Dear Parents and Guardians,

Once again we were challenged this week due to the impacts of COVID and as a community we continued to show support for one another.  It has been wonderful to see our students back onsite over the past few days socialising and learning together.

It is important we continue to adhere to our COVID safe plan.  Could I please ask that parents restrict their time in the school yard.  We are hoping we can continue to plan for school events with restrictions in numbers.  For this reason at this stage we will not be able to proceed with any whole school events. Our focus at the moment will be on individual class or year level events.

Staff News

We congratulate Melissa Campbell (Year 4 teacher and literacy leader) on her engagement to Blake.  We wish them every happiness as they plan for their wedding day and future life together.

We also congratulate Karen Livingstone (office) on becoming a grandmother earlier this week.  Baby Leo will bring her and Peter much joy, being their second grandchild.

We also send our love to some of our school families in our Celebrations and Condolences section.  Please email - office@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au, if you have news you would like us to share.

Year 6 Student Leaders
This week we would like to introduce to you our RE Captains and House Captains.
Belle, Brooke, Emmy, Liam, Gabby and Angus are very excited about their roles this year.
They have shared profiles about themselves and all they want to achieve this year.

McAuley House Captain
Name: Emmy                       
What I love about St Martin's: St Martin's is a great school and a great community because of all the kind students, staff and teachers. Everyone here is so welcoming and friendly.
Hobbies: Some of my favourite things to do are playing sport, reading, swimming and hanging out with friends and family. 
Sports: I love playing all sports but the main sports that I play are football for the Banyule Bears and basketball for our school team St Martin of Tours Panthers. 
My pledge to my fellow students: I will always be kind, safe and fair to everyone and I will always be there to encourage everyone to have a go at everything. I am always up for the challenge and will always be there to help out all my fellow students.

Tours House Captain
Name: Liam                                 
What I love about St Martin's: I love that everyone always has a friend to talk to if they have something going on or having any troubles in their life. I also love that all the students at Saint Martin's are friendly and care for each other.
Hobbies: Playing basketball, Rugby, Gaming on my Playstation and playing with my sister.
Sports: I play basketball for St Martins of Tours.
My pledge to my fellow students: I pledge to be kind and caring, approachable by all year levels, responsible, and try to do my job as best as I can.  

Mercy House Captain
Name:  Gabby                                
What I love about St Martin's: After being in this school for nearly 7 years I have learnt that everyone helps, no matter the problem, that is what I love about this school. Everyone cares, comforts, helps and loves each other . All the teachers have given a great example to the students of this school, and we are now following in their footsteps to be a great person.
Hobbies: I love basketball and love rock climbing. A big part of my life is Trumpet. Trumpeting has changed me for the better. In my spare time I also love to paint and draw.
Sports: I only play basketball nearly every night of the week. I love every sport but basketball is the main one for me.
My pledge to my fellow students: I promise to my fellow students and teachers, to dedicate all the time they need and to try my absolute best to help the school in any way possible.

Xavier House Captain
Name: Angus                          
What I love about St Martin's: I love that people always feel welcome to our school and students always have friends and helpful teachers to talk to. At St Martin's you develop skills in and outside the classroom and that’s why I love this school.
Hobbies: I love playing Football, Video Games, Rugby and Tennis, I also enjoy playing with my Great Dane, Hugo.
Sports: I play tennis at Wright Tennis and play Futsal in Macleod.
My pledge to my fellow students: I promise to listen to my housemates, to be thoughtful, kind, safe, fair and do my great job as best as I can.

Please click here to read the profiles and aspirations of our RE Captains.

School Closure Day - Friday 5 March
On Friday 5th March, the staff will be working with Mathematical Association of Victoria consultant, Catherine Epstein/Rodgers. The focus of our day is closely linked to our priorities for school improvement post review. In particular, we will continue to build our understanding of powerful teaching and reflect on the importance of a professional learning culture.  

The day will include; assessment practices and exploring assessment, using current data to inform teaching and curriculum planning based on current data.  We also believe that the shared understanding and responsibility will further assist the work we are doing through The Learning Collaborative Project.

OSHClub will operate a full day program on Friday 5 March to support families.

Mobile phones/smart watches
Could I please ask our parents to familiarise themselves with our Student Mobile Phone/Electronic Device Policy.  We have noticed an increase in the number of students wearing Smart Watches.  Smart Watches are not permitted to be worn during school hours and must be given to the school office at the beginning of the day and then collected at the end of the day.  Thank you for your support.

2022 Enrolment Process
It is always an exciting time when your child begins their primary school journey.  Thank you to all our current families who have returned enrolment application forms for your prep child who will commence next year.  
We have our Open Mornings and Information Evenings coming up soon and all the information is on our website including how to book a school tour.  We will continue to adapt our processes to align with our COVID safe plan.  Please let your family and friends know if they would love to be part of the St Martin’s community.  The happiest place on earth!

Sacramental Program and Masses
We do have a busy year ahead of us in relation to our Sacramental Program and it is great that we have already begun.  Congratulations to 4AT and 4CM who celebrated their First Reconciliation over the past two weeks.  4TD will celebrate the sacrament next Thursday.  Thank you to Fr Michael, Fr Peter Carucan, Marita Anderson and our Year 4 teachers for working with our students and families.  
We look forward to seeing our Prep families at the Prep Welcome Mass on Saturday 27 February commencing at 5:30pm.  Information has been sent home to families and is available via Compass news feed. 

School Photos 
School photos are taking place on Thursday 4 March.  Students are asked to wear their summer uniform. Please note orders must be placed online, if you have any queries with orders or payments please contact Elite School Photography direct. Further information is available on Compass news feed.

We ask families to take the time to read a letter from the Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Rev Peter Comensoli please click here.

We look forward to continuing to hear the excitement of students at school each day.  If any changes to the way we need to operate are introduced due to the impacts of COVID in our community I will let you know as soon as I can.

Hopefully we can continue to engage in all the school activities we have planned including Learning Conversations on 8th and 9th of March (after school hours).

Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe.

Regards
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Religious Education Captains

Hi, my name is Brooke and I am an RE Captain for this year. I am very proud of this school and that is why I went for RE Captain. I want to make a difference in our community and our school. I look forward to helping in Mass, Project Compassion, St Vincent de Paul Appeal and much more. I am proud of this school for what they have achieved in the years, they have been open and this year I want to make the school even better. I am proud of my catholic religion and ready to be St Martin of Tours RE Captain for 2021. I hope that you all have a good 2021! 

Hi, my name is Belle and I am a 2021 R.E Captain for St Martin of Tours. To me, being an R.E captain is a great responsibility and I feel really proud to wear the badge every day. The reason I wanted to be R.E captain is because at a catholic school it is important that you get enough education about your religion, and that is when I thought, the school would need someone who is proud to be in the job, and can support the education given. I also really wanted to be a R.E captain because we get involved in masses and get to help out with things like project compassion. Now that I have the great role of R.E leadership some things that I would like to do to help in RE lessons are for example, remind people more often about upcoming things like project compassion and displaying work in places that people will notice more, and explaining the meanings behind more things in class involving RE. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope that we can have a great 2021! 

Reconciliation
Over the past two Thursday evenings, Year 4AT and Year 4CM students celebrated their Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We thank Fr Michael and visiting priest Fr Peter Carucan for presiding over this sacrament for our Year 4 students.  Next Thursday Year 4TD will celebrate their Reconciliation. Some of the students from both classes have reflected on this special sacrament.

From Madison
Yesterday was my First Reconciliation.  I was with my mum, my dad and my sister.  Reconciliation is about mending a broken relationship between ourselves, the person we hurt and God.  WE did it in the Church.  As Catholics we do this to learn and receive God’s forgiveness.  

From Luca
Last night I went to church for my First Reconciliation.  I had to get to church at 5.00pm.  I had to talk to Father Peter about stuff and I had to say the Act of Contrition.  Then I walked off the altar and then prayed.  I pointed to my candle and then I got my stole and certificate.  I flipped my picture of the heart I created and then went back to my seat.

From Riley
On Thursday the 18 of February 4CM had their Reconciliation and everybody was nervous. At the start everybody sat down and put on their purple stole.Fr. Peter told the story of the lost son and why he was forgiven. Then we started to do the Examination of Conscience afterwards we sat on the floor and talked to Fr. Michael about the forgiving father and about a story he made up. Soon after we heard the music start, Ms. Anderson would come to you when it's your turn and tell you to go to either Fr. Michael or Fr. Peter. Then you would stand up with your parents and slowly walk up to the sanctuary and bow then you would walk to your chosen priest and sit. He would talk to you for a minute and then ask you to tell him some sins. After words you would sit and pray at the prayer seat then you would go with your parents and point to your candle and you would continue to your teacher take off the purple stole and get your white stole a few minutes later it was done.

From Raquel
On Thursday night we were all nervous and some of us were excited! We were very panicked at first because we only had one day to practise. On the night of our First Reconciliation it all went well and Mrs. Anderson told us what to do. She was a really good help!  When we started Fr.Peter read the story of “The Forgiving Father” and then we started to do the Examination of Conscience. We had to respond by saying “Forgive us Father.” Fr. Michael called us to the floor and we talked with him. Soon after we started the crucial part of the Sacrament. I went second and I talked with Fr.Peter. When we were done, I walked up to the prayer seat and said two Hail Mary’s. After that I walked up to the altar and I pointed at my candle. Next in the line was me taking my purple stole off and my mum put my white stole on. My dad gave me my certificate and I flipped my heart over. I waited patiently throughout the whole liturgy and then when it was finally done, I had some photos with my teachers and friends and then I went home.

From Cara
On Thursday the 18th of February we did our first Reconciliation! We were scared, nervous and worried because 4CM only had one day of practise. So we squished in three practices in that one day. But we knew that on that very day we would be forgiven for all our sins, so we were very brave and when it was done we were so relaxed. For what we thought was going to be really hard was extremely easy. Father Michael and Father Peter helped us get through Reconciliation and they are so kind and were not in the slightest bit judgy that as soon as they started talking to us one by one and it wasn’t so scary! 4CM was forgiven and safe under Jesus and God's protection and love. Now we are going to Eucharist.

From Matilda
Our Reconciliation was on Thursday the 19th of February. We were all very panicked because of covid we only had one day for practise. I was very excited, some people were nervous, some people were scared but it was very easy in the end. For our Reconciliation we needed to say our sins so we were forgiven by God. We went up to the Priests, some people went up to Father Peter and some went up to Father Michael. To be forgiven we needed to say our sins.
Our practises were very squished throughout the day, we only got two practises at 1:00 and 2:00 even though it wasn’t much practises we got through it and it was really easy. Father Peter read us the story of the Prodigal son. The Prodigal son was a story about the son sinning against god and his father. The son realised he made a mistake so he said sorry to his father. That’s the reason we are doing this to be forgiven by god. We went to our seats, had our purple stole on and one at a time we went up to the Priests, Father Michael and, Father Peter we went up to them we talked about our sins and were forgiven. We went to pray, lit our candles and our parents put on our white stole. It was a special day and now it is on to our first Eucharist. 
       

Ash Wednesday
Due to the recent lockdown we were unable to participate in the Ash Wednesday Mass.  It is important as a catholic school that we recognise this special time in the Church’s liturgical calendar,  the beginning of Lent.  This Mass has been rescheduled to Tuesday 23rd of February at 9.15am.  The Year 5 classes will attend Mass as they prepare for their First Eucharist in March. All students will receive blessed ashes during the Mass which will be live streamed into classrooms.  Covid Safe Guidelines from the Archdiocese advises the distribution of Ashes is to be sprinkled above each student’s head instead of the Ashes being placed on the forehead.  A link will be shared with families prior to the Mass.  

Project Compassion 
‘Aspire Not To Have More, But To Be More’ - Saint Oscar Romero

Caritas Australia, the Catholic agency for international aid and development are presently raising funds to support less fortunate communities around the world.  
This year Project Compassion showcases how we work with our local partners around the world to walk alongside communities as they strive to be the architects of their own development.  Saint Oscar Romero’s message challenges us to step us for those who do not have essential resources they need for their survival.  Through your generosity and aspiring to ‘Be More’, you are assisting some of the world’s most vulnerable people build better futures for themselves, their families and their communities. - Caritas Australia
Project Compassion boxes were sent home last week along with a letter from Fr Michael asking for your support with this charity. Through your generosity during Project Compassion this year, you are empowering communities with hope and helping those in great need to shape a better future for themselves, their families, their communities.  Project Compassion boxes will be collected during our Easter Tableau which is scheduled for Thursday 1st of April.  Further details in regards to the Easter Tableau will be communicated via the next newsletter. 

Prep Welcome Mass
We hope that all our prep families will be able to join us for the Prep Welcome Mass on Saturday 27th February at 5.30pm. During the Mass the students will receive a St Martin’s prayer candle which will be blessed by Fr Michael. After Mass families are invited to come together to share a pizza meal in the school grounds.

A huge welcome back to school from the SMOT library team; Emma Kent, Chloe Jones and Grace Bocquet. At the end of last year we welcomed Grace into our team. Grace works behind the scenes cataloging, covering and working to keep our library in order, as well as assisting students with borrowing and returning. 

We also welcomed some new library pals- our fabulous fish! The students have loved watching and feeding our new fish. We are in the process of naming our fish after some of our favourite book characters. All classes have put forward one name and next week we will have the final voting. Stay tuned for the winning names!    

The library space has really been taking shape over the last few weeks. It has been wonderful seeing our students in the library, reading, borrowing and enjoying our wonderful library space…. 

  
 

Library opening times 

Unfortunately due to the current COVID guidelines we are unable to open the library before and after school for families. We look forward to this hopefully changing at the beginning of Term 2 and we can then welcome you and your children back into the library. 

The library is however, open for students to return their books and place their bags in the appropriate basket on their library day.

Where to next?

In the library we have a big focus on supporting our students to find a good fit book. A good fit book is one that is interesting, engaging and at the right level for students to understand. 

To further support our students we have created a series of ‘Where to next displays’. These are aimed at guiding students to a next book based on a previous book or genre they have enjoyed. 

These displays are also to scaffold our students as they move through the different sections of our library. For example as the Year 2’s move from Easy Fiction to Junior Fiction and as the Year 3’s move from Junior Fiction to the Fiction.  

   

WEEK 3

PGR
To all of Prep GR for being superstars at unpacking their lunches, plastic pockets and drink bottles at the beginning of the day.

PPJ
Harry D for being a caring, considerate and thoughtful member of Prep PJ. Keep up the great work Harry!

PVL
Siena for unpacking her schoolbag in the morning without reminders. Well done!

Harper for making a smooth transition to school. Well done!

1CF
Emmi for always using her manners and being there to help her classmates. Awesome stuff!

1CM
Lora for being such a kind and considerate member of 1CM! Lora is always willing to help anyone in our class and goes out of her way to make others happy and smile. Well done Lora!

1LB
Abigail for being a kind and caring member of 1LB! Abigail is respectful towards her peers and is eager to help others. Keep up the amazing work Abigail!

2JS
Anthony V for always listening careful to the teacher and for doing great work in class. Well Done Anthony!

2LB
Jack F for always making good choices in the classroom and showing focus and dedication to trying his best in all learning tasks. 

2MT
Adalind for the wonderful and interesting questions she asked her peers during show and tell. I love how well you listened and responded!

3KJ
Finn for focusing on his work and making excellent choices in class.

3LA
Giaan for being a role model student and contributing great ideas during class discussions.   

3MT
Melina for her persistence in completing work to the best of her ability.

4AT
Lucas for sharing his thoughts in whole class discussions.

4CM
Matilda for helping her peers and working very diligently in the classroom. 

Riley H for his very descriptive Seed writing.

4TD
To Leila for always helping her classmates whenever they ask for her assistance. Well Done, keep up the good work!

5JM
To Ruby for having a positive attitude towards all of her learning and for also helping around the classroom without even needing to be asked. Well done Ruby.

5SM
To Nicholas for being a great contributor in class discussions and a fantastic friend to his classmates.

5VC
To Paxton for being a great questioner. You are showing an enthusiasm for learning and we are excited to see you how much you grow in our knowledge this year!

6AM
To Natasha C for making a great start to Year 6. Natasha has recognised her strengths and challenges and openly discussed her goals for this year with the class. The maturity that she has shown is fantastic.

6GW
Mikayla greets everyone with a warm smile and approaches her tasks with positivity.

6ZW
Well Done to Isaiah who has made a fantastic start to the year. Isaiah has focused on his work in the classroom and been an amazing and caring friend on the yard.

WEEK 4

PGR
All of Prep GR for being super learners at home.

PPJ
Scarlett C for being a great listener, and following instructions. Also for completing work of a good standard. Well done Scarlett!

PVL
Harry for being so good at following directions at school. Well done, Harry!

1CF
Riley for always offering to include others in games, making sure people always have someone to play with. Great teamwork!

1CM
Oscar for being such a wonderful role model to everyone in 1CM. You are a fabulous listener, you always try your best and you make great choices in the classroom. I am so proud of you Oscar! Keep up the great work.

1LB
Oliver for enthusiastically participating in group activities and giving tasks a go, even when they become challenging. Keep up the amazing attitude with your learning Oliver! 

2JS
Sachin P for responsibly listening to others and for working well on all tasks given. Well done Sachin! 

2LB
Eva for always displaying beautiful listening and for being a kind and caring friend to others.

2MT
Emma for a wonderful first few weeks at St Martin of Tours and for her enthusiasm during our Home Learning Week. Keep up the great work Emma!

3KJ
Sophie G for using descriptive language when writing a recount about her trip to the beach.

3LA
Monique for always trying her best and showing kindness to others. 

3MT
Alessio for being a great listener when others were sharing their stories in class.

4AT
Maisie for being a fantastic helper in the classroom.

4CM
4CM for an excellent adjustment to home learning and their wonderful job practising and receiving their Reconciliation this week too!

4TD
To Nathan for always helping his classmates whenever they ask for his assistance. Well Done, keep up the good work!

5JM
To Asha for being such an awesome participant during our short remote learning stint. Awesome work Asha.

5SM
To Addison, for being so eager to learn and always striving to do your best. During remote learning you went above and beyond and I am so proud of you. 

5VC
To all of 5VC for showing resilience and quickly adapting to our short Remote Learning experience. We are proud of you all.

6AM
To 6AM for the way that they embraced our short Home Learning experience. We have all been called to be adaptable and open to change and the way each of you accepted the challenge reflected your commitment to the St Martin's call of 'Non Recuso Laborem'.

6GW
Olivia D demonstrates initiative and is a responsible student. Olivia cared for preps when their prep buddy was away. 

6ZW
Well done to 6ZW for the way they embraced our recent remote learning stint. All students attended and participated in all google meets and completed all work set to a very high standard.

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS
Please be aware that adjustments may need to be made at any time to upcoming events due to the uncertainty of COVID in the community.  

2021 Calendar Dates

Term 1 

February
★ 23rd Ash Wednesday Mass 

★ 23rd Year 5/6 Human Sexuality Parent Info Night (Online)

★ 25th Sacrament of Reconciliation 4TD 5pm

★ 27th Prep Welcome Mass & Pizza Night 5.30pm

March
★ 1st Year 5 Retreat Day

★ 2nd Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 1

★ 3rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 3rd Snow Cone Day 

★ 4th School Photo Day

★ 5th School Closure Day

★ 8th Labour Day Public Holiday

★ 9th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 2

★ 9th Learning Conversations (4pm-8pm)

★ 10th Learning Conversations (4pm-6pm)

★ 11th Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass 11am (5VC) 

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass 3.30pm (5JM) 

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass 3.30pm (5SM) 

★ 16th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

★ 18th Prep 2022 Enrolment Information Evening 7pm

★ 20th Open Morning School Tours/ Working Bee 9.30am-11.30am

★ 23rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 24th Snow Cone Day

★ 28th Palm Sunday

★ 29th Italian (LOTE) Incursion

April
★ 1st Easter Tableau 11.45am 

★ 1st Term 1 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 2

April
★ 19th Term 2 Commences

★ 19th School Closure Day

★ 27th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 1

May
★ 1st Confirmation Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 2nd Confirmation Preparation Mass 10am

★ 3rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 4th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 2

★ 4th Mother's Day Gift Wrapping & Set up 

★ 9th Mother's day

★ 11th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

★ 11th Year 5/6 Human Sexuality Family Night (GECCO) 6.30pm

★ 25th Eucharist Information Evening

★ 28th Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 5pm

★ 28th Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 7.30pm

★ 29th Eucharist Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 30th Eucharist Commitment Mass 10am

June
★ 5th Year 2 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 11th Sacred Heart Mass 9.15am

★ 14th Queens Birthday Public Holiday

★ 19th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 20th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

★ 25th Term 2 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 3

July
★ 12th Term 3 Commences

★ 12th School Closure Day

★ 24th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 25th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

August
★ 7th First Eucharist Mass (4AT) 5.30pm

★ 8th First Eucharist Mass (4AT) 10am

★ 9th Mary Mackillop Mass 9.15am

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass (4CM) 5.30pm

★ 15th First Eucharist Mass (4CM) 10am

★ 21th First Eucharist Mass (4TD) 5.30pm

★ 22nd First Eucharist Mass (4TD) 10am

★ 30th Year 5 & 6 Leave for Camp

★ 31st Reconciliation Information Evening 7pm

September
★ 1st Year 5 & 6 Return from Camp

★ 4th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 5th Father's Day

★ 5th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 10am

★ 17th Term 3 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 4

October
★ 4th Term 4 Commences

★ 12th -13th Year 4 Camp 

★ 12th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3KJ) 7pm

★ 16th Year 1 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 19th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3MT) 7pm

★ 23rd Year 5 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 26th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3LA) 7pm

★ 29th All Saints School Mass 9.15am

November
★ 1st School Closure Day

★ 2nd Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday

★ 11th St Martin's Feast Day Mass 9.15am

December
★ 3rd School Closure Day

★ 13th Year 6 Graduation Mass 5pm

★ 14th End of Year Thanksgiving Mass 9.15am

★ 14th Last Day of Term 4 (Students dismissed at 3.30pm)

Celebrations:
Thalapillil and Manjusha welcomed their baby daughter Grace, a little sister to Elaine and Antony.

Joiebelle and Danijel celebrated the arrival of their son Eric, we know Mila will be a great big sister! 

Condolences
We keep the Hale family in our prayers (Sophie and Joseph) as they remember their great aunt Marianne who passed away recently.

Fr Michael’s message.....
Last week I happened to join a little group who were meeting in our church after the 10am Mass. The group was formed by 3 families with young children who were there after Mass to prepare for the Baptism of their children in the near future. This indeed was a big effort—these young families had just been presented to the parish community at Mass and now they were staying on for another session!

I can’t say what it was that touched me about it. Perhaps it was that I began to see how important it is to have like helping like. The 2 Baptism Preparation Team leaders have raised their children to the age of teenagers and beyond. But they remember well what it is like for parents to be caring for very young children. 

What I saw is an example of what our parish constantly needs– volunteers who are ready and willing to care for their fellow parishioners of all ages!
We can accommodate such volunteers in Baptism Preparation, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, forming children for sacraments, forming adults interested in becoming Catholic, reaching out to the sick, frail and elderly with communion, consoling the bereaved, being a reader/commentator/special minister/sacristan/altar server/welcomer/choir member, helping prepare the flowers/linen each week for Mass (Altar Society), being involved in helping people register themselves before Mass starts and in the cleaning of the Church after Mass is over....

The list seems endless....

Of course, all volunteers involved in parish life must comply with the child safeguarding requirements which are necessary in order to protect the welfare of our children.

Thanks for reading and reflecting upon this important issue.

Lenten reflection…..
Just a few months ago in Advent we explored the idea of waiting in hope and endeavour for the birth of Jesus. His birth in the world and in our hearts. The Lenten scriptures take us further on the journey. We are assured that our hearts are forever embraced by the heart of God. Should we allow it, God will renew and strengthen us, that we may always walk the paths of love and mercy. 

BAPTISM TEAM
Volunteers are invited to join the current Baptism Team. This is a great opportunity to meet new families and guide them through the baptism program here at SMOT. To find out more about the role please ring the Parish Office on 9401 6338. Training will be provided. The Team, including Fr Michael, will meet on Monday at 7.30pm in the Community Centre. If you are interested to attend please feel free to join us.

WAY OF THE CROSS—LENT   Simply Jesus:  Reflect. Renew. Recommit 

This Lent, across our Archdiocese, we are being invited to reflect on the way and person of Jesus, renew ourselves in his love, and recommit ourselves to the path of discipleship. After a year where the regular structures that help us live a life of faith, and grow in our relationship with Jesus were largely absent, we are encouraged to use Lent to reflect more deeply on our relationship with Jesus and be more attentive to nurturing its growth. To aid us in this, a Way of the Cross resource has been developed incorporating images, Scripture, music, reflection and prayer. The resource provides a meaningful way into the powerful story of Jesus’ Passion, inviting a new or renewed intimacy with him. 

