Newsletter Term 3, Week 7 2023
Saturday 26 Aug - First Eucharist Mass
Friday 1st Sep- Father's Day Brekky (date changed)
Saturday 2nd September, Trivia Night Spotswood Kingsville RSL
Hello Parents and Carers,
We certainly have enjoyed a green and gold kind of fortnight! What a positive influence the Matilda’s have had by showcasing the magic of “yet…” growth mindset, coupled with demonstrating the possibilities grit and dedication can afford us.
The powerful lessons the Tillys also revealed were their: grace in defeat, unwavering resilience when faced with injury and disappointment, and their genuine expressions of gratitude for their participation in the World Cup. A great source of learning for ourseloves and our children on so many levels.
Please remember our main fundraising event is the Saturday after next. Please come along to join in the fun on our Trivia night. Be sure to bring family and friends and reach out to contacts who can support SMM through donations of prizes.
Please follow up on any outstanding school fees which are due by the end of this term. In the busyness of life sometimes these commitments can be put on the backburner. Some families have not paid for previous years’ fees and this is challenging for our small school. Please make an appointment to see me (Colleen) or contact the office to organise a payment plan should this be of assistance. As a working parent, I found this “set and forget” arrangement helpful to ensure support for my own boy’s education and school.
Congratulations Tomas, Chris, Milla, and Xavier who received their First Holy Communion last Saturday night. Our church was filled with proud parents, families, our fabulous choir, teachers, and friendly faces from the parish who offered prayers and support for our first Communicants. Thank you to Fr. Binh, our choir, year 4 teachers Kerry Brown and Grant Tasca and the many SMM teachers who celebrated Mass with the children on Saturday night. We will have more children receiving their first communion this Saturday night, 5.30 mass at SMM church so please come along to support and celebrate with them.
After Saturday night’s Mass at St. Margaret Mary’s, we enjoyed a delicious spread of treats. It was lovely to see parishioners and visitors connecting over a cuppa and treats, making new connections and strengthening existing ones. Please come along to our next "Welcome Cuppa" after Mass on Sunday 3rd September at Sacred Heart Newport. Please consider joining our St. Joseph’s parish welcome team or to join the roster to lead the children’s liturgy group (during mass). Please contact myself or Fr. Binh if you would like to help.
Book Week 2023 has been a huge success! The event was launched on Monday with the fabulous guest author Ailsa Wilde. We have acquired four of her popular new children’s books for our library. Alisa engaged with our F – 6 children for a fun day to foster in our students a desire to: read, grow and inspire. Thank you to our library volunteer Tilly Stoove for organising this special event.
Tuesday morning, we enjoyed our entertaining book parade featuring creative costumes, playful Dalmatians, bumbling dog nappers and a not-so-pleasant woman in a dog fur cape. Thank you also to our senior student leaders who celebrated Book Week by reading the 2023 shortlisted picture story books each day to the whole school.
We appreciate the commitment of our existing volunteers made up of parents and friends of SMM. This year, your support has been instrumental in various school activities, including library enhancement, Mother's and Father's Day celebrations and gift initiatives, student choir, library organisation, and preparation of and engagement in events like Grandparent's Day, school excursions, book fairs, and gardening with junior school students.
We are thrilled to offer more opportunities for parent involvement, reinforcing positive school-home relationships whilst prioritising child safety through parent induction, working with children certificates, and adherence to our parental code of conduct. Please see the post below for more opportunities to come in and help in our school.
Since the start of this year, I have continued the work of SMM’s previous principal Andrea Richards by working closely with architects Harrison and White, as well as our school governance team MACS, to address the necessary rebuild of our Administration block. This initiative has been prompted by foundational failure of the North wall and our commitment to enhancing accessibility to our school. Starting next year, this project marks a positive improvement initiative. I've sought financial assistance from MACS to assist in supplementing the community’s levy payments for the loan required for this project’s success. I have not at this stage heard if the funding grant application has been successful.
In addition to this, I wish to inform our community of a Stage 2 Master plan redraft that is currently being undertaken to plan for student centred facility improvements. This second stage project is in response to 2023 F-6 growth in enrolments and a waiting list for Foundation 2024. The vision underpinning this plan is committed to preserving our close-knit school culture, playing space, whilst considering urgently needed refurbishments and conservative expansion of our student facilities. Please join us for the SMM Master Plan Parents and Community Consultation session with Harrison & White Architects on September 12th, 3:30 PM in the school library. This new blueprint encompasses vital student focussed improvements such as; new student toilets accessible from within the school, revitalised existing learning spaces, the incorporation of an elevator, and the creation of new, urgently needed learning spaces. The prompt creation of this master plan is in response to the recent announcement that the next State Government school imporvement Grant is the last one for the next four years. It is known as a “super grant” round and thus it is essential that we provide a robust application that advocates for our children. Your input is welcome, as we continue to enhance the future of St. Margaret Mary's.
