Welcome to Term 1 Week 8 2025
Deputy Principal Report
Dear Families,
As I have begun the Acting Deputy Principal role at Stella Maris Catholic School, I feel a great sense of both excitement and responsibility. I first started working at Stella in 2018 as a graduate teacher. My path to leadership has included roles such as a classroom teacher in Grade 2 and Prep, Student Support Assistant, Student Support Coordinator, and Mathematics Leader.
In this new role, I look forward to the opportunity to continue to work closely with students, staff, and families to nurture the positive and vibrant learning environment that Stella Maris is known for.
I am incredibly humbled to be on this journey and to have been given the opportunity to serve as Acting Deputy Principal. Thank you for welcoming me into this new chapter at Stella Maris. Together, I know we will continue to build a school community where each child is known, valued, and supported in reaching their full potential.
Warmly,
Abbey Walters
Acting Deputy Principal
Staffing Updates
Mrs Barbra Bickerstaff: After over 30 years of dedication to education at Stella Maris Catholic School, Mrs Bickerstaff will officially retire from her teaching position in May. Thank you, Mrs Bickerstaff, for your many years of dedication to students, families and the wider Stella Maris community. We wish you all the best and hope you enjoy your retirement with your family.
Mrs Liz Murton: After more than 37 years of dedicated service to education Mrs. Murton will retire at the end of Term 1.Thank you, Mrs Murton for your commitment to our school, community and students, particularly in your Health and Physical Education role. We hope you enjoy all the wonderful things life has to offer in retirement.
Mr Wiebren Veenstra: Mr Veenstra and his family have made a decision to move to Western Australia next term, both for new work opportunities and to be closer to family. Thank you, Mr Veenstra, for your creative and innovative contributions to Stella Maris' teaching and learning over the past few years. We wish you all the very best in your new adventure.
Mrs Catherine Robertson: After 14 years of dedicating her education career to the students and families at Stella Maris Catholic School, Mrs Robertson has decided to move forward in a different direction and will finish at Stella in week 3 of Term 2. We wish Mrs Robertson all the success on her new journey and pass on our absolute appreciation for the years of service educating Stella Maris Catholic School students.
WE WILL MISS YOU ALL!
RE News
Reflection on the Sunday Gospel
Luke 13:1-9
Jesus preaches a lesson on repentance.
We may be unfamiliar with fig trees, but we might know about the growth of spring flowers. Perhaps we have looked at a dry, brown flower bulb and wondered how this produces the colourful tulip or daffodil blossom that we expect to bloom in the spring. Perhaps we've even thought about the patience and hope that are required to plant flower bulbs in October. We don't have to be gardeners, however, to know about patience and hopefulness. As parents, we practice these virtues each day with our children. We may become frustrated and even angered by their wilfulness and lack of cooperation. Yet we continue to offer our attention and guidance in hope that one day our efforts will bear fruit. Today's parable suggests that God is like that with us, working with us in patience and in hope that one day we will show evidence that such work is not in vain. As parents, we know God's kindness when we find evidence for our hope for our children. Does God find such glimmers of hope as he works with us?
Gather your family and show a spring flower in bloom. Recall that in the fall this flower was a dry bulb (if a flower bulb is available, show this as well). Talk about the hopefulness and patience shown by those who plant flower bulbs in the fall in the hope that they will bloom in the spring. Read aloud today's Gospel, Luke 13:1-9. Compare the parable of the barren fig tree to your discussion about spring flowers. Consider the patience and hopefulness that God has with us as he works with us, calling us to return to him when we sin. Offer prayers of thanks and praise to God for his patience and hopefulness towards us. Conclude by praying together today's Psalm, Psalm 103.
Project Compassion 2025
Lent, in particular, is a sacred time for us as Catholics to deepen our prayer life, practice self-discipline by making sacrifices, and extend kindness to those in need. These acts of devotion can take many forms, ranging from significant commitments to small yet meaningful gestures. Project Compassion provides us with an opportunity to focus on almsgiving—supporting those less fortunate. Each family has received a Project Compassion box to collect spare change, which will be used to assist others in need. Below is one of the inspiring stories featured in Project Compassion 2025, demonstrating how the contributions from our school community, along with those of Catholic schools and parishes across Australia, can create a profound and lasting impact worldwide.
