Newsletter Term 4, Week 6 2023
Thu 16 Nov - Bodyworks Y5 & 6 Parent Evening 6pm in library.
Dear Parents and Carers,
I trust this newsletter update finds you well.
Our first Foundation 2024 transition session took place last week, and it was a huge success! It was heart-warming to see our 2023 Foundation students showing their growth in confidence when they welcomed the new 2024 preps into their classroom.
The session provided a chance for all parents, whether new or not so new, to come together, connect, and get useful information to prepare for 2024.
We have a brilliant community of students at SMM and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2024.
We are delighted to report there continues to be healthy interest in enrolling new students across many year levels at SMM. As a result, we now have waiting lists for multiple year levels.
To ensure smooth planning for 2024, please inform us if your child(ren) will not be returning to SMM in 2024 by emailing me at: principal@smmspotswood.catholic.edu.au.
Our Year 3 and 4 students had an incredible time at camp. As they return this afternoon, we know they'll be tired but full of stories to share.
A heartfelt thank you the children for their positive participation at camp and to the dedicated teachers who supervised the children during their camp at Angelsea. On behalf of the entire SMM community, we extend our appreciation to Kerry Brown, Grant Tasca, Kate Flynn and Laura Barbalaco for their dedication and care.
Year 2 Parents please remember to sign up for your child’s Chrome book for 2024. We will take delivery of them soon and will configure them for school and with all the safety requirements.
Thank you to everyone, who has paid or is contributing to paying school fees. Please attend to any outstanding fees promptly or please make contact via the office to organise a payment plan.
In staffing news, I am delighted to announce our 2024 Specialist teachers: Emma McGuirk – art teacher, Chelsea Graham – will take P.E., Grant Tasca – AUSLAN and Narelle Monteleone– our new S.T.E.M. whiz connecting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths.
Farewell to Fiona Kilpatrick and Jo-Ann Buysen, our wonderful office duo; who were contracted for this year to cover an ongoing staff member on approved leave, returning in 2024. We will all miss their wit, wisdom and warmth!
Welcoming new talents Stacey Morris and Rebecca Palliser, experienced teachers from the UK, (profiles below) and introducing Genevieve Drew, our new finance manager. Welcome aboard, Genevieve, Rebecca and Stacey!
November brings with it a sense of excitement as the weather fines up and we enjoy consolidating our learning and friendships at SMM. It’s been great to see parent helpers in our dynamic school and thank you, one and all, for your supportive partnership.
Take Care,
Colleen McCambridge
Principal
Follow our socials for the latest learning posts from the classroom
St Margaret Mary’s students are independent life-long learners inspired by Gospel values and empowered with a sense of purpose and responsibility. They confidently engage with others and are equipped with skills to adapt to an ever changing world.
Each week, students who embody our values, apply the school mindsets to learning, work hard to improve or persevere to deliver on learning objectives are awarded a class award. The students who earned an award in the past weeks are:
Week 4
Week 5
3/4 Camp
The grade 3 and 4 students were very lucky with the weather as they headed down to Camp Wilkins in Anglesea. It looks like they had an amazing time and we can’t wait to hear all their stories when they return.
Welcome to School
It was lovely to see our future preps coming into St Margaret Mary’s to begin to find out what this “school” thing is all about. This was the first of 3 transition sessions and we can’t wait to have them begin next year.
5/6 Excursion to ACMI
This week our year 5 and 6 students went to ACMI to try out some green screen technology. The students will be extending their learning back at school using the same process to tell digital stories. Stay tuned!
Well Done Milla!
She did it again! This time Milla won her 100m sprint and long jump at the state level. St Margaret Mary’s Primary is so proud of you. Well done!
S is for Spending Special time together reading Stories
Reading books can be a powerful way to enhance your child’s literacy & social emotional skills. Everyone LOVES a great story but in terms of student wellbeing stories have a magical power to challenge, teach, comfort & guide.
Reading stories to children helps them to learn about the culture they live in & broadens their understanding of the wider world around them. Stories can expose them to new & unfamiliar worlds/experiences & most importantly, as some studies indicate, can support the development of empathy, tolerance, compassion & emotional awareness.
Social narratives, social scripts & story‐based interventions are visually represented stories or scripts that describe social situations & socially appropriate responses or behaviors. These are specially designed to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & provide benefits such as:
teaching social norms,
improving social skills,
learning to empathise & have compassion for others &
reducing anxiety.
It’s important that social stories are highly individualised to each child’s needs & used at point of need for individual children. Psychologists & speech pathologists can teach you how to write social stories for your child. These stories help children learn how to respond appropriately to daily situations or events that they may find challenging.
Refer to https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/social-stories for more information.
Reading stories engages us at a deeper level. We can become active participants as we begin to make connections to our own lives, backgrounds & experiences & reflect on similarities & differences between the characters or the situations described & our own circumstances. Stories enable us to engage in a vicarious practice where we can safely explore the feelings/emotions, problems, aspirations, disappointments or hopes of the characters.
The reader/listener is invited to step out of their own life for a moment & explore life situations or events from the character’s perspective & viewpoint. Readers/listeners can wonder what they would do in the same situation & how they might approach a similar problem or adopt a similar solution should it resonate with them.
Reading stories challenges us to view the world & ourselves differently. As people read/listen to stories they are continually encountering new information & ideas. Incorporating this new knowledge with their existing knowledge helps readers think more deeply, understand more perspectives, & gain understanding of experiences that they cannot/may not be directly experiencing.
