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Newsletter - Friday, 8th August, 2025

Prayer

Our Foundation students have attended school for 100 days and in recognition of this and of all the amazing things that happen within the school walls, we pray…

We give you our school.
We give you all the teachers and staff who work here.
We give you all the children who study here.
We pray our school would be place of great discovery, adventure and creativity.
May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love,
A place where everyone is respected and all are deeply valued.

We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

From the Principals

Dear Families,

Thank you for taking the time this week to meet with teachers to discuss your child’s progress. Not only did we really enjoy catching up with you, but we also appreciate working with you to provide the best education we can. Remember, whenever you have something to discuss, or even to just have a chat, our door is always open.

Congratulations to the students making their Sacraments this Sunday. All families are invited to help celebrate this occasion - Mass on Sunday at 11 a.m. Making their First Communion and Confirmation: Esther, Lucy, Madeline, Stevie-Belle, Eli, Nellie, Harvey and Isaac. Making their Confirmation: Rhianna, Ella, Lizzie, Lily, Matthew, Therese and Charlotte.

In the last week, you have received two requests for surveys. They don't take a lot of time and we'd really appreciate your contribution. The first, was the S.R.C. Insight survey (received via letter with individual login). Your answers to this survey contribute to our focus on school improvement for students, parents and staff. The second, received via email, was for your thoughts on the qualities needed in a new Principal. Your feedback will be used to help the interviewing body find the new Principal for our school.

Lastly, it is with mixed emotion (sadness for our loss, but excitement for the possibilities ahead), that we farewell Ayanna and her family, Mollie, Ryan and Henry, this week. We have so loved having you as part of our St. Malachy’s family and we wish you much success and happiness with your move.

- Sherryn & Gorgia

Sacraments

Thirteen students from Years 2 to 6 will celebrate their First Communion and Confirmation on Sunday, 10th August @ 11 a.m., St Malachy's Church.

All families are invited to attend and celebrate this milestone with us.

From the Sports Desk

The Kowree Athletics is fast approaching. All students from Foundation to Year 6 will participate in up to seven track and field events. We would greatly appreciate any parent assistance on the day which may involve helping groups move from one event to another, or timekeeping running races. If you are able to help, please let Sherryn know as soon as possible. Thank you.

Book Week

On Friday 23^rd August, students are encouraged to dress up as their favourite character from a book, or their favourite book. We will have a parade at 9 a.m. to check out our costumes and during the day will have a couple of fun activities prepared by the Year 6 students.

100 days smarter

Mrs. Craig and her Foundation class celebrated their 100 days at school on Thursday.

Ghana Beat My Drum performance

Next Friday, 15th August, we will have Jonas Tandoh visiting and showing us his many talents. We're looking forward to next Friday's performance and learning a lot from Jonas after reading the website details below.

Ghana Beat My Drum incorporates audience participation, singing, dancing and drumming to leave audiences feeling exhilarated and inspired as well as enlightened in the ways and culture of Africa and more particularly Ghana.

Jonas teaches students words from the local languages, Ga Tui Mzema and Effutu and with their newly learnt words Jonas gets the entire audience participating in traditional call and response songs.

Students learn how many traditional African instruments are made from easy to find natural resources.

Shekere “pronounced She-Ka-Re” is the name of the African percussion instrument made from the dried fruit of the gourd vine and loosely covered with a wide decorative band of beads. The sound is produced by holding the outer cover of beads in one hand and twisting the gourd across them or simply shaking the entire instrument.

Add to all this Jonas’ wide smile and infectious laugh and what you get is a truly memorable, lively and uplifting, feel good show.

Jonas Tandoh was born in Ghana and has been a full time musician since the age of seventeen. He has played in numerous bands and toured across Australia supporting bands such as Osibisa and Ziggy Marley and has still found time to tour to schools Australia wide for the past twenty years.

Production: The Sword & The Stone

All students are working hard on their performances for our School production. Props will start to be made and costume ideas are being thrown around.

We have set the date (in stone much like the sword!) for Thursday, 20th November. Time to be confirmed.