Along with other resources, it can be accessed at: www.melbournecatholic.org/lent2021

LENTEN DISCUSSION GROUP— ITS ALL ABOUT HOPE 

This program will begin on 23 February at 7.30pm via ZOOM, led by Sr Anne, and continue up to Holy Week.  This year’s Lenten program explores the theme of hope over six weeks, using prayer, biblical reflection and insightful exploration of the Easter liturgies. It is a program that will create energy for all the things the Lord wants to do with us, and for us. SIGN UP for attendance at these sessions with your details on the sheets available in the Church foyer!! We will then forward the Zoom link to you. Please pick up the booklet from the sacristy if you are participating. Cost is $10 for the booklet.

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians

On Tuesday we gathered as a community, both in the church and virtually in classrooms and at home for our beginning of the year school Mass.  We welcomed our new families and staff (who you can meet here) and they are all very excited to be here.  We asked God to bless us all and guide us in all that we do.  Enlighten the eyes of our hearts and lead us to recognise the spirit of Jesus in each other.  After Mass Fr Michael and I visited classrooms, offered a blessing and presented prayer clothes and candles.


Our 2021 School Captains
Our school captains are very excited about their leadership role this year.  We would like to introduce you all to them.

Hi, I’m Charlotte and I’m a school captain for 2021. 
I have a little brother in year 3, 4 fish and a kitten named Jerry! I love to play sports and be active but I definitely by far love dance the most! I love school especially S.T.E.M and Maths. 
I’m extremely excited to be school captain at this school. I hope we can bring great things to this school and be excellent role models!

Hi, I’m Xavier, and I’m a School Captain for 2021. 
I’m super excited for the future and am passionate about this great school, St Martin of Tours.
I like sports, such as cricket, basketball and football. I also like using technology and gaming with friends. I love spending time with family, whether it be my family, or my extended family. 
School is so important to me and I am enthusiastic about our school and this role.

Hi everyone! I’m Mietta and I will be one of your vice captains for 2021. 
I am so excited about this school and what we can bring to it to help it grow and learn. I have 2 sisters, one that goes to St Martin’s, and one that will come next year. My favourite subject at school is STEM because it is so fun and you really need to use your mind. My favourite sport is soccer because it is a challenge. I hope I can make changes to make this school even better.

Hi I’m Will, and I’m one of your vice captains for 2021.
I have 3 three brothers, 2 of them go to St Martin’s and one is a quiet toddler. Some of my favourite things to do is playing footy. I play for Banyule. I also love maths and S.T.E.M. It's a way to have fun at school for me. I'm excited to take on this role because I want to be a role model to every single student at St Martin’s. I also love to make changes in the community, mostly to make those changes to make others happy. 

We will introduce our RE leaders and House Captains in our next newsletter.

Specialist Program

This year our students will once again have access to a variety of specialist programs.  They include; Library, Italian (LOTE), STEM, Physical Education, Visual Arts and Performing Arts.  
Students will have Library, Italian, STEM and PE weekly.  The Arts will be taught across the year.  Students will have a semester of Visual Arts and a semester of Performing Arts.  This year our Performing Arts program will include dance and drama and music.  

School Closure Days

Please note the following school closure dates for 2021, OSHClub will run on these days.

★ Friday 5th March

★ Monday 19th April

★ Monday 12th July

★ Monday 1st November

★ Friday 3rd December

Safety around the school

We acknowledge that parking around the school can be very difficult at times but it is important that we abide by the parking restrictions and are respectful of our neighbours.  Parents should not be leaving their vehicles when using the 2 minute parking spaces in Silk St.  Please do not park in residents driveways or over their driveways.  The school crossing must be used at all times to ensure the safety of everyone.  

CSEF (Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund)

If you hold a valid means tested health care card or are a foster parent, you may be eligible for Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund (CSEF). The annual CSEF amount for primary school students is $125.00. The CSEF is paid directly to your child's school to be used towards camps, sports and excursion expenses for the benefit of eligible students. The card must be valid as at 27th January 2021. Parents can obtain a form from the school office or download a form from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef The school can accept applications up to 24th June 2021 however parents are encouraged to lodge their form early. We are unable to accept late applications. The school also requires a copy of your current health care card.

Any enquiries regarding fees please contact Mary Milione (Bursar) at the school office or email marym@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Safer Internet Day 2021 - Tuesday, 9th February

As part of Safer Internet Day 2021 the eSafety Commission is offering a free webinar (https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars) that will look at how parents and carers can support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships and what to do if things go wrong.
 It will cover:
- starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and  positive ways to deal with changing relationships
- understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use
- where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.
The webinar will include case studies, research and targeted advice so you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.

School counsellor

Last year we farewelled Miss Perri Ashton our school counsellor as she took up a full time role with a private company. At the end of 2020, having prepared a formal submission for continued funding in 2021, St Martin’s was proud to announce that we would once again receive funding for the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP). The chaplaincy role is dedicated to supporting the emotional wellbeing of students by providing pastoral care services and strategies and includes supporting the wellbeing of their families. Although appointing a new school counsellor is an urgent matter for us we must follow a process of due diligence to ensure that we can find the best person to meet the needs of our school community. Once the appointment is made we will once again highlight the referral process. In the meantime, please liaise with your child’s classroom teacher regarding the needs of your child however big or small.  Jamie Atherton our Student Wellbeing Leader is also available to support any questions you may have.

Celebrations and Condolences

As a community it is important that we are always here to support one another and I can see this happening already on many levels.  We will include celebrations and condolences in our newsletters.  If you have news to celebrate such as the birth of a child or you would like us to offer your family prayers due to the passing of a loved one please email us on office@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Coming up at St Martin’s

In February we have the following important events taking place:

★ Year 6 Confirmation Information evening

★ 2021 Prep Information night 

★ Year 4 Reconciliation celebrations

★ Year 6 Confirmation Commitment Masses

★ SMOT Band recruitment nights

★ Shrove Tuesday Family picnic

★ Year 5/6 Human Sexuality parent night

★ Prep Welcome Mass

Please check the school calendar (via Compass or our website) for exact times and locations. Specific information about these events will be sent out to those levels involved via Compass. Please also be aware that we may need to make adjustments at any time to upcoming events due to the uncertainty of COVID in the community.  

It has been great to see so much excitement at school as we begin our 2021 learning journey together.  Please know I am always here to support in whatever way I can.

Have a great and safe weekend.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

 

Dear St Martin's families,

We are in for a wonderful year of Sacramental life here at St Martin’s with many of our students preparing for and participating in Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation as they continue on their faith journey.

Keeping within our Covid safe plan for our Parish community, the current capacity of Masses is 150 people providing we register those in attendance.Prior to our Sacramental Masses, you will be notified by the Office Admin Team to register family members via Trybooking. Please note we will be limiting numbers per family due to the 150 person limit but will advise you throughout the year if and when these numbers increase depending on Government and Melbourne Archdiocese guidelines for Covid.

Attendance to weekend Masses at present will be limited to one parent and your child due to these Masses being open for parishioners to attend also.

Please note the Parish Pastoral Council has made some changes to the weekend Masses for 2021:
Saturday Vigil 5.30pm
Sunday Dawn Mass 8.00am
Sunday Family Mass 10.00am

I am sharing with you what this will look like for the 2021 school year. Please read carefully the outline below and I hope this answers many questions you may have.

Year 6 Confirmation

Confirmation Information Night on Tuesday 9th of Februaryat 7pm led by Fr Elio Capra.One parent and child to attend.Parents will participate in Fr Elio’s presentation in the GECCO and students will be in their Year 6 classrooms participating in prayer and an activity with their class teachers.
Parents will be asked to sign in as they enter the GECCO.

Confirmation Commitment Masses on Saturday 13th of February at 5.30pm or Sunday 14th of February at 10am. One parent and child to attend one of these Masses. Trybooking information has been placed on COMPASS.

Confirmation Preparation Masses on Saturday 1st of May at 5.30pm or Sunday 2nd of May at 10am. One parent and child to attend one of these Masses.Trybooking information has been placed on COMPASS.

Confirmation Masses on Friday 28th of May at 5pm and 7.30pm.  Bishop Terry Curtin will preside over these Masses. Parents must book time via Trybooking, details have been placed on COMPASS.

Year 5 Eucharist

Eucharist Mass for Year 5VC will be held on Saturday 13th of March at 11am

Eucharist Mass for Year 5JM will be held on Saturday 13th of March at 3.30pm

Eucharist Mass for Year 5SM will be held on Sunday 14th of March at 3.30pm

Parents must register family members via Trybooking, these details have been placed on COMPASS.

Year 4 Reconciliation

Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 4AT will be held on Thursday 11th of February at 5pm.

Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 4CM will be held on Thursday 18th of February at 5pm.

Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 4TD will be held on Thursday 25th of February at 5pm.

Parents must register family members via Trybooking, these details can be found on COMPASS.

Year 4 Eucharist

Eucharist Information Night on Tuesday 25th of May at 7pm led by Fr Elio Capra.  One parent and child to attend.  Parents will participate in Fr Elio’s presentation in the GECCO and students will be in their Year 4 classrooms participating in prayer and an activity with their class teachers. 
Parents will be asked to sign in as they enter the GECCO.

Eucharist Commitment Masses on Saturday 29th of May at 5.30pm or Sunday 30th of May at 10am.
One parent and child to attend one of these Masses. Trybooking details will be available via COMPASS.

Eucharist Preparation Masses on Saturday 19th of June at 5.30pm or Sunday 20th of June at 10am.
One parent and child to attend one of these Masses. Trybooking details will be available via COMPASS.

Eucharist Preparation Masses on Saturday 24th of July at 5.30pm or Sunday 25th of July at 10am.
One parent and child to attend one of these Masses. Trybooking details will be available via COMPASS.
 
First Eucharist Masses for Year 4AT on Saturday 7th of August at 5.30pm and Sunday 8th of August at 10am. Parents must book time and day via Trybooking.  Details to follow.
 
First Eucharist Masses for Year 4CM on Saturday 14th of August at 5.30pm and Sunday 15th of August at 10am. Parents must book time and day via Trybooking.  Details to follow.
 
First Eucharist Masses for Year 4TD on Saturday 21st of August at 5.30pm and Sunday 22nd of August at 10am. Parents must book time and day via Trybooking.  Details to follow.

Year 3 Reconciliation
 
Reconciliation Information Night on Tuesday 31st of August at 7pm led by Fr Elio Capra.  One parent and child to attend.  Parents will participate in Fr Elio’s presentation in the GECCO and students will be in their Year 3 classrooms participating in prayer and an activity with their class teachers. 
Parents will be asked to sign in as they enter the GECCO.
 
Reconciliation Commitment Masses on Saturday 4th of September at 5.30pm or Sunday 5th of September at 10am.  One parent and child to attend one of these Masses. A Trybooking event, details to follow.

Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 3KJ on Tuesday 12th of October at 7pm. Parents must register via Trybooking.  Details to follow.

Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 3MT on Tuesday 19th of October at 7pm. Parents must register via Trybooking. Details to follow.
 
Reconciliation Liturgy for Year 3LA on Tuesday 26th of October at 7pm. Parents must register via Trybooking.v Details to follow.
 
Further information in regards to the housekeeping sides to the Sacraments will be sent prior to each of the events taking place.  Feel free to email me if you have any further queries manderson@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Blessings
Marita Anderson
Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader

PGR
To all the beautiful students in Prep GR for making a great start to your school journey!

PPJ
To all the STARS in Prep PJ. Congrats on a fabulous start to the school year!

PVL
To all of the students in Prep VL for making such a great start to your school journey. You are all superstars!!

1CF
Amazing start for the 1CF champions! I'm so proud of everyone in our class for putting their best effort in and having a positive attitude to Grade 1! Awesome.

1CM
To all of the wonderful students in 1CM for settling back into school routine so beautifully. I am so proud of how well you have worked this week and I have loved seeing all of your beautiful smiles every day!

1LB
To the amazing stars in 1LB! You have had such a fantastic start to Year One and I couldn't be more proud of your positive attitude and caring nature. I can't wait to see the incredible things you'll do this year.

2JS
For the students in 2JS for making a create start to the year. Thanks for making me feel very welcome at St Martin of Tours. Keep up the great listening and learning.

2LB
To all of the students in 2LB for having such a superstar start to the year. I am so proud of you for all of your hard work in your first week back!

2MT
To all of the students in 2MT for a wonderful start to the year. You have worked so hard and it has been great to see you all settle into Year Two life so beautifully! Well Done.

3KJ
To our wonderful students in 3KJ. You have done an amazing job at settling into our grade. Keep up the wonderful work!

3LA
To all the fantastic students in 3LA for a great start to the new school year. You're all superstars!

3MT
To all the super stars in 3MT. An amazing start to the school year. Remember our class motto for the year is, 'Our limit is beyond the sky!'

4AT
To all the students in 4AT for a wonderful start to the year!

4CM
To all the students in 4CM for a fantastic start of the year. We are looking forward to the great year ahead!

4TD
To all the students in 4TD for an amazing start to the year! Thank you for being an awesome class!

5JM
To all of 5JM. What an awesome start to the year. Let's keep striving for gold in 2021!

5SM
To all the 5SM surfers. You should be so proud of yourselves for giving your best effort in all of your work. Let’s keep riding the waves together!

5VC
To all of 5CV!

6AM
Well done to Jamie S for a great start to the year. He has already shown us what it means to be responsible, polite and keen to try new things. Mrs Maloney and I are so excited to have such a special 6AM family.

6GW
Marko was keen to catch up on his writing task after missing a day from school.

6ZW
Zac C for having such a great start to the school year, focusing on his reading and the development of his hand writing.

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS
Please be aware that adjustments may need to be made at any time to upcoming events due to the uncertainty of COVID in the community.  

2021 Calendar Dates

Term 1 

February
★ 9th Swimming Trials (Year 3-6 Students 4-5pm)

★ 9th Confirmation Information Evening 7pm

★ 10th Prep Information Evening 7Pm

★ 11th Sacrament of Reconciliation 4AT 5pm

★ 13th Confirmation Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 14th Confirmation Commitment Mass 10am

★ 15th Swimming Trials (Year 3-6 Students 4-5pm)

★ 15th Band Recruitment Night 1 7pm CANCELLED

★ 16th Shrove Tuesday Family Picnic CANCELLED

★ 17th Ash Wednesday Mass 9.15am POSTPONED

★ 17th Band Recruitment Night 2 7pm CANCELLED

★ 18th Sacrament of Reconciliation 4CM 5pm

★ 23rd Year 5/6 Human Sexuality Parent Info Night (Online)

★ 25th Sacrament of Reconciliation 4TD 5pm

★ 27th Prep Welcome Mass & Pizza Night 5.30pm

March
★ 2nd Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 1

★ 3rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am 

★ 4th School Photo Day

★ 5th School Closure Day

★ 8th Labour Day Public Holiday

★ 9th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 2

★ 9th Learning Conversations (4pm-8pm)

★ 10th Learning Conversations (4pm-6pm)

★ 11th Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass 11am (5VC) 

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass 3.30pm (5JM) 

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass 3.30pm (5SM) 

★ 16th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

★ 18th Prep 2022 Enrolment Information Evening 7pm

★ 20th Open Morning School Tours/ Working Bee 9.30am-11.30am

★ 23rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 28th Palm Sunday

★ 29th Italian (LOTE) Incursion

April
★ 1st Easter Tableau 11.45am 

★ 1st Term 1 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 2

April
★ 19th Term 2 Commences

★ 19th School Closure Day

★ 27th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 1

May
★ 1st Confirmation Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 2nd Confirmation Preparation Mass 10am

★ 3rd Open Morning School Tours 9.30am-10.30am

★ 4th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 2

★ 9th Mother's day

★ 11th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

★ 11th Year 5/6 Human Sexuality Family Night (GECCO) 6.30pm

★ 25th Eucharist Information Evening

★ 28th Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 5pm

★ 28th Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 7.30pm

★ 29th Eucharist Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 30th Eucharist Commitment Mass 10am

June
★ 5th Year 2 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 11th Sacred Heart Mass 9.15am

★ 14th Queens Birthday Public Holiday

★ 19th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 20th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

★ 25th Term 2 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 3

July
★ 12th Term 3 Commences

★ 12th School Closure Day

★ 24th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 25th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

August
★ 7th First Eucharist Mass (4AT) 5.30pm

★ 8th First Eucharist Mass (4AT) 10am

★ 9th Mary Mackillop Mass 9.15am

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass (4CM) 5.30pm

★ 15th First Eucharist Mass (4CM) 10am

★ 21th First Eucharist Mass (4TD) 5.30pm

★ 22nd First Eucharist Mass (4TD) 10am

★ 30th Year 5 & 6 Leave for Camp

★ 31st Reconciliation Information Evening 7pm

September
★ 1st Year 5 & 6 Return from Camp

★ 4th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 5th Father's Day

★ 5th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 10am

★ 17th Term 3 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 4

October
★ 4th Term 4 Commences

★ 12th -13th Year 4 Camp 

★ 12th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3KJ) 7pm

★ 16th Year 1 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 19th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3MT) 7pm

★ 23rd Year 5 Family Mass 5.30pm

★ 26th Sacrament of Reconciliation (3LA) 7pm

★ 29th All Saints School Mass 9.15am

November
★ 1st School Closure Day

★ 2nd Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday

★ 11th St Martin's Feast Day Mass 9.15am

December
★ 3rd School Closure Day

★ 13th Year 6 Graduation Mass 5pm

★ 14th End of Year Thanksgiving Mass 9.15am

★ 14th Last Day of Term 4 (Students dismissed at 3.30pm)

Swimming Trials Year 3-6

St Martin’s will be competing in the Heidelberg District Swimming Carnival on Thursday 25th February.
In order for children to be selected in this team, they must attend at least one training session on one of the following dates:

Tuesday 9th February (4.00 – 5.00pm)

Monday 15th February (4.00 – 5.00pm)

Children must be able to swim 50m competently in at least one of the following strokes – freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.
Trials will take place at the Watermarc Swimming Pool, Greensborough and there is no cost involved to try out.

Further information please email: David Witchell 

WEEKEND MASSES
Saturday 8.30am Mass Reconciliation 10.00am
Saturday Vigil 5.30pm
Sunday Dawn Mass 8.00am
Sunday Family Mass 10.00am

MASSES THIS WEEK
Mon 8/2, Tues 9/2, Thur 11/2, Fri 12/2 9.15am Wed 10/2 Liturgy of the Word 9.15am

Fr Michael’s message….

Again, In the spirit of the article by Mgr Robert McElroy (San Diego, USA), about words we need to focus upon in our church life today - let’s look at the word ‘PARTICIPATION’.

Participation was a key word in the 2nd Vatican Council documents and now 60 years later we need to look at how we can encourage the participation of the people of God in parish/church life.

For people like me, the call to priesthood is a call to ‘service, prayer and compassion’. It’s important to remember in a time when there are not so many priests/religious, that the Holy Spirit is still bestowing upon parishes and the church the gifts we need to be used widely and wisely in our communities of faith. What then must we do?

One direction is for us to look at those who make up our faith communities and they are mainly women. So how can we increase the responsibility and participation of women in our parish/church in ways not precluded by Catholic doctrine? Another direction is to seek out our young adults. There aren’t too many of them visible at Mass. Yet, can we invite and encourage those who are connected to us to participate and take on responsibilities in the life of our faith community?

Many will be hoping that issues like these will be addressed at the Australian Catholic Church’s Plenary council this year.

LOOK TO JESUS - LENT & EASTER RESOURCE (personal use)

The primary focus of Look to Jesus - 52 Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter will be individual prayer, contemplation on a daily scripture verse from the readings of the day, and a quote from Pope Francis. At the back of the book there will be suggestions for group use and questions for discussion. We have ordered several copies of this resource should you be interested, or you can obtain a copy via www.lentprogram.com for a link to order a copy. Copies are available in the Church foyer and cost $5.

ITS ALL ABOUT HOPE – LENTEN GROUP RESOURCE

We are hoping to begin this program either in person or via Zoom for 2021. The program has been written by Christopher J Monaghan CP, Passionist Priest and President of the Yarra Theological Union. After the hardships of Covid 19, many are looking to the future in search of hope. Chris says….Lent invites us to do more than hope, but without hope we cannot take the journey...Reading through the scriptural text for this year, the theme of hope kept coming to mind because it is not just hope in God that matters, but God’s hope in us that keeps emerging. This year’s Lenten program explores the theme of hope over six weeks using prayer, biblical reflection and insightful exploration of the Easter liturgies. It is a program that will create energy for all the things the Lord wants to do with us and for us. SIGN UP SHEETS AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK IN THE FOYER.

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Futher information please email: band@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am amazed at how fast the year has gone and we are at our last newsletter for 2020.

On Friday I asked some Year 3 students - Zoe B, Lucas L, Madeline what has been their most favourite memory of 2020 and their responses were;

I enjoyed home learning because I got to play at home more and I could finish my work when I wanted to. I also enjoyed seeing my friends and going on bike rides.

It was great to come back to school from home learning because I hadn’t seen my friends for a while and I really wanted to stop the screen time. I also loved that I could get all my work done in 4 days and have Fridays off!

When I came back to school I really enjoyed being asked to be on TV - it was such a great day to see everyone so happy to be back at school.

2020 certainly has been a year like no other and one we will never forget.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your warm welcome. I had dreamed it would be different as I love connecting in regularly with students and parents, so the challenge for me was to find different ways to do this. St Martin’s is certainly a wonderful community to be part of and I am incredibly proud of how we all work together to ensure our students have had every opportunity to learn. The focus on the wellbeing of all in our community was also a priority for me this year. I commend the staff for their dedication and positivity this year. They are a great team who love what they do and always show belief in every student.
Thank you once again to all our parents for your trust and support in the complex decisions that had to be made this year to ensure the safety of everyone.
I certainly have been a COVID Marshall this year!!!

The last couple of weeks have been very busy as we have engaged in many extra school activities. We congratulate our Year 6 students on celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation and thank Fr Michael for his faith leadership. Our Year 6 students had a wonderful day last Friday at Funfields at their Big Day Out. It was the perfect day to enjoy the rides and water activities. This week our whole school community has been involved in our annual Compassion in Action Year 6 fundraising week and yesterday we held our School Sports Day onsite.

We are incredibly proud of our Choir and Band students for allowing music to remain an important part of 2020. Our band under the direction of Elliott Westbury had their End of Year Virtual Concert on Thursday night. It included their award winning performance of Thrill Ride, some well known songs from movies and Christmas Carols.

We are always encouraging our students to show empathy and think of others, an example of living a life like Jesus. Olivia from Year 5 is once again organising a shoe drive to help those in need. A Compass newsfeed will be sent with further information, please see if you can support.

Staffing for 2021

Parish Priest                        Fr. Michael O’Connell
Principal                             Jacqui Marshall
Deputy Principal/RE Leader    Marita Anderson

Prep VL                                Leslie van Loggerenberg
Prep GR                               Andrea Getson/Dinesha Rajasingam
Prep PJ                                Lisa Philp/Chloe Jones
Year 1LB                               Laura Butler
Year 1CF                               Claire Forbes
Year 1CM                              Cristina Menegas
Year 2MT                              Melanie Thierjung
Year 2LB                               Laura Bumpstead
Year 2JS                               Jeanine Sutherland
Year 3KJ                               Kris Jordan
Year 3MT                               Lilia Mosbauer/Sandra Tieppo
Year 3LA                               Lauren Addati
Year 4AT                               Adele Truefeldt
Year 4CM                              Melissa Campbell/Jess McGrath
Year 4TD                               Toni Dent
Year 5VC                               Neesha Valvo/Jo Collier
Year 5SM                              Shannon Molloy
Year 5JM                              Jacob Marshall
Year 6AM                              Jamie Atherton/Jo Maloney
Year 6GW                              Gareth Wells
Year 6ZW                              Terry Zacharakis/David Witchell

Learning and Teaching Leaders                  Sandra Tieppo, Brendan Ooi and Neesha Valvo
Literacy Leaders                                     Dinesha Rajasingam and Melissa Campbell
Numeracy Leaders                                   Sandra Tieppo and Terry Zacharakis
Student Wellbeing Leader                         Jamie Atherton
Learning Diversity Leader                          Teresa Michelangeli
Digital Technology Leader                         Brendan Ooi

Intervention*                                          Dinesha Rajasingam, Sandra Tieppo, Melissa Campbell
                                                            and Teresa Michelangeli

Physical Education                                  David Witchell
Performing Arts                                      Mary-Anne Kos
Visual Arts                                             Lisa Cherubin and Emma Kent
Italian                                                   Maria Mandarano and Steve Domini
Library                                                  Emma Kent and Chloe Jones
STEM                                                    Brendan Ooi and Steve Villani

Learning Support Officers                         Ida Fruci, Gayle Carrazza, Patsy Lynch, Niki Potenza,  
                                                            Kate Sanford, Tomasina Lagos, Carmel Malignaggi,
                                                            Cristina Grande and Olivia Jenkins

School Bursar                                        Mary Milione
Office Administration                              Karen Livingstone, Wendy O’Keefe, Patsy Lynch
                                                            and Veronica Castles

Library Administration                             Grace Bocquet
Digital Tech Support                                Jay Dickson
Band Program                                         Elliott Westbury

Welcome
We welcome the following staff members to St Martin’s in 2021.

Lauren Addati will be teaching in Year 3 and comes to us with two years of experience including working in London.

Grace Bocquet who has been working in the library this term and will continue on next year as our Library Technician.