Toefuata’iga story – Samoa
Toefuata’iga, a 13 year old student in Samoa, faced severe challenges and disruptions to her learning due to water scarcity. After Caritas Australia’s partner Caritas Samoa installed a 10,000 litre water tank at her school, Toefuata’iga and her classmates saw improved health and more consistent class attendance.
Stella Stars
Sessions for 2025
Every Wednesday 9.15 am - 10.45 am and 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm
See our Facebook Stella Stars Early Years Learning for more information
Uniform Update & Ordering
Dear Families,
Thank you for your continued support and patience while transitioning to our new Smart Play uniform.
Please see the details below clarifying the current roles and responsibilities of Stella Maris and our suppliers, Midfords.
Midfords will take full responsibility for all uniform orders in the coming weeks. Our uniform officer, Cheryl Gration, will coordinate the delivery of the uniform orders once they arrive at Stella Maris.
Stella Maris
- The uniform shop will be open every Monday from 2.30-3.30 pm. This will allow families to try on stock and then order online.
- To deliver stock to families upon arrival.
- To communicate information that Midford has provided.
Midford
- Processing online orders.
- Communication about deliveries.
- Notifying parents about stock availability.
- Delivery of stock to Stella Maris.
- Providing an estimated time of arrival for backorders.
- The shop is open in Devonport so that parents can buy directly from Midfords.
- Organising a pop-up shop at Stella Maris.
Midford Trading Hours:
- Monday 8.30 am - 12.30 pm
- Wednesday 8.30 am - 4.30 pm
- Friday 8.30 am - 12.30 pm
- Saturday 10.00 am - 1.00 pm
If you have any ordering enquiries or concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch with Midfords via the following: info@midford.com.au or 0410684589.
Old Uniform Ready For New Home
It’s heartwarming to see such generous contributions. Donating school uniforms to students in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea will have a positive impact. Thank you to those families that have dropped off their old uniform enabling us to support education in these regions!
Thank you Jeremy Day, Cheryl Gration and students Henry, Caleb, George, Jensen, Lennox and Lexi for their help and dedication to the project.
Assembly Awards
Just Like Jesus 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.
Classroom Awards
Well done to students who were recognised for their efforts and application in their learning in their classrooms
Sportsmanship Awards
Congratulations to Ivy House and Liam Waugh who both displayed wonderful sportsmanship at the recent swimming carnival. Ivy and Liam were both eager to participate in all events, and whilst not competing were a great help organising peers and completing tasks that assisted in the smooth running of the event.
Stella Cup
We would like to congratulate Mr House and Mrs Triffett and their students from Grade 4 Room 12 for their positive behaviours in last week's 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
Green Team News
Dear Students, Staff and Families,
We’re excited to announce that from now on, the Green Team students will be writing our own updates! This change allows team members to share their experiences and highlight the sustainable projects we’re working on, like recycling, tree planting, and school-wide initiatives.
We can’t wait to share our progress with you and inspire everyone to get involved in making our school greener.
This fortnightly update is written by Patrick C (Gr 5), Eli K (Gr 5) and Patrick K (Gr 6).
Eli: The Green Team is a group of people who help the environment grow. We plant different fruits, herbs and trees. As a team we work together. We have just started for this year.
Patrick K: This term in the Green Team we will be building new garden beds out of wood so we can grow more plants. We are planning on growing new fruit trees including apple, lemon, lime and blueberries. We are working on weeding the garden beds so the plants have space to grow.
Patrick C: In the Green Team we are trying to finish a bottle cap art work. We have already finished two parts of the art work. This year we are hoping to finish the whole thing, so wish us luck.
We have also had Michelle from Bunnings! She helps the Green Team get new plants and equipment and teaches us how and where to plant lots of different plants, shrubs, fruits and flowers.
Joseph Carlon
Green Team Leader
SRC News
SRC Celebration of Harmony and
St. Patrick’s Day
Last Monday, the Student Representative Council (SRC) hosted an event to celebrate both Harmony Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Students were encouraged to wear green, orange, or both, adding a splash of colour to mark these special occasions.
The event aimed to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, but to also raise awareness of Harmony Day, which celebrates cultural diversity and promotes inclusion. Students embraced this theme by showcasing the importance of unity and respect for different cultures.
