Welcome to our first Primary Newsletter for 2024. It has certainly been a busy and positive start to the year. There is a lovely energy amongst students and staff and our teachers have been commenting on the wonderful level of engagement, learning and cooperation already present across all our classrooms.

Term 1 is always full of activity, commencing with our Welcome Mass and Commissioning Ceremony and our Swimming Carnival last week. Both these events showcased how amazing our students and staff are and set the tone for a wonderful year ahead.

This week we continue with an opportunity for families to attend an information session and visit classrooms on Tuesday to find out what lies in store for your children this year. This week also marks the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday liturgy providing a chance for us to reflect on how each of us might grow in the weeks leading up to Easter through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

I hope your children have settled back into the routine of school and are enjoying the initial weeks of Term 1. As always, if you have any concerns about how your child is transitioning, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

God bless
Mrs Angela Myles

With this the first Primary School Newsletter of 2024, we welcome families, both new and existing to what promises to be an exciting year for our students and wider school community. The support of our community has again been very evident during the start to our year and we thank those who were able to be present during our Welcoming Mass, Swimming Carnival and Open Classrooms. To stay on top all the events throughout the year, we encourage families to be aware of our St Matthews Calendar

Open Classrooms & ‘Meet the Teacher’

Our Parent Information Sessions had a different look this week, with parents and carers invited into school during the day to ‘Meet the Teacher’, have a look around their child’s classroom environment and share lunch in the playground. The large number of families present during this time was incredibly positive and the feedback thus far from teachers and families has been very supportive of the new format.

This change from our previous model of hosting Information Evenings after hours was trialed this year in an effort to support families who found attending these meetings difficult after school. We do understand that some families were not able to attend during the day on Tuesday and therefore, any class information shared will be emailed.

Drop Off & Pick Up Zone

One child in each family received an A4 Card with your family name printed on it last week. We ask you to display this card on the dashboard of your car when picking up your child/ren in the afternoon. This strategy has been very successful in locating your child quickly and reducing the wait line in front of the school for other families and the wider community using Lewis Street.

With this in mind please be aware of the following to ensure a safer environment for all in our community:

• Refrain from walking across the street in front of cars during our busy periods during the morning and afternoon
• Stay in your car at the Drop Off and Pick Up Zone at all times. We understand that some of our younger students may require assistance with bags but encourage those parents with these concerns to park and assist children away from the Drop Off and Pick Up Zone.
• Adhere to the road rules at all time, keep the intersection at Lewis & Mortimer St clear at all times.

Justin Yeo

As always with the start of a new year we emphasise the importance of our call to be more in all we think, say and do by living the St Matthews Way. We do this under the guise of our patron St Matthew and founders of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuely, all in Jesus’ name. This term our value is Courage. Catherine herself said “Always act with courage” and it is the perfect opportunity to start the term and ask of ourselves; students, staff and families to embrace new challenges this year and step out of our comfort zone in the hope that it will allow us growth in mind, body and spirit in our interactions for others.

How can you embrace a new challenge this week or how can you act with courage?

The Season of Lent

Lent is a period of preparation in the Church’s Liturgical Year that orients the community towards Holy Week and the Season of Easter. It is a time of prayer, fasting and good works. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Thursday Evening (the Vigil of Good Friday).

The tradition of marking the forehead with ash on Ash Wednesday can be traced back to the ancient Jewish action of dusting oneself with ash as a sign of repentance and mourning for wrongful actions. 

As always during the season of Lent, our school will support the work of Caritas Australia. They are a Catholic organisation that aims to put your compassion into action. To find out more, you can watch this video

Use the SMCS fundraising page to donate Each family will also receive a Project Compassion box. 

House Patrons

Along with St Matthew and Catherine McAuley who were called to follow Jesus, we aim to encourage our students to learn about their House Patron who also answered a call and made a difference in their actions with the less fortunate. We have the first of our Patron Feast Days coming up next week:

O'Connor Feast Day - Monday 19th February

• Primary O’Connor students will remain on site as normal and come together at 1.00pm to commence the celebrations, students will be released at 3.10pm
• Secondary O’Connor students in Years 7-10 will depart the Broadhead Campus at 12.40pm. Secondary students will travel by bus to Lewis Street and are asked to find their own transport home either via bus from Lewis Street or other means of transport.
• Students may wear sports uniform or clothing of their house colour, yellow.
  Neat clothing and enclosed footwear.
• Please bring water, hat, sunscreen and lunch. An afternoon tea will be provided.

