Newsletter Term 4, Week 8 2024
Wednesday 11 December- End of Year Mass and Carols starting at 5.30pm
Wednesday 18 December- Last Day of Term 4- 1pm finish
Dear SMM Families,
As Term 4 races along, there’s a lovely blend of excitement and reflection in the air. Here’s what’s been happening and what’s coming up:
Year 5 Leadership Speeches
Big congratulations to our Year 5 students who delivered their leadership speeches this week. Eight children, aspiring to become school captains for 2025, spoke about how they would support students from all year levels and reflected on our values, and their gratitude and passion for our school community. We’re grateful this important decision involves input from the all students and teachers as they were all very strong candidates.
Applications for other leadership roles have also been submitted, and our teachers and leadership team are carefully reviewing them. We look forward to announcing our 2025 student leaders soon!
Refurbished Administration Area
Exciting news! Next week, we hope to receive the keys to our newly refurbished administration area so over the next fortnight, we’ll begin moving back into this space.
In the meantime, the school office will continue to operate from the hall foyer. To assist us during this transition, please:
Email rather than call for absences or queries.
If your child has an appointment, email both the office and their teacher in the morning please.
We thank you for your patience during this process and can’t wait to share the refreshed space with you soon. Plans are underway for Fr. Samuel to bless our new school entrance and we plan to give our school community an opportunity to do a “walk-through.” Depending on how the handover goes, this may have to wait until the new school year. A heartfelt thank you to all parents and guardians for your support during this vital upgrade—it will be wonderful to have an office that is safe and welcoming!
2024 and 2025 School Fee Information
We kindly remind those few families with outstanding school fees for 2024 that these are now overdue. If you require support or would like to discuss your situation, please don't hesitate to reach out to me confidentially at principal@smmspotswood.catholic.edu.au
The payment schedule for the 2025 Family and School Levy will be sent home on Monday. Please note that while the costs associated with education and school operations continue to rise, we have worked hard to minimise the increase in the financial contribution required from families at SMM
Foundation Transition
On Tuesday, we hosted our final Foundation Transition gathering for our new 2025 students. The new extension of our transition process to include Term 3 drop-in mornings was particularly helpful this year, giving our youngest learners time to grow in confidence and get to know one another and their new surroundings. We can’t wait to officially welcome them to our school community next year!
Important Information
We have less than three weeks of school. Please check the dates carefully for key events for your children and families.
NOTE:
SMM closes at 1pm on Wednesday 18th December. Camp Australia are open from 1pm on this day.
The whole school Christmas mass and carols night, Family picnic, Wednesday, December 11th from 5.30pm. Please check the dates carefully for key events for your children and families.
Soon we will ask you to book your child for a half-hour session for one of the first three days of Term 1 as explained below: Wednesday 29th January or Thursday 30th January or Friday 31st January: Student, Parent/Guardian & Teacher – Three-way chats and individual student testing.
THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF TERM 1 2025 will not be full class Teaching and Learning so you may need to plan ahead for your child’s supervision needs. Please fill in this Google survey so that I may share the level of interest for Camp Australia to operate their service all day to assist for working parents / guardians for these dates. Complete Survey Here.
Whole class Teaching and Learning begins on Monday February 3rd February with a before school coffee van and small pastries and cakes.
First Week of Advent: A Time to Hope
Next week marks the beginning of Advent, a time for us to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. As a Catholic community, we’ve already begun this journey with a beautiful paraliturgy led by Years 1 and 1/2 on Monday.
In the first week of Advent, we light the Candle of Hope, a reminder of God’s promise to send a Saviour. Hope calls us to trust in God’s love and His plans for us.
At home, you might like to light your own Advent candle and reflect on what gives you hope.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
Warm regards,
Colleen McCambridge
Principal
St Margaret Mary's Primary School
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. These awards will be handed out at our second week of Advent assembly on Monday the 2nd of December at 2.45pm in the hall.
The students who earned an award in the past weeks are:
Week 7
Week 8
Around the School
Seniors Surf Life Saving Excursion
Despite the chilly weather, our senior students braved the elements last week to participate in the Surf Lifesaving Water Safety program at Altona Beach. While the water was brisk, it didn’t dampen their enthusiasm as they gained valuable knowledge about staying safe at the beach. From recognizing potential dangers to understanding how to stay alert and avoid trouble in the water, our students demonstrated some great resilience to learn some essential skills.
