Newsletter - 13th November 2024
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wadawurrung people. It is a privilege to be standing on Wadawurrung country.
We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the contributions of Indigenous Peoples from the past, present and future who contribute to this country in which we live.
May Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians continue to work together to educate, unite and live in peace on this land we call home, Australia.
Upcoming Events
19th November: Playgroup 9:00am-11:00am
20th November: Lego Competition at ACU Ballarat
25th November: Lunch orders delivered
26th November: Transition for 2025 Foundation Students (9:30am-11:30am); Playgroup 9:00am-11:00am
2nd December: Grandparents' Day, 8:50am-11:00am
3rd December: Playgroup 9:00am-11:00am; Going Up Day, new Foundation students to attend
6th December: Parents and Friends Meeting, 3:00pm. All welcome!
9th December: Lunch orders delivered
10th December: Playgroup 9:00am-11:00am
11th December: 5:30pm St Mary's End of Year Thanksgiving Mass & Graduation. 7:30pm Dinner at the Robin Hood. All welcome.
12th December: End of Year Excursion
17th December: Playgroup 9:00am-11:00am
18th December: Last day for students, finish at 1:30pm.
29th January 2025: Students return, Term 1 commences
Prayer
Gracious God,
We thank You for the bravery and dedication of the men and women who served selflessly for our freedom. May we honor their memory by living lives that reflect gratitude and service to others.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
We thank You, Lord, for their sacrifice.
Amen
Messages from the Principal
PARENTS AND FRIENDS / SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL
We are looking for some new faces for our Parents and Friends. We have our last Parents and Friends and School Advisory Council Meeting for this year on Friday 6th December from 3-4pm. We even have some fun activities planned for the kids after school while the meeting is on. Please mark this date in your calendar as it would be great to see some new faces at this meeting.
STATE ATHLETICS
A huge congratulations and well done to Alexis for her efforts at last week’s Victorian Primary Schools State Track and Field Carnival. Alexis qualified for the discus and shot put where she finished an amazing 2nd and 4th respectively. We are incredibly proud of your efforts Alexis and look forward to what your athletic career may bring!
SOCIAL MEDIA
When I sent out the last newsletter I mentioned that we would be promoting our school on social media (Facebook and Instagram) to get the word out about our wonderful school. I asked you to Like, Comment and Share our posts. Can you believe that one post alone reached 5,176 people and had a total of 413 clicks. 70 people liked the post and 18 people loved it. The post was even shared 13 times. This is what we are hoping for! So keep on liking, commenting and sharing the posts and we will continue to get the word out there. Thanks.
KINGSTON SHOW
The students have been very busy creating several pieces of art for the Kingston Show. It sounds like it will be a fantastic weekend and it will be wonderful to see the artwork on display.
PLAYGROUP
We have a very active playgroup every Tuesday morning between 9 and 11 am and I'm thankful to Melinda Prendergast for her work in making this happen. Yesterday Melinda and Hugh were very excited to receive a prize from Playgroup Victoria for a competition that Melinda entered earlier in the year. The kids today enjoyed playing with the new Duplo.
THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA
Grass pollen season brings an increase in asthma and hay fever. It also brings the chance of thunderstorm asthma. Thunderstorm asthma is thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high amounts of grass pollen in the air and a certain type of thunderstorm. For people who have asthma or hay fever this can trigger severe asthma symptoms.
If you have current, past or undiagnosed asthma or seasonal hay fever you are at risk of thunderstorm asthma. Even if you don't think you have asthma or hay fever, don't ignore symptoms like wheezing or shortness of breath.
Thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening. Know the risks. Get prepared. Stay safe.
Please see the link below to learn more.
REMEMBRANCE DAY
The 11th of November marks the significant occasion of when army officials in 1918 agreed that, after 4 years, all fighting in World War I would end. On this day, we remember all those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.
OUR DIOCESAN COMMUNITY
Please see the link below for the November 2024 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”. You might even see your child in this edition.
SECONDHAND UNIFORMS
Thank you to the families who have brought in some uniforms they no longer need. If you have any uniforms that are still in good condition that you would like to donate to the school or if you would like any secondhand uniforms, please see Claire at the office.
