School Newsletter Term 1, Week 4, 22nd February 2024

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

Well done to all our Year 3-6 students last Monday at the swimming sports. The weather was kind to us, our students were amazing and it was great to hear there were lots of parents supporting and cheering on the children.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified to go on to the District Swimming sports tomorrow. We wish you the best of luck!

Elizabeth B, Henry B, Frederick B, Will S, Charlie S, Evie R, Molly A, Anaya F, Alfie B, Patrick N & Allera D. 

Beginning of the Year Mass - Next Tuesday 22nd Feb, we will celebrate a Mass together as a whole school community to give thanks for the Beginning of our school year together. All children and families are invited to attend. The Year 6 children will lead our new Foundations students into Mass and welcome them to our school. All children are to wear full school uniform to this school event and they will sit with their class and teacher. 

We will also be presenting the School Captains and announcing the Year 6 House leaders. Mass will begin at 6pm in the church.

Year 5/6 Camp -  Last week, the Year 5/6 students and teachers attended Camp Wyuna in Queenscliff. The children were an absolute pleasure to be on camp with and this was reiterated by the positive feedback that myself and other teachers received in regards to behaviour, attentiveness, engagement and working together as a team. A special thank you to Duncan, Bianca and Anna who assisted in making it a very successful camp. 

REMINDER Pupil Free Days for Term 1  & 2

FRIDAY 8TH MARCH - Staff RE Day

THURSDAY 28TH MARCH - Staff Structured Literacy Day

MONDAY 15TH APRIL - Staff PD Day

FRIDAY 24TH MAY - Staff Relate PD Day

School Fees - All Resource Fees and 5/6 Camp fees are due by the end of February.  Payment can be made via EFTPOS or cash at the school office, credit card over the phone or direct deposit to our account. 

150 year anniversary of our Diocese - This year we will be celebrating 150 years of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Ballarat. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, ‘Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer’. This message reflects the theme for the acknowledging of 150 years of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat. 

May our words, actions and demeanour be joyful, patient, and faithful. May we know that God’s love calls us to work together in Catholic Education as we pursue fullness of life for all.

Lent 

At the moment, The Catholic Church is in The Liturgical Season of Lent. What is Lent? 

Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now. Lent is a summons to live anew.
Joan Chittister, 12th February, 2024

This Lent, may we: implore justice through our prayer, stand in solidarity through our fasting, and reach out through our giving.

Send your life-giving power to revive the weary, restore the broken and renew the face of the earth.

Many blessings

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

Happy Birthday to...

Riley H - Year 1      Isla C -Year 5      Mia P - Year 6      George W - Year 1

Patrick H - Year 1      Hugo R - Year 4      Charles B - Year 2      Ayla R - Year 1      Leonard Y - Year 3      

Tom M - Year 1      Connor B - Year 6      Tia R - Year 3      Bastian F - Year 1     Otto M - Year 2

Bus Travel & Conveyance Allowance

Bus travel on the country buses is available for students at St Augustine’s School and arrangements are made through the bus co-ordinator, Heather Jennings, at the Maryborough Education Centre on 5461 7900.  Parents of the student/s must organise the pass through MEC at least two days prior to travel. Students cannot travel on the country buses without a pass. The town bus does not require a pass but costs 50cents a trip, payable on the day of travel.  Please advise the office if your child will be travelling on any of the buses so we can update our bus rolls.

IMPORTANT

All bus travel requires parents/guardians to complete a Public Transport Victoria (PTV) Application for Permission to Travel form prior to any bus travel. This form can be emailed direct to Heather Jennings at MEC, Heather.Jennings@education.vic.gov.au. It is important that this form is completed as these details will be used in the event of an emergency.

PTV forms are now required to be updated and completed yearly by all families who have bus travellers.

CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE 

Eligibility

An application on behalf of a student may be submitted if the student is:

• a Victorian resident.
• school aged and enrolled (3) three or more days per week at a school; and
• attending a school/campus located outside the Melbourne metropolitan conveyance boundary

A student who meets the above requirements may be eligible if they:

• attend their nearest or designated neighbourhood government school/campus appropriate to their year level, at which admission is permissible, or
• attend their nearest appropriate non-government school/campus appropriate to their year level, at which admission is permissible, and
• reside 4.8km or more by the shortest practicable route from the campus attended

From our classrooms

STAR Students

At St Augustine's we are a SWPBIS school (School Wide Positive Behaviour in School) and we have a STAR culture. STAR stands for:

S  - stay safe

T  - take pride

A  - act justly

R  - respond positively

Just like children are explicitly taught academics, acceptable behaviour is also explicitly taught. STAR awards are given at Assembly each fortnight, exceptional STARs are sent a postcard which qualifies them to morning tea with the Principal at the end of the term.

STAR lessons are taught around a nominated behaviour blitz. Children are taught how to be a STAR in all places they go and what the acceptable behaviour looks like. Examples of a lessons: how to stay safe in class, in the library, the toilet, at the bus stop, on the playground or when walking to the swimming pool.

Cyber Safety

Please click on link below to access information for families around cyber safety. 

Lunch box ideas

2023 School Fees & Levies

ALL Resource Fees and Year 5/6 Camp fees are due before the end of February 2024.  Payment can be made via EFTPOS or cash at the school office, credit card over the phone or direct deposit to our account. 

Please see below the 2024 School Fee Schedule

We welcome all students and their families who share or respect our Catholic faith, values and traditions. Catholic education is supported by State and Federal funding, with families contributing the balance of the cost of educating their children. At times, some families are unable to meet their commitment to the full costs of education. As a Catholic school system, we ensure fee relief mechanisms are available to support families in time of need. We encourage these discussions on enrolment or as these needs emerge.

Medical Information

Concussion – Important information

If your child has experienced concussion, it is important that you follow recommended medical advice. Returning to school can be a graduated approach with the aim of increasing tolerance to a full day, the same situation could occur with sport. It is always important to check with your doctor and seek medical treatment after a child sustains a concussion.

It is important to inform the school if your child has sustained a concussion outside of the school setting so we can monitor for ongoing symptoms and adapt activities if required.

This factsheet link below from the Royal Children’s Hospital is valuable to read and understand.

https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Head_injury_return_to_school_and_sport/

There is also a great evidence-based app from the Murdoch children’s research institute that walks you through what to do in the result of a concussion.

https://www.headcheck.com.au/

Student Medical Information

If your child is unwell please keep them at home.

This includes coughs, colds, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and any other contagious illnesses.  

Coughs & Colds

Children can return to school once symptoms have eased and they are not actively coughing or blowing their nose.  

Vomitting & Diarrhoea

Children can return to school 48 hours after the last episode.

We will send children home if they present with any of these symptoms whilst at school.

Notifying Absences

All absentee notifications should be recorded either through the Parent Access Module (PAM) or directly to the school office by phone or email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au prior to 9.30am on the day of the absence. Please do not send notes of absence through to classroom teachers on Class Dojo as they may be absent or unable to check messages prior to commencement of class.

If a student is absent and we have not received any form of notification by 9.30am, a text message will be sent to parents asking them to call the office or send a reply text. 

Child Safety

St. Augustine's Primary School Maryborough demonstrates a strong commitment to the care, safety and wellbeing of all students at our school.

All of our Child Safe policies and procedures are accessible on our website through the link below.

Uniform Shop

Uniform orders will continue to be filled and sent home with your child(ren) weekly. If you would like to enquire about secondhand uniform, please send a message to Amber on Class Dojo with your required items and sizes and we will send home what we can supply.

School hats are compulsory in Term 1. No hat, no play! 

Bucket Hats available from the front office and the uniform shop for $10.

If you have any queries or items to be exchanged, please contact the school office. 

