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Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to Term 4. I hope your children had a wonderful holiday break and you all managed some quality time together. Judging by the footy colours on the last day of Term 3, there are quite a few of us happy with the result on Grand Final Day. Well done to the Geelong Football Club, namely Joel Selwood, for the beautiful moments of inclusion on the day, which are visible signs of love and hope. He certainly, through his actions, is endeavouring to make a difference in the world.
We are looking forward to our diversity day and colour run next Monday 10 October. Our Lady Star of the Sea celebrates diversity and inclusion every day and also have a significant focus annually as part of our Respectful Relationships and Barwon Health Month of Action. The focus on colour provides the opportunity to celebrate diversity amongst the school community and integrate key messages around cultural diversity, disability, gender equality, Koorie inclusion and the engagement of all students no matter their background, gender or ability. There will also be music from our very own Kevin Mitchell and we thank Kevin for this extremely kind donation of his time and talent. Parents are also welcome to come along to our short assembly at 12pm in the hall. More details below .
Diversity Dash/ Colour Run:
The Colour Run encourages students to get out and get active as part of a fun, social, colourful and inclusive event conducted within the school grounds. Students will be able to run, skip, dance or walk their way through a course that will be exploding with COLOUR!
Date: Monday 10th October
| Time/Schedule | Year 5/6 | 2pm - 2.30pm |
| Year 3/4 | 2.30pm - 3pm | |
| Year P/1/2 | 3pm - 3.30pm |
What to wear: As much white or light coloured ‘old’ clothing as possible, this will make the colours vibrant and colourful. You can wear your white T-shirt / clothing to school on the day over your sports uniform.
Community generosity thank you: Many thanks to all our magnificent families for the donations to the following great causes. Together we raised $648.20 for Jump Rope for Heart; $513 for our Fire Carrier initiative and the Opening Doors Foundation and $1,931.60 for Drive In Movie. Many thanks to all who helped with the Drive In particularly Alison Dove (Willem’s mum from Year 6). We sincerely thank you Alison for bringing this wonderful event back to life in your final year with us.
MISSION FETE: Mission Fete will take place in Week 5 on Friday November 4th and is the favourite day of the school year for many students. This is part of our Catholic Mission and our fundraising event to support the community of Bulbula in Ethiopia, as we have done since 2015, making a tremendous difference to the care, health and education of these children and their families.
Students will be asked to donate to their class stalls, as well as making a donation to participate in activities on the day. We ask that the students donate some of their own money for this activity, so that they have a greater appreciation of the value of money and the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.
Our Week 3 Newsletter will have further details of the donations required for each class and a run down of the day and activities.
Attendance and notifying of absences: There has been a change to the way in which we contact parents regarding absences. We will follow up with a phone call by 9:30am if we have not had any correspondence so please email your child’s teacher or mark their absence in PAM (where you access reports) as soon as you know. Before 9am on the day or earlier if known is ideal. Please click here for the link to our attendance policy.
Working Bee Sunday 23 October 10-12 noon: As you are aware we have reduced official Working Bees to one in Term 4 and one prior to the first day . We have a few jobs on the list including general tidy up, weeding, mulching and putting sprinkler systems into the veggie gardens. Therefore, we invite all who can attend to come along even if it's half an hour. The work will not be too laborious and you can enjoy working alongside and meeting more of the community. The Working Bee will conclude with a sausage in bread and house points for all family members that attend. We warmly and gratefully welcome you if you are able to come along.
Finally, next week I will be taking one week’s Long Service Leave to accompany 5 of my 9 siblings and my incredible mum to Queenstown in New Zealand. My mum turned 80 last year and whilst Europe was the plan pre COVID, it is beyond mum now, so we are being told Queenstown is the next best “Mini Europe” experience. As we are all aware, these special occasions are to be celebrated. Our much loved mum, who also incredibly continues to make a difference through her life of faith, hope and love, deserves the best for the many sacrifices and giving she continues to make in her lifetime. She still actively volunteers at St Vincent de Paul at the ripe old age of 81. Mum has been the best role model to us 10 kids, 29 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Feeling truly grateful for the opportunity to spend this time with most of the immediate family, celebrating mum. We are blessed.
