St Mary's Parish Primary School Ararat eNewsletter

From our Principal

Dear families,

For Christians, Holy Week is a very sacred time of the year, for it is now that we commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. These are the days leading up to Easter when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Easter is a time of renewal and a reminder that we can start afresh and come to know a new way of behaving and belonging.

Staff and students have commemorated each day this week with whole school prayer and a retelling of the stations of the cross. Inspired by the Gospel, our students have explored the themes of ‘Finding Our Voice’, ‘Small Actions Great Love’, ‘Our Common Home’ and ‘An Easter Perspective’ as a way to unpack the deep meaning of the way of the cross.

The Athletics Carnival was a huge success. I hope that you have had an opportunity to see some of the fantastic photos on the St Mary’s social media apps! Under the leadership of Ben O’Loughlan and supported by staff and many families the day ran brilliantly! Thanks to everyone who helped manage events, flip sausages, collect money, set up shelters, pack trailers, clean up and encourage students! What a vibe! I was particularly proud, when Lachie made his acceptance speech on behalf of the winning house at the end of the day. He didn’t make mention of the victory at all - he congratulated every student on their involvement and striving to achieve their personal best on the day! That message is at the heart of what we are about at St Mary’s and I was absolutely inspired hearing those words coming from one of our student leaders!

The support of our fundraising this term will enable the completion of the new fort over at Adventure and the deck on the main yard. We were able to raise approximately $600 at the Athletics Carnival BBQ and $1500 for the Easter Raffle. During the season of Lent we have also raised funds for Project Compassion. Together we were able to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Our School will donate a total of $570.20. Fantastic!!!

As we conclude our term, I would like to thank the amazing St Mary’s community for their hard work and dedication to our school. Each day is an absolute blessing as I get to work with passionate educators, wonderful children and families who are keen to partner with us to achieve the best outcomes for the little people in our care.

Every blessing for the Easter season,

Roxanne

2023 Athletics Carnival

FROM OUR HOUSE LEADERS

Carmel House Sports Report

On Sports Day everyone in Carmel was a good sport, were kind to one another, cheering, making sure everyone had someone to play with and were not left out. Everyone was trying their best and having fun.

Thank you to all the teachers and helpers that came out and gave their time to help run the Sports Day. A big thank you to Ben O’Loughlan for organizing the day so all people at St Marys can have fun and compete against each other.

Good job Carmel for getting 682 points

Carmel house captains: Lachlan Marsh and Shiloh Hollis

Fatima House Sports Day

On Sports Day Fatima was very encouraging and cooperative. They were willing to have a go at everything.

Team members were very good at listening to the teachers, the parents and each other. They were kind and helpful to each other. They always included everyone and were always happy and cheerful.

Thanks to Ben O’Loughlan for organizing sports day and to all the parents who raised their hand up to help out. Thanks to all the teachers and families that helped with the setting up, packing up, the activities, the scoring and the BBQ.

Good job Fatima for the score of 507

Fatima House Captains: Charlotte Start & Narayanan Prathivadi Bhayankaram

Lourdes House Group Report

The Lourdes House was very caring, kind and cheerful to all of the team members. Good job to everyone who participated in the events. All kids did a fantastic job in all the events. We hope that everyone had a fun day and fun time doing the sports events.

Thank you to all parents and teachers for helping out, organizing everything, setting things up, and helping with the BBQ. A big thank you to Ben O’Loughlan for planning everything.

Great job LOURDES for getting 637 points

Lourdes House Captains: Lucas Preston and Lilly Ward

Sports Day Photos

SPORTS AWARDS

Outstanding Sportsperson & Outstanding Achievement, awarded to the following students today:

Foundation
Female: Ellie, Ruby
Male: Luca, Theo

Grade 1
Female: Olive, Finley
Male: James, Ryley

Grade 2
Female: Amelia, Remy
Male: Charlie, Oscar

Grade 3
Female: Isobel, Scarlett
Male: Jake, Henry

Grade 4
Female: Grace, Libby
Male: Josh, James

Grade 5
Female: Zebina, Ella
Male: Henry, Patrick

Grade 6
Female: Maddison, Lilly
Male: Lucas, Lachlan

Easter Raffle Winners

Thank you to all who supported our annual Easter Raffle by donating items and purchasing tickets. It was a huge success! Here is a list of our winners, with 53 prizes in total.

Theo Price, Ehrin Daguplo, Garry Todd, Emma Preston, Sue McPherson, Coburn family, Lachie Marsh, Lachie Blandford, Justin Castro, Evie Harrington, Charlie Ganley, Ryan Song x 2, Jack Christie, Xavier Egan, Jethro Bourizk x 2, Lola Fox, Amaara Muller, Inez Perera, Daryl Louder, Jacob Metcalfe, Alexander Jende, Amelia Preston, Jo Rigby x 2, Maddison Jardine, Sawyer Jackson, Ilse Marsh, McAloon family, Wendy Harrington, Julie Pender, Lucas Preston, Hamish May, Lorna Dunmore, Jo Jackson, Kaye Chamings, Terrianne Karslake x 2, Will Chamings, Larissa Metcalfe, Leah McCarthy, Brian Fordham, Ellie, Stocky, Josie Lind, Bernadette Louder, James Lenehan, Hamish Brady, Mary Egan