2023 Week 9 Newsletter - Term 4
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WEEKLY FOCUS - Thank you
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From the Principal -Gratitude and blessings
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No Tuckshop This Week
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From Our APRE
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End of Year Mass - Friday 1st December at 9am
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YOUR KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY IS APPRECIATED
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Liturgies and Assemblies
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FROM THE PARISH
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In Our Prayers
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From the APC
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Year 6 Graduation Liturgy and Dinner
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End of Year Mass and arrangements for the final day of school.
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2024 Term Dates
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Year 4 Quoin Island Excursion
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2024 Book Drop Off - Friday 19 January - 12pm to 12:30pm
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New Uniform Changes
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Having conversations with children and young people
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Podsquad App for families
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Lost Property
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Please Update Your Media Details
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Uniform Shop Update
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Student Absentee Line
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St Joseph's Cathedral Appeal
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Caulfield 2023 Sponsors
WEEKLY FOCUS - Thank you
From the Principal -Gratitude and blessings
Dear Families
Our Christmas Concert is one of our very special traditions here at Star of the Sea. It has been sorely tested in recent years, but we came back with a vengeance on Friday night thanks to our generous P&F volunteers who worked hard to ensure its success. The concert had that special feel again and the hard work of the staff and the talent of your children was able to be properly showcased.
Thank you also to everyone who attended for working together to support the procedures we had in place to keep people safe and ensure optimum viewing. As always, we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to shoot me an email if you have any thoughts or suggestions for next year.
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.”
—Mary Davis
It is hard to believe we have reached the end of another year. I am so proud of our school and all that has been achieved this year. I thank each and every one of you for your trust and support. Thank you to the many volunteers who have generously supported the education of our children in so many ways. Thank you also to my hard working P&F and School Board, especially those long serving members who leave us this year.
We give a special thank you to all who leave our school this year and wish you every blessing and happiness. Please know that your contributions in whatever way have been valued and will remain a part of the fabric of all that we hold dear. This year we say farewell to some amazing parents who have generously given so much of their time and talent to Star of the Sea. Please know that your efforts have been greatly appreciated and our school is so much the richer because of your contributions.
I would like to say a special thank you to Lauren Churchill and Denise Conley who have been valued teachers at Star of the Sea this year. Sadly we do not have a classroom contract for them next year but want them to know how truly grateful we are for the love and dedication they have provided to our students this year. You will be greatly missed on staff next year.
A massive thank you to all of our staff here at Star of the Sea who I have the privilege to work with. I see the compassion and effort they put into caring for your children each day and am humbled by their expertise and dedication. I thank them for all they have done for our students this year.
Our 2024 Staff is as follows:
Prep - Fiona Adamson and Leigh Chapman
Year 1 – Cat Melrose/Jenna Gibbs-Jones and Lana Kammholz
Year 2 - Brenda Emerick and Ange Jenner
Year 3 – Genelle Little and Ruth Kelly
Year 4 - Lorrie Columbus and Suzanne Smyth
Year 5 - Melissa McBride and Kaylee Cleary/Prudence Tate
Year 6 - Renee Alletag and Kathryn Murray
PE – Kim Hooley and Vicki Blake
Music / Digital Technologies – Helena Sedgwick
Learning Support – Anthony King, Renae Richards and Louise Sisley
A special thank you to Father Andrew and Father Ashwin for their love and support of our school again this year. They provide a great witness to our students of faith in action and are a source of wisdom and care for us all.
Finally, a special thank you to my wonderful Leadership Team, Kellie and Anthony. As always, their wisdom, compassion and unfailing dedication have been an invaluable support to me this year.
I pray that you will all have the chance for tender time with your loved ones this Christmas. May the beauty and peace of this special season stay with you in all your endeavours.
I look forward to seeing you all at our End of Year Mass on Friday at 9am and our Final Assembly this Friday at 12:30pm.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
God bless you.
Jennett Mullane
Principal
jennett_omullane@rok.catholic.edu.au
No Tuckshop This Week
From Our APRE
2023 has been another amazing year at Star of the Sea. It has been both challenging and rewarding. As we reflect on the year that has been there are so many things to be thankful for. I am forever grateful that I work with an amazing team of people, especially Jennett Mullane and Anthony King.
The reason we turn up each day is because of the beautiful children you entrust us with. They are always at the core of what we do and I am extremely proud of each student at our school.
The concert on Friday night showcased just how amazing everyone is. The whole community comes together on such occasions and it is always enjoyable. Each year I am blown away by the creativity shown at our concert. It is certainly a highlight for the year and I know there is a great deal of hard work that goes into making it a success.
On Friday we farewell our amazing leaders as they move on to the next chapter – we will hold them in our hearts and continue to pray that they always let their lights shine brightly.
Saying good-bye is never easy for me, this year we farewell, not only our Year 6 students, but also some wonderful families who have given so much to our community over the years. A big thank you also goes to Lauren Churchill and Denise Conley – we look forward to seeing them around again in 2024.
