Newsletter - 14th May 2025

Acknowledgement of Country

We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wadawurrung people.  It is a privilege to be standing on Wadawurrung country.  

We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.  We acknowledge the contributions of Indigenous Peoples from the past, present and future who contribute to this country in which we live.  

May Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians continue to work together to educate, unite and live in peace on this land we call home, Australia.

Upcoming Events

15th May:  Wathaurung Sports Day at Llanberris Athletics Reserve; Clare at Principals' Meeting in Horsham

16th May:  Excursion to Loreto College for Musical Performance;  Clare at Principals' Meeting in Horsham

19th May:  Golf session, 2:25pm-3:10pm

20th May:  Little Feet, Big Footprints Session for Year 6 Students at St Patrick's Gordon

22nd May:  Lunch orders due in

23rd May:  Parents and Friends Meeting, 2:30pm, afternoon tea to follow

24th May:  Sacrament of Confirmation at St Peter's Clarkes Hill, 6:30pm

26th May:  National Reconciliation Week commences.  National Sorry Day. Lunch orders delivered

27th May:  St Mary's Feast Day - Celebrating the Harvest

30th May:  School closure day as staff gather for Professional Development in Literacy

3rd June:  Wallace Kinder visit

9th June:  King's Birthday Public Holiday

19th June:  Lunch orders due in

22nd June:  Lunch orders delivered

2nd-4th July:  Yeas 3-6 Urban Camp, Melbourne

4th July:  End of Term 2

Prayer

Messages from the Principal

WELCOME POPE LEO

Our school community joins Catholics around the world in welcoming Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV is the first American and the first Augustinian to become pope, bringing with him decades of experience as a missionary, teacher, and church leader in both the United States and Peru.

In his first address, he called for all people to “walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us,” emphasising the importance of togetherness and service.

We celebrate this historic moment and look forward to the hope and inspiration Pope Leo XIV brings to the Church and the world. Welcome, Pope Leo XIV!

WELCOME TO THE WALLIS FAMILY

We are delighted to welcome the Wallis family, who this week joined the St Mary’s school community. It is always a joy to see new faces and families become part of our vibrant and caring school. Joining us this term are Jemima (Year 3), Edward (Year 2) and Rupert (Year 1). Alongside them, we are pleased to welcome their parents, Megan and Simon and Hugo (Kindergarten). We hope you enjoy your new classrooms, make wonderful friends, and discover new interests and talents at St Mary’s. Your teachers and classmates are excited to get to know you and support you on your learning journey.

WELCOME FR SHAIJU

Last weekend we welcomed Fr Shaiju Mathew as CoPastor with Fr Justin of our Ministry District parishes of Ballarat East, Bungaree and Gordon. Fr Shaiju is one of four priests of the Missionary Society of St Thomas the Apostle from Kerala, India who are serving in the Diocese of Ballarat. He arrived in Ballarat in March 2020 as COVID lockdowns commenced and served in the Cathedral parish before being appointed to Mildura and the Sunraysia parishes.  In 2023 he was appointed Administrator of the parishes of Ouyen and Robinvale. Welcome Fr Shaiju!

MOTHERS DAY

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our liturgy and afternoon tea on Friday. It was truly a wonderful celebration! We also extend our gratitude to the staff for all their hard work and preparation, which made the event such a great success.

SPORTS DAY

Tomorrow will be our annual Sports Day at Llanberris.  A few notes to help you on the day 

• Students are dropped off at Llanberris between 8.45 and 9am. (Parents are welcome to stay).  Look for the St Mary’s banner.
• All students will compete in shot put, long jump, vortex/javelin, discus, 200m, 80m/100m sprint. The juniors also have a bean bag toss and the seniors have a triple jump.
• Juniors finish their events at 1.30pm and may go home then.  Please let Louise know when you are taking your child home.
• Seniors finish their events at 2.30pm. All remaining students need to be collected then.  
  
