Week 1, Term 4 2024 - 1st October 2024
Principal's News
Welcome Back
Welcome back to school. I trust that the school holidays provided much needed rest and relaxation, ready for term 4. We have a big term ahead filled with great learning experiences as well as many school events - it is sure to be a busy time. Please note the following important dates for term 4;
7/10 King’s Birthday Public Holiday
13/10 P&F Bike-a-Thon (Caneland Park from 8:30am)
28/10 St Mary’s Swimming Carnival; ARC pool
31/10 Prep 2025 Information Evening; 5:30pm-6:30pm
16/11 St Mary’s Christmas Fair
28/11 Orientation Day - Prep 2025 to Year 7 2025 (St Pat’s and CMC)
2/12 Year 6 Graduation Dinner
5/12 Christmas Concert
6/12 Report cards published on Parent Lounge
6/12 Last day of school
11/12 School Office closes
20/1/2025 School office reopens
28/1/2025 Term 1 2025 commences
From our Principal - Mr Wes Rose
Art Extravaganza
The art show in the last week of Term 3 was a wonderful cultural celebration, showcasing the many and varied talents of the St Mary’s school community. The student work that was created during three art lessons under Ms Lenz’s tutelage was simply outstanding.
Congratulations to this year’s winners and runner ups:
Prep - Ryker H and Thomas C
Year 1 - Theo A and Isabella B
Year 2 - Hayden M and Porsha C
Year 3 - Dillon M and Annabelle N
Year 4 - Sinead R and Lexie T
Year 5 - Ainslee M and Charlotte H
Year 6 - Ryder R and Kalani V
I also thank the many parents for exhibiting their artwork. Our photography club, led by Mrs Virginia Lewis also showcased their skills with some breathtaking images. The music on the night by Sarah Rozekrans and Rob and Talia Cookson sounded amazing, and Sam Bauer did a great job setting up and managing the PA!
Events like this are a celebration of the holistic educational offering here at St Mary’s, and are only made possible by the creative and organisational efforts of many people. From catering to framing, set up and child minding, many and varied talents come together to see the event realised. On behalf of the school community, I thank these people for their efforts, they are very much appreciated.
Staff News
- We welcome Mrs Belinda van Lint to the role of Acting APRE for Term 4. I thank Belinda for assisting the school in this way. Belinda will be in the office each Thursday and Friday; during this time, Mrs Paul will teach 6V.
- Ms Wendy Parker (school counsellor) and I attended the regional Student Protection Conference today, held at St Patrick’s College.
- Mrs Donna Berardi and Miss Stacey Banks are on Long Service Leave this week, returning 8th In their absence, Mrs Hollie Cleaver and Mrs Sue McGann will teach the Year 1 classes.
- Mrs Donna Wood is on Long service leave for the next 3 weeks. In her absence, Mrs Leigh Ford will teach Performing Arts.
- We had several staff (Mrs Battaia, Mrs van Lint and Mrs Sorbello) attend the NCCD regional reflection last term.
School Maintenance
Over the holidays, we had several maintenance jobs completed, including;
- Air conditioner servicing in the Early Years.
- All Aircon filters cleaned throughout the school
- Repair of several doors and windows around the school
- Emergency lighting and safety switch servicing.
- Pressure cleaning of all concrete surfaces.
- The fan controllers in the Hall were repaired. I sincerely thank Bart van Lint for assisting us with this job, as we were facing a very expensive replacement cost without Bart’s expertise!
Year 6 Graduation Dinner – Helpers Meeting
As previously advised, we have a short meeting planned this Thursday from 2pm in the staffroom to finalise the Year 6 graduation dinner. All interested Year 6 parents are most welcome to attend.
Centenary Yearbook and Cookbook
We still have copies of these books available to purchase from the school office. All students who are enrolled this year have their photo included in this book, which will be a great keepsake for families. Please see the ladies in the school office to get your copy.
A message to children/families arriving before 8:15am
We have noticed that many students are arriving at school before 8:15am and are spread out across various areas of the school. I remind students and parents that before 8:15am, there are no teachers on supervision duty. Therefore, students are to either sit with their parents, or if unaccompanied, sit in the tuckshop area. There is to be no play before 8:15am. Once the 8:15am play bell rings, students can play handball/skip/walk the track/visit the library.
Uniform Guidelines
A reminder to all families of our uniform guidelines. Some important areas to note include;
- Students are to wear plain black footwear (formal shoes or joggers).
- No coloured nail polish or acrylic nails.
- Boys: No earrings.
- Boys hair styles. Be neat in appearance and not falling into eyes or past the collar. Hair may not be dyed or worn in a style that is extreme or inappropriate for school (e.g. no tracks, rat’s tails, mo-hawks, top knots, mullets, hair no shorter than gauge 2 or undercuts that have a large variance between length).
- Girls hair styles. Be neat in appearance and not falling into eyes. Girls with shoulder or longer length hair must have it tied back. Hair may not be dyed or worn in a style that is extreme or inappropriate for school. Hair accessories should be minimal and must be in colours of navy, blue or white.
- Watches - please keep them basic, avoiding electronic watches that include games and cameras, etc.
Our students demonstrate pride in St Mary’s school by the way they wear their uniform correctly. From next week, an infringement letter may be sent home to notify parents of any areas that need to be addressed. If you have any queries about this, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Early Departure and Late Arrival at School
For the safety of all students, it is important that the following procedures are followed when students are collected early or arrive late for school;
- If your child needs to leave school during the day for any reason, they must be collected from the school office and signed out. Advanced notice to the school office will assist in having students ready at the collection time.
- Please do not go directly to your child’s class, as the class teacher is unable to amend the attendance roll.