Best wishes to everyone moving on from our community – May God’s Blessings be with you as you journey on.
Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas,
Kellie Richardson
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
Kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au
End of Year Mass - Friday 1st December at 9am
Please join us for our Whole School End of Year Mass on Friday 1st December at 9am in the Church. This is a very special event in the life of our school where we thank God for the many blessings of this year as well as farewelling our students, families and staff who are leaving.
At the end of this mass we will also present our 2023 Star of the Sea Awards to a number of very worthy recipients and hand over leadership positions to our 2024 school leaders.
We look forward to having you join us.
YOUR KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY IS APPRECIATED
It never ceases to amaze me about how generous our school community is. Each week our Year Four students give an update on the moneys collected through our classroom mission boxes. This is only part of what our school donates to various worthy causes.
As a school we are committed to supporting various Catholic Charities each year. This doesn’t mean we don’t support other charities as the need arises. In 2023 the support once again has been overwhelming.
Mr Ahern works hard to recycle poppers and other containers that make their way into our recycling bins. A grand total of $787.30 been collected from this venture for 2023.
The second-hand uniform shop is another space that helps us raise funds for the various charities we support. Our income from this for 2023 has been $239.65.
Other days including Pancake Day, Year Six Market Stall, Free Dress Days and Crazy Sock Days we have raised well over $3000 to donate to charity.
Our chosen Charities include St Vincent de Paul, Catholic Mission, Mercy Mission and Marist Works.
Liturgies and Assemblies
WEEK 9
Everyone is invited to attend our End of Year Mass on Friday 1st December in the Star of the Sea Church at 9am.
Please be aware that this time has been changed since the Term Planner was distributed.
FROM THE PARISH
Nativity Play
School-aged children are invited to join rehearsals for the nativity play to be held during Star of the Sea Church’s Christmas Eve 6pm Mass. Rehearsals will be after 8am Masses at Star of the Sea Church on Sundays 3rd, 10th & 17th December. Please email Hayley at adfaithsos@rok.catholic.net.au to register or ask questions.
Advent Reconciliation Liturgy
Families are invited to attend the Second Rite of Reconciliation with liturgy to be held at Star of the Sea Church on Wednesday 20th December at 5.30pm. Repairing our relationship with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a wonderful way to prepare for Christmas. If you have any questions, please call the Star of the Sea Parish Office on 4972 1025.
In Our Prayers
Let us pray...
We pray in thanksgiving for the many blessings we have received this year: May they serve to remind us of God’s constant love and presence in our lives.
We pray for all who leave our Star of the Sea family this year: May they always take Mary for their guide and remember to shine their lights brightly.
We pray for all members of our Star of the Sea community: May they stay safe during this holiday period and enjoy some time for rest and reconnection with loved ones.
We pray for all of us as we approach the Advent Season: May we use this time to transform the secular and bring Christ close to our hearts this Christmas.
We pray for all who long for peace in our world: May world leaders make decisions in wisdom and compassion to bring meaningful change to our war torn neighbours.
From the APC
Last night I attended the Year 6 Graduation. The students looked amazing and all parents were very proud of our children. This is the last graduation I will attend as a parent, and on behalf of all parents who attended last night, I want to thank our Year 6 teachers, Kaylee, Kathryn and Denise together with Kellie Richardson and Fr Andrew who organised a very special liturgy and an awesome after dinner / party.
I may be biased, but I think our school does an excellent job of congratulating our graduating students and also farewelling our families who are leaving us as their youngest child moves on to high school. Below is a list of the families who are leaving and the years they have been with us. As you can see, there are a lot of us. Many of us have been together for a long time. It is a bitter-sweet kind of feeling as we are ready for our youngest to head to secondarly school but we will miss the wonderful community connection we have with so many families.
This year we bid farewell to the:
Fedorowicz Family - 2 years | Ward Family - 5 years |
Dhawan Family - 5 years | Danielsen Family - 6 years |
McGreevy Family - 7 years | Dykstra Family - 7 years |
Reid Family - 7 years | Johnson Family - 7 years |
Soekardjo Family - 7 years | Stoneley Family - 7 years |
Matthews Family - 7 years | Kendrick Family - 8 years |
Sutherland Family - 8 years | Skinner Family - 8 years |
White Family - 9 years | Beahan Family - 9 years |
Medina Family - 9 years | Mia King Family - 10 years |
Asher Family - 10 years | West Family - 11 years |
Ahern Family - 12 years | Abi King Family - 12 years |
Evelyn Hughes Family - 13 years | Walker Family - 15 years |
Alexander Family - 18 years |
Star of the Sea is a very special place. The Christmas concert on Friday night is another example of why this school can make you feel connected. From where I was standing during the finale song, looking at the sea of people, I was reminded again, just how lucky I am to be working in such a great place. The tough times that we go through during the year is all worth it when we get to the end. Our concert reminds us that Christmas is coming and we get to refresh over the holidays ready to start again.
May you all have a wonderful Christmas break filled with laughter and happiness mixed with good times and good food.
See you in 2024!
Have a great week.
