Week 8

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we gather today - 

The Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

Information in this week's newsletter

  Prayer 

This week we invite you to focus on our Grade 6 students as they continue to prepare for the upcoming Sacrament of Confirmation on the 22nd June. 


Let us pray:

Almighty God, open the hearts and minds of our students as they prepare to receive Confirmation. Help them to know that you are confirming all the goodness that they are, and all the goodness that they will become. Increase their desire to know and follow Jesus with a grateful and courageous heart. Bless them with the all gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 


We also pray for our Grade 6 teachers who have prepared them for their upcoming Sacrament.  

News from our Principal

Dear Families, 

I hope this newsletter finds you all well as we near the end of Term 2. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the successes we have achieved together and provide you with some important updates.

Firstly, I am delighted to announce that Term 2 has been a resounding success. Our students have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their learning and their progress and achievements have been truly commendable. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated teachers, support staff, and parents for their unwavering support and commitment to our children.

I am pleased to inform you that Oshclub will be running an Out of Hours program next Tuesday and Wednesday from 12:00pm onwards, right after students are dismissed. This program will provide a safe and engaging environment for our students, and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity if you so need. I would also like to inform families whose children usually attend Kelly Sports that after school on Wednesday their session will now be held from 12:00pm onwards. Kelly Sports will communicate this change directly with the families involved.

Please note that student reports will now be available to parents via the Nforma portal tomorrow, Friday 16th June. An email will be sent out today with further instructions on how to access your child's report. If you have any difficulties accessing the portal, please reach out for assistance.

A quick reminder about our upcoming Learning Conversations being held next week. Options for face to face meetings or Google Meet sessions were made available, and I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to discuss your child's progress. Please remember to schedule your conference to ensure a meaningful discussion about your child's academic journey.

For our end of term charity drive, we have chosen to collect gold coin donations for the ''Asylum Seeker Resource Centre'. Your generosity will make a significant impact on those in need, so please consider making a contribution. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a difference. Donations can be either coin or via our CDFPay app under school events. More information on the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre can be found via the following link; https://asrc.org.au/

I would like to take a moment to wish our boys' football team the best of luck as they compete in their Grand Final this Friday. Their hard work and dedication have brought them this far, and we are all cheering for their success!

Next week, we will be bidding farewell to Natasha Stefkova, who has been an invaluable member of our staff. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Natasha for her dedication and contributions to our school community. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours. With this we welcome Rita Mancini, who will begin teaching 3 White in Term 3. 

We had the pleasure of welcoming Bishop Terry Curtin, who graciously addressed our students on the significance of the Sacrament of Confirmation. During his visit, he spoke about the gifts and fruits bestowed by the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. Bishop Curtin emphasised the sacrament's role as an initiation, marking a significant step in our spiritual journey. His insightful discussion left a lasting impression on our students, inspiring them to embrace their faith with renewed enthusiasm. Let's keep our Year 6 students in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their confirmation next Thursday night. This is an important milestone in their spiritual journey, and your support will mean a great deal to them.

I am pleased to announce that our MORE Learning program will commence in Week 2 of the next term for our 2024 Prep enrolments. We are excited to welcome new members to our community and look forward to meeting with them and their families.

Next week,  staff here at STM will have the opportunity to vote for the new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA). Whilst the agreement has not yet been formally implemented, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), have advised schools to apply the changes to ensure we are compliant with the new workplace agreement from the beginning of the year. Additionally these changes ensure that STM is in alignment for the 2024 school year. 

The proposed EBA for 2022 aims to address a range of important matters, including salary increases, workload considerations, professional development opportunities, and employment conditions. The negotiations have been conducted with the best interests of our staff and students in mind, and we believe that the proposed agreement will help foster a positive and supportive working environment for our dedicated teachers and support staff.

While I understand that you may have questions or seek further details about the proposed EBA, noting that we have not planned a specific session for parents at this time, I am more than willing to answer questions you may have. In an ideal world we would have been able to conduct a more consultative process however with the decisions that have had to be made to fulfil our obligations and government requirements, we do not have many options on how we structure our day in the immediate future. Luckily we have been able to maintain, to the most part, our current day to day work. 

