Welcome to Term 2 Week 5 2024

Principal Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for your warm welcome into my acting principal role which will be an exciting challenge over the remainder of the term. In this week’s newsletter I would like to address the importance of communication which has become an increased focus of our leadership team in recent weeks following some insightful discussions with our Principal Lead - Mrs Michelle Wooton. 

Communication is essential in any community, and school communities are no exception. Open and effective communication between parents, teachers, and administrators is vital for creating a positive and supportive learning environment for students.

When communication is strong, parents feel more connected to their children's education and are more likely to be involved in their children's lives at school. Teachers feel supported by parents and are more likely to be effective in the classroom. 

Further to this, trust and partnership are key to building strong parent-school relationships. When parents trust that their children's teachers and administrators have their best interests at heart, they are more likely to be open and honest in their communication. And when teachers and administrators trust that parents are supportive of their work, they are more likely to be responsive to parents' concerns and suggestions. 

By building trust and partnership with parents, schools can create a more positive and supportive learning environment for students. At times in schools, we can face tough challenges. However, when working together with parents with kindness and curiosity, students are more likely to succeed in school and reach their full potential. It is very fulfilling when I find time to stop and reflect about the journey of some of our students and how critical communication, trust and partnership has been in supporting their growth and development. 

Sincerely,

Mr Ben McCulloch

Acting Principal

Strategic Plan Update

In the past weeks, we have shared our Stella Annual Plan Priorities and Goals for 2024. Here is an update on how we are progressing with these goals as a school, specifically in Explicit Instruction. 

Explicit Instruction involves teachers clearly showing students what to do and how to do it, rather than having students discover that information themselves. Students who experience explicit teaching practices make greater learning gains than students who do not experience these practices.

When using Explicit Instruction in the classroom you will see teachers at the front of the room modelling content, students practising skills and immediate feedback being given. Explicit Instruction focuses on the delivery of content that develops foundational knowledge and skills. Please see pictures of Explicit Instruction in action within a Stella classroom:

If anyone would like to learn more about Explicit Instruction, please feel free to access the resources below:

Article:

Teachers Taking up Explicit Instruction: The Impact of a Teachers Taking up Explicit Instruction: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3969&context=ajte 

Podcast:

John Hollingsworth on Explicit Direct Instruction https://www.ollielovell.com/johnhollingsworth/ 

RE News

Reflection on the Sunday Gospel – Matthew 28:16-20

The Most Holy Trinity

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity invites us to remember that God has revealed himself to us as one God in three Persons. As Jesus departed from his disciples, he shared with them the power to make disciples of all nations. He taught his disciples to invite others to share in the life of the blessed Trinity by sharing with others the gift of Baptism. This continues to be the mission of the Church. Each of us who has been baptised shares in the life of the blessed Trinity and also shares in the Church’s mission of inviting others to share in God’s love.

As you gather as a family, bring out pictures and other mementos of family celebrations of the Sacrament of Baptism. Talk about the significance of Baptism with your family. Read together today’s Gospel, Matthew 28:16-20. Notice that Jesus taught his disciples to baptise all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. What else does this remind you of? (the Sign of the Cross) Recall that whenever we pray the Sign of the Cross, we are reminding ourselves that we are united with God through our Baptism and share in the life of the blessed Trinity.

Loyola Press

Grade Level Liturgy Reflections…

Prep Liturgy

Some pictures from our lovely prayerful gathering.

It was lovely to welcome so many families along to share this special time with us.

Grade 3 Liturgy

The theme of the liturgy was learning from Jesus and being a good friend.

The students listened to the Gospel of John and then reflected upon the qualities of a good friend and the model that Jesus has provided for us.

A reading from the Gospel of John.

One.                 

One day Jesus said to His followers:” I love you all very much.

I want you to be happy like me,

So I will tell you what you must do.

Love everyone else in the same way that I have loved you.

If you do I will call you my friends”.

The Gospel of the Lord.

                               Our reflection questions

                               How can we be a good friend to others?

                               What makes a good friend? 

Thank you to the families who joined us in our liturgical prayer experience.

Grade 4 Litrugy

On Wednesday, Grade 4 had their liturgy celebrating the gift of family. It was held at the Marist Regional College Chapel. Thank you to all those involved and to the families who joined us for this wonderful celebration. 

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The theme of the liturgy was ‘Celebrate the special gift of our families’. Families are where we learn to love, share, and grow together, and we are all invited to be a part of God's wonderful family in His house. Let's think about all the ways our families are important to us and how we can show our love for them.

