Term 3, Week 1 Friday 25th July 2025

We are so excited to welcome our new Reception (Foundation students).  It has been wonderful to see their happy faces and the fantastic way the older children have been looking after them in their first full week of Primary School.  We also welcome Ms Nikki McDonald and Ms Meg Walker and Ms Marcel Lourens as our new Foundation teachers.

During Weeks 1-4 Belinda Elliott will be Acting Principal at St Joseph’s School, Ottoway.  Maria Iovino will be Acting Assistant Principal and we welcome Zee Zheng who will be teaching in Preschool during this time.

Over the break our original staffroom was converted to a fabulous new learning space for RMC, allowing all Reception classes to be in the same space.  Our Foundation classes have moved into the RMC and ROV classrooms.  Our new/temporary staffroom is almost complete, in the old carpark.  The work on our new student toilets will commence later in the term, ready for completion by the end of the year.  Thanks again for your flexibility and patience as we make these important improvements to our school.

St Margaret Mary’s School was recently involved in exhibiting at BRIXPO, we were the only school in South Australia represented.  We showcased our unique STEM program, led by Mr Ben Smedley.  Thank you to all the families who came along and supported us and a special congratulations to Zhen Hui who had his Lego creation featured in the Junior Build section.

Our Year 3 and 5 parents/carers will receive their child’s NAPLAN reports this week.  ACARA have notified us that there is a small error in the information on the front of all reports.  The report states, “Your child completed their test on paper”, however our students completed the tests online (apart from Year 3 writing).  All other aspects of the report are correct and ACARA will not re-issue the reports. We have been very pleased with many aspects of our student achievement in the NAPLAN assessments.  Our Year 3 students excelled in spelling and made pleasing gains in numeracy.  Year 5 results were at and above national average across all areas, with excellent results in both spelling and writing as well as improvements in numeracy.  NAPLAN provides us with some data and evidence of student learning, as a national assessment.  This data is analysed along with other forms of assessment: teacher assessment PATM and PATR, DIBELS and SpellEx. 

Our upcoming Parent/Teacher Learning conversations are an important part of support for our child’s learning.  Working in partnership with families and sharing goals for learning is vital for student learning and wellbeing.  Please book your conversation if you have not already done so.  We look forward to meeting with you all in Week 3.

Thank you for your continued support,
Kelly Campbell

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope the school holidays were a time of rest and rejuvenation, and that you were able to enjoy some quality time together. We are now in full swing for the second half of the year, and it was lovely to see so many smiling faces back at school on Monday.

Once again, I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with many students and families throughout the week. I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with our school community in the coming weeks.

A big welcome to our mid-year Receptions (Foundation) as they begin their school journey, and a warm welcome to all our new Preschool children joining the SMMS community.

This week, our Year 3–5 students have dived into their water safety lessons — a wonderful opportunity to build essential life skills while having fun in the pool. Our Reception to Year 2 students will begin their water safety lessons next week, starting Tuesday 29 July.

The correct SMMS school uniform is required for all students from Foundation to Year 6. Your support with this is greatly appreciated.

All items worn by students must be part of the SMMS school uniform — this includes hats, beanies, and jackets. T-shirts, skivvies, or leggings in different colours or brands should not be visible under the SMMS uniform. Our school uniform, including short- or long-sleeved t-shirts, long pants, and jackets, is warm and suitable for the season. If your child needs extra layers, please consider a singlet or thermal item that is not visible.

If you need any school uniform items, please see Rosie in our Uniform Shop (located next to our Library/Foundation classrooms) on:

• Tuesdays: 2:30–3:30pm
• Fridays: 8:30–10:00am

Price List:

• Short-Sleeved Polo Top: $40
• Long-Sleeved Polo Top: $45
• Shorts: $30
• Track Pants: $50
• Jackets: $60
• Hats: $20
• Knee Pads for Track Pants: $8 each
• Beanies: $15

SMMS HATS - 1 August
ALL students are required to wear the SMMS school hat when outside, starting next Friday 1 August (Week 2). This must be our SMMS hat, and not the SMMS beanie.

The following information comes from our Skin Protection Policy:

St. Margaret Mary’s School will ensure staff and students use a combination of sun protection strategies every day from 1^st August to 30^th April and at any other times when the UV level is 3 and above. Staff and students are encouraged to check the daily sun protection times via the SunSmart app, www.myuv.com.au or  www.bom.gov.au/sa/uv.

