Term 1, Week 1 Friday 31 January 2025

Welcome back to school for Term 1, 2025.  We have had a great start to the year and have enjoyed welcoming many new friends and re-connecting with those we already know.

Starting school can, at times, be tricky for children (and their parents).  Parenting SA has some great resources for parents, just follow this link: https://parenting.sa.gov.au/easy-guides/starting-school-parent-easy-guide

We look forward to seeing you at the Welcome Evening, Monday 3^rd February 5.30-6.30pm.  Come along and see your child/ren’s classroom and meet their teacher.  A free sausage sizzle/veggie burger is available.  Important information about your child’s class routines will be available during this time.

A special welcome to the new staff joining our St Margaret Mary’s School community.

Michaela Cekavicius – Reception
Sarah Carritt – Year 5/6
Claire Dunlop – Year 5/6 (term 1)

They are looking forward to getting to know you and your child/ren over the next few weeks.

All children are different and unique and are supported in many ways at school.  We will be contacting some families over the next week to make a time in Week 4 to meet to discuss your child’s support and Personalised Plan for Learning.  These discussions are very important to assist everyone in supporting your child. 

A few important reminders to start the year:

1. School Uniform.

Students are expected to wear the correct uniform at all times.

Black or white shoes.
Plain white socks.
Jewellery – Students are permitted to wear: a watch, chain (concealed under school uniform) and earrings (one in each ear).
Hair – if hair is shoulder length or longer it is required to be tied back and any ribbons are to be in the school colours.

2. Drop off and pick up times.

8.30-8.45am (gates are locked at 8.45am and after this time, students are required to check in the office and are recorded as ‘late’).

3-3.20pm.After 3.20pm, children will be walked to OSHC.OSHC registration is free and you only pay for the service if you use it.Please register at www.campaustralia.com.au

3. Parents are not permitted upstairs before or after school.  Teachers will meet your child’s class at their designated meeting area and take them to class.  Please wait outside until your child comes to meet you after school.
4. Tungara St gates are open at 2.55pm.  If you are collecting your child from the school yard, please use these gates rather than walk through the office space.
5. Follow all traffic signs and road safety rules! The council and SAPOL actively patrol our area and do issue fines on a regular basis.  The parking restrictions and road safety laws are there to protect your child!

Thank you for all your support in setting up good routines to promote safety in our community.

Kelly Campbell

Principal

Creator God,

We thank you for the opportunity

to begin this new school year,

and we ask that you bless

the students, staff, and student families

that make our school a great place.

 We pray that you will guide us in your ways,

and strengthen our school communities, 

so that we will seek your will

in everything that we do,

and love others as you love us.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dear Families

Welcome back to the 2025 school year! I hope the new year has started well for you and your family! We are so excited to see everyone back again, ready to start a new year of learning. Special welcome to our new staff, children, and families.

Welcome Night – Meet the teachers and visit the classrooms.
Families from Preschool to Year 6 are welcome to come along on Monday 3 February 5:30-6:30pm for our Welcome Night. There will be a free BBQ (veggie burgers and sausages) (please note there will be no drinks available). Parents/Caregivers and children are invited to come along to meet the teachers and visit the classrooms/preschool.

The Reception teachers will be running an information session for all families from 6pm in the Reception classrooms. All other year levels will be able to visit the classrooms anytime between 5:30-6:15pm with the classrooms closing at 6:30pm. All families that attend the night will receive a Welcome Letter from your child’s teacher which will tell you lots of important information that will help your child have a successful year, with your support.

We look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Childhood Wellbeing Seminar – Calm and Confident Kids
Save the Date: Wednesday 26 March at 6:00pm

We are very pleased to be able to offer all parents and caregivers a free seminar ‘Calm and Confident Kids’. This seminar is designed to help parents/caregivers know how to support children aged 5-12 with a tendency towards worry or anxiety, or who are dealing with difficult life situations. The seminar will be facilitated by Kirrilie Smout who is a clinical Psychologist and is also the director of Developing Minds Psychology. We will have a crèche available for school aged children to assist with care while parents/caregivers attend the seminar.

Flyers will be available at the Welcome Night, and we will continue to promote this fantastic opportunity over coming weeks. We hope to see you there!

Morning & After School Supervision
The front school gate opens at 8:20am for children to wait safely in the yard. All gates open at 8.30am, and there is supervision in the yard from that time. If your child needs to be at school before 8:20am then please book them into Before School Care.