Stories can be an avenue for demonstrating & exploring mindsets & strengths as characters draw on for example; courage, independence, resilience, risk taking, collaboration & cooperation with others, decision making & responsibility & accept the consequences of their actions.
A huge benefit of reading/listening to stories is to provide a source of hope. The reader/listener can come to realise that they are not alone, that others have had similar experiences or challenges & have discovered successful ways to navigate their difficulties. The reader often learns that a character can change, grow & learn about their personal capacities in times of challenge or develop alternative ways of coping.
Sometimes a character’s situation can expose children to the realisation that disappointment is sometimes a reality in life, that events that happen to us are not always in our control & that characters can draw on, model & utilise a variety of coping strategies.
At SMM teachers continually draw on high quality literature as an integral part of teaching literacy & social emotional learning. Stories can be sourced on a wide variety of topics to help readers & listeners be informed about & process issues that inevitably happen in life, e.g. friendships & relationships, health, big emotions such as anger, worry & anxiety, grief & loss, or as a way of introducing new & unfamiliar experiences, e.g. starting school
Teachers at SMM frequently advocate reading to or reading with your child. Reading together is an easy & effective way to promote mental health through:
spending quality time togther
making positive lasting memories of snuggling up to a significant person to spend time reading a book together
engaging in reading for pleasure to share humour & laughter & get a natural dopamine release (a feel good chemical from the brain that is strongly associated with reward, pleasure, motivation, mood & attention)
opening up discussion & providing an avenue for exploring values, opinions & alternative perspectives about the character’s handling of the situation or the merits of the decisions made
providing insight into a range of diverse characters & behaviours that may help to build tolerance by developing & widening the reader’s/listener’s perspective about how others experience the world.
Please work in partnership with us by spending quality time reading to or with your child as an easy & effective way to support literacy development & social emotional wellbeing.
Kath
What’s on at St Joseph’s by The Sea
A Day in the Garden with the SJBTS Team
Sunday 19 November 2023, time: 10:00am - 4:00pm
We welcome you to join us for a Day in the Garden. An event filled with blissful bites, fascinating concepts on sustainability, cosmology, wellness and beauty. Come enjoy...Wicking bed demonstrations, Garden Tours, Reflexology, Heartwarming refreshments at the Bee-Hive CAFE, children's activities, Sustainability Workshops with Anthony Verhoef, and so much more.
Sustainability in daily life workshops 10:30am & 2pm
Anthony Verhoef a Senior Engineer and Climate Reality Leader will be presenting.
Topics include:
Reduction of power usage
Time of Usage
Efficiency of appliances
Energy contract and rates
Solar Panels
Evening Information Session
Thursday 16 November 7.30pm – 9.00pm
Father Julian Tenison Woods and Eco-Spirituality
The topic will be presented by Maria Francalossi, with an introduction to the Explore ~ Embrace ~ Embody Laudato Si’ Action Plan 2022.
To register for this event please email us adminsjbtsw@sosj.org.au or fill out the registration form under the What’s on tab on our website. (Walk ins Welcome)
Donations are welcomed for this event.
Calling All Kind Hearts! Join Our Ministry of Welcome!
Feedback from our community consultations indicated a need to ensure that all people coming to Mass feel welcome.
We are seeking compassionate volunteers to join our Welcoming Ministry! Be a beacon of warmth and love, ensuring every parishioner feels embraced in our faith community. Share a friendly smile, offer guidance, and extend a helping hand as we open our hearts to those seeking solace and spiritual connection.
Please consider joining this important team - your role could include coming to Mass 15 minutes earlier and greeting people as they arrive. You might be able to assist every week, or less frequently.
Together, let's create a vibrant atmosphere of belonging and hospitality. Join us in spreading God's love and make a lasting impact on the lives of all our members.
If you are interested in becoming a part of our Ministry of Welcome please speak to us or contact us at the presbytery, or via StJosephVicPPC@gmail.com. Your presence matters!
Dates when Choir will sing at mass
Sacred Heart: Sunday 5/11
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 18/11
Sacred Heart: Sunday 3/12
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 16/12
School Fees
Chromebooks in 2024
Thank you to our current year 2 families that have ordered their Chromebooks for next year. If you have not ordered, please do so as soon as possible, to ensure delivery in December. Late orders will be delivered next year.
Emmanuel College News
It was wonderful to welcome our Year 7 2024 families at the Parent Information Night last Wednesday where we outlined what to expect with starting secondary school as well as important information such as booklist, uniform and transport details. Orientation Morning on Tuesday 28 November is another opportunity for new students to get to know each other, meet staff and find out which house they will be in next year.
Year 7 2025 Letters of Offer and waitlist notifications were emailed to families last Friday and Confirmation of Acceptance documentation is due back by Friday 10 November. For those families that received a waiting list letter, please know that if a place does arise during the remainder of this year and into next year, our Registrar will be in contact with you.
Our final experience opportunity of the year is the upcoming Twilight Talk and Tour at each campus as below:
Notre Dame Campus Wed 8 November at 6pm
St Paul’s Campus Tue 14 November at 6pm
Registration is available via the Tours and Events tab on the right-hand side of the homepage of the College website, www.ecmelb.catholic.edu.au.
We look forward to seeing you at the College soon.
Kind regards
Jenny Hendricks
Community Engagement Officer