Newsletter Term 1 Week 6

The term is definitely underway as our school is a hive of activity. Our students have now familiarised themselves into their new classrooms, making connections with their peers and building relationship with their educators. A highlight was our whole school beginning year Mass where we welcomed all our new students and staff and blessed our student leaders for 2025. It was lovely to see so many parents and special friends join us for the uplifting celebration. Our students’ voices singing the beautiful hymns was a real highlight.

Many families have taken the opportunity to “meet the teacher” at our Book A Chat meetings. These sessions provide a valuable chance to connect, share insights, and discuss your child's needs for the year ahead. Personalised Plans for Learning (PPLs), developed last year for students who required them, were briefly discussed as we begin the process of reviewing and updating them for the new year.

There will be another formal opportunity to meet with teachers early next term for Parent/Teacher interviews.  This is a very important opportunity for discussion where teachers will report on progress, especially if there are any difficulties arising.  It will also an opportunity to share the new PPL for any children that have will require one for 2025.

Family Fun Day
This past Sunday, the Star of the Sea community came together for an unforgettable Family Fun Day, and what a day it was! The school grounds were filled with energy and a true sense of connection as families and students enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of fun.

From pedal push cars, delicious food carts, face painting, sausage sizzle, balloon making, the event had something for everyone. The atmosphere was buzzing with joy as children played, parents mingled, and friendships—both new and old—flourished. It was a beautiful reminder of the strong, welcoming spirit that makes our school so special.

A huge thank you Belinda Bird for her organisation and to our incredible Parents and Friends Committee, whose hard work and dedication made this event possible.

To everyone who attended, volunteered, or contributed in any way—thank you for making Family Fun Day such a success. We are truly blessed to be part of such a vibrant and supportive school community!

Behaviour Expectations: Ready to Learn Charts
You may have heard your child talking about our newly introduced Ready to Learn Charts located and used in each of the classrooms around our school. These charts are designed to support student learning and engagement and they visually reinforce key learning goals and classroom expectation. We have noted their effectiveness already in providing clarity and consistency for all students, including those making positive choices and a clear step outline for those students not demonstrating expected behaviours. These will be utilised across all year levels to support our learners and teachers. 

School Uniforms
The School Board has formally approved the 2025 Uniform Policy, and we ask all families to review the policy at the link below.

Please pay particular attention to the uniform requirements, especially regarding appropriate footwear. To allow families adequate time to comply, the remainder of this term will serve as a transition period before full implementation next term.

Below are some excerpts from the policy. 

Uniform Compliance
If a student wears an incorrect uniform item, an email will be sent home to inform the family. If the issue persists, a follow-up email will be sent. Should the non-compliance continue requiring a third notification, a meeting will be arranged with the class teacher and a member of the leadership team to discuss the matter and determine appropriate next steps. 

School Shoes

Please click on the link to our Uniform Policy

AGM: Wine and Cheese Night
We welcome you all to our AGM and Parent Forum on Monday 17 March at 7pm in the Stella Maris Building. It will be an opportunity to connect with others and contribute your ideas in helping shape our Strategic Plan for 2025-2028. The meeting will also include our AGM reports and voting for the new positions of the School Board.

We bid farewell to four members of our School Board, Liz Sarris, Amy Diggins, Nathan Foulis and Dave Slovinec. We sincerely appreciate their dedication, leadership, and the invaluable contributions they have made to our school community on our school board. Their commitment to supporting the vision and growth of our school has had a lasting impact, and we are truly grateful for their service.

With these transitions, we will be excited to welcome four new members to the 2025 School Board (voting will occur at our AGM). This presents a wonderful opportunity for fresh perspectives and continued collaboration. 

Thank you once again to our outgoing members for their years of service, and we look forward to the next chapter with our new board representatives.

NCCD (National Consistent Collection of Data)
Currently teachers are putting in a lot of work, in the background, collecting information for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). 