• The canteen will be open. Students are not allowed near the canteen area. A parent may purchase something for their child though. 
• Please make sure your child has lunch and snacks to eat on the day as they tend to eat between events.
• It does get windy at Llanberris, a coat would be highly recommended!

SCHOOL UNIFORM

We have been very lucky with the weather so far this term. As the cooler weather begins to settle in, a reminder that full winter uniform will be required from next Monday 19th May.  Uniform items are available for purchase from Beleza. Thank you for helping our students stay warm, comfortable, and looking their best! A reminder that Sports uniform is only to be worn on Monday and Friday each week. 

Winter Uniform:   St Mary’s Clarkes Hill checked tunic and black tights, melange grey pants, long sleeve gold polo shirt with school logo, St Mary’s Clarkes Hill woollen jumper with school logo, black shoes, grey socks, green coat with school logo.

FOUNDATION ENROLMENTS FOR 2026

We currently have 2 enrolments for Foundation next year which is exciting. If you know of anyone who might have a child in kinder this year, please let them know about our wonderful school.  I would be happy to have a phone conversation with them and then invite them in for a tour of our school.

SCHOLARSHIPS

We are currently offering a $500 scholarship to any new students in their first year at St Mary’s. If you know of anyone, please let them know this and please continue to LIKE and SHARE our Social Media posts.

PARENT RESOURCES

In week 1 of this term, a parent information session was presented by Inform and Empower titled Raising Kids in a Digital World.  If you couldn’t make the session, I highly recommend taking the time to watch the replay which has been shared with us. 

www.informandempower.com.au/schools-webinars/creswick-community

This replay is only available for 30 days and is full of fantastic information.  It has the slides, links and resources from the session.  

PARENTS AND FRIENDS MEETING

Everyone is invited and welcome to our Term 2 Parents and Friends Meeting on Friday 23rd May at 2.30pm.  We will have afternoon tea afterwards and this is a wonderful opportunity for families to connect.

God bless,

Clare

Gumnut Room News

We have had great excitement in the Gumnut Room over the past two weeks with special visitors and new students.

Last week we were very lucky to have four groups of the Brown Hill Kindergarten children visit us.  Together we read the book "The Boy With The Big Hair" and created our own big hair person! It was so much fun.  We shared our  school, our learning and lots of fun with all the children and their teachers. 

Genevieve: It was really nice to spend time with them.

Skyler: There were some really cute kids and I saw my kinder teacher.

Boston: It was really good when they came outside for a play with us and then in the library.  

This week we have welcomed two new students to our class, Rupert and Edward! 

Skyler: It is fun having two new people with us but it is crowded!

Genevieve: Both boys like to play soccer.

Boston: I am glad they are here with us.

Rupert: I like that there are less people in the class and  nice people here too.

Edward: I like that there are not so many people here and people are not swarming everywhere.

We looking forward to getting to know both boys more as we spend time together at school.

News from the Banksia Room

It was a busy week in the Banksia Room, preparing for the Mother's Day Liturgy on Friday.  Here are our students' reflections.

Vanessa:   We had a lovely afternoon tea.  It was last Friday at our school.  We had a liturgy for Mother's Day and we  had nice scones, jam and cream. We went  outside to show our playground to our Mums. I loved to play outside with my sister.  

Jemima:  On Friday there was a Mother's Day Liturgy. My mum loved it. I could tell she was a bit like, ok boys, that's enough hand cream! She loved the scones and tea. She met some of the other mums while my brothers and I played on the playground with our friends. She loved it so much, so did I. 

Adelaide:  On Mother's Day last week my mum, brother and I went to the Mother's Day Liturgy at school. My favourite part was the hand massage. My mum's favourite bit was the afternoon tea. She loved the scones, I tried one. It was so yummy! There were scones with butter and scones with jam. 

