Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community,

Here's what's happening this week and a look at some exciting upcoming events:

What's On This Week

• Tuesday, July 1: Year 5/6 Shark Tank at 6:30 PM (Come see our budding entrepreneurs in action!)
• Wednesday, July 2: Year 1 'Camp' Event (4pm to 7pm)
• Friday, July 4: End of Term – School finishes at 1:30 PM

Upcoming Events

• Monday July 21: School Closure Day: Literacy
• Tuesday July 22: Start of Term 2 for students.
• Monday July 28 and Wednesday July 30: School Review 
• Friday, August 1: Entries close for the Australian Mathematics Competition ($9 entry fee)
• Wednesday, August 6: Australian Mathematics Competition
• Friday, August 29: School Disco!!! (Get ready to dance!)

End of Term Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone for your incredible efforts this term – it's certainly been a long one! Last week capped it off with a high number of students away from school, peaking at 85 students absent on Friday. We hope everyone is on the mend and has a chance to recuperate over the school holidays, which start at 1:30 PM this Friday.

Shark Tank Success!

What a success last night was! We truly have amazing students with bright futures ahead of them. We saw some incredible presentations as students developed marketing plans for new product ideas. A big thank you to our volunteer parent 'sharks' who expertly questioned our students about their innovations. There were so many great products that one day might even end up on our shelves!

Successful Supplementary Grant Application

Last Thursday, the school received fantastic news: we were successful in our application for a supplementary grant to complete much-needed works on our school! The $350,000 grant will cover repairs to the façade at the front of the school and essential repairs to the school roof. I'm meeting with Melbourne Archdiocesan Catholic Schools this week to discuss the timing of these projects.

International Visitors

This week, we were delighted to host educators from New Zealand who visited to observe and discuss our Explicit Teaching model, with a specific focus on Explicit Teaching of Mathematics. They visited junior classes to view our Explicit Maths Program (EMP) and older classrooms to see the Ochre program in action. They were highly impressed by what's happening at St. Mary's and are looking to implement similar practices in schools back in New Zealand.

ACARA Item Trial

We also received thanks this week from the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA) for our participation in the 2025 Item Trial. This trial is a crucial part of the annual National Assessment Program, designed to evaluate and validate potential test items for future NAPLAN tests. At St. Mary's, we remain committed to providing the best educational opportunities for our students.

Thanks again for all your hard work this term. Have a great break, and we'll see you all back on Tuesday, July 22.

God Bless,

Anthony

Parent Teacher Interviews

First run in 1978, the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) is Australia’s longest-running, largest, and most well-known maths competition for school students. The AMC features unique problems designed each year by leading educators and academics to challenge and extend students' problem-solving skills.

It has two divisions: Middle Primary (Grades 3-4) and Upper Primary (Grades 5-6), and runs for 60 minutes. This competition is designed to identify Australia's brightest maths students, so the questions are quite challenging. If you would like your child to participate, please notify the office and pay the $9 entry fee by Friday, August 1.

It has come to our attention that people are parking in the disabled carparks near the school. Please be mindful that we have parents/carers who have disabled parking permits and cannot access these areas when needed.

We also kindly remind everyone to please be mindful of parking on Cecil Street, especially during drop-off and pick-up times. Double parking is becoming a concern and creates a dangerous environment for our students and families.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we ask that you use the designated parking areas and avoid stopping in no-parking zones or double parking. Following these guidelines helps keep traffic flowing and protects our children.

St Mary’s Faith News

 School and Parish Connections

Gospel: Luke 10: 1-9

Your peace will rest upon him

 The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.

He said to them,

‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.

Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals.

Salute no one on the road.

Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!”

And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.

Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.

Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you.

Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”

New Front Office Display

Crosses from Around the World

As part of our recent staff Reflection Day, we were inspired by the idea of creating a new display in our front office – a collection of crosses from around the world. This will be a whole school initiative, and we warmly invite our families and staff to take part.

If you have a cross from your travels – whether from overseas or within Australia – that you would like to donate, we would be honoured to include it. The crosses will be thoughtfully displayed on the wall beneath the mounted monitor in the front office.

We look forward to creating an inspiring and meaningful space that invites contemplation, discussion and reflection for all who visit.

Thank you for helping us bring this idea to life.

Wednesday Morning Masses

As part of our ongoing commitment to nurturing the spiritual life of our students, each class has been taking turns to attend the Wednesday morning Parish Mass at 9:15am.

The response from teachers has been positive. The children have been able to connect with parishioners and pay attention to rituals that they have been taught in class.

Moving in to Term 3, we warmly invite parents and carers to join their child’s class on the day they are rostered to attend.

You may receive an email invitation or a paper invitation, so please check emails, children’s reading folders or take heed of your child’s verbal invitation.

This is a beautiful opportunity to come together in prayer and strengthen our connection as a school and parish community.

The class Mass timetable should have been sent home as a PDF last week by your child’s teacher.

We encourage you to check when your child’s class will be attending the Wednesday Mass.

We look forward to welcoming you to this special part of our faith life.

Sacramental Program 2025

Confirmation

Instruction will be conducted through the Parish with the Support of Mrs Lipnicki

If your child is in Year 6 and is yet to make their “Confirmation” please contact Mrs Lipnicki at clipnicki@smwilliamstown.catholic.edu.au

Confirmation will be held on Thursday 14th August at 7:00pm.

Term 3 Masses

At the weekend family Masses, families sit together. Children who are reading are encouraged to sit with their family near the front of the church and ideally to have the reader sit in the aisle seat.

Wellbeing Day Tomorrow- Thursday 3rd July

The theme is Pyjama Day! 

SPORTS UPDATE

Athletics Carnival

The West Gate Tunnel Project is set to be completed in late 2025. It is a major infrastructure road project that will change how drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists move across the inner west.  

As we get closer to opening, we’re excited to host our interactive driving simulator at the West Gate Tunnel Information Centre during these school holidays. Families can jump into the simulator and explore what the new West Gate Freeway, two tunnels and city connections will look like. It’s an immersive 3D experience designed to be both fun and educational.    

The Info Centre is located within the project’s tunnelling hub site, which visitors can enter via the eastern end of Somerville Road, Yarraville. 

• If driving or walking, you can access the visitor car park and a pedestrian entrance for the east end of Somerville Road. 

• By bus, catch route 409 to Yarraville Gardens/Hyde Street and walk 5 minutes along Somerville Road. 
• By train, head to Yarraville or Seddon stations and walk 15 minutes (1km). 

Opening hours: 

• Monday to Friday: 10am to 5pm 
• Saturday: 10am to 4pm 

More information can be found here: 

https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/west-gate-tunnel-project/community/information-centre