Toni Dent has close to ten years teaching experience and comes to us from St Anthony’s Glen Huntly. Toni will be joining our Year 4 team.

Olivia Jenkins has just finished her training as an LSO and is looking forward to joining our team.

Jacob Marshall has three year’s experience and comes to us from St Dominic's Camberwell and will be joining our Year 5 team.

Jess McGrath is returning from maternity leave and will work two days a week in the Year 4 team.

Cristina Menegas is a graduate teacher from ACU and is very excited to begin her teaching at St Martin’s in the Year 1 team.

Shannon Molloy is also a graduate teacher from ACU and can’t wait to begin her teaching career at St Martin’s in the Year 5 team.

Jeanine Sutherland is an experienced teacher having last taught at St Francis Montmorency and is excited to join our Year 2 team.

Carmel Chubb will remain on leave in 2021.

Congratulations
We congratulate Emma and Ben O’Malley and big brother Jack on the safe arrival of beautiful Mila on Saturday December 5. A daughter and little sister to love and cherish. We look forward to meeting Mila soon.

We also congratulate Tarah 5V on receiving a gold medal in the 2020 Young Australian Art Award in the Computer section for her artwork titled Ice Dragon.

  

Reports
Reports are now available via Compass. Our reporting and assessment processes have been adjusted this year due to the impacts of COVID. At the beginning of 2021 we will re-assess students starting points to plan for rich teaching learning to ensure all students reach their potential. Please note reports can only be printed via a computer or laptop.

Change of Governance for Catholic Schools
Next year the governance for Catholic schools will change. This will result in all schools in Melbourne being governed by a new company - Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) rather than Parish Priests. Our Archbishop Peter Commensoli has written a letter to all parents to help explain this.

End of year activities
We have two action packed days ahead of us next week as we wrap up 2020.

Monday
We say farewell to our Year 6 class of 2020. Before first break all our students will have the opportunity to wish them well.
At 12pm we welcome Year 6 parents onto bottom yard as we celebrate together. Our Year 6 students will leave at 1pm.
Students in all other year levels will then spend some time in their new classes for 2021 with their new teachers. Book lists for next year are available on Compass and our website.
At 5pm we welcome back our Year 6 students for their Graduation Mass and celebrations. Year 6 families have been given additional information about this.

Tuesday
We gather together at 9:15am for our end of year Thanksgiving Mass. Our Year 5 students and parents have been invited to attend in the Church and it will be live streamed to classrooms and for those wanting to watch at home.
We are excited to announce our 2021 Year 6 student leadership roles at this Mass and say thank you to our staff who are leaving.
Students will be dismissed at 3:30pm (via the usual staggered pickup arrangements)

2020 Year 6 Legacy Piece
Over the past few weeks Lisa Cherubin has been working with our Year 6 students to create an art piece that will remain in the school to help us remember them. You can see from the photos what a wonderful job they have done decorating pebbles to create this special memory.

   

*Priorities for 2021
At the beginning of next year I will share with you the priorities for 2021 to ensure all our students reach their full potential.
You will notice in the staffing schedule for 2021 that four staff have been named to work in the area of Intervention. Part of this work will include the implementing the Victorian Government Tutor Program that has come about due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

2021 Important dates
We begin the school year with student assessments on Thursday 28 January and Friday 29 January. Your child/ren’s scheduled assessment date/time will be sent via a Compass Event early next week.
All students begin on Monday 1 February for what I am sure will be a wonderful year.
Marita Anderson our Religious Education Leader has shared again with you all our Sacramental Dates for 2021.

Thank you
I would like to thank the parents who have contributed this year on both the school board and the PFA.
Parent partnerships are so important in developing a sense of community. Thank you also to all our Class Parent Reps who have supported communication, engagement and celebration.
Many classes have had special treats in the past week and I know they have also loved their special Zooper Dooper Days. I would also like to congratulate all our school raffle winners announced via Compass yesterday.

We thank all our student leaders for their outstanding work this year and discovering different ways to ensure they have an impact. This includes our school captains, RE Leaders, House Captains, Band and Choir Leaders and Fire Carriers.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The staff at St Martin’s look forward to gathering together as a community in 2021.
Take care
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Advent

This week is the Third Sunday of Advent and the theme is `joy’. The liturgical colour is rose/pink and the rose coloured Advent candle is lit in the Church. We wait with joy for the coming of Jesus! In this week’s Gospel, we hear more about John preparing the way for the coming of `the light’ - Jesus our Lord.

This reading comes from the Gospel of John (1:6-8, 99-28)

John said “make the road straight for the Lord!”

There was a man named John who was sent by God. He came to tell people about the Light, so that all people could hear and believe.
The Jews in Jerusalem sent messengers to John to ask him who he was. He said clearly, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” John answered, “No, I am not Elijah.” Then they asked, “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No, I am not the Prophet.”
Then they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer. What do you say about yourself?

John told them in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am the voice of a man calling out in the desert:
Make the road straight for the Lord.’” In the group there were some religious leaders. They said to John: “You say you are not the Christ, not Elijah and not the Prophet so why do you baptise people?” John answered, “I baptise people with water. But there is one here among you that you do not know. He is the One who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie the strings of his sandals.”

Sacramental dates for 2021     

Confirmation - Year 6
9th February - Information night
13th/14th February - Commitment Masses
1st/2nd May - Preparation Masses
28th May - Confirmation 5pm and 7.30pm

First Eucharist - Year 5
13th March at 11am and 1.30pm
14th March at 3.30pm
Reconciliation - Year 4
11th February at 5pm
18th February at 5pm
25th February at 5pm

Eucharist - Year 4
25th May - Information night
29th/30th May - Commitment Masses
19th/20th June - Preparation Masses
24th/25th July - Preparation Masses
7th/8th August - First Eucharist Masses
14th/15th August - First Eucharist Masses
21st/22nd August - First Eucharist Masses

Reconciliation - Year 3
31st July - Information night
4th/5th September - Commitment Masses
12th October - Reconciliation at 7pm
19th October - Reconciliation at 7pm
26th October - Reconciliation at 7pm

Compassion in Action: St Vincent de Paul Fundraising Week
Throughout Term 4 our Year 6 students focused on ways that we can support our local and global communities. As newly confirmed Catholics we understand our responsibility to care for each other and the special care that needs to be provided for the vulnerable or marginalised in society. The children had a special guest presenter from our parish, Mrs Marianne Power, and she shared her story of the work that is done by the lay Catholic organisation, the St Vincent de Paul Society. Following this visit the Year 6 students researched the global outreach that the society has and its aspirations to live the gospel message by serving others with love, respect, justice, hope and joy.

The initial plans that we had as a Year 6 community was to create food and clothing hampers for our local community members but unfortunately the COVID outbreak made this impossible. It even put an end to the annual class collection of Christmas food hampers that every family contributes to. The students then turned their attention to our annual Compassion in Action Fundraising Week to raise money for the society. The students formed groups to promote the work of the St Vincent dePaul Society to every class in the school and then created fundraising groups to plan a fundraising activity. This week has become a very special tradition here at St Martins. We would like to thank our families for the way that they embraced the week. The week’s activities also included a casual dress day on Wednesday and we were able to add this gold coin donation to the week's fundraising.

It is with great pride that our Year 6 children can share with you a grand total of $3, 632.55 that was raised for the St Vincent de Paul Society. In a time when financial hardship has struck the most vulnerable in our community, this money will be converted into food and clothing vouchers, that will be redeemed at St Vincent de Paul shops, for so many needy families. Once again, we would like to thank everyone for your support with this important work. It has been a very real experience for our Year 6 children as they drew upon their love and compassion to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Warmest regards
Jamie Atherton on behalf of our Year 6 family

Thank you to our lovely Year 6 Fire Carrier students Elena, Declan, Mia and Noah. We thank you for the wonderful job you have done promoting Reconciliation and an Aboriginal Perspective in our school.

We would also like to thank Mr Aaron Connolly who has been a Fire Carrier Leader for the past eight years. He has worked beautifully with many of our students and the North Eastern Network. His passion, respect and knowledge of our Indigenious people is amazing. We will miss his presence and his remarkable storytelling abilities.

We would like to welcome our new Fire Carrier members Kayleb, Jordan, Belle, Winnie, Olivia, Sophie, Caitlin, Mietta, Charlotte, Olivia, Louise and Tarah. We know they will continue to do a wonderful job in 2021.

Melissa Campbell
Co- Fire Carrier Leader.

  

On Friday we held our annual school sports carnival in perfect weather. Unlike previous years, this year we held our sports at school.
The children competed in five activities including the 50m sprint where children received ribbons for their hard work.
The Prep to Year 2's competed in the morning while the Year 3 to Year 6 competed after recess.

Thank you to our wonderful Captains of the school who helped run the activities for the junior children and to our four great Sport Captains for leadership of their teams:
McAuley   Charlie G
Tours       Noah J
Mercy      Chloe B
Xavier      Luke D

The results were:

1st – Tours 

2nd – Mercy 

3rd – McAuley 

4th – Xavier

Thank you to all of the children for their participation and to all of the teachers who helped on the day. It was a great way to finish what has been a very difficult year.

Our Band Program at SMOT has had a very interesting and successful year of learning at home. Since we first went to remote learning in Term 2, the band members have been continuing with online instrument lessons, band rehearsals. When the whole school was doing remote learning, we were able to also join for online instrument workshops and sectional rehearsals. Our band members had so much time to practice their instruments then too! Even in Term 4 as we returned to the school in person, band members have still been Google Meet-ing after school, with something happening every day of the week!

It is a very different experience learning band when you can’t play music in the same room together! As anyone that has tried to sing Happy Birthday to someone as a group over a Google Meet or Zoom call knows, the technology for that doesn’t work at all. So as well as our Google Meet lessons and rehearsals, our band members have recorded their music individually throughout the year. This means both children and parents have learnt a lot about technology this year as well! After a lot of video editing magic by Mr. Westbury, we can show everyone together playing some of their music.

We presented band music and some solo items in our Virtual End of Year Concert on Thursday the 10ᵗʰ December. In the concert we have awesome music written for bands, including Thrill Ride which is based on the experience of a rollercoaster. We recorded this in Term 2 and won an Honourable Mention in the Boorondara Eisteddford’s Virtual Ensemble Competition.

More recently we also have learnt to play a piece called El Conquistador, featuring Ellio C on trumpet in Year 6 (with up and coming competition from Gabby B in Year 5 and Juanito C in Year 4!). We have also learnt some movie music, and finally some Christmas carols. A Compass newsfeed will be available from Monday with a link so you can watch our online concert.
  
Thank you to all the band members for your continued enthusiasm for our Band Program this year, and parents for helping your children to practice with the technology. A big thanks to our instrumental teachers in the program, Mr Maddison Carter and Ms Misa Murphy and to our principal Mrs Jacqui Marshall for supporting our program. Our 2020 Band Captains Maya D and Mia B have done an amazing job of helping to keep everyone engaged and positive, and helping to organise our end of year party.

If you are interested in joining the Band Program in 2021 and you will be in Year 3 or above, please fill out the expression of interest form here. We then make sure you can come along to one of the instrument try-out and information sessions at the beginning of Term 1 2021.

We have weekly lessons and band rehearsals, and (in normal years!) perform at least once per term, including going to festivals and holding a major concert of our own each semester. Lessons occur during class time, and rehearsals are before school on Thursdays at 8am for the Junior Band.

The available instruments are flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, percussion, and keyboard bass. After you try the instruments, you enter your preferences, and we allocate instruments so that we have a balanced band. Almost everyone gets their first or second preference! If you have learnt one of these instruments previously at another school or in external lessons, you are welcome to join the program, just contact band@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Hope to see you as a band member, or an audience member in 2021!

Mr. Elliott Westbury
SMOT Band Program Coordinator and Woodwind Teacher

Congratulations to the following St Martin's students! 

WEEK 9

PGR

Atish for settling in so well to Prep GR by being a friendly classmate and a super worker! Super star!

Xavier for trying hard in class to do his best work always and for being a kind and friendly classmate. Super boy!

Oliver for making fabulous choices in the playground and for always doing his best work in class. Super hero!

Joshua for making great choices playing out on the playground fairly and for challenging himself to record more ideas in his writing. Super star!

Natalie for sitting on the floor nice and still and being a super listener. Super girl!

PPV

Mila for working well during group activities and setting a good example for her peers.

Lora for being an enthusiastic learner who willingly participates in group activities.

Riley for his fabulous art work (that he enjoys sharing with his class) and his new enthusiasm with his story writing.

PVL

Gianluca for making good use of different reading strategies when decoding unknown words. Well done!

Tahlia for being a thoughtful and caring member of Prep VL. Well done!

1B

Valentina- For displaying amazing creativity when making her marble run, and for always helping others in 1B.

1LB

Anthony for showing pleasing progress when working on his personal learning goal to use his time more productively in class. It has been wonderful to see Anthony begin tasks without prompting and seek support when he is unsure of what to do. Keep up the great work!

2T

Sophie for always contributing wonderful ideas to classroom discussions and for always trying her best.

Leo for his enthusiasm in classroom discussions.

Monique for participating more in classroom discussions and for being a kind friend to all.

3C

Tristan for his lovely reading with expression.

Henry for being a lovely friend and caring for others.

Priscilla for working really hard during writing time and including a lot of detail. 

Leon for sharing his ideas in class discussions. 

Angus M for speaking very clearly during his Aboriginal flag presentation. 

Luke for showing perseverance and including a lot of detail into his totem pole.

3MT

Luca for working so well in his group on the Inquiry task and for the drawing of his crocodile on his totem pole.

Charlotte for her artistic and detailed drawing of the kookaburra on her totem pole.

Patrick for being a champion in his automatic response for addition, subtraction and multiplication number facts.

Felix for being a good leader in his group and his artistic drawing of a snake on his totem pole.

Kevin for working collaboratively in his group on the Inquiry task and sharing his ideas.

Maja for always showing care and concern for other members in the class.

Maya for the improvement she has made with her work in Maths. Keep it up!

Max for his informative retell of ‘Bunjil the Eagle’ and his awesome sketch of Bunjil.

Ava for her creative pieces of writing throughout the year. I look forward to reading the novel you will write in the future.

4C

Juanito for being focussed and working hard to complete his work to a high standard. Well done!

Ruby B for her efforts with her persuasive piece "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs".

Bethany for persevering when faced with different challenges. Well done Bethany for showing such courage and strength.

6AM

Elena for being such a wonderful friend to everyone in the 6AM class. You are always thoughtful, kind and considerate and the first person willing to assist others. Your compassionate nature is an example for all of us.

Ethan D for displaying good sportsmanship in our class sport games. You are a valuable member to the team you are part of and always try to play your best. Good role models in sport are always important! Keep it up!

WEEK 10

PGR

Raya for working well with her friends when playing games and sharing counters, dice, blocks and other materials. Love your style!

Tiago for making good choices when sitting next to his friends and for always doing his best work. Super star!

Violet for being such a super reader and writer. We have also loved you sharing all of your thoughts and ideas with us during class discussions. Super star

PPV

Steph for always participating in class discussions and sharing her news and information with her peers.

Genevieve for completing neat and well presented work and focusing on her set tasks.

Alessia for trying hard with her writing by including spaces and uppercase letters. Good effort!

Maddison for working hard on her oral reading and answering questions about the text read. Well done!

PVL

Gabriel for making great progress with his reading and high frequency words this semester. Well done!

Noah for having a great smile on his face every morning when he comes into Prep VL. Well done!

Siena for making great progress with her writing and recording of ideas. Well done!

1B

Maxwell for always sharing his great thinking and ideas during class discussions and for being a kind and caring member of 1B.

1LB

To 1LB for being enthusiastic and positive learners and trying your best throughout the Term! It has been wonderful to see you all support and care for one another in 2020 and make wonderful gains in your learning. Well done 1LB!
3C

For being a wonderful class and showing great perserverance throughout the 2020 year. Well done working hard to improve your learning and showing great care with one another.

3MT

Lilliana for the great improvements you have made in all the learning areas. Keep it up.

Thomas for your cheeky smile and for sharing your stories throughout the year.

Evie for using a variety of strategies when working with multiplication number sentences.

Nikola for his retell of ‘Bunjil the Eagle’ and his artistic sketch of Bunjil. You have a very creative streak Nikola.

Chiara for a well written retell of ‘Bunjil the Eagle’. Keep up the great writing Chiara.

Joshua for his creative piece of writing on ‘Bunjil the Eagle’ and his detailed sketch of Bunjil. Keep on sketching portraits Joshua.

Madeline for her informative presentation on the Aboriginal flag. She used a clear and loud voice. Well done Madeline.

Lucas for the friendships he has made this year. You have intrigued everyone in 3MT with your go karting stories.

Lucas for applying yourself to all areas of the curriculum and for being caring and thoughtful towards your friends.

4C

Darcy K for applying himself and focussing on his work. Great effort Darcy.

Jaydon for working hard at expanding his ideas in writing. Well done!

6AM

Orlando for taking on teacher feedback and suggestions to make improvements to his own work and your willingness to listen and improve.

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS

2020 Term 4 Calendar Dates

December

★ 14th Year 6 last day of primary school - farewell at 1pm

★ 14th Year 6 Graduation Mass at 5pm (format to be advised)

★ 14th Years P-5 Transition to 2021 Classes

★ 15th End of Year Thanksgiving Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 15th Term 4 concludes at 3.30pm

2021 Term 1 Calendar Dates

January

★ 28th -29th Year 1-6 Student Assessment Sessions (further information will be provided via Compass News Feed) 

February

★ 1st ALL students commence Term 1

★ 2nd Beginning of School Year Mass 9.15am

★ 11th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 16th Shrove Tuesday

★ 17th Ash Wednesday Mass 9.15am

★ 18th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 25th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 27th Prep and Year 6 Welcome Mass

March

★ 4th School Photo Day

★ 8th Labour Day Holiday

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

April

★ 1st Term 1 Concludes 

The PFA would like to thank the generous support of the St. Martin of Tours Rosanna community. With your support throughout the year, we are excited to announce that we have raised $7,450.

Congratulations to the winners of our School Fee Raffle which was drawn by Mrs Marshall yesterday.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the support of the administration staff Patsy, Karen, Mary and Veronica. They are always willing to meet any of our requests and without them we would be lost.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the support of the teaching staff, in particular Mrs Anderson and Mrs Marshall. We appreciate their attendance at meetings in their own time, their positivity and encouragement and their willingness to support our events during this challenging year.

Please click here for updates on PFA activities. 

Wishing all our families a safe and happy Christmas, followed by a healthy, prosperous and sparkling 2021!

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS MASS 2020 SMOT

Liturgy Team is calling for children to perform in the Christmas gospel play at 5pm during the Christmas Eve Mass on 24th December 2020 here at St Martin of Tours Church.
We need shepherds, wise persons, a drummer person, angels, singers from the school choir, speaker for prayers of faithful and more...All costumes provided.
Parent helpers are also required to assist with rehearsals and at the 5pm Mass. This is a great opportunity for parents and children to be involved in their school parish and help bring the Christmas story to life!
Please email Mira Puspa at mirapuspa@gmail.com should you wish to participate at this Mass. To attend/participate at this Mass bookings will need to be made via Trybooking. This link will be provided closer to the date.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY - CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Unfortunately due to the Covid19 restrictions we cannot have our usual Christmas collection of toys for the children of families we have helped during the year.
Macleod Conference will still provide our usual Christmas food gift cards for those families with a bit extra to enable the families to provide some toys for the children.
As we will probably have a limited number of Masses for collections, Vinnies have provided a way of making donations:
1. By phone using a credit card and calling 13 18 12. Donors can allocate donations by giving the name of the conference (eg Macleod Conference M915) over the phone.
2. By an online donation to vinnies.org.au allocating the donation to a specific conference (eg Macleod Conference M915).

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What a beautiful day we had on Friday and a perfect one for Zooper Doopers. I know our students appreciated it, so thank you to the PFA for making this happen.



It’s hard to believe there’s only just over two weeks left for school this year. This week our Year 5 students have presented their leadership speeches and confidently shared their hopes and dreams for our school in 2021. We have been incredibly proud of all of them.

Following announcements by the Victorian Government on Sunday we were then provided with updates on how to operate within COVID safe guidelines. Some of the most recent changes include:
● Drinking fountains can be reopened for normal use
● Face masks are to be worn outside when you are unable to social distance
● Limited visitors and parents onsite
● Sporting activities can resume
● Limitations still in place for graduation ceremonies and liturgies

The movement of traffic around the school at the beginning and end of each day has always been problematic and even more so with the restrictions due to COVID. We can now begin making some adjustments but will begin very slowly as we can have no more than 50 parents onsite at one time, which means we can not have parents parking onsite yet.

Starting Tuesday 1 December, we will no longer need to do the staggered beginning of the day routine. All students can arrive at school from 8:30am (there is no A-L and K-Z arrangements) and enter through the gate on top yard or be dropped off at the kiss and drop on bottom yard. The end of the day pick up processes will remain the same at this current time. With the 3pm, 3:15pm and 3:30pm pick up times.

Over the past couple of weeks we have received a number of complaints from local residents about the traffic. Some of the calls have been quite aggressive and very unsettling. Could I please ask for your help in ensuring that you show respect by allowing residents to get out of their driveways.

As mentioned in previous communication, we have a school closure day on Monday 30 November to begin planning for 2021.

Staffing

At this time of the year we often say farewell and thank you to members of our staff who are moving on or retiring. It is just an honour and a privilege to be in a profession that impacts the lives of our future generation, so we say thank you to the following wonderful staff - Karen Crimmins, Donna Vincent, Aaron Connolly, Michelle Cameron, Martine Klaic, Tess Cosgrave and Jessica Casamento. Some members of our team have shared some beautiful words about each of them.

Karen has been sharing her knowledge, expertise and wisdom over the last 27 years, here at St Martin's. Students present and past have been immersed in Karen's expert teaching and learning mainly in the Sciences and Mathematics. She then adopted a new passion and extended her studies and qualifications in the area of Student Wellbeing where both students and teachers have gained valuable professional growth and understanding. We wish Karen all the best in her retirement.

Donna has been a member of St Martin's staff for 14 years. She is passionate about teaching and her experience has had a positive influence on all the teachers and children who have been fortunate enough to work with her. She is very dedicated and has always gone above and beyond what is expected of her - coming in for planning and meetings when it's not her work day - and always with a smile on her face. We will definitely miss Donna and wish her every success in her retirement.

Aaron has worked as a senior educator at St. Martin’s for well over ten years. Mr Connolly is known across the school for his warm and relaxed manner, always with a smile on his face. Now the time has come for Mr Connolly to move on to a place that has been calling him for years, the beach. A combination of early morning surfs and relaxed family afternoons on the sandy shores, alongside a new role at Our Lady of Fatima School, Rosebud are the perfect fit for his active nature. He will be missed, not least for his musical abilities and good humour in the staff room and classroom alike.

Michelle started at St Martin's in 2017 and has nurtured many cohorts of Years 2's and 3's over her time at our school. Michelle or 'Mishy' is known for her kindness, empathy, love of candles and the joy she brings to the children she teaches. We will miss her flair for writing, her dramatic reading of Roald Dahl books, her comforting conversations and the way she puts her heart and passion into teaching. We wish her all the best at St Charles Templestowe.

Martine has made many contributions to the learning at St. Martin's over the past 3 years. As Learning and Teaching and Literacy Leader, Martine has provided much support to staff in providing for the learning needs of the students. Her passion and enthusiasm for learning has been a driving force in the school. Martine has also been such a big part of the Library, encouraging a love of literature for students, staff and families. We appreciate the beautiful new spaces they now have to enjoy. We wish her all the best at St Francis Mill Park.

Tess who has been at St Martin’s for 2 years, has a warm and friendly smile and a great sense of humour. She is a kind, patient and compassionate teacher who always prioritises the wellbeing of her students. The students in her class thrive on her warm and inviting teaching approach and she has shown experience that is well beyond her years when implementing learning programs. She will be greatly missed by the staff and students at SMOT. We wish Tess every success as she begins teaching next year at St Monica’s Moonee Ponds.

Jess has been a dedicated member of the St Martin's family for the last two years when she joined the Learning Diversity Team. She has supported many of our students with their learning and this year played an important role during our remote learning time. We wish her well as she begins her teaching career at Gladstone Park Secondary College.

We will also farewell Peter Jordan our school groundsman/gardener at the end of this year as he puts away his gardening tools and heads off on a well deserved road trip with his wife Joan. We thank Peter for his dedication to keeping our school grounds beautiful and for his generosity sharing his home grown fruits and vegetables.

Sacrament of Confirmation

This Thursday 3 December our Year 6 students who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation will be confirmed by Fr Michael at St Martin’s Church. There are 3 masses throughout the day. We truly do appreciate the understanding of our families and how they have adjusted to the restrictions in place due to the current COVID directives.
We pray for our students and their families and ask God’s blessings.



End of year events

Our Year 6 students have their Big Day Out at Funfields on Friday 4 December.
We are planning an adjusted onsite school sports day for Friday 11 December. Dave Witchell will send more information out about this next week.
We are finalising plans for our Year 6’s so they can be celebrated as they finish up their primary school journey. A letter will be sent out to year 6 families next week about events on their final day at school Monday 14 December.
We are also exploring how we can get into the Christmas Spirit together with possible virtual experiences.

