School Newsletter Term 4, Week 8, 28th November 2024

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

       Down through the ages and throughout biblical history, the Creator has always chosen ordinary people to show us the way to a fuller life. These ordinary people become extraordinary because they listen to a call from the creator deep within their heart and follow it in trust. For Christians, Mary, mother of Jesus, is the classic example. This special listening can only be achieved by living close to the law that the Creator placed in the hearts of all people. Be still and know that I am God.

Aboriginal people were very aware of their strong connectedness with the Spirit world through “listening”  to creation. Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr from Daly River points out: “It is a quality my people call Dadirri - an inner deep listening, a quiet stillness and awareness.” 

The other part of Dadirri is waiting. Our culture tells us not to hurry things up; we let things follow their natural course, like watching the moon in each of its phases, or waiting for the rain to fill our rivers and waterholes and water our thirsty earth. We wait for bush foods to ripen and we wait for a long time when someone dies, owning our grief, allowing our hearts to heal slowly in the proper way. There is nothing more important than attending to the present moment.

This weekend signifies the beginning of Advent. From now, our whole school Assembly will take place in the Church and reflect upon each week of Advent. Everyone is welcome to attend these liturgies throughout this special time.

Monday 2nd Dec- 2:20 in church

Monday 9th - 9;00am in the church

Monday 16th - 2:20pm in the church

F-2 Sports day is tomorrow Friday the 29th of November (this was changed due to the change in the 1/2 excursion/sleepover date). The day will be held on the school turf. Students are to wear their house colours. The day will kick off with track events commencing at 9.15am. Students will have a break from 11-11.40am, then more activities will be held until roughly 1.15pm.

All families are welcome to attend and can enter via the turf gate on Burns Street. BYO chair if desired.

P & F meeting - There is a P&F meeting TOMORROW Friday at 9:15am at the Milo Cafe (118 High St). Getting involved as a P & F member gives parents an opportunity to take an active interest in our school as well as an avenue to meet other parents and form new connections. We would love to see more parent involvement so please come along, have a cuppa and meet our current members. All are welcome!

FAIR  Next Monday, is our student only school Fair. Thank you to all those families who have donated to this event. This is a no money Fair for children but we encourage them to bring a bag for any goodies they make or win.

The Fair is a casual clothes event BUT school hat is compulsory. 
Please remember to bring drink bottle, snacks and lunches as normal 

Transition We had the first of our Foundation transition mornings this week. The second visit will be next Wednesday. 

The whole school transition day will be Tuesday 10th December when all children will step up to their 2025 classes and they will learn who their classroom teacher and classmates will be. The Year 6 children will also be stepping up to their respective secondary schools on this day. 

End of Year graduation Mass On Wednesday 4th December, at 6pm all families are invited to gather and celebrate our end of year Mass and Y6 Graduation.

Children in F-Year 5 are to wear school uniform to this Mass and will sit in classes.

Year 6 children are allowed to wear casual clothes. 

2025 School Captains and House Leaders will be announced at this Mass.  

Celebration of Learning and Formal reports

To compliment the end of year formal reports we will be having a celebration of learning afternoon on, MONDAY 9th DEC from 2:30 - 4:00pm. All families are invited and welcome to visit their child/rens classroom to see the learning that has taken place over the Semester.

Class Structure for 2025
We welcome back Bethany Sardo and two new staff members, Bree Boyes and Andrea Schafer.
Foundation – Miss Isabella Thomson & Miss Rebecca Pickthall
Year 1/2 - Miss Adele Carey, Miss Samatha Palmer, Mrs Moira McNamara/Mrs Bethany Sardo
Year 3/4- Mr Euan Tait, Mrs Athina Johnson, Mrs Cait Upton,
Ms Trish Foran / Mrs Kate Balzan
Year 5/6– Mr Warren Berry, Mrs Mackenzie Shaw, Mrs Bree Boyes / Miss Emma Ryan
Physical Education – Miss Emma Ryan
Respectful Relationships & Earthcare - Mrs Christine Griffiths
Digital Technologies – Mr Tim Hawkins
Art - Mrs Andrea Schafer
Library Assistant- Mrs Gayle Firman
Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer - Mrs Anna Gardiner

EBT

Last week, all the Year 5 and 6 students participated in the Energy Breakthrough event held here in Maryborough. We had teams entered in Robotics, Pushcarts, Human Powered Vehicle and Tryathalon.

This is a very big event for us and special thanks goes to Miss Emma Ryan for all the coordinating pre and post the event, to all staff and parents involved and a huge congratulations to all the Year 5/6 children who represented St Augustine's in such a positive way and certainly doing us proud. 

It is a real testament to our school community the level of support that was evident during the event: from food/icey poles donations, time, gazebos, set up/take down, assisting with events and being a presence  watching and cheering the teams. We are truly blessed by our community. 

