St Mary’s Parish Primary School 214 Dandenong Road, St Kilda East VIC 3183 Tel: (03) 9510 7420 Fax: (03) 9510 7872

School Office Hours: 8:40am to 3:45am

NEWSLETTER Volume 2017 – Issue 2 Monday 20th February, 2017

Principal Gerard Lewis Parish Priest Fr Joe Caddy Deputy Principal Ben Fahey Education Support Erica Nastopoulos (Mon – Thurs) Office Assistance Janelle Adams (Fri)

Teachers Year FF Jacquie Fleming Year FM Kate Morgan Year 1J Therese John Year 1S Stephanie Schultz Year 2B Gabrielle Berends & Anna Side Year 2M Brigitte O’Shea Year 3M Maureen McDonald & Catherine LeHunt Year 3S Carrington Speed Year 4B Katie Bryan Year 4C Eleanor Colaneri & Ben Fahey Year 5C Ruth Callery & Jane Davy Year 5R Chelsea Roche & Catherine LeHunt Year 6B Claire Butson Year 6C Clare Curtis Reading Recovery Paula Incretolli Italian Carmela Vozzo Library Daniela Borgese Library Support Robbie Bartlett (Thurs) Phys Ed (Junior) Chris Kidman Phys Ed (Senior) Matt Ottobre Number Intervention Anna Side Visual Art Caroline Egan Teaching Assistant Susan Botta Teaching Assistant Kelly Fay Teaching Assistant Katherine Reade Teaching Assistant Katy Harrison

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Friday 24th February Holt Swimming Carnival Years 3 - 6 Sunday 26th February Opening School Mass 9am Sunday 26th February St Mary’s Open Day 10:30am to 12pm Wednesday 1st March Ash Wednesday Monday 6th March Year 5 & 6 Camp – Rumbug

Tuesday 7th March Year 5 & 6 Camp – Rumbug Wednesday 8th March Year 5 & 6 Camp – Rumbug Monday 13th March Labour Day Public Holiday Tuesday 14th March School Photos Friday 31st March End of Term – Student’s breakup at 1pm

After Care is available until 6pm, booking is essential

Friday 14th April Good Friday Saturday 15th April Holy Saturday Sunday 16th April Easter Sunday Monday 17th April Easter Monday – Public Holiday

Term 2 commences Tuesday 18th April School Begins 8:55am

From the Principal’s Desk:

New Teachers We welcome Mrs Katherine Reade and Ms Katy Harrison to St Mary’s as teaching assistants. We hope that they have an excellent time whilst working with the children.

Open School Mass and Open Day All families are invited to the Opening School Mass this Sunday 26th February at the 9:00am Parish Mass. At this Mass the Year Six Leaders will be presented with their Leadership badges. Following the Mass we will have an Open Day from 10:30am – 12:00pm. At the Open Day, students, parents and teachers will be conducting tours with any visitors. If you would like to help welcome the visitors to our school on this morning please let me know by email or phone. This Open Day coincides with the Open Days at CBC St Kilda and Presentation College Windsor.

Year Six Leadership Congratulations to the following Year Six students who have been appointed to the following Leadership positions:

School Captains Jasmine Link Kristos Barba Vice Captains Madeline Wilson Jon Litsas Red House Captains James Cotton Nicholas Kyriakopoulos Blue House Captains Dale Waine Madeline Leroi Green House Captains Peggy O’Sullivan Anais O’Hara Yellow House Captains Sahara Dolphin Ferris Newton-Brown ICT Leaders Lulu-Blu Lamont-Samild Luke Bosnich

Jack Dormer Spencer Slaney Education in Faith Leaders Zoe Haywood Samantha Bautista

Frankie Mallios Student Well Being Leaders Mia Gordon Alex Morrison-Thyssen

Jenson Varney Daniel Safonov Arts Leaders Charlotte Bunn Adele Folino

Abigail Davidson Gwendolyn Dewar Literacy Leaders Vanessa Xydias Ethan Oyston Maths Leaders Vraj Shukla John Giglas Library Leaders Sasha Davidson Denis Brodskiy Italian Leader Nellie May Roberts Community Leaders Mabok Adam Alex Fatouros

Andrew Loi Mini Vinnies Leaders Futh Put Matthew Fitzgerald Leftheri Drossos

Our Year Six Leaders have started the year very well and have shown good leadership in the first three weeks of school. We wish them the very best as they commence these important leadership roles within the school.

New School Vision, Mission and Values Statement At our Parish Education Board meeting last Thursday night our new Vision, Mission and Values Statement was ratified. This new statement which has taken us over a year to develop, has been worked with students, parents and teachers. It is with great pleasure that I provide it in this newsletter and it will become one of the core documents within the school over the next four years. During this week I will be working with a group of students to develop a new school motto. This will complete our Vision Statement. I would like to thank Patricia Bergin (educational consultant), Maureen McDonald, Paula Incretolli, Jacquie Fleming and all the teachers for their assistance, engagement and advice in the development of our new Vision, as well as some of the Year five and six students and the Parish Education Board for their input into the document.

Parent Teacher Meetings Thank you to all staff and parents who attended the Parent Teacher meetings last Wednesday. These meetings help us to gain a greater understanding of the learning needs of your children. If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, please contact your child’s teacher/s to arrange a suitable time to meet with them.

School Masterplan Working Party The Parish Education Board is renewing its interest in developing a ten – twenty year masterplan of St Mary’s Primary School. We are looking for some parents to assist with this. This would require interested people to attend some meetings, usually one/two per term and help with advice in the development of an educational brief which would help with development of maintenance plans, marketing plans and engagement of architects (if considered applicable). If you would like to assist with this Working Party, please let me know via email or phone by the end of February.

Parking at St Mary’s Please be careful when parking at the front of the school in Westbury Street. Some parents are still double parking, making it unsafe for all vehicles and passengers. Please make sure that when you are dropping the children off in the morning that you are doing so according to our parking procedures. Some parents have been taking short cuts and not parking in the appropriate spots or have been double parking. Only when you are parked in the allocated car spot, should the children leave the car. Vehicles that stop beside parked cars on Westbury Street are DOUBLE PARKING. This is against the law and very dangerous for the children. Double Parking interferes with the flow of traffic and can cause accidents.

Some tips to AVOID Double Parking:

√ You CAN stop to give way to a vehicle leaving a parking spot X You CANNOT park next to a stationary vehicle and wait for it to leave a parking spot X You CANNOT Double Park to drop someone off or pick someone up X You CANNOT leave the vehicle when Double Parked

If you are going to drop your child off and use the parish driveway, please let your child disembark at the crossing near the Church, not at the top of the drive. As the school is getting bigger there are more cars on Westbury Street. Dropping your child at the crossing near the Church will ease the congestion on Westbury Street. On the Senior Campus, please do not drop the children near the Senior Campus building or near the Presbytery garage or roundabout. Please drop the children at the Church crossing or park on the basketball court. Following these procedures will make it safer for the children and smoother for all drivers. Years 5 & 6 Camp All children in Years 5 & 6 will be attending Camp Rumbug for their school Camp from Monday 6th March to Wednesday 8th March.

I hope you have an enjoyable week.

Gerard Lewis Principal

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, St Kilda East Vision, Mission & Values Statement

Our Story St Mary’s is a Catholic parish primary school educating children from Foundation to Year 6 in the parish of St Kilda East. We are inspired by the person and teachings of Jesus Christ and we hold a special affiliation to Mary, Jesus' mother, who was his first teacher in love and compassion, and his first disciple.

The Presentation Sisters and their founder, Nano Nagle, have been a significant part of our 160-year history and identity. Their work in educating children and young people in the rich heritage of the Catholic tradition are both enduring and inspiring.

Our Mission St Mary’s is an inclusive community where children are respected, cared for and have a strong sense of belonging. They are enriched in their faith and learning by the relationships nurtured with the parish of St Mary's, the Presentation Sisters and the neighbouring Catholic schools.

We continue the mission of living, loving and serving in the way of Christ, caring for God's creation, and keeping our hearts and minds open in education and service.

Our Values Faithful to our mission, we hold the following values to be central to our identity, relationships and endeavours: Respect Integrity Compassion Justice.

Our Vision We aspire to being and building a community of faith and learning that honours and upholds our core commitments. These are: The school’s Catholic identity will be authentic and meaningful for all members of the school community. Children will be engaged in contemporary learning where they are assisted to become curious, creative,

reflective and independent thinkers. Children will be supported by strong family, school and wider community relationships and collaboration. Staff will be highly attuned to each child’s distinctive wellbeing and learning needs. All members of our diverse school community will affirm, challenge, support and learn from each other.

E N R O L M E N T S F O R 2 0 1 8 We are currently taking enrolments for next year. If you have a family member who is scheduled to start next year please come to the office and obtain an Enrolment Form or download it from our website, as places are filling up quickly and numbers are limited.

S C H O O L P H O T O S – T u e s d a y 1 4 t h M a r c h Information will go home regarding the school photos in a few weeks. We ask that the children wear their correct school SUMMER UNIFORM – no coloured ribbons or socks. Girls navy socks and boys grey socks are the uniform colour. Family portrait envelopes can be collected at the office next month.

C S E F ( C a m p s , S p o r t s & E x c u r s i o n F u n d ) - F I N A N C I A L A S S I S T A N C E CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school camps, excursions and sporting activities. If you hold a valid Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card (CRN) you may be eligible for CSEF. An application form is attached, please fill it out and return to the school office by Friday 31st March 2017.

L I B R A R Y N E W S Welcome back to library lessons for 2017! The children have had a few lessons and we have looked at the new books which have arrived in the library and read many too.

Below is a table outline which classes come to library on which day: Tuesday - Year 1, Year 2 and Year 5 Wednesday - Year 3, Year 4 and Foundation Thursday - Year 6

It is important that children have their library bags at each lesson. We are trusting our senior students to show care and responsibility when borrowing and it is paramount that they have their library bags.

Premiers' Reading Challenge First on the library calendar this year is the Premiers' Reading Challenge. Keep an eye out for forms which will be coming home soon. This year all students are registered to participate, however, you will need to sign a consent form regarding the Honour Roll which is published in the newspaper. This is simply for privacy reasons. All this information will be further clarified in the notes coming home.

Also, I am always looking for volunteers to help cover books. If you are able to help, please feel free to come and see me in the library. Happy Reading! Daniela Borgese - Librarian

Parent & Friends Committee Update

P & F Mission Statement Encouraging and strengthening the school community and coordinating social and fund raising events for additional educational resources for our children.

Announcing our Class Representatives for 2017 Congratulations and thank you to the following parents who have volunteered to be class representatives for 2017, some on a joint representative basis.

Class Parent Representative(s) Foundation F Rose Tour

Foundation M Francine McKenzie Christine Redmond

Year 1S Ana Morley Therese Yanes

Year 1J Dani Bauman Amy Kaldor-Bull

Year 2B Jane Lindsay

Year 2O Kat Morrison Angela Clelland

Year 3S Emma Wilson

Year 3M Laura Bunn

Year 4C George Dellas Maria Kelty

Year 4B Bernie Curtis

Year 5C Leah Lloyd-Smith

Year 5R Donna Martin

Year 6B Jane Leroi Sharon Fitzgerald

Year 6C Narelle Dormer

The P&F Committee would not be successful without the hard work of this group of volunteers. You will hear from your representative(s) about social and P&F fundraising events throughout the year. They also provide an additional point of communication with the class teacher. The representatives also rely on the help of all our school parents and guardians. If you are keen to volunteer for events during the year please let them know.

Friday 3rd March – Welcome Drinks - Parents Grosvenor Hotel, 10 Brighton Road, Balaclava, 7 – 11pm

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to a new year and to welcoming our new parents at drinks booked for Friday 3 March at the Grosvenor Hotel, 7pm. Tickets are in limited supply so make sure you get in quick! They can be bought online at https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=258045

St Mary’s Open Day, Sunday 26th February, 10.30am – 12.00pm The P&F Committee supports the school with the Open Day by assisting with school tours on the day. If you are able to volunteer your time, please contact us at smp.parentsandfriends@gmail.com or speak to Gerard Lewis

Bakers Delight in Balaclava If you shop at Bakers Delight in Balaclava don’t forget to let the staff know that you are from St Mary’s Primary School. Our fundraising partnership provides for 5% of what you spend to be donated back to the school.

Questions? Please contact the P&F Management Committee, Ben Merlin and Anoushka Bondar at: smp.parentsandfriends@gmail.com

Extend OSHC at St Mary’s - Primary School

Our Recap These past weeks have be quieter than our regular program, with children being able to spend time individually on our various activities. We have also welcomed many new students, especially

those just starting school in one of the Prep classes. We hope they are as excited as us to come into our care!

Recently, we have begun some indoor gardening by planting seeds such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber and apple. We have also shown how some plants can be regrown, like celery, to produce more food for a sustainable future.

Children have been eager to spend time outdoors on the SMSK playground and courts. They have been playing basketball, soccer and a couple games of Chinese Ball.

In the kitchen we have made lamingtons and spring rolls, both of which were eagerly enjoyed by the children and their families (on the occasions that they save some!).

As well as these activities, many of the children have been working in teams to create their own Dragon Boats for racing. They have been using recycled and new materials and have come up with very creative boats.

Sincerely Juels, Team Leader

Are you a Proud Parent? Post your proud parent moment on Extend’s Facebook page with a short caption and hashtag #ProudParent to win a GoPro Hero5 plus more prizes worth over $1000. Winner announced on Facebook on Monday 27th February. For terms visit: extend.com.au/proudparents

Our Extend Superstars are….. Kayla Armstrong and Serena Shao: taking responsibility and being safe in the kitchen when teaching and helping the younger students to make lamingtons.

Coming up in the program: Monday 20th February 2017: Puff Painting Tuesday 21st February 2017: Outside play: Poison Ball Wednesday 22nd February 2017: Cooking: Marshmallows Thursday 23rd February 2017: French knitting Friday 24th February 2017: Outside play: Alphabet Fitness

PARENT PORTAL: extend.com.au

ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1300 366 437