School Newsletter Term 1, Week 4, 20th February 2025

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

Over the last fortnight we have had great family engagement with our Beginning Year Mass, 3-6 Swimming Sports, Parents and Friends meeting and this week the Meet and Greets.  The Meet and Greets are a valuable way for you to have a face to face conversation with your child's teacher and discuss the strengths and challenges they have in their learning.  These are all opportunites to make our school community a great place to be. 

Our Parents and Friends is a group that have the chance to support our school and fundraise for areas in our school that need improvement or facilitate events in our school. Areas that may be needing improvements are our playground, grass area or shade sails.  The next Parents & Friends meeting is on Friday 28th February  at 9am in the Presbytery (near the tennis courts). This meeting will be to elect the office bearers for 2025. We are hoping to get as many parents as we can in this group to support our school and a chance to be in our community. All parents are invited to come along to the meeting if they would like to be in any positions or a member. There is a survey link below to see what times would suit parents to attend future meetings so please fill in.

Last Wednesday we had our school closure day to attend a Professional Development on Structured Literacy .  As a school we are learning how to teach reading and writing the most effective way to our students. There has been a lot of information in recent news about the way to teach most effectively to ensure the highest standards of literacy can be achieved for each individual student. Structured Literacy focuses on breaking down the complex tasks of reading and writing into clear, step by step skills. There is a clear order and each new task builds on from the last. We have attached a handout about the Literacy Approach we are learning about in 2025. 

Literacy Assessment Data - As per previous newsletter, DOBCEL and La Trobe University have joined in research partnership and we are one of the schools in our Diocese that data will be collected from. The Literacy assessment data will be used to track the efficacy of the Flare Primary Literacy Strategy. It is important for you to know that all student information that is shared with La Trobe is deidentified using a code system. Attached with this newsletter is a letter of explanation and the opportunity for you to opt out of the data collection if you wish. This was sent home as a paper copy last fortnight and copies are available in the school office. I look forward to sharing more about this and our outcomes with you as we go along.

If you have any concerns regarding your child/ren the teacher is the first point of contact. They can then seek guidance from other staff members and arranged any further action if needed. If you need to talk to a staff member at St Augustine's  and would like to make an appoinment please DOJO the staff member direct. We use DOJO as a means of communication with all staff members. At times, the day can be very busy and we may not be available to have a meeting on the same day but we will make all efforts to accomodate.  Likewise,  if you require a meeting with a member of leadership, please contact them direct via Class Dojo or you can email myself, principal@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au or our deputy Principal Kate Balzan, kbalzan@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au to arrange an appointment. If your matter is urgent, please contact the school office direct.  

Lord Jesus,
We thank you for your presence in the life of our Parent
Community and in our school. 
In our shared plans and hopes and dreams, in the prayers, 
liturgies and celebrations,  and
often enough, in the words of our children.
Bless all of those who are a part of our school community.
May their future be lived in your
teachings and example. Amen

Many blessings,

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

FROM THE SCHOOL OFFICE

PAM - We require ALL families to complete and update their child/ren’s medical profile and contact information for 2025 through PAM and throughout the year as changes occur. This information is mandatory and a requirement for enrolment. Link to PAM:

https://pam.samaryborough.catholic.edu.au/Login/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f

School photo permissions are also to be completed through PAM for all students. If you are unsure of your PAM login details, please contact the school office.

2025 School Fees & Levies - Fees have now been billed and statements have been sent home with students last week. Please let the office know if you have not received your statement and a copy can be emailed or sent home.

It is an expectation that all Resource fees are paid by the end of February 2025. The Resource Fee covers all your childs books, stationary, digital licenses and classroom supplies.

Camp fees are to be paid prior to students attending the camp. 5/6 Camp is the 24-26th March and the 3/4 Camp is 19-21 May. All other fees are to be finalised by the end of November each year. 

Valid concession card holders will be eligible for the government Camp Sports Excursion Fund (CSEF), Family Fee Assistance and the School Saving Bonus. Forms have been sent home with all Foundation students and copies are available in the school office for any other new claimants. Existing claimants (anyone who has claimed CSEF in 2024 with our school) will be advised when payments have been received and applied to your fee accounts. if you have any questions please contact the school office. All fee discounts will be applied to fee accounts by the end of Term 1.

CDFpay - CDFpay now has its own new App. Previous links to CDFPay will no longer work. Instructions on how to download are attached below.

Absences - Please let the school office know if your child is absent via a Parent Notified Absence through PAM, an email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au or via phone. If your child is arriving late to school or leaving school  early you will need to come into the office and sign them in/out using the kiosk located on the right of the reception desk. 

School Photo Day - is Thursday 29th May (Term 2). MSP Photography will be taking our school photo's this year. More information to follow.

Calendar - Please make sure to check the school calendar which is linked to this newsletter to keep up to date with events and school closure days. 