(Matthew 19:13-15).

"Then people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples questioned him. Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there."

Reflection on the Gospel

In the Gospel, Jesus shows us how important children are to Him. Just like Jesus loves the children, He loves every member of our families. Families are a gift from God, and it's our job to show love and respect to each other every day. God has an amazing house, and we are all invited to join Him there. It's a place filled with love, joy, and peace, just like how our homes should be. God sent Jesus to share the good news about how important family is for the formation of children and our society. How can we show love to our family members? (Allow children to respond.) Yes, we can help each other, be kind, say thank you, and spend time together. Every small act of love makes our family stronger and brings us closer to God's wonderful house.

New Uniform Update

We are writing to provide you with an update on the progress of the Stella Maris Catholic School student uniform changes. 

We have been informed by Midford that the uniform is on track to be ready and accessible in September which will allow for a launch at the beginning of Term 4. 

Please see the link to our finalised Design Board. 

From our latest update on 13/12/2023 you can see that we have further refined the design of the polo top as well as adjusted the design of the soft shell jack and track pants. We removed the piping on both the track pants and the soft shell jacket due to minimum order requirements and costs. 

The school is in the process of composing a new school uniform policy which will be released prior to the end of Term 3. 

We understand the current state of uniform and that there are challenges with access to items meaning student presentability may not be at the standard we like. Thank you for your patience and understanding regarding this. 

We hope to provide you with further updates and information regarding this transition over the coming months.

Parent Engagement Group

Our next Parent Engagement Group meeting will be held on Thursday 1st of August, 9.45am - 10.30am in the staff room, new members are always welcome.

Grade 1 Teacher Update

Our Grade 1 teacher, Miss Tahli Beveridge, will be leaving Stella Maris Catholic School at the end of Term 2, 2024.  Miss Beveridge will be heading off to travel and relocate interstate with her partner.

We warmly welcome Mrs Rebecca Calvert and Mrs Erin Johnstone who have been appointed the position of Classroom Teachers in Grade 1 Room 5. 

Mrs Calvert has worked as a Teacher Assistant and Relief Teacher at Stella Maris Catholic School since April 2020. Mrs Calvert currently works with our Grade 1 students, and these existing relationships will greatly support her in this new role. 

Mrs Erin Johnstone is returning from parental leave and is an experienced educator who has worked in Grade 1 and Kindergarten at Stella Maris since 2016. Her knowledge and passion will be an asset to the Grade 1 team.

We would like to wish Miss Beveridge all the best in her next endeavour and thank her sincerely for the contributions she has made to our school community over the past two years. 

Uniform Shop

Important Update: Term 2 Week 1 - 7

Tuesday 8.30 am - 10.30 am / 1.30 pm - 3.30 pm

Orders placed via Qkr after 10.00 am on a Tuesday and before 10.00 am cutoff the following Tuesday will be processed when the shop is open and sent home with children on the day.

Alternatively, orders can be collected after 11.00 am on Tuesday during opening times.

School Photo Day

Our school photo day is on Monday 1st of July. If your family has more than one parent who would like to order photos please let our office staff know by Monday 3rd June so we can have an additional code generated.

Uniform for Photo Day

The uniform for photo day will be our current sports uniform (black shorts or tracksuit) with the rugby top on. We will provide a rugby top to any student who does not have one for their photos on photo day.

Stella Stars

Sessions: 9.15 am - 10.45 am & 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm

Bookings through Facebook: Stella Stars Early Years Learning

Kindergarten 2025

If you have children ready to enrol in kindergarten in 2025, our kindergarten enrolment process is open until Monday 1st of July 2024.

Please see the office for a copy of the Enrolement Application Form or download here:

Assembly Awards

Congratulations to the students who received Achievement Awards and the "Just Like Jesus" award in our recent assembly.

Our "Just Like Jesus" award recognises those who have been 'caught' treating others with extra respect.

Grade 6 and Prep Assembly Performances

We  were entertained in our last assembly with performances by our Prep students who sang "Super Wonderful God", and our Grade 6 students who shared their mini-clip of 'Positive Assembly Behaviours'.

Stella Cup

Last assembly the "Stella Cup" concept was introduced to encourage positive behaviours throughout our fortnightly assemblies. 