The SRC also raised funds for a great cause. Through their efforts, they successfully raised around $170, which will go towards purchasing new portable soccer and football goals for the school.
It was a day full of fun, unity, and school spirit, with students actively participating and supporting both the celebration of cultural harmony and St. Patrick’s Day, while also contributing to the improvement of our school facilities.
GRIP Leadership Day
Our Student Representative Council (SRC) recently had the incredible opportunity to attend the GRIP Student Leadership Conference in Launceston, hosted at the Tailrace Centre. The conference, which focused on the theme Lead on Behalf of Others, provided our student leaders with invaluable insights and practical strategies for their roles as leaders within our school community.
We travelled by bus, together with leaders from St. Brigid’s Catholic Primary School, Wynyard, and our SRC participated in a series of engaging sessions that included main presentations, interactive activities, leadership games, and thought-provoking discussions. The hands-on approach of the conference meant that our leaders were not only inspired but were also equipped with dozens of ideas to implement immediately.
The core message of the event was about leading with a heart for others, and the students left with a clear vision and a deeper understanding of how to lead with purpose and impact. From building stronger connections within their teams to fostering a positive school culture, our SRC members are now even more determined to make a difference in both our school and the wider community.
The time spent at the conference was both educational and fun, with moments of entertainment that kept everyone energised and engaged. Our students came back with a renewed sense of purpose and leadership, ready to put their newfound skills and ideas into action for the betterment of our school and beyond.
We are incredibly proud of our SRC members and look forward to seeing the positive changes they will continue to inspire in our school community!
Grade 1 Room 6
Grade 1 Room 6 have been learning about Past, Present and Future.
They had an opportunity to learn about past and present means of communication, and have a hands on experience with a typewriter!
Each student typed out a sentence, and the general consensus was that the typewriter is much harder to use than the technology we have today!
The Resilience Project
We are well underway at Stella with The Resilience Project.
Every Monday afternoon from 2.00pm all our classes from Prep - Grade 6 have this time allocated to focus on implementing the program. Last Thursday we welcomed Sam, our Resilience Project facilitator to our Staff Meeting. He was such an engaging and positive facilitator giving us great ideas and feedback as to our implementation thus far.
Below is some information that details the four pillars of The Resilience Project.
We hope that you can use this language to have conversations with your children about Gratefulness, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. We value your input and support of this fantastic program - stay tuned for more information and ideas for how you can help do this.
Sue Drane
Student Support Co-ordinator
School News
Anita Dow Easter Competition
Anita Dow MP – Member for Braddon is running an Easter Colouring In competition this year.
There are 4 age categories, two different designs and great prizes to be won.
Competition closes 5pm Monday 14th April 2025.
Important Upcoming Dates
CLICK TO SYNC TO YOUR CALENDAR
Monday 31st March - Kindergarten Athletics (2.00 pm - 2.45 pm)
Wednesday 2nd April - Grade 3 Wings Wildlife Excursion
Friday 4th April - Stella Athletics Carnival
Friday 4th April - Inter-School Chess (selected students)
Sat/Sun 5th & 6th April - BTAS Primary School Championships
Thursday, 10th April - Term 1 concludes
Friday 11th April - Student Free Day: Staff Spirituality Day
Monday, 28th April - Term 2 commences
Wednesday 7th May - Stella Maris Cross Country
Friday 16th May - NW Cross Country (selected students)
Friday 23rd May - Student Free Day: Staff Discernment Year Day
Friday 6th June - Student Free Day: Staff Planning Day
Monday 9th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 17th June - Tas All Schools Cross Country (TBC)
Friday 20th June - Netball Tasmania Primary School Championships
Monday 30th June - School Photo Day
Friday 4th July - Term 2 concludes
Monday 21st July - Student Free Day
Tuesday 22nd July - Term 3 commences
Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August - Book Week
Friday 26th September - Term 3 concludes
Monday 13th October - Student Free Day
Tuesday 14th October - Term 4 commences
Monday 3rd November - Recreation Day Public Holiday
Wednesday 12th November - NW Athletics (selected students)
Friday 21st November - Schools Triathlon Challenge
Monday 1st December - Grade 6 Marist Orientation Day
Wednesday 17th December - Term 4 concludes - Final day for students & teachers
* Stella Stars Early Years Learning - Every Wednesday - bookings via Facebook
Outside News