Reports

Students' Academic Reports, Alternate Academic Reports and Individual Learning Plans will be released at 4pm on Friday the 11th of December via Compass. Teachers have worked extremely hard this semester to ensure the student's report is a clear reflection of what the student has achieved while at school. This has been a very challenging year for everyone and our students have learnt a variety of things with remote learning. The school reports will be adjusted this year due to the time spent away from school however, English and Mathematics will be displayed in the Victorian Curriculum scale.

Please keep an eye out on Compass for any reminders or important information as we move closer to the end of the 2020 school year.

In our next newsletter I will share with you the staffing schedule for 2021. Our students will meet their new teachers and classmates in the last week of term.

Take care
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Sacrament of Confirmation

We ask our school community to pray for our Year 6 students as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and a special Blessing, an important milestone in their faith journey, on Thursday 3rd of December. This year, the Archbishop has given permission for Parish Priests to confirm the candidates and has invited the parents of the candidates to attend to be a part of this special celebration. Fr Michael will lead each class in their own Mass.

We pray for…


Christmas Hampers for St Vincent de Paul

Each year our families are extremely generous in providing each class with food items and Christmas decorations to create Christmas hampers for those in need. This year we have received notification from the St Vincent de Paul Conference that they are unable to deliver hampers due to COVID.

We would like to support this great organisation by asking families to donate a gold coin on a casual clothes day, like we did for the Winter Appeal. Students are able to wear casual clothes on Wednesday 9th of December and bring a gold coin to school. We will collect the gold coins and along with the monies raised in the Year 6 Fundraising week, we will provide supermarket gift vouchers to the St Vincent de Paul committee who will then distribute these amongst those in need.

In the Art Room - Term 4, 2020

It has been so wonderful to have the students from Year 6, Year 3, the Preps and Year 1LB in the Art Room this term. We have been busy learning new techniques, having fun and creating some wonderful artwork. Here is a snapshot of what’s been happening…….

The Prep Children and Year 1LB have been investigating and exploring the element of Line. We have drawn, painted and printed various lines and made line sculptures using paper. Here are some examples.


Inspired by Vincent Van Gough’s ‘Almond Tree’ painting, the Year 1’s created a textured painted background and used cardboard offcuts, fingers and the back of a paintbrush to print the tree branches, leaves and flowers.

 

We have started making a family Christmas gift which will involve some hand sewing and manipulation of textile materials. The Preps also learnt how to make a wet felted ball using wool roving.



   Rolling the wet, soapy wool roving to creat a felted ball and learning how to sew a running stitch.

The Year 3’s have completed a unit of work focusing on the use of analogous colours. They learnt how to identify and blend these colours using chalk pastels and created an abstract artwork inspired by the artist Sandra Silberzweig. As you can see, the results were outstanding!

The Year 3’s will also make a family Christmas gift using paper clay, wire and bead embellishments.

The Year 6’s completed a unit of work on printing and collage. They created various designs onto a foam block and did multiple prints. These were then cut out and glued onto a collaged tissue paper background.

The Year 6’s will also create painted textured papers and attach an acetate self portrait which will be highlighted with a contrasting paint colour. They will look amazing when they are finished.

Well done everyone for your enthusiasm and creativity this term!

With a happy heART,
Lisa and Ms Kent

Congratulations to the following St Martin's students! 

WEEK 7

PGR

Abigail for being a kind and caring friend and for having a go at stretching out new words in her writing. Superstar!

Dain for persevering with challenging tasks and for working well taking turns when playing learning games. Keep it up!

Isabel for really trying hard to write her letters on the line and for being a super reader stretching out her words and making sure the story makes sense. Fabulous!

Isabella for working so well in small groups and asking questions when she is not sure of the instruction.

Isla for always sharing her thoughts and ideas in our class discussions and for her super story writing. Superstar!

PPV

Orla for working well in small groups and following instructions. Good work!

Amelie for her neat and well presented work. Nice one!

Atticus for his excellent explanation of how he adds and subtracts numbers. Awesome!

PVL

Lukas for working independently during writing time. Well done!

Amelia for hearing and recording so many new sounds and words when writing. Well done!

1B

Emilia for reading with such beautiful fluency and expression when reading aloud to others.

1LB

Thomas for showing a respect and kindness towards his peers and demonstrating a positive attitude towards his learning. Keep up the amazing work Thomas!

Blake for showing perseverance when seeking to improve his writing skills. It has been wonderful to see Blake add more detail to his sentences and work towards using his punctuation more accurately. Well done Blake!

Daisy for challenging herself in our Mathematics unit on Money. It was wonderful to see Daisy move out of her comfort zone to solve more challenging problems. Keep up the amazing work!

2T

William for his focused learning during our Division unit and his improvement in this area. Well done William

Phoebe for her creativity and enthusiasm during our Inquiry Game Design Challenge and for sharing her ideas happily with others. Well done Phoebe.

Adelaide for writing a fantastic narrative and editing it to add interesting adjectives. Great job Adelaide!

3C

Alessia for being supportive and caring towards her peers.

Patrick for listening to feedback and using it to improve his work.

Alandra for asking inquisitive questions to improve her learning.

Cara for making great contributions to class discussions.

3JC

Mitchell for using a variety of Multiplication strategies when solving 2 digit by 2 digit problems.

3MT

Felicity for her interesting pieces of writing that engage her audience through the use of sizzling starts and descriptive words.

Max for applying himself and focussing on his work. Great effort Max.

Lia for all of her persistence and determination with her reading and writing at home and at school. You shine.

Harrison for his growth mindset with his learning and trying his best with all tasks presented. You’re a champion.

4C

Stefano for all of his efforts with his reading at home and at school. Well done!

Anika for always offering to help around the classroom. Thank you, Anika!

Zac for his effort and persistence in our Fractions unit. Keep it up!

Lea for her persistence with challenging tasks and for offering to help her peers with their work. Thank you!

6AM

Elly for the wonderful efforts you have put into Maths, especially BODMAS work. You show great persistence, effort and accuracy in many subject areas and we all admire this quality about you. Keep working hard!

Heidi for being so precise in your Maths. You attention to detail highlights your ability in this subject area, especially when recording elapsed time to the minute is fantastic. Keep up all the hard work!

Harrison for the growth and understanding you have shown in your reading and comprehension. Even when it was challenging you kept referring to the text to draw evidence and understanding. Keep striving for your goals!

WEEK 8

PGR

Michaela for contributing her ideas and thoughts in our class discussions and for being the BEST new big sister to baby Lincoln!

Mila for using positive feedback to take risks in her learning and for being a fun and kind classmate.

Noe for rewarding his classmates for being super learners each day and for being so thoughtful and caring to his classmates.

Jesse for making really good chopices when working with his learning partners and for showing interest and enthusiasm when learning new things.

Jackson for making good choices in the playground and for trying hard to remember to put his hand up when he needs help or to share an idea. Superstar!

PPV

Alfonso for his fluent reading and understanding of what he has read. Well done Alfonso.

PVL

Gianluca For being a good friend to all in Prep VL. Well done!

Alaska For being a kind and patient girl. Well done!

1B

Charlie for always taking on challenges with his learning and ensuring his work is presented neatly.

1LB

James for presenting an interesting and engaging show and tell about where his family comes from. He spoke confidently, while making sure to look at the audience and it was wonderful to see James add humour to his presentation. Great work James!

Zara for making wonderful progress in her reading. It has been fantastic to see Zara grow in confidence with her ability to read different text types using added expression and accuracy. Keep up the amazing work Zara!

Jonty for showing perseverance when working towards his personal learning goal of being a more active participant during discussion time. Jonty regularly shares his thoughts and ideas in a well articulated manner. Keep up the amazing work Jonty!

2OC

For all 2OC Students for the fantastic way they are applying themselves to their schoolwork to finish off the year so positively. Great work!!

3C

Amelie for working hard in her Reading and Writing.

Zoe for projecting her voice clearly during her Flag presentation.

Luke for his lovely manners and sharing his general knowledge with the class.

Jacob for working hard to complete all his set tasks.

3JC

Shayna for writing and accurate retell of the Aboriginal creation story, 'Bunjil the Eagle'.

3MT

Riley for showing his working out clearly when solving multiplication number sentences. Keep it up Riley!

Zoe for always being attentive and working hard to produce her work to a high standard.

Elaine for always being focussed and working hard in all areas of the curriculum to show a huge improvement in her learning.

Kevin for the growth he has made with his reading and his energetic discussion about the text. Keep up the enthusiasm and reading Kevin.

Alice for her positive attitude to everything. She is respectful, kind and inclusive towards her peers. Keep on being you Alice!

4C

Domenico for his efforts with his numeracy skills at home and at school - well done Dom, keep it up!

Giulia for being an upstander and looking out for her friends.

Cohen for always offering to help his peers and teachers and for trying his best at all class tasks.

Giacomo for his effort with planning his persuasive piece on the True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Well done!

6AM

Connor for obtaining perfect results in his Maths work on complementary and supplementary angles. This reflects the accuracy in your calculations and understanding of the topic. Awesome job Connor!

Jonah for the role you have undertaken in collaborating with your Action Team in the promotion work for St Vincent de Paul. You have ensured your team provides all the information needed and have been willing and flexible with making changes and improvements to your work. Super job Jonah!

Patrick for the sense of fun, playfulness and stories that you bring to our classroom. You remind us to have fun in all that we do. Well done Patrick!

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS

2020 Term 4 Calendar Dates

November

★ 30th School Closure Day

December

★ 3rd Year 6 Confirmation Ceremonies

★ 4th Year 6 Big Day Out -Funfields

★ 7th - 10th Compassion in Action Week (Year 6 Fundraising) 

★ 9th Casual Clothes Day, (Gold Coin Donation) 

★ 11th Whole School Sports Day (event held at school)

★ 14th Year 6 last day of primary school - farewell at 1pm

★ 14th Year 6 Graduation Mass at 5pm (format to be advised)

★ 14th Years P-5 Transition to 2021 Classes

★ 15th End of Year Thanksgiving Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 15th Term 4 concludes at 3.30pm

★ *Christmas Spirit Activity with possible virtual experience (TBA)

2021 Term 1 Calendar Dates

January

★ 28th -29th Year 1-6 Student Assessment Sessions (further information will be provided via Compass News Feed) 

February

★ 1st ALL students commence Term 1

★ 2nd Beginning of School Year Mass 9.15am

★ 11th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 16th Shrove Tuesday

★ 17th Ash Wednesday Mass 9.15am

★ 18th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 25th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 27th Prep and Year 6 Welcome Mass

March

★ 4th School Photo Day

★ 8th Labour Day Holiday

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

April

★ 1st Term 1 Concludes 

Advent Reflection Week 1

Advent is pointing us to the birth of Jesus, our hope and joy in troubled times. There is so much to take from the readings we hear each week so here are some ideas for each week of Advent which will hopefully lead to further reflection. As you reflect, look at the environment of the church which will also engage our senses so we can immerse ourselves in this happy and hopeful season.

God is like a potter who shapes us to be people of faith.
We can trust God for ‘God is faithful’

What struck me most about this years reading’s was the emphasis on waiting, a theme that seems particularly poignant given our world’s, and our community’s, experience this year of the pandemic. We have all been waiting, waiting for the daily numbers, for the easing of restrictions, for a vaccine. Depending on our circumstances and our personalities, we have experienced this in different ways and with varying degrees of hardship. The readings reflect upon exactly this. The tone is sometimes angry and despairing, pleading or joyful. We can all find our experience mirrored in the words of the scripture. Just how this might be expressed in the church environment is another matter! That I will have to “ponder in my heart”, but a few ideas are churning.

Overall though, the message that spoke to me above all, is that waiting can be an active and positive state rather than a passive one. It can be about hope, trust and preparation.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY - CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Unfortunately due to the Covid19 restrictions we cannot have our usual Christmas collection of toys for the children of families we have helped during the year. Macleod Conference will still provide our usual Christmas food gift cards for those families with a bit extra to enable the families to provide some toys for the children.

Vinnies is holding its Christmas Appeal and this will provide funds to assist families and people who are in need over the Christmas period. With the problems of Covid19 we expect there will be a greater need than ever in this very difficult year. St Martin’s parishioners have been very generous in the past and we are very grateful for your wonderful help. It would be much appreciated if you can help again.

As we will probably have a limited number of Masses for collections, Vinnies have provided a way of making donations:

1. By phone using a credit card and calling 13 18 12. Donors can allocate donations by giving the name of the conference (eg Macleod Conference M915) over the phone. Receipts will be issued by the Fundraising Team.

2. By an online donation to vinnies.org.au allocating the donation to a specific conference (eg Macleod Conference M915). Receipts will be automatically emailed to donors.

Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

CALENDAR OF MASSES
All Masses are capped at 75 people
Monday 30           9.15am Mass
Tuesday 1             No Mass
Wednesday 2        No Mass
Thursday 3           9.15am Mass
Friday 4               9.15am Mass
Saturday 5 Dec     5.30pm Vigil Mass - Trybooking link https://www.trybooking.com/BNFBG
Sunday 6 Dec       8.00am Mass (English) - Trybooking link https://www.trybooking.com/BNFBL   10.00am Mass - Trybooking link https://www.trybooking.com/BNFBQ
It is no longer necessary to book for weekday Masses. However, you must still sign in with your name and contact number as per the government guidelines when you attend.

Returning to Mass will be different compared to what we are used to. We are still required to collect a list of attendees and contact details to enable contact tracing should it be needed. There will also need to be extensive cleaning after each service with a 1 hour gap between services.

Please be patient while we continue to steer our path through the easing of restrictions whilst adhering also to the government guidelines. If you are attending Mass you must wear a mask. Hand sanitiser is available and must be used, and any further directions, such as seating arrangements, given by Fr Michael must be adhered to.

Please only attend if you are well.

TRYBOOKING
To simplify the booking process as we move to larger numbers, we have decided to introduce Trybooking.
PLEASE BOOK EACH PERSON COMING TO MASS SEPARATELY SO WE HAVE CONTACT TRACING DETAILS.
Children over 12 months must also have a ticket for the weekend and are included in the count.
Please note an 8am Sunday Mass (English) has also commenced.
The capacity of our Church as per the DHHS Government guidelines is 75 people (1 person per 4sq mtrs).

Greensborough Road into Newtown Road and Finlayson Street

Thursday 3 December 2020 for up to six months.

Southbound traffic on Greensborough Road will no longer be able to turn right into Newtown Road and Finlayson Street.

Northbound traffic on Greensborough Road can still turn left into, and out of Newtown Road and Finlayson Street.

Pedestrian and cyclist detour options – Greensborough Road, Yallambie

* Greensborough Road Shared User Path closed due to North East Link Project Early Works

* Detour via Erskine Road and Drysdale, Wilmott, Finlayson and Silk streets

* From THURSDAY 3 DECEMBER 2020* for approximately 6 months (*Please note date has been changed)

* The footpath on the west side of Greensborough Road will remain open for local pedestrian use

From THURSDAY 3 DECEMBER 2020* Greensborough Road cyclists will be detoured along Erskine Road and Wilmott Street for southbound riders and Drysdale Street for eastbound riders to avoid major North East Link early work sites.

Pedestrian and cyclist detour options


About the works

Over the next 6 months, works to relocate the water services will be carried out on the western side of Borlase Reserve which will result in a closure of the shared user path and southbound slow lane on Greensborough Road from Monday 23 November.

To find out more visit northeastlink.vic.gov.au

Contact the North East Link Project team

If you have any questions or comments about these works please contact the North East Link Project team on 1800 105 105 or NorthEastLinkEarlyWorks@cpbcon.com.au

      

*Please note date has been changed

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week we gathered together as a whole school community via google for assembly on Monday and St Martin’s Feast Day/Remembrance Day on Wednesday. 


We also acknowledged the Day for Daniel on Friday. The Day is all about child safety education and awareness. It is very important that our students are informed on how to keep themselves safe.

On Thursday night the Parish Education Board met remotely for the last time this year. We discussed; Child Safety, school fee schedule for 2021, CEM Governance changes and some of the recommendations from the recent school review.
We are pleased to advise you all that there will be no increase to school fees in 2021 to support our families with the impacts of COVID. Also excursions levies will not be charged next year (other than for Preps and newly enrolled students).  Please note the fees schedule for 2021 will be going out next week to all families. A reminder to all families completing payment plans that one must be completed each year. On receipt of the payment plan you will receive an email to confirm the payment amount. If you have any questions regarding fees please email our Bursar, Mary Milione - marym@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au
I will share with you before the end of the year our main priorities for school improvement and a summary of the new governance changes currently being finalised by Catholic Education Melbourne.

Prep Orientation

Our 2021 Preps have attended two transition sessions which have been adjusted to meet our COVID safe plan. The students were very excited and settled in very well.

The Prep teaching team for 2021 is as follows:
Mrs Leslie van Loggerenberg (PVL)
Mrs Lisa Philp and Mrs Chloe Jones (PPJ)
Mrs Andrea Getson and Mrs Dinesha Rajasingam (PGR)

We look forward to seeing all our new preps back next Thursday for their final orientation session.

Staffing news

Mrs Emma O’Malley begins her maternity leave this week and we wish her good health as she prepares for the birth of her second child. Emma displays passion for teaching every day and has had a significant impact on many students at St Martin’s. 


We congratulate Mr Steve Villani who joined our staff in term 3 this year as our STEM teacher. He became a father for the first time this week. His wife Sara gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Leonardo on Thursday.

Student Leadership

Our Year 5 students are currently exploring leadership as part of their inquiry into Civics and Citizenship. I recently had the opportunity to share with them my leadership journey and they certainly asked me some challenging questions. The experience gave me an opportunity to reflect on my leadership which is important to do. I shared with them some of the qualities I feel make an effective leader and they included; integrity, respect, openness to listen and learn, team-oriented and aspirational. I look forward to being part of this process with them all.

Confirmation 2020

Our Year 6 families were informed on Friday that we received news earlier this week from Archbishop Comensoli that parish priests are to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to our Year 6 students before 31 December 2020. The Sacrament may now be celebrated in accordance with this Decree and follow specific COVID safe directives. Students who are to be confirmed in Year 6 will receive the Sacrament on Thursday 3 December during school time. Year 6 families have been given additional information.

Coming up

★ We have a school closure day on Monday 30 November to plan for 2021.

★ Year 6 Big Day Out at Funfields on Friday 4 December.

★ We are exploring having an adjusted whole school sports day (onsite) on Friday 11 December.

★ Year 6 students last day will be Monday 14 December and they will finish at 1pm.

★ Transition session for 2021 Year 1 to 6 classes is scheduled for Monday 14 December.

★ Year 6 Graduation Mass will be on Monday 14 December 5pm.

★ End of Year Thanksgiving Mass on Tuesday 15 December (format to be advised).

★ Last day of the school year for Prep - Year 5 students is Tuesday 15 December, students finish at 3.30pm.

★ We are exploring the logistics of having a school Christmas Carols event - watch this space.

On Friday we had an emergency management situation where we needed to close off bottom yard at pick up time. The safety of your children was never at risk; we needed to isolate an area to deal safely with an individual matter. We thank you for your understanding and patience at this time.

We have been advised by North East Link Project Team commencing Monday 23 November Pedestrian and cyclist detour options will commence along Greensborough Road, Yallambie. Please click here to read further details.

Once again I thank you all for adjusting to the COVID way of being at the moment. Our morning and afternoon routines will remain the same until further notice.

Take care

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Our Patron Saint - Martin of Tours

On Monday we streamed our school assembly into the classrooms and our Year 6 RE Captains shared the story of St Martin of Tours with the students in readiness to celebrate his Feast Day and Remembrance Day on the 11th of November. On St Martin’s Feast Day, we watched a recording of Mass in our classrooms and paid our respects to those who fought and continue to fight in war. St Martin’s Feast Day festivities are celebrated in European countries where bonfires are built and children carry lanterns as they walk along the streets singing songs. During the day, the students created their own lanterns. Some of these lanterns are currently hanging in our Church.

The story of St Martin's of Tours - by Lily and Connor (RE Captains)

St Martin was born in 316 AD to Roman parents. His father was in the Roman Army so he had to join. At the age of 15 he wanted to become catholic and so he got baptised. The legend says that one night he was riding his horse and was giving away clothes that he owned to people who could not afford them when he saw a beggar on the street who was shivering from the cold. Everyone just ignored the man and left him there. Martin did not leave that man there the same way as the others but took out his sword and sliced his cloak in half. His cloak was the only thing he had left. He gave half of it to the other man. That night he had a dream that Jesus was there wearing that half a cloak he gave away and said “ whatever you do for one of my brothers you are doing it for me.” He left the army shortly after he was baptised. He also became bishop of Tours which is in France. He was buried there on November the 11th.

November the 11th is his feast day and celebrated all over the world. We remember him and his actions at our school as it is named after him. I think we need to remember that St Martian did things for others and thought about them before himself. I think he believed that everyone deserves simple things in life. On Wednesday it is the 11th of November so pray for Martin whenever you get a chance and in your actions everyday remember what he did.

Let us follow in the footsteps of St Martin by caring for one another.

Community Prayer of St Martin of Tours

God our Father, source of unity and love, make your faithful people one in heart and mind,
so that Your Church, the community of St Martin of Tours, may live in harmony.
Pour out on us the spirit of understanding, truth and peace.

Your will is to gather us all as one family in Yourself.
Fill the hearts of all of us with the fire of Your love and the desire
to share all good things You have given us
so that we may build a community based on love and peace.

Help us to strive with all hearts to know what is pleasing to You and,
when we know Your Will, make us determined to do it.

Mary, Mother of God - Pray for Us
St Martin of Tours - Pray For Us
Let us always remember - to pray for one another

During Term 4, the Year 5 cohort are inquiring into the civics and citizenship questions of ‘What is a democracy?’ and ‘What are the qualities of a great leader?’. This inquiry unit will culminate in the election of school leaders for 2021. We hope that the work we have covered in this area will leave students well placed to choose the best student leaders to represent our school in 2021.

For the moment, we are focusing on School Captain, Religious Education and House Captains. Moving forward (into 2021), we are exploring the idea of adding captain roles for The Arts and Sustainability and Environment.

Below is a timeline of our election process for your information. Should you have any queries about this process or timeline feel free to contact your child’s teacher.

* Wednesday 28th - October Student Leadership Application to go home

* Friday 13th November - Student Leadership Application due

* 9th-23rd November - Students to work on Leadership Speech

* Wednesday 25th November - Speeches and voting for School Leaders and Religious Education Leaders

* Friday 27th November - Speeches and voting for House Leaders

We wish all our student leader nominees the best of luck.

Pedestrian and cyclist detour options – Greensborough Road, Yallambie

* Greensborough Road Shared User Path closed due to North East Link Project Early Works

* Detour via Erskine Road and Drysdale, Wilmott, Finlayson and Silk streets

* From Monday 23 November 2020* for approximately 6 months (*3 December 2020)

* The footpath on the west side of Greensborough Road will remain open for local pedestrian use

From Monday 23 November*, Greensborough Road cyclists will be detoured along Erskine Road and Wilmott Street for southbound riders and Drysdale Street for eastbound riders to avoid major North East Link early work sites.

Pedestrian and cyclist detour options


About the works

Over the next 6 months, works to relocate the water services will be carried out on the western side of Borlase Reserve which will result in a closure of the shared user path and southbound slow lane on Greensborough Road from Monday 23 November.

To find out more visit northeastlink.vic.gov.au.

Contact the North East Link Project team

If you have any questions or comments about these works please contact the North East Link Project team on 1800 105 105 or NorthEastLinkEarlyWorks@cpbcon.com.au

      

*Date changed to 3 December 2020

Congratulations to the following St Martin's students! 

PGR

Caitlin for putting up her hand in class to share her interesting thoughts and ideas. So proud of you!

Maddie for working so well with her learning partners and for writing lots of detail in her wonderful stories. Great efforts!

Evie for being so super and focusing on writing her letters on the line and using spaces between her words. Keep up the fabulous work!

Charlie for working so hard at school and for especially writing his stories by himself using the word list to help him. Superstar!

Dain for making really good choices on the playground and for being a wonderful listener in class. Keep it up Dain!

PPV

Giorgia for trying hard with her writing and beginning to hear and record dominant sounds. Well done!

Ethan for listening to the teacher and focusing on his work. Awesome!

Ellie for her fluent reading and working on her understanding of the text. Nice one!

Harry for his excellent automatic response of number problems. Great work!

Liana for her fabulous story writing. Great ideas!

Eva for focusing on her activities and completing work of a good standard. Well done!

PVL

Lewis for making great progress with his reading and writing. Well done!

Marcus for hearing and recording so many new sounds in words when writing. Well done!

1B

Juliet for her amazing and detailed retell of the story 'The Bear's Lunch.'

Harry C for showing kindness and helping others in 1B.

1LB

Eva for her detailed and interesting retell on the story 'The Bear's Lunch'.

Lachlan for showing perserverance with tasks, even when they become challenging. He has continued to build a positive mindset with his learning and this has been brilliant to see. Keep up the great work Lachlan!

Ana for presenting an interesting and creative show and tell all about where her family came from. She spoke confidently about her family culture and traditions. Well done Ana!