We would like like to congratulate Mrs Wickham's Grade 6 class for their positive behaviours in last weeks  assembly and showing:

 -Reverence when entering/exiting assembly

-Clapping in a responsible/respectful way (no yelling or screaming)

-Standing up/sitting down silently for the National Anthem

- Right Time Right Place (RTRP) when watching the PBS videos

Grade 1 & 5 Buddies Straw Rocket Making

Cross Country

Well done to all the students who competed in the school cross country.  For some it was fun and for others it was a challenge as they set off on their race.  The red faces, wobbly legs and puffed out children as they finished  showed us they had all tried their hardest. Be proud of your efforts.

A big thanks to the support from families and friends and a special thanks to Mike and Varieta McKenna for all the help in running the event.

Marist students continue to shine as helpers for Stella sporting events, they are an asset and are always willing to take on any role and make the events run smoothly .

Thank you MRC for your ongoing support.

We now look forward to the NW Combined cross country on Friday 7th June.

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National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday our entire school stopped to read a picture book together, along with more than two million other children around the world.

It was a real thrill to witness the same story being read at the same time in every classroom. 
Thank you to our ever willing Grade 6 Library Monitors who agreed to read to the younger classes.

School News

Last week Mrs Maxine Cunningham received an award for her significant contribution to the city of Burnie. Mrs Cunningham has ensured the safety of our Stella Maris students for the past 10 years and in that time has made many wonderful connections with our Stella families.

Congratulations Mrs Cunningham, we all appreciate your role in keeping our students and staff safe.

Changes to Bus Fares

Important Upcoming Dates

CLICK TO SYNC TO YOUR CALENDAR

Monday 3rd June - Monday 1st July - Grade 5 & 6 PCYC Sessions (see Compass/Events)

Friday 7th June - NW Catholic Schools Cross Country Carnival @ Stella Maris (selected students)

Friday 7th June - Grade 2 Hive Excursion

Monday 10th June - King's Birthday (public holiday)

Friday 14th June - Inter School Chess Tournament (selected students)

Tuesday 18th June - All Schools Cross County Symmons Plains (selected students)

Friday 21st June - Netball Tasmania Inaugural Netball Championships (selected students)

Monday 1st July - School Photo Day

Monday 1st July - Kindergarten 2025 Applications Close

Wednesday 3rd July - Parent Teacher Night 1

Thursday 4th July - Parent Teacher Night 2

Friday 5th July - Last Day of Term 2

Tuesday 23rd July - First Day of Term 3

Thursday 1st August - PEG Meeting 9.45am - Staff Room

Friday 9th August - Grade 2 MRC - MRC Frozen Excursion

Friday 16th August - Prep, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6 - MRC Frozen Excursion

Monday 2nd September - Grade 2 & 3 Swimming Program - 2 weeks

Thursday 12th September - PEG Meeting 9.45am - Staff Room

Saturday 21st September - BNA Winter Roster Concludes

Friday 27th September - Last Day of Term 3

Friday 4th October - Burnie Show Day (public holiday)

Tuesday 15th October - First Day of Term 4

Thursday 24th October - PEG Meeting 9.45am - Staff Room

Monday 28th October - Grade 4, 5, 6 Swimming Programs - 2 weeks

Wednesday 20th November - NW Athletics (selected students)

Friday 22nd November - All Schools Triathlon Devonport

Monday 2nd December - Grade 6 Marist Orientation Day

Tuesday 17th December - Last Day of Term 4: For Staff & Students

Outside News

Burnie Tennis Coaching

Hotshots Tuesday & Thursday 4 to 6-year-olds, Wednesday & Thursday 7 to 11-year-olds yellow Ball 10 to 16-year-olds Junior Comp Squads Junior Private Lessons FREE TRIAL JUNIOR GROUP LESSON For Bookings or Enquires please contact Grant on 0417528502

Each year, the Senator prints calendars, which are distributed throughout the Braddon electorate for all constituents to enjoy.

This year we are opening it up to the Braddon community to submit an image which highlights the Braddon electorate.

Competition entries will reflect the beautiful landscape within the Braddon region and showcase the local communities within the area.

Photos must be taken within the Braddon area, with the Senator's top 5 selected to be posted on Facebook for the community to vote on their favourite 2 photos.

The top 2 photos voted for by the community will be featured on the 2025 calendars with photo credit and will also win a $100 eftpos gift card.

The competition opens 15 May 2025 and closes on 7 June 2025

To enter, please send your image to senator.urquhart@aph.gov.au with a caption explaining your image along with your full name, address and contact phone number.