Ross McKeown

Leader of Mission

Welcome to all of our new students and families to St Matthews.

Starting school for the first time or transitioning to a new school or campus can be both exciting and daunting in equal measure for the students. It is equally true for us as parents too. The wonderful team at Schools TV have developed a series of resources to support you and your children during this exciting time. Please use the link attached for more information: School Transition

If you feel your children need extra support please reach out to us.

Dillon Price

Leader of Wellbeing (K-12)

Primary Swimming Carnival

Our Birthday Book Program is a great way to contribute new books for our school library collection while celebrating your child’s birthday.

Term 1 Overview ‘ROCK BAND’

Students from Years 3-6 will be again invited to join the Creative Arts Club in our school for 2024. Each term the focus will change to each of the four strands of art: Term 1- Music, Term 2- Visual Art, Term 3- Drama, Term 4- Dance.

In Term 1, students will form a rock band called ‘The Boomers’ and learn songs using different instruments for performance at the end of the term and hopefully the Gulgong Eisteddfod in Term 2.

Your child has been asked to opt in to our club which occurs on Wednesday mornings from 8:30am to 9:00am in the Music and Drama room. In order to learn our songs, students will need to commit to being at our sessions each week and possibly practising at home. If your child is unable to get there by 8:30am, they can still come but may need to practise again at an alternate time.

Thank you for your support with our fun and energetic CAC for 2024. If you have any questions or need to provide an apology for your child’s absence, please email me.

John Freebody

Creative Arts Club Coordinator

Uniform Policy

Rationale

A uniform dress code reinforces in students a pride in their own appearance, instills
recognition of themselves as an integral part of the school community, and assists in
developing pride in representing their school. Issues of equality, health and safety, and
expense are also factors that contribute to the establishment of the Dress Code.

Aim

● To promote equality amongst all students.
● To further develop a sense of pride in, and identification with our school.
●To provide durable clothing that is cost effective and practical for our school environment.
● To maintain and enhance the positive image of the school in the community.

Implementation

● The school has developed a Dress Code that we believe provides choice for the
students, allows for students to safely engage in the many varied school activities, and
caters for the financial constraints of families.
● The Dress Code applies during school hours, while travelling to and from school, and
when students are on school excursions.
● Summer and winter uniforms, as well as sports uniforms will be prescribed, and are
required to be worn.
● Hairstyles should be neat and tidy and not bring undue attention to the student.
● For female students hair past the shoulders must be tied back using accessories that
complement the school uniform (eg: school colours).
● For male students hairstyles which fall past the collar are not permitted.
● Extreme hair colors (eg: coloured rinses) and/or extreme hairstyles (eg: spikes or
mohawks) are not permitted. Hairstyles are not to be exaggerated.
● Male students need to be clean shaven.
● School shoes should be black, polishable traditional style lace up with a moderate heel.
● Make up is not to be worn.
● The only headwear that is acceptable is the school hat. This must be worn outside at all times. Hats are not to be worn inside.
● The student Dress Code, including details of uniform items is available at the Midford
Uniform Shop.
● Parents seeking exemptions to the Dress Code due to economic hardship must apply in writing to the Executive Principal for consideration.

Mobile Phone and Smartwatch Policy

Rationale

● Mobile phones are important modern day communication tools, essential in providing a safe and effective school environment. The School understands that they can be considered by the community to be an essential communication tool. However, they can easily be improperly used, lost or damaged and must therefore be effectively managed.

Aims

● To utilise the benefits of mobile phones whilst managing the problems they can potentially cause.

Definitions

● Smartwatch: a mobile device designed to be worn on the wrist that can do any of the
following: receive and/or send messages, receive and/or make phone calls, have access to the internet
● Mobile phone: a telephone with access to a cellular radio system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network.