2T

Mikaela S for effectively following the Design Process to create her wonderful Spoonville character.

Kathleen for being an attentive listener and for always being ready to learn.

Violet for being a wonderful team member and for always helping others. 

Christian C for his wonderful persuasive writing piece on the topic 'All Children Should Play Sport" and for challenging himself to include examples.

3C

Angus N for being very helpful and assisting others.

Jye for his interesting narratives and using describing words.

Maisie for working to the best of her ability and completing her set tasks.

Alessia for being supportive and caring towards her peers.

Patrick for listening to feedback and using it to improve his work.

Alandra for asking inquisitive questions to improve her learning.

4C

Abby for always having such a positive and inclusive manner and for taking great care and showing persistence with all areas of her work. 

Darcy D for all of his efforts with his reading at home and at school - you are reading with great fluency and understanding. Well done!

Tameeka for her kindness and creativity shown within the classroom. Thank you, Tameeka!

Nathan for his efforts with his multiplication skills at home and at school. What a mathema-gician!

Greg for being focussed and working hard to complete his work to a high standard. Well done!

Ruby A for always offering to help her peers and teachers and for her careful presentation of her work.

Ethan for always listening attentively and for trying his best at all class tasks.

5L

Natasha C for her bravery in coming forward and making good choices.

6AM

Stefan and Ethan P for the wonderful contributions they made to our school gardens by making them look more tidy, healthy and sustainable by applying mulch. Your efforts and hard work is greatly appreciated by our school community!

Sandor for working extra hard on solving BODMAS problems. Your persistence and determination was wonderful to witness. Keep it up for all subject areas!

Ben for your amazing kicking and running skills in our class sport game of continuous soccer. You made some great kicks and lucky kicks that even saved your teammates. Great teamwork!

Noah for your efficient and accurate skills in solving BODMAS equations. You were a great support and model to your peers around you.

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS

2020 Term 4 Calendar Dates

November

★ 17th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 19th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 3 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for parents 6.30pm

★ 25th PFA AGM 7.30pm Via Zoom (click here to register)

★ 30th School Closure Day

December

★ 1st - 4th Compassion in Action Week (Year 6 Fundraising) 

★ 3rd Year 6 Confirmation Ceremonies

★ 4th Year 6 Big Day Out -Funfields

★ 11th Whole School Sports Day (event held at school)

★ 14th Year 6 last day of primary school - farewell at 1pm

★ 14th Year 6 Graduation Mass at 5pm (format to be advised)

★ 14th Years P-5 Transition to 2021 Classes

★ 15th End of Year Thanksgiving Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 15th Term 4 concludes at 3.30pm

★ *Carols night (TBA)

2021 Term 1 Calendar Dates

January

★ 28th -29th Year 1-6 Student Assessment Sessions (further information will be provided via Compass News Feed) 

February

★ 1st ALL students commence Term 1

★ 2nd Beginning of School Year Mass 9.15am

★ 11th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 16th Shrove Tuesday

★ 17th Ash Wednesday Mass 9.15am

★ 18th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 25th Reconciliation (Year 3 2020)

★ 27th Prep and Year 6 Welcome Mass

March

★ 4th School Photo Day

★ 8th Labour Day Holiday

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 13th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

★ 14th First Eucharist Mass (Year 4 2020) 

April

★ 1st Term 1 Concludes 

CARITAS ASIA EMERGENCY APPEAL

The devastation caused by the worst storms and flooding in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam in nearly a decade is urging us all to act. Since early October, Vietnam and Cambodia have experienced unprecedented rainfall and severe flooding. Several people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of homes have been submerged. The region has been hit by back -to- back typhoons in a very short period of time. Typhoons Quinta and Goni have bought havoc hitting the Philippines with gusts up to 225km an hour and causing even more flooding in Vietnam and Cambodia. Entire villages are without power. Thousands are flocking to evacuation centres where the risk of Covid transmission is higher again, due to cramped conditions, and high numbers. Please help all you can by phoning 1800 024 413 to donate, by post GPO Box 9830 in your capital city or access on line donation via caritas.org.au/give

CHILD SAFEGUARDING RESOURCE

The eSafety Commissioner has recently published a free e-book resource 'Online safety for grandparents and carers' which provides advice about online safety issues that children and young people may experience. This resource provides “key advice about online safety issues that can affect children and young people” including practical tips to help grandparents and carers to talk about these issues with children and young people and manage them. Helpful topics include: setting up devices safely; managing time online; preventing unsafe contact from strangers as well as a guide to some of the most popular sites and apps. Grandparents and carers can download and view the resource online:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/seniors/online-safety-grandparents-carers

The SMOT Safeguarding Committee have been working hard this year to prepare the parish for an Archdiocese audit at the end of November. Website updates coming soon…

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We thank you for the words of appreciation on Friday for World Teachers’ Day. I know every staff member at St Martin’s loves what they do and will continue to aspire to be the best they can be.

It is so great to be able to reflect on two weeks of fun and engaging activities at school all taking place in a COVID safe environment. They have included:

● Book Week activities that included a parade of characters and virtual story night.
We thank Emma Kent and Chloe Jones for all their efforts in ensuring it was a week to remember.

● PFA meeting via zoom.

● Footy colours day - we congratulate all our Richmond Supporters.

● Year 5 STEM MAD project with Catholic Education Melbourne.
We are extremely proud of all that our students achieved, including our award winners.
https://sites.google.com/vic.catholic.edu.au/stemmad/home (STEM website)
https://www.cem.edu.au/News-Events/2020/October/STEM-MAD-2020.aspx (CEM News article)

● As a staff we have commenced a rich professional learning journey titled - The Learning Collaborative. The research behind this approach based on the work of Lyn Sharrat, leads to highly effective practices that improve student learning outcomes.

Planning for 2021

Teachers are in the process of organising classes for 2021, they need to take a broad view and consider the needs of all students. It is our intention to provide well-balanced class groupings for 2021. To achieve this, we must consider the academic, emotional, social and behavioural needs of all students. Teachers will draw upon their collective knowledge of the students to arrange the classes. It is important that we support our students through this process of change. If you want to discuss matters with me that relate to educational reasons for your child please email me by no later than Friday 6 November. It is important that we work together through this process and trust that the processes used are about the best interests of everyone.

Staffing news

Emma O'Malley will commence her maternity leave soon with her last day being Friday 13 November. Karen Crimmins will teach 2OC, 3 days a week and Anne Hubber will replace Emma on Thursday and Friday for the last 5 weeks of term. We thank Emma for all she has contributed to St Martin’s and look forward to seeing her back with us again.

Megan Williams who has been on leave this year, has decided to finish her time at St Martin’s. We would like to take this opportunity to reflect on her time with us.

Meg led our school and community in 2019 as Acting Principal during a very difficult period. She put the needs of students, parents and staff before her own. During her time at St Martin’s her many roles included, classroom teacher, Mathematics Leader, ICT Leader, Deputy Principal and Acting Principal.

Meg attended primary school at SMOT, her family has been part of the parish for many years and she continues to hold this community close to her heart. Meg spent many years teaching overseas and brought that wealth of knowledge to our school along with her cultural sensitivities. Meg has no interest in sport, except in 2018 when West Coast won the Premiership. She was the only West Coast supporter in our footy day parade. Meg’s quirky nature enabled her to relate very well with all students. She had a gentle and caring manner and a genuine rapport with the students. She challenged many students in mathematics, STEM and technology. She cared for all students and shared her quirky ideas with all.

Meg was a very approachable person and nothing was too difficult for her. She made staff comfortable in her presence. She shared her contemporary ideas with staff and her enthusiasm shone through. Her forward thinking in the technology area set us up for success during our remote learning this year. Meg was happiest working behind the scenes, tirelessly and quietly for our school and community. The best interests of our students being her highest priority.

We take this opportunity to thank Megan for her tremendous contribution to the St Martin’s community and wish her happiness and success in all her future endeavours.

Prep 2021

We look forward to welcoming our new preps to St Martin’s on Thursday and Friday for their first orientation sessions. We have had to make some considerable changes to ensure we remain COVID safe. Students are only allowed onsite in smaller groups (around 10) and the sessions will now run over two days and be held in the GECCO. We will wait to hear from CEM regarding the adjustments that will need to be made to the next two sessions planned for November 12 and 19. We have also had to postpone our Prep Parents' 2021 Welcome Dinner which was scheduled for Friday 13 November. I thank all our parents for their understanding at these challenging times.

Human Sexuality Program for senior students

In the next few weeks our Year 6 students and their parents will be participating in online sessions as part of the Health and PE component of the Victorian Curriculum. St Martin’s is proud to be delivering such an important unit for our students and families. In 2021 the program will be expanded and will be inclusive of Year 5. Therefore, if your child is currently in Years 4 or 5 they will participate in the program next year.

Reminders

A reminder that all students MUST WEAR A HAT at break times and during PE classes for the remainder of the term. Students are also encouraged to wear sunscreen to school and bring sunscreen to school to reapply before going out to play.

We have St Martin of Tours Feast Day on Wednesday 11 November and Remembrance Day. We will be exploring ways of acknowledging this as a school community (more information to follow).

If you are using the Community Centre car park in Silk St could I please ask you to be respectful of other vehicles. One of our teachers' cars was damaged last week and a parent witnessed another parent hitting the car and leaving without notifying us of the damage.

We are so appreciative of how all parents have supported our COVID safe plan by remaining offsite. Could I please remind parents to not congregate outside of school for too long and gather in groups. We certainly have hope with the very low numbers of new COVID cases at the moment, so I thank you for all doing your part. As processes and procedures change we will inform you.

We hope you are enjoying the long weekend and we look forward to seeing our students back at school on Wednesday 4 November.

For the last time in 2020 - Go Tiges !!!

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

An action packed SMOT Book Week 2020!

We had an amazing and action-packed Book Week this year at SMOT! Even though we have had to celebrate a little differently this year, we certainly didn’t let that take away our enthusiasm and love of books and reading!

The fun began with our Book Week parade on Monday. Everyone was very creative this year and found things that could be used from home or made their costume into a family holiday project. Students shared their costumes, parading for their year levels whilst the rest of the school watched the parade in their classrooms.

       

Students participated in Book Week activities in their classrooms and made marvellous monsters and curious creatures!

   

The Preps, Year 1s and Year 2s explored the theme ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’ in their Library lessons and used various materials to create their own curious creatures.

       

The Year 3-6 students met (virtually!) the talented illustrator of ‘The Glimme’ and ‘The Deltora Quest’ series, Marc McBride….



The fun continued last Thursday night at ‘Virtual Story Night’. Over 200 families across all year levels shared in their love of reading, listening to their teachers read some of their favourite stories. Teachers were dressed in dressing gowns and students snuggled up on their couch or were tucked up in bed, all eager to be part of this special St Martin’s tradition.



BOOK WEEK CREATIVE COMPETITION WINNERS


A huge congratulations to all the amazing students who participated in the SMOT 2020 Creative Book Response Competition. We were blown away by the incredible creativity students displayed in their entries and are so very proud of the amazing effort all the students who entered went to.

It was such a tough job to choose the winners, as it is every year! Here are the winners and students who received honourable mentions for 2020...

OVERALL SCHOOL WINNER
Elena S
PREP
1ST- Mila Zj PGR
HM- Tiago L PGR
Year One
1ST- Anthony V 1LB
HM- Sofia B B 1F
HM- Henry A 1F
Year Two
1ST- Maddie M 2C
HM- Phoebe W 2T
Year Three
1ST- Patrick C 3C
HM- Evie D 3MT
Year Four
1ST- Lea A 4C
HM- Rayaan G 4T
Year Five
1ST- Tarah C 5V
HM- Olivia N 5V
HM- Belle K 5C
Year Six
1ST- Oliver V 6W
HM- Chloe B 6AM
Sibling Award
1ST- Lena and Shayna
HM- Finn and Jonty R

A huge thank you to the SMOT community; teachers, parents and the students for making Book Week 2020 one to remember!

Emma Kent and Chloe Jones

In Term 3 the Year 5 students undertook an inquiry unit where they explored the question, ‘How can we work together to best meet the diverse needs of all in our community?’ Students researched a specific disability or impairment and used their knowledge to create designed solutions to support people with this disability and impairment so that they can perform daily tasks or enhance their quality of life. The students were aware that at the end of the unit, some students' designs would be entered into the STEM MAD competition run by Catholic Education Melbourne. We were extremely proud to discover that six of our students were chosen as finalists.

These students participated in an online incursion at school. This incursion was run by the CEM and allowed these students to use materials and participate in STEM challenges made by different STEM experts from Victoria. Nominations and awards were announced throughout the incursion. The students had to prepare for the finals by creating and showcasing an interactive video which demonstrated their understanding of the design process and how it related to Catholic Values.

Emmy H created ‘Sand Art’. This prototype allowed people with a vision impairment to use different coloured sand and different templates to create artwork that could be displayed.



Lily S created the ‘Sock on’ which is a device used to help people with arthritis put their socks on so they don’t need to bend down and hurt their limbs.



Jasper M created ‘Super Tech Leg’ a prototype which uses hydraulic technology to assist people who have an amputated leg. Jasper was nominated for the Immersive Education Future is STEM award and was awarded in the top three finalists out of all the participating Catholic Primary schools in Melbourne.



Erica W created ‘Chat Mate’ a phone application which allows people who are deaf or mute to quickly communicate with others. Erica was nominated for the Best Integration of Technology award. She also was awarded in the top 3 out of all the participating Catholic Primary schools in Melbourne in this category.



Mietta T created ‘Uña colour nails’ a nail polish which changes colour when it comes close to hot surfaces, this was to assist people who suffer from Peripheral Neuropathy. Mietta’s design was nominated for two categories. The Monash University Social Entrepreneurship award and the Immersive Education Future is STEM award. Mietta came top 3 in both categories out of all the participating Catholic Primary schools in Melbourne.



Olivia D created ‘The Texture Puzzle’ which is a puzzle for people who are vision impaired and use textures instead of pictures. She was nominated for and WON the prestigious CEM award for Wellbeing. This was a huge achievement as this included all the primary schools in all categories and was awarded by the head of Wellbeing at the CEM.


Congratulations to all of the students who were nominated in these STEM awards, it was an amazing achievement.

It is important to note that there were many other amazing designs that our Year 5 students developed during home learning in Term 3. It has been a wonderful experience for us to be creative whilst endeavouring to help those around us. We are very proud of all of the Year 5 students who participated in the Inquiry unit and look forward to continuing this successful program next year.

The Year 5 Teachers

The Learning Collaborative

This year the school has begun its journey on ‘The Learning Collaborative’. This is a Catholic Education Melbourne initiative based on the research of Dr. Lyn Sharratt from Canada. There are 14 parameters which frame school improvement leading to growth in student learning.

1. Shared beliefs and Understandings

2. Embedded Knowledgeable Others

3. Quality assessment informs instruction

4. Principal as lead learner

5. Early and ongoing intervention

6. Case Management Approach

7. Focused professional learning at staff meetings

8. In school meetings-collaborative assessment of student work

9. Book rooms of levelled and multimodal resources

10. Allocation of school budgets for learning

11. Collaborative Inquiry- a whole system approach

12. Parental and community involvement

13. Cross Curricular literacy connections

14. Shared responsibility and accountability

Over the past few weeks, the staff have worked enthusiastically on unpacking the 14 parameters in professional learning meetings. There was lots of good discussion and impressive thinking. We look forward to keeping you posted on our progress.

2020 Postponement of Sacraments

Due to Covid19 Sacraments throughout the Archdiocese have been postponed until 2021. As you are aware we are operating in a constantly changing landscape and as we organise these celebrations the school and parish need to follow Government and Archdiocese guidelines closely. Therefore our celebrations may look a little differently to what they have been like in previous years.

Sacraments follow a particular order of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation.
Our current Year 3 students will receive two Sacraments in 2021. Maintaining the order for this level, Reconciliation will take place in Term 1 followed by Eucharist in Term 3.
Our current Year 4 level will receive the Sacrament of Eucharist in Term 1 also.
We will invite our current Year 6 students to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in May.
Booking information will be provided in the coming weeks via Compass.

2021 Dates for Sacraments postponed this year

February

★ 11th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

★ 18th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

★ 25th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

March

★ 13th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 11am

★ 13th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 3.30pm

★ 14th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 3.30pm

May

★ 21st Current Year 6 Confirmation Mass at 5pm

★ 22nd Current Year 6 Confirmation Mass at 11am

We will advise you of the 2021 Sacramental dates for the 2021 - Years 3, 4 and 6 cohorts at a later date.

Congratulations to the following students for a fantastic start to Term 4!

PGR
All PGR students for settling back into our classroom routine with smiles on their faces and full of enthusiasm.

PGR class for working so hard on their super writing skills of writing on the bold line, leaving spaces between words and using upper case letters and full stops. Lots to remember!!

PVL
Abigail: For making great gains with her reading.

Clara: For putting so much effort into her work during home learning.

Lola: For making great progress with her reading.

Tully: For making a smooth transition back to school after home learning.

Genevieve: For always being a patient and gentle girl in Prep VL.

Fabian: For always being a kind and friendly boy in Prep VL.

1B
Olivia M: For making amazing progress in her reading and for being a superstar listener in the classroom.

Maxwell: For making valuable contributions to class discussions and for being a wonderful friend to everyone in 1B.

Kayleigh: For always trying her best in all areas of learning and for being a kind and caring friend.

1F
Evan: For improving on his independent learning and working and having a positive approach to learning. Evan is always a fun member of our class! Well done!

Raphael: For working hard to follow instructions, especially in the morning to get ready for the day. Raph is always so caring to his class mates. Awesome stuff!

1LB
David: For making positive choices on the yard with his play and being a good friend to his peers.

Poppy H: For being an enthusiastic and respectful participant during class discussions. She regularly shares her ideas and actively listening to her peers. Fantastic effort Poppy!

2T
Grace P: For her wonderful persuasive writing piece on, "Why Essendon is the Best Football Club".

Jude N: For his improved behaviour in class and for trying hard to improve the quality of his work.

Emma C: For her perseverance during our multiplication unit and for her improvement. Well Done Emma!

Eliza O: Always listening attentively and for trying her best at all class tasks.

3C
Leila: For using feedback to improve her work.

Lachlan: For trying really hard with his writing.

Nathan: For offering to assist others.

Claude: For showing persistence with his Maths.

Kaya: For using her manners and offering to help others.

Madison: For using adjectives and paragraphs in her writing.

3JC
Nicholas: For always making valuable contributions during remote learning Google Meet sessions.

Indiana: For doing an amazing job at settling back into school life.

Yichen: For saying his times tables with speed and accuracy.

3MT
Patrick: For being focussed and working hard to complete tasks.

Lilliana: For using paragraphs and including great detail in her writing.

4C
Paxton: For doing an amazing job at settling back into school life, and helping those around him be good learners.

Tommy: For his commitment to reading during school and his impressive information report on Salamanders.

Claudia: For her great listening skills and being such a positive and encouraging member of 4C.

5L
Gus M for his commitment to reading during school.

Mietta T, Jasper M and Erica W for competing and placing in the top 3 of the STEM MAD competition at the CEM.

5V
Emmy for competing in the STEM MAD competition with her very creative prototype.

6AM
Mia B for the professional way that she has moved back into her class routines. Mia is so prepared, so enthusiastic and always ready to learn.

Tom D for the way he has applied himself to the start of term 4, sharing ideas and thinking outside the square. He is a young man with amazing ideas.

Declan L for being the most selfless person in our class. Declan is always the first to jump up and help others in need and this is a very special quality that we all admire.

PLEASE CHECK COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO SCHOOL EVENTS

2020 Term 4 Calendar Dates

November

★ 2nd School Closure (day before Cup Day) Report Writing Day

★ 3rd Melbourne Cup Day (Public Holiday)

★ 4th Human Sexuality Year 6 Parent Information Session at 7.00pm (online)

★ 5th and 6th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 1 

★ 10th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 11th St Martin’s Feast Day Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 12th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 2 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 13th Prep Parents' 2021 Welcome Dinner (postponed)

★ 17th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 19th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 3 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for parents 6.30pm

★ 30th School Closure Day

December

★ 1st - 4th Compassion in Action Week (Year 6 Fundraising) 

★ 14th Year 6 last day of primary school - farewell at 1pm

★ 14th Year 6 Graduation Mass at 5pm (format to be determined)

★ 14th Changeover Day for Years P-5

★ 15th End of Year School Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 15th Term 4 concludes at 3.30pm

★ *Carols night (TBA)

Dates for Term 1 2021, will be provided in our next newsletter.

Ready, Set, Pray! Children’s Liturgy of the Word @ Home

The Ready, Set, Pray! Children’s Liturgy of the Word @ Home video series has been created to provide an engaging space for families to encounter Jesus through the Sunday gospel.

Each week includes an invitation for families to create and gather in their own prayer space, to sing, hear the Gospel, pray and respond creatively through an activity.

This weekly resource follows the familiar Children’s Liturgy of the Word format provided in many parishes – but moved to an online setting. It can be used by families in their homes, and also by teachers and catechists.

The series consists of 10 weekly sessions of 15-20 minutes duration, commencing from Sunday 18th October and continuing each Sunday until Christmas.

This resource is produced by Proclaim: The Office for Mission Renewal at the Archdiocese of Melbourne. To access the free program see https://bit.ly/ReadySetPray 

SMOT NATIVITY SCENE THIS CHRISTMAS

Parishioners will recall the beautiful nativity scene created a few year ago by Domenic D’Agostino. It was located in the main foyer. Little did we know that this was to be his legacy, as he passed away earlier this year.

So now we need some volunteers to help set it up. It would be good to have a small group, maybe 3 people to organise setting it all up. If you are handy and have some time to do this, please contact the Parish Office.

REPORT FROM THE SAFEGUARDING COMMITTEE (FORMERLY CHILD SAFETY TEAM)

The Safeguarding Committee works on behalf of parishioners to ensure that St Martin’s has a child-safe environment.

Throughout this year, the committee has been working to update the parish’s policies and procedures in line with the ten National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (Standards) which were published in 2019.

The committee has:
· Met regularly via Zoom
· Participated with other parishes in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (CAM), Northern Regions - Safeguarding Network meetings held via Zoom
· Revised the SMOT Policy and Code of Conduct to better reflect the Standards
· Submitted the revised Policy and Code of Conduct for the endorsement of the Parish Pastoral Council
· Created a Risk Management Plan for which we are seeking feedback
· Documented procedures to implement the Standards
· Prepared an initial ‘Self-Assessment of Compliance’ audit relating to the Standards. This audit has to be completed and a copy lodged with CAM’s Professional Standards Unit by 30 November 2020. Committee members are all contributing to this challenging work to ensure we can meet the 30 November deadline.

We will be consulting with parish group leaders about some of these documents and look forward to receiving feedback. It is anticipated that the website will be updated in the coming weeks. You will be notified when this occurs.

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been such a wonderful week having all our students back with us. The last day we heard the sounds of all our students playing on school grounds was on Friday 26 June. There have been many opportunities for them this week to connect back in with their peers and teachers, experience some hands-on learning in the classroom and also explore learning experiences outside.

We have loved hearing our students reflect on their first day back to school and have also appreciated the parent feedback we have had on our special Disney day on Monday. From little things big things grow and this was certainly the case on Monday. We have compiled some photos for you all to remember the day.

I was very surprised to see all the Disney characters. My favourite ones were the Disney Princesses because I loved them when I was younger and all the pretty dresses - Leila 3C.

I think it's the happiest place on earth because at school we learn new things and we always have fun at school because sometimes we find things tricky but then we learn how to do it - Chloe 2OC

When I saw all the teachers on Monday, dressed up as Disney characters, I was very surprised, my first thought was “Wow! This is different”. I felt happy for the little kids because it would make them feel happy and excited, also it made me feel happy - 6AM

Just wanted to extend my warmest thanks to you and your incredible staff for the amazing “Back to school welcome” you organised for the students yesterday. The impact of arriving to see the teachers all dressed up was immediate. The nerves soon turned to excitement and the radiant smile on my son’s face when he saw his teachers filled my heart with such warmth and happiness - Parent

We also have a very excited week planned next week with all our Book Week activities. Students have already been working on creative book responses for our competition and activities planned for next week include dressing up as a favourite book character and a virtual story night and book fair. It will be another amazing week at St Martin's.

St Martin’s COVID safe plan

Maintaining a COVID safe school applies to all Victorian schools. Some of the principles of our plan includes the following:

★ Stay home when unwell

★ Practice good hygiene this includes keeping surfaces clean and enhanced environmental cleaning and disinfection

★ Wear a face mask and ensure social distancing

★ Avoid interactions in enclosed spaces

★ Limit school access to parents and outside visitors

★ Reduce mixing between groups

★ Adapt, modify or defer higher risk activities

★ Move activities outdoor where possible, weather permitting.

Teachers and support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching, but those who wish to do so, can.

