Welcome to Term 1 Week 10 2025

Deputy Principal Report

Dear Families, 

As we wrap up an action-packed term, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the wonderful events that have shaped our school community over the past few months.

This term has been filled with a variety of memorable occasions, including NAPLAN assessments for our Grade 3 and 5 students, which showcased the hard work and dedication of their learning journeys so far. We also celebrated Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, marking important Catholic traditions in the school year. Our students had a blast participating in the Athletics Carnival, demonstrating their athleticism, and we had some great talent showcased at the North West Swimming Carnival, 

In addition to these exciting events, we’ve had fun with a number of tournaments, including Chess Tournaments and Basketball competitions, where our talented students went head-to-head with schools across the region.

March was also a month of celebration and inclusion, with St. Patrick’s Day and Harmony Day bringing our school together to embrace diversity and foster a sense of community. Some of our Grade 6 students also had the opportunity to participate in the GRIP Leadership Day, gaining valuable leadership skills that will serve them well in the future.

We were fortunate to experience a range of enriching activities, such as both excursions and incursions that expanded our learning outside the classroom. The Welcome BBQ was a wonderful way to start the year, bringing families together to connect and share in the spirit of our school community. The Lions Eye Health Check was an important initiative to support the health and well-being of our students.

As we head into the break, we want to thank everyone for their participation and enthusiasm in making these events such a success. To all our students, enjoy your well-deserved break, recharge, and get ready for another exciting term ahead. 

We wish all our families a very happy Easter! May this special time be filled with joy, peace, and plenty of opportunities to create beautiful memories together.

Stay safe, and we can’t wait to welcome you back in term 2. 

Mrs Abbey Walters

Deputy  Principal

RE News

Reflection on the Sunday Gospel

 Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Jesus teaches about forgiveness in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

“Hey, that's not fair!” How many times have we heard this spoken in our family? Family members challenge one another's generosity, operating from the perspective of limited resources. If we have given to one, perhaps there won't be enough for the other. Jesus wants us to understand that this is not how it is with God's mercy and forgiveness. God offers his love to all of us in abundance. The forgiveness of the father in the parable is an image of God's love for us, generous beyond measure in his love for both of his sons. Can we truly believe that God acts this way towards us and accept his mercy without jealousy, knowing that God's love for another does not diminish his love for us?

As you gather as a family, talk about the words and phrases you speak to one another when angry. Identify words or phrases that reflect jealousy towards one another. Talk about why we sometimes feel jealousy towards one another. Read aloud today's Gospel, Luke 15:1-3,11-32. Talk about why the older brother is jealous of the younger brother. Identify words that the family members in the parable might say to one another to begin to heal their broken relationships. Make a family commitment to say these types of words and phrases to one another with greater frequency.

Loyola Press

Project Compassion 2025

Lent, in particular, is a sacred time for us as Catholics to deepen our prayer life, practice self-discipline by making sacrifices, and extend kindness to those in need. These acts of devotion can take many forms, ranging from significant commitments to small yet meaningful gestures. Project Compassion provides us with an opportunity to focus on almsgiving—supporting those less fortunate. Each family has received a Project Compassion box to collect spare change, which will be used to assist others in need. Below is one of the inspiring stories featured in Project Compassion 2025, demonstrating how the contributions from our school community, along with those of Catholic schools and parishes across Australia, can create a profound and lasting impact worldwide.

Toefuata’iga story – Samoa

Lam, a young man from rural Vietnam with a passion for graphic design, faced limited career prospects due to his disability. With support from the I-SHINE program, he pursued IT training and now runs a successful freelance graphic design business. 

Stella Stars

Sessions for 2025 

Every Wednesday 9.15 am - 10.45 am and  12.00 pm - 1.30 pm 

See our Facebook Stella Stars Early Years Learning for more information

Assembly Awards

Just Like Jesus Awards

Congratulations to the students who received Achievement Awards and the

"Just Like Jesus" award in our recent assembly.

Our "Just Like Jesus" award recognises those who have been 'caught' treating others with extra respect.

Classroom Awards

Well done to students who were recognised for their efforts and application in their learning in their classrooms

Stella Cup

We would like to congratulate Mrs Johnstone/Mrs Hart and their students from Grade 1 Room 5 for their positive behaviours in last week's  assembly and showing: 

 -Reverence when entering/exiting assembly

-Clapping in a responsible/respectful way (no yelling or screaming)

-Standing up/sitting down silently for the National Anthem

- Right Time Right Place (RTRP) when watching the PBS videos

Uniform Update & Ordering

Dear Families,

Thank you for your continued support and patience while transitioning to our new Smart Play uniform.