Please record in your diary key school events and dates for the remainder of 2023 included in this newsletter. Please note the dates and times of the last day of Term 3 and Term 4. There are some fun social events planned for the children and families in Term 4. The year is flying past!
Stay warm, and 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 6
Week 7
Book Week Celebrations
Book Week 2023 has been a lot of fun. We have had our school captains reading books throughout the week, Children’s Author Alisa Wild visiting, a range of in class activies and the annual Book Week Parade.
Congratulations First Eucharist Students
Last Saturday evening four of our students celebrated their first Eucharist. It was a very special time in their lives and one we are blessed to share together. The final First Eucharist mass will be held this Saturday evening at 5.30 in our church. We hope to see you there.
Children’s Liturgy
We are looking for anyone interested in being a part of the Children's Liturgy during 10.00am Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart's Church. This would involve being on a roster beginning in Term 4 . If you are interested in finding out further details please contact the Parish office in Newport or email Kerry Brown our Religious Education Leader at the following address. kbrown@smmspotswood.catholic.edu.au
We look forward to hearing from you.
Dates when Choir will sing at mass
Sacred Heart: Sunday 3/9
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 16/9
Sacred Heart: Sunday 1/10
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 14/10
Sacred Heart: Sunday 5/11
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 18/11
Sacred Heart: Sunday 3/12
St Margaret Mary's: Saturday 16/12
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!
Year 6’s Save the Date!
School Fees
MACS School Improvement Survey
The MACS School Improvement Survey is open from the 28th of August until the 15th of September. This very important survey will help shape the school for the future. Each family will recieve an email shortly with your unique pin code, which will allow you to complete the survey.
Chromebooks in 2024
In 2024, St Margaret Mary’s will be making some changes to it’s BYO program. Current year 2’s will not be required to purchase an ipad, but instead will use a Chromebook.
Our ordering portal is now live and you are able to make purchases for Chromebooks in 2024. Please note, once ordered, devices will be shipped in buk early December. Parents will be notified and devices can be picked up at the office.
Trivia Night Donations Needed
The trivia night is our school’s major fundraising event for the year. We need your help to make it a huge success. See the information below about how you can book tickets and help out through donations. Tickets are on sale NOW!
LAST CALL FOR DONATIONS!!
Footy Tipping
We are down to the final week tipsters. Who will take out the crown of the best tipper of 2023. There was some movement over the last couple of weeks and we can see a new top 3 tippers. Can they hold on or will there be a shake up? With the upsets we are seeing at the moment it could be anyone’s game!
1st Prize $200 Cash!
2nd $100 Bunnings Voucher
3rd $50 Cash
Please note this tipping comp finishes at the end of the regular season and does not include finals. Contact the office to collect your prizes.
$25 to join and prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd to be announced soon.
Payments made via school FSG bank account. Please use your footy tipping alias as a reference.
Account SMM FSG
BSB: 083 347
Acc: 365426557
You can also send in $25 in an envelope, labelled with your alias and titled "2023 footy tipping"
Best of Luck!
Healthy Fundraising Opportunity
This month, if you sign up for the gym, $100 will be donated back to the school. Click the link below for more details.
Emmanuel College News
Cultural Week at Emmanuel is a time to celebrate the diversity and cultural backgrounds of our College community. Students and staff travelled to Pichi Pichi in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, where they participated in indigenous immersion experiences. It has been fascinating to hear them share stories and their experiences and the wisdom gained whilst interacting with the Dusty Feet Mob.
This week sees several students and staff excitedly heading off to Music Camp. This is a wonderful opportunity for students studying music, to enjoy each other’s company in a beautiful setting at Fern Gully Lodge in Healesville.
We welcome back another group of students and staff who were fortunate to attend world Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal last week. Activities including meeting the Pope, going to Assisi and other amazing opportunities made this a one in a life-time experience for all who went. Not only did they meet great people and see wonderful things, but it was a meaningful connection to their personal faith.
As a community we congratulate the Matilda’s on their journey so far in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. We are hoping to encourage the next generation of superstars through involvement in the Liverpool
International Academy held at the College, commencing this Saturday 19 August with the ‘Come and Try’ session at Notre Dame Campus. Registration is required for this free 30-minute session, via the link on the flyer attached.
Year 7 2025 Applications close this Friday 18 August 2023
If you have a child in Grade 5, applications for Year 7 2025 close this Friday 18 August 2023. Even if your older child is already at the College or joining us in Year 7 2024, it is a requirement for an application to be submitted for students entering Year 7 in 2025. A Prospectus Pack containing an application form can be obtained by:
Following this link to the College website: Request a Prospectus here
Sending an email to enrolments@ecmelb.catholic.edu.au
Calling our College Registrar, Ms Donna Grech on 8325 5119
Coming into either Campus Office between 8am and 4:15pm on weekdays.
If you have any application enquiries, please contact Ms Donna Grech, College Registrar on 8325 5119.
Yours sincerely
Best wishes,
Jenny Hendricks
Community Engagement Officer
