Dear Parents and Guardians,
Last week Fr Michael and I completed our Prep 2022 interviews for our new families.  It has been lovely listening to why they have chosen St Martin’s for their children.  Many of the families comment on the wonderful job our Year 6 students do when they take them on a tour of the school.  Thank you to our students for being strong ambassadors of St Martin’s.  

Thank you to the PFA for organising the Mother’s Night out on Friday night. It is great to have the opportunity to get together.  

Our sacramental program gets busy later this month with our Eucharist Parent Information night, commitment masses and Confirmation ceremonies.  Marita Anderson will communicate with families in relation to these events and our COVID safe plans.

It was great to hear the SMOT Band up and running again last week.  Thank you to Maddison Carter for taking on this role.

Banyule council is offering grants and we would love the support of parents in this process.  If you are interested please contact us.

Please take some time to read the parish news as there are some important events coming up and it would be great if our school families could offer support.

Some important dates for your diary for the rest of this term:

★ 25 May Eucharist Parent Information Night (Year 4)

★ 28 May Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 

★ 21 June Basket Supper Dance (Year 3 and 4)

★ 23 June Semester 1 reports available to parents via Compass

★ 25 June Last day of Term 2 students finish at 1pm.

Monday 12 July (first day of Term 3) will be a school closure day.

Have a great week.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

On Tuesday 4th May 2021, the Year 1 Students had a visit from Wildlife Incursions to meet many marine life animals.
We got to look at and touch many different creatures from sponges to sea cucumbers!
This helps our inquiry topic to understand what these marine animals look like, what they eat, how they move and what they do to survive.
We had so much fun!

As part of Year 5 Inquiry, students have been learning about ways that we can reduce waste in our school. The students have joined together to form Student Action Teams and have collected data on waste management in our school.

On analysis of these results the students have found that we need to make many changes in the ways that we manage our waste at St Martin's. As Sustainability Leaders of the school, the students have come up with many actions that we can take as a community to reduce our waste.

One action is to participate in the Wonder Recycling Challenge. We are encouraging the St Martin’s community to recycle used bread and wrap bags and tags. We’ll earn reward points to redeem new sports equipment for every 5kg bin filled! Please drop your bags and tags in the pink bins in the designated areas. (Junior corridor, office, mercy building shared areas and year 3 area). 

The library team wants to celebrate all the fabulous readers and book lovers at SMOT! Be part of our new library display by sending in a picture of your son, daughter or family reading at home. We would love to see the favourite places they love to read and who they love to read with; pets, toys, friends, family members!

Please email your photos to: ekent@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au 

We look forward to having our display filled with #SMOTBOOKLOVERS!

Huge thank you to everyone who has ordered from Issue 3 of Book Scholastic Book Club. The huge number of books that have been ordered show the love of reading in our SMOT community! 

Orders closed on Monday 10th May and will be delivered directly to school in the next few weeks. 

If you missed the cut off date and still wish to place an order you can do so by heading to scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. You will however need to pay a small delivery fee and your order will be sent to your home. 

Happy reading!

Emma Kent and Chloe Jones 

Band is back! Week 4 marked the return to rehearsals on Tuesday mornings for the Concert Band, and we look forward to the Training Band starting up soon on Thursday mornings. 

We had a positive first rehearsing, including the big move of all the band equipment to the GECCO, the new home for rehearsals. 

Week 3 also welcomed new changes to the teaching staff within the concert band program with Flora Carbo as our new woodwind teacher (flute, clarinet, & saxophone), and Scott van Gemert as our new brass teacher (trumpet, trombone, & euphonium). I (Maddison Carter) have also taken on the role as Band Coordinator, after having taught percussion (snare drum, glockenspiel, and lots of things you hit!) at SMOT for a number of years. 

If there is anyone from Years 3-6 interested in joining the program, please get in touch with me via the band@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au, and I’ll be happy to help discuss any questions you might have. 

We will be holding an information session in a number of weeks with further details about joining the program. I would strongly encourage everyone interested in the music program to come along to this so that we can demonstrate what the band program is planning for the rest of the year, and what's involved with being in the band program. It’s a very different experience to simply having instrumental lessons, and one that is very rich with experiences!

Maddison Carter
St Martin of Tours Band Program

Mother’s Day Stall and Raffle
It was wonderful to be able to have our Mother’s Day stall last week after missing out last year. The children were extremely excited and it felt a bit like the Boxing Day sales hearing them eagerly waiting to get inside the GECCO. It’s always a fun experience watching and helping the children shop for their loved ones. 

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up and serve at the stall to make it a special day - Debbie. DP, Cecilia. B, Sarah. N, Angela, Kim. Y, Kathryn. H, Sheridan. C, Lisa. J, Bianca. S, Sharon. K, Ann. W, Laura. P, Clare. J, Sally. S, Fiona. Z, Jessica. L, Sally. M, Maree. J, Brigid. C, Jade. M, Maria. F, Luisa. G, Kelly, Gabby. L, Amy. C, Catherine. F, Rebecca. J, Megan. S, Belinda. M, Kate. K and Michelle. DP. Just a reminder that parents wishing to volunteer must have a current valid WWCC. You can apply for one at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au                                                                                                                 

Thanks to your support, we raised $1,795.64 from our Mother’s Day Stall and $1061 from our Mother’s Day Raffle. Congratulations to the following winners of the Mother’s Day Raffle:

1st Prize - Mimma. M
2nd Prize - Kate. dB
3rd Prize - Kate. K
4th Prize - Sienna. Z
5th Prize - Briana. M
6th Prize - Alessio. C
7th Prize - Lisa. J
8th Prize - Michelle. DP
9th Prize - Cecilia. B
10th Prize - Jessica. O
11th Prize - Jacinta. R

SMOT Beanies
The SMOT beanies are now available for sale online. To purchase a beanie, please complete the order form on the PFA website http://smotpfa.weebly.com. Orders will be filled on a weekly basis and beanies will be sent home with the eldest child. Orders close Monday 31st May.

SMOT Business Directory
Over the past few months we have welcomed the following businesses to our SMOT Business Directory:
Just Business Brokers.com  
PopSee
Space ILD
Deck It Out Decks & Pergolas Pty Ltd
Mystical Faces Entertainment

To find out more about these businesses and how they may be able to assist you, visit http://smotpfa.weebly.com/business-directory.html.

Upcoming Calendar Dates 
Wednesday 9th June - Sausage Sizzle Day
Tuesday 13th July - PFA Committee Meeting
Saturday 31st July - Bunnings Northland Sausage Sizzle Day
We invite you to keep an eye on our FaceBook page @SMOTPFA and website http://smotpfa.weebly.com to stay updated on current and future events.

WEEK 3

PGR
Lucia for making really good choices about how to work with her learning partners and for being so super by putting her hand up to share her ideas. What a superstar!

PPJ
Evie for always listening to the speaker and following school rules. Awesome Evie!

PVL
Imogen for being a kind and caring girl in the classroom. Well done!!
Oliver for learning all his alphabet letters and sounds over the school holidays. Well done!!

1CF
Alessia for working really hard on sounding out challenging words in reading. You put so much effort in. Well done.

1CM
Sophie for always being an active listener and showing full body listening to the speaker. She is a great role model for her peers. Keep up the great work Sophie!

1LB
Alaska for showing persistence and determination when working on developing her reading skills. It has been wonderful to see her grow in confidence in this area, particularly when reading challenging words. Keep up the amazing work Alaska!

2JS
Zoe S for being an enthusiastic member of class and for speaking politely to others. Well Done Zoe!

2LB
Allegra for always having such a positive attitude to her learning and for being a kind friend to her peers.

2MT
Max for always displaying reverence during classroom Christian Meditation and prayer and for his enthusiasm in all subject areas this term, what an amazing effort Max!

3KJ
Zara for confidently using the Split strategy when working out addition number sentences.

3LA
Evelyn for writing a creative and emotional piece of writing for ANZAC day called ‘The Poppy’. Well done Evelyn!

3MT
Scarlett for her clear and neat setting out when using the split strategy for her addition number sentences.

4CM
Archie for being extremely helpful and showing compassion to his peers by assisting them. Well done Archie!

4TD
Chloe for always doing her best in all areas of the curriculum especially in Mathematics and being a caring classmate. Well Done Chloe!

5SM
To John for being a great contributer in class discussions, especially when reading our class novel. The class loves hearing what you have to say!

5VC
Luca for showing persistence during challenging maths tasks and his explicit explanations of how he solved these problems.

6AM
Congratulations to Tarah C for her appointment to the new Students Taking Action Research Team (START). She brings a strong work ethic, keen sense of justice and amazing creativity.

6ZW
To Noah G for his determination in the classroom attempting all tasks to the best of his ability and always using his feedback to improve his work.

WEEK 4

PGR
Tommy for being so enthusiastic in his learning and actively sharing his thoughts and ideas during class discussions. Too cool for school!

PPJ
Ayesha for putting lots of effort into her pictures and completing work of a good standard. 

PVL
Freddie for being a kind and friendly boy in Prep VL. Such a pleasure to teach!!   

Michael for doing a good job following school rules, both in the classroom and on the yard. Well done!!

1CF
Jackson for communicating your feelings and using great strategies to feel calm and happy. This has really helped you do some fantastic work. You're a star!

1CM
Gianluca for showing lots of confidence and courage when sharing his 'Marine Life Show and Tell' with 1CM. He shared with us some very informative information about protecting the turtles with a clear voice. Well done Gianluca!

1LB
Liana for working hard to improve her active listening skills by regularly contributing to discussion and showing respect to her peers when they are sharing their ideas. Amazing effort Liana!

