School Newsletter Term 1, Week 8, 20th March 2025

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

Well done to our Year 3's & 5's for completing their NAPLAN assessments over the past fortnight. NAPLAN gives us a glimpse of how our students are tracking in literacy and numeracy and helps direct what areas need more focus in our teaching.

Our Year 3-6's participated in the athletics day last Monday. It was great to see our STAR behaviour and students enjoying themselves at the events. Thanks to all our parent helpers and congratulations to those students who will continue on to the next stage. Athletics results will be celebrated at tomorrows assembly at 2.30pm in the gym. This will be our last assembly of the term. 

We will be looking for STAR behaviour regarding uniform. We take pride in wearing the correct uniform at St Augustine's. Sports uniform is only for sports days. Correct black shoes and white or grey socks, no logo's. No jewellery except stud earrings for safety purposes. This is a great opportunity to put the responsibility of uniform back on your child/ren and encourage them to be STARs in our school. Teachers will be looking for STAR students over the last two weeks of term.

Concussion information - Given the requirement to rest, recover and adapt activities it is important schools are made aware when a student receives a concussion outside of the school setting. This is particularly important as we  are heading into the AFL season.

Concussion – Important information to be aware of

If your child has experienced concussion outside of the school setting it is important that they rest for a period of 24 to 48 hours and then gradually return to activities after this time. Returning to school can be a graduated approach with the aim of increasing tolerance to a full day, the same situation could occur with sporting activities. 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 school; this is to ensure the school can monitor your child’s wellbeing and adapt activities as 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/

This week we acknowledged and celebrated Harmony Week. We will have an 'out of uniform day' tomorrow, Friday 21st March. 

Students are invited to wear clothing that represents one or more of the following:
- Their culture
- A touch of orange (the official colour of Harmony Week)
- A message of harmony, such as a tshirt with a positive message (e.g. "Be Kind") or a sports/club shirt that 

symbolises inclusiveness.

Easter Cadbury Fundraiser - We still have some boxes to sell so if you can take another box please contact the school office. All money is due before the end of term. 

Term 1 Holidays Advanced Notice - Please note the Term 1 holidays from 5th April to 28th April is a 3 week break for students. Staff will be involved in Professional Development and the school review in the third week. 

This week marks the second Sunday of Lent. Lent is a time we are given each year to pause from the confusion of life and to reexamine the road we are on.   

Let us pray

"Almighty God, we give thanks for your presence in our lives, especially during this Lenten season, a time of reflection and renewal. Help us to see your light in the ordinary moments of our lives, and grant us the strength to follow your path with courage and humility." Amen

Many blessings,

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

FOUNDATION SPEECH SCREENING

Happy Birthday to...

Elijah R - Year 5      Maya M - Year 5      Sassy M - Foundation    William B - Year 1        

     Reef H  - Year 4     Laker H - Year 4      Graidy S - Year 4      Mac M - Year 4  

Harmony week

Celebrating Harmony Week

This week marks the start of Harmony Week, a celebration of Australia's cultural 

diversity and a reminder that we are all united by our shared values of inclusiveness, respect, and belonging. The theme for this year’s Harmony Week is 

'Everyone Belongs'.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we hosted lunchtime colouring and craft activities promoting inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

Friday, March 21st will be an Out of Uniform Day celebrating Harmony Day.
Students are invited to wear clothing that represents one or more of the following:
- Their culture
- A touch of orange (the official colour of Harmony Week)
- A message of harmony, such as a tshirt with a positive message (e.g. "Be Kind") or a sports/club shirt that 

symbolises inclusiveness.

Our Catholic Identity School Improvement Team will also send home an invitation this week, for a special activity 

to complete at home, celebrating the diverse cultures that make up our school community.

From the Catholic Identity School Improvement Team 

Harmony Week celebrates Australia as one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. Here at St Augustines, we invite families to share with us the rich and diverse cultures that you bring to our school community. 

This week a template will be sent home and as a family we invite you to share the traditional food, celebrations and language that represents your family culture through words and pictures.

The completed template can be handed to teachers before the Celebration of Learning on Monday 31st March. Extra templates will be available at the Celebration of Learning if you wish to complete it at this time. 

Joining together as a display, these figures will represent each family and the diverse cultures that add to the rich fabric of St Augustine’s Primary School.

We look forward to learning about the many wonderful families and cultures that belong to St Augustine’s Primary School. 

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.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WEEK 6-8 STARS! WELL DONE!

Parents & Friends News

Our next meeting is tomorrow, Friday March 21 at 9am in the Marian Centre. All are welcome!

BOOK CLUB

Orders close TOMORROW Friday 21st March.

2025 School Fees & Levies

2025 School Fees & Levies - below is the 2025 School Fees & Levies information.

It is an expectation that all Resource fees are paid by the end of February 2025. The Resource Fee covers all your childs books, stationary, digital licenses and classroom supplies.

Camp fees are to be paid prior to students attending the camp. 5/6 Camp is the 24-26th March and the 3/4 Camp is 19-21 May. All other fees are to be finalised by the end of November each year. 

Valid concession card holders will be eligible for the government Camp Sports Excursion Fund (CSEF), Family Fee Assistance and the School Saving Bonus. Forms are available for new claimants.  Existing claimants with no changes from 2024 will not need to complete a new CSEF form, applications will be automatic. All credits will be applied to fee accounts by early Term 2.  

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 reliable resource for parents & caregivers.

See below link for articles on cultural diversity and many more important issues.

New articles released regularly. 

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 Leach, at the Maryborough Education Centre on 5461 7900 or via email to Heather.Leach2@education.vic.gov.au. 

A PTV form must be completed and approved prior to any bus travel.

For one off or seasonal travel, parents of the student/s must organise a bus pass through MEC at least two days prior to travel. Students cannot travel on the country buses without a pass.

The town bus is currently full so no additional travellers are being accepted. The town bus 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 Leach at MEC, Heather.Leach2@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

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

Uniforms will continue to be filled weekly and sent home with your child/ren.

We have discontined the lemon polo's due to the large delay in delivery times. We are out of stock of short sleeved lemon polo's in most sizes now. Long sleeve lemon polos are still available in some sizes while stocks last. Send a dojo to Amber is you would like to purchase.

Bucket Hats available from the uniform shop or school office for $12 each. Compulsory for Term 1 - 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! 

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 2025 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

2025 DATES

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

Friday 4th April - Last day of Term 1, 2.30pm finish

Tuesday 22nd April - School Closure Days - Staff PD collaboration

Wednesday 23rd April - School Closure Days - Staff PD collaboration

Thursday 24th April - School Closure Day - School Review

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

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

Community Notices