Newsletter - 30th August 2023
In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land in which we sit, the Wadawurrung people, who have cared for this country for thousands of years. We would like to pay our respects to the Aboriginal Elders past, present and future for they hold the traditions, memories and wisdom of Mother Earth on which we place our feet upon today.
Upcoming Dates
30th August: Bush Dance at the Bungaree Community Centre, 6:00-8:00pm
1st September: Father's Day Breakfast and Liturgy, 7:45am at St Mary's; CSD at St Mary's
3rd September: Father's Day
5th September: Athletics Day for selected senior children at Llanberris Reserve
8th September: CSD at St Mary's
12th September: CSD at St Mary's; Years 4, 5 and 6 Sports Day with St. Michael’s at Daylesford
13th September: Footy Day; 9:00am Combined Assembly - all welcome to attend
14th September: Last Day of Term 3 for students
15th September: Pupil-free day
2nd October: 1st Day of Term 4
Principal's News
Bush Dance
Tonight we will be having our Bush Dance and we strongly encourage everyone to come along. Extended families are also welcome to attend. This is always a fabulous community event and will be one of the last main times we come together as one. I understand life is busy, however, I ask that you prioritise this for a few hours. We will begin at 6pm and go through to 8pm with supper included. Please bring a plate to share.
Father's Day
On Sunday we take the time to recognise all of the special men in our lives and show them how much we love and appreciate them.
This Friday we will join together at St. Mary’s to celebrate Father’s Day with a breakfast, Liturgy and task that all can be involved in. Breakfast will be ready at 7.45am and we should be finished by around 9am. All Dads, Grandfathers and special men or women are invited to come along. Please ensure all numbers are in by 3.30pm today.
End of Year Dates
As we move to the latter weeks of Term 3 and approach Spring, I wanted to confirm some important dates for our school community so that you can plan ahead as needed.
For St. Mary’s, the final day for children is Friday, the 15th of December and staff will finish on Monday, the 18th of December.
At St. Brendan’s, children will finish school on Thursday, the 14th of December and Friday will be a day for staff to pack up and clean up the school as much as possible. Staff will also finish on the Monday.
Daylesford Sports Day – Additional Combined Schools' Day
On Tuesday, the 12th of September, our Year 4–6 children will be going to Daylesford to join with the St. Michaels’ students to play a number of sports. In order to make it easier for transport and staffing, we will make this day a Combined Schools' Day, instead of Friday which is a pupil-free day. We would be at St. Mary’s so swapping Friday to the Tuesday of the same week.
Wednesday will remain the same with everyone at St. Brendan’s.
A permission note will go out today and be on PAM ready to be approved.
Please contact me if this is difficult to manage or if you require assistance with transport. It is in the calendar and you will be sent a reminder the day before.
Assemblies and Footy Day
On Wednesday, the 13th of September, there will be a combined assembly at 9am at St. Brendan’s. Please come and join us and remember to wear your footy colours on that day.
It is a different day and time than usual with the plan that maybe some parents that find it hard to attend the usual drop off time, may be able to attend.
Anita
Our thoughts are with Anita as she rests at home after surgery on her foot. Anita will be out of action for the rest of the term. Take care, Anita and keep that foot up!!
Thank you to Claire for getting the newsletter done and getting permission notes out.
Athletics for children going through to next level
Next Tuesday, 5th September, a number of our senior children from both schools will be participating in various sports at Llanberris. These children qualified to move onto this event at our sports day in April this year. Good luck to all of our participants. We are very proud of what you have already achieved and know that you will represent our schools well.
Parents will be responsible for getting the children to and from their events. Please contact me if you require some support with this.
Congratulations!
Last Sunday, Bishop Paul Bird celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation during Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat.
Congratulations to Vanessa who was part of this special celebration. Vanessa is pictured here with Bishop Paul and her sister, Hannah.
Safety on our roads
This is just a reminder that we all need to be extra careful on our country roads when dropping off and picking up our children. It's important to remember that on Combined Schools' Days the traffic is doubled.
The roads around our schools are not in the best condition. They are narrow and have lots of pot holes due to the bad weather. Winter is especially a tricky time as roads are wet and slippery. Please take extra care and be mindful that school zone limits are in place around our schools.
We want everyone to arrive at their destinations safely and we need to be mindful of each other as we travel to and from school. Our families' safety is very important to us.
