Filter Content
A PRAYER FOR FIRST HOLY COMMUNICANTS
Dear God,
I know that You give me many gifts.
The gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ in Holy Communion is the greatest of all.
How can I ever thank You enough for this special gift?
At Mass we are called to be like Jesus, by loving and serving one another in the world.
As I become more like Him, please continue to help me.
Show me the places and ways that I can bring Your love, kindness, and peace to others
in my family,
in my neighbourhood,
in my community,
with my friends.
I ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Thank you to those who were able to attend my Farewell Mass at All Saints yesterday evening. It was such a special event and to have so many Stella Maris students, parents and staff present was a perfect way to bring my career to a close. A big thank you to the children who read Prayers of the Faithful or were involved in the choir and dance group as well as the staff who spent weeks preparing the students.
NEW PRINCIPAL
It was announced that the current Principal of St Michael’s Thirroul, Belinda Hughes was appointed as our new Principal, commencing at the start of the 2023 school year. We wish Belinda well and know that she is coming into a dynamic school community. She will be visiting Stella Maris on Wednesday 30 November to meet staff and students.
FIRST COMMUNION
Two First Communion Masses will be held in All Saints Parish this Sunday at 11am and 2pm. The children have completed their preparation and are ready to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time. Please keep these children in your prayers this week.
RECONCILIATION
There will be an information session, including the recording of names for students in
Year 2 or higher who wish to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation next year. This will take place in All Saints Parish Hall next Thursday 24 November from 7-8pm. Enrolments will be taken at the Weekend Parish Masses on the weekend of 3/4 December with the Celebration of the Sacrament taking place at All Saints Church on Wednesday 5 April 2023.
KINDER 2023 ORIENTATION
This Friday we will be holding the first Kinder 2023 Orientation session after four weeks of playgroup. It will be an opportunity for the children to meet their teachers
and familiarise themselves further with the school environment. A parent meeting will be held and important information will be shared, which will hopefully set up the students for a successful transition to Primary School.
STAFFING 2022
As previously mentioned, a list of all staff members working at Stella Maris in 2023 will be published in Week 8’s newsletter on 1st December.
SEMESTER TWO REPORTS
The Semester Two Reports for all grades will be available via COMPASS on Wednesday 14 December from 3pm.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS 2023
The process for electing school and sports captains will commence in Week 8. I will speak to Year 5 generally about leadership and the process we follow in electing new school leaders. This will occur on Tuesday 29 November followed by student speeches for school captains, vice-captains and sports captain positions on the morning of Tuesday 6th December in the school library. Parents are welcome to attend. Voting and elections will take place after these speeches with captains announced on Tuesday 13 December..
ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT SURVEY
The Annual School Report surveys have been made available for students, staff and parents. It is an opportunity to provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of school processes and procedures. These are due next Tuesday 22 November.
SPORTS AWARDS
Congratulations to four students who received awards at last Friday night’s Diocesan Sports Awards. Lily Griggs, Maya Heutter and Mason Soligo were presented with medallions whilst Reid Coelho received the prestigious Red Award. These awards were recognition for the students representing the Wollongong Diocese in a number of sports this year.
MUFTI DAY
Our Mini Vinnies are organising a Mufti Day on Thursday 8th December to raise funds for CatholicCare’s Foster Care Program. Grades will dress in different colours, which will be outlined in this week’s newsletter.
REMEMBRANCE DAY
We celebrated Remembrance Day last Friday with a school prayer service at 11am. Our vice-captains Peter Bryla and Noemi Branchi represented the school at the Shellharbour Village service.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
This Sunday’s Gospel
The Crucifixion.
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
Grade Masses take place at our Stella Maris church on Tuesdays at 9:30am. Parents, grandparents and carers are most welcome to attend. Please find below a schedule of the Masses for this Term.