Wishing you all many blessings for the fortnight ahead.
Kerryn
Digital Tattoo Presentation
Child Safe Standard 4 - Family Engagement – Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Child Safe Standard 9 Child Safety in physical and online environments - Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Last term Leigh Bartlett from Batforce presented her parent information session titled Digital Tattoo. This presentation for parents of primary aged children and aimed to assist parents to support their children navigate the digital world. I have included a link to the slides that Leigh presented on the night and included some summary points for those who were unavailable to attend the night.
Link to Digital Tattoo Presentation Slides
Link to Digital Tattoo - Because I love you - Conversations to have before your children log on.
1. Leigh started the presentation with a focus on Healthy Relationships. She highlighted the importance of healthy relationships online and how they should replicate the in person relationships. The key elements of healthy relationships include:
- We give each other the time to speak
- We give each other the time to think
- We give each other the time to respond
- We give each other the space to be different
- We let our mates say no if they want
- We look out for our mates
2. Patterns Matter- The patterns we begin as a young person can stay with us for life.
This advice is very significant for parents with young children.If young children develop patterns around using tech to self soothe, reduce boredom or alleviate loneliness then these strategies may be the only ones that young people use. It is important that young people create a range of patterns to self soothe, cope with boredom and deal with loneliness.
Leigh also spoke about the importance of creating patterns around when, where and how long tech is used. Setting up rules around the use of tech from an early age helps with the development of positive patterns they can take into their teenage years.
Leigh spoke of the need to create space for technology. With this she spoke about the importance that good behaviour is modelled, having a place for technology to live in your house, preferably outside of the bedroom and that this includes gaming consoles, mobile phones, ipads and computers.
With this, Leigh spoke of the need to celebrate boredom. As parents we often feel the need to ‘solve’ the problem of boredom? Technology should never be a cure for boredom. Children need to find the time to explore their worlds both inner and outer - this is the beginning of creativity. A great way to take control of your life is to ‘consider’ what to do with boredom. 20 mins of boredom can be the best gift you can give your child....take the challenge.
3. Modelling
Leigh challenged us to think how we model the following:
- Gender
- Respect
- Tolerance & acceptance
- Healthy relationships
- The use of alcohol and energy drinks
- Gambling and gaming - exposure to violence
- Technology use
- How we drive
- Gaining consent
Parents’ attitudes towards these issues are more important than you think. The need to rethink the ‘do as I say not do as I do.’
- From birth to 18 we have 936 weeks to impart the skills and knowledge we want our children to know before they are adults.
- By the time they begin secondary we have approx. 260 weeks left.
- Conversations are important but never underestimate the impact of role modelling as parents and carers you are the teachers that last well beyond the school year
4. Help seeking - Who do our children turn to when things are not right or when they feel unsafe?
Having conversations with our children to help them to design a plan for when they need help is very important. Children need toknow to speak up if they feel something doesn’t feel safe. We often ask children to use the image of their hand when developing a plan for seeking help. Eachfinger and thumb represents the people they will go to when they don’t feel safe. It is important that children can identify five different people they can turn to for help whenever they need it.
5. Other issues discussed by Leigh included:
6. Resources
Australian eSafety Commissioner
Batforce (Barwon Adolescent Task Force) Resource Page
Paul Anderson
Student Wellbeing Leader
Hello! My name is Sam Scott and I am wrapped to be joining the community of Our Lady Star of the Sea in 2023!
I will be returning to Geelong after spending this year living with my family on the Gold Coast. We are really pleased to be moving back to Bellarine where we will be closer to our family, great coffee and the relaxing community lifestyle that we have missed.
Here is a little bit about me:
I was born in Geelong and attended Leopold Primary School and St Joseph’s College. After secondary school I moved to Ballarat to attend Australian Catholic University. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Education, I have engaged in further study at ACU, where I am currently finalising my Masters of Leadership.
My teaching career began at St Mary’s Primary School in Geelong, where I moved from classroom teacher to Wellbeing Leader. I have also worked at St Thomas Primary School (Drysdale) and most recently Coomera Anglican College (Gold Coast). Having the opportunity to work in multiple school environments has enriched my passion and love of being a learner and an educator.