Please see the details below clarifying the current roles and responsibilities of Stella Maris and our suppliers, Midfords.

Midfords will take full responsibility for all uniform orders in the coming weeks. Our uniform officer, Cheryl Gration, will coordinate the delivery of the uniform orders once they arrive at Stella Maris. 

Stella Maris

• The uniform shop will be open every Monday from 2.30-3.30 pm.  This will allow families to try on stock and then order online.
• To deliver stock to families upon arrival.
• To communicate information that Midford has provided.

Midford

• Processing online orders.
• Communication about deliveries.
• Notifying parents about stock availability.
• Delivery of stock to Stella Maris.
• Providing an estimated time of arrival for backorders.
• The shop is open in Devonport so that parents can buy directly from Midfords.
• Organising a pop-up shop at Stella Maris.

Midford Trading Hours:

• Monday 8.30 am - 12.30 pm
• Wednesday 8.30 am - 4.30 pm
• Friday 8.30 am - 12.30 pm
• Saturday 10.00 am - 1.00 pm
  
  If you have any ordering enquiries or concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch with Midfords via the following:  info@midford.com.au or 0410684589.
  

The Stella Maris Uniform Shop will be closed during the school holidays.

Mothers Day

If any parent or carers can assist with our breakfast or stalls please let the office staff know.

The Resilience Project

Implementation of The Resilience Project is gaining momentum around the school thanks to our amazing teachers and students.Enjoy the following article and photos from Mrs Wickham showcasing the wonderful work of the 5/6 team!

Our Grade 5 and 6 students have contributed to a shared display focused on GEM (Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness) and EL (Emotional Literacy), as part of The Resilience Project. Rather than being a one-off creation, the display is intended to be a living, breathing part of our wellbeing journey—something that continues to grow and evolve, reminding us daily of the importance of recognising, understanding, and expressing our emotions, and practising gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness.

Every fortnight, the four senior classes gather to celebrate the positive things happening both in and out of the classroom. These gatherings known as ‘Chat and Check’ include student shout-outs, where we acknowledge and appreciate the efforts, kindness and achievements of our peers.

A key feature of our display is the Gratitude Tree, which evolves with a new focus each fortnight. Students are invited to reflect and contribute—some weeks we might share something that made us smile, other times we might focus on a person we are grateful for, or a moment in the week that made us feel proud. The rotating themes encourage students to explore gratitude from different perspectives.

The display also showcases a range of mindfulness activities we have explored through The Resilience Project. These include practices such as The Ripple Effect, which highlights how one small act of kindness can spread widely, and Box Breathing, a calming technique that helps us regulate emotions and refocus.

It is wonderful to see all of our Stella Maris students actively building emotional awareness, celebrating each other, and fostering a stronger, more compassionate community.

Inter-School Chess

On Friday the 4th of April, some students from the Stella Maris Chess Club attended the first inter-school tournament for 2025. The students travelled to Ulverstone Secondary College to represent our school, joining over 150 players from local schools.

All students played seven games of chess throughout the day, showcasing their strategic thinking, patience, and sportsmanship. We are incredibly proud to announce that Stella Maris came away with first place overall — a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work and dedication of our chess players.

A special congratulations goes to Ibrahem, who was awarded Number 1 Player of the entire competition! This is a huge accomplishment and well-deserved recognition for his focus and skill across all matches.

Congratulations to all our players who participated with great enthusiasm and team spirit. We look forward to the next tournament and seeing our chess club continue to grow and succeed!

Thanks to Mr Carlon for coordinating this event and to Jonty from Black Square Chess for his weekly coaching sessions at school.  

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Stella Maris Athletics Carnival

Athletics Carnival – A Huge Success!

What an incredible day we had at this year’s Athletics Carnival! The energy, and enthusiasm displayed by all of our students made it a truly memorable event. A huge congratulations to everyone who participated and contributed to making the day such a success!

We are thrilled to announce and congratulate Jax Keep along with joint girl winners Meg Rawnsley/Amelia Britton were named our Grade 6 Champions. Both Jax, Meg and Amelia showed exceptional athletic ability and determination. Well done to both of you for earning this prestigious recognition!