The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability
• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

Funding from the Australian Government for students with disability is based on the NCCD through the student with disability loading.

Students who are counted in the top three levels of the NCCD (extensive, substantial and supplementary) attract the loading. Funding is based on a per-student amount at each of the three levels of additional support. The amount of the loading reflects the level of support students with disability need to participate fully in school, with higher funding for those who need higher levels of support.

An adjustment is an action to help a student with disability take part in education on the same basis as other students.

The school assesses the needs of each student with disability. The school provides adjustments in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians and carers.

Schools must make reasonable adjustments if needed. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 define ‘reasonable adjustment’ as an adjustment that balances the interests of all parties affected.

Schools identify which students will be counted in the NCCD. They base their decisions on the following:

• adjustments provided for the student (after consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians and carers)

• the school team’s observations and professional judgements

• any medical or other professional diagnoses and any other relevant information

Respect Our Student Road Monitors – Keeping Everyone Safe
Our student road monitors play an important role in keeping our school community safe. They have been trained by SAPOL and are committed to ensuring a smooth and secure crossing for everyone. We kindly ask for your patience and respect when approaching the crossings. Please follow their instructions, as they are simply doing their job to protect our students and families. A smile and a thank you go a long way in encouraging their confidence and commitment!

Your support sets a great example for our children and helps reinforce the importance of road safety.  Thank you for working with us to keep everyone safe.

Wishing you a wonderful long weekend break!

Go well,
Annette Diassinas and Kelly Manera

Just as there are seasons of the year: Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. So too, the Church’s year has seasons. Each season celebrates a part of Jesus’ life.

This week was a very important time in our Liturgical Calendar. It began with Shrove Tuesday followed by Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a new season in the Church’s year. The tradition of the Church has been to see Lent as a time of renewal and preparation for the great feast of Easter.

On Tuesday our students celebrated Shrove Tuesday by eating yummy pancakes that were cooked and prepared by our wonderful parent helpers. A huge THANKYOU all the parent helpers who came to cook and serve all the pancakes.

Also, a big shout out to the families of the Year 4 students for supplying the mixture and the Year 6 families for supplying the condiments. 

An absolute testament to our wonderful community here. We are truly blessed.

Yesterday our school marked the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent by celebrating Ash Wednesday with mass and a liturgy. Our students and school community were marked with ashes on their forehead. This is a public expression of our faith and humility. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  

Project Compassion

During the season of Lent we have been called to Pray Fast and Almsgiving. ‘Alms’ is what we do and give to people in need. As a school community we are Almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. All families should have received a Project Compassion box. If you would like another, please come to the front office to collect. We thank our families who will generously to Project Compassion through money donations. Donations can also be made via QKR.

Harmony Week

During Week 8 (March 17 – 21) we will be celebrating Harmony Week. This is a time when we recognise our uniqueness, and spread, joy and love amongst our community.

Harmony Week is a reminder that WE can make a change and bring harmony to our world. 

Just as the colours of the rainbow are many and varied, they are a reminder that we all come together from different cultures, beliefs, religions, and understandings. We come together to bring about harmony through respect, inclusion and belonging. This week is about respecting differences, including others and feeling that we all belong.

Classes will engage in different activities and learning across the week.

On Wednesday 19 March we will come together as a school community for our Harmony Week Assembly at 9:30am on the school oval.

We ask that students in each year level wear a different colour of the rainbow so we can create a whole school rainbow at our assembly.

Students are asked to wear a coloured hat, socks, t-shirt, shorts or ribbon etc in their allocated Year level colour.

•              Reception - Pink or Purple

•              Year 1 – Purple

•              Year 2 – Blue

•              Year 3 – Green

•              Year 4 - Yellow

•              Year 5 – Orange

•              Year 6 - Red

Thank you for your support, we look forward to seeing you at the assembly.

With Gratitude
Domenique Laurendi