Should you wish to learn more about the details of the EBA, we recommend visiting the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) website, where you can find comprehensive information about the bargaining process, key provisions, and updates related to the agreement. 

Finally, as Winter settles upon us, it is essential to ensure that your children's medication and plans are up to date. Please take a moment to review their requirements and make any necessary arrangements to keep them safe and healthy during this season.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. It is through our collective efforts that we create a nurturing and inspiring learning environment for our students. Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable break during the upcoming holidays.

Warm regards,

David Hurn 

Principal 








Important dates - Events for Term 2

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

**'Public Events' are listed on our website under 'News and Events', the link being; https://www.stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au/news-events

On the bottom right hand side there is a blue box with a + symbol. If you have a google account, you can link the 'Public Events' calendar to your own personal Google calendar and keep up to date with the most current events and times.

Please don't hesitate to contact the office if you have any questions.

A gentle reminder to visit; www.schoolinterviews.com.au  and use Event Code: sp9t3 to book in for your child's Learning Conversations

Learning and Teaching 

Learning Showcase - Term 2

Thank you for your participation and enthusiasm in joining us in our Learning Showcases this term. We have one showcase this Friday in the Year 3 classrooms.

Year 3-  Friday 16th June - 9:15-9:45am

NAIDOC Week - 2nd - 9th July
The theme for NAIDOC WEEK this year is 'For Our Elders'.  As a school community, we will acknowledge NAIDOC Week in the first week of Term 3. It is a time to broaden our learning about and celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Students will have a different focus and have opportunities to explore this knowledge through a variety of mediums  for example through art, literature, music or writing. We will share these learning experiences through the subsequent newsletter. 

Projects - Student Initiated Inquiries

"The only true learning comes through the experience of living.” – John Dewey

Next semester, we will introduce student initiated inquiries in Year 5 and 6 which will we will refer to as Projects. The purpose of embedding Projects as a
process for student initiated inquiry is to develop learning capabilities, unleash curiosity and creativity and deepen student thinking about their world.  Projects follow a process in order to stretch and extend personal learning, and makes direct links to the Victorian Curriculum in many different areas. 

We know that personalising learning for students by giving them choice is a powerful motivator. When students are given the opportunity to learn something that has real meaning for them, they will be engaged in an authentic manner. Students will be able to explore their interests and investigate their questions about their world, using a highly structured and intentional approach. (Caswell & LaBrie, 2017) 

This authentic opportunity provides a vehicle for students to learn about themselves, others and the world around them through social interactions, as they build understandings related to concepts and develop inquiry skills and learning dispositions in communication, creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. We believe that learning through student initiated inquiries is engaging, rigorous and allows each individual to have a voice, agency for their own learning and an opportunity to challenge their development of skills, and the learner attributes of creativity, collaboration, resilience, self- direction, reflection and courage. 

We look forward to sharing this learning journey with you, as it unfolds and develops in the senior learning area. 

Learning and Teaching Leader          

Rita Totino           

Family Engagement

If you are interested in becoming a Parent Rep for your child's class, joining the STMPA, or volunteering for fundraisers and events throughout the year, please fill out your details in this document.  We would love to welcome you!

Regards,
Kate Mackintosh

Community News and Announcements

THE STM CONCERT IS BACK!

We are excited to announce that the STM concert is back in 2023! 

It's been a long time since our last concert and we cannot express how thrilled we are to finally be able to bring back this wonderful event. The staff and students have commenced their dance lessons and rehearsals are in full swing. 

Please continue to read our newsletters and look out for important information and updates on our social platforms. 

Tickets will go on sale in TERM 3. Important information about this will be released early i

We cannot wait to present to you 'The Amazing Race.' 

STM Term 3 2023.pdf

Awards

Rafael - for persisting and never giving up during Writing sessions. I love the way you smile with pride when you read me your work! Keep up the positive attitude! 

Miraya - for showing wonderful improvements in Writing and working with sustained focus! Well done using finger spaces between words. You're a superstar! 

Tahlia - for making more independant attempts in her writing! Continue this amazing effort! 