Implementation

All Students:
● Expectations for mobile phone use during school excursions will be explained to
students and families prior to the excursion.
● Students using mobile phones and/or smartwatches outside of this policy will have them turned off, confiscated, and delivered to Student Services where they will be stored securely. Students are responsible for collecting them at the end of the school day. Repeat offenders will not have devices returned until a parent/carer comes to collect it. If a student’s device is confiscated after 1:40pm, it will remain at the office until the end of the next school day.
● Students who organise parent pickups with their mobile phones will be required to hand it in to Student Services the next school day.
● Additional consequences may be imposed for repeat or serious offenders of mobile
phone or smartwatch use.
● The School does not accept responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen student mobile
phones or smartwatches.
● Students who bring mobile phones or smartwatches to school do so at their own risk.

Primary Students:
● Students in Primary are not to bring personal mobile phones or smartwatches to school unless permission from the Executive Principal has been successfully sought by
parents who have outlined the health, safety or personal reasons that justify the student being in possession of a mobile phone or smartwatch. In this instance, unless instructed otherwise, mobile phones and/or smartwatches should be handed in to Student Services at the start of the day and collected at the end of the day.

Secondary Students:
● Students who bring smartwatches to school are not to use them during the school day.
● Mobile phones and smartwatches are to be kept in safe storage at all times (locker if
possible), and not in class or on a student’s person unless instructed by the School
otherwise.
● With permission from the appropriate KLA Coordinator and the Head of Campus or
Executive Principal, mobile phones may be used in a specific lesson where they are
deemed necessary to achieve the best learning experience. The teacher in charge
assumes responsibility for their appropriate usage.
● Mobile devices are not to be used for purchasing items at the canteen

● Students may use their mobile phones in the ‘Phone Zone,’ which is available from 11:00 -11:10 am and 1:00 - 1:10 pm in the specific marked area. The mobile phone must belong to the student using it. It is only to be used to organise after school pickups,commitments or variations of routine.
● After 3:20pm, students may use their mobile phones whilst leaving the School or waiting in bus lines. Any usage of mobile phones at this time must be deemed appropriate and in line with the expectations set out in the Codes of Conduct.

Our lost and found rack is located inside Gate 2. 

All labelled items will be returned to students weekly. At the end of each term all unclaimed items will be donated to Vinnies.

Student Services - Primary

One of the best ways to stay involved and up to date with what's happening at St Matthews is through the P&F.

Join us for the first P&F meeting for the year. Help plan P&F initiatives for the year ahead and find out how you can be involved in the school community in a positive way for the benefit of your children as well as the greater St Matthews community.

Primary Campus Times

School Hours: 9:10-3:10 (staff supervision from 8:40)

Flexischools is St Matthews Catholic Schools preferred way to order from our canteens. The cut-off time is 9am, please allow yourself enough time to complete an order. An order can be placed the night before or even days in advance.

Orders that are phoned through via reception after 9am will be offered a simple sandwich, a drink and snacks only (No Hot Food will be offered, so please do not ask). Credit Card details must be provided at the time, no exceptions. This ensures no further follow up for payment is required.

If parents are experiencing issues with Flexischools, please contact Flexischools directly using the Parent Help Line Number- 1300 361 769 (8am-12pm)

1. Introduction to Flexischools
2. How to Register with Flexischools
3. How to Place an Order (Canteen)
4. How to Place an Order (All Services)
5. How to Top Up Your Flexischools Wallet

Please let your child know if they are having a lunch order and what they are having. Some of our younger students are accidently throwing out their “tokens”. They need the token to redeem any frozen item/ slushie/ special that may have been ordered for them.

Alicia Cowden

Primary Canteen Manager

The Midford Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.00am to 4.00pm. EFTPOS only, no cash.

Enjoy the convenience of online shopping. Save time and energy by ordering your uniforms online in six easy steps:

1. Go to midford.com.au
2. Select St Matthews Catholic School from the Online School Shops tab
3. New users to click the ‘Register New Account’ button
4. Start the registration process by selecting St Matthews Catholic School from the drop-down menu and add the unique school pass phrase: “Matthews1912”
5. Add your personal information, create a username and password
6. Order the items you need, select pick-up in store/deliver to school.

Online orders for Primary will be delivered to the school office on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30pm. Cut off time for ordering is 1.00pm.
Online orders for Secondary will be delivered to the school office on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9.00am. Cut off time for ordering is 3:30pm the day before.
Online orders for shop pick up - pick up only within the shop hours, please allow 1 hour after ordering for collection.

If you have any queries please contact the uniform shop directly:
Phone: 0439 442 509 or Email: st.matthews@midford.com.au