2JS
Zara P for consistently listening to teacher instructions and for always speaking politely and showing kindness to others. Well Done Zara!

2LB
Leo for being such a hard working and focused learner in the classroom and for always trying his best in learning tasks. 

2MT
Juliet for her wonderful effort writing sizzling starts and for being such a responsible and focused learner. Well Done Juliet.

3KJ
3KJ for working so hard and showing persistence and courage during NAPLAN week!

3LA
3LA for completing their first ever week of NAPLAN! You have all showed resilience, focus and determination. Well done everyone!

3MT
3MT for their focus, persistence and hard work during NAPLAN week. You are all super stars!

4CM
Lia for her determination to try her best in all areas of learning. She also demonstrates her caring nature by helping those around her. Well done Lia!

4TD
Lucas L for always trying his best in all areas of the curriculum. Congratulations Lucas on your great attitude towards your learning.

5SM
To all of 5SM for showing such great persistence and determination during NAPLAN week. You all tried your very best and that is something you should be so proud of. 

5VC
For all of 5VC for demonstrating growth mindsets and positive attitudes during the NAPLAN testing this week. We are very proud of you and the persistence you demonstrated.

6AM
Well done to Luke M for his commitment to maintaining his organisational skills and for his dedication to all of his work. You are a great role model for us all Luke.

6ZW
To Marcus S for his dedication to improving his literacy skills. His consistent reading and use of powerful words with his 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 2

May
★ 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

★ 9th PFA Sausage Sizzle Day

★ 11th Sacred Heart Mass 9.15am

★ 14th Queens Birthday Public Holiday

★ 19th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 20th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

★ 21st Basket Supper Dance Year 3 & 4 (6.30pm)

★ 25th Term 2 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 3

July
★ 12th Term 3 Commences

★ 12th School Closure Day

★ 13th PFA Committee Meeting

★ 19th-23rd Year 6 Fundraising Week 

★ 24th Eucharist Preparation Mass 5.30pm

★ 25th Eucharist Preparation Mass 10am

★ 31st PFA Bunnings Northland Sausage Sizzle Day

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

★ 2nd Father's Day Stall Set Up

★ 3rd Father's Day Stall

★ 4th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 5th Father's Day

★ 5th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 10am

★ 15th PFA School Disco

★ 17th Term 3 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 4

October
★ 4th Term 4 Commences

★ 5th PFA Committee Meeting

★ 12th -13th Year 4 Camp 

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

★ 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

★ 3rd 2022 Prep Transition (1/3)

★ 9th 2022 Prep Transition (2/3)

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

★ 12th 2022 Prep Welcome Dinner (TBC)

★ 18th 2022 Prep Transition (3/3)

★ 20th Year 1 Family Mass 5.30pm

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)

SR MARIA’S 25TH  ANNIVERSARY of her religious profession will be celebrated by our parish on the 6th June at the 10am Mass. If you are unable to come, perhaps in the next few weeks you may want to communicate your thoughts/feelings to Sr Maria. Refreshments will be provided. You are also welcome to bring a plate to share eg a cake or sandwiches.

THANK YOU SMOT PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS  Thank you to the Year 4, 5 and 6 students and their teachers for the beautiful artwork in making  up the Mothers’ Day cards last weekend. Our Mothers were excited to receive the cards and very impressed by the creative minds of our primary school students. 

LEGION OF MARY During May, the Legion of Mary Invites all in our community to join in praying the Rosary after every Friday morning Mass (9:15am) to honour Our Blessed Mother. May her intercession grant us peace, compassion and presence of mind to be like Christ her Son, in our own way.  Please contact Philomena Lewis on 0403910446 for further queries.

DEANERY LUNCHES - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! Priest Deanery lunches have resumed again in 2021 after a long hiatus.  During a full calendar year, Macleod Parish hosts this lunch in the presbytery approximately 3 times. Pre Covid the food provided at the lunch consisted of parishioners and school parents cooking a variety of meals that were able to be re-heated for our lunch guests. Our first lunch is on 3rd June and we are hoping the tradition of having delicious home cooked meals provided will continue. Are you able to assist in providing a meal? Are you able to assist in setting up/serving/cleaning up after the lunch? Please contact the parish office on 9401 6338 if you are able to help out. Thank you to those that have volunteered to date.

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.00pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

We keep the Westcott family in our prayers, Sonia's mum passed away last week.

Congratulations to the Bicchi family as they welcome baby sister Adele to the family.

Dear Parents and Guardians
What a beautiful day we had today with the sun shining brightly.  

We welcomed Bishop Terry Curtin today as he spent time with our Year 6 students in preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation on Friday 28 May.  We have the Confirmation Preparation Masses this weekend where our students will reflect on the significance of this sacrament as they continue on their faith journey.

  

AEDC
Between May and July this year, our school will be taking part in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).  Data is collected on students in their first year at school and is a nationwide census/survey of early childhood development and is held once every three years.  
Prep families have been sent a letter via Compass outlining the process, which will commence at St Martin’s on 13 May.  

NAPLAN
NAPLAN ( National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy) testing is due to begin in Week 4 from Tuesday 11th May to Thursday 13th May. The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how students are performing in Numeracy and Literacy at the time of the test. NAPLAN is just one measure of your child’s learning. The school’s assessment and reporting process will continue to support and monitor the learning of each student across the school. Information about the dates and times for each of the NAPLAN assessments will be sent home on Monday 3rd May. 

Prep Enrolments
Our enrolment process is moving along well.  We have our last Open Morning for the year on Monday 3 May and I know our Year 6 students are very excited to share all about our school.  Fr Michael and I will begin interviews next week with our newly enrolled families.  I also look forward to connecting in with our current families soon who have a child starting prep next year.

Parent Helpers
We are very happy to let you know that we are beginning the process for parent helpers in the classroom. If you have already completed the parent helpers program and would like to support please contact Dinesha Rajasingam. For more information please click here. 

School counsellor
Jamie Atherton our Student Wellbeing Leader has outlined the process for families who would like to access this service in his Student Wellbeing news item. 

Seasons for Growth 
An alert has been sent via Compass today highlighting the re-introduction of the Seasons for Growth program here at St Martin’s. I encourage everyone to read the information forwarded by our Student Wellbeing Leader, Jamie Atherton, and to make contact with him if you think your child would benefit from being a part of the program.

Thank you to the PFA for all the time taken to prepare for the Mother's Day Stall on Friday 7 May. To read more information regarding PFA events, please click here. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend as we think of fun and exciting ways to let our mums know how much we love them as we approach Mother's Day on Sunday 9 May.  

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

This year in place of the Premiers Reading Challenge we are encouraging families to be part of National Family Reading Month by participating in the 31 Day Reading Challenge this May.

2021 marks the 25th year of National Family Reading Month which celebrates and encourages families to read more together.

Most of us know how important reading together is and its long-term value to our children’s success in school and in life. However, we also know it is not always that easy to put into practice with our busy schedules and increasing competition with screen time.

That is why we ask families to take the 31 Day Family Reading Challenge–to inspire you to make reading together for at least 10 minutes every day a focus, to create positive, long lasting reading habits and lifelong readers!
If you have any questions please feel free to email the library: ekent@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

   ISSUE  3 

This week students brought home Issue 3 of Scholastic Book Club please note that Orders are Due by 10th May.  

If you wish to place an order please do so via the Book Club LOOP platform. This for parents allows you to pay by credit  card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school safe and sound and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Each order will also help earn free books and teaching materials for our school, however there is never any obligation to order. 

Happy reading!
Emma Kent and Chloe Jones

Dear Parents,

This week the St Martin of Tours community welcomed Carly O’Neal-Shipley as our new school counsellor. Carly is a qualified counsellor and has 7 years experience working in schools as a Student Wellbeing Leader. 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 our families.

Within Carly’s role she will:
★ Work as a member of the Student Wellbeing Team in the delivery of student wellbeing services
★ Support students and staff to create an environment of cooperation and mutual respect
★ Contribute to improving student engagement and connectedness
★ Contribute to providing a safe, inclusive and supporting learning environment
★ Provide pastoral care and guidance to students
★ Operate within the school community and with external professional services
★ Provide support in areas such as student attendance and mental health
★ Provide students with support and/or appropriate referrals in difficult situations such as times of grief, or when students are facing personal or emotional challenges
★ Provide pastoral care and guidance to students about values and ethical matters

Students attend sessions with a counsellor for a broad range of reasons related to your child’s wellbeing.

Categories of students that may benefit from referral for counselling
★ Mental health problems (persistent feelings or emotions)
   -Depression
   -Anger
   -Anxiety
   -Body image
   -Separation anxiety
   -Mood swings
   -Gender differences

★ Social & emotional needs
   -Low self esteem
   -Behaviour management
   -Self-management
   -Resilience
   -Emotional regulation
   -Relationships (making/keeping friends)
   -Bullying
   -Attention seeking

★ Trauma
   -Grief or loss
   -Divorce & separation
   -Illness
   -Health problems (Personal or family)

Please keep in mind that counsellor led sessions may then lead to referrals to outside services such as
★ General practitioners (GPs)
★ Occupational therapists
★ Psychologists
★ Psychiatrists
★ Social workers

Parent Referrals
If parents believe that their child would benefit from working with the school counsellor they have been directed to follow the formal referral process that we have in place.
Importance is placed on the need for families to have initial discussions with the student’s classroom teacher prior to making a formal referral.