Class Dojo - All families should now be connected to Class Dojo. Class Dojo is a direct form of communication from the classroom and school wide to home. Please be aware that teachers may not be checking messages during the school day as they will be teaching so if there is any important /urgent information that we need to know please call the office. Please stay up to date with Class Dojo notifications and messages as this is where you will find the majority of important information. 

Happy Birthday to...

WEEK 3 & 4

Riley H - Year 2      Isla C - Year 6      George W - Year 2      Patrick H - Year 2    Hugo R - Year 5     

Malakai W - Foundation      Charles B - Year 3      Ayla R -  - Year 2

Leonard Y - Year 4      Tia R - Year 4    

Term 1 Overview

2025 School Fees & Levies

2025 School Fees & Levies - below is the 2025 School Fees & Levies information.

It is an expectation that all Resource fees are paid by the end of February 2025. The Resource Fee covers all your childs books, stationary, digital licenses and classroom supplies.

Camp fees are to be paid prior to students attending the camp. 5/6 Camp is the 24-26th March and the 3/4 Camp is 19-21 May. All other fees are to be finalised by the end of November each year. 

Valid concession card holders will be eligible for the government Camp Sports Excursion Fund (CSEF), Family Fee Assistance and the School Saving Bonus. Forms are available for new claimants.  Existing claimants with no changes from 2024 will not need to complete a new CSEF form, applications will be automatic. All credits will be applied to fee accounts by the end of Term 1.  

We welcome all students and their families who share or respect our Catholic faith, values and traditions. Catholic education is supported by State and Federal funding, with families contributing the balance of the cost of educating their children. At times, some families are unable to meet their commitment to the full costs of education. As a Catholic school system, we ensure fee relief mechanisms are available to support families in time of need. We encourage these discussions on enrolment or as these needs emerge.

Lunch box ideas

SchoolTV

SchoolTV is a great reliable resource for parents & caregivers.

See below link for articles on Positive Parenting and many more important issues.

New articles released regularly. 

Ambulance Cover

Emergency medical transport services are not free and not covered by Medicare. Become a genuine Ambulance Victoria member and be protected against the cost of transport and treatment by paramedics.

If your child required an ambulance at school we would not hesitate to call for one before speaking with parents. Without ambulance membership it can be a very costly trip! If your not already covered please consider!

Bus Travel & Conveyance Allowance

PTV forms are required to be updated and completed yearly by all families who have bus travellers.

Bus travel on the country buses is available for students at St Augustine’s School and arrangements are made through the bus co-ordinator, Heather Leach, at the Maryborough Education Centre on 5461 7900 or via email to Heather.Leach2@education.vic.gov.au. 

A PTV form must be completed and approved prior to any bus travel.

For one off or seasonal travel, parents of the student/s must organise a bus pass through MEC at least two days prior to travel. Students cannot travel on the country buses without a pass.

The town bus is currently full so no additional travellers are being accepted. The town bus costs 50cents a trip, payable on the day of travel.  Please advise the office if your child will be travelling on any of the buses so we can update our bus rolls.

IMPORTANT

All bus travel requires parents/guardians to complete a Public Transport Victoria (PTV) Application for Permission to Travel form prior to any bus travel. This form can be emailed direct to Heather Leach at MEC, Heather.Leach2@education.vic.gov.au. It is important that this form is completed as these details will be used in the event of an emergency.

CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE 

Eligibility

An application on behalf of a student may be submitted if the student is:

• a Victorian resident.
• school aged and enrolled (3) three or more days per week at a school; and
• attending a school/campus located outside the Melbourne metropolitan conveyance boundary

A student who meets the above requirements may be eligible if they:

• attend their nearest or designated neighbourhood government school/campus appropriate to their year level, at which admission is permissible, or
• attend their nearest appropriate non-government school/campus appropriate to their year level, at which admission is permissible, and
• reside 4.8km or more by the shortest practicable route from the campus attended

Medical Information

THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA INFORMATION

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. Learn more at https://www.bhs.org.au/services-and-clinics/grampians-public-health-unit/thunderstorm-asthma/

Student Medical Information

If your child is unwell please keep them at home.

This includes coughs, colds, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and any other contagious illnesses.  

Coughs & Colds

Children can return to school once symptoms have eased and they are not actively coughing or blowing their nose.  

Vomitting & Diarrhoea

Children can return to school 48 hours after the last episode.

We will send children home if they present with any of these symptoms whilst at school.

Notifying Absences

All absentee notifications should be recorded either through the Parent Access Module (PAM) or directly to the school office by phone or email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au prior to 9.30am on the day of the absence. Please do not send notes of absence through to classroom teachers on Class Dojo as they may be absent or unable to check messages prior to commencement of class.