Sun protection strategies will include the following:

• Students, staff and volunteers will be expected, and visitors to our school will be actively encouraged, to wear a sun safe hat whenever they are involved in outside activities

• All students are required to wear the school uniform hat, which is a broad brimmed hat giving good cover to the face, ears and neck. Students not wearing the school uniform sun safe hat will be expected to play in the shade. 

• Students who do not wear the school uniform hat during sport lessons and/or outdoor activities will be required to sit in a shaded area.  

Childhood Wellbeing Seminar – Calm and Cooperative Kids
We are very pleased to announce that we have successfully applied for a Parents in Education (PIE) grant, which enables us to offer another free child wellbeing seminar this year for all our parents and caregivers: Calm and Cooperative Kids

The PIE grant program is supported by the Office of the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Government of South Australia. Catholic School Parents South Australia is responsible for administering the grants for Catholic schools across the state.

The Calm and Cooperative Kids seminar supports parents in helping their children become more cooperative, implementing routines and expectations (e.g. bedtimes, chores), and giving tricky instructions — all in developmentally appropriate and supportive ways.

The seminar will be facilitated by Kirrilie Smout, a clinical psychologist and director of Developing Minds Psychology. To assist families, a crèche for school-aged children will be available during the seminar.

Save the Date:

Wednesday 17 September @ 6:00pm

Seminar 2: Calm and Cooperative Kids

Creche available.

Bookings: info@smms.catholic.edu.au

Dear families and caregivers,

It is wonderful to be back. I feel blessed and fortunate for my recent renewal experience in Europe. I joined nineteen other travellers from Catholic Education including Directors, Managers, School Performance Leaders, Principals and Assistant Principals on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout Ireland. We followed in the footsteps of Saints, who began with an act of kindness that inspired followers and formed religious orders. Religious orders that travelled from Ireland to Australia, opening our Catholic Schools in their various charisms.

Sacramental Program
On Wednesday 30 July (Week 2), there will be a Confirmation and First Holy Communion Workshop. At the Workshop, parents will be encouraged to help the children create a pew bench banner for your family and a Confirmation poster for display in St Margaret Mary’s Church. The Workshop will be held at Whitefriars in Caritas Building from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

A rehearsal for the upcoming Confirmation Ceremonies will be held on Wednesday 13 August (Week 4) at 7:00pm to 8:00pm at St Margaret Mary’s School/Church. If possible, the sponsor is also encouraged to attend the rehearsal as well.  

The Confirmation ceremonies will be held on Friday 22 August (Week 6) at 7:00pm and Friday 29 August (Week 7) at 7:00pm in St Margaret Mary’s Church.  It is important that children and their sponsor are seated in the church by 6:45pm. I look forward to seeing you all at the workshop next week.

Term 3 Masses and Liturgy Dates
Families are most welcome to join us for our Term 3 Masses and Liturgy of the Word:

If you are able to attend, we ask for your assistance to sign in through the Front Office first before making your way over to the church.

Have a good weekend everyone,

Matthew Harrison

We are very pleased for Ella who has recently competed in the National Calesthetics Championshops last month.

Ella’s team are the 2025 National Champions and Ella is the Tier 2 National Champion for her Solo 😊

She also represented SA for her Duo with her partner Zara, they performed beautifully but they didn’t place this time.

For 80 years the Children’s Book Council of Australia has been dedicated to inspiring young minds to journey through the countless worlds that books offer.
This year the Children’s Book Week theme is Book an Adventure.

The feature artist of the year Jess McGeachin encourages children to set off on adventures through time, lands, and imagination. Last term during their Library times, classes had the chance to enjoy some of his stories.

On Wednesday 20th August (Week 5) we are having a DRESS-UP PARADE. Families are welcome to come along to the parade which will start at 10:15am. Children are invited to come as a BOOK CHARACTER or dress up to match the theme Book an Adventure. No scary costumes or weapons please.

Book Club Issue 5, 2025 is out now!
Due date for orders is 6^th August.
ALL orders done online via Book Club LOOP.
Find out how on Page 31 of your magazine (payments will not be accepted at school).

** PLEASE SEND ANY SPARES BACK TO THE LIBRARY, THANKS**