Note: There is no longer a designated period for summer or winter uniform. Students can choose what they would like to wear in any season. The only exception is that sports uniform must be worn on designated sports days and bucket hats are to be worn in Term 1 and 4.

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE

If you call the office and the phone is unattended or busy, please leave a message. Messages are checked regularly throughout the day. Often there is only one person in the office and they may be busy on another call or with a student or parent.  Alternatively you can email a message through to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au or send a class dojo through to Ms O'Kearney.  Please try and avoid last minute end of day changes for students. We understand that things do come up and if a change needs to be urgently relayed to your child/ren, please call and speak with the office so we can make sure they get the message immediately.  

Please note with the temporary office relocation we only have one phone line in so please leave a message and we will return your call ASAP.

PAM - Parent Access Module

PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR PAM ACCOUNT AND CONFIRM/COMPLETE YOUR CHILDS MEDICAL PROFILE. THIS INFORMATION IS MANDATORY FOR ALL STUDENTS. 

We require ALL families to complete and update their child/ren’s medical details and contact information for 2023 through PAM and throughout the year as changes occur. 

This information is mandatory and vital in the case of an emergency.   It is important that if you have any change to your contact numbers, including work place, mobile, home number, that these be updated through PAM and to advise the school office.

To complete your child/rens medical profile including contact information, go to PAM, click on your child/rens name, go to 'Medical Profile' and click 'Edit Details'. Complete details then click in the box at the bottom of the page to confirm the details are correct and click ‘Update Details’.

If you have any questions or require your login details, please contact the school office.

Canteen

All orders must be placed through CDFPay prior to 9.00am Fridays.   Please ensure you complete all orders on CDFPay and proceed through payment screen to the green receipt screen.

Please contact the office if you are having any issues with your CDFPay account. 

Parking & Road Safety

Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking. Please do not use these areas to park or pickup your children. Vehicle movement in and out of these areas means you are driving over footpaths/walkways which both our students and Highview students are using. This creates a potential safety hazard.

Follow road safety regulations, keep driveways clear, check carefully before reversing and avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the crossings. Please do not double park. We all want to keep our families safe so your co-operation is appreciated.

Please observe road rules around our school for the safety of all of our children.

* Schools have 40km zone.

* Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking.

* Please use the children's crossing on Burns, Kars St and Burke St.

* For safety purposes, please avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the crossings. Please do not double park. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

Bell times

5 minutes prior to classes commencing there is music played. This signals to the children it is time to start moving to class. This is the time children need to have a drink, go to the toilet etc. so they are lined up and ready to start class when the bell goes. 

8:30am - Yard Care Supervision begins

8:40am  -  Classroom teacher in classroom - meet & greet

8:55pm - School classes begin

9am-11am - 2 hour learning session

11am-11:40am -  First break

11:40am-1:40pm - 2 hour learning session

1:40pm-2:20pm - Second break

2:20pm-3:15pm - 55 minute learning session

3:10pm - Fiscalini & Flanagan dismissal

3:15pm - Arundell & Scanlan, Bus students dismissal

Parish News

Please see link below for the latest Parish Bulletin & readings.

School Approved Scrunchies

School approved Scrunchies are for sale in the school foyer for $5 each.

$1 from each scrunchie sold goes to our Energy Breakthrough Program.

We now also have coloured scrunchies for sale. These are 'not ok to be worn on a school day'. $1 from each scrunchie sold goes to our EBT program.

Lots of different patterns and colours available so come check them out!

Advanced dates for your diary

Pupil Free days - Students do not come to school on these days.

FRIDAY 8TH MARCH - Staff RE Day

THURSDAY 28TH MARCH - Staff Structured Literacy Day

MONDAY 15TH APRIL - Staff PD Day

FRIDAY 24TH MAY - Staff Relate PD Day 

Please see the link to the school calendar below for all other important dates.

Community Notices