Monday 27th January - Australia Day Public Holiday

Tuesday 28th January - Staff Planning Day

Wednesday 29th January - Staff Planning Day

Thursday 30th January - Student testing by appointment only - link for bookings to be emailed soon

Friday 31st January - Student testing by appointment only - link for bookings to be emailed soon

Monday 03rd February - First day back at school for all students

Wednesday 05th February - Preps have Wednesdays off in the month of February

Dear Families,

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed a restful break and is ready for an exciting term ahead. We have a packed schedule with plenty of activities planned, and I look forward to seeing the enthusiasm continue as we dive into the term’s events.

Last Friday, October 11, our Year 4 students celebrated their First Eucharist. The Mass was a beautiful occasion, well attended by families and friends. All the students looked wonderful in their outfits, and it was heartwarming to see them receive communion. Congratulations to all the children on this significant milestone. A special thank you to their teachers, Lucinda Tamburrino and Rebecca Russo for preparing them for the evening, and to Clara Privtera for her organisation of the formation and the Mass itself.

Curriculum Overviews have been emailed to families this week. These documents contain important information to guide your child’s learning journey for the term. Please take the time to review them and keep them handy for reference.

Just a reminder that the school gates will be open from 8:30am each morning for the start of the school day. Students should not be arriving before this time, as they will be unsupervised. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety of all our students.

2025 Classes
As we look ahead to the end of the year, it's time to begin the process of forming class lists for 2025. At STM, we approach this task with a great deal of thought and care. Our top priority is ensuring that every student’s educational and emotional wellbeing is considered. We recognise that class placement is important to families and students alike, and we undertake this responsibility with a commitment to creating the best learning environments for all.

Our staff work collaboratively to build balanced class groups, taking into account:

• Academic needs: We strive to create classes that provide a balance of abilities, ensuring each student can learn effectively while receiving the appropriate level of support and challenge.

• Social dynamics: The social interactions and friendships between students are thoughtfully considered, aiming to foster positive relationships and a strong sense of community in every classroom.

• Teacher expertise: We look at the unique strengths of our teachers to match them with students whose learning styles will benefit most from their approach and expertise.

If you have a specific request regarding your child’s placement, I invite you to contact me directly at dhurn@stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au. While we consider every request carefully, it’s important to understand that we may not be able to meet every individual request due to the complexities of creating well-balanced classes. However, rest assured, our goal is always to support the growth and development of each student in the most inclusive and supportive way possible.

Additionally, if your child will not be returning to STM in 2025, please let me know as soon as possible so we can plan ahead for next year.

Assembly
Moving forward, our Friday Assemblies will take place in the Quadrangle, provided the weather is suitable. This will allow us to gather in a more open and spacious environment - and in person. If the weather is unfavorable, we will return to a Google Meet.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you at our assemblies in the Quadrangle when possible!
School Colour Run - Thursday 21st November
We’re also excited to share some exciting news—we are holding a School Colour Run on the Green again this year! We’re aiming to raise $25,000 for new school resources, and with your help, we can achieve this. Last year, we managed to raise a fantastic $33,000, and we’re hoping to build on that success this year. Here’s how you can get involved:

• Create an online profile

• Share your unique link with family and friends

What is the School Colour Run?

It’s an online fundraising program where students create their own profile, set target prizes, and work towards reaching their goals. Each profile comes with a unique, cyber-safe link that can be shared with family and friends, encouraging them to contribute towards the student’s goal.

What do you need to do?

This week, please set up your child’s profile at funrun.com.au. The class with the most profiles created by October 21st will win icy poles for the whole class!

Your child will bring home a School Fun Run pamphlet today, which includes all the instructions and prize details.

We would love everyone to participate in this inclusive event! If you'd like to come down and watch the students run, we would love to see you there!

Stay tuned for more details, and keep an eye out for the Operoo permission form coming soon.

Building Works

As part of the ongoing upgrades to our school facilities, we will soon need to relocate certain classrooms within the main building to accommodate the renovation work on the western side.