We thank you for your patience as we manage the logistics of the end of the day pick up. Our updated pick up schedule worked well yesterday and today. We believe the following plan and reminders will support both parents and staff moving forward:

★ 3pm pick up time slot (A-Z), where children can be collected from the office area to avoid the congestion on the later pick up times.
Parents will be expected to park their vehicles, walk over using the school crossing and wait in the area between the church and office, with social distancing - please email your request for this permanent change in time to: office@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

★ 3:15pm pick up for A-J families and 3:30pm pick up for K-Z families

★ No right hand turn in to bottom yard from Silk street both in the morning and afternoon

★ If your circumstances change and you need to change your pick up point (3:15pm or 3:30pm) please email your classroom teacher by 12pm, to notify them of the change

★ Please do not arrive before 3pm for drive through pick up, we will open the gates around 3:10pm to reduce congestion.

Planning for 2021

In our last newsletter I asked parents to advise me if their children will not be returning to St Martin’s in 2021 (other than Year 6 students) could I please request this information once again.

Today I would like to inform you all of the structure of classrooms for 2021. We will have 3 classes at every year level, a total of 21 classes throughout the school. We have made the decision to change the current Year 4 structure and have 3 Year 5 classes next year. We feel this will support our students best.

We would also like to share with you the 2021 Dates for Sacraments postponed this year for our students currently in Years 3, 4 and 6 who have missed out on celebrating their Sacraments this year.

Making connections as a parish community

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you
John 13-34

Covid19 has presented all in our community with many challenges. When we heard that many of our elderly parishioners were feeling isolated, the caring students in Year 5 were ‘on the job’.
Our students spent time during remote learning sending letters to our fellow parishioners. The letters included a joke, an inspirational quote and a prayer. The students also shared how they were feeling during this time and what they were doing to help them pass the time. They also were sure to let the parishioners know that they were not alone and that someone was thinking of them during this time.

The way this was received by our parish community warmed the hearts of many. Letters and emails came flooding back, and the students were so touched by the responses they received.

The activity undertaken by you showed great sensitivity to fellow parishioners. I enjoyed the joke -even though I think you can take 10 ,10 times from 100, your quote and most of all, the beautiful prayer which brought me much solace.

We are praying for a release from restrictions which are causing much stress -please add your prayers to expedite such a decision.

Thanks again for your letter -we pray that the rest of the year is full of successes and lots of fun for you and your friends.

We are proud to live in a parish community that follows the example of Jesus Christ who loves and cares for us all. Thanks to our Year 5 students for showing such compassion to others and living Christ’s mission.

Term 4 Events

As you can imagine planning future events whilst under COVID restrictions can be very challenging. We have put together a calendar of Term 4 events to help you with your planning. A risk assessment will need to be considered for many school activities this term, so we thank you for your understanding that we can not plan for everything at this current time.

Providing opportunities for transition is a key priority this term. We will be connecting in with our feeder schools to support the transition of our Year 6 students to secondary school and we will also be exploring how to best celebrate our current Year 6’s graduation. Exploring outdoor options seems the most realistic at this stage.

We are also looking forward to the opportunity to have our Prep 2021 students onsite this term for their orientation program. Lisa Philp has been busy contacting many pre-school to support the process.

Next week we have a four day week with the AFL Grand Final being held on Saturday 24 October. Our students can wear their footy colours to school on Thursday 22 October as our senior students plan a fun day for them.

Thanks again for all your support this year.
Go Tigers (I’m feeling very nervous about tonight's game!!!)   

Take care

Jacqui Marshall
Principal
If you can dream it, you can do it!

2020 Postponement of Sacraments

Due to Covid19 Sacraments throughout the Archdiocese have been postponed until 2021. On Tuesday, Jacqui and I met with Fr Michael, Sr Maria and Ingrid, Parish Secretary, to propose dates for Sacraments and School Masses for 2021. As you are aware we are operating in a constantly changing landscape and as we organise these celebrations the school and parish need to follow Government and Archdiocese guidelines closely. Therefore our celebrations may look a little differently to what they have been like in previous years.

Sacraments follow a particular order of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation.
Our current Year 3 students will receive two Sacraments in 2021. Maintaining the order for this level, Reconciliation will take place in Term 1 followed by Eucharist in Term 3.
Our current Year 4 level will receive the Sacrament of Eucharist in Term 1 also.
We will invite our current Year 6 students to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in May.
Booking information will be provided in the coming weeks via Compass.

2021 Dates for Sacraments postponed this year

February

★ 11th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

★ 18th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

★ 25th Current Year 3 Reconciliation at 5pm

March

★ 13th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 11am

★ 13th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 3.30pm

★ 14th Current Year 4 First Eucharist Mass at 3.30pm

May

★ 21st Current Year 6 Confirmation Mass at 5pm

★ 22nd Current Year 6 Confirmation Mass at 11am

We will advise you of the 2021 Sacramental dates for the 2021 - Years 3, 4 and 6 cohorts at a later date.

Book Week at SMOT is going to be truly splendiferous!

This year Book Week is in Week 3 - Monday 19th to Friday 23rd October.

The theme is Curious Creatures Wild Minds

Please put the following exciting dates in your diary!

Friday 16th October: Creative Minds Book Response Competition entries due.

Students are invited to share a creative response to one of their favourite books. Details were shared on Compass over the holidays Please click here to read the flyer for further information. We can’t wait to see your amazing entries!

Monday 19th of October: Book Week Dress Up Day.

Come dressed as one of your favourite characters in a book! Students participate in some fun Book Week activities with their classes. A smaller version of our parade will be held for students only this year. Each year level will parade separately and social distancing protocols will be followed. Please click here to download the Book Week Parade information.

Thursday 22nd October at 6:30pm: SMOT Virtual Story Night!

Dress up in your pj’s and enjoy some special stories read by our teachers from the comfort of your home! Each year level will have a different Google Meet code to join in the fun, please check your Compass news feed for the codes.

Monday 19th October to Monday 2nd November: SMOT Virtual Book Fair!

This year the Book Fair will be held completely online. If you wish to purchase any books, these will be delivered directly to your home free of charge! Please click here to view the flyer.
We can’t wait until Book Week!

Mrs Jones and Ms Kent
Contact us on: cjones@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au OR ekent@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

OBITUARY FR Peter Robinson 13/1/1933 - 14/3/2020

Dom Dimattina wrote a beautiful reflection of Fr Peter in an article that appeared as an obituary in the The Age newspaper on the 9 September 2020.
Please click here if you are interested in reading it.

SMOT PARISH WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK (WWCC) and POLICE CHECK RECORDS

This is a notice to all our volunteers involved in any ministry at St Martin of Tours Parish. It is now mandatory for all volunteers to have a current WWCC and Police Check (for some ministries) to assist in any ministry that you are involved in.

I am currently updating records and have come across a number of volunteers with expired WWCC cards and police check records. I would appreciate it if you could all check your cards and if they have expired please renew/update your cards as soon as possible. (Please ensure that you have St Martin of Tours Parish listed as one of the venues that you volunteer at). Hopefully as restrictions ease we may commence the process of returning to some normality. With this in mind we need to ensure that all volunteers have current WWCC and Police Checks prior to participating in your ministry. If you do not have a current WWCC and Police Check you are unable to assist in your ministry until these records are updated and I receive a copy. This is a requirement of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and we must adhere to these rules. Should you have any queries regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me via email: elizabeth.jernejcic@cam.org.au

Elizabeth Jernejcic, Safeguarding Committee

SMOT NATIVITY SCENE THIS CHRISTMAS

Parishioners will recall the beautiful nativity scene created a few year ago by Domenic D’Agostino. It was located in the main foyer. Little did we know that this was to be his legacy, as he passed away earlier this year.

So now we need some volunteers to help set it up. It would be good to have a small group, maybe 3 people to organise setting it all up. If you are handy and have some time to do this, please contact the Parish Office.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR COMPASS NEWS FEED AND CALENDAR FOR CHANGES AND UPDATES TO OUR SCHOOL EVENTS

2020 Term 4 Calendar Dates

October

★ 19th Book Week Dress Up and class activities

★ 20th PFA meeting at 7.30pm (virtual)

★ 22nd Footy Day

★ 23rd Public Holiday

November

★ 2nd School Closure (day before Cup Day) Report Writing Day

★ 3rd Melbourne Cup Day

★ 4th Human Sexuality Year 6 Parent Information Session at 7.00pm (online)

★ 5th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 1 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 10th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 11th St Martin’s Feast Day Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 12th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 2 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 13th Prep Welcome Dinner at 7.15pm (format to be determined)

★ 17th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 19th 2021 Prep Orientation Session 3 (9.30am-10.30am)

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for students at 12.00pm

★ 24th Year 6 Human Sexuality Program for parents 6.30pm

★ 30th School Closure Day

December

★ 14th Year 6 last day of primary school - farewell at 1pm

★ 14th Year 6 Graduation Mass at 5pm (format to be determined)

★ 14th Changeover Day for Years P-5

★ 15th End of Year School Mass at 9.15am (outdoor event)

★ 15th Term 4 concludes at 3.30pm

★ *Carols night (TBA)

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.30pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are extremely excited to all be back together on Monday as we return to onsite learning.
We are very grateful to you all for the important part you have played over the past months with remote and flexible learning. As you would be aware we need to enact upon our COVID safe plan for the return to school which includes the following:

★ Classrooms will be cleaned regularly and students will have access to hand sanitiser.

★ Primary school students 12 years and over do not need to wear masks.

★ Students from various year levels will play in specific areas only and play equipment will be cleaned.

★ Please ensure your child has everything they need for their school day as we need to limit parents entering the school to drop off items during the day. We have bottled water for students who forget their drink bottles.

★ No sharing of food and we ask that birthday treats are not sent to school until further notice.

★ Our library will remain closed at the moment for before school and after school borrowing. Books can be dropped off by students in the boxes outside the library.

★ Students must remain at home if they are unwell.

★ If parents choose to keep their children at home as a safety precaution, teachers will not provide work for them unless a medical certificate is provided.

★ Temperature checks are not recommended at this stage however if students present to sick bay unwell, we may seek parental permission.

★ Office staff will check the lost property cupboard regularly and return named items to students.

★ If you are requiring any second hand uniform items please email the school office with your request.

★ As parents are not permitted onsite at this stage, we ask that parents only come to the school office if absolutely necessary and sign in at the office.

★ It remains extremely important that I am advised immediately of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our school community or if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case.

Other reminders include:

★ Students must wear their summer uniform and a hat when playing outside.

★ The canteen will not be open at this stage.

★ Remember to use the school crossing at the beginning and end of each school day.

★ Please communicate with your child’s teacher via email.

★ We need to be mindful of our neighbours and ask that vehicles do not come prior to 3.15pm as this will cause traffic congestion on Silk Street.

★ Dobson Avenue gates will remain closed for pedestrians at all times. If you are walking, please use the Silk Street entrance to collect your child at the end of the school day.

★ When driving in the school yard please move in a zig zag (follow the lines) so that more cars can move through and we can ease the traffic on Silk St. Also a reminder that cars should not enter from Lower Plenty road and turn right into the school yard.

★ If you are using Kiss and Drop in the morning can you please ensure your child has their school bag with them in the car (not in the boot).

★ If you think your child may be unsettled in the morning, we encourage you to come to school a little later (9am) and bring your child to the office.

★ Please do not send sports equipment with your child. We have organised a tub of sports equipment for the students to use during play time for each level. At the end of each play time, the equipment will be collected and sanitised.

Technology - Return of devices - Monday 12 October

We ask that if students have borrowed devices from the school, bring the devices with them on Monday 12 October or as soon as possible.
Below we have outlined the requested preparation, to be done before returning the device.

1. The devices expected to be returned are: the device, the associated charger that was issued to you (if you were issued one). The original charger issued with your device should be returned not a replacement.
Please ensure the charger is in one piece (cord is connected to the plug) and wrapped neatly.

2. Please ensure the device is logged out and properly shut down as opposed to just closing the lid.

3. Confirm the stickers attached can clearly be read and have not been removed. If the sticker is missing or damaged, please attach a note with the original information that was on the sticker.

4. Wipe down the device’s surfaces. Do not use chemicals or soaps. Both the iPad and Chromebook should be wiped down with a soft, slightly damp cloth. Be extra careful around ports and keys so as to avoid damage to the device.

5. Place the device and charger in a single plastic bag, please don’t tie the bag, just wrap it around the device and charger.

6. Send the device with your child. Classroom teachers will be assisting in the collection so the student should take it with them to class, not to the office or any other school location.

If you have any further questions please contact Brendan or Jay at technologyuse@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Pick up and Drop off Reminders

Thank you for responding to the Compass alert in relation to student pick up at the end of the school day.

We respectfully ask for all parents to adhere to social distancing when dropping off and picking up your child. It is very important for the safety and wellbeing of all in our community that parents do not congregate in groups in or around the school. Cars will not be permitted to park onsite at the end of the school day.

Morning Drop Off

8:30am: A - J Families
8:45am: K- Z Families
9am: Students who may need additional support in transitioning back to school

Option 1 - Kiss and Drop on bottom yard (preferred option)

★ Please ensure students have their school bags with them so they can exit the car quickly.

★Parents must remain in their cars.

★Students will be asked to walk directly to their class room, where they will be met by their classroom teacher.

★No pedestrian access through the gates in Dobson Avenue to ensure cars can leave the school quickly.

Option 2 - Student Drop Off on top yard

★Please adhere to the social distancing signs placed out on Silk Street.

★Students will enter and go straight into their classrooms.

★Parents must remain outside the gate.

★Parents to move on quickly to avoid small gatherings of adults on the footpath.

Option 3 - 9am - Students requiring further assistance

Parents to walk their child to the school office where they will be met by a teacher for the handover. Parents are asked to move quickly from the school grounds. Students will often settle quickly once they are in their classrooms with their teacher and classmates.

Afternoon Pick Up

A-J students to be collected from 3:15pm
K-Z students to be collected from 3:30pm

It is important to remind your child in the morning of their pick up point.

Option 1 - Drive through Pick up Point on bottom yard

★Children will be waiting in family groups in the undercover car park.

★Parents are to remain in vehicles.

★We would like parents to put their family name in large print on paper on their passenger side windscreen.

★Staff will support children getting into cars.

★To support the flow of traffic on Silk Street and Lower Plenty Road we ask that there be no right turn into the school ground and you adhere to your pick up time.

Option 2 - Walking to Pick up Point on top yard

★Students will be placed in family groups ready for pick up. As each parent comes to the gate we will call out for your child/ren to meet you.

★Students with A-J surname who are walking home will be dismissed at 3.30pm.

Please be assured that all students will be cared for until you are able to collect them at the end of the school day. We will work closely with OSHClub to ensure students on their roster are collected after school.

Our priority in the coming weeks is to focus on the wellbeing of our students as we transition back to school. We will ensure we provide students with safe ways to engage socially with their peers and support their social and emotional learning.

Next week we will send out a calendar of events for Term 4.

Once again we thank you for your amazing support over the past few months and we look forward to seeing our students back at St Martin's on Monday. It certainly will be a happy day and one to be celebrated. We may have some media presence, I will confirm this with you all over the weekend. Over the past few months we have taken on many challenges and we have laughed, imagined and dreamed together, let us all embrace Term 4 with excitement.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Masses at SMOT this week….

Weekend Mass can be found on our website www.smot.org.au or on our facebook page @SmotParish
Weekday Masses livestreamed Tuesday (13 Oct) & Thursday (15 Oct) this week at 9.15am on our facebook page and Friday via Zoom (16 Oct)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86821580873?pwd=OHQ5Y21pNUtlWkFTRUd6SFVVaDlZUT09

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What an incredible Term this has been. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and praise to you all. Together we were able to achieve a lot. It has not always been easy, so I thank you for your understanding and resilience in getting yourselves and your families through an extremely challenging situation.

I am incredibly proud of our staff who have shown commitment to their roles by putting our students front and centre in every decision they have made. From planning rich and engaging tasks to assessing and giving quality feedback to all our students.

Our school motto - Non Recuso Laborem - We shall not refuse the task by embracing life’s challenges, has certainly given us the strength to reach our goals. I am delighted to share with you snapshots of the learning that has taken place this term and a video of our community embracing remote learning. Thank you to the creative talent of Claire Forbes in putting the video together. It certainly did bring a big smile to my face.

Term 4

The first week of term commencing Monday 5 October remains in its current form as remote and flexible learning for all students, with onsite care for students of essential workers. Catholic Education Melbourne have highlighted three main priorities for schools in planning for Term 4. They are; Wellbeing and Equity, Learning and Excellence and Transitions.

We are excited to be welcoming back our Prep to Year 2 students on Monday 12 October and hope that Year 3 to 6 students will be returning soon after. We will communicate further details with you about the return to school for students but I would imagine it would be a similar model to earlier in the year.

As our Government continues to evaluate the latest COVID data and trends, adjustments may be made to the original roadmap. We will keep you informed as to how this impacts our school. I plan to send out detailed correspondence on Monday 5 October about our plan for return to school for our students. I also hope to have greater clarity on the possibility of school events that can be held in Term 4 in the coming weeks.

School Review

We are very pleased to share with you that we met all the requirements for compliance in relation to Child Safety Standards and standards for school registration last week. It was an amazing effort from both the leadership team and administration team to complete all this documentation. We will receive official recommendations on October 15 of our key priorities for school improvement for the next four year cycle.

School Fees

Many school events have not been able to take place this year due to the impacts of COVID on the community. As a result of camps being cancelled, adjustments have already been made to accounts. I am currently exploring possible alterations for 2021 school fees. This will include no excursion levies as we will roll over the levy received for 2020. We will also hold off on any annual increase. Mary Milione (Bursar) will be in contact with our current Year 6 families in relation to the 2020 excursion levy.

We have been advised by the Department of Education and Training that they have extended applications for CSEF for families with Health Care Cards.
If you have had a change in your financial circumstances and are eligible for a HCC from Centrelink you may be eligible for this payment. Please email Mary (marym@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au) if you require the application form. In the meantime please send Mary a copy of your Health Care Card. Applications reopen on 5th October and close in late November.

Please know you can always reach out to me for support if you are experiencing financial hardship.

Planning for 2021

During the past few weeks, I have met with all our staff for an Annual Review Meeting. This is one opportunity to speak one on one about achievements, wonderings and future goals. As we begin planning for 2021 I will inform you of the progress in upcoming newsletters.

Could I please ask that any families who are not returning to St Martin’s in 2021 (other than our Year 6 families) inform us in writing as soon as possible by sending an email to office@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Learning Packs

Learning Packs for week 1 of Term 4 will be sent home for Prep- Year 3 students during the second week of the school holidays. Please be sure to look out for them.

Parish/School links

Building parish and school links is very important to me as school principal. I was just thrilled with a recent project that our Year 5 students engaged in. They wrote letters to reach out to our elderly parishioners who no doubt are struggling, like many at the moment, due the isolation of COVID life. In their letters they shared a little about themselves, school life, questions and wonderings and included a prayer like the one below. The initial feedback I have received from members of the Parish Pastoral Council is that this very kind gesture has made an enormous impact.
I would like to once again thank you all for walking with us on this unique journey. I truly do hope we are able to celebrate some school events together in Term 4. We hope to send out a diary of dates early next term with optimism that we will be able to connect in with one another in some form.

Please take the time to read the article 'Encourage kids to occupy themselves' written by Michael Grose, as it provides parents with some useful strategies for the upcoming school holidays.

Please know I remain contactable over email in the school holidays and please continue to take care and create some more special family memories together.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Prep

The Prep students learnt about living and non-living things in their environment. They learnt that all living things need food, water, shelter and air to survive. They discovered that plants and animals are both living things. The clever Preps learnt that birds, fish, reptiles and mammals all have features and even learnt how to label a diagram of each animal showing these special features. They also recorded some facts learnt about each animal in an “Animal Discovery Book”.
   

Year 1

The Year One students learnt about what life was like in the olden days. They identified the similarities and differences between schooling and home life and showed their understanding through writing a journal entry. They made connections by sharing their knowledge of what life was like in the olden days through creative and engaging show and tell presentations. It was wonderful to see students interview their family members and ask questions about what it was like for them growing up in a different time. It was great to celebrate our learning by having the students dress up in olden day clothing and share what they learnt from the unit!

Year 2

The Year Two students learned about the wonderful rainforests all over the world and why they are so important to us. They researched rainforest animals and wrote impressive information reports, which they presented to each other. The students put their creative hats on and made their own rainforests in S.T.E.M! They reflected on the difference they can make to our world, by being caretakers of creation.
   

Year 3

The Year Three students were encouraged to be Conservation Warriors. They learnt about a variety of extinct, endangered and vulnerable animals. At the end of the unit, they researched and composed an information report about an endangered animal of their choice and created a campaign to encourage all people to take action. This was supported by the different persuasive devices they were exposed to in Literacy and it was great to see their passionate presentations.

Year 4

Year 4 students became inventors of arcade games! During the term, students learned about forces, motion and the six simple machines. They used their understanding of the unit to design and build their very own arcade game using recycled materials at home - and had a lot of fun in the process! Through problem solving and design trial and error, students were able to put their knowledge of forces and motion into everyday machinery.

Year 5 - ‘See the person, not the disability’ Jack Swift

The Year 5 students asked the question ‘How can we best work together to meet the diverse needs of all in our community? Our particular focus was on understanding what life might be like for those with a disability, and how people in our community live with these everyday. After studying the design process, students began thinking about how they might design something that could assist a person with a disability. With the help of AKORN Education, students followed a design to come up with a prototype of some sort of assistive technology. They reflected on inclusivity and how they can show justice and compassion towards all people within our community. We are extremely proud of the amazing prototypes our students created throughout this inquiry unit.

Year 6

Our students investigated the pros and cons of a variety of renewable energy forms and became experts in a particular type. Not only did they present their understandings of their inquiry as online presentations, for writing, they wrote persuasive pieces to highlight their ability to create evidence informed justifiable opinions about the value of these forms of energy and their impact on our world, both now and into the future.

Our Sacramental Life: A message from Archbishop Peter Comensoli

In his latest video message, Archbishop Peter Comensoli sends his prayers and blessings to the Melbourne Catholic community, and explains some of the work being done in the background to help us move towards an opening up again of sacramental life in the Archdiocese for our students.

Art and Soul: Fr Elio Capra                     

I am sharing with you a message from Fr Elio Capra in regards to his new website called Art and Soul. Over the past few years, Fr Elio has worked closely with the staff and parents of St Martin’s in supporting us and the students in their Sacramental journey. If you are seeking ways to build on your own faith formation, Fr Elio uses art works as a way to reflect on scripture and prayer and makes links with the Liturgical year, where possible.

From Fr Elio...
My dear friends,
Being home because of COVID19 gave me extra time to start a website on art and spirituality.
The website is called Art and Soul with Elio. I would like to make it clear that I am not an art historian. I am presenting from my heart, the ways that art has touched me and what I see and experience when looking at art.
While I may discuss the techniques and history related to an art work, my primary focus is the spiritual dimension that the work opens and the way it provokes reflection and prayer. The length of the videos is between 3 to 5 minutes so that they can be used for prayer and reflection in a classroom, staffroom, home or any way you may like. I hope that sharing my thoughts and ideas will prompt you to uncover the spiritual in art as you experience it.
This is the address https://elioartandsoul.wordpress.com/ This is a free website and so let your friends and colleagues know about it. I intend to make one new video per week. Whenever possible the theme of the videos will reflect the cycle of the Liturgical Year.

Please, enjoy and let me have your feedback.
Keep smiling,
Elio

Michael Grose
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. His latest release Anxious Kids, was co-authored with Dr Jodi Richardson.

Encourage kids to occupy themselves    

A child’s ability to fill in their own time and cope with moments of boredom are important independence skills to develop. Children have less practise at keeping themselves occupied than those of past generations. You have many jobs as a parent, but constantly entertaining your child, should not be one of them. These ideas will help:

Invite them to keep themselves busy

When your child tells you that he or she is bored they are bringing you a problem to solve. Boredom is your child’s problem, not yours. If this happens, encourage your child to keep themselves busy by asking questions such as “How can you keep yourself amused?”

Make a list

If your child is stuck for ideas make a list of activities that they can refer to when they’re bored. Include a variety of activities such as creative tasks, performance tasks, crafts, sports, indoor and outdoor games, music activities, reading and helping. Place the list in a convenient place with easy access and visibility.

Make a boredom buster jar

Cut up a list of boredom busting activities and place them in a jar. When your child is stuck for an idea to keep him or herself amused invite them to select an activity from the boredom buster jar. Ask your child to add enjoyable activities to the jar over time.

Encourage plenty of green-time

Today’s children spend more time in front of screens, and less time outdoors than those of previous generations. Not only is time spent in natural environments refreshing, relaxing and rejuvenating, but It’s also a wonderful way for kids to relieve boredom. Encourage your child to spend some of their free time outside in natural environments to promote good mental health and develop their confidence.

Help find their interests

If your child struggles to keep him or herself occupied, consider helping them identify a hobby or interest that they enjoy. Often finding that one activity a child loves or excels in makes a huge difference to their self-esteem and wellbeing, and can become the driver for future career choice.

Build in downtime

A trait common among healthy families is the propensity for everyone to enjoy spending downtime or unstructured time together. It’s during downtime that parents and children share activities together, which promotes better relationships and helps children’s informal learning.

Most children when given unstructured time will rise to the occasion (even after some complaining) and will find interesting things to do. By encouraging them to find something “to do”, other than filling their time with screen-based activities, you are promoting a fabulous life-skill in your kids.

