W1, T1, 2023

Dear Families,

I would like to welcome everyone to the 2023 school year at St Mary Magdalene’s. This includes all those students and families who are returning and all those who are new to us. Hopefully you have enjoyed a good Christmas, New Year and an even better holiday break. The staff are looking forward to working with every child and family on their particular learning journey. A special welcome to our new students:

Reception:     Alexis, Caleb, Charlotte, Delilah, Faith, Heath, Keiki-Maloo, Naomi and Norman

Year One:      Aiden, Mackenzie and Rayan

Year Two:      Cassie and Nicholas

Year Three:    Harnoor and Jennifer

Year Four:      Jia

Year Five:       Simmy

And our new Staff: Cristian Morgado (PE/Sport), Lisa Welford (Marketing and Communications) and Chantelle Care-Wickham (Playgroup)

Our Staff for 2023 will be:

Principal:                       Chris Platten               Co-Educators:      Ged Hughes

Head of Campus:          Peter Mercer                                            Nick Doube

Assistant Principal RE   Melissa Musolino                                     Cassie Craig

Leader of Learning:       Michelle Menadue       Front Office:         Lisa Daniele

Reception:                     Laura Drewett                                          John Mathew

Year One:                      Jade Shapcott            Marketing:             Lisa Welford

Year Two:                      Heather Petersen       OSHC:                  Jenn Firth

Year Three:                   Tara Haylock               Community Hub:  Kerryn Chambers

Year Four/Five:              Sameera Sekhon        Grounds:              Andrew Scott

Year Five/Six:                 Amiee Tullio                Playgroup:          Chantelle Care-Wickham

Physical Education:       Seb Maglai/Cristian Morgado

STEM:                            Janie Gosling             School Counsellor:  Shannon O'Toole

Schools are very busy places and every year we think that we couldn’t possibly get any busier, but I am sure that 2023 will provide lots of learning, friendships and fun for your child(ren). Please ensure that you have returned the ‘Consent Forms’ to the front office as a matter of priority.

Next week we have a ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening, which you would have received information about. This is an opportunity to meet the teacher and hear what expectations, routines and activities will be in store for your child(ren) this year. The teachers are offering two sessions (with the second simply being a repeat of the first) to enable parents to get to two different classes if they have more than one child. This is Wednesday 8 February 6pm-6:30pm or 6:35pm-7:05pm. You only need to go to one session and there is a creche available (thank you to those who have already responded with an RSVP).

We look forward to working with you and your children this year as we ‘Shape the Future Together’!

Shaping the Future Together

Peter Mercer

Head of Campus

‘Great Leaders don’t tell you what to do, the SHOW you how it’s done.’

LITURGICAL CALENDAR INFORMATION 

A Liturgical Calendar shows the cycle of seasons in the Catholic Church. The Church year consists of six liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost. In each newsletter we aim to highlight different events in the Liturgical Calendar that we might be celebrating in our school. 

St. VALENTINE – FEB 14

 As we celebrate St. Valentine, we celebrate the love that is in our lives.  St Valentine reminds us to take time out to think about how wonderful it is to be loved and to love others.  

A prayer for Valentine’s Day 

Dear Jesus, you taught us to love others as ourselves. Help us to see you in the people we meet. May we bring them the light of your love so they will know that we care. 

SHROVE TUESDAY, ASH WEDNESDAY & LENT 

In week 4 we enter a new liturgical season in the Catholic Church, the season of Lent. This season lasts for forty days and forty nights. We begin with Shrove Tuesday. This day is celebrated by Catholics around the world in different ways. Some refer to it as Pancake Day, Mardi Gras or Carnevale. In preparation for Lent, Catholics would use up foods which they were not permitted to consume during Lent. This included eggs, fat and rich foods.  

This year, we will celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes. More information will be sent to families via Seesaw in the coming weeks. 

 We then celebrate Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday begins the Season of Lent. The marking of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a reminder for us all to walk with Jesus during the season of Lent, to say sorry for the times we have hurt others and aim to become more loving as we work to put others needs before our own. It is a special time when we stop and think about how we can play our part in God’s hope for a world that is fair, just and peaceful.  

 PROJECT COMPASSION 2023 

Each year Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australians in schools, parishes and the community to stand in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable communities, to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. This year, the theme of Project Compassion is ‘For all Future Generations’. It is an expression of hope and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. 

 CLASSROOM LEARNING 

This term classes will focus their learning in Religious Education around the theme of Identity. Students will explore their own identity, learn about our school and connections to our local Elizabeth Catholic Parish. 

ELIZABETH CATHOLIC PARISH SACRAMENT PROGRAM 

The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. If your child is 9 years of age (or older) and would like to be involved in the program for 2023, please contact Melissa Musolino for more information. 

mmusolino@smm.catholic.edu.au 

A note from the school counsellor:

Welcome to Term 1 and a new school year! This time of the year brings both excitement and challenges for children as they negotiate the changes of routine and classroom, new friends, and a transition out of ‘holiday mode’ which can be tricky sometimes. If your child feels worried, there are some things you can do to support them.

1. Listen to them and validate their feelings. Even if you do not share these feelings, it is important for them to know that you understand they feel that way.
2. Talk to your child about any changes and how they are coping with them. You can ask if they would like to talk to another adult as well, the class teacher or school counsellor could be helpful. Also talk about how the child has successfully dealt with change in the past.
3. Take time to establish routines. Part of this is talking about the importance of sleep and removing technology at a consistent time each day to allow the brain time to calm down before bed.
4. Help them face their worries. Talk to them about the supports they have in place, including you as parents, teachers, friends, and how they might be able to use these supports. It is important they learn to understand that there are some challenges in life and that they have the resources to cope with these.
5. Help them set meaningful and achievable goals. Work on a step-by-step plan and celebrate the successes. Focus on improvement, even when it seems very small.

Getting back into the routine after holidays can be hard for us all, so it can sometimes take a little bit of time to settle into a new year. If you find you need additional support, please feel free to contact me via Lisa Daniele in the office.

Shannon O’Toole

School Counsellor

The year 5/6’s have been exploring what is means to have a great learning community. We have begun to discuss what qualities and skills a great leader has and taken our first steps in looking at establishing our classroom agreements. In conjunction with this, we have begun our journey with the Mind Up Curriculum.

Why is this important? They key to have a successful year is the foundation upon which we build. Over the next few weeks students will continue to engage in the mind. Up curriculum as well as many other activities which sets us up for success in Year5/6. 

These learning opportunities provide students with the keys for a successful year in 2023 as well as for later in life, by teaching them personal awareness and skills to increase prosocial behavior, executive functioning and social and emotional competence.

We have also spent time learning about our brains and how the different parts connect with each other and impact on our daily lives.  

• Work together
• Being Kind
• Help each other out
• Listen to the teacher
• Sharing equipment
• Treat others the way you want to be treated
• Being fair
• Have a growth mindset
• Stand up for yourself
• Don’t be afraid
• Be positive
• Show compassion