Relocation Details

To ensure that learning continues with minimal disruption, the following changes will take place:

1. Western Classrooms: All classes currently located on the western side of the main building will be temporarily moved.

2. New Location: These classes will be relocated to the eastern side of the building. Please refer to the map provided below for the specific locations of each class:

Next Steps

• The relocation will take place beginning Monday October 21. 

• Teachers and staff will work closely with students to ensure a smooth transition to their new classroom spaces.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this period of improvement. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the office.

Thank you for your support as we continue to enhance our school environment for the benefit of all students.

Hoop Time

Finally, congratulations to the Year 6 Hoop Time basketball teams competing today! Best of luck—I hope you have a fantastic day and lots of wins on the court.

Looking forward to a wonderful term ahead!

David Hurn

Principal 

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back to Term 4. The curriculum overviews for this term are linked below.

• Prep

• One

• Two

• Three

• Four

• Five

• Six

Kind Regards,

Sonia Mazzei
Acting Learning and Teaching Leader                     

SEASONS Term 4- Grief and Loss Program- Final reminder! 

In Term 4 we are very pleased to be commencing the SEASONS program. This is our last reminder to please reach out if you would like your child to participate in the program. Seasons is a grief and loss program for children who experience change in their lives due to the separation and divorce of parents or serious illness or death of a loved one. Seasons is a peer support program that provides an opportunity for young people to express, acknowledge, normalise and integrate their grief. A teacher is trained to guide the process. SEASONS is based on the seasons of the year as an image of the movement through grief to new life’. If you are interested in your child/ children participating in the program or would like more information please contact Mel Langtry (mlangtry@stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au or Bec Russo (rrusso@stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au) The program will by run by Mel and Bec for 45 minutes on a Friday during school time for 8 sessions.

Melanie Langtry
Acting Deputy Principal
Student Wellbeing Leader

We are thrilled to kick off an exciting term ahead in our English curriculum! Students will immerse themselves in creative writing, exploring diverse genres. They’ll channel their inner storytellers as they write narratives and diary entries from the perspective of convicts from the First Fleet. We’ll also delve into poetry, historical fiction, and procedural writing, encouraging our young writers to express their creativity and enhance their skills. We can’t wait to see the incredible stories and insights they’ll share!

Author's Corner

This week we share persuasive pieces written by our talented Year 4 students.

Salve!

Bentornati to term 3! We sincerely hope you have had the opportunity to listen to your children share their italiano  at home with you. They continue to blow us away with how much they have acquired in just the first year. This first unit for the term, the years Prep-2 studenti will be learning to answer Ti piace..? (Do you like?) and Cosa ti piace mangiare…? (What do you like to eat?). While the Years 3-6 studenti are learning new language to be able to answer Cosa fai a casa? (What do you do at home?).

Please see the below for the language focus for the next 2 weeks:

Grazie e arrivederci!

TCL team

Adriana Bonacci and Maria Vainieri

Get ready to put on your running shoes, don your most colorful attire, and join us for an exhilarating and vibrant event that promises fun, fitness, and a kaleidoscope of colours – the School Fun Run’s Crazy Colour Day!

Mark your calendars because on Thursday 21st November, our school grounds will be transformed into a canvas of colours. The event aims to promote health, wellness, and community spirit while having an absolute blast!

On Monday we launched our School Fun Run and your child should have brought home information on how to sign up and create a profile! Please do this ASAP, the class with the most profiles by Monday 21st October will receive a Zooper Dooper!

This will be our major fundraiser for the year, and we’re raising funds for New School Resources! Sign up at funrun.com.au today to get involved!

Get ready to make memories with your kids, while they run, laugh, and get covered in a spectrum of colours!

Check out our online safety hub here for parent advice, online safety tech info and app reviews. 

Create your parent account here.

Following our recent communication regarding Student Digital Wellbeing, we're excited to share that the Qustodio Parent app is now available! We're thrilled to invite you to join us in promoting healthy digital habits and ensuring a secure and safe online environment for your child.

By creating your parent account and linking it to your child, you'll be able to join us in fostering positive student online behaviours. These tools offer insights and visibility, empowering you to better understand your child's interactions with their school device and other personal devices you wish to protect as part of this offering.

Please refer to the email that was sent by Kate Mackintosh for more information.