Take care and stay safe,
Inez
News from the Junior Room
INQUIRY
This week we finally started to put some colour on our cow. Each student did a design for the cow and then voted on the one they would like to see done. Ahlia and Oscar’s were the most popular with a touch of design from Adele and Felicity too. Lucy and Aiden have enjoyed colouring in the splotches with a black sharpie so far.
MATHS
In maths we have been looking at 3 dimensional shapes and their properties. We made 3D shapes from spaghetti (raw pasta) and marshmallows. It was lots of fun!
Aiden: Did you know that a cube has 12 edges, 8 vertices and 6 faces. A dice is shaped like a cube.
Lucy: Did you know a sphere has 0 edges, 0 vertices and 0 faces. Asoccer ball is shaped like a sphere.
LITERACY
Lucy and Aiden both loved celebrating Book Week last week. Each day in class they listened to one of the shortlisted books and completed activities to go with each book.
Aiden’s favourite book was ‘Where the Lyrebird Lives’ written by Vikki Conley and illustrated by Max Hamilton.
Lucy’s favourite book was ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ by Zeno Sworder.
LUCY’S WEEKEND
On the weekend I helped Mum paint the fence and the gate. It was messy. Jim got it in his hair. The colour was a grey colour. We had to wear gloves. It was fun. I was the only kid to paint the fence because I didn’t get a turn when the other kids got a turn.
COLOUR POEMS
After reading the book Frank’s Red Hat and discussing the 5 senses, the students wrote a poem about a colour. Majella and Clare think Lucy and Aiden have done an amazing job with their writing!
PINK by Lucy Ryan
Pink sounds like ballet shoes going tap tap tap on the dance floor.
Pink smells like opening a fresh bag of musk sticks.
Pink tastes like sweet yummy strawberry donuts.
Pink feels like a fluffy oodie that keeps you warm.
Pink looks like fluffy tutus swirling everywhere.
RED By Aiden Sarra
Red looks like a stop sign at a corner.
Red feels like a brand new footy.
Red tastes like a strawberry.
Red smells like raspberry drops freshly made at Sovereign Hill.
Red sounds like cars braking at red traffic lights.
Senior Room Update
The seniors have been working on measurement this term. Learning how to calculate the area and perimeter of various shapes. They are currently working on a big project that will be revealed at the end of the term but as a practice they were tasked with designing a backyard. They had to include a certain number of features and supply the landscapes with all the necessary requirements. Here are some of the final designs.
Dean Kite Festival
Damascus College - Open Sessions
ATTENTION GRADE 5 2023 STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
If you are interested in learning more about Damascus College and have a child in Grade 5, then don’t miss the opportunity to attend the upcoming Open Night and Open Morning events at Damascus College.
Open Night – 3 sessions
Tuesday, 17 October, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm
The Open Night is a great way for prospective parents, guardians and students to learn more about Damascus College. Families with children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Attendees will participate in an information session and guided campus tour, where students and staff will be situated around campus with displays and demonstrations showcasing Damascus facilities and offerings.
Open Morning
Thursday, 5 & 19 October, 9am – 10.30am
Open Morning provides an opportunity for prospective families to take a guided tour of the College led by current students and is an opportunity to experience Damascus during school hours. Open Mornings commence at 9am and conclude at 10.30am.
REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE BY USING THE LINK BELOW:
School Holiday Program - Cricket
Renegades School Holiday Programs are back again this September! As we move into the season, this is a chance for girls and boys to get their cricket fix early, starting this holiday period.
MELBOURNE RENEGADES SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMPS - AGES 7-10
Where: St Patrick's College - Ballarat
When: Thursday, 21st September 2023
Time: 9.00am - 3.00pm
Designed for Junior Graders, aged 7-10 years old, this one-day camp will feature fun, fully supervised cricket activities, games, giveaways and more! Places are strictly limited at each camp. Please note that we do not operate waiting lists for these events - it is first in, best dressed until the camp is sold out!
For other locations throughout Victoria: https://www.melbournerenegades.com.au/holidayprograms
Participants will need to bring their own food & drinks to the camp. Note that no nut products are permitted to be brought to the camp. There will be a fully supervised lunch break on the day.
***Parents/guardians do not have to stay for the entire day. Any Renegades player appearances are subject to availability***