1. Log onto the SMOT Website
2. Go to the ‘Caring for Students’ title on the initial task bar and scroll down to ‘School counsellor’
3. Download and print off
   -Consent Form
   -Parent Referral Form
(Hard copies are also available in the office)
4. Send the forms to school attention to Jamie Atherton (Student Wellbeing Leader)

PLEASE NOTE: Parents need to be aware that services for their child will begin when the counsellor can fit their child in and this may take several weeks. Carly is with us for one day a week, on Thursdays, working with children across the school. There may be times when sessions are delayed, scheduled fortnightly or are postponed due to more urgent issues or cases.

Please speak to me, the Student Wellbeing Leader, if you need any clarification or advice at any time. Carly’s work will continue to strengthen the support that the St Martin of Tours staff provide for our students and families. I am sure everyone will join me in welcoming Carly to our St Martin’s Parish Primary School community.

Warmest regards,

Jamie Atherton
Student Wellbeing Leader

PARENT HELPER INFORMATION SESSIONS  

We are now able to invite parents back into classrooms. 

At St Martin’s, we encourage parents to volunteer their time in classrooms to support student learning. Parent Helpers’ contributions are important and valuable to students’ learning.

If you are interested in becoming a Parent Helper that assists in classrooms, we ask that you attend one of our Parent Helper Information sessions (approximately one hour). To be a Parent Helper in classrooms, you must have a Working with Children Check and attend a Parent Helper Information Session. 

The sessions are on the following dates:

★Monday, 10th May at 9:00 am in the Seminar Room 

★Wednesday, 12th May at 7pm in the PGR Classroom

Please email Dinesha Rajasingam the Junior School Literacy Leader to confirm your attendance: drajasingam@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au 

We will have a COVID safe plan in place for those attending. 

**If you are a teacher or if you have attended an information session previously you do not need to attend one of these sessions.**

                                                 

As part of Year 5 Inquiry, students have been learning about ways that we can reduce waste in our school. The students have joined together to form Student Action Teams and have collected data on waste management in our school.

On analysis of these results the students have found that we need to make many changes in the ways that we manage our waste at St Martin's. As Sustainability Leaders of the school, the students have come up with many actions that we can take as a community to reduce our waste.

One action is to participate in the Wonder Recycling Challenge. We are encouraging the St Martin’s community to recycle used bread and wrap bags and tags. We’ll earn reward points to redeem new sports equipment for every 5kg bin filled! Please send your bags and tags to 5VC or come and drop them in the pink bin in the Year 5 Area. 

In Italian this term, some of the Junior classes will be learning their numbers up to 20 and the main colours. The character of ‘Pinocchio’ as well as the characters from ‘La Commedia Dell’Arte’ will also be highlighted and linked to ‘IL Carnevale’. Everyone will be exploring ‘Emotions and Feelings’ that we may experience in different scenarios. ‘Imperatives’ such as direct commands with accompanying gestures will be learnt and practised during our Italian lessons. The senior students will also be investigating and reflecting on the challenges and difficulties Italians faced when immigrating to Australia in the 1940/50’s.

It is reporting and assessment time and this will comprise of both written and oral presentation tasks as well as teacher observations of work habits.

La Squadra Italiana
The Italian Team

From Caritas Australia...

Let us take time to remember the life and teachings of Saint Oscar Romero. His many lessons include: live a simple life, commit to bringing peace to the world, speak the truth and of course aspire not to have more, but to be more. Some words from what has become known as the Oscar Romero prayer; “We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.”

Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion Campaign. Your generosity will work for the freedom of those living in poverty, challenge unjust structures, and empower people to work for a sustainable way of life. 

Once again a big thank you to our families who are making a difference by donating valuable funds to be used within vulnerable communities for livelihood programs, education, medical and health services to improve the wellbeing of poor communities and inspire hope.  Currently we have raised $1363.50 for Caritas Australia.

If you have not as yet returned the Project Compassion box and would like to donate to Caritas, please do so by Monday 10th of May.

WEEK 1

PGR Prep GR for a wonderful first week back of fun and learning.

PPJ Olivia for beginning to hear and record some initial and dominant sounds in her writing. Keep it up Olivia!

PVL Hailey For being a kind and caring member of Prep VL. Such a pleasure to teach!!   

Antony for using his 'stretchy snake' strategy to stretch out short words when reading and then blend them back together again. Well done!!

1CF Ariel for having such a great start at St Martin's. We love having you in our class. Keep asking questions and trying your best!

1CM Ethan for having a great start to Term 2. He has been a wonderful listener, awesome helper and great at following instructions. Keep up the fantastic work Ethan!

1LB Alfonso for writing an interesting and detailed recount about his holidays. He added excellent information on what happened and was able to apply feedback to his writing. Keep up the amazing work Alfonso!

2JS Ana S for consistently being respectful to others and for always using class time, as expected to complete learning tasks. Well Done Ana!

2LB Poppy H for being such a kind and caring student in 2LB and for her amazing efforts in taking on challenges in Maths tasks to extend her learning.

2MT Evie for always helping those around her and for being a such a kind, respectful and lovely member of 2MT. Keep up the amazing work Evie!

3KJ Oliver J for showing growth in your understanding of the topic Place Value. In particular identifying the value and expanding 5 digit numbers. 

3LA Phoebe for writing a brilliant persuasive piece on why dogs are better than cats. Well done for using a range of persuasive devices. You’re a superstar Phoebe!

3MT Mietta for the informative retell of the events of Holy Thursday. You are a great reporter with an eye for detail. 

4AT Edie for sharing her insightful ideas and thoughts in class discussions

4TD Derek for settling in well at St Martin’s and to the Year 4TD classroom routines.  Congratulations Derek! 

5SM To Lachie for his outstanding persuasive writing piece convincing his peers to take up gaming. Your resilience was amazing!

5VC To Alyssia for being an excellent steward of creation and caring for our class plants over the Easter break.  

6AM Congratulations to Sophie H for her contributions this week during our introduction to debating. Sophie recognised some great role models for us to learn from and to aspire to be like.

6ZW To Isaiah for starting the school term so well with a positive mindset and showing great persistence in all his school work.

WEEK 2

PGR Samuel for using the most beautiful manners towards his friends and teachers and for showing wonderful enthusiasm in his learning. Too cool for school!

PPJ Joseph for stretching out sounds in his reading to sound out unfamiliar words. Well done Joey!

PVL Audrey for being an engaged and interested learner in Prep VL. Well done!! 

Gabriel for being a kind and cheerful member of Prep VL. Way to go!!

1CF Tahlia for always being a supportive class member who is respectful, thoughtful and kind. Thanks for being you!

1CM Bella for writing and presenting a wonderful recount about her holidays and weekend. She has done a fantastic job at adding detail to her pieces. She is always very focused and gets straight onto her writing. Well done Bella, keep it up! 

1LB Giorgia for beginning the Term with a fantastic attitude towards her learning. She has shown perseverance with challenging tasks, particularly in writing. This has helped her use her time more effectively in class. Well done Giorgia! 

2JS Lachlan C for making valuable contributions to class discussions, including using excellent voice projection and for listening to others. Well Done Lachlan!

2LB Lucas for being such a focused learner, helping others and for always making valuable contributions to class discussions. 

2MT Blake for his wonderful classroom behaviour and for becoming more confident contributing to discussions. Superstar effort!

3KJ Sophie T for her detailed retell of the events of Holy Thursday.

3LA Christian for being a kind, respectful and considerate member of 3LA. Thank you for always spreading kindness around! Well done Christian!

3MT Mikaela for using the clues to show and explain her understanding of place value.

4AT Riley for always having a positive and conscientious approach to his learning

4TD Vivienne for being a caring classmate and helping our newest addition settle in to the class routines. Well done Vivienne!

5JM To Finn for his awesome WOW Wednesday presentation about his pets. We all loved learning about your chooks and stick insects! Well done Finn.

5VC To Domenico for his excellent recall of his times tables facts. Keep practising your speed and accuracy.

6AM To Brooke W for her amazing contributions to our class discussions. Brooke loves to share her point of view and has a strong sense of justice. Well done Brooke.

6ZW To Caitlin and Charlotte for their consistent effort and persistence in all work they attempt. Always producing their best!

We held our Term 2 PFA committee meeting on Tuesday 20th April. It was wonderful to welcome a new member who had also just started at the school this term. We would love to see more people come along and join in the brainstorming and planning for future fundraising events. Our 2020/2021 fundraising tally after Term 1 is $12,587.83, so we are well on our way to achieving our goal amount of $20K. We thank you for your continued support. The School is currently canvassing wishlist items for our raised funds which we hope to announce soon.

Preparation for our Mother’s Day Stall which will now be held on Friday 7th May (*NEW DATE*), is well underway. If you are available to assist with the set up and/or helping the children purchase gifts on the day, please sign up at https://signup.zone/smotpfa-volunteer. There are still plenty of spots available.

We’ve had a great response so far for this year’s Mother’s Social Night. Our organisers for the event, Carla T and Lisa A, are busily planning to make this a spectacular night, particularly after we missed out last year! Tickets can be purchased on the PFA website http://smotpfa.weebly.com by Thursday 6th May. Numbers are limited and no tickets will be available after this date….so don’t miss out!