- When returning to school following an appointment, students must report to the office so that the class roll can be marked accordingly.
- Students who arrive late to school in the morning (after 8:30am) must report to the school office before going to their classroom. This will prevent SMS messages being sent to parents when children are present at school.
Families Leaving
As our total enrolment drives many aspects of our school (staffing, budget, class sizes and structure) it is important that we try to be as accurate as possible in predicting the school enrolment for 2025. If you know that you will be leaving at the end of the year, please notify the office as soon as possible. Your assistance with this matter is greatly appreciated.
Quote of the Week
“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”
- Henry David Thoreau
October - Month of the Rosary
Yesterday, we commenced praying a decade of the Rosary. We will pray the Rosary each day in October. St Mary's honours the Blessed Mother of Jesus and our school booklist requires that each student have their own set of Rosary beads throughout Prep to Year 6.
If your child does not have rosary beads, please purchase a set through our school office for $12 or source them from home, St Vincent de Paul.
Thank you.
Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal: Religious Education (Acting)
Sacramental Program
Students in Year 3 or above are invited to begin preparing to receive their Sacraments; Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Communion.
Enrolment forms are available at the school office and can be completed and brought along to the first workshop.
If you would like further information please contact the school office.
St Mary's
Workshop – 17th October 3:15pm
Workshop – 24th October 3:15pm
Tuesday : Reconciliation – 29th October 6pm
St Francis Xavier
Workshop – 14th October 3:15pm
Workshop – 21st October 3:15pm
Monday: Reconciliation – 28th October 6pm
St Michael’s
Workshop 1 - Sunday 13th Oct
Workshop 2 - Sunday 20th Oct
Sunday: Reconciliation – 27th October after 9am mass
Workshops will take place at the school.
Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal: Religious Education (Acting)
Term 4 Clubs
This term, we are offering several lunch time clubs to all students. Please encourage your child to participate if they are interested.
St Mary's Bike-a-thon
Registration Is Open!
We are excited for our next school fundraiser - the P&F St Mary's Bike-a-Thon. It was a super fun event last year giving everyone a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.
Meet at Caneland Park (near Bluewater Lagoon) and ride, walk or scoot to old Hospital Bridge and back - approx. 3km.
Invite your friends and family to join in, too. Prizes on the day for best dressed boy/ girl & best dressed family.
Please click on this link for ticket information.
2024 Swimming Carnival
Our annual school carnival will be held on Monday 28th October at Mackay Aquatic Recreation Complex.
Once again the day will be divided into two sections: a Junior Carnival (Prep to Year 2) and a Senior Carnival (Years 3 to 6).
In order for your child too participate in the carnival, please complete the nomination forms below by 9am on Monday 16th October. Entries after this time cannot be accepted.
Senior Carnival Nomination Form
Junior Carnival Nomination Form
We would welcome any volunteer parent helpers to assist in the smooth running of the carnival. There are a variety of jobs available and we would greatly appreciate your assistance. Please indicate on the nomination form if you are able to assist and in what capacity (e.g. lifesaving, marshal, timekeeper, set up, pack up, etc.).
We are looking forward to a fun filled, exciting day.
Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher
Don't Forget to Download the Parent Orbit App
St Mary's Got Talent Wrap Up
Last term, we celebrated the many talents of our amazing students at our annual SMGT Grand Finale. Congratulations to all students involved. Thank you, for letting your light shine!
Many thanks to our wonderful judges, Miss Nat and Miss Molly. Thank you also to our Cultural Leaders, Lacey and Nicole for assisting Mrs Wood.
3rd Place – Ewen, Flynn, Hudson, Nate and Ashton – stunt jumps!
2nd Place – Olivia – singing and playing the ukulele
1st Place – The Magic Sisters – Ila and Annabelle (and their lovely assistant Ava)
Student of the Week
Week 10, Term 3 Student Award Winners
Prep P | Thomas | For wonderful work with your writing tasks. You are working hard to think of great sentences and are trying to sound out tricky words. Keep working hard Tom! |
Prep P | Piper | For being a super worker during our writing sessions. Piper, it is so wonderful to see you writing tricky words and sentences independently. Keep up the fantastic work! |
Prep R | Tane | For working hard when reading and writing. You are improving each week and doing a fantastic job. Keep it up! |
Prep R | Byron | For the amazing library excursion recount you wrote. You did a wonderful job sounding out words and forming sentences. You are a writing superstar! |
1B | Andrew | For your fabulous attitude to learning. You are always ready to listen, follow instructions and complete your work to a high standard. We are so lucky to have you in 1B! |
1B | Brooklyn | For the beautiful and caring friend you have been towards your classmates. Thank you for offering to help others complete their work. You are such a special part of 1B! |
1S | Sam | For the improvement in your handwriting. Your hard effort is paying off. Well done! |
1S | Ella | For your descriptive words in your creative writing task. You worked hard to entertain the reader. Well done! |
2A | Jasmine | For how hard you have been working on creating great stories this term. Super effort, Jasmine! |
2A | Emerson | For the progress you have made to get started on each activity in the classroom. I can see big improvements and I am so excited to see you grow! Keep up the great work, Emerson. |
2L | Lacey | Lacey you have been a wonderful friend and amazing nurse to your injured classmates, more than once this week! Thank you for your care and compassion to those around you. You are a treasure! |
2L | Remi | Remi it has been wonderful to see the effort you have made to improve your handwriting through assessment work over the past couple of weeks! Way to go! |
3C | Ella | For demonstrating exceptional coding skills in Digital Technology. Your creativity, problem-solving abilities, and dedication to mastering coding concepts have set a high standard. Congratulations Ella! |
3P | Dillon | For the outstanding effort and remarkable creativity showcased in your artwork for the St. