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Dear Parents, Guardians and Community,
I hope all were able to have a break and a bit of a refresh. A shortened week always helps the energy levels.
This week we welcome a new student to our school. We welcome Ziyah and her mum Stephanie. Ziyah is in 2m with Danielle Mahony. We look forward to them becoming a part of our community.
This week we have a number of things happening around Student Leadership. Today we had our Captains taking part in a Junior School Council event whre the voice of local youth is being listened to. On Friday we start our process for selecting our leaders for our school. This year we are weorking with an organisation called Unleashing your Personal Potential. This group is going to work with the school to look at role descriptions, criteria for selection, election processes and other elementss. Many of these we do already so it is a matter of fine tuning what we do. When we have finalised our processes we will communicate to families what we are doing.
Classes Make Up in 2023. As many families have already asked me about, what is happening with our small classes. The school has made the decision to have some multi age classes in 2023. I do not think it is a surprise for many as we know the school got impacted by covid with our numbers into Prep in 2021 and 2022, thus leaving a hole in our staffing budget. A school gets some budget leeway for a little while, but we knew eventually we had to make a decision. Thus, in 2023, the grade one and two classes (Our current Grade Prep and Year one) will be multi-age, with three 1/2 classes of around 24 students each. The rest of the school remains as straight grades.
For most people it is just part of schooling having either experienced themselves as a student or know it is just part of schools as it can be a bit of a numbers game with enrolments changing from year to year. Multiage class have been used at St Mary's before, so it is not a totally new model for the school. In my own teaching career, in my 20 years as a classroom teacher, I only had one year where I did not have a multi-age class, so for me it is very normal.
I am a firm believer in multi age classes and have seen the success of them throughout my career. In my last school we actually set up the whole school in a multi-age grade structure to great success with the school recognised three times across Australia in student growth in academic achievement. (the top 200 school in Australia in Naplan Growth) What I like about multi-age classes is that we do not have a factory model and the teacher must automatically think to differentiate the work and that helps to cater to the needs of all students. It gives the school more flexibility about where to place students whilst also giving great opportunities for the students to show leadership, be extended and receive support. Interestingly, most of the Darwin Catholic Schools changed to this model after seeing our success.
So, what changes with a class being multi-age. In reality, not much, as most of our classes are already multi-age in a sense with all classes having a range of ages anyway. The basic premise of teaching stays the same, find out what a student does not know and then put a plan together to teach them. Teachers already look across curriculum documents as we already have students in our classes who are above and below the year level of the class. The multi-age class does mean the teacher does have to look a little bit wider in curriculum documents, however that also can happen already as we quite often have students who can be two years above or below the class level.
It really comes down to the teachers having good assessment structures, something this school does really well, so I have no fear that our staff will not be able to do this. Some parents also fear that their child will get bored or forgotten, my response to that is that that is just poor teaching and has nothing to do whether a class is straight or multi-age. We have outstanding teachers in our school who can meet the needs of any student. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.
Our Fabulous Fair. Not long now. Thanks to everyone who has put their name down to help out, it is going to be a great day. Funds from the Fair will go towards the development of the playground. I had another meeting with our Landscape Architects last week and all looks good as we plan to get the works started in 2023. Our plans are now being finalised and taking the next step to put more details into the plans ready to hand to a landscaper to begin the building of the first stage.
God bless
Anthony
Faith News - School and Parish Connection
Luke 19:1-10
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
October - Mission Month
I would like to give a big shout out to our Charism Team and our school House Captains for their hard work on Friday. They all did an excellent job in their role to make sure that the ‘Socktober’ event ran smoothly and that everyone had fun. Their leadership skills were evident as they collected and organised the classes, explained and ran the event, counted the money and reflected on the activity.
Thank you to all the families who sent in socks. The sockballs were really put to the test. Some were more durable than others! Much as some of the children were lucky to score a goal or two, we all agreed kicking a softball is not as easy as kicking a soccer ball.
Thank you to all the children and staff for participating in the spirit in which the day was intended and for generous donations. As you will see from the photos everyone got involved and our goalies looked great in their dress ups!
As a school we raised an amazing $333.20. to donate to the Missions.
THANK YOU ALL!
Important dates to Remember for Term 4
Event |
Date |
Time |
Where |
Remembrance Day Ceremony |
11th Nov |
10:45 |
School Hall |
First Advent Liturgy Parents Welcome |
25th Nov |
3:00 |
Church |
Prep 2023 Welcome Mass |
27th Nov |
10:30 |
Church |
Seniors Mass |
2nd Dec |
11:30 |
Church - Yr 4 |
Second Advent Liturgy Parents Welcome |
2nd Dec |
3:00 |
Church |
Feast of the Immaculate Conception |
8th Dec |
9:15 |
Church |
Third Advent Liturgy Parents Welcome |
9th Dec |
3:00 |
Church |
End of Year Mass |
15th December |
TBC |
Church |
This week we have a few exciting things happening in the area of Student Voice.
On Wednesday 2nd November the School Captains- Amelie and Taj and a representative from Year 5- Leo Cauchi, will be attending the Junior School Council meeting. We are very excited that the council is bringing this initiative back and look forward to the day and working with Hobsons Bay Council.
On Friday 4th November the students will be taking part in a leadership workshop with UPP (Unleashing Personal Potential) As part of our work on student voice, agency and participation we have started working with UPP to build an authentic student leadership program at St Mary’s. We look forward to sharing some of the work we do with UPP at assembly and in our next newsletter.
Fair Dance Performances- Costume ideas
Prep - 11:30am |
Bright coloured tshirts and shorts |
Year 1 - 11:35am |
Red vests and red bow ties (school supplies) White tshirt, denim or chino shorts or skirt (parents) |
Year 2 - 11:40am |
Black bottoms, colourful top |
Year 3 - 11:45am |
White t shirt, black shorts |
Year 4 - 11:50am |
Black bottom and colourful top |
Year 5 - 11:55am |
Black shorts, vibrant (happy) t-shirt. |
Year 6 - 12:00pm |
Poetry Slam performances- no costume |
Dance Club - 12:05pm |
Black tops, black tulle skirts, red sashes, red scarves and black shoes |
With just over a week until the School Fair, there are lots of ways you can get involved. See the Fair section of the Newsletter for all of the activities for this week. In addition, don’t forget to sign into CDFpay to order your rides-bands, raffle tickets and fridge magnets.
The final P&F Association event for the year will be the End-of-Year Christmas dinner and drinks on Monday 28th November, 6.30pm, at Customs House Hotel Williamstown. The event is free to enter, however places are limited, so please secure your spot early by booking through the Trybooking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CDYIE
Last week to order your Christmas cards designed by the kids!
To order please visit: https://www.crazycamel.com.au/1015
Orders close on 9 November. Please note we are not able to accommodate for late orders.
The children from Prep through to Grade 6 are busy preparing their artwork.
So be sure to click the link and order so you don’t miss out!
A reminder you need to order with Crazy Camel, not CDF pay.
The next 2nd hand uniform shop has been postponed until after the Fair, but will be back on Wednesday 16th November, from 8:30-9:30am in the hall. Uniforms can still be ordered at any time by emailing Sherrine and Meagan at uniformspf@smwilliamstown.catholic.edu.au
Maclean Reserve
MONDAY Michelle O’Mahoney |
TUESDAY Amanda Nguyen |
WEDNESDAY Kate McCutcheon |
THURSDAY Sheridan McCutcheon |
FRIDAY Juliana Batur |
What’s happening in the 4th Term?
This is just a snapshot of what the P&F Association has planned for the fourth term.
Date |
What’s happening |
Wednesday 9th November |
Christmas Card orders close |
Sunday 13th November (All day) |
St Mary’s Fabulous Family Fair (School grounds) |
Wednesday 16th November (8.30am - 9.30am) |
2nd Hand Uniform Sales (School Hall) |
Monday 28th November (6.30pm - 9.30pm) |
P&F End of Year Christmas Evening (Customs House Hotel) |
Wednesday 30th November (8.30am - 9.30am) |
2nd Hand Uniform Sales (School Hall) |
It is just over a week to go!!
A map with all our stalls will be on display towards the end of this week to give the kids a sneak peek. Take a look in the P&F Association window in the school grounds near the front office.
YOUR CHECKLIST FOR THE NEXT WEEK AND HOW YOU CAN YOU HELP?
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Help distribute flyers in our local area
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Put up posters in places that you regularly attend
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Sign up for a shift or two over the weekend
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Pre-order your wristband, purchase raffle tickets via CDF Pay
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Come along on the day and bring along family and friends
What to expect at the Fair
Never been to a St Mary’s Fabulous Family Fair before and don’t know what to expect?