We are so incredibly grateful for the generosity and support of the many businesses that have donated some fantastic prizes for our Mother’s Day and Social Night raffles. Some of these businesses have supported us across numerous years and even multiple events in the same year. We encourage our SMOT community to consider these businesses for their future needs. Thank you to the following businesses:

Verve Portraits - https://www.verveportraits.com.au

Jetts Rosanna - https://www.jetts.com.au/clubs/jetts-rosanna

Curves Reservoir/Fairfield - http://www.curves.com.au

Arbonne - http://michelledonpaul.arbonne.com

The Thorn 3071 - https://thethorn3071.business.site

Ditto Ditto - https://dittoditto.com.au

The Greenery - https://thegreenery.com.au

Brazilian Butterfly Greensborough - https://www.brazilianbutterfly.com/salons/greensborough

Soleil Rouge - https://www.facebook.com/soleilrougenailsandbeauty

PopSee - https://www.popsee.com.au

Tres Cafe - https://trescafe.com.au

P.CASA - https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/PCASAShop

Deuw Leather Co - https://www.facebook.com/deuwleathergiftco

It seems the chilly mornings have started quite early this year. You may have already seen SMOT beanies being worn in the school yard and wondered “how can I get my hands on these?”! Last year we introduced school designed and approved beanies which will be sold as a fundraiser by the PFA each year. The beanies will be available for sale via the PFA website from Monday 10th May. To assist families, there will also be a few days when we will have a stall on top yard. This will obviously be weather dependent, and notification will be sent out via Compass.

We invite you to keep an eye on our FaceBook page @SMOTPFA and website http://smotpfa.weebly.com to stay updated on current and future events.

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 2

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 Year 1 WildlifeXposure incursion

★ 5th Year 4 Loyola College Visit

★ 6th Mother's Day Gift Wrapping & Set up 

★ 7th Mother's Day Stall (New Date)

★ 7th PFA Mother's Social Night

★ 9th Mother's day

★ 11th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

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

★ 11th, 12th, 13th NAPLAN Year 3 & Year 5 students

★ 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

★ 13th PFA Committee Meeting

★ 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

★ 2nd Father's Day Stall Set Up

★ 3rd Father's Day Stall

★ 4th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 5.30pm

★ 5th Father's Day

★ 5th Reconciliation Commitment Mass 10am

★ 15th PFA School Disco

★ 17th Term 3 Concludes 1pm Finish

Term 4

October
★ 4th Term 4 Commences

★ 5th PFA Committee Meeting

★ 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

★ 3rd 2022 Prep Transition (1/3)

★ 9th 2022 Prep Transition (2/3)

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

★ 12th 2022 Prep Welcome Dinner (TBC)

★ 18th 2022 Prep Transition (3/3)

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)

SR MARIA’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY of her religious profession will be celebrated by our parish on the 6th June at the 10am Mass. This will be followed by some refreshments in the GECCO. If you are unable to come, perhaps in the next few weeks you may want to communicate your thoughts/feelings to Sr Maria.

COPIES OF FR PETER ROBINSON’S BOOK, KINDLY DONATED BY HIS FAMILY, ARE STILL AVAILABLE. THERE IS NO COST FOR THE BOOK BUT WE ASK THAT YOU ONLY TAKE ONE COPY PER FAMILY.

DEANERY LUNCHES Priest Deanery lunches have resumed again in 2021 after a long hiatus. During a full calendar year, Macleod Parish hosts this lunch in the presbytery approximately 3 times. Pre Covid the food provided at the lunch consisted of parishioners and school parents cooking a variety of meals that were able to be re-heated for our lunch guests. Our first lunch is on 3rd June and we are hoping the tradition of having delicious home cooked meals provided will continue. Are you able to assist in providing a meal? With Winter coming on, soups, casseroles, curries and warming puddings would be ideal. Please contact the parish office on 9401 6338 if you are able to help out.

OSHClub at St. Martin's operates from Monday-Friday 7am-9am and 3.00pm-6.15pm. 
Enrolment is free. All families must enrol to attend the program.
Further information can be found at: www.oshclub.com.au

We keep our gardener who finished up last year Peter Jordan in our prayers as his beloved mum passed away last week.
Congratulations to Zayn C in Year 2JS who has a new baby sister - Sage. She was born on the 13th of April to parents Susan and Darren.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and blessed Easter. The Easter Tableau experience today was very moving and allowed us all to stop and think about the importance of the Easter story.

May the renewal of life at Easter bring new blessings of love, hope and peace, good health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

It has been so wonderful to experience many school activities this term. I spoke with some students today and here are their reflections on the term. Sophie, Fabian and Alaska from Year 1 shared how they loved writing about The Three Little Pugs, reading Back to school Tortoise and playing outside in the playground with their friends.

Jack, Harry and Violet from Year 3 shared how they wrote persuasive texts in their Inquiry unit about ways to improve our school, learnt about place value in Maths and Violet has loved learning the piano this term.

Students return to school in Term 2 on Tuesday 20 April. Monday 19 April is a school closure day where staff will be involved in professional learning in the area of Student Wellbeing.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff for all their passion for teaching and hard work this term, to the students for their love of learning and to our parents for their support.

May the holidays ahead create more wonderful family memories and we look forward to seeing everyone back next term.

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Holy Week Tableau

This morning the students remembered Jesus in the Easter story through re-enacting the Stations of the Cross. Students, teachers and parents reflected on Jesus giving his life for us and spent time in deep reflection thinking about our own actions and how we can make a difference for others. Some of the questions we were asked to reflect on include: Have I been a good person to others? Do I share and include others? How do I feel when something is too hard and I want to give up? Do you go out of your way to help others in need? Is Jesus in my life? Do I think about him often?

  

Project Compassion - Caritas

This year, Caritas Australia through Project Compassion has called us to ‘be more’ for each other. Many thanks to our families who are making a difference by donating valuable funds to be used within vulnerable communities for livelihood programs, education, medical and health services to improve the wellbeing of poor communities and inspire hope.

This Lent, thank you for joining me on this journey towards a better, more just world where all may thrive. Thank you for ‘being more’ with Caritas Australia and carrying on the remarkable legacy of Project Compassion, at a time when the need is greater than ever.

Kirsty Robertson
Chief Executive Officer
Caritas Australia

Good Friday Appeal

On the last day of each term we invite the students to attend school in casual clothes and donate a gold coin for a chosen charity. Today’s gold coin donation will support the Royal Childrens Hospital Good Friday Appeal and the wonderful works of the doctors, nurses, specialists who look after the children in need of this service. Monies raised today total $432.20 Many thanks to our families for supporting this great cause.

Confirmation

At this point in time, with current changes made by the government, the Archdiocese guidelines have not changed within the Catholic Church. The Parish and School must follow the Archdiocese Liturgical Guidelines for all weekend Masses, Sacraments and other Liturgical celebrations which were last updated on the 26th of February by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Currently the capacity for attendance in our Church for all Masses including Sacraments allows for 150 people. Sponsors, priests and teachers are included in this density quotient for Confirmation. Please be reassured we are watching this space very closely and we will inform the Year 6 parents of any changes made if Liturgical guidelines are further relaxed prior to Friday 28th of May. Please book for your child, one parent and sponsor to attend Confirmation via the Trybooking code if you haven’t as yet done so. 

This presentation by EPR Productions highlighted an entertaining depiction of Italian immigration to Australia which kept the students occupied and engaged throughout the performance.

A fun and educational activity where an immigrant shared his story with objects from his suitcase celebrating culture and its influence on the Australian way of life. This triggered a discussion around obstacles he faced in a new country, highlighting cultural differences in all formats.

The significance of ‘Carnevale’ associated with our term’s work, was also portrayed and highlighted in this performance. A great multicultural experience for the students to view and experience.

La Squadra Italiana - The Italian Team e ‘Buona Pasqua.’

HEIDELBERG DISTRICT ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Friday 26th March, a large number of children from St Martin’s competed in the Heidelberg District Athletics Carnival. The children qualified for this event through trials during Physical Education lessons and before school.

The children competed against 7 other schools in our District for a chance to progress to the next level in September.

Congratulations to the following children who represented our school: Stephanie A, Aidan A, Jake A, Lea A, Francesca B, Erica B, Lucia B, Olivia B, Riley B, Noah B, Will B, Siobhan B, Zoe B, Kiara C, Giacomo C, Madeline C, Amelie C, Angus C, Alyssa C, Nicholas C, Xavier C, Natasha C, Gabriel C, Harrison C, Chloe C, Tighe D, Alice D, Zara D, Nathan D, Caitlin F, Sam F, Andrew F, Lily G, Jordan G, Josh H, Jye H, Ryan H, Emmy H, James J, Alyssia J, Isabelle K, Stefan K, Mitchell L, Isaiah L, Ruby L, Alex L, Lilliana M, Chloe M, Tommy M, Andrew M, Jasper M, Liam M, Gus M, Charlie M, Oscar M, Olivia N, Matthew P, Zach P, Molly R, Stefano S, Marcus S, Kaleb S, Sienna S, Josh T, Mietta T, Priscilla T, Charlotte T, Will W and Lachlan Z.

In order for the Children to qualify for the Banyule Division Athletics Carnival in September, the children must have finished top 2 in their particular event. Well done to the following children who have now qualified for the Banyule Division Athletics Carnival:

1st
Francesca B (11 Girls 1500m)
Lily G (11 Girls High Jump and Triple Jump)
Siobhan B (11 Girls 100m)
Jye H (10 Boys 200m)
Marcus S (11 Boys 200m)
Riley B (10 Boys High Jump)
Xavier C (11 Boys Discus)
9/10 Boys 4 x 100m Relay – (Jye H, Nicholas C, Tommy M, Jake A)
11 Girls 4 x 100m Relay – (Siobhan B, Olivia B, Alyssia J, Lily G)

2ND
Alice D (10 Girls 1500m)
Mietta T (12 Girls 1500m)
Stefan K (10 Boys Triple Jump and Long Jump)
Tighe D (11 Boys High Jump)
Alex L (12 Boys High Jump)
Chloe C (10 Girls Hurdles)
Xavier C (11 Boys Hurdles)
Olivia N (12 Girls 100 and Hurdles)
Chloe M (10 Girls Discus)
Zac P (11 Boys Long Jump and 100m)
Alyssa C (12 Girls 200m)
Ryan H (12 Boys Triple Jump)
10 Girls 4 x 100m Relay – (Chloe C, Molly R, Lilliana M, Priscilla T)
11 Boys 4 x 100m Relay – (Gus M, Marcus S, Charlie M, Zach P)

Finally, thank you to Mr Zac, Mr Marshall and Miss Truefeldt for their help on the day and to the parents for their support of the children.