Anthony King
Assistant to the Principal - Curriculum
anthony_king@rok.catholic.edu.au
Year 6 Graduation Liturgy and Dinner
End of Year Mass and arrangements for the final day of school.
9am - Whole School End of Year Mass
Our End of Year Mass will take place on Friday 1st December at 9am in the Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
At this mass we will present our Star of the Sea Awards, farewell our departing students and families, hand over leadership roles to our 2024 leaders and thank the Lord for our blessings this year.
12:30pm Final assembly and farewell
We will have a final assembly in the Covered Courts area where we will especially farewell our Year 6 students. Parents may take children home after this. All children left at school will be supervised in the library.
Children will not be permitted to walk or ride home until 2:55pm unless they are accompanied by a supervising adult.
PLEASE NOTE:
There will be NO TUCKSHOP in the last week of school.
2024 Term Dates
Please note that 2024 has an extra week, making it a 40 week school year.
Term 1 | Monday 22 January to Thursday 28 March | 10 weeks |
Term 2 | Monday 15 April to Friday 21 June | 10 weeks |
Term 3 | Monday 8 July to Friday 13 September | 10 weeks |
Term 4 | Monday 30 September to Friday 6 December | 10 weeks |
Year 4 Quoin Island Excursion
Our Year 4 students had a trip to Quoin Island last week to explore ways our local community is seeking to care for our local wildlife and environment, particularly our turtles. It was a wonderful day with many valuable lessons and we are very grateful to the staff who planned the day and the parents who were able to assist us on the day. A special thank to the P&F whose bursary made the day possible.
2024 Book Drop Off - Friday 19 January - 12pm to 12:30pm
As in past years, we will be running a book drop off at the start of next year as part of our student transition program. Parents are welcome to bring their children along to the classroom at 12pm to drop off their school books and say a quick hello to their teacher for next year.
We hope this short visit aids in helping your children feel more comfortable about their return to school the following week.
Please note that Book Drop off will close at 12:30pm sharp.
New Uniform Changes
A reminder about the changes that have been made to our Star of the Sea School Uniform
NEW SPORTS SHIRT
We are pleased to announce a new sports shirt for 2024 that we hope will be ready to purchase early in the new year. Whilst we don’t have an exact copy of the shirt at present, we have an example in the office that will give some idea of the fabric and style. We will let you know when it is available for purchase.
NEW SPORTS / FORMAL SHORTS
Many of you will also have started to purchase the new sports shorts that have started to become available in the Uniform Shop this year. These new shorts have a different fabric and a coloured school logo.
These shorts replace the current sports shorts that have a white logo.
These shorts will also replace our formal navy shorts that the boys currently wear.
Our royal blue skorts will remain for our girls to wear but all girls will also have the option to wear the navy shorts with the coloured school logo if they prefer.
Prep to Year 2 girls only will also have the option to wear the pull up skorts if they prefer – These are not to be worn in Years 3 to 6.
Please note that the current sports shorts with a white logo will not be permitted to be worn with the striped polo.
Please do not feel that you have to rush out and buy these new uniform items. We will have a transition period of two years to allow everyone to use up their current supplies.
Having conversations with children and young people
The National Office for Child Safety has provided a series of resources on how to start sensitive conversations with children and young people as part of its ‘One Talk at a Time’ campaign.
The national initiative is part of the Australian Government’s recently launched child protection and safety campaign and encourages adults in the lives of children to talk with them about feeling safe and where to seek support and help.
The campaign aims to prevent child sexual abuse by encouraging adults to learn about the issue and have preventative conversations with children, young people and other adults.
The initiative is a key measure under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 and fulfils a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Find out how to have these conversations and access resources and guides for parents and carers at www.childsafety.gov.au
Podsquad App for families
Podsquad is a free, play-centric wellbeing program that supports children and families as they build better health and lifestyle habits together. We are happy to promote this app as a useful resource for your family this holidays.
Lost Property
Please make sure you check the lost property that has collected on the table outside the OSHC Room (near the student toilets).
All unclaimed items will be removed in the last week and donated to the school second hand uniform shop or the St Vincent de Paul Shop.
Please Update Your Media Details
Dear Parents
We are asking your assistance in updating media consent for your child/ren. Our system has been updated with more options that give us clarity with the myriad different ways your child's details can possibly be used.
If you completed a paper copy of the enrolment form, you will definitely need to update these media consent details please. Parents who completed an online application are also asked to check their child's current media permissions to ensure it is correct.
This is a very quick task completed through Parent Lounge and below are some instructions to guide you with this task. You will need to complete this task for each child you have at Star of the Sea please.
We appreciate your help in ensuring we have the correct information for your child/ren.
Uniform Shop Update
Student Absentee Line
If your child is not attending school, you can call us, 24/7, to leave a message to report the absence. The phone number is 4994 8301.
This designated phone line gives you the opportunity to call the school at a time that is convenient to you.
As always, absences can be reported using Parent Lounge or by emailing your child’s classroom teacher and SOSG_Absentee@rok.catholic.edu.au).