This year, the competition was fierce, but Mawson House emerged victorious with the most points, claiming the title of Athletics Carnival Champions! A huge congratulations to all the members of Mawson for their participation throughout the day. 

We would also like to acknowledge Lyons House, who received the Spirit of Stella Award. Lyons’ students showed incredible team spirit, supported one another, and embodied the true essence of our school community. 

A special mention must go to Liz Murton and Emily Shaw, who coordinated the entire event. Your hard work both behind the scenes and on the day was truly invaluable. A big thank you to Nick McKenna and James Sucic, our fantastic starters, who were integral to the smooth flow of the races and helped keep everything on track. We are also grateful for our Marist Helpers who assisted in the running of the event and ensuring that all aspects of the day were well-organised.

It was a fantastic day filled with friendly competition, teamwork, and plenty of school spirit. We can't wait to see what next year’s Athletics Carnival brings!

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North West Regional Basketball Tournament

Over the weekend, four teams from Stella Maris Primary School took part in the North West Regional Primary School Basketball Tournament, held at the Devonport stadium. The event brought together students from across the region for a fun and action-packed few days of basketball.

It was fantastic to witness such a vibrant display of sportsmanship, teamwork, and skill from our Stella students. From clever passes to determined defence and impressive shots, our teams showed just how much heart and talent they bring to the court.

The spirit and support among teammates and spectators alike created an atmosphere full of encouragement and pride. Each team represented our school values beautifully- playing fair, giving their best, and showing respect to everyone involved.

A big thank you goes out to our dedicated coaches, team managers, referees, and all the supportive families who helped make the weekend such a success. We are incredibly proud of our students and how they represented Stella Maris with enthusiasm and integrity. Well done, everyone!

Grade 3 Wings Wildlife Excursion

Grade 3 had a fantastic day at Wings Wildlife park last week. They enjoyed completing an alphabet scavenger hunt as they learnt about a wide range of animals. We were so impressed with all of the students, who demonstrated curiosity, kindness and respect throughout the day. Thank you to all of our wonderful parent helpers who joined us, and helped to make this such a brilliant day for the students.

Green Team News

Dear Students, Staff and Families,

We’re excited to announce that from now on, the Green Team students will be writing our own updates! This change allows team members to share their experiences and highlight the sustainable projects we’re working on, like recycling, tree planting, and school-wide initiatives.

We can’t wait to share our progress with you and inspire everyone to get involved in making our school greener.

This fortnightly update is written by Patrick C (Gr 5), Eli K (Gr 5), Indi W (Gr 5) and Patrick K (Gr 6). 

Eli: The Green Team is a group of people who help the environment grow. We plant different fruits, herbs and trees. As a team we work together. We have just started for this year. 

Patrick K: This term in the Green Team we will be building new garden beds out of wood so we can grow more plants. We are planning on growing new fruit trees including apple, lemon, lime and blueberries. We are working on weeding the garden beds so the plants have space to grow. 

Patrick C: In the Green Team we are trying to finish a bottle cap art work. We have already finished two parts of the art work. This year we are hoping to finish the whole thing, so wish us luck.

Indi W: Hi there, as you may not be aware we are currently getting timber from Bunnings to install a few new garden beds in our Stella Garden. These will be positioned outside the Grade 4 classrooms. You will soon find out what will be planted in them. We are also thinking about planting some seasonal herbs and veggies which will be great to sell in our garden market stall in Spring. If anyone has any suggestions, please let us know. Make sure to stay tuned for any updates.

We have also had Michelle from Bunnings! She helps the Green Team get new plants and equipment and teaches us how and where to plant lots of different plants, shrubs, fruits and flowers.

Joseph Carlon

Green Team Leader

Student Achievements

Noah Blyth won a gymnastic award over the weekend. The award was from Gymnastics Tasmania for the GfA category (gymnastics for all) 

'This award recognises individuals who demonstrate the ability to overcome adversity, dedication, and a positive attitude in their sporting endeavours.

Noah showed incredible progress and growth in 2024, overcoming disruptions to his routine and embracing new challenges with determination and a smile. Noah’s dedication and positive attitude make him a standout in our program'

Grade 5 Room 14 Science

This term, Year Five, Room 14 have been learning about matter in our Chemical Science unit. We have been learning about how adding or taking away heat can change the state of matter, between solids, liquids and gasses.