Wilfred - for his amazing, independant efforts in writing! Great work for writing in full sentences with detail! 

Domenic - for acting on teacher feedback to add more detail to his writing and always approaching all tasks with a positive attitude. Fantastic effort.

Emilia - for transitioning back into school with ease after her holiday and showing Respect and Responsibility in the classroom at all times.

Monique - for continuing to be a caring and compassionate member of 1B and using her initiative to help others in need. 

Max - for showing dedication towards his learning and consistently using his initiative to help his peers and teachers. Keep up the great work Max! 

Zoe - for demonstrating incredible resilience, giving things a go even though they seem hard and your positive attitude. Amazing! 

William - for your knowledge of history and your participation in discussions during our inquiry unit. Your enthusiasm is infectious and sparks joy in others - keep it up! 

Lola - for showing great progress in having a growth mindset this term! You have tried your best to always have a go in a task before seeking help if needed. You should be very proud of yourself! 

Massimo - for your amazing persistence and resilience this semester! You have begun to challenge yourself more and have worked hard on all your goals. You should be proud of yourself! 


Olivia - for working with enthusiasm in Maths lessons to share strategies for addition and subtraction.

Massimo - for choosing interesting verbs and adverbs in his writing to create a clear image for the reader.

Charlie - For always being respectful and demonstrating kindness to his teacher and classmates.

Aidan - for his ethusiasm and interesting inputs during class discussions for our inquiry unit 'Now and Then'

Sophia - for writing a descriptive sentence for her snapshot piece that included interesting adjectives and adverbs.

Esteban - for always working with determination to do his best and approaching learning with a positive attitude. Keep up the great work Esteban! 


William - solving addition and subtraction problems with open mindedness to use different strategies. 

Mirabelle - for showing persistence and a growth mindset during maths.

Chanel - for persevering with her learning whilst in her cast and sling. You are so brave!! 

Isaac - persevering with his maths and writing, you are using new strategies enthusiastically!! 

Aimelie - for being a conscientious learner and working on all tasks with strong focus and growth mindset. 

Evalina - for solving five and six digit addition sums, using the split, jump and algorithm strategy with accuracy and efficiency.


Jack - This award is proudly presented to Jack for a big improvement in reading and making connections to texts he has read.

Alexander -  This award is proudly presented to Alexander for a big improvement in his reading and making connections to texts and the world.

Aras - This award is proudly presented to Aras for approaching his reading comprehension and response tasks with a growth mindset. Well done Aras. 

Kaydin - This award is proudly presented to Kaydin for taking on learning tasks with purpose and persistence. Thank you for consistently being ready to learn. 

Sienna - for her dedication to trying her best in class and showing a growth mindset when working through Maths tasks. Keep up the great work Sienna! 

Ivonne - for showing care by offering to help others in the classroom and taking responsibility for her learning by persisting when faced with a challenge. Well done Ivonne! 

Jacinta - for showing a growth mindset in her learning and persisting to master new concepts taught throughout the Maths addition unit. 

Joseph - for his prepositional poem titled "The Rainforest' which uses descriptive adjectives along with a range of prepositions to paint a vivid picture of this setting.

Ajay B - for reamining focused in class and applying himself to all learning tasks. Well done Ajay! 

Ryan - for using creative adjectives and powerful prepositions when writing his prepositional poem titled 'The Footy Game.' 

Jack - For his creative prepositional poem about the sport of Darts. We loved your choice of vocabulary. 

Diego - for using creative adjectives and powerful prepositions when writing his prepositional poem.

Raphael - For his creative ideas and sophisticated vocabulary when writing prepositional poems.


Suzanna - For consistently displaying a positive attitude and giving 100% effort all of the time. Well done, Suzanna!

Lachlan -  For showing excellent sportsmanship during Interschool Sport by demonstrating fairness and great leadsership qualities. 

Daniel - His perseverance in Drama, being able to make connections to the outside world and personal experiences to reflect on and explain the inspirations relevant to the theme for his groups ritual performance. Well done! 

Cristian - For codependently creating a very interesting preopositional story using lots of descriptive words and putting in 100% during class time. Amazing effort! 

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