On Saturday my dad, brother and I went to the shops to buy a present for mum. Then on Sunday my family gave my mum lots of presents, then we went to the horse races for Mother's Day. She had the best day and so did the rest of my family. When we got home I cooked a special dinner of salad rolls for the family. It was really yummy. We had the best day ever.  

Emilia:  We had Mother's Day on Friday. It is important because my mum is the sweetest mum and my sister is the nicest big sister. My favourite part of the Liturgy was the hand massage. My mum really enjoyed it. My friends and I did some designs on a black mug and I did some flower designs with stars and hearts. 

Ellie:  Last week we prepared a Mother's Day Liturgy and before that we made a little gift.  We got a black mug and posca markers and we drew a cute design on it.

I drew some lights on the top and in the middle I did a strawberry and on the handle I did some hearts. Then we put some soil and dirt in the mug and we put a little plant inside.

After the Mother's Day liturgy, we gave our Mums a hand massage. My mum was talking to my Nana and my sister, Ava.   When we got home mum said the massage was relaxing. We had a lovely time together.  

William:  This term we had Mother's Day and it was great. We sang a song called Count on me. My mum cried because she loved it so much and because we are growing up too fast. People thought it was really funny.  We gave our mums a hand massage while they chatted. Some of the local ladies came and we got to take their order and their choices were coffee, tea, milk and sugar.  Afterwards, we all got to play outside.

Patrick:  Last Friday we had a Mother’s Day Liturgy. It was at 2pm and we sang a song called ‘Count on me’ by Bruno Mars.  We all gave our visitors a hand massage. We had a cup of tea  and some scones after the liturgy.  

Our Diocesan Community

The latest edition of Our Diocesan Community will be sent home with the newsletter today.

For those of you who wish to review it online, please use the following link:

https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ODC-March-2025-web.pdf

School TV: Shaping Healthy Masculinity

In today's fast-moving world, many boys are struggling to find direction. Even well-meaning online searches about fitness, confidence or relationships can lead them to content that promotes rigid or unhealthy ideas about masculinity. The critically acclaimed TV show 'Adolescence' has brought fresh attention to this issue, highlighting how boys are often exposed to messages that glorify toughness and dominance, while dismissing empathy and emotional openness.

These outdated beliefs can limit emotional growth and impact how boys relate to others - with real consequences in schools, homes and communities. That's why it's more important than ever to guide boys with care, clarity and connection.

By offering healthier role models, safe spaces to talk, and encouraging respectful friendships - especially across genders - we can help boys develop the confidence, empathy and relationship skills they need to thrive.

This special report calls for a cultural shift and advocates for curiosity-driven dialogue that builds trust and critical thinking. The goal is to raise boys who are not just resistant to harmful influences, but actively capable of questioning and rejecting them. 

Here is the link to your Special Report:

Child Safe Information - all on website

Child Safe Standard 5:  Diversity and Equity

Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice

Child Safe Standard 6:  Suitable Staff and Volunteers

People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.  This includes reviewing practices for the ongoing supervision and people management of staff and volunteers to ensure there is focus on child safety and wellbeing.

Child Safe Standard 7:  Complaints

The DOBCEL School Complaints Handling Policy has been contextualised to ensure that it is accessible, child-focused, culturally safe, and easily understood by the school community.  This document outlines the process for making a complaint about the school or any person within the school; the roles and responsibilities of leaders, staff and volunteers in complaint handling; and the process for dealing with the different types of complaints, breaches of relevant policies or the code of conduct, and obligations to act and report.

Child Safe Standard 8:  Child Safety Knowledge, Skills and Awareness

Schools need to ensure that at least annually members of the School Advisory Council receive appropriate guidance and training regarding implementing of policies and procedures related to Child Safe Standards and Child Safety wellbeing risks in the school community.  School staff engaged in child-connected work  receiving training and information on child safety that include guidance on Child Safe related policies and procedures, including responding to complaints and concerns relating to child abuse.