Reading

R.S.V. - Respiratory syncytial virus

Key points

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that infects the lungs and airways.
RSV is the most common cause of respiratory infections in children.
Symptoms of infection from RSV often include a runny nose, coughing, wheezing and fever.
Most cases of RSV infection are mild and will get better at home with rest and fluids.
RSV spreads very easily; teach your child to practice good hygiene.
Try to keep your child away from newborn babies and people with weak immune systems while they have symptoms.
Your child can go to childcare, kindergarten or school if they feel okay and their symptoms have improved.
In Australia, there is now a free RSV immunisation program to protect babies from RSV.

What is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)?

Respiratory syncytial (sin-city-al) virus (RSV) is a virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs. It is the most common cause of respiratory tract (breathing passage) infections in children.

Anyone can get RSV – not just children. It is a very infectious virus. Most kids have had RSV at some stage by their second birthday, and it is possible to catch RSV more than once.

What is the difference between a cold and RSV?

RSV is one of many viruses that can cause respiratory infections, including the common cold. It is not a separate illness.

In most cases, RSV causes a mild cold with symptoms like a runny nose and cough that gets better in one or two weeks. However, the virus can lead to more serious conditions in some children, such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia – particularly in babies under one year old and those with risk factors like prematurity and chronic lung disease. It can also make existing problems like asthma worse.

Signs and symptoms of RSV

In most children, RSV normally causes a mild infection, with symptoms lasting between one to two weeks.

The most common symptoms caused by an RSV infection are:

runny nose
cough
wheeze
trouble breathing
fever.

Your child may only show symptoms of RSV infection several days after exposure to the virus.

Most cases of RSV infection will get better at home with lots of rest and fluids. However, RSV can cause more serious problems that may affect your child’s feeding and breathing. It is important to monitor your child’s symptoms.

Is RSV contagious?

RSV is very contagious. This means it spreads easily from one person to another. If your child has an RSV infection, they are most likely to pass the virus to other people for up to eight days after their symptoms start. They may even spread RSV one or two days before they show any signs of illness.

RSV spreads through droplets. When infected people talk, cough, or sneeze, they release droplets into the air or onto surfaces. The virus can live on surfaces like toys for many hours and on unwashed hands for up to 60 minutes.

Stopping the spread of RSV

It is hard to stop your child from spreading RSV – especially if they are young. Teaching them to practice good hygiene will help limit the spread to others.

Here are the best ways to avoid spreading RSV:

Do not let your child share drinks, cutlery or toys (if possible) while sick and clean or sanitise these items, along with surfaces, thoroughly between uses.
Encourage your child to cough and sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue away.
Teach your child to wash their hands often, including after blowing their nose.
Keep your child away from newborns or people with weakened immune systems while sick.

If your child is over two years old, face masks and physical distancing can help stop the spread of RSV. Masks are a choking risk in children under two years.

How to care for RSV at home

Keep your child home if they feel unwell or if they are coughing and sneezing a lot.
If your child feels well, they are coughing and sneezing much less, and they are eating and drinking, they can continue with normal activities like childcare and school.
Encourage your child to drink small amounts of fluids more often. If your child is under one year old, regularly give them small amounts of fluid like breastmilk, formula or water.
Try to make sure your child gets lots of rest.

RSV vaccine for pregnant women and RSV immunisation for infants

In early 2025, the Australian Government started a free immunisation program to protect babies from RSV. The ‘RSV Mother and Infant Protection Program’ includes vaccines for pregnant women and babies who are at a higher risk of severe RSV.

Vaccine for pregnant women

Under the National Immunisation Program, pregnant women can now get the maternal RSV vaccine ‘Abrysvo®’ for free. The vaccine is recommended for women from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect their newborn from RSV. It can safely be given at the same time as the free maternal vaccines for influenza and whooping cough.

Research shows that RSV vaccines in pregnancy reduce the risk of severe RSV disease in babies under 6 months of age by about 70%.

Immunisation for infants

In Victoria from 1 April to 30 September 2025, an RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation called ‘Beyfortus™’ will be offered to protect babies and young children under eight months old from a serious RSV infection, like bronchiolitis. The medicine sticks to the RSV virus and stops it from entering cells in the body. It is given as an injection.

Most infants will only need protection from the maternal vaccine or monoclonal antibody immunisation. Infants at a higher risk of severe RSV will also be offered a Beyfortus™ dose in their first or second RSV season.

