Term 3, Week 3 Friday 9th August 2024

Dear Families

I hope that the first few weeks of Term 3 have been happy and healthy!

Please remember that if your child is unwell, we would appreciate you keeping them home.  Many students are being sent to the sick room and parents are having to be called to pick their children up.  Your support with this is much appreciated and helps to keep our community happy and healthy.

Student Free Day – Monday 12 August
Please remember the school will be closed this coming Monday 12 August. OSHC services will be available, please book through the App.

Our staff will be engaging in Professional Learning on the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum. The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum is a child safety and respectful relationships curriculum providing age and developmentally appropriate activities for children and young people from age 3 to 17+.

Cross Country
Well done to the 22 Cross Country runners who participated in the SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival event on Wednesday in the Adelaide Parklands. Students ran 2km around the parklands and should be very proud of their efforts! Thanks to Celeste Brown and Greig Graham who supported the students.

Year 5 Camp
Our Year 5 students spent 3 days and 2 nights at the Active Education Campsite at Aldinga this week. The students and adults had a fantastic time and enjoyed a variety of activities including damper making at the campfire, teamwork games and challenges, night walks and survival techniques. They came home very tired from 3 days of fun! Many thanks to the staff who supported our Year 5 students; Matt Harrison, Greg Parker, Lucy Centofanti, Patricia Monti, Julie McGrane and Sandra Shepherd.

School Opening and Blessing
Our wonderful new building and learning spaces will be officially ‘Opened’ and Blessed by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan in a special Liturgy and Ceremony on Wednesday 18 September. More information will be sent to families in coming weeks about this special event.

Book Week
Book Week will be celebrated across Australia from 17 - 23 August. The theme this year is ‘Reading is Magic’. All classes will be sharing the nominated books from the Children’s Book Council and doing some activities around this during their library lessons. We will celebrate Book Week with our annual Book Week Dress Up Parade on Wednesday 21 August starting at 10:10am on the courts (weather permitting). We hope that you will be able to join us to celebrate with the children.

Hats & Beanies
Students are getting back into the routine of wearing their hat each day. Please help your child to remember to bring their SMMS hat each day – our wide brimmed school hat is required for all outside play and PE lessons and carnivals. Please clearly label the hat with your child’s name. Our uniform shop has everything you need for your child – please visit Rosie in the Uniform Shop Tuesday afternoons 2:30-3:30pm and Friday mornings 8:30-10:00am.

SMMS Beanies are also available for purchase, but they do not replace hats in the yard.

OSHC After School Care
Parents and Caregivers are reminded that at 3:10pm each day our school yard becomes a play space for the children attending OSHC. Please ensure you have left the courts, oval and playground areas by 3:10pm unless special permission has been given for a school sport training. Your support is much appreciated.

Best wishes for the weekend and week ahead. We will see you on Tuesday 13 August.

Belinda Elliott
Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Today, Friday 9 August, the MacKillop House students were invited to wear their Sports Day green T-Shirt, green hair accessories or green item to acknowledge St Mary MacKillop. Mary MacKillop is Australia’s first saint.  Because of Mary MacKillop’s vision to educate all children, many schools were opened like ours, St Margaret Mary’s School. And, her sisters, like our first principal, Sr Jude Grady, educated alongside priests, like our first parish priest, Fr Thomas Daly. So, because of Mary MacKillop’s vision, we celebrate our school and celebrate our Houses.

Margaret House (Blue) will celebrate their spirit day on Friday 18 October (Term 4, Week 1).

Sacramental Workshop
On Wednesday 7 August, we had our Confirmation and First Eucharist Workshop at Whitefriars School from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

It was wonderful to see all students and families as they engaged creatively in designing Confirmation posters and First Holy Communion banners.  

Confirmation Dates

First Holy Communion Dates

Whole School Liturgy
On Thursday 8 August, we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. This was the first whole school liturgy for our Foundation classes and all our students read with confidence and filled St Margaret Mary’s Church with joyous singing.

Some of our classes have also been producing some beautiful artworks, showcasing St Mary Mackillop through the eyes of the child. We look forward to seeing these displayed throughout our classrooms and school.

To commemorate this special celebration, each of our classes also received a ‘Little Drops’ miniature statue of Mary MacKillop to place on their prayer spaces.

Family Mass
The Parish Family Mass will be held on Sunday 11 August in St Margaret Mary’s Church at 10:30am. Following Mass there will be food and refreshments in the Parish Hall. All families are warmly welcome to join us for Mass and refreshments.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Matthew Harrison

Please do not make a U-turn (or overtake) on the roads around our school where there are single continuous white lines.  This is against the road rules and is dangerous for our students and families.

Lunch Club Yoga & Mindfulness continues this term. Today we introduced these beautiful singing bowls. The sound from these bowls creates a calm & soothing feeling within. The students enjoyed the experience of a sound bath during the session today.

Gina Armiento
Teacher 

Children’s Book Week (Week 5) is coming up and we have lots of exciting events happening in the Library. On Wednesday 21^st August we are having a DRESS-UP PARADE! Families are welcome to come along to the parade which will start at 10:15am. Children are invited to come as a BOOK CHARACTER or dress up to match the theme Reading is Magic. We encourage you to use your imagination and a little magic to create a costume with what you already have at home. No scary costumes or weapons please.

Book Club Issue 5 is closing soon!

Due date for orders is 11^th August.

ALL orders done online via Book Club LOOP.

Find out how on Page 31 of your magazine (payments will not be accepted at school).

This will be the only Book Club issue for Term 3.