Congratulations to all our teams!

Robotics

Connor, Noah, Harley, Evie, Scarlett

Tryathlon- Angry Elmos Lily, Jack, Grace, Oliver, Noah, Daniel, Olivia, Liberty, Peyton, Parker and Gabriel.

Tryathlon- Savage Saints Stella, Angus, Hudson, Liam, Milla, Mia, Jalen, Harper, Larni, Henry

HPV- Kildare May Freddy, Rose, Ella, Baxter, Charlie, Annika, Evie, Maya, Will, Maddox, 
Olivia and Charlotte

HPV- Kildare Barbara Molly, Georgia, Sarah, Anaya, Brody, Alyshia, Jack, Judd, Duarte, Jakobi, Izayah

Pushcarts- Skyward Saints Caleb, Evie, Saylah, Patrick, Emerald, Tyson, Noah 

Pushcarts- 747 Saintas
Angus, Ollie, Poppy, Isabell, Taiya, Charleigh, Connor, Tyson

Pushcarts- High Flying Saints 
Jett, Alfie, Oscar, Isla, Hardy, Ava, Shakira

Many blessings,

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

Happy Birthday to...

        Oliver L- Year 3    Jalen R - Year 6   Spencer B - Year 3   

Gracie C - Year 4    Ella R - Year 2    William S - Year 6

BOOK CLUB

Bookclub issue 8 is available to view and order online through LOOP. Catalogues to were distributed last week.

Orders close Monday 2nd December so this is a quick turnaround to get orders in.

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.

HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR EBT SPONSORS FOR 2024!

2024 School Fees & Levies

Final payment of fees are due by the end of November 2024.  Please make contact with the school if you have any questions or concerns.   

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.

Lunch box ideas

SchoolTV

SchoolTV is a great resource for parents & caregivers.

See below link for articles on Positive Parenting and many more important issues. 

Ambulance Cover

Emergency medical transport services are not free and not covered by Medicare. Become a genuine Ambulance Victoria member and be protected against the cost of transport and treatment by paramedics.

If your child required an ambulance at school we would not hesitate to call for one before speaking with parents. Without ambulance membership it can be a very costly trip! If your not already covered please consider!

Bus Travel & Conveyance Allowance

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

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.

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

Medical Information

THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA INFORMATION

Grass pollen season brings an increase in asthma and hay fever. It also brings the chance of thunderstorm asthma. Thunderstorm asthma is thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high amounts of grass pollen in the air and a certain type of thunderstorm. For people who have asthma or hay fever this can trigger severe asthma symptoms. If you have current, past or undiagnosed asthma or seasonal hay fever you are at risk of thunderstorm asthma. Even if you don't think you have asthma or hay fever, don't ignore symptoms like wheezing or shortness of breath. Thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.Know the risks. Get prepared. Stay safe. Learn more at https://www.bhs.org.au/services-and-clinics/grampians-public-health-unit/thunderstorm-asthma/

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

We are discontinuing the lemon polo's due to the large delay in delivery times. We are out of stock of size 8 & 10 & 12 short sleeve polo's and are substituting for green polo's. Lemon polo's still available in all other sizes while stocks last.

Bucket Hats available from the uniform shop or school office for $12 each. Compulsory for Term 4, NO HAT NO PLAY!

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, $5 per item.

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

Note: There is no 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 between August & April.

HATS 

Recent changes to sun protection regulations have deemed the UV rays as a predictor for the wearing of sun protection, such as hats. In the past we have mandated hats in Term 1 and 4 however now in Victoria, UV levels typically reach 3 or higher daily from mid-August to the end of April.

Daily sun protection times are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology based on location. At levels above 3, sun protection is recommended for all skin types. No hat, no play! 

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE

If you call the office and the phone is unattended or busy, please leave a message. and we will get back to you ASAP. Alternatively please 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!

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.

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

8:45am  -  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.

Advanced dates for your diary

Term 4, 2024 Dates

Wednesday 4th December - Graduation Mass

Tuesday 10th December - Whole school transition day

Tuesday 17th December - Last day for students, 3.15pm finish

2025 DATES

Monday 27^th Jan - AUSTRALIA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY 

Tuesday 28th Jan - Staff day (Student free day)

Wednesday 29th Jan - Staff PD day - School Review (Student free day)

Thursday 30th Jan - ALL CHILDREN BEGIN CLASSES 

Wednesday 12th February - Structured literacy (Student Free day)

Monday 24^th – Wed 26th March - Year 5/6 camp

Monday 19^th – 21st May - Year 3/4 camp 

Thursday 24th April - Staff PD day - School Review (Student free day)

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

Community Notices