24 Term 3 Week 1

Welcome back for term 3! I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break away from the routines of school. It was wonderful to have students back at school last week- there were a lot of smiling faces!

It was also a delight to welcome 21 new students and their families to Stella Maris. Of these, 11 are brand new to our school. We are very pleased that you have chosen us to support your child’s educational journey. We very much look forward to working with you over your journey with us.

Also, did you know that for our reception students who begun with us at the beginning of the year, they have recently completed their 100^th day of school! This is a cause for celebration at Stella Maris, with students wearing bright colours and engaging in a range of fun activities to celebrate being ‘100 days brighter’.

Catholic Identity

On Friday it was the feast of St Ann and Joachim. Our Parish is known as St Ann’s Parish – named after Ann – who was the mother of Mary and Grandmother of Jesus. Grandparents are so important in our lives. Having endured the death of my own grandparents and my Mother in Law (Nanna for my own children) in 2023, the love, presence and joy that Grandparents bring is something that we deeply treasure. I think for our children also, when we talk to them about St Ann and Joachim, it is a way that they can connect with Jesus, to the living, breathing child that he was. We celebrate the beauty of Grandparents and also acknowledge and remember those who are not with us anymore but bought so much joy and love to our world.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank our Stella families for your support of our Winter Woolies campaign at the end of term 2. Through your generosity, we were able to donate approximately $1700 to the Hutt Street Centre, along with a significant amount of physical donations. Thank you so much! We will have another opportunity to support those in need at the end of term 3, through our annual Market Day fundraising.

As we head into August this Thursday (the year is flying by!!), we will soon be acknowledging the Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first (and only) Saint, on August 8th. Mark MacKillop provides us, particularly in education, with an amazing role model whose vision for education for all is still a calling we hear today. Mary chose to make a difference to the communities in which she, and the Sisters of St Joseph, lived in throughout the 19th century, by educating the poor and working with the marginalised and most vulnerable members of society. We will gather as a school community on Thursday 8th August to give thanks and to commemorate the remarkable life and legacy of Mary MacKillop.

P & F

We had a fantastic quiz night on Saturday at the Marion Club for the P&F Quiz Night. There were great numbers, the venue was fantastic and there was a great energy and buzz in the room. Thank you to the many parents who attended the night and well done to our winning team! I also want to acknowledge and thank Jono Makai (Quiz Night Host and Stella parent), the P&F committee for their outstanding organisation and hard work in preparing for the night and the many families and businesses who generously supported the event. And a big thank you to Kylie - our Chairperson of the P and F - whose hard work and effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you for a great night. The next P&F event will be for the kids- with a Movie Night on Friday 9^th August. Tickets can be purchased via QKR!- see flyer below!

Music Concert

We are really looking forward to hosting our biannual Music Concert on Tuesday August 20th at Westminster College. Tickets are now available for purchase via QKR! Families can currently buy up to 2 tickets. Please ensure that tickets are purchased by Wednesday 7^th August, as we will then open up ticket sales for extra purchases if there are tickets available.  Concert times are:

The concert times are as follows:

6pm: (Students to arrive at Westminster between 5.30pm- 5.45pm)

RKW, RJB, 1LM, 2SK, 3KZ, 4CK, 5HO, 6KH + Band & Junior Choir

7.30pm: (Students to arrive at Westminster between 7.00pm- 7.15pm)

 RMT, 1TM, 1EB, 2RC, 3BS, 4JP, 5JW, 6PM + Band & Junior Choir

REPORTS

Last week you would have received your child’s Progress report for Semester 1, via the SEQTA Engage app. These mid-year reports are a ‘progress update’ on how your child is tracking thus far this year. This formal report is one of a number of ways in which we communicate to you about your child’s holistic development. I hope you found the information useful and the Parent Teacher conversations that are happening this week are a great opportunity to further discuss these reports with teachers.

2025 PLANNING

Believe it or not, we are beginning to plan for 2025. Enrolments and enrolment interest at Stella Maris is at an all time high and we have very limited places available throughout the school. As such, I would ask that if you know for any reason you will not be returning to Stella Maris next year you let me know as soon as possible.

As always, please know that my door is open and I am always interested to hear from you about any aspect of your child’s growth and development.

Kind Regards

Ella

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

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 

MSP Photography will undertake school photographs on Wednesday 28 August 2024.

Envelopes will be provided and orders are to be completed online (no cash payments).

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

🍿MOVIE NIGHT🍿

Stella Maris presents a cozy, fun, movie night with your school friends.

FRIDAY 9TH AUGUST 2024

$5 entry for a small goodie bag and bottle of water.

Movies to watch:

WONKA PG 🍫
GARFIELD MOVIE G 🐈

Tickets are on sale via Qkr!

Please note parent approval required for the movie WONKA

Students are encouraged to come in their most comfortable winter wear, bonus points for pyjamas 🤗

The City of Marion Council 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, and have issued expiation warnings.The council will be monitoring this area regularly.

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