Term 3, Week 5, 2023

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week is Catholic Schools Open Week. You may have noticed all the Catholic school students on display on lots of the bus shelters around the metropolitan area, including one of Elias from our school on the Main North Road near Hillbank. As a part of this week we had an Open Day on Thursday of this week, with a number of prospective parents coming in for a tour around the school. I would like to thank our students and our staff for the way that they welcomed these new people into their classrooms and other spaces. 

Catholic Schools Open Week coincides with Book Week this year and yesterday we had our Book Week Parade. The children looked fantastic and had a great time dressing as their favourite book character. This week highlights for children, but also adults, about the importance of reading. Children should be reading and / or listening to reading every day. It is probably the most important thing they can do in their early years of schooling. From the staff here at SMM, we want to say a big thank you to the parents and caregivers for helping our children dress up and enjoy the day. It is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank our staff who went out of their way to dress up and join in the fun with the children. On Friday of this week the teachers have planned some rotations with children going to different teachers for book week activities.

We were blessed to have Andrew Chinn here recently. I’m sure your children came home singing his songs or said what a great day they had with him. Thank you to those parents and caregivers who were able to come to his concert. I am confident that you would have enjoyed seeing the way he engaged the children in the singing and music.

To align with students learning about internet safety, Catherine McAuley School are hosting a presentation by the Carly Ryan Foundation to share vital information for parents and carers addressing the current risks posed to children online, and how to manage these. The date is Tuesday 19th of September at 5:30pm and an invitation has been extended to the St Mary Magdalene’s Community. The Carly Ryan Foundation, a certified eSafety Education Provider, has developed an hour-long program designed to provide parents with the most essential and up to date information needed to keep their children safe online. I encourage you to make this a priority in your diary. The presentation is free and will be held at Catherine McAuley School. This session is designed specifically for parents/ carers and is not child appropriate. Please return the tear off slip below if you are intending to attend.

Our school counsellors (Shannon O’Toole (SMM) and Dave Hillard (STM) are repeating a course that they ran last year called “Bringing Up Great Kids”. I know those that participated last year found it very informative and useful and I encourage you to consider participating this year. It will be held over a number of weeks on a Monday. Please check elsewhere in this newsletter for further information.

Next Tuesday we have an Assembly led by the Year 2s at 2:15pm. On Thursday our students will attend a performance of ‘Seussical the Musical’ by the Students of Thomas More College at the Shedley Theatre at Elizabeth. You would have received a note about this previously. Please ensure you return the permission slip asap if you have not already done so.  

Please remember next Friday 1st September is a Pupil Free Day as the Staff continue their Professional Development with the IDEAS Project. Please remember to book in to OSHC if you require that service on the day.

Happy Fathers’ Day to all the dads and grandads for next Sunday. I hope you have a fabulous day!

Kind regards

Peter Mercer

Head of School

The new Mid-Year Receptions have settled in very well here at SMMS. We have been busy exploring new play areas, developing a sense of belonging in the classroom and making friends. Our favourite things have been reading stories in group time to add to our 100 book challenge and singing songs.

Have a read about our other favourite things at school…

• “Playing with the toys” – Mabior
• “Playing in the kitchen with the trolley and pram” – Gabriella
• “Making my name out of shaving cream” - Grace
• “Playing outside” – Lucas
• “Playing with my big brother outside” – Aarez
• “Doing numbers on the iPad and making my name” – Eric
• “Playing with the doll house” – Greycen

In Science we have been learning about identifying living and non-living things in our environment. Living things move, breath, grow and reproduce. Our receptions found it amazing that flowers were living! Last week we bet the rain and went on a creature hunt and found all sorts of creepy crawlies like worms, beetles, ants, and slugs.

Catholic School’s Open Week has come to a close, and we couldn’t be prouder of our superstar – Elias! A big thank you to Elias and his family for proudly representing St Mary Magdalene's School during Catholic School's Open Week on a wide range of advertising, including bus stop, screen in Elizabeth City Centre and in The Bunyip!

Catholic School’s Open Week has come to a close, and we couldn’t be prouder of our superstar – Elias! A big thank you to Elias and his family for proudly representing St Mary Magdalene's School during Catholic School's Open Week on a wide range of advertising, including bus stop, screen in Elizabeth City Centre and in The Bunyip!