24 Term 2 Week 9

END OF TERM 2

Wow! Who can believe that we are heading into the last week of Term 2 already. What another fantastic term we have had. There was great excitement on Thursday with the new lawn area opening up for students to play on. There were so many children on the lawn before school on Friday morning having great fun running around.

Below are just a few of the special celebrations that have taken place in our school over the last few weeks and we provide some information about our upcoming Fundraiser for the Hutt Street Centre on the last day of this term.

CONFIRMATION AND FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

What a special time we are celebrating in our school community at the moment!

Twelve students from Stella Maris, along with 2 students from St Bernadette’s School celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation as a part of St Ann’s Parish on Tuesday night.

In the lead up to this celebration students and their families undertook a number of preparation sessions led by members of the parish and the schools APRIMs, in readiness for this celebration. The service was presided over by our Parish Priest Fr Joseph Raja. It was such a lovely celebration!

This Sunday these students will be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time at the parish Mass at Holy Spirit Church at 9.15am. Following this Mass a special morning tea will be held in the Parish Hall to celebrate. All are welcome to attend to support these students and their families. 

We ask that you please keep the following students and their families in your prayers as they prepare for this next step in their faith journey, Conleth, Isabella, Kai, Finn, Patrick, Joel, Katie, Caitlin, Imogen, Sonny, Raphael and Hayden. Pictured above is a photo of the Confirmation candidates with Fr Joseph.

We are also excited to share that we have had five of our students take part in the Sacramental Program in the Brighton Parish. Below is a photo of these students; Grace, Tate, Chase, Brooke and Grace, on their Confirmation night.    

OPEN MORNING AND AFTERNOON

It was great to see so many families come in and see what has been happening in their child’s learning this semester! There was certainly a real buzz in the yard with students eager to show their parents and family members the great learning they have taken part in this semester. We really hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did as a school community!

WINTER WOOLIES DAY FRIDAY 5^th JULY IN SUPPORT OF HUTT STREET CENTRE

With the weather turning cooler we are reminded of how we can be ‘Protectors of Creation’ and care for those who are less fortunate than us. Our Year 6 Social Justice Group are organizing this day as they would like to make a small difference for those in need.

On Friday 5^th July students are invited to wear ‘Winter Woolies’ to school.  (Please ensure clothing & footwear are appropriate for outdoor play). 

We are asking each family to make a donation either a monetary donation on the QKR App, or a donation of brand-new items including;

• New thick socks
• New towels
• New sleeping bags
• Insect repellent
• Hand sanitizer
• New solar-power torches or battery chargers
• New sneakers (preferably sizes 9-13 in Mens/Womens)
• Nonperishable foods (ie ring pull cans)
• In date packaged snacks (muesli bars, chips)
• Backpacks
• or to make a donation via the QKR App for the Hutt Street Centre to purchase items that they need.  

All donations will be given to the Hutt Street Centre to help those in need. 

SOUTHERN CROSS: 

The current edition of the newspaper put out by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide called, ‘The Southern Cross,’ is available at: www.thesoutherncross.org.au

TERM 3:

School will resume at 8.45am on Monday 22 July 2024 (Term 3). 

Dear School Community,

I'm very excited to continue our Garden Produce Stall on a Tuesday, straight after school, on the courts in front of the playground. We accept a coin donation, available on QKR also for your convenience. The produce comes from our school and community garden and we also accept produce donations from school families if you have any surplus in your garden. 

I would like to thank you!

Emily Hughes

Emily.Hughes@smps.catholic.edu.au

Last week, we were informed by the City of Marion council that the Community Safety Department has been monitoring the flow of traffic at school drop off points, including the use of disabled parking zones.

Inspectors have observed multiple parents utilising the disabled parking zones on Syme Avenue as a school drop off point for their child/children, with 11x expiation warnings being issued last week. The council have informed us that they will be monitoring this area regularly, with expiation notices of $443 being issued as of this week.

Dear School Families,

Stella Maris Parish School is a place that believes in and fosters the values of Inclusivity, Compassion, Courage and Respect. We can see this in our learning, our classrooms and our school yard. We are always looking for new ways to model and practise these values and have identified an opportunity to offer more diverse play options to our students. 

Indoor Lunch Time Clubs will be held throughout the term on Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They will have a General Theme each day so students can know what type of activity to expect.

Monday - Board Games

Tuesday - Mindfulness Club

Wednesday - Art Club 

Clubs will be held on the ground floor of the new building and will begin after student's eating time. The pack up bell will go 10 minutes before the lunch bell to allow students to pack up and have time to use toilet and have a drink before going back to class. 

Play is an essential part of the school day, and is important for boosting social connection, emotional wellbeing and also for self regulation. Play looks different for all students and we are hoping that the clubs offer a different style of play to that already on offer in the park, the playground and courts. Students will have an inviting space to play in a small group or to still feel connected while playing alongside others, and to follow their interests that benefit from a quieter area. The library has offered a space for students in the past and can now be redefined for a quiet reading space during the lunch times it is open.

Year 6 students will help in the promotion of these clubs to all students, please look out for the posters around school and take the opportunity to talk to your child and hear what they have to say about what play options they enjoy accessing and meets their needs during the school day. 

We are so lucky to have so many options here at Stella that includes;

The Park, Basketball Courts, Playground (Everyday)

Library (Tues - Thursday)

Lunchtime Clubs (Monday - Wednesday) 

School Garden (Monday Recess times).

Thankyou,

Emily Hughes

Pastoral Care Support 

Stella Maris is one of the many online schools we cater for at Belgravia Apparel Campbeltown meaning that school stock is held in the back storeroom and not on display.

To avoid long waits and disruptions to other customers who have appointments we ask that you please book for an appointment on the below link.

https://www.belgraviaapparelschools.com/collections/stella-maris-parish-school

Thank you

Please email kathy.groat@smps.catholic.edu.au if you require information.