Term 1, Week 9 Friday 28th March 2025

It was fantastic to see so many parents/carers come in to meet with teachers last week during our learning conversations.  We know that a strong partnership between school and home is an important factor in student success at school.

We held our School Board Annual General Meeting last week.  Thank you to those who were able to attend, there are hard copies of all reports available in the school office.

A special thank you to Michelle Leonardi who has been our staff representative for the past 2 years.  Anita Herzig has concluded her tenure on our school board after an amazing 6 years of service, 3 years as school board chair.

I welcome our current members:

Fr Charles Lukati (President)
Kelly Campbell and Belinda Elliott (ex-officio)
Wayne Psaila
Sharyn Gromitsaris
Darren Halsey
Phoebe Tran
Truc Tran
Mandy Webb
Carly Lewis
Luke Hancock
Lucy Krause (Staff Representative)

Our next meeting is Wednesday 14^th May (7pm, venue tbc) and we still have capacity for another member, so please email me if you’d like to nominate (Kelly.campbell@smms.catholic.edu.au).

Birthdays are an important day for children!  We celebrate birthdays in a fun way by acknowledging children on these special days.  I would prefer that you do not bring in party bags on your child’s birthday.  We have several children with allergies and we do not have the resources to check all bags.  However, if you do bring something in, please do NOT bring cupcakes or fresh food (donuts etc), a very small token would be sufficient. 

We are, again, dealing with issues online that are occurring outside of school hours.  Although we have no control over what happens out of school, teachers are often spending valuable learning time dealing with the consequences of student online messaging and social media use out of school hours.  If your child has access to technology after hours, please monitor their use.  The eSafety website has excellent resources for parents, including guidelines for technology for school-aged children.

www.esafety.gov.au

Thank you for your support in this important matter.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our Sports Day on Friday.  It will be a hot day, so please ensure your child has a hat, drink bottle and has applied sunscreen.  Parents/carers can help us in the smooth running of the day by following teacher direction and following safety instructions.  Techers need to know where your child is at all times, so please let them know if you are taking them to the toilet etc…

Lastly, a reminder that we have a Student Free Day for Preschool-Year 6 on Friday 11^th April (last day of term).  OSHC is available, please book via www.campaustralia.com.au

Thank you for your continuing support,

Kelly Campbell

Dear Families

I hope that the weeks have been kind to you, as we draw ever closer to the school holidays and Easter.

It was wonderful to see so many parents and caregivers at our ‘Calm and Confident Kids’ seminar last night. Dr Kirrilie Smout presented an engaging and informative session giving some factors as to why children experience anxiety, and how we can further support our children. A range of strategies were provided for parents/caregivers including; asking more questions, using visuals, calm sentences, busy brain activities, re-direction of energy and focus, helpful thoughts, empathy and encouraging brave behaviours.

If you would like to know more about these factors and strategies, Kirrilie will be sending information handouts to me early next week and I will make hard copies available in our front office or the information can be sent to you via email. If you would like to receive the information via email, please contact Angela in the front office 8245 5800 or send Angela an email to info@smms.catholic.edu.au indicating you would like the Calm & Confident Kids handouts.

Special thanks to Dr Kirrilie Smout and the team at Developing Minds. Their website has a great range of resources, and practical and helpful tips for parents/caregivers. Visit https://developingminds.net.au/

I will look forward to seeing many of you at Sports Day tomorrow.

Best wishes for the last few weeks of Term 1.

Belinda

Dear Parents and Caregivers,  

We congratulate and hold in our prayers Senna, Katia and Rocio who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday 22 March for the first time. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our young people and their families reflect on their conscience through the themes of love and forgiveness. This week, Levi, Zac, Phi Khoi, Lachlan, Mary, Taye and Mason will also receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Saturday 29 March. The Reconciliation ceremonies are held in St Margaret Mary’s Church from 11:00am.

SMMS Big Water Walk Fundraiser
On Monday 7 April, the students will participate in a ‘Big Water Walk.’ This fundraising event is inspired by Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion stories. Throughout Lent, our classes have been viewing the needs of other children throughout the world https://youtu.be/03ksUeCX1ME. 

Each year, Project Compassion helps raise our student’s awareness. Students learn that many children around the world do not have access to water at school. This has implications, such as dehydration and poor hygiene. Without access to water, children need to be sent home from school and this effects their ongoing wellbeing and education.

So, on Monday 7 April (Week 11), we are inviting all students to wear casual clothing for a gold coin donation. Together, we aim to raise as much money as possible. The children will be encouraged to walk with their drink bottle and will need to wear sneakers and their school hat.

All money raised will be donated to Project Compassion. The generosity of our community will go towards supporting Caritas Australia in their efforts to help schools throughout the world to set up and access a clean source of water. Our efforts, will help children stay at school, build friendships and receive an education. Thank you for your support.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Students are busy preparing for oral assessments . This was a component of assessment which was introduced last year, and the students have requested it again for 2025! As a language teacher it gives me such joy to see the enthusiasm the students have for Italian language learning at St Margaret Mary's School.

Gina Armiento 
Italian Teacher