HEIDELBERG DISTRICT SOCCER ROUND ROBIN

On Friday 12th March, 26 children from Grade 6 competed in the Heidelberg District Soccer Tournament against four other schools. The children played four games each in very warm and humid conditions and competed very well.

The girl’s team tried their best, were narrowly beaten in three games, and were able to draw their last game.

The boy’s team were successful in the pool games by winning three and drawing 1. They qualified for the final and played against Heidelberg PS. The grand Final was close and at the end of the game, the score was 0-0. The final went to penalties and unfortunately, St Martin’s were defeated five – 4.

Thank you to Mr Zac for his coaching and to Jason Charles for his support.

Well done to the following boys and girls who represented our school:

Aidan A, Xavier B, Noah B, Kiara C, Angus C, Xavier C, Darcy C, Caitlin F, Mikayla G,
Jordan G, Noah G, Ryan H, Emmy H, Brooklyn H, Alex L, Jasper M, Molly P, Grace R,
Jamie S, Dion S, Marko S, Kalb S, Isobel S, Sienna S, Ashia T, Peter V and Brooke W.

WEEK 9

PGR
Annalise for sharing her stories and ideas with us all during class discussions and for being so good at putting her hand up when she needs help with her activities. Too cool for school!

PPJ
Liam for using different strategies to work out number problems and explaining them to the class. Well done Liam!

PVL
Emma for being a thoughtful member of Prep VL. Well done!

Rosie for stretching out words when reading and writing. Well done!

1CF
Atticus for always being willing to help others in the classroom and being a great example of his Lenten Action of giving to others. Well done Atti!

1CM
Tully for being a kind, caring and thoughtful friend. You always make sure everyone feels included! Keep up the great work Tully.

1LB
Jacob for showing fantastic improvement in his letter formation by ensuring that he is slowing down and taking pride in the presentation of his work. Amazing effort Jacob!

2JS
Sophie for consistently making valuable contributions to class discussions and for always completing learning tasks as expected. Well Done Sophie!

2LB
Jonah for always demonstrating a positive attitude to his learning and for always being respectful, kind and caring to others during class time.

2MT
Sofia for always being a responsible and respectful learner in 2MT and for challenging herself by contributing more to class discussions. Keep up the amazing work Sofia!

3KJ
Eloise for confidently renaming 4 digit numbers using an expander in at least 4 ways!

3LA
Loukas for getting started on your work quickly and staying focused, especially in maths. I am very impressed with your work ethic. You’re a superstar Loukas!

3MT
Harley for using humour and rhetorical questions in his persuasive text on 'Cats are better than dogs'.

4AT
Madeline for setting an example for her peers in her behaviour and effort in her work

4CM
Zoe for consistently working hard over Term One. Zoe completes all of her learning tasks on time, every time, with a smile and in an enthusiastic manner.

4TD
To Priscilla for developing a positive growth mindset and always helping your classmates. Well done Priscilla!

5JM
To Nathan for always trying his best and not being afraid to ask for help when it is needed. Keep up the great work Nath.

5SM
To Cohen for being so kind and always wanting to help others in the classroom. You are so thoughtful and 5SM love that about you!

5VC
To Claudia for always being respectful to others and completing many acts of kindness throughout the week. You are a good role model to others.

6GW
Olivia T showed us her creativity and pride in her work when she completed her Gifts of the Holy Spirit entry in her Confirmation journal.

6ZW
Well done to Jasper M for getting on with his work throughout Term 1, rarely wasting any time and always on task.

WEEK 10

PGR
Miles for being a kind and caring classmate and for concentrating so well when completing his activities. We also love how you are such an artist!

PPJ
Alani for being such a caring class member who has the most beautiful manners! We love having you in our class Alani!

PVL
Eva for being a kind and patient friend to others in Prep VL. Well done!

Luca for being a well - mannered and respectful boy in Prep VL! Well done!

1CF
Raya for not only being a helpful classmate to others but for having a positive attitude to your learning and improving your writing.

1CM
Xavier for being kind, helping everyone around you and always trying your best. You are a superstar!

1LB
Natalie for working so hard in Literacy by showing a wonderful improvement in her letter formation and reading skills. Well done Natalie!

2JS
Evan C for being a 'Bucket Filler' in Year Two JS by always respectfully speaking to others. Well done Evan for always doing and being your best!

2LB
Olivia for always trying her best in her classwork and for being a beautiful and kind friend by always giving lots of compliments to others.

2MT
Jonty for trying his best in all classroom activities and for demonstrating such a responsible attitude to his work. Well Done Jonty!

3KJ
Blake for starting to contribute to discussion during Guided Reading time!

3LA
Mikaela for challenging herself in maths by renaming 4 and 5 digit numbers. Fantastic effort Mikaela! Keep it up!

3MT
Zoe for being focussed on her work and doing it to the very of her ability.

4AT
Zoe for always having a positive attitude and friendly demeanour in the classroom

4CM
Riley H for always helping out his teachers and classmates with a patient, friendly and happy attitude. He is an upstander and a valuable member of 4CM.

4TD
To Jacob S for always wanting to help his classmates and taking the role of office tub monitor very seriously. Well done Jacob.

5JM
To Giulia for your awesome WOW presentation. It was great to hear about your family’s journey to Australia. Also a big thank you to Nonna Manuela.

5SM
To Juanito for your excellent preparation for your WOW presentation. You had memorised everything. Awesome effort!

5VC
To Domenico for his excellent recall of the events Easter Story and sharing this with the class. Keep up the enthusiasm towards sharing your understandings with the class.

6GW
Dion is hard working and sincere. We can always depend on him in the classroom and on yard.

6ZW
Well done to Ryan H for keeping his reading log up to date throughout Term 1, always being on task and making good choices in 6ZW.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of our Easter Raffle! We hope you enjoy all the wonderful goodies. We are extremely grateful for all the donations that were received. A big thank you to Coles Summerhill for generously donating $50 to purchase lots of Easter goodies and to Fiona Zandt for collecting all the donations and creating the beautiful Easter Hampers! Thanks to your support we raised around $1.9K.

On Wednesday, we were lucky to have the sun back and shining on our second snow cones day for the term. We raised $512.90. A huge thank you to our volunteers Clare, Nicole, Jessica, Luong, Andrew, Sally and Michelle.

Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Wednesday 5th May. If you are available to assist with the set up and/or helping the children purchase gifts on the day, please sign up at https://signup.zone/smotpfa-volunteer. We are also excited to be able to host a Mother’s Social Night this year. Keep an eye on our FaceBook page (@SMOTPFA) and website (smotpfa.weebly.com) for details and ticket sales in the coming weeks. Due to capacity restrictions, limited spaces will be available so make sure you get in early.

Our next PFA Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday 20th April at 7:30pm in the Seminar Room (Mercy Building). Feel free to join us at 7:15pm for some nibbles and drinks prior to the meeting. We will be discussing possible fundraisers for the remainder of the year. If you have an ideas that you’d like to voice, we invite you to come along. Alternatively, please feel free to email us at smotpfa@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au.

The PFA wishes all our SMOT families a very Happy Easter and a safe and enjoyable school holiday break.

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 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

★ 5th Year 4 Loyola College Visit
★ 6th Mother's Day Gift Wrapping & Set up 

★ 7th Mother's Day Stall (New Date)

★ 9th Mother's day

★ 11th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

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

★ 11th, 12th, 13th NAPLAN Year 3 & Year 5 students

★ 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)

SCHOOL FEES

If you are paying your fees via instalments:
• Instalment 1 was due by 1/4/2021
Internet transfer payments may be made to our school fee account (BSB 083 347 A/C 65320 6057).
Please include your child’s surname in the reference.

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

BAPTISM PREPARATION 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 St Martin of Tours Parish. To find out more about the role please ring the Parish Office on 9401 6338 or Megan Gravell on 0423 870 940. Training is provided. An Information Night led by the current team leaders will be held on Wednesday 28 April at 7.30pm in the Parish Community Centre. So, ’come and see’ about the very satisfying service to our young families in the Parish, that this Team carries out, and bring a friend with you!

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,

Over the past two weeks we have continued to engage in many school activities, school life as it should be. They have included Learning Conversations, First Eucharist celebrations, Open Days, Prep 2022 Information Night, National Day Against Bullying, just to name a few.
Over the next two weeks we look forward to our students engaging in district athletics, Year 6 parklands excursion, whole school Italian incursion and Easter Tableau.

I would like to thank our Year 6 students who came along on Saturday for our Open Tours. The feedback was extremely positive from the prospective parents.

School Closure Day
As advertised earlier this year our Term 2 school closure day will be on Monday 19 April (first day of Term 2). Staff will be engaged in professional learning centred around behaviour management which was a recommendation from our school review last year - Develop a whole school approach to student wellbeing and positive behaviour management with a focus on shared understanding and consistency in practice and expectations.
OSHClub will be operating on this day.