TERM ONE DATES
Term 1, 2025 commences for students on Wednesday 29th January and ends on Friday 4th April. Mark these dates on your calendar.
PAM
Thanks to those parents who enter their child’s absence in PAM before school starts. This is greatly appreciated by staff.
COVID
Parents are asked to be aware that covid is about at the moment. Please keep your child home if they are unwell and please ensure to use covid tests if your child is showing any symptoms.
May God Bless you all and keep you safe,
Clare
News from the North Room
Monday was Remembrance Day and we commemorated all the men and women who have fought and died in wars protecting Australia.
We read a book called My Mother’s Eyes: The story of a boy soldier which was written by Mark Wilson. It was about a boy called William who was 15 and he lied about his age, he said he was 18 so he could join the army during World War I.
He went to Egypt on a boat and there were hundreds of other soldiers and some were boy soldiers too. After Egypt they sailed to France in Europe.
It was so cold that some got frostbite and they lived in rain and mud in the trenches. Many soldiers died in France. William did not come home because he died in France too.
Then we made poppies to wear which were the first flowers that bloomed on the battlefields in France and remind us of the sacrifice soldiers made.
During lunch break we stood for a minutes silence to remember and listened to the Last Post.
Lest We Forget
On Tuesday we welcomed Boston and Mason back to school for their second transition visit. It was great to see them again and have them in our classroom.
Red and blue are Boston’s favourite colours.
Blue is Mason’s favourite colour.
They both love making paper chains.
They really liked putting their work up on the wall.
We are looking forward to them coming back for their next visit.
South Room News
Another busy couple of weeks as the term flies by. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and dedication from our LEGO champs, seeing everyone get lost as they explored Google Earth, honing cricket skills, recognising our big feelings and how our body responds, and amongst the busyness, we took time to stop and remember….
Pat - The past few weeks Will, Leo, Emilia, Quinn and I have been working on the Lego Challenge ‘Submerged’ . It has been a fun project where we have constructed many builds and are getting ready for the big challenge at the ACU next week.
Maeve - The past couple of weeks the whole south room has been discovering the wide world of Google Earth as part of our Inquiry unit. Google Earth was created by people flying around the world in a plane taking thousands of pictures and then overlapping them to make the full picture. We were able to visit lots of interesting places like the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower and the Atlantic Ocean. We also visited our homes and our school.
Alexis and Kamden - Every Friday for the past 4 weeks we have been doing a cricket session with Akshay, a cricket expert. We practise bowling and batting and have learnt some fun cricket games to play with a team or partners.
Each week we have been discussing stress management and learning techniques we can use to calm down during times of stress. We are all working on making our own stress management plans.
Quinn - On Monday it was Remembrance Day. In the morning we made a Poppy badge and at 11 o’clock we had a minute of silence where we reflected on those people who died and fought in War and the sacrifices they made for us.
SPECIAL REPORT: Navigating AI Relationships
Despite governments globally moving towards raising the minimum age for social media access due to mounting concerns about the negative effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, there's now an even newer challenge on the horizon - the rise of romantic and companion AI bots. These virtual companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, raising serious questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of relationships in the digital age.
The rise of AI-powered relationships is offering a new frontier in human interaction. Initially emerging in the gaming world, AI companionship has evolved into mainstream culture, with apps providing personalised experiences that range from platonic friendships to romantic encounters. These interactions can blur the boundaries between real and virtual relationships, creating confusion and potential psychological harm.
Criminologists warn that children as young as 12 are accessing dating apps, often bypassing age restrictions, exposing them to sexual content and predatory behaviour. Researchers have also found that many adolescents are turning to virtual partners for validation, risking unhealthy emotional attachments that can affect real-life relationships.
As AI reshapes social dynamics, it's crucial to stay informed and engaged. While AI can enhance education and creativity, it also presents challenges around privacy, mental health, and misinformation.This Special Report will help you foster an open dialogue and balanced approach to help young people navigate this evolving digital landscape.
Beleza Ballarat
We're excited to announce that our Annual VIP Sale will be running again soon for 2024!
For our Ballarat store, the sale will be running from Saturday 23rd of November to Saturday 30th of November. Families can receive 20% off Beleza-branded items during this sale period, so it's a great opportunity for families to prepare for the 2025 school year and save on some of those back-to-school costs.
