A CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, 

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds, 

and worship of the wise men. 

Close the door of hatred and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. 

Deliver us from harm by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May we renew our faith through the joy of our children this Christmas.

We ask this prayer through Christ, the Saviour of the world,

AMEN

As this will be the last newsletter for 2022, I would like to wish all of our students and their families a Christ-centred festive season and a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday. We look forward to welcoming Years 1-6 back to school on Tuesday, 31 January. Kindergarten students have been allocated Best Start Assessment times during Week 1 then they commence full-time attendance on Tuesday 7 February. I thank our wonderful students for their efforts in all aspects of school life and our parents for being so supportive and involved.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Addressing the staff for the first time, before school started in January 2016, I remember outlining my two goals for Stella Maris. Those two goals would be that we are a school where everyone is made to feel welcome and we are positive in our interactions with each other. I went on to share with the school community that Stella Maris always had a reputation for being an outstanding sporting school and now was the time to reset the focus onto our core business: faith, learning and teaching, whilst maintaining opportunities for sport and other extra- curricular activities for our students. Well seven years later, I am proud to reflect on these intentions and declare that we have certainly achieved these goals.

The question must be asked HOW did we achieve this?

• We assembled a staff that supported and collaborated with each other for the benefit of their students. Our teachers develop a great rapport with the children, work in partnership with parents and are excellent, hard-working practitioners.
• We have welcomed parents, carers and grandparents into our school and have involved them in the life of the school. Our parents are generous with their time and appreciative for the special community we have created, here in Shellharbour Village.
• We have worked with Father Bryan, Father Joe, Sister Kerry, parishioners and St Vincent De Paul to promote the school’s Catholicity through Masses, liturgies, prayer and social justice initiatives. 
• We have encouraged our students to be respectful, happy, friendly and proud of their school. Our students try hard to be the best they can, both in their learning and how they interact with others.
• We have constantly gathered and analysed data in order to improve. We believe in celebrating successes and setting goals for further improvement.

I have made many friends at Stella Maris and I appreciate and value that so much.

I will always have a special interest in how the school progresses and I know that I look forward to hearing continued stories of success. I sincerely thank all the staff, parents and students that have been a part of the Stella Maris journey over the last seven years. Please know that I am a better person having had the opportunity to get to know you and to finish my career at this great school.

I wish everyone a joyous, peace-filled Christmas and I hope to see many families at the upcoming Parish Masses at All Saints.

God Bless,

Danny

STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS 2023

After a period of voting involving students in Years 3-6 and staff, I am proud to announce that the School Captains for 2023 will be Allegra Fosteris and Jayden Toskoski. Our Vice-Captains will be Aerin Ling and Maison Benson. As well as these positions, the following students have been voted in as Sports Captains for next year:

SMYTH: Lili Ranzi and Archer Ridley          AIKENHEAD: Eden Wright and Zaine Harvey

MACKILLOP: Maya Huetter and Max Chinnock  WEATHERALL: Sianna Badger and Damian Vrtkovski

Well done to these students and we know that they will do an amazing job. Thank you to all children who nominated for these positions. Every student in Year Six will continue to be involved in leadership as members of various groups. These include Leaders of Liturgy, Fund-Raising, Hospitality, Technology, Student Support, Public Speaking, The Environment and Bus Travel.

SCHOOL REPORTS

The Semester 2 student reports went home to parents yesterday via Compass. The students were also given an envelope to take home containing a class resource list and each child’s class & teacher. As previously mentioned, it is a detailed exercise to form classes for the following year and the teachers spend a great deal of time considering a range of factors. I thank parents for their understanding in this matter and I can assure everyone that the students will be given support and commitment by all teachers here at Stella Maris. The children met their new teachers yesterday (except Mrs Mahar 6 Blue).

ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT SURVEY RESULTS

Thank you to the parents who completed the Annual School Report Survey for 2022. The responses were extremely positive and it is wonderful to know that the staff’s focus on learning at Stella Maris is greatly appreciated by our parent body. Around 34% of parents participated, and as you can see below, we have maintained progress in most areas. 

These results are extremely positive and it is great to know that the efforts of the staff of the school are being recognised and celebrated by our parent body. Although there is always room for improvement and we are constantly striving to develop areas where we are lacking, it is good to see that our parents, staff and students know that we are a very good school!

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS 

Mt 1:18-24

An angel visits Joseph, who takes Mary as his wife.

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 Term 1, 2023.

Yr 6 Week 3 7 February

Yr 5 Week 4 14 February  

Yr 4 Week 5 21 February

Yr 3 Week 6 28 February

Yr 2   Week 7 7 March

Yr 1   Week 8 14 March

Kinder Week 9 21 March

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 us for a 30 minute informal gathering.

The Sacraments

Reconciliation - Year 3 Students in 2023 (Current Year 2 Students)

17/18 December

Group preference sheets will be distributed and parents will be required to provide preferences for the workshop days and times.  Allow 15 minutes after Mass.

4/5 February

The assignment of families to workshops will be distributed.  Allow 15 minutes after Mass.

If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.a

The Stella Maris Christmas Concert 

On Tuesday we celebrated the coming of Jesus with our Christmas Concert under the COLA.  The students were amazing and we thank Mrs Hogan, Mrs Clori and all the teachers and staff who prepared the students.  We hope you enjoyed the performance as much as we loved celebrating as a Catholic community with you.

Farewell Liturgy

Today we formally said goodbye to Mr Sykes, Mrs Stacey and Mrs Hogan with a farewell liturgy.  On behalf of all the teachers and students at the school, we would like to thank them for all their wonderful work.  They have been shining lights for us at Stella Maris and they will surely be missed.  We wish them the very best on their new journeys.  A huge thank you also to all the students and teachers who assisted in the celebration.

Year 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner

Last week, Year 6 attended their Graduation Mass and DInner.  They enjoyed a marvellous celebration supported by staff, students and their families.  We would like to thank everyone who had a part to play in the organisation of this event, especially the Year 6 teachers and Parents for all their hard work into preparing this special occasion.

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All of us at Stella Maris would like to wish you all a very joyous Christmas filled with faith, hope and love.  Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.  We look forward to the new year ahead.

God Bless

Alicia Sanchez-Levine

Religious Education Coordinator

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.