We wanted to share and celebrate some of the incredible artistic work that has been happening at home during Term 3 of remote learning.
While being away from the art room has been a challenge at times we have been amazed by the creativity that’s continued to flourish in your homes.
We are so proud of all the incredible work that’s been created. Here is just a sample for you to enjoy.

With a happy heART
Ms Kent and Lisa

Magnificent Prep Artists

Year 3 Amazing Artists

Year 6 Talented Artists

Masses at SMOT this week….

Weekend Mass can be found on our website www.smot.org.au or on our facebook page @SmotParish
Weekday Masses livestreamed Tuesday (22 Sept) & Thursday (24 Sept) this week at 9.15am on our facebook page and Friday via Zoom (25 Sept)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86821580873?pwd=OHQ5Y21pNUtlWkFTRUd6SFVVaDlZUT09

SOCIAL SERVICES SUNDAY On 20th September 2020

We mark Social Services Sunday within the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne on Sunday 20 September 2020.
On this day we are invited to give thanks and pray for all who stand with and provide support to those who are marginalised and vulnerable within our communities. We recognise with deep gratitude, those working within Catholic Social Services Victoria’s 45 member organisations, the 7,000 staff and 17,000 volunteers, who together, serve more than 200,000 people in need each year.
We also give thanks for all in our parishes, who are so often at the forefront of providing practical support and care to those in need within their local communities, and beyond. We call to mind the 2020/21 Social Justice Statement brought out recently by the Australian Catholic bishops, To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today, and so draw your attention to a recent event hosted by CSSV, Counselling and Therapeutic Support in a Time of COVID, which provided an opportunity to become more familiar with mental health services, and how to practically reach out for or point to assistance. Parishioners will find the resources in this article helpful.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Spring is in the air (and our hair today) and the warmer days are certainly lifting our spirits.
                

Oh Lord
Thank you for Spring,
The season of your expression of joy
Let every bloom remind us of your grace
Let each sunny day bring light to our soul
As we spring ahead let these months give birth to warm thoughts and kind gestures.
Amen

Thank-you for continuing to support your children at home during Remote Learning. It certainly has been challenging maintaining the momentum. We wait in anticipation and hope that the Premiers press conference on Sunday brings promising news for our students returning to school. As soon as I know the next steps I will inform you. At this stage Remote Learning remains in place until the end of this term (Friday 18 September). For those children who are onsite, school will finish at 1pm.

Feedback

An important element of our Remote Learning is regularly gathering feedback and improving our practice.
Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent parent surveys.

We received the following affirmations;
● The teacher check ins and additional google meets (both learning and social) have been beneficial

● The pre-recorded videos work well and support the learning requirements

● The content and setup of remote learning has been of an excellent standard

We have received the following areas for improvement;
● Exploring ways to support students who are disengaged and lack motivation

● Ways to support parents who are managing work commitments along with remote learning

● Ensuring all teachers are available and checking in with all students

School Review

Our staff have done an amazing job gathering all our evidence for our school review which officially takes place next week. Our Catholic Education Melbourne Reviewers Gilbert Keisler and Christine Lynch will work remotely when engaging with staff, parents and students next week.
A comprehensive timetable has been set up which also includes the reviewers attending some learning google meets for various year levels. The most exciting part of the Review process is being provided with feedback on insights, strengths, opportunities and recommendations for the next four year School Improvement Plan. I look forward to sharing this with you all.

Term 4

We have had many questions in relation to whether events planned for Term 4 will go ahead. I am hoping I can respond with more certainty later this term. We are currently exploring options of more outdoor, open air events and smaller group gatherings.

Some of the events that need to be considered include; St Martin’s Feast Day Mass, Prep 2021 Orientation/Transition Program, Prep 2021 Parent Welcome Dinner, Sporting Events, Year 6 Big Day Out, Graduation and Mass, End of Year Whole School Mass, Year 1-6 2021 Transition Day and Christmas Carols.

The following are confirmed School Closure/ Pupil Free Days for Term 4, 2 November and 30 November.

Fathers Day

I would like to wish all the dad’s, grandfathers and carers a special day on Sunday. I’m sure the day will be filled with laughter, celebration and many creative ways of saying “Thank you and I love you!” Please click here to read a 'Father's Day Prayer'.

Show bags

Congratulations to the winners of our Design a Showbag Competition. The lucky winners are: Abigail C - PVL, Poppy D - 1LB, Phoebe W - 2T, Lucia B - 3C, Bethany M - 4C, Natalia B - 5V and Maya D - 6ZW

SMOT Carnival - Sunday 29 November 2020

Unfortunately the decision has been that the Carnival will not go ahead this year due to the uncertainty of the impacts of COVID-19. I would like to thank the committee, Trish Di Pietro, Belinda Pryse, Kathy Bekavac, Anna Hanks, John Lundari, Teresa Michelangeli and Marita Anderson for the hours and hours of work that they have dedicated to our wonderful community.

Once again I encourage you to take the time to read the article 'Help kids to beat COVID induced anxiety' written by Michael Grose, as it provides parents with some useful strategies.

If there is anything we can do to support you or members of your family at this time please do not hesitate to contact me. If you are experiencing financial hardship please reach out or if you just need to talk please know we are here.

Take care
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

       

St Teresa of Calcutta Feast Day - Saturday 5th September       

Who is St Teresa?

● Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on the 26th of August in 1910 in Skopje.
● She received her First Communion at the age of 5 and was confirmed in 1916.
● As a youth she was involved in the Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart.
● She left home in September 1928 at the age of 18 to pursue missionary work.
● Teresa joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland and received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St Terese of Lisieux.
● In 1929 she arrived in Calcutta where she taught in St Mary’s school for girls.
● Sr Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows in 1937.
● From that time on she was called Mother Teresa.
● In 1944 she became the principal of the school.
● She was known for her charity, unselfishness, courage and her capacity for hard work
● Mother Teresa established a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor.
● She began each day with communion and went out to find and serve families with her rosary beads in her hand.
● Over the years to support her mission, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers, Contemplative Sisters, Contemplative Brothers and Missionaries of Charity Fathers and the Lay Missionaries of Charity.
● In 1979 she won the Nobel Peace Prize to honour her work in the name of the poor.
● In spite of increasingly severe health problems towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church.
● Mother Teresa died on September 5
● She left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity.
● St. Teresa of Calcutta was canonized by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016 in a ceremony that was witnessed by tens of thousands of people, including 1,500 homeless people across Italy.
● A relative of Mother Teresa on his wife Michele’s side of the family, Mr Witchell and his family attended the canonisation and participated in the Mass.
● St. Teresa of Calcutta is the patron saint of World Youth Day, Missionaries of Charity and a co-patron of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, alongside St. Francis Xavier. Her feast day is celebrated on September 5.

Father’s Day Prayer

We especially thank our fathers, grandfathers and special friends of our St Martin’s community who have supported our students with their learning and families with their love during remote learning. You are the best! We wish you all a wonderful Father’s Day on Sunday.

GOD OUR FATHER, WE GIVE YOU THANKS AND PRAISE FOR FATHERS YOUNG AND OLD.

WE PRAY FOR YOUNG FATHERS, NEWLY EMBRACING THEIR VOCATION; MAY THEY FIND COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE TO BALANCE WORK, FAMILY AND FAITH IN JOY AND SACRIFICE.

WE PRAY FOR OUR OWN FATHERS AROUND THE WORLD WHOSE CHILDREN ARE LOST OR SUFFERING; MAY THEY KNOW THAT THE GOD OF COMPASSION WALKS WITH THEM IN THEIR SORROW.

WE PRAY FOR MEN WHO ARE NOT FATHERS BUT STILL MENTOR AND GUIDE US WITH FATHERLY LOVE AND ADVICE.

WE REMEMBER FATHERS, GRANDFATHER, AND GREAT GRANDFATHERS WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US BUT WHO LIVE FOREVER IN OUR MEMORY AND NOURISH US WITH THEIR LOVE.

Michael Grose
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. His latest release Anxious Kids, was co-authored with Dr Jodi Richardson.

Help kids to beat COVID induced anxiety            

Since COVID has entered our lives I’ve had countless conversations with parents and enquiries from schools seeking presentations on how to support kids who with COVID induced anxiety.

It’s wonderful to see how kids’ mental health and wellbeing is being prioritised, and importantly, resourced. However these conversations show we still have some way to go as a community to fully grasp the nature of anxiety.

While the current situation we are all living through is extremely difficult, it does present an opportunity to develop sustained growth and vitality in anxious children and young people.

In Anxious Kids, the book I co-authored with Dr. Jodi Richardson we wrote, “Anxiety doesn’t have to be the shadow that clouds the days of children and young people. Understanding that anxiety is a well understood and manageable condition brings anxious kids such relief.”

We wrote this pre-COVID and nothing since has caused me to change my mind. In fact, experiences of this COVID era have reinforced that the more we know about anxiety the less fearful we are and better equipped to move kids from anxiety to real resilience.

There is no cure for anxiety

Just as there’s no cure for the common cold, and it would appear the coronavirus, there is also no cure for anxiety. We know that anxiety runs in families. Children are born with a predisposition for anxiety. There is every likelihood that an anxious child will have at least one parent who experiences anxiety, maybe not clinically, but one who is familiar with a churn in their stomach, the constant overthinking and the desire to over prepare when they face new or unfamiliar situations.

The impact of anxiety can be minimised

Anxiety may be a constant companion for many children but it’s certainly not their best friend. Often, it’s a demon with which they are locked in a long-running, laborious battle where simple activities such as attending school camp or doing at home learning become something they dread. Alternatively, they can avoid events or situations that make them anxious or bring them discomfort.

It’s better to give an anxious child or young person tools such as mindfulness, checking in and deep breathing with which they can manage their anxiety, rather than allow them to miss out and be miserable, or tackle discomfort full on and be stressed out.

You can build anxiety resistance

While we can’t necessarily tackle anxiety at its source and make the situations that overwhelm a child disappear, we can help them to develop a lifestyle that builds their resistance against the very worst of anxiety. Plenty of sleep, adequate diet, regular exercise and sufficient time in nature are some of the lifestyle factors that builds strength against the psychological ravages of anxiety.

You can help kids reduce their ongoing anxiety

While the world waits and prays that we’ll come up with a coronavirus vaccine, we don’t have to wait to help a child or young person with anxiety. A combination of being nurturing and firm (features of the authoritative parenting style) offers the best protection against ongoing anxiety. A child is best prepared to face difficulties when they have a confident, calm adult in their life who says, “I think you can do this,” encouraging them to face their fears. This approach needs to be supported by an empathetic adult who understands the impact of anxiety and makes sure that kids feel safe and secure.

While parenting an anxious child or young person can feel overwhelming and difficult, I encourage you to think about it differently. We can’t change what is happening right now, and we can’t undo it. Help your anxious child to flourish in this COVID era by building their understanding of anxiety. Give them the tools to help them push anxiety into the background. Promote a lifestyle that will protect them from its affects by ensuring they experience nurturing, firm, brave and hopeful parenting. We hope coronavirus will one day disappear, but your child’s ability to be impacted by difficult events will still be an issue unless you take some preventative action now. The good news is that there is so much you can do to help.

Online Mental Health Resources

● Kids Helpline
● Parenting Anxious Kids online course
● Smiling Mind app
● eheadspace

“Tour De St Martin's”

Over the past 2 weeks, over 150 children from St Martin’s took part in the first ever “Tour De St Martin’s”. This activity was set for their Physical Education lessons and required the children to ride a certain distance while having it timed. The children then sent through their results and the overall winners of each year level were determined. The distances that the children were required to ride were:

Prep – 2 km
Grade 1 and 2 – 4 km
Grade 3 and 4 - 6 km
Grade 5 and 6 - 8 km
Listed below are the winners for each year Level.

SEASON OF CREATION 2020 - free program

Pope John Paul II in 1990 named environmental care as integral to the Catholic faith and named St Francis of Assisi as the patron of ecological conversion. Pope Benedict XVI reinforced this Catholic vocation delivering homilies and speeches asking world leaders to take action. Pope Francis, in his 2015 Encyclical Laudato Si’ detailed the call to See, Judge, Act on care for our common home.

Every year, Christians of all denominations join in prayer and action for our common home and celebrate the Season of Creation starting on 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation and ending on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. See www.columban.org.au for the program.

MASSES AT SMOT THIS WEEK

Weekend Mass can be found on our website www.smot.org.au or on our facebook page @SmotParish

Weekday Masses livestreamed Tuesday (8 Sept) & Thursday (10 Sept) this week at 9.15am on our facebook page and Friday via Zoom (11 Sept)

Join Zoom Meeting:   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2137834081?pwd=RmtMZ0dGRTEvOFVvN3FId2V0MjhLQT09
Use the id and password below if you use Zoom this way
Meeting ID: 213 783 4081
Passcode: 415472

A BLESSING FOR FATHERS

We thank you, God, for the gift of our fathers,
For grandfathers and godfathers and fathers-in-law too.
Send your Holy Spirit upon our fathers,
In whose laps we were cradled, at whose hands we were fed, instructed, at times corrected,
In whose company we learned to work and play and pray, at whose side we hear your word and celebrate your mysteries.
Heal their pains and disappointments.
Forgive all that needs to be forgiven.
Give to them the good that they have given to others.
Welcome into your arms those who have died.
Fill this world, O God, with a father’s love!
We ask this through your Son Jesus Christ, who taught us to Pray to you as “Abba”.
He lives and reigns with your and the Holy Spirit, who is the Father of the poor, one God forever and ever.
Amen.

"A Thousand Stars" Community Art Project Invitation    

Every year in October we recognise Australian children’s’ talents, contribution to society and children’s rights by celebrating Children’s Week across the nation.
This year the Australian Children’s Week theme is ‘Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others’.

Banyule City Council is encouraging children and the community to make a lantern and help us illuminate these dark times!

The Thousand Stars Project is inspired by the age-old tradition of keeping a candle burning in the window for a visitor.
The lantern in the window signifies that, whilst we may now be isolated, tomorrow we will be together. It is a symbol of resilience and hope.

Make a Star or Jar Lantern at home and hang it in your window!

Visit https://www.banyule.vic.gov.au/1000stars to register your interest and receive your pack. Alternatively, you can create your own star or jar packs from readily available household materials. Photograph your lantern in a window and post on Facebook and Instagram tagging @1000.Star.Project and using #1000StarProject.

Presented by Banyule City Council in partnership with Sanctum Studio.
Connecting community through lock-down.

Dear Parents and Guardians

Thank you for your support as we continue to do the best we can in the most trying of circumstances. We are all experiencing difficulty in some way, shape or form but somehow find the inner strength to be there for one another. I strongly encourage you to take the time to read the article Staying the course in COVID times by Michael Grose. It provides some strategies at these challenging times that include: accepting difficult emotions, encouraging acceptance, taking it one day and one week at a time and being a person of hope.

Over the past two weeks it has been lovely to check in with many families through google meets as part of our Prep 2021 transition process. The younger children were so excited to have their own google meet and talk with me about starting school next year.

Sacraments

We are still awaiting final confirmation from the Archdiocese but it is highly likely that Confirmation, Eucharist and Reconciliation will not be taking place this year. If this is the case both of these Sacraments will take place in 2021 for our current Year 6, Year 3 and Year 4 students.

Learning Packs

The last of the learning packs for this term will be distributed next week to students in the junior school. We have once again organised a special delivery to your homes.

PFA News

How exciting that the Show is coming to SMOT! This week all families would have received information about our Showbag fundraiser and Design a
Showbag competition. All orders and designs are due by the end of next week. I am looking forward to seeing all the creative designs. Please visit the PFA weebly page for more information.

Prep 100 Days

Today I interviewed 3 prep students Mila Z, Rory D and Lewis B to ask them about their 100 day celebrations and all that they have learnt in 2020.
Mila shared that she dressed up as an old Grandma and read to me the book she wrote and illustrated about dogs.
Rory enjoyed making his 100 day crown and now knows how to write more letters and numbers.
Lewis proudly showed me his 100 number chart and how he has been enjoying reading books on his Ipad.
It was just lovely to talk to some of the prep students today.

Staffing

Steve Domini is currently on long service leave for the rest of this term. Maria Mandarano will be taking his classes for Italian. We congratulate Jess Casamento on completing her teaching round with us over the past five weeks. I know the students have learnt a lot from her in this remote space.

Moving forward

Please reach out if you need any support at these challenging times.
As you would be aware at this point remote learning continues whilst we experience Stage 4 restrictions which currently concludes on 13 September.
The term is scheduled to finish on Friday 18 September. I believe it would be highly unlikely that students would be back onsite for the last week of term.
Let’s hope and pray that Term 4 allows for students to be back learning in their classrooms, playing in the playground and connecting back in with their peers.

Take care
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Who is St Joseph?

Joseph is the patron saint of families, carpenters, and working people in general, but he is also the protector and patron saint of home sellers. Many sellers believe burying a statue of St. Joseph will help them get their house sold.

We pray especially for our families of St Martin’s parish and school as they continue to isolate from their dear ones during these difficult times. Joseph, keep our families safe, watch over them always and let good health, happiness and your blessings be upon them. Amen

Prayer to St Joseph
from the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

St Joseph,
You were receptive to God working in your life.
Help us by your prayers at this time of trial.
You kept Jesus and Mary under your watchful care:
may your prayers assist our local Church to respond to those in need.
You taught the Christ Child your trade and prayers:
help us to follow his example of love.
You were part of God’s plan for all humanity:
assist us to be vigilant and responsible this day.
You spent your life in service:
may we be mindful of others, particularly the elderly and vulnerable, caring for them in these difficult days.
You trusted in the clear primacy of God over all history and every situation: help us to grow in faith and pray to the Father,
Thy will be done.
Amen

We also pray for those who have succumbed to the illness and for those on the frontlines – our doctors, nurses and medical staff and other carers, including our teachers, clergy and chaplains, as they risk their own wellbeing in service to others.

Loving God,
we place into your care
all our doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and carers.
Give them courage of heart
and strength of mind and body.
Keep them safe from harm.
May they know our deep gratitude
for all they are doing
to heal and help those affected by
the coronavirus.
God of all consolation
may they know your protection and peace.
Bless them in these challenging days
and bless their families.
Amen.

100 days of Prep!

On Thursday the 13th of August we celebrated 100 days of Prep! Things were a little different this year but we still had lots of fun! Each child received a delicious iced ‘100’ cookie - yum! Many children dressed up as a 100 year old. So many wrinkles, grey hair and walking sticks!

      

At our Whole Class Google Meet children shared 100 objects in a bag. We saw 100 bits of pasta, 100 beads, 100 buttons etc. It was great hearing about the children playing the board game called ‘Race to 100’ with their parents and siblings and so many were exhausted after completing 100 exercises.

        

Our wonderful school captains also gave us a special certificate.

       

We are all 100 days smarter now!

Michael Grose
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. His latest release Anxious Kids, was co-authored with Dr Jodi Richardson.

Staying the course in COVID times

COVID-19 continues to test us in ways that were unimaginable at the start of 2020. It’s becoming the defining event of this generation and a reference point for decades to come. We’ve had depression kids, war kids and now we have COVID-19 kids.

The impact of COVID-19 is felt differently across the country. Currently, Victoria is in Stage 4 lockdown while other states are on high alert. Not every student is working from home, but most students are COVID conscious, knowing that they’re only a corona cough or virus-filled hug away from remote learning.

Encouraging kids to stay the course when they’ve been denied access to the classroom, peers and community activities is now a common parenting challenge. Denial is generally tolerable in the short term, but the novelty of changed circumstances soon wears off. The following strategies will assist both parents and kids to stay the COVID long course:

Accept difficult emotions

‘There’s nothing so bad that we can’t talk about, but there are behaviours that we won’t accept’ is a mantra that serves families well. It’s okay for children to feel frustrated, annoyed, angry or upset about their change of circumstances due to the pandemic but that doesn’t give them permission to behave disrespectfully, miss school requirements or fail to assist at home. It helps if parents validate how their children feel, then encourage them to focus on fulfilling school and family expectations.

Some children and young people will protest the COVID induced changes that have been imposed upon them. In some respects, it may be admirable for children to push for a better deal, but the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic means that the individual needs to bend toward the greater community good. This is simply a case of accepting and making the best of the situation at hand.

Take it one day and week at a time

On family bush walks my young children would rarely complain when the tracks were windy. The complaint levels rose when paths were long and straight as the finish line seemed such a long way off. In a similar vein during our current times it’s smart to keep kids focused on getting through each day and week rather than look too far ahead. Six weeks of Stage 4 may seem intolerable, so it’s better to focus on getting through each day and week.

Be the hope person

Help children and young people understand that they will get through difficult times. “This too shall pass” is perhaps the most apt meme for our times. If your hope bucket is emptying out, seek out positive friends and relatives who can top it up. Our own resilience needs nurturing if we are to last the distance. The internal parenting manual that guides us probably doesn’t include chapters dealing with remote learning, lack of peer interaction and kids’ disappointment. Most of us are treading new parenting ground so it’s best to be open to change, accepting of difficulties and forgiving of inevitable parenting stumbles.

Hello to our amazing SMOT families,

We hope that you are all staying safe and well.

We are amazed to see the various special ways that each of you are connecting with books remotely during our Library lessons. As the talented J.K Rowling so aptly said, “The stories we love best live in us forever.”

Earlier in the year some of our students signed up to participate in the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, which started at the beginning of Term 2.

So far an amazing 1,491 books have been read!

The challenge is now drawing to close, so please take note that the finishing date for adding all of your books and completing the challenge is by Friday 11th September.

To receive the Premiers’ Reading Challenge Certificate, you must have met the challenge requirements:
* Prep to Year 2 students need to read a total of 30 books - 20 challenge books and 10 choice books
* Year 3 to 6 students need to read a total of 15 books - 10 challenge books and 5 choice books.

If you have any questions regarding the challenge, please do not hesitate to contact Chloe Jones - cjones@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au
Take care,
The Library Team

St Martins Mental Health Check ins

Hi St Martins Community, this is Chris one of the youth leaders. During this lockdown period, many of us are at risk of the negative effects that social Isolation can have on our mental wellbeing. This can be especially true for the members of our community as weekly masses have been halted. That’s why from the 23rd of August to the 19th of September, 2 other Nursing student volunteers and I will be offering mental health check-up calls to those who feel they need it or to those who think a family member or friend may need it. In these weekly calls we will offer guidance, advice, and support regarding your quarantine experience, staying safe and possible referrals and recommendations to services you may find useful. Most of all we are here just to listen to anything you want to say, these calls are confidential and if you would like can simply be for you to socialise. If you think you, a friend or a family member may benefit from this service, email christopherwebb4321@gmail.com and send me the name and number of the person and we will follow up with a phone call. Stay Safe everybody and God Bless.

CATHOLICCARE SERVICES

In these challenging and unsettling times, many families and communities have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have lost jobs and are in financial crisis. There is emergency relief available. Others are experiencing increased anxiety and depression due to social isolation. Meanwhile, couples and families are facing relationship issues while in prolonged lock-down. It is important to look after your health and wellbeing during these difficult times. Whether you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious or sad; talking to a counsellor can help. If you are having relationship problems, CatholicCare can also provide couples or family counselling. We are offering FREE counselling via phone and video conference during the COVID crisis. You do not need a referral or a mental health care plan to access this service. Learn more about how counselling can help or call to make a booking. Call 9287 5555. Or visit www.ccam.org.au

MILESTONE OCCASIONS

Do you have a significant marriage milestone or significant birthday coming up?? Parishioners may like to receive a blessing at Mass on these special, important occasions. A certificate will also be given to commemorate the milestone. Please let us know via email of your milestone and we can arrange to have the occasion celebrated during Mass.

Dear Parents and Guardians

As we all get used to a new kind of normal for the next 5 weeks please remember to be kind to yourselves. I know many of our families have had to make significant changes to their lives. Please know the staff at St Martin’s are committed to ensuring our students have the best opportunities to continue their learning and the wellbeing of everyone is our priority. Mr Witchell proudly shared with me this week the results of the St Martin’s Virtual Cross Country as we all know getting out and doing some exercise is so important at the moment.

On the advice of the government all school staff are now working remotely. Minimal staff will be onsite for our students of essential workers. As the risk of community transmissions remains high we know that remaining at home is extremely important. Email would be the best form of contact at this stage, please reach out and keep in touch.

A message from our School Captains (Hanna, Luca, Maya and Zach)

Hi Everyone
We hope you are all safe and well during these times. Remote learning is very different for all of us and we are still trying to get used to it but we also need to remember that we need to put in lots of effort in our work to produce the best results we possibly can. We know we are missing out on lots of special things this year such as camp, Sacraments, excursions, and more, but it will be great to help our Preps celebrate their 100 days of school next week. We hope that all the Preps can have a wonderful day celebrating this special day as part of our St Martin’s family.

    

Home Learning Packs

With the increased restrictions we feel it is not responsible to ask parents to come onsite to collect learning packs. We believe they are an important tool to break up the onscreen time for students and also provide another way of learning. For these reasons we have organised for the learning packs to be couriered to your homes. The contactless deliveries will take place Tuesday and Wednesday next week. There will be a second delivery of packs later in the term.