Week 1 - Yr 3 - 11 October
Week 2 - Yr 5 - 18 October
Week 3 - Kinder - 25 October
Week 5 - Yr 1 - 8 November
Week 6 - Yr 2 - 15 November
Week 7 - Yr 4 - 22 November - Cancelled
Week 8 - Yr 6 - 29 November
Join us for a Cuppa!
Additionally, we would like to invite parents, grandparents and carers to please join us for a cup of tea or coffee after Mass in the school staffroom. Simply follow the students and Mrs Sanchez-Levine through the gates after Mass to join her, Mr Sykes, Fr Joe and Sr Kerry for a 30 minute informal gathering.
The Sacraments
Communion - Year 3 or Older
At the Saturday 5pm Vigil Mass on 19 November, there will be rehearsals and seating allocation for First Communion. Please confirm with the parish office, via email, if you will be attending this practice. First Holy Communion Masses will be held this Sunday at 11am and 2pm. We wish all the children a memorable, blessed sacrament as they receive the Eucharist for the first time. This Sunday is also the Feast of Christ the King, uniting us all in our Catholic faith.
Reconciliation - Year 3 Students in 2023 (Current Year 2 Students)
There is an information night for parents and children currently in Year 2 in the Parish Hall 7-8pm on 24 November.
On the weekend masses of the 26/27 November, an information timetable will be distributed for the Reconciliation Program for 2023. Names will be recorded after masses.
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.a
Remembrance Day
On the 11 November at 11am we gathered together in prayer for Remembrance Day. We paused for one minute of silence to remember in faith, the service and sacrifice of all who gave their lives in wars, conflicts and peace operations and those who continue serving in our armed forces today. We also prayed for healing and peace; that one day, all people will lay down their arms and embrace one another as brothers and sisters in one human family.
It was also a privilege for Mr Sykes and our Vice Captains Noemi Branchi and Peter Bryla to be invited to attend a beautiful ceremony in the village.
Mr Danny Sykes’ Farewell Mass
Last night, we celebrated together as a community with a beautiful Mass at All Saints, in honour of our retiring principal Mr Danny Sykes. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and the many faces behind the scenes who made sure all were welcomed and catered for. It was a beautiful evening shared with friends and filled with memories, hymns from the amazing choir and a graceful display from our talented dancers. We wish Mr Sykes the very best on his new journey.
God Bless You
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
Today, the Year 4 and 5 VEX robotics teams travelled to St Paul's Albion Park to develop their skills. They worked with teams from local primary and high schools to learn more about coding and driving robots. It was also a fantastic opportunity to build work on collaboration and communication.
Congratulations to Chris Price for being named Illawarra Premier League's Player of the Year for 2022. What an achievement !
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.
The Colour Explosion is on Thursday December 1. A note with important
information regarding the day as well as the fundraising form has been
sent home. If you require another copy please see the office. Our
fundraising goal this year is $15,000 which will go directly towards
our school playground upgrade.
This year we have three whole school incentive fundraising targets.
$5000 each student will receive an ice block
$10000 a mufti day will be held on the last day of term
$15000 Mr Sykes will be slimed.
Every student that returns their fundraising money by Thursday 24th
November will go in the draw to be Principal for a day.
If there are any parents/caters/grandparents willing to assist on this
day (roughly between 10:3:30pm), please email
parents@smsdow.catholic.edu.au
A huge thank you to all of the parents who helped with supper for
Danny's farewell Mass. An extra special thankyou to Trisha Thomas from
Transforming treats with Trish for donating the delicious grazing
boxes.
Stella Maris has been given an amazing opportunity with the Return and
Earn bottle collection. We have three return and earn collection
points available including Shellharbour 211 Lake Entrance Rd, City
Centre 2529 Shellharbour Stockland Retail Park, 5 Range Rd,
Shellharbour City 2529 PCYC Lake Illawarra 156 Reddall Parade, Lake
Illawarra NSW 2528. Stella Maris will collect 10c from every bottle
collected in these locations when the Stella Maris logo is chosen
until 23rd April 2023. We really appreciate your support and look
forward to using the profits towards upgrading the playground for the
students.