To consolidate our learning, we made jelly, learning that when we add the boiling water to the solid jelly crystals, they become a liquid through and irreversible change. We made ice-cream in a bag, where we learned that adding salt to ice made the ice transfer its coolness onto our milk, turning it from a liquid to a solid. We also experimented with soda spiders, where pouring liquid fizzy drink onto ice-cream turns the solid into a liquid. The carbonation (gas) in the fizzy drink also reacts with the ice-cream, making a giant chemical reaction!

Our last experiment was self-inflating a balloon, where we mixed bicarbonate soda and vinegar together, where they reacted, creating a gas which blew up our balloon. We had a lot of fun during this science unit.

Anita Dow Easter Competition

Anita Dow MP – Member for Braddon is running an Easter Colouring In competition this year.

There are 4 age categories, two different designs and great prizes to be won.

Competition closes 5pm Monday 14^th April 2025.

Important Upcoming Dates

CLICK TO SYNC TO YOUR CALENDAR

Thursday, 10th April - Term 1 concludes

Friday 11th April - Student Free Day: Staff Spirituality Day

Monday, 28th April - Term 2 commences

Wednesday 7th May - Stella Maris Cross Country  (approx 9.00am - 1.30pm)

Friday 16th May - NW Cross Country (selected students - approx 9.00am - 1.30pm)

Monday 19th May - Grade 6 Marist Transition Day

Friday 23rd May - Student Free Day: Staff Discernment Year Day

Friday 6th June - Student Free Day: Staff Planning Day 

Monday 9th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday

Friday 13th June - Grade 2 Burnie Library & Museum Excursion

Tuesday 17th June - Tas All Schools Cross Country (TBC)

Friday 20th June - Netball Tasmania Primary School Championships

Monday 30th June - School Photo Day

Friday 4th July - Term 2 concludes

Monday 21st July - Student Free Day

Tuesday 22nd July - Term 3 commences 

Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August - Book Week

Friday 26th September - Term 3 concludes

Monday 13th October - Student Free Day

Tuesday 14th October - Term 4 commences

Monday 3rd November - Recreation Day Public Holiday

Wednesday 12th November - NW Athletics (selected students)

Friday 21st November - Schools Triathlon Challenge

Monday 1st December - Grade 6 Marist Orientation Day

Wednesday 17th December - Term 4 concludes - Final day for students & teachers

2026

Friday 6th February -Term 1 commences for students

Monday 9th March - Eight Hour Day Public Holiday

Easter - Friday 3rd April - Public Holiday 

Monday 6th April - Public Holiday

Tuesday 7th April - Public Holiday

Thursday 16th April - Term 1 concludes for students

Monday 4th May - Term 2 commences

Thursday 22nd May - Grade 1 Room 5 - Madagascar A Musical Adventure JR Excursion

Monday 8th June - Kings Birthday Holiday

Friday 10th July - Term 2 concludes

Tuesday 28th July - Term 3 commences for students

Thursday 1st October - Term 3 concludes 

Monday 19th October - Term 4 commences

Recreation Day - Monday 2nd November

Friday 18th  December - Term 4 concludes

* Stella Stars Early Years Learning - Every Wednesday - bookings via Facebook

Kookaburra Good News Story

Outside News

CommUNIty Fest 2025

Join Us at CommUNIty Fest 2025! 

From 3-13 April 2025, the University of Tasmania is hosting CommUNIty Fest at the Cradle Coast campus in Pataway/Burnie. This 11-day FREE program offers a diverse range of cultural, interactive, and educational activities designed to spark curiosity and celebrate learning.

Event Highlights

• An Evening with Samantha Harvey: Join the Booker Prize-winning author on Thursday, 3 April, from 7:00pm - 8:15pm in Room 238, as she discusses her novel “Orbital” and engages in a conversation about global challenges.
• Eats, Beats, and Savvy Sessions: On Wednesday, 9 April, indulge in food vans, live music, dance classes, and the opportunity to learn some useful tips and skills. It’s a perfect blend of entertainment and education for all ages.
• Island of Ideas Talk – Is Laughter the Best Medicine?: On Thursday 10 April. Can Laughter heal? Explore the surprising impacts of humour on health in this unique mix of comedy and expert insights.
• Questacon: Fascinating Science Exhibition: for schools and families, experience the world of science with the full set of activities at The Makers Technology and Innovation Hub in Burnie.

These events are just a glimpse of the exciting activities planned. To explore the full program and secure your spot, visit the commUNIty Fest.  website. Registrations are essential to ensure you don’t miss out.