Read the program information or visit the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre (MVEC) website for more information on whether your baby should have an RSV immunisation. If you have questions, it is also a good idea to speak to your doctor.

Common questions about RSV

How long does RSV last?

In most cases, an RSV infection like the common cold lasts one to two weeks. Your child may take longer to recover if they have an existing condition like asthma.

Can adults get RSV?

Adults can get an RSV infection, just like children. Most adults with an RSV infection get a cold with symptoms like a runny nose, cough, wheeze, trouble breathing, or fever. People over 65 years old are at a higher risk of getting very sick from RSV.

My child has a cold; do I need to test them for RSV?

If your child has a cold, it can be hard to tell which virus they have. There are tests available from pharmacies that check for RSV; a doctor can also do a nose or throat swab called a PCR test. However, it does not really matter whether your child has RSV or another virus because treatment for all colds is the same – plenty of rest and fluids. Antibiotics do not work on viruses.

For more information

Developed by The Royal Children’s General Medicine department, with input from the Emergency department. We acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.

From Carine - Mental Health & Wellbeing

Feedback from the Youth Mental Health Roadshow with Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg

It was a really informative session to attend, filled with knowledge and humour. Here are some key points:

SchoolTV is a valuable resource for parents, offering curated expert articles, videos, and other materials organised by relevant topics and easily accessible with a single click;
Suicide deaths of children and young people (Australia, 2010-2023) has declined, while there was a slight increase in 14 years and below;
A mental illness is: major changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviour

which cause disruption to day-to-day functioning and don’t go away as quickly as they should;

Anxiety disorders, followed by depressive disorders and substance disorders are common types of mental illnesses;
A mental health problem exists when the duration and intensity thereof impact one’s ability to function in everyday life and perform one’s normal activities
Anxiety: our brain is constantly trying to predict whether things around us are safe or dangerous
- g. may see negative evaluation by others as problematic
- May develop a pattern of avoidance
- If we avoid it enough, our brain begins to label it as catastrophic and activates a full-blown fear response, whenever we encounter it

When we continue to expose ourselves to the thing we fear and have corrective experiences, our brain begins to shed the dangerous label altogether and no longer activates the fear response

Anxiety is not a choice, but choosing to step in to the fear (gradual exposure with support from a therapist) is progress
Beware of AI companions – not always curated (inappropriate and unsafe content), emotional overattachment and dependency, privacy and data risks, distorted perception of relationships.
The Brave Program - an interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety. The programs are free, and provide ways for children and teenagers to better cope with their worries. There are also programs for parents. moodgym (16 years and older) is another option;

Suggestions by Dr Carr-Gregg:

Follow Dr Julie Smith – for very practical and easy to understand explanations of mental health issues (she is a clinical psychologist, e.g. Instagram)
Free resources on Beyond Blue and headspace
School resource: https://smedenhope.catholic.schooltv.me/

Contact Carine for more in-depth feedback (cbezuidenhout@smedenhope.catholic.edu.au, 0427 897 485)

Child safety

R.S.V., or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is a common virus that infects the airways and lungs. It's highly contagious and can cause mild to severe respiratory illnesses, particularly in infants and older adults. While most people recover within a couple of weeks, some, especially those in high-risk groups, may require hospitalisation. Testing kits are available at pharmacies.

A reminder to please keep children home when they are unwell, so they can recover quickly and also so that illness doesn't spread. This will help keep the students and staff well.

In this newsletter is a more detailed article on R.S.V.

What's coming up this Term?

Sunday, 10th August - Eucharist/Confirmation combined sacrament - shared lunch
Friday, 22nd August - Book Week parade
Wednesday, 27th August - Kowree Athletics (Year F to 6) @ Edenhope
Wednesday, 3rd September
Friday, 5th September - Fathers' Day celebration
Wednesday, 10th September - Little Desert Athletics @ Stawell (Years 3-6 qualifying students only)
Thursday, 18th September - Footy Colours Day
Thursday, 18th September - Last day of term for students
Friday, 19th September - Staff P.D. Structured Literacy - PUPIL FREE DAY

St. Malachy's Mass times are:
1st Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
2nd Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
3rd Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
4th Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
5th Sunday: 11.15 a.m.

St. Malachy's welcomes everyone to join us.