catholic Parish Shellharbour City
…remember to ‘like’ and ‘share’ & on Sunday morning at 9:00am on the Parish YouTube channel. The YouTube channel is new, so, got to YouTube and search for ‘all saints catholic parish shellharbour city’ and ‘subscribe’, ‘like’, ‘share’ and ‘comment’! Fr Joe would love to hear from you.
Mass at Stella Maris has been put on hold until we have further information. Any missed masses will be rescheduled later on in Term 4.
SEASON OF CREATION September 1 to October 4
WAYS FOR YOU TO REFLECT
- Watch the sun rise and set
- Step outside and look at the stars
- Have a digital device free day
- Read an article addressing environmental concerns
- Purchase less of what you need
- Be conscious of the water you use
- Pray for people who are victims and survivors of extreme weather events
- Take your family for a picnic
Socktober, Mission Month Fundraiser
Stella Maris is joining Socktober, a means through which schools and students can celebrate World Mission Month in October. Socktober aims to engage Catholic school students’ heads, hearts, and hands in key issues of mission and social justice through powerful metaphors found in sport, especially the world game of soccer.
We encourage students and families to make a one-off donation to the Stella Maris’ Socktober Initiative via this link: https://www.socktober.org.au/fundraisers/stellamariscatholicprimaryschool
A huge thank you to those of you who have already donated! A Socktober Shootout event will hopefully take place next term at school. Details to come!
Thanks for supporting our school in Socktober!
Diocesan Sacraments of Initiation policy - Survey for parents and caregivers
Bishop Brian Mascord invites you to complete a survey inorder to collect information on what you consider is important for your children in presenting them the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Bishop believes that your responses are key to the development of the Diocesan Sacraments of Initiation policy and thanks you for considering being part of this important research.
You can access the Survey by simply clicking here: https://dow.sh/SacramentsSurvey
Confirmation | Shellharbour City Parish | 29 August 2021
As you may have anticipated due to the current ‘lockdown’ both the programmed upcoming Retreat/Preparation Day and Confirmation Day for this year’s Confirmation candidates have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. The rescheduled dates are yet to be advised:
TBA Retreat/preparation day
TBA Confirmation Masses at 11 am and 2 pm
We will be utilising the time preferences for Confirmation previously supplied. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask.
God Bless and Keep Safe
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
STELLA MARIS WALK/RUN CHALLENGE
As you are aware, the staff, students and their families have participated in an e-challenge to walk/run around Australia. The task was to see if, as a school, we could run/walk around Australia, a total of 13995km! Everyone was encouraged to walk or run as much as they could, whether they were learning from home or at school and record their distances on their log sheet. Ms Fry then spent endless hours tallying the data. The challenge ran from Weeks 6-9 this term and we are pleased to report that we ‘MADE IT’. The total distance travelled by our school community was 14255km. An awesome effort!. Thank you to Ms Fry for coordinating this initiative and for the many hours spent tallying the results. Well done Stella Maris.
Canteen News
Unfortunately, at this time, our canteen is not permitted to open. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.