Year 3 Board Game Design
Our Year 3 students have been busy unleashing their creativity and problem-solving skills as part of their Term 4 design unit. They've worked hard to design and create their very own board games, putting thought into every rule, piece, and detail. This Friday, the excitement reaches its peak as they finally get to play their games and share the fun with their classmates! 🎲✨
Teddy Bear Picnic
The preps had a fantastic time this week celebrating their annual Teddy Bear Picnic! The day was filled with teddy-themed fun, including reading delightful teddy bear books, sharing special stories about their favourite cuddly companions, introducing their teddies to their buddies, and enjoying a cozy picnic together. It was a heartwarming celebration of friendship, imagination, and a love for teddies!
Maths Puzzles
Try a couple of puzzles from the Maths Olympiad!
Answers down below.
Answers down below
Student Wellbeing & Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) at SMM
Student Wellbeing & Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) at SMM.
This is a great time of year to revisit The Children’s Wellbeing Continuum designed to support conversations about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
The continuum recognises that sometimes your child might be feeling good or coping, other times they might be struggling or feeling overwhelmed. It may involve one or more areas, such as their ability to:
● understand and manage their emotions, thoughts and behaviours,
● build social relationships
● sleep
● maintain their energy levels and stamina
● learn well, focus and engage
● follow routines, directions, rhythms and rituals. Routines, rhythms & rituals support children’s mental health and enable parents, students and teachers to achieve things, reduce stress levels and find time to have fun and connect
The Children’s Wellbeing Continuum, The Centre for Community Child Health (2022), The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and The Royal Children’s Hospital. https://doi.org/10.25374/MCRI.20619465
Mental health is how children think and feel about themselves and the world/their environment. This can change over time. The continuum can:
● provide a snapshot of a child's social-emotional wellbeing
● guide reflection on a child's wellbeing over the past four weeks
● help identify the well-being area of challenge
● normalise help-seeking and gaining support
● normalise that everyone goes through ups and downs in life
● facilitate the early detection of children who are struggling
● facilitate the support a child needs to succeed, learn and feel good about themselves.
● help distinguish when the problem might go beyond the level of the teacher’s expertise and require specialised personalised help from other professionals
We encourage you to use the continuum to discuss the different areas with your child(ren) and note things such as: sleeping, attention, following routines, stamina, energy levels, self-regulation, emotional regulation, resilience, fatigue levels, learning, self-talk, friendships, socialisation skills, levels of physical activity, diet, feelings etc. The list is endless, but it alerts us to the importance of these aspects of well-being and their impact on learning.
You can use the continuum to:
● check-in regularly with your child
● isolate the areas impacting their well-being so that targeted support and strategies can be put in place to help them manage, learn, socialise and cope better
● guide discussions with professionals
Children should mostly operate between ‘good’ and ‘coping’. If you discover that your child has been having difficulties or operating in the ‘struggling’ or ‘overwhelmed’ areas for more than a few weeks or the problem keeps resurfacing, it is a sign to take action and seek support. You can use the continuum to guide discussions with your child’s teacher, well-being staff, your GP, or other health professionals. Our staff may also use the continuum to discuss their observations with you.
This is a great tool to enable a partnership between parents and staff to support the child and meet their needs!
Thanks for working in partnership with us to support your children
Kath (Student Wellbeing Leader)
Trivia Night Success!
What an incredible night we had at our annual Trivia Night at the Spotswood Kingsville RSL! It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect as a community while raising funds for the FSG. Thanks to the amazing efforts of our FSG in securing sponsors and donations, along with the generosity of our families, we raised an impressive $5,000 this year—what an achievement! The competition was fierce, with the teachers taking the top prize by just one point. Congratulations to Rachael C., who walked away with the grand prize—a wheelbarrow full of goodies! She’s all set for a summer of fabulous parties. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making this night such a success, from our hardworking organizers to our fantastic sponsors and, of course, our supportive community. What a night to remember!
Chromebook Portal Closing for 2024
Below is important information for our Year 2 families regarding the Chromebook program, which will begin next year as the students move into Year 3. To receive your Chromebook this term, please order by Monday 2nd. All orders placed after this date will be delivered next year.
School Holiday Programs
VU School Holiday Sports Programs offer kids an excellent chance to learn new sports or enhance their existing skills while having a blast! This holidays, we’ll be hosting programs over two weeks in January, featuring sport-specific options as well as our popular Multi-Sport program. Join us from January 13th to 17th and January 20th to 24th. Check out the upcoming schedule and program details below!
