Term 3 Week 8 - FRIDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER

From our Principal

Spring has (almost) sprung. The onset of Spring seems to unify the natural environment around us. Plants, trees and flowers come to life under the warming sun and spending time outside seems so much more inviting. During the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis invited us to examine our conscience as we connect with our natural environment. He asked that we show gratitude and gratuitousness and recognise that the world is God’s loving gift and we must show a loving awareness and connectedness to all of creation as we are “joined in a splendid universal communion.” This sentiment is more important than ever as we navigate a COVID environment. 

I again thank and congratulate our school community for your efforts to stay connected and continue learning in this time of lockdown. For students, staff and families, it is challenging, and if there are specific challenges or concerns that you are encountering, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher who continue to be adaptable to each family's individual circumstance.  

I encourage all families to complete the feedback form on the link provided. The information gathered will help us to respond to how we are delivering our remote learning programme and make improvements to our practice. 

Every blessing, Roxanne

Remote Learning Survey

We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to provide some feedback about your Remote Learning experience so far in order to best cater for the needs of our students and families. Please click on the link to complete the survey:

Fathers' Day Prayer & Photo Video

Dear Families, 

With Fathers' Day just around the corner, our St Mary’s School Community would like to acknowledge the fathers/ father figures in the lives of our students.  

To do this we will be creating a prayer video that will be shared with our community via Facebook. We would like to include photos of our students and their father or special person.

If you would like to be a part of our prayer please send through one photo of your child/children and their special person to Louise Wilson at lwilson@smararat.catholic.edu.au

Remember that this video will be shared on social media, so please consider this before sending through your photo. 

All photos need to be sent in to Louise by the end of today, Friday 3rd September. The prayer video will be shared on Facebook on Fathers' Day this Sunday 5th September.

Thank you for all of your hard work throughout this difficult time.

Warm regards, 
St Mary’s Staff

Bread Bag collection has finished!

We are no longer accepting bread bags as part of the Wonder promotion we were taking part in last term. Thank you to all families for collecting so many bread bags. We are delighted to have reached the maximum quota of bags, and look forward to finding out what sports equipment we can get for the school.

Watch this space!

Upcoming Dates

Please note the Book Week activities, Book Drive and Fathers' Day Brekky have all been postponed until a later date

SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER
Fathers' Day
Please follow our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/stmarysararat to view our Prayer Video

THURSDAY 9 SEPTEMBER & FRIDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
SSG Meetings

THURSDAY 16 SEPTEMBER & FRIDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
SSG Meetings

FRIDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Last day of Term 3

MONDAY 4 OCTOBER
Start of Term 4

Happy Birthday!

Wishing the following students a very happy birthday this week:

Tyler B & Noah G

In Our Community

BreastScreen Victoria van visits Ararat with free breast screens

From 11-29 October 2021, BreastScreen Victoria’s hot pink van will visit Ararat for the first time to provide free breast screens to the community.

Women aged between 50 and 74 should have a free breast screen every two years. They are the best way to find breast cancer early, before there are symptoms and when treatment is most successful.

All breast screens are with a female radiographer, in a friendly and safe environment. You don’t need a doctor’s referral or Medicare card, and screens only take 10 minutes.

BreastScreen Victoria has safety measures in place to protect clients and staff against the risk of COVID-19. This includes mandatory face masks and spaced out appointments to allow for physical distancing, and more cleaning in between appointments. More information about screening during COVID-19 can be found on the BreastScreen Victoria website.

The van will be at Ararat Library carpark, enter via RSL carpark on High St.

Appointments for the Ararat van can be made online at breastscreen.org.au or by calling 13 20 50.

 Links:

Bookings: https://bookings.breastscreen.org.au or call 13 20 50

Facebook: Ararat van event page; BreastScreen Victoria

Website: www.breastscreen.org.au