Dear Parents and Carers

A special newsletter to welcome the whistling winds and beautiful turn of the season. This cartoon from Michael Leunig reminds us of our responsibility to care for our environment and for each other, the best kind of ‘Special Forces’.

Talk of chutneys, mushrooms and jam is also a great introductiuon to our Stephanie Alexander

Kitchen Project starting this term. Year 5 will be planting and harvesting in our school garden,

to prepare and produce their own delicious food. This is the Pope’s Laudato Si in action in our school community, focused on responding to the cry of the earth, ecological economics, adoption of simple lifestyles, ecological spirituality and an emphasis on community involvement. Our Vision and Mission statement asks us to work together to contribute to a just and sustainable world, we are very excited to

see this opportunity become real for our students. The fantastic team of Anneliese Robinson,

Anna Sim and Jodie Donnelly have been working hard to lead this great project for our children.

An enormous thanks to our P and F who have provided start up funds to get the project underway.

We look forward to seeing all our mums, grandmothers and friends for our Mothers’ Day celebration next Friday, you will be blessed and celebrated at the liturgy, nourished at the morning tea and entertained at the Talent Quest.

Yours in partnership,

Laurinda Nelson

Class Merit Awards

WEEK 1

Kinder – Seamus H, Banjo S

Year 1 – Viraj D, Hugh G, Levi K

Year 2 – Isla P, Oscar O, Oliver B, Harvey B, Rapha A

Year 3 – Lily L, Henry H

Year 4 – Evie P, Molly O’D, Alexander B

Year 5 – Delphi SH, Sadie N

Year 6 – Georgie D, Andie M 

ALL STAR AWARD: Fitzroy House

Orders for Winter Uniforms can be made on line at LOWES please ensure your child/children are wearing the correct uniform/shoes for winter.

Dear Parents and Carers,

This year we are very proud to announce that we are officially a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden school. The overall aim of the Kitchen Garden Foundation is to introduce young children to the wonderful world of good food through developing a productive food garden and an exciting kitchen that includes a nurturing place to share food, as an integral part of the school curriculum. The Kitchen Garden Program is a fun, hands-on learning program delivering pleasurable food education. With strong curriculum integration and a focus on student well-being, collaboration, and leadership, students learn to grow, harvest, prepare, and share fresh, seasonal, delicious food – forming positive food habits for life.

As well as instilling positive food habits in students through growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh produce, a kitchen garden program offers: 

• life and practical skills
• student wellbeing and connectedness
• alternate ways of learning for increased engagement
• investigations into sustainability and food security. 

• curriculum-integrated materials adaptable to any school environment 
• personalised support and guidance, including dedicated project officers 
• professional development opportunities
• community of practice for support and inspiration
• increased community and social inclusion. 

By joining the program, we hope to engage the curiosity of our students and to help them learn how to grow the very best food in the very best way, how to care for it in the garden, how to recognise when it is ripe and at its best, how to prepare it easily and enjoyably and how to develop an expanding culinary palate and be excited by all of these experiences. 

We are grateful for the collective expertise of a number of staff, school and wider community members who have given their time and energy to assist in getting the program off the ground at St Mary’s. In particluar we welcome, Jodi Donnelly, a Milton local with a background as a chef and caterer, who has joined the St Mary’s Kitchen Garden Team to help lead the initiative.

An integral part of the success of the program, is community support. Once established, we will be calling on volunteers to support classes both in the garden, and in the kitchen. For now though, we are asking for any donations of gardening supplies such as:

• Potting mix
• Seeds
• Seedlings
• Gardening tools
• Seedling trays
• Watering cans
• Gardening gloves (children and adult sized)
• Mulch
• Fertiliser

In additon, any donations of excess fresh produce from your own gardens that could be used in the kitchen will be gratefully accepted. Please contact Annieliese Robinson (robinsona10@dow.catholic.edu.au) or Anna Sim (a.sim@outlook.com), if you have any would like to donate supplies, or your time. 

To find out more about the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation please see www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au

Kind regards,

Julie Valentini and the Kitchen Garden Team. 