Staffing
Elliott Westbury has resigned from his position at St Martin’s. I would like to thank Elliott for his dedication over the past year to all things musical. Leading band and teaching instrumental lessons during COVID was certainly a challenge and Elliott always found creative ways to do this. The SMOT band is such an important part of who we are at St Martin’s so I will spend the next few weeks planning for its return at the beginning of Term 2 and employing new staff to take on the roles of Band coordinator and woodwind instrumental teachers. I am also exploring a replacement for Misa Murphy, our brass teacher who accepted a position at another school earlier this term. If you have any questions about the band or instrumental lessons please contact the office.

We have a number of staff taking some long service leave between now and the beginning of Term 2. Teresa Michelangeli will be on leave for the rest of this term, Dave Witchell returns from leave on Tuesday and Jamie Atherton will be on leave for the last week of term and first week of Term 2. Jo Maloney will replace Jamie in 6AM during this time.

School Counsellor
I am pleased to inform you that we have a new counsellor commencing next term. Carly O’Neil has 7 years experience working in schools in the area of student wellbeing. Jamie Atherton will work closely with Carly to enhance the wellbeing needs of our students. The process for referral will be sent out via Compass later this week.

Photograph/Recording Permission Form
All families will receive via Compass a form this week. Your permission in this instance is very important as we begin redeveloping our school website. This will include the use of photos and videos to showcase our school. Filming for the website will be taking place on Tuesday 30 March and Wednesday 31 March.

School Advisory Board
Our school board gathers for its first meeting on Thursday night. The agenda for this meeting includes: New Catholic Schools governance, directions for 2021, The Learning Collaborative Project and review of the canteen.

We farewelled Gibreel (2JS), Mikhail (PPJ) and their family on Friday. We wish them every success on their new adventures in Tasmania. We welcome Ariel (1CF) who begins at St Martin’s this week.

I will send out a final newsletter for the term on Thursday 1 April.

Have a great week
Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Last weekend Year 5 students were able to gather after a long wait to receive Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist. It was an exciting time for the students as we gathered in prayer and shared this special celebration of Christ together. Here is what some of the students had to say:.

Lea: “I was really excited because we haven’t had the chance to dress up in a while because of COVID and I wanted to receive Jesus in the bread.”

Anika: “I was really excited to receive a blessing and share the special day with my friends. It was weird after COVID coming together as a class to celebrate.”

Liam: “I really enjoyed the day and was very happy too receive the Eucharist.”

Chiara: “I was very excited but at the same time I had butterflies because I didn’t want to make a mistake. I was very grateful that I got to spend this time with my classmates and receiving Jesus for the first time.”

Emily: “I was excited because I got to receive Jesus for the first time and I got to celebrate it with my family”

Asha: “I felt excited and nervous at the same time because we practised very hard. I felt very calm as I was receiving Jesus for the first time.”

St Joseph’s Feast Day - March 19

In December last year, Pope Francis announced that the Church would dedicate this year to St Joseph the worker.  Husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus.  This year marks 150 years of the proclamation of Joseph being the Patron Saint of the Universal Church.  The year 6 students participated in Mass this morning to pray and commemorate the life and works of St Joseph in preparation for their Confirmation.  I am sharing with you some thoughts and reflections about St Joseph from the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

The Mathematics Professional learning day held on Friday 5th March was very engaging and provided staff with many new strategies. It was run by Cath Epstein from the Mathematical Association of Victoria. She also has her own consulting business ‘Cathmatics’.

It was a very ‘hands on’ day where staff learned new games and new ways of engaging students in Mathematics. We also reflected on the use of formative and summative assessment and the importance of key concepts/big ideas when planning a unit of work. Number talks were also introduced and the staff are now trialling this strategy in their warm ups.

Overall it was a very successful day and the staff are excited about the implementation of their new learning.

We are pleased to announce the winning names as voted by students! And the winning names are……

                                   SUNNY and GARY

Sunny is named after a dragon in one of our very popular book series in the middle and upper school, ‘Wings of Fire’.  

    

Gary was named after a very popular picture story book about a pigeon. This book also received Honours in the Early Childhood category in the 2017 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards.  

                  
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the families who placed a Book Club order for our very first catalogue. We know that SMOT families value literacy and reading, and the large number of orders has highlighted this to us even more!  All the orders have been submitted to scholastic and will hopefully be delivered to school by the end of term. 

If you still wish to order you can do so via the scholastic.com.au/LOOP  platform. Please note that as orders have closed through the school you will have to pay a delivery fee to have them posted to your home.    

Emma Kent and Chloe Jones

Welcome to St Martin’s Choir 2021!
Congratulations to the following students on becoming the Music Captains for this year: 
Olivia N 6AM
Kiara C 6AM
Addison W 6GW
Sophie H 6AM
They all have an important role in the running of and organising of Choir rehearsals and performances, both at Mass and other events. 

We have some exciting and beautiful songs to rehearse and sing for school assembly, Mass recordings and lunch time yard concerts throughout the year.  

Any student from Year 1 to Year 6 is welcome to join the weekly Thursday Choir practice at any time. We encourage students to come along and join our fun, friendly choir to sing for Joy, develop singing skills and for general wellbeing. 

Choir rehearsals are weekly at 2pm - 2.30pm lunchtimes. There is a weekly PA message made during eating time to remind students of rehearsals or any changes. 

Choir membership involves a weekly commitment, therefore, the roll will be taken at the beginning of choir sessions. If members are absent for 3 or more rehearsals they will no longer be considered to be members of the choir. 

As the ABBA song goes:   “Without a song or dance what are we?”  So I say thank you to all the fabulous Choir Captains and the students who are joining our friendly choir, are remaining committed and have a spirit of giving of their gifts and talents to our wonderful St Martin’s community. 

Keep singing! 

Mrs Kos 
(Performing Arts and Choir Teacher) 

WEEK 7

PGR
Janice for being so clever at following instructions carefully and for being a kind and sharing friend. Keep up the super work!

PPJ
Georgia for always following instructions and being a super member of Prep PJ. Keep it up Georgia!

PVL
Violin for always being so kind to other students. Well done!      

Orlando for being a respectful boy and a great friend to others. Well done!

1CF
Amelia for always being kind and respectful which is a great role model for other students to follow. Well done!

1CM
Noe for being a kind friend to everyone in the grade and always looking out for others. You are always so thoughtful! Well done Noe.

1LB
Fabian for continuing to demonstrate a positive mindset when completing challenging tasks by not giving up and showing pride in his work. Keep up the fantastic attitude Fabian! 

2JS
Milla P for making valuable contributions to class discussions and for always being a respectful listener to others. Well Done Milla!

2LB
Henry for showing kindness and care to others in 2LB and for showing dedication to his learning tasks. 

2MT
Luke for always being ready to learn, for putting the best effort into his work and for being a bucket filler by treating others with kindness. Well done Luke!

3KJ
Lauren for accurately using data to neatly create a bar graph in Mathematics.

3LA
Tia for working hard and trying her very best in maths this week. Keep it up Tia!

3MT
Joshua  for making valid predictions with supporting evidence during our class serial reading book. 

4AT
Claude for trying really hard to improve his persuasive writing.

4CM
Felicity for her determined efforts to grow in her learning. Felicity's diligent work ethic reflects how much she tries to keep building her knowledge across the curriculum. She also is trying her best to participate in class discussions as much as possible. Well done, Felicity!

4TD
To Alessia for always trying her best in all areas of the curriculum and helping her classmates whenever needed.  Great Work Alessia.

5JM
Emily - for consistently having a positive attitude towards her learning and being able to have a good laugh with her fellow classmates.

5SM
To Chiara for working so hard on her narrative. You have shown great improvement. Well done!

5VC
To Zak for using figurative and descriptive language in his short story. You followed the success criteria and produce a well written story.

6AM
To Louise B for the incredible initiative that she shows each and every day to help make our 6AM classroom better.

6GW
Jaxon helps his group members by offering ideas and ensuring the tasks gets completed.

6ZW
Well done to Jed C in 6ZW for putting in the extra effort in to finally finish his stamina book over the weekend.

WEEK 8

PGR
Archie for being a kind helper to his friends and teachers when Mrs. Getson was away. Such a super star!

PPJ
Arthur for his creative and interesting ideas and always working well on his activities. Well done Arthur!

PVL
Ella for always using her lovely manners in the classroom. Well done!  

Sidney for being a kind and caring member of Prep VL. Well done!

1CF
Gabriel for trying out new activities on yard and trying your best to follow school rules and being a good friend to others.

1CM
Sam for showing great confidence to share your show and tell in front of the class. You did a fabulous job at using your speaker voice and we all loved listening to you. Great effort Sam!

1LB
Orla for being a respectful and focused member of 1LB. Orla consistently uses her time effectively and sets an excellent example for her peers through the wonderful presentation of her work. 

2JS
Xavier D for consistently being respectful to others and for always following teacher instructions. Well Done Xavier!

2LB
Mia for actively participating in class discussions and for her detailed and creative Writer's Notebook story. 

2MT
Milana for always following our school rules and for challenging herself in all her learning. Well Done Milana!

3KJ
Pana for always being a caring and polite member of the grade.

3LA
Josh for always listening carefully and trying your very best in class. You are a fantastic role model Josh! Keep it up! 

3MT
Eva for challenging herself in Maths by renaming five digit numbers.

4AT
Isabella W for always displaying an enthusiastic approach to her learning.

4CM
Joshua for adding value to class discussions. Joshua listens carefully to the speaker and has interesting vocabulary and knowledge to contribute, especially when talking about a text. Well done, Josh!

4TD
To Patrick for always helping his classmates and trying his best during Reading groups.  Well done Patrick!

