Term 1, Week 1 Friday 3rd February 2023

It has been a fantastic start to our school year, the first one in 3 years that has not been affected by COVID restrictions at school.

Last week our staff gathered in preparation for the year with Louka Parry, Learning Futures, to explore whole school wellbeing.  This will be a particular area of focus in 2023 with a review of our wellbeing procedures.  We also worked with Lisa-Jane O’Connor, Learning Journeys, to continue our important work in developing our mathematics curriculum to support powerful learning in mathematics.

We look forward to seeing all families at our Welcome Evening on Monday 6^th February.  Come along between 5.30-6.30pm to meet your child’s 2023 teacher and see their learning spaces.  There will be a free sausage and veggie burger sizzle.  There will be a brief information session for Reception parents at 6pm.

A special welcome to new staff:

Olivia Ventura – Year 1 teacher
Julie McGrane – Year 3/4 teacher
Will Dacombe-Bird – STEM teacher
Greg Parker – Gifted and Talented teacher

We also welcome back Anna Verbi and Maria Iovino from leave.

Wellbeing

Starting school can be an exciting time and it can also bring some nervousness and anxiety. We are all here to support your child so if you have any concerns, please see your child’s classroom teacher. We are fortunate to have a school counsellor (Julie Taylor) and a school chaplain (Matthew Harrison). If you think your child would benefit from some extra support, just speak with your child’s teacher, Julie or Matthew.

This website has some excellent tips for parents/caregivers about supporting your child as they start school or begin a new school year.

https://parenting.sa.gov.au/easy-guides/starting-school-parent-easy-guide

St Margaret Mary’s wellbeing program utilises the resource, Friendly Schools and Families. This is a program taught throughout the year at all year levels and aims to build social/emotional skills and resilience in children. It focuses on the following outcomes:

Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social Awareness

Relationship Skills

Social Decision-Making

Start Times  

Classes begin at 8.45am.

In the mornings, students will meet their classroom teacher at their meeting point in the yard at 8.40am and move to their classes ready to begin at 8.45am. Please be on time. A good start to your child’s routine is very important in setting them up for success every day.

If your child arrives after 8.45am, they will be required to come through the Front Office and receive a late slip.

Welcome back to school! We are so excited to see everyone back again and to welcome new children and their families! I really think this is my favourite time of the school year!!

Parent Information and Welcome Evening
Families from Preschool to Year 6 are welcome to come along on Monday February 6^th for our Welcome Night. There will be free veggie burgers and sausages (please note there will be no drinks available).

Parents and carers are invited to come along to meet the teachers and other parents. The Preschool will also be open.

The Reception teachers will be running an information session for all Reception parents from 6pm.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Supervision in the yard
The school gates open at 8.30am, and there is supervision in the yard from that time. If you child needs to be at school before 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 you child uses the service.

Healthy Eating at School
At St Margaret Mary’s School and Preschool we encourage healthy eating. All year levels have a healthy snack in the morning, which should include fresh fruits and/or vegetables.

All classes eat their main ‘lunch’ at around 11.20-11.30am, when the orders are delivered. We encourage children to eat a healthy and substantial meal which may include sandwiches, rice, noodles or last night’s leftovers! Children then have another snack after their second play.

As a nut-aware school, children should not be having Nutella, nuts or nut bars. We also strongly discourage children having sweets or chocolates. Your child may asked to take home chocolate bars etc as these are not appropriate for school.

We also ask that children only drink water at school.

The following picture may serve as a guide or give you some ideas about what you might pack in your child’s lunch box.

We are very excited about the year ahead, and look forward seeing you all soon.

Alicia

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back, it has been wonderful to see the children growing in confidence each day as they become more and more familiar with their new learning environments.

2023 Sacramental Program
Each year a parish led, family centred and school supported Sacramental Program is offered to all Baptised children from Year 3 upwards.  Initial information and registrations were given out in 2022, however there is still time for people to register for the program in 2023 by contacting the front office.

The 2023 Sacramental Program will commence with a Parent Information and Reconciliation Meeting next Wednesday 8 February at 7.00pm at Whitefriars School (45 Beaufort Street, Woodville Park) in the Mary MacKillop Hall.

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

Beginning of Year Mass
On Thursday 9 February, our Reception to Year 6 classes will gather for a Beginning of Year Mass with the parish in St Margaret Mary’s Church from 9:15am. We ask that any parents or family members wishing to attend, enter through the Church door on Torrens Road from 9:00am. Following this Mass, we will also officially welcome our new Reception students and new students in other year levels across the school.

Community Prayer
From Friday 10 February, our Year 5/6 classes will offer Community Prayer every Friday before entering the classrooms. If you are able, we invite you to join us for a few minutes each week in prayer between 8:50am and 9:00am. If we experience inclement weather, Community Prayer will be offered internally from 9:00am through the speakers in each classroom. We look forward to sharing these prayerful experiences together.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Matthew Harrison

Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope you are settling in to the 2023 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 2023 or it can be accessed online at 

https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/.../application-for-school...

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 next week.  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 2023 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 3rd March 2023                 Friday 2nd June 2023             Friday 25^th August 2023

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

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