Please forward photos of the speacial women/mothers in your children life to be added into our mothers day liturgy to Mrs Hedger: HedgerA02@dow.catholic.edu.au

Mothers Day stall will be held on Wednesday 10th May and Thurday 11th May for students to buy a small gift for their mother/carer

Year One is learning about Jesus and the Resurrection in Religious Education. We know that Jesus is always with us. We identified where Jesus is with us and then responded through painting. Have a look at our work! Here are some responses.

Evie L:  Jesus is with me- in my heart

Thomas: Jesus is with me at the park.

Rapha: Jesus is with me at church.

Adhya:  Jesus is with me at the park.

Teddy: Jesus is with me when I’m camping

Ari: Jesus is with me in the world.

Evie R: Jesus is with me at school.

Viraj: Jesus is with me at the park.

Matilda: Jesus is with me in a field of flowers.

Cross Country

Towards the end of last term, we held our annual Cross Country Carnival. The weather was perfect, and students from all year levels demonstrated great sportsmanship and participation.

We would like to commend the Year 6 leaders for their outstanding leadership throughout the carnival. They were a great source of inspiration and motivation for their younger peers, leading by example and encouraging everyone to do their best.

We were thrilled to see so many students participate in the event, and the level of enthusiasm and determination displayed by all was truly impressive. It was fantastic to see students pushing themselves to achieve their personal best and supporting each other along the way.

A team of 24 students have been selected to represent St Mary’s  at the Diocesan Cross Country Championships to be held at Willandra on the 23 May. Congratulations to all those who made it onto the team, and we wish them the best of luck in the upcoming event.

We would also like to recognise the hard work and dedication of four outstanding students who have been awarded the Improvement and Effort Award for their exceptional performance during PE lessons and at the carnival. The recipients are Charli P (Year 6), Max C (Year 5), Ben K (Year 4), and Harrison K (Year 3). Well done to these students for their excellent efforts and commitment to their sporting pursuits.

Finally, congratulations MacKillop for taking out the St Mary’s House Points and well done to the Sports Captains Anika D and Cameron W who led their team to victory!

K-2 AFL Skills Day

We are excited to share with you the news about our recent AFL Skills Day for our Kinder to Year 2 students. It was a fantastic event, and the children had a great time while also learning new skills.

It was great to see our youngest students engage with the sport and develop their AFL skills. The event was a wonderful opportunity for our students to get active and try something new, and we are proud of all their efforts.

We would like to give a special mention to our Year 6 students who ran the stations during the day. Their leadership and commitment were outstanding, and they did a fantastic job in guiding the younger students through the activities and providing them with valuable tips and encouragement.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind our parents and students about the upcoming AFL Auskick program, which runs every Thursday at 4:30pm at the Ulladulla Sports Park. The program is open to all boys and girls aged 5-7, and it's a fantastic opportunity for children to learn the skills of the game in a fun and safe environment.

The program is run by experienced coaches and focuses on developing children's skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship. It's a great way for children to get active, make new friends, and develop a love for the game.

AFL Paul Kelly Cup

Next Tuesday, our school's AFL team, The St Mary's Demons, will be participating in the Paul Kelly Cup in Batemans Bay. We want to wish them the best of luck as they compete against other schools from the region. Our team has been training hard and we are proud of their efforts and commitment. Let's cheer on the Demons as they demonstrate their teamwork, sportsmanship, and skill on the field. Go Demons!

ULLADULLA DISTRICT NETBALL ASSOCIATION 

⭐️Come and play netball!⭐️

Netball has begun so register now! Get your kids active and having fun with their friends! 

A friendly, fun competition is open for mums too!! Grab your friends and register for a night of fun and exercise. 

Net Set Go (5-10 years) 

Saturday 9-10am 

Ulladulla netball courts 

Juniors  (11-14 years) 

Saturday either 8:30-10 OR 9:30-11

Ulladulla netball courts

Seniors (14- adults)

Thursday nights 6pm

Ulladulla netball courts

Scan the QR code to register!