5JM
James for always getting straight into his work without distractions and willing to help his classmates without hesitation.

5SM
To Nahla for being so passionate about your narrative. You should be so proud of yourself!

5VC
Congratulations to the students who received the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. May you continue to be like Jesus in what you think, do and say.

6AM
To William L for the enjoyable contributions that he makes to our class discussions. William has a great sense of fun and keeps us all thinking and reflecting at the same time.

6GW
Siena is very attentive and caring when working with her prep buddy. Siena never leaves her buddy during activities and makes her buddy feel special.

6ZW
Well Done to Aidan A for making good choice in regards to who he sits next to.

We have been enjoying looking at Different Styles of Music, in particular cultural music such as Easter music (Handel's Messiah, church music, and fun songs) and Irish Music (St Patrick's Day folk songs) and associated stories and actions that enhance and give meaning to community celebrations.

ST MARTIN’S GOT TALENT: Also at the beginning of each lesson the students are invited to share a favourite song/dance/instrumental piece/act in our weekly St Martin’s Got Talent session. There is a stage area with a microphone, music stand, digital piano, ukuleles, guitars, djembes and a stereo for the students to use. It is voluntary and all songs performed are to be no more than 3 minutes long and have no swearing or inappropriate themes. Inspirational, positive music is encouraged. I put their name and act on a roster so the students know when their song is being performed. It has been wonderful to hear such talent being shared from Nursery Rhymes, rock/folk/cultural/movie/children's songs to trumpet/guitar/piano solos and dances. Any contribution is valued and appreciated, bringing confidence to all.

RECORDERS: In preparation for learning musical instruments next term could I please remind any student from Year 4 onwards who has a recorder they took home last year to return it to school. We need all recorders to remain at school in the Music Room so that recorders are not missing or forgotten each lesson. If your child wishes to play recorder at home you can buy them their own at a relatively cheap price from any music store or online. All recorders will remain at school until they leave Year 6.

Mrs Kos
Performing Arts and Choir Teacher

SCHOOL FEES

If you are paying your fees via instalments:
• Instalment 1 is due by 1/4/2021
Internet transfer payments may be made to our school fee account (BSB 083 347 A/C 65320 6057).
Please include your child’s surname in the reference.

CSEF (CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSION 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 also requires a copy of your current health care card.

For families who are eligible for CSEF payment you will be eligible for 15% discount on the family fee. ($300). If you were eligible for CSEF last year and have not submitted a copy of your new card please do so soon as possible.

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

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 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 

★ 5th Year 4 Loyola College Visit

★ 5th Mother's Day Stall

★ 9th Mother's day

★ 11th Year 5 Human Sexuality Program Lesson 3

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

★ 11th, 12th, 13th NAPLAN Year 3 & Year 5 students

★ 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)

It was wonderful to kick start our fundraising for 2021, with the first snow cones day held on Wednesday 3rd March. It has certainly been a long break in between snow cones days and the children were super excited to see them back again. Thanks to your support we raised $758.55. A huge thank you to our volunteers Dian, Martha, Bianca, Tania, Luong, Kate and Michelle. Without our lovely volunteers we cannot run these events, so please, if you can spare just the smallest amount of time to help out it is always greatly appreciated! Our next snow cones day will be held this Wednesday 24th March. If you are able to spare 1 hour to serve snow cones, please sign up at https://signup.zone/smotpfa-volunteer. There are still a couple of spots remaining!

A special thanks to one of our SMOT community sponsors, Adept IP, who supplied the flavoured syrups for these events. Adept IP provides legal services relating to patents, trade marks, designs and other IP related matters. To find out more information about this business, or other businesses in our St Martin of Tours Community, we encourage you to visit the SMOT Business Directory (http://smotpfa.weebly.com/business-directory.html). If you have a business that you would like to list in our directory, or if you would like to sponsor one of our events, please complete the registration form on the PFA website or email smotpfa@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au.

Our Easter Raffle is currently under way. We are once again gratefully accepting any donations of Easter eggs or Easter themed items which can be left at the office. Thank you to those of you who have already sent in donations for the Easter raffle. Don’t forget to leave your details to receive 2 free raffle tickets for each donation! The team at Chocilo have kindly donated our bonus grand prize, which you can check out below. Chocilo have a wonderful Easter range which you can shop online at https://chocilo.com.au/ or in store at 244 Waterdale Road, Ivanhoe.

Our current fundraising tally for 2021/2021 stands at $9,217.34. There are lots of exciting plans ahead and the School is currently putting together a wishlist to give us a fundraising goal - stay tuned to find out what these funds will go toward. The wheels are also in motion to implement the Play Pods using funds that were raised from the Colour Run at the end of 2019.

Memorial Paraliturgy for Fr Peter Report
Around 120 people gathered on Wednesday night to commemorate former PP, Fr Peter. We prayed, we remembered and we sang – how heartfelt was ‘Yahweh, You Are Near’? There are so many people to thank who made this all possible. Fr Michael, Sr. Maria and Sr. Anh were most supportive with all their ideas and hands on work. Our musicians were amazing with Helen Tombolato and the Broadbent family. Our speakers Peter Keane, Fran Goulding, Patrick Broadbent, Trish Stewart, Adam Cetrangolo and Itria Frijo helped us recall the many special moments of his most interesting life. Robert Broadbent was at his masterful best as our MC. The environment so well set up by Jan and Sr. Anh with Fr Peter’s roses as the centrepiece. The school was amazing – Jacqui Marshall was most supportive and she was backed up by her staff before and at the event, especially Brendan Ooi and Marita Anderson, Gary and there were others. Our trusty video man, Tony Nguyen, set up the video stream for those at home who could not attend. Joshua and Jack from JNJ events did a wonderful job in ensuring clear sound for the live stream in the GECCO and with external wireless speakers outside. This event was a success because of the work of so many people and apologies if your names are not added here but you know who you are.
Parishioners are able to see the paraliturgy on YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_2JpMQxbmY or simply going to the Parish website, www.smot.org.au.
We also began distributing copies of a book on Fr Peter, ‘Father Peter Robinson: Priest and Community Builder’, edited by Val Noone. One copy per family is available for collection by calling into the Parish house. If you miss out on one, provide your details and we will obtain a copy for you. This book has been made available by Fr Peter’s family and close friends as a special tribute.

HOLY WEEK/EASTER LITURGY TIMES 2021
Palm Sunday: 27th March 5.30pm & 28th March 8.00am &10am Mass
Lenten Reconciliation: Tuesday 30th March at 7.30pm
Holy Thursday: 1st April Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7.30pm
Good Friday: 2nd April Community Stations of the Cross at 10.00am Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion at 3.00pm
Holy Saturday: 3rd April Easter Vigil at 7.30pm, commencing outside with the Blessing of the Easter Fire.
Easter Sunday: 4th April 8.00am Dawn Mass, 10.00am Family Mass

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,
Our staff spent today building on their understanding of powerful teaching opportunities in the area of Mathematics. Teacher collaboration and learning is so important in improving student learning outcomes. We hope the timing of this day allowed you to enjoy an extra long weekend together as a family. I know some of us are taking the opportunity to travel interstate this weekend for the first time in a year.

It has been just wonderful to be able to gather together and provide extra experiences in a COVID safe way over the past few weeks. On Saturday night our Prep families had their Welcome Mass and social gathering afterwards. A big thank you to the Prep parent reps for their organisation of the catering. Our students have had sporting opportunities at swimming carnivals, Year 5 Retreat Day in preparation for their First Eucharist next weekend and school photos.  Our students loved the opportunity to have Snow Cones on Wednesday, a big thank you to Michelle and her team of helpers for making this happen. Our school tours and open mornings have begun with our Year 6 students doing an amazing job proudly talking about their school.

Principal’s Award
I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Olivia N (6AM) for her commitment to supporting those in need over the past few years. Olivia has done an amazing job collecting shoes and ensuring they go to disadvantaged students. We are all incredibly proud of you. Please click here to read Olivia's thank you to the school community.

Parking around the school

Could I once again remind all of our families the importance of safe practices around the school. I was advised that the council had inspectors out this week as there have been concerns raised with them.

Please ensure you do not park on our neighbours nature strips. Please do not leave your vehicle when parking in the 2 minute zone in Silk Street. For the safety of everyone please use the school crossing and do not call for your children to cross the road.

Memorial Paraliturgy for Fr. Peter Robinson our Parish priest 1993 – 2009

This is an opportunity for us as a Parish and School Community to appropriately farewell our former parish Priest in a way he deserved. The details of this special celebration are as follows.

Time & Date: 7:30pm on March 17

Place(s): Our church – 150 seats & the GECCO – 80 places. We will need to use QR Codes for both venues.
** We need to adhere to these numbers strictly due to current COVID regulations

Virtual Attendance: This paraliturgy will be live-streamed so as many people can ‘attend’ as possible. The web link will be advised next weekend.

There is a special publication that has been produced which honours his life and achievements: it is entitled, “Peter Robinson: Priest & Community Builder” (edited by Val Noone). We will advise shortly of its availability and how to obtain a copy.

Baptism Preparation 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 St Martin of Tours Parish. To find out more about the role please ring the Parish Office on 9401 6338 or Megan Gravell on 0423 870 940. Training is provided. An Information Night led by the current team leaders will be held on Wednesday 28 April at 7.30pm in the Parish Community Centre. So, ’come and see’ about the very satisfying service to our young families in the Parish, that this Team carries out, and bring a friend with you!

