Dear Parents and Carers,

There is so much to celebrate this term. Once again we have had many opportunities to come together as a community and acknowledge the wonderful things about our school. From P&F events, to carnivals, gala days and competitions for our students to participate in. 

Thank you to you, as the parent community, for your continued support and the value you place on your child’s education and wellbeing. Without your help we would not be able to run some of these events, we are in constant partnership with you. 

The staff here at Stella Maris are dedicated and committed to the learning and wellbeing of their students. I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude for their work, effort and enthusiasm in the work they do. Next week is parent teacher interviews, a time to celebrate your child’s progress and continue the discussion on how to support them to move forward for the remainder of the year. I know you will find the time with your child’s teacher valuable and rewarding.

Wishing everyone a safe and joyful holiday break. A reminder to take time to stop, recharge and spend quality time with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you again in Term 3.

God Bless

Belinda Hughes

Principal

Staffing Update

I am pleased to share that Mrs Lauren Mahar was the successful applicant for the Middle Leader 2 position at Stella Maris. A well deserving appointment. 

We also welcome and congratulate Mrs Shari Mayo who will be joining the Stella Maris community from term 3 in the role of Instructional Coach. Mrs Mayo will job share with Mr Price on Year 6.

Winter Season - Cold and Flu Season

As we head deep into the winter months there is a steady increase of cold and flu

symptoms emerging as well as COVID still being ever present. A gentle reminder that if your child displays any cold and flu symptoms to please keep them at home. This is for the health and safety of the other children and staff. We appreciate this can be challenging whilst juggling work commitments and thank you for your support and understanding.

Hair Cuts and Styles

As we approach the end of term and the school holidays, many families will be looking at getting the hair cuts done. When considering hair cuts and styles, all families are asked to follow the school uniform expectations of hair cuts and styles that do not invite comment or are outrageous. This includes no mullets, undercuts, mohawks, rats tails (or any tails), coloured braids, or coloured hair.  All hair that is shoulder length must be tied back.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in supporting the school to maintain a high standard of uniform.

The Confirmation Retreat Day was held on Friday June 16 in the hall at All Saints.  All students in Year 6 attended a beautiful Mass for The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with Father Jo and proceeded in participating in a range of activities around the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Students from Nazareth and the neighbouring Public Schools joined Stella in understanding that the Holy Spirit will support and guide them to be the best that they can be, serving others so that we all have life to the fullest.

God Bless

Alicia Sanchez-Levine

Religious Education Coordinator

This Sunday’s Gospel

Mt 10:26-33

Those who acknowledge Christ will be known to the Father.

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 All Saints

Beginning this term, we will also be participating in weekend stage Masses at All Saints Catholic Parish.  Please come and join us as we celebrate Mass together on the following weekend dates:

Teachers Saturday 15 July 5pm

Year 5 & 6 (Stage 3) Saturday 26 August 5pm

Year 3 & 4 (Stage 2) Sunday 12 November 9am

Mass at Stella Maris 

Grade Masses also 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 in Term 3.

Yr 2 Week 2,  25 July

Yr 4 Week 3,  1 August

Yr 6 Week 6,  22 August

Yr 5 Week 7,  29 August

Yr 3 Week 8, 5 September

Yr 1 Week 9, 12 September

Kinder Week 10, 19 September

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, Mrs Sanchez-Levine or Mrs Hughes through the gates after Mass to join us for a 30 minute informal gathering.

The Sacraments

The Sacrament of Confirmation - Year 6 Students                

After weekend Masses on the corresponding dates, the following events will occur… 

18/19 July: Celebration of Confirmation 7pm

The Confirmation Workshop sessions have now come to an end.  A huge thank you goes out to all the teachers who have helped prepare the students.  We also thank the parents and carers who attended the experiences with their child/children who have collaborated with the school and parish to develop and enrich the faith of the students.

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

Grandparents Day 26 July - SAVE THE DATE!

Invitation to Grandparents

Each Grandparent is unique and irreplaceable. As society changes, the role of grandparents changes. 

But some things about grandparents are constant. Join us in celebrating the gift they are in our lives!

Wednesday 26th July 2023 at 9:00am, followed by Open Classrooms & Morning Tea

Join your grandchildren for Recess on this day!

In week 1 and 2 of term 3, the school will be involved in the formal part of the school cyclic inquiry. A panel of colleagues and experts will be visiting the school to celebrate and acknowledge the past 4 years and work together to look forward to the next 4 years. Thank you to all who participated in providing valuable input and voice to the process. We look forward to sharing the findings with you as a community.

Important Key Dates - Term 3

Please check the parent calendar and compass alerts for any changes or the most up to date information.

PLAYGROUND & BUS REWARDS 

At Stella Maris, there are many whole school and classroom rewards set up to provide positive reinforcement to all students. Whilst teachers are on playground duty, they regularly hand out raffle tickets to students who are following the school rules and displaying positive and supportive

behaviours. Each week at assembly, a raffle ticket is drawn for both positive playground and bus behaviours, and a trophy is then awarded to the winning students.

CLASS OF THE WEEK 

Each week, classes are provided points for displaying positive behaviours under the COLA whilst lining up. These points are awarded in the morning, straight after recess and lunch. Points are allocated to those classes who display encouraging behaviours such as; forwarding off lines quietly, listening when instructions are being given to them by the teacher on stage and much more. During the following Monday morning before school assembly, the prestigious ‘Class Of The Week’ trophy is announced and presented to the winning class for the previous week. 

PRINCIPAL’S PIZZA PARTY

At the end of each term, the class who accumulates the greatest number of points is invited to attend the Principal’s Pizza Party. Mrs Hughes provides pizza and other special treats for the winning class. As we are nearing the end of the term, the Principal’s Pizza Party will be announced shortly.

NSWCCC/CPS Cross Country

On Tuesday 13 June, students from Stella Maris represented the Diocese of Wollongong at the NSWCCC/CPS Cross Country event held at Sydney International Equestrian Centre. The competition at this level is extremely high and all students performed to their best of the day. The eight students who competed on the day and their finishing positions were:

Pearl Coelho - 13th

Riley O’Shea - 36th

Ivy Paillas -  46th

Mason Jimenez - 19th

Carter Crosswell -  28th

Reid Coelho - 5th

Sianna Badger - 14th

Maya Huetter - 39th

All students have been training for a long time now and we congratulate them on their achievements. 

Well done students.

Harry Riddell has been selected in the MacKillop Under 12’s Rugby League team. He will now compete at the NSW PSSA Championships in Wagga Wagga next week. Training starts on Monday 19 June then the competition goes for 3 days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 

We wish Harry the best of luck.

On Wednesday, 13 Stella Maris students attended the VEX Robotics Scrimmage hosted by St Joseph's High School Albion Park. There were 7 schools and 15 teams who collaborated to design, build and operate robots to play the 'Full Volume' game. The Year 5 and 6 students did a wonderful job of adapting to and overcoming the challenges that arose throughout the day. Students worked in 3 teams to score the most points possible over 3 rounds. Stella Maris had 1 team that performed exceptionally well and received the second highest point score of the day.  All students are to be congratulated on their efforts and teamwork.

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.

P&F