Program dates!
Week 1
Monday 13th Jan - Multisport @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Tuesday 14th Jan - Basketball @ VU Community Stadium Whitten Oval
Wednesday 15th Jan - Dance @ VU Footscray Parking Building L
Thursday 16th Jan- Play, Swim & Craft @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Friday 17th Jan- AFL @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Week 2
Monday 20th Jan - Multisport @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Tuesday 21st Jan- Play, Swim & Craft @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Wednsesday 22nd Jan- Cricket @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Thursday 23rd Jan- Multisport @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
Friday 24th Jan- Soccer @ VU Footscray Park, Building L
AUSKICK Sign Up
Join the fun with Auskick 2025! Perfect for boys and girls aged 5-12, this 10-week program kicks off in May at Donald McLean Reserve, Spotswood. A great way to learn footy skills, make friends, and have a blast!
2025 Confirmation at St Patrick’s Cathedral
Next year, the Church celebrates a Jubilee year, marking a special occasion for our faith community. In honor of this, the Confirmation Mass for our Year 6 students will take place at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Bishop Martin Ashe will preside over this meaningful event, promising a memorable experience for all. The Mass is scheduled for May 9th at 6:30 pm. Please save the date and join us for this special celebration.
End of Year Mass and Christmas Concert
Save the Date! Our End-of-Year Mass and Christmas Concert will be held on Wednesday, December 11th, starting at 5.30 pm. Join us for our final Mass of the year, followed by a festive picnic on the grass with each class performing Christmas songs. It’s a special evening to celebrate together—don’t miss it!
Emmanuel College News
The Emmanuel College is exceptionally proud of all students who have demonstrated their servant leadership by pursuing formal leadership roles in 2025. The College congratulates all of those students who secured positions and looks forward to their positive influence over the direction of the College in 2025. They are remarkable young people who understand the value of leadership and the role they can play in shaping the future.
Our College Captains for 2025, Juliana Giango and Karen Steptoe at Notre Dame Campus and Jesse Longaretti-Schreppel at St Paul’s Campus had the following to say about the year ahead:
“We are delighted to have been elected as the College Captains for 2025 and see this opportunity to serve the community as a great privilege for us. Leadership is more than a badge, it is setting the right example, even when no-one is looking, it is listening and acting with compassion and care and it is understanding the needs of the many as well as the individual. As we continue to build on the incredible work of those student leaders who have gone before us, we look forward to representing all students in important College matters and look forward to working with College Leadership in 2025.”
Last Thursday, we celebrated academic achievements and personal bests at the Celebration of Excellence held at Flemington Racecourse where we enjoyed hearing from Keynote Speaker Melissa Barbieri, former Olympian and Australian Matildas Representative and Captain. Melissa spoke of overcoming adversity and achieving amazing things.
Congratulations to all students who received awards on the night and to student Marianist Award recipients: Matthew Koropeckyj, Kadin Harvey, and Ella Rule for their excellent commitment to life at the College over the past six years in both formal and informal leadership roles.
Congratulations to the staff Marianist Award recipients: Ms. Bec Chester, Pastoral Leader of Year 7 and 8 at Notre Dame Campus, and Mr. Daniel Velardo, Director of Sport at St Paul’s Campus.
Year 7 2025 Orientation Morning – Tuesday 3 December 2024
We are looking forward to welcoming Year 7 2025 students at Orientation Morning, which is being held at each campus on Tuesday, 3 December 2024. This is an exciting day for everyone, where students find out which House and Home Rooms they are in, meet staff, and get to know their new school a little more. If your child is joining Emmanuel College in Year 7 2025 and you haven’t already seen the details by email, please contact me at jhendricks@ecmelb.catholic.edu.au so that I can resend it to you.
Yours sincerely,
Jenny Hendricks
Community Engagement Officer
jhendricks@ecmelb.catholic.edu.au
Yours sincerely,
Jenny Hendricks
Community Engagement Officer
Maths Puzzle Answers
Autumn Leaves
Layla is collecting autumn leaves:
Day 1: 3 leaves
Day 2: 6 leaves
Day 3: 9 leaves
If this pattern continues, how many leaves will she collect on Day 8?
The pattern increases by 3 leaves each day. The number of leaves collected on Day nn is:
Leaves on Day n=3×nLeaves on Day n=3×n
For Day 8:
3×8=24 leaves3×8=24leaves
Answer: 24 leaves
Block Pattern
Answer: 13 triangles