Learning Conversations

Our teachers are looking forward to connecting in with our families next week at Learning Conversations for Years 1- 6. This is a great opportunity for students, parents and teachers to set shared goals and expectations. They will be held on Tuesday 9 March from 4 - 8pm and Wednesday 4 - 6pm. Booking close on Sunday 7 March at 5pm via Compass. We will send out a COVID safe plan on Tuesday to outline the important processes to be followed when onsite.

Prep 2022 Information Night

This will take place on Thursday 18 March at 7pm in the GECCO. Please let your family and friends know if they are interested in enrolling their children at St Martin’s. Current families are also most welcome to attend this evening. The purpose of the night is to outline to prospective families what makes St Martin’s great! This will include our vision, an overview of our curriculum and learning and teaching practices, showcasing our extra curricular activities and other important information.

Band recruitment for 2021

Unfortunately we had to cancel our planned Band recruitment night last month due to the 5 day COVID lockdown.  We are still working through the best way to proceed with this and I can hopefully provide you with additional information soon.

In the meantime if you would like your child to have any instrumental lessons please refer to the Compass News feed title ‘Music Programs at St Martin’s’ for further information.

Catholic Education Week

This year marks 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia.  In the week commencing Monday 15 March we will be involved in various activities at school to celebrate our identity as a Catholic school. We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks.

Take care,

Jacqui Marshall
Principal

Year 5 Students Retreat Day

On Monday 1st March, the Year 5 students participated in a retreat day in preparation for their First Holy Communion next weekend.
The children participated in rotational activities that included art, meditation, Godly Play of the Last Supper and a tasting of the unblessed host and sacramental wine.
The children were engaged in all of the activities and reflected on the meaning of receiving the Eucharist and its importance for their faith journey. The children are looking forward to celebrating with their family and peers next weekend.

   

4TD Sacrament of First Reconciliation

The Year 4TD class received their Sacrament of First Reconciliation last Thursday afternoon. This special celebration began by the candidates (students) speaking to Father Michael or Father Peter, confessing their wrong doings and were forgiven. When they had received the sacrament, the candidates wearing a purple ribbon replaced this with their white Baptismal Stole. Each candidate received a certificate to mark this occasion. They then went to a heart that was pinned to a board which showed their wrong choices and turned this around to show how they had mended a broken relationship with that person and with God.

The liturgy was a beautiful way of asking for forgiveness and receiving God’s forgiveness and love through absolution. All candidates were very excited and grateful for such a special opportunity to celebrate their First Reconciliation. Thank you to all involved with the preparation of this sacrament.

We are thrilled to announce that SMOT will be participating in Scholastic Book Club this year. Perhaps some of you, like us, have fond memories of bringing the catalogue home from school as a child, looking through and circling all the books you would like to buy! Book Club is a great way to foster reading at home and to encourage our students to grow that love of reading.

Up to twice a term, during the school year, your child will receive a Club catalogue with a different selection of books offered for all ages. You’ll find award-winning books and bestsellers, as well as old and new favourites. The books span a wide range of children’s reading levels and interests.

It is easy to order. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school safe and sound and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Each order will also help earn free books and teaching materials for our school, however there is never any obligation to order.

More information will be provided when we send home the first issue of the magazine in the next week.
Emma Kent and Chloe Jones

HEIDELBERG DISTRICT SWIMMING CARNIVAL

On Thursday 25th February, 26 children from St Martin’s represented our school in the Heidelberg District Swimming Carnival at Northcote Pool.
All children participated enthusiastically and many achieved personal bests. Congratulations to the following children who represented our school:
Nathan A, Riley B, Gabby B, Asher B, Kiara C, Nathan D, Caitlin F, Lily G, Rayaan G, Patrick H, Emmy H, Riley H, James J, Isabelle K, Mitchell L, Alex L, Maddie L, Bethany M, Jasper M, Olivia N, Cohen P, Maxwell S, Sienna S, Mietta T, Charik U and Peter V.

Well done to the following children who received a ribbon for their event:

1st– Gabby B (12 Girls Freestyle and Breaststroke)

2nd– Maddie L (9/10 Girls Freestyle)

3rd– Isabelle K (11 Girls Freestyle)

4th– Nathan D (9/10 Boys Freestyle)

       Emmy H (12 Girls Backstroke)

       12 Boys Relay – Alex L, Patrick H, Mietta T, Lily

       G 12 Girls Relay – Gabby B, Isabelle K, Caitlin F, Emmy H

Good Luck to Gabby and Maddie who will now represent our school at the Banyule Division Carnival on Wednesday 3rd March.

Thank you to Mr Zac and Gayle for their supervision of the children on the day.

BANYULE DIVISION SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Congratulations to Gabby B and Maddie L who competed at the Banyule Division Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 3rd March.

Maddie competed in the 9/10 Girls 50m Freestyle and came 5th, while Gabby B came 2nd in the 12 Girls Breaststroke and 3rd in the 12 Girls Freestyle.

Well Done to both girls on a wonderful achievement.

WEEK 5

PGR
Sophie for being a super listener and following instructions carefully. What a superstar!

PPJ
Jessica for being a great listener and always following school routines. Well done Jess!

PVL
Jack for being such a polite and friendly boy at school. Well done, Jack!

1CF
Caitlin for always having a go, even when a task might be tricky! Never give up! Well done.

1CM
Genevieve D for being a great listener and following instructions. I love how you always try your best and when you share your great ideas. Keep up the awesome work Gigi!

1LB
Marcus for actively participating in whole class discussions regularly and contributing interesting and thoughtful ideas. Well done Marcus and keep up the amazing work.

2JS
Ethan B for consistently listening to and following teacher instructions and for being supportive towards his peers. Well Done Ethan!

2LB
Joshua for making valuable contributions to class discussions and for always trying his best when completing work tasks in the classroom.

2MT
Kirra for always being a bucket filler and for being such a kind friend to everyone in our class. Well done Kirra!

3KJ
Eliza for her creative letter called, 'Two Best Friends', based on a seed.

3LA
Jack for always listening carefully to instructions and doing his very best work in class. Keep it up Jack!

3MT
Zariah for her enthusiastic contributions during our guided reading group sessions.

4AT
Maya D for being a kind and helpful member of 4AT.

4CM
Indiana for her enthusiasm in presenting her published autobiography to the class and speaking confidently.

4TD
To all 4TD for having a positive attitude towards Home Learning and trying their best in all their assigned tasks.

5JM
To Darcy K for always trying his hardest during learning time and consistently doing it with a smile on his face.

5SM
To Abby for always offering assistance to others in the classroom. You are so kind.

5VC
To Campbell for showing persistence in his learning. Your teachers are very proud of the efforts you are making in all areas of school.

6AM
Congratulations to Gabby B for a fantastic start to Year 6. Gabby's maturity is evident in everything she does and her initiative as the Mercy House Captain is outstanding. We are loving watching you grow as a leader Gabby.

6GW
Ashia T. has impressed us with her reading fluency when reading our class serial out loud. She captures the characters feelings in her delivery.

6ZW
Well Done to William W for making the decision to move away from distractions in the class and focus on his school work. This has had a positive effect upon Williams work.

WEEK 6

PGR
James for being a kind friend and for helping others when they need. Super cool at school!

PPJ
Ethan for working well during class time and completing work of a good standard. Keep it up Ethan!

PVL
Hazel for being such a kind and friendly girl. Well done!

Alice for being such a good listener at school and in the Prep VL classroom. Well done!

1CF
Clara for having a positive attitude to learning by answering questions and sharing her knowledge with the class. Awesome stuff!

1CM
Sienna P for always trying your best and never giving up! I love how you are learning to use growth mindset language to have a positive attitude towards your learning. Well done Sienna, I am very proud of you!

1LB
Ellie for being a great role model to her peers by actively listening and contributing to class discussions and presenting her work in clear and neat manner. Amazing effort Ellie!

2JS
Zayn C for using lovely manners when speaking to others and for being a 'Bucket Filler' in Year Two JS. Well done Zayn!

2LB
Josie for being a bucket filler in 2LB by always helping others, showing kindness and being a great friend.

2MT
Braxton for demonstrating a Growth Mindset during writing and having a go independently. I love how you kept trying and didn't give up. Well done Braxton!

3KJ
Jack D for his detailed snap shot writing called, 'The Eagle and the Wasp."

3LA
Amelia for being such a wonderful role model to everyone in 3LA. You are a fantastic listener and always make great choices in the classroom. Well done Amelia!

3MT
Melina for using interesting sizzling starters for her narrative writing.

4AT
Stefan for trying his best to improve his learning and having a positive attitude

4CM
Jye for his hardworking and positive attitude towards his learning, especially during Reading and Maths.

4TD
To Dona for settling into the routines of St Martin’s and having a positive growth mindset towards her learning. Well Done Dona!

5JM
To Zach P for always giving his best effort in his learning and never giving up. Awesome work dude!

5VC
To Luca for always participating in class discussions and sharing is knowledge of topics, in particular during English sessions.

6GW
Alyssa actively contributes to class discussions. After sharing, she listens to others and is always available to help.

6ZW
Well Done to Charlotte T for having such a positive attitude towards all of her learning, always helping around the classroom and keeping up with all of her studies while meeting the high expectations and demands of being a school leader.

SCHOOL FEES

If you are paying your fees via instalments:
• Instalment 1 is due by 1/4/2021
Internet transfer payments may be made to our school fee account (BSB 083 347 A/C 65320 6057).
Please include your child’s surname in the reference.

CSEF (CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSION 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 also requires a copy of your current health care card.

For families who are eligible for CSEF payment you will be eligible for 15% discount on the family fee. ($300). If you were eligible for CSEF last year and have not submitted a copy of your new card please do so soon as possible.

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

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 

March
★ 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)