Staffing

We keep Teresa Michelangeli and her family in our prayers as her beloved mum Maria passed away after a short illness earlier this week. May Teresa’s family find strength in the precious memories that they have of a much loved mother and grandmother.

Prep’s 100 Days

As mentioned by our school captains our Preps celebrate 100 days of school on Thursday 13 August. It certainly will be 100 days that we will never forget. Never has a Prep cohort at St Martin’s had a mix of school and home based learning as part of their first 100 days. A fun day has been planned for them which includes dressing up as a 100 year old person and reading, counting, sport and art activities all based around 100. We look forward to sharing photos of their celebrations with you all.

Prep 2021-Current Families

I look forward to connecting in with our current families who have Prep children starting in 2021 over the next two weeks via Google meet.

Year 6 Camp

We have made the decision to cancel the Year 6 camp booked at The Briars for October. We feel that there will be little or no chance that camps will be permitted. Your accounts will be adjusted accordingly. Mary Milione our bursar will be in contact with you via email.

PFA Meeting

On Tuesday night the PFA met via Zoom to review the activities conducted to date and to canvas ideas for the remainder of the year. Please take the time to read the PFA News for a summary of the meeting. Earlier this year they launched the SMOT Community Business Directory. We would like to support all our families struggling at the moment so if you would like us to promote your business please contact the PFA.

School Counsellor

Our School Counsellor Perri Ashton is beginning to connect in with some of our families. Wellbeing and Mental Health checks are very important at this time so please know you can access Perri’s service for your children by completing the documentation on our school website. During remote learning Perri will work through a telehealth service with individual students and families. Please feel free to contact Jamie Atherton, Wellbeing Leader, or myself if you have any questions.

At this time, we call on our faith to keep us steadfast in the face of adversity. We wait with hope that all of this will pass and one day soon our lives will return to some normality.
Please continue to take care and if you are experiencing financial hardship or need some emotional support know that we are here for you.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

St Mary of the Cross                                           

On Saturday 8th of August we will celebrate Mary Mackillop’s Feast Day. Mary became a school teacher who assisted poor children in attending school. Mary gave up her life to God and became a sister of St Joseph in 1866. Mary was declared Australia’s first Saint on the 17th of October, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Listed below are some interesting facts about Mary’s life from ‘Mary Mackillop For Kids’ @homeschoolingdownunder.com

★ Mary MacKillop was born in Victoria in 1842. She was the eldest child in her family and had 3 sisters and 4 brothers.
★ Her father had an excellent religious education and most of Mary’s education was at home.
★ Mary’s first job was as a clerk when she was 14, she then worked as a governess looking after her cousins and teaching them (and other farm children) their lessons.
★ She loved children and later became a school teacher.
★ In South Australia she met a priest named Father Julian Tenison Woods who also wanted to help poor children attend school.
★ Together Mary MacKillop and Father Tenison Woods started the ‘Stable School’ in 1866.
★ All of the children had lessons in reading, writing, math and singing. The girls also enjoyed learning to sew whilst the boys enjoyed woodwork. Mary and her sisters also taught the children about God and taught them to trust in Jesus.
★ In 1866 Mary MacKillop and Father Tenison Woods started the religious order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites) and in 1867 Mary MacKillop became a nun – Sister Mary of the Cross.
★ Mary and the Josephite nuns set up schools in Australia and New Zealand.
★ They also set up houses for elderly women, young girls and women without jobs. They gave their life to people in need often giving comfort to the sick and dying and even visiting people in jail to give them whatever help they could.

At times in her life Mary MacKillop met people who made it hard for her to perform her good works but she never gave up and today the Sisters of St Joseph are still doing the work that Mary MacKillop started all those years ago.

We Pray...
St Mary Mackillop friend of children,

Help us get on well with our brothers and sisters
Help us listen to our parents
Keep us interested in our work
Help us make new friends
Comfort us when we are sad
Help us be sorry when we are cranky
Keep us trying to be true
Help us to forgive when someone hurts us
Help us love ourselves
Help us to love God heaps
St Mary Mackillop, Pray for us! AMEN.

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven - 15th August

God has already been active in the lives of the two women who meet in the Gospel. Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary, has conceived a child in her old age, by the grace of God. The journey Mary undertakes to go to her (and return) would have been arduous and difficult, from Nazareth in the North to the hills of Judea in the south. Both women are carrying children who are destined to play important roles in God’s plan of salvation. Elizabeth already knows the greater role that Mary plays, and her greeting affirms this. Mary’s prayer, known as the Magnificat, points us towards the greatness of God. Nothing is impossible for God.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants for ever.” And Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.

God chose Mary to be the mother of his son, Jesus. Mary was always ready and willing to do whatever God wanted. Because she was so special she was taken up body and soul to be with Jesus in heaven – this is what ‘Assumption’ means. What qualities of Mary would we like to grow in our lives?

The Magnifcat

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy.
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

Last week, the winter appeal items and vouchers were collected by Parish volunteers who assist in the local conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Below is an email I recently received thanking our school families for their wonderful generosity.

Thank you so much for this - the generosity of the school and broader parish is heartening - especially in these challenging times. I’m sure the chocolates will be welcome additions to our daily assistance visits. I’d be grateful if you could include a huge “thank you" from St Vincent de Paul Macleod conference for all the generous donations. They will be so very welcome by those we assist as so many are really struggling right now. God bless you and the whole school community. Thank you once again as I believe all the wonderful donations - together with the excellent gift cards - were collected and are on their way to deserving folk. Our Vinnies conference is so very grateful for the generosity shown by you and the whole school community. It certainly assists us greatly in our work.

St Martin of Tours Virtual Cross Country

Over the past 2 weeks, over 250 children from St Martin’s took part in the first ever Virtual Cross Country. This activity was set for their Physical Education lessons and required the children to run a certain distance while having it timed. The children then sent through their results and the overall winners of each year level were determined. The distances that the children were required to run were:

Prep – 500m
Year 1 and 2 – 1km
Year 3 and 4 - 2 km
Year 5 and 6 - 3 km

Listed below are the winners for each year Level.

Please keep a look out for the Physical Education lessons in the next week, as the children will be competing in the Virtual “Tour De St Martin’s.”

In order to compete in this activity the children will require a bike and a bike helmet for safety reasons. Further information will be on the Physical Education Webpage next week and the Tour will start on Wednesday 12th August.

The Term 3 PFA Committee meeting was held remotely earlier this week. In this meeting, we reviewed PFA activities conducted to date and canvassed ideas for the remainder of the year.

In Term 1, we held the Shrove Tuesday Picnic (which was cancelled at the last minute due to weather), Snow Cones day and Easter Raffle. A big thank you to Sam and Liana for their help with the Easter Raffle. In Term 2, we were excited to run the Beanie Fundraiser which has received support from both SMOT families and staff members, with lots of positive feedback. Families with an eldest child in Prep-2, received their beanies with learning packs collected last Friday. Families with an eldest child in Years 3-6, will receive their beanies in the coming weeks.

Despite this being a difficult year, we are grateful for the continued support of our SMOT community which has helped us raise a total of $4,951.37 to date. Jacqui will be reviewing the "Persuade the Principal" letters submitted earlier this year to consider what our fundraising goals might be for 2020/2021. The Play Pods which were to be funded by the Colour Run held last year, have not been forgotten. However, in light of the current situation, they will have to be put on the backburner for next year.

This year we also launched the SMOT Community Business Directory. As many businesses are presently struggling, we have decided to provide the opportunity for anyone in the SMOT community who has a business to provide their details and have it listed and promoted for free so that we can help support each other by using and/or referring others to use their services.

At this stage, we are uncertain what will be possible for the remainder of the year. However, our focus this term will be to try and do something fun for the kids to raise their spirits during this lockdown.

MASSES AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON LINE…

SMOT Parish Mass can be found on our website www.smot.org.au or on our facebook page @SmotParish

St Patrick’s Cathedral The 11am Sunday Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral is televised free to air on C31 (often listed as Channel 44 on digital TVs) as well as live streamed on our website and YouTube channel. We invite you to share the news widely, particularly with those who might be limited to TV viewing. Watch here: https://melbournecatholic.org.au/Mass

Mass for you at home This program has been allowing the faithful – particularly those with mobility problems – to participate in Mass from their homes for many years. Mass for You at Home is broadcast on Eleven and Network Ten on Sundays and Aurora Channel on Foxtel every day. It is also the fourth-longest running television show in Australia.
Watch here: http://www.mfyah.com/video.html or https://10play.com.au/mass-for-you-at-home

Dear Parents and Guardians

This week we began round two of Remote Learning and the feedback I have received is that families and staff have embraced the changes made.
The Learning Conversations last week were an important opportunity to set shared goals and adjust our programs to suit the needs of our parents when working with their children at home. Staff are constantly ensuring that the learning tasks on the websites are engaging and challenging and also allow opportunities for student voice. Once again whilst we are on this journey we will ask you for feedback along the way so we can refine our practices. Please know that you can reach out to me at any time as your wellbeing is very important to me. Also if there are families who are experiencing financial hardship please know you can contact me to discuss this further.

      

Collection of Learning Packs

This term we will dedicate Fridays for collection of Learning Packs and resources to support the learning from home. Each Year level will communicate with their families and set the times for collection. As per the government's directive all parents who enter the school grounds must wear a mask or face covering.

School Counsellor/Provisional Psychologist

This week the St Martin of the Tours community welcomes Ms Perri Ashton as our new school counsellor/provisional psychologist. The role is dedicated to supporting the emotional wellbeing of students by providing pastoral care services and strategies, and this includes supporting the wellbeing of the broader community.

Within Perri’s role she will:
★ Work as a member of the school’s wellbeing team in the delivery of student wellbeing services
★ Contribute to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment
★ Provide pastoral care and guidance to students
★ Support students and staff to create an environment of cooperation and mutual respect

Jamie Atherton our Wellbeing Leader has updated our website. Please click here for information on how you can access Perri’s services. During remote learning Perri will work through a telehealth service with individual students and families. Moving forward Perri will also provide group sessions to support social skill development for our students.

Perri would like to share a bit about herself….

Hi everyone! My name is Perri, and I am the School Counsellor/Provisional Psychologist at St Martin of Tours for Term 3 and 4. I am very excited to be a part of the team, and to get to know the St Martin’s community. As the School Counsellor, I will be talking and working with students and their families who would like some support. I recognise that many families may need another person to lean on, especially as we all adjust to remote learning.
I am currently completing my Master’s degree in Educational and Developmental Psychology at Monash University. I spend my free time reading, eating delicious food, and sometimes even get to help my mum raise Guide Dog puppies.
I can’t wait to spend the next half of this year meeting the community at St Martin’s.

School Review

This term we are undergoing a formal school review facilitated by Catholic Education Melbourne. Staff are currently gathering evidence of our achievements over the past four years in the following 5 Spheres: Religious Dimension, Learning and Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Management and Community. An important part of this process is feedback from students and parents.
Due to the impacts of COVID-19 this feedback will be gathered via surveys and online forums. Your feedback is very important to ensure that our new School Improvement Plan has the voice of all stakeholders. A Compass news feed titled: Parent Survey Questions – 2020 School Review has been sent today. It would be greatly appreciated if you could take some time to respond to the questions in the survey. All responses will be anonymous and the closing date will be Friday 31 July. We would appreciate it if your responses could encapsulate your experiences over the past few years not just about our current remote learning environment. Your voice is very important as we plan our next school improvement plan for St Martin’s.

Prep 2021

Unfortunately we have had to postpone our Prep Assessment Sessions that were booked for August for all our Prep 2021 enrolments. Last term Fr Michael and I had the opportunity to meet all our new families through Google Meet. I would like to offer our current families this same opportunity this term as a way of getting to know you all. We will send out more information about this next week.

Staffing

We farewelled Wendy Roussety this week after seven years of service at St Martin’s. Wendy has taken up a position as a library technician at Alphington Grammar. Wendy has many fond memories of her time with us and they include; book week celebrations, author visits and 100 days of prep. We thank her for inspiring our passion for books and reading and great care of our library. Wendy’s message to us all is 'take care of the books and take care of one another'. We will miss Wendy but wish her every success.

This term we welcome Mr Steven Villani on staff two days per week who will be taking on STEM and Christie Kotsifas as a Learning Support Officer. Jessica Casamento, one of our LSO’s is currently completing her Master of Teaching and will be doing her teaching rounds for the next 5 weeks in the Year 4 area.

Parish News

Please take some time to read the St Martin’s Parish News which is emailed to parishioners each Wednesday. The news provides many spiritual resources for you to access during this lockdown period. All public Masses have been cancelled at St Martin’s and Fr Michael is once again offering online weekday and weekend Masses. You will find these Masses on the parish website www.smot.org.au or on the parish facebook page @SmotParish

Please take care as we continue to navigate through these challenging times.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

MASSES AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON LINE…

SMOT Parish Mass can be found on our website www.smot.org.au or on our facebook page @SmotParish
St Patrick’s Cathedral The 11am Sunday Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral is televised free to air on C31 (often listed as Channel 44 on digital TVs) as well as live streamed on our website and YouTube channel. We invite you to share the news widely, particularly with those who might be limited to TV viewing. Watch here: https://melbournecatholic.org.au/Mass
Mass for you at home This program has been allowing the faithful – particularly those with mobility problems – to participate in Mass from their homes for many years. Mass for You at Home is broadcast on Eleven and Network Ten on Sundays and Aurora Channel on Foxtel every day. It is also the fourth-longest running television show in Australia.
Watch here: http://www.mfyah.com/video.html or https://10play.com.au/mass-for-you-at-home

RCIA & RCIC ENQUIRY FOR 2020

RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults & RCIC - Rite of Christian Initiation of Children.
We warmly welcome anyone interested in finding out more about the Catholic Faith for yourself or for your children/grandchildren. Please see Fr. Michael or Sr Maria for further information.
Alternatively, contact the parish office on 9401 6338 for an appointment. An enquiry night will be held on the 6th August via Zoom.at 7.30pm.
All are welcome to virtually attend.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal 2020

The Winter Appeal has now successfully concluded and we would like to thank you for your very generous contributions.
As a result of your generosity the society will be able to provide assistance to the needy in what will be a very difficult period for the people of Victoria.
Our own Macleod Conference will be continuing with the work in St Martin’s Parish and a part of St Pius Parish.
Please remember those needing assistance in your prayers.

          

It certainly has been a term we will never forget. I am incredibly proud of how all our students have transitioned back. As a staff we are also grateful for the words of thanks and generosity from our parent community. We have received many gifts/treats and today on behalf of you all our school captains delivered to every staff member with a most precious message along with a gift.

Thanks a million

Not all superheros wear capes...some wear onesies!
In these last couple of months, we all looked to you for guidance and leadership and we received that and so much more.
We watched on as our school leaders and teachers shared a warmth and dedication that made our children feel safe and loved.
You were strong and resolute and while still having to care for yourselves and loved ones, all while making us feel that our children were the most important.
We thank you for the endless hours of work, commitment and patience you have shown to our beautiful children.
Trepidation made way for smiles as they were welcomed back with magical characters and open arms.

2020 will certainly be a year we will never forget!
Please accept this small gesture and know how much you are admired and appreciated - drinks are on us!

With all our love,
The families of St Martin's.

Last Day of Term

Term two comes to an end for students at 1pm on Friday 26 June.
Our end of the day pick up will be as follows with three collection times.

A-I students to be collected between 12:30pm - 12:50pm
J-R students to be collected between 12:50pm - 1:10pm
S-Z students to be collected at 1:10pm
Students walking home or to a designated pick up point (A-Z surnames) will leave the school yard at 1pm
Students enrolled in OSHClub will be collected from top yard by OSHClub staff at 1pm.

We will not send out a new Compass event for this pick up arrangement. We will make the following adjustments.

3pm pick up will be changed to 12:30pm
3:20pm pick up will be changed to 12:50pm
3:40pm pick up will be changed to 1:10pm

If you are changing your pick up point on this day please contact the office via email or phone.

Reports

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all our staff who are currently involved in preparing school reports. Reports may look a little different this semester due to our remote learning experience. There will be an opportunity to discuss your students learning with our teachers early in Term three. Reports will be sent home via Compass on Thursday 25 June.

School Review

Next Term we will undergo a formal school review initiated by Catholic Education Melbourne. This process occurs every four years and has two key dimensions: Improvement and Compliance. The review process provides an opportunity for our school to reflect on its last School Improvement Plan and identify priorities that will be integral to the school’s strategic planning over the next four years.

The external reviewer will be in the school for a few days and would like the opportunity to meet with students, parents and staff. I will continue to inform you of the process throughout next Term.

Learning Conversations Mid Year

Learning Conversations will take place in week two of Term three. The dates are currently set for Wednesday 22nd (4pm-6pm)and Thursday 23rd of July (1pm-8pm). We are unsure of the format of these conversations due to COVID-19 restrictions, but are awaiting advice from Catholic Education Melbourne.

To facilitate these learning conversations there will be a school closure day on Thursday 23 July. Staff will spend the morning preparing for our school review.

We value this opportunity to work together with both you and your child to reflect on their learning. These upcoming conversations will provide an opportunity to consider our home learning experience, reset, and establish student learning goals for the remainder of the year.

A survey will come home from your child's classroom teacher next week. We would be extremely grateful if you took the time to fill it out, as this survey data will inform part of the Learning Conversation.

Sacraments

Please take some time to read the R.E News as there is important information related to how the Sacraments will be celebrated this year with the COVID-19 restrictions. We have spent some time planning with our Parish team - Fr Michael and Sr Maria on how to proceed with Confirmation and Reconciliation. First Eucharist Sacraments will not be taking place in 2020.

Social Media

This Term we have spent a lot more time accessing social media to stay in touch with our family and friends. Social media, (including Google Hangouts) is a great way of communicating but it can also be negative if used in the wrong way. Can I please remind all our students and parents to always be respectful when making comments on social media.

Words can be very powerful and play a significant role in people's mental health. Often people can feel brave when they hide behind a screen and then regret their actions at a later stage. As Principal my message would always be, ‘Don’t ever put something in print that you wouldn’t say personally to someone’. Relationships should always be respected. I thank you for your support in this space and encourage you to have regular conversations with your children about how to behave responsibly.

Mr Ooi and I plan on visiting our senior students in their classes next week to remind them of the school guidelines when using devices both at home and at school.

Staffing

As a community we congratulate Emma and Ben O’Malley who are expecting a baby in December. Jack is so excited to become a big brother.

I would also like to advise you that Miss Stephanie Laws has resigned from her position as classroom teacher effective the end of this Term for personal reasons. I would like to thank Stephanie for her contributions to St Martin’s in the time she has been with us this year and wish her every success for her future endeavours. For the rest of this year 5L will be taught by Mr Brendan Ooi and Mrs Martine Klaic. Brendan will teach three days and Martine two days.

Mr Steven Villani will teach STEM two days per week next semester. Ms Emma Kent will teach library an extra day next semester.

Prep 2021 Enrolments

Fr Michael and I have loved meeting our new families over the course of the Term as they wait with excitement for their children to begin their journey at St Martins next year. Many have shared their reasons for choosing St Martin’s and they include wanting a faith filled community and its wonderful reputation. I also look forward to meeting with our current families next Term who have children starting prep next year.

The enrolment process has looked very different this year due to the impacts of COVID-19. We had to cancel many of our Open Mornings and our Information Night. With current restrictions, there may be families who are unsure of how to approach a school for tours, applications etc. If you have friends or neighbours that are considering St Martin’s as a school for their child’s education, please encourage them to contact our office. We are taking on-site tours (after school hours), with appropriate social distancing measures in place. We currently have limited spaces available.

Semester Two Calendar of Events

As we continue to get more updates from Catholic Education Melbourne about what school events can take place we will update our school calendar. We thank you for your patience and understanding with this.

We can confirm the following dates:
Thursday 25 June      Reports go home via Compass
Friday 26 June          End of Term 2 - 12:30pm - 1:10pm finish
Monday 13 July         Term 3 commences
Wednesday 22 July    Learning Conversations (4pm - 6pm)
Thursday 23 July       School Closure Day (Review Preparation/Learning Conversations)
                              Learning Conversations (1pm - 8pm)

For your future planning we have changed some of the scheduled school closure days for 2020.
Thursday 23 July         Review Preparation and Learning Conversations
Thursday 15 October    Cancelled (normal school day)
Friday 16 October        Cancelled (normal school day)
Monday 2 November    (day before Cup Day) School Closure -Report Writing Day
Monday 30 November   School Closure -Planning Day for 2021

The October planned school closure days have been cancelled and removed from our school calendar.

Once again thank you for your support as we manage government requirements with COVID-19. The same pick up times will be in place for next week with a small adjustment for Friday. I will keep you advised as to what school life will look like as we head into Term three.

Regards
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Sacraments

Sacraments are suspended at this point in time until further notice from the Archdiocese.

Confirmation - Year 6

After much collaboration with the Parish and keeping within guidelines and directives from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Catholic Education Melbourne and the Government, we have tentatively booked dates in October to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year 6 students. Fr Michael has been granted permission from the Bishop’s Office to preside over these Masses. Please be aware if numbers of people allowed to attend gatherings continues to increase, we may not need as many Masses. More detailed information will be sent home to families in Term 3.

Friday 9th October at 5pm / Saturday 10th October at 11am

Friday 23rd October at 5pm / Saturday 24th October at 11am

Friday 30th October at 5pm / Saturday 31st October at 11am

Friday 6th November at 5pm / Saturday 7th November at 11am

Eucharist - Year 4

The Sacrament of Eucharist for the Year 4 students will be rescheduled for 2021. Next year, we will have 2 year levels celebrating this sacrament. Dates are yet to be determined.

Reconciliation - Year 3

Once again after much collaboration and keeping within the directives and guidelines from the Archdiocese, CEM and the Government, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in November for our Year 3 students with a different format. The liturgies will take place during the school day with Fr Michael visiting each class to celebrate a Liturgy which will include the Gospel Reading and Examination of Conscience. On the same day, students in small groups will enter the Church to individually speak to Fr Michael with their class teacher in attendance. We are exploring ways in which parents can be a part of this. More detailed information will be sent home to families in Term 3. The dates for this sacrament will be:

Monday 16th November 10am - 1pm

Monday 23rd November 10am - 1pm

Monday 30th November 10am - 1pm

Fr Elio Capra will lead a Reconciliation Faith Formation evening for parents on Tuesday 1st of September at 7pm in the GECCO. At the same time, students will work with their classroom teachers on activities based on the sacrament in their classrooms.

Feast of the Most Sacred Heart - 19th June

The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 20th June

Both of these feasts use the heart as a symbol of love.

In the case of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the emphasis is on God’s love and mercy. In fact, that love and mercy is so intense that the symbol of the sacred heart is a human heart encircled with a crown of thorns, crowned with a cross, and radiating flames: this is how much Christ loves us.

Marian devotions flow from Mary’s privileged status not only as the Mother of God but also as the first fruit of the grace poured out by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. She is the model Christian; devotion to her Immaculate Heart not only calls upon her help, but provides a model for what our own hearts should look like.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

Today is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. A time to celebrate the deep and personal love Jesus has for each of us. Each year St Martin’s students support the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal which runs throughout the month of June and July. Last week, I spoke to one of our parishioners who is a member of our local St Vincent de Paul conference and she made mention that this year’s pandemic has had a big impact on families and more are in need of support from the St Vincent de Paul organisation.

St Vincent de Paul are in need of winter clothing which includes scarves, warm jackets, blankets, beanies, jumpers, gloves, socks, slippers and cans of non perishable foods. A tent has been placed outside the school office as a collection point. Please place your generous donations into the tent and the Captains will gather these items each day to pack into boxes for collection.

Thank you to the families who have placed necessary items into the tent. Due to the difficult times we are in, we will continue to support the Winter Appeal through the month of July.

St Martin of Tours Masses

Small religious ceremonies for up to 50 people are now in operation. St Martin’s Parish offer 9.15am Weekday Masses and 10 am Mass on Sundays for worship. Bookings through the Parish Office are essential if you are wanting to attend. Strict hygiene conditions are in place and need to be adhered to when in attendance. Further details are in the Parish News section of this bulletin. The Church remains closed at all other times.

OFFICE HOURS: Mon— Friday 9.00 am — 5.00 pm (closed for lunch 1.00 pm — 2.00 pm )

PLEASE NOTE NEW PARISH NUMBER: 9401 6338 EMAIL ENQUIRIES: macleod@cam.org.au  Parish Website: http://www.smot.org.au/

MASS TIMETABLE AT SMOT

Easing of restrictions by the Victorian Government currently allows Mass for strictly 20 people only. As a result weekday Mass will be held next week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday at 9.15am. Mass will be held on Sunday at 10.00am. Weekend Mass is strictly by booking only. It will be imperative that you adhere to strict hygiene conditions, which are detailed in the Church, sign a register to say you have attended the Mass, follow entry and exit signs, and follow any other instructions as relayed by Fr Michael. We also ask that you only attend if you are well. The Church remains closed at all other times.

BAPTISM TEAM

Volunteers are invited to join the Baptism Team. Those interested to joining us in this important role are requested to contact the Parish Office 9401 6338. Training will be provided.

Message from our Catholic feeder schools