Before and After School Care is provided by Camp Australia. Registration to Camp Australia is free, you will only be charged when your child uses the service.

Staff are on duty after school from 3:00pm until 3:20pm. Please book your child into After School Care if you are not able to pick them up by 3:20pm.

Safety Around Our School
Our Year 5/6 students had a visit from Police Officer Senior Constable Dave this week to train them to be School Crossing Monitors. Crossing Monitors are one of the ways we can keep children safe, and we are very thankful to our Year 5/6 leaders for taking on this important role each afternoon.

An interesting fact that Senior Constable Dave also shared with us that if you are within 20 meters of a school crossing, you are legally required to use the crossing.

There are many ways we can all keep our children safe at drop off and pick up times. We appreciate your support and patience during these busy times of the day.

Wishing you all the best for the term ahead. I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.

Belinda

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back everyone! Today we gathered for our first school assembly. Ms Campbell shared how well students are settling into their new learning environments and year levels. Ms Elliot introduced the ‘first play’ clubs that will be offered from Monday to Thursday. Our next gathering will be our Week 2 Liturgy where we will also officially welcome our newest staff and students.

Beginning of Year Liturgy of the Word
On Friday 7 February, our Reception to Year 6 classes will gather for a Beginning of Year Liturgy of the Word and Welcome Ceremony in St Margaret Mary’s Church from 9:15am.

Parents and caregivers are warmly welcomed to join us for this celebration.  If you are able to attend, please sign in first at the front office before entering the church. Once signed in, parents and caregivers can enter the church through the door on the side of the courts area.

Please note that due to the 9:15am Liturgy, we will need to promptly lock the Tungara Avenue gate at 8:50am. From 8:50am, all parents and caregivers are asked to enter of exit the school via the main entry.

2025 Sacramental Program
Each year a parish led, family-centred and school supported Sacramental Program is offered to any Baptised children from Year 3 to Year 6. Students and their families are invited to prepare for the Healing Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Initiation Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion.

Through the parish, we began the process of distributing initial information and registrations to families as hardcopies in 2024. If you are new to the school, or were not aware of the program and you wish to enrol your child, I invite you to collect a 2025 registration form from the front office when you attend the Welcome Evening on Monday 3 February.

Please note, that the Reconciliation Meeting will be held next Wednesday 5 February from 7.00pm at Whitefriars School (45 Beaufort Street, Woodville Park) in the Mary MacKillop Hall.

We request that the child/ren receiving the sacraments attend the information evening with
one or both parents. Please be advised that you will be required to sign in on arrival
to confirm your attendance.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Matthew Harrison

Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope you are settling into the 2025 school year.

If you have a Health Care Card or Pension Card you may be eligible for lower income fees.   Please bring your current card with you as you will need to fill in the School Card Application form for 2024 or it can be accessed online at 

https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/content/forms/af/public/application-for-school-card.html?fbclid=IwAR1pbygb4QM-kqLxGrayYm_9agSBL4mQ9wn_UT-bTZyq6NDIYTF5tq7TZ28

This form needs to be filled out every year and we need to send these completed forms to the School Card Department of the State Government by Wednesday 5/2/24.  School Card is a State Government Scheme and therefore approval is not done at a school level.  Because of this we do not send out school fee accounts at the School Card rate until we receive formal approval from the State Government which is usually April or May.   

As usual we will invoice the 2025 school and preschool fees in full at the beginning of the year.   These will be posted home in the next couple of weeks.  If a payment plan is not in place these fees can be paid – as in previous years – over three terms.   Please do not delay making payment because your School Card reduction has not yet been approved.  The due dates for these fees are: 

Friday 28^th Feb 2025           Friday 30^th May  2025             Friday 22nd August 2025

If you have previously had a payment plan and would like to renew it – please come and see me.  I cannot automatically roll it over.

Please come and see me if you have any questions or would like to set up a new payment plan.

Jane Victory
Finance Officer
On behalf of St Margaret Mary’s School Board

Lisa from Camp Australia will be here in the office area on Monday evening between 5.30 and 6.30 to help with OSHC registrations and answer any questions that you may have.

Sports Day is scheduled for Friday 28th March.  We have heard that Target have $5 polo shirts in team colours.  Please check with your child's teacher if you are unsure of their sports team.