When I am not working or studying, you will find me chasing around my son Eddie, drinking coffee, playing football, supporting North Melbourne or walking my dog Ollie at the beach.
I am really looking forward to being part of your community in 2023."
My name is Zac Stankiewicz and I am thrilled to join the Our Lady Star of the Sea community in 2023. I have recently completed my Master of Primary Teaching at Australian Catholic University and have spent the past year working at Roslyn Primary School in Education Support, where I have had the opportunity to work with students of varying ages and learning styles. I am looking forward to bringing my knowledge and passion for teaching to Our Lady Star of the Sea.
I have grown up in the Geelong area and attended secondary school at St Joseph’s College. I like to spend my spare time playing footy and basketball, walking my dog, watching movies, going to the beach, and hanging out with my mates. I also love to travel and experience different cultures, as well as visit my family and friends living overseas.
I cannot wait to begin my teaching journey at Our Lady Star of the Sea, and I look forward to meeting the wider school community in the coming months.
Hello! My name is Bryony Musarra, I am so excited to be starting a new journey at Our Lady Star of the Sea and I’m glad to be able to share a little about myself with the community. I live locally on a farm/olive grove with my husband Jordan, our two dogs Hunter and Nala, our friendly sheep and our chickens. I have been teaching for three years now and absolutely love what I do. When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, running and walking, being outdoors, going to musicals, long road trips and camping. I am very passionate about bringing all of these things into the classroom to share with my students and school community.
I am really looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of the wonderful staff, students and families at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
Hello, Our Lady Star of the Sea community! My name is Carolyn Taylor. Thank you for welcoming me, I am beyond thrilled to be a part of your great school in 2023. I am an educator who has a deep passion for wellbeing with a specialisation in special education. Teaching and guiding young minds to explore their strengths and interests has always been a lifetime goal of mine, and I am extremely proud and lucky to be in this career field. I enjoy spending my spare time with those close to me, creating art, playing netball and taking my two cats for a walk (yes, cats!). I grew up in Albury on the Murray River and decided to move down to Geelong to study a Bachelor of Education. I am eager to learn more about the community of Our Lady Star of the Sea and start building meaningful, purposeful relationships.
See you in 2023!
Hi everyone, I’m Charlotte Monaghan! A little bit about me; I grew up in Geelong, making me a very passionate Geelong Cats supporter. I have two gorgeous pets, Elsie and Cosmo, who keep myself and my partner great company at home. When not at work you will probably find me competing in or coaching calisthenics, which has been my favourite sport/hobby for 19 years now!
I am very excited to be working at Our Lady Star of the Sea next year and cannot wait to meet everyone!
- Please go to pam.staroceangrove.catholic.
edu.au and enter your username (your username is the email address you have provided to school) and password. - Click on your child's profile on the left hand side.
- Locate your child's results by clicking 'NAPLAN' at the bottom of the left hand side menu.
National Bird Count 2022 Click link find out more!!!
An updated General Permission form for local excursions and photos/recordings will be sent to all families through Operoo. Please complete the updated version for all students at your earliest convenience.
Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct school uniform items, specifically the correct shoes and socks.
Over the next fortnight, depending on the weather, the children are able to wear either their winter or summer uniform however they must wear their school hat.
The Summer Uniform requirements are:
Summer Uniform
- Grey school shorts, short or long sleeved dark green polo with white embroidered school logo and white edge on collar, grey ankle length socks.
OR
- Green and white checked dress with Peter Pan collar, white socks.
OR
- Green school shorts, green long or short sleeve polo with embroidered school logo, white ankle length socks.
- Green windcheater or cardigan with embroidered school logo and white piping.
- School hat with school logo.
- Black traditional school shoes or boots. Black skate or sport shoes are not acceptable with the summer uniform.
- Green or white hair trims.
Staff Return: Friday 27 January
Term 1 Students return: Tuesday 31 January - Thursday 6 April
Easter: Friday 7 April - Monday 10 April
Term 2 Monday 24 April - Friday 23 June
Term 3 Monday 10 July - Friday 15 September
Term 4 Monday 2 October - TBA December