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Rides
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Games
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Showbags
-
Cake stall
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Bar (open from 12pm)
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Community sports
-
Books, puzzles and games
-
just to name a few of the stalls available.
The day is a lot of fun for our kids but also our wider community, so invite family and friends to come along on the day. Make sure to book in time to watch the kids perform on the entertainment stage.
Leftover Halloween Sweets
If you have too many sweets or leftover lollies from Halloween please donate them to the Fair, please drop these off at the School Office in the Fair donations box.
P&F Association
RAFFLE TICKETS Now on sale
WOW WOW WOW - The raffle is bigger than ever, check out all the major prizes that you can get your hands on plus all the many hampers that are full of special treats, there is something for everyone. You have to be in it to win it!!
Tickets are now available for our MEGA raffle which will be drawn at the Fair at the end of the day. Get your tickets now to avoid disappointment, available via CDF Pay. There are lots of chances to win with many hampers, vouchers and our Major prizes. Major prizes include:
-
Signed Western Bulldogs Jersey by 2022 Team (valued at $500) will come framed with a certificate of authenticity
-
Emporio Armani watch (valued at $449)
-
Husky Counter Fridge (valued at $429)
-
10kg Cadbury Chocolate Block
-
10kg Toblerone Chocolate Block
-
Hemp Co Australia, Hemp skin care kits (valued at $199)
Raffle hampers include:
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Games pack
-
Kids craft pack
-
Kids Books
-
Kitchen/ decor
-
Sports hamper
-
Toddler toys pack
-
Candle making kit
Get your raffle tickets early!!
Badges, Magnets and Keyrings
Pre-sales are now available on CDF Pay, encourage you to pre-purchase these so that kids can have time to prepare their artwork. Artwork can be dropped off by Thursday 10th November at the school office and your items will be prepared ahead of time so you don’t have to wait in the queue on the day.
If you want to prepare something special for family and friends at Christmas, get ready to decorate your school bag for 2023 or start a collection of your own creations.
You will also have a chance to create your artwork and purchase on the day.
Grindstone Barbers
Grindstone Barbers, a Gold Sponsor, will be running a pop-up barber shop at the Fabulous Family Fair and donating ALL proceeds to the Fair so come on down to get a stylish cut on Sunday 13th November.
With each haircut $25 - get down nice and early so you don’t miss out!
Rides
Pre-sales of ride wristbands are now available on CDF Pay at a discounted rate until Thursday 10th November of $30. All day ride tickets are a great way to keep the kids entertained all day. Wristbands entitle your child to keep on riding as much as they want, on any ride!!
You will find the link under Fair in CDF Pay via the schoolzine app. If you have older children or children not at the school you can purchase additional wristbands under the name of any of your children under CDF Pay.
Pre-purchased wristbands can be collected from the Rides Stall from 10am Sunday 13th November.
Eskys needed
Do you have an esky at home? We need a total of 15 Eskies or camping fridges on loan for the school fair. If you are able to loan for the day these can be dropped off on Friday afternoon, Saturday 10am - 3pm and Sunday from 7am. They need to be clearly labeled, and clean and we will return them in the same state to be collected from school the week commencing 14th November.
Please email fair@smwilliamstown.catholic.
Helpers Needed
We have a few items that need to be collected during the week next week. If you may be available and able to help out please email fair@smwilliamstown.catholic.
Entertainment
You may have by now heard about some special performances planned for the Fair!
To help plan your day we are sharing the schedule with you.
11.30am Prep
11.35am Grade 1
11.40am Grade 2
11.45am Grade 3
11.50am Grade 4
11.55am Grade 5
12.00pm Grade 6
Performances will be running throughout the day, with many of our students involved. Make some time to check out the entertainment during the day
10 - 10.20am MDX Performing Arts School – Dance school
10.20 -10.40am West Pointe Ballet – Dance school
10.40– 11.10am Refinery School of Music – Band
11.10 – 11.30am The Dream Academy Dance Studio – Dance school
11.30 - 12.00pm St Mary's Primary School Performances
12.05pm - 12.15pm St Mary’s Primary School Dance Club
12.15 - 12.35pm The Dance Company
12.35 - 12.55pm LFK Dance School
2.00 - 2.45pm Hello Music - St Mary’s Music School
Many thanks to Justine Brogna and Miss Gina for organising performances and schedule.