If a student is absent and we have not received any form of notification by 9.30am, a text message will be sent to parents asking them to call the office or send a reply text. 

Child Safety

St. Augustine's Primary School Maryborough demonstrates a strong commitment to the care, safety and wellbeing of all students at our school.

All of our Child Safe policies and procedures are accessible on our website through the link below.

Uniform Shop

Uniforms will continue to be filled weekly and sent home with your child/ren.

We have discontined the lemon polo's due to the large delay in delivery times. We are out of stock of short sleeved lemon polo's in most sizes now. Long sleeve lemon polos are still available in some sizes while stocks last. Send a dojo to Amber is you would like to purchase.

Bucket Hats available from the uniform shop or school office for $12 each. Compulsory for Term 1 - NO HAT, NO PLAY!

Uniform orders will continue to be filled and sent home with your child(ren) weekly. If you would like to enquire about secondhand uniform, please send a message to Amber on Class Dojo with your required items and sizes and we will send home what we can supply, $5 per item.

If you have any queries or items to be exchanged, please contact the school office. 

Note: There is no designated period for summer or winter uniform. Students can choose what they would like to wear in any season. The only exception is that sports uniform must be worn on designated sports days and bucket hats are to be worn between August & April.

HATS 

Recent changes to sun protection regulations have deemed the UV rays as a predictor for the wearing of sun protection, such as hats. In the past we have mandated hats in Term 1 and 4 however now in Victoria, UV levels typically reach 3 or higher daily from mid-August to the end of April.

Daily sun protection times are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology based on location. At levels above 3, sun protection is recommended for all skin types. No hat, no play! 

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE

If you call the office and the phone is unattended or busy, please leave a message. and we will get back to you ASAP. Alternatively please email a message through to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au or send a class dojo through to Ms O'Kearney.  Please try and avoid last minute end of day changes for students. We understand that things do come up and if a change needs to be urgently relayed to your child/ren, please call and speak with the office so we can make sure they get the message immediately.  

Please note the phones are back up and running but we do not have a message service as yet. Alternatively please send a dojo or email to Amber O'Kearney at admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au if you need to contact the school office.   We will advise when our office message service is back online.  

PAM - Parent Access Module

PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR PAM ACCOUNT AND CONFIRM/COMPLETE YOUR CHILDS MEDICAL PROFILE. THIS INFORMATION IS MANDATORY FOR ALL STUDENTS. 

We require ALL families to complete and update their child/ren’s medical details and contact information for 2023 through PAM and throughout the year as changes occur. 

This information is mandatory and vital in the case of an emergency.   It is important that if you have any change to your contact numbers, including work place, mobile, home number, that these be updated through PAM and to advise the school office.

To complete your child/rens medical profile including contact information, go to PAM, click on your child/rens name, go to 'Medical Profile' and click 'Edit Details'. Complete details then click in the box at the bottom of the page to confirm the details are correct and click ‘Update Details’.

If you have any questions or require your login details, please contact the school office.

Parking & Road Safety

Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking. Please do not use these areas to park or pickup your children. Vehicle movement in and out of these areas means you are driving over footpaths/walkways which both our students and Highview students are using. This creates a potential safety hazard.

Follow road safety regulations, keep driveways clear, check carefully before reversing and avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the crossings. Please do not double park. We all want to keep our families safe so your co-operation is appreciated.

Please observe road rules around our school for the safety of all of our children.

* Schools have 40km zone.

* Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking.

* Please use the children's crossing on Burns, Kars St and Burke St.

* For safety purposes, please avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the crossings. Please do not double park. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

Bell times

5 minutes prior to classes commencing there is music played. This signals to the children it is time to start moving to class. This is the time children need to have a drink, go to the toilet etc. so they are lined up and ready to start class when the bell goes. 

8:30am - Yard Care Supervision begins

8:45am  -  Classroom teacher in classroom - meet & greet

8:55pm - School classes begin

9am-11am - 2 hour learning session

11am-11:40am -  First break

11:40am-1:40pm - 2 hour learning session

1:40pm-2:20pm - Second break

2:20pm-3:15pm - 55 minute learning session

3:10pm - Fiscalini & Flanagan dismissal

3:15pm - Arundell & Scanlan, Bus students dismissal

Parish News

Please see link below for the latest Parish Bulletin & readings.

Advanced dates for your diary

Tuesday 17th December - Last day for students, 3.15pm finish

2025 DATES

Wednesday 12th February - School Closure Day - Structured literacy 

Monday 24^th – Wed 26th March - Year 5/6 camp

Monday 19^th – 21st May - Year 3/4 camp 

Tuesday 22nd April - School Closure Days - Staff PD collaboration

Wednesday 23rd April - School Closure Days - Staff PD collaboration

Thursday 24th April - School Closure Day - School Review

Please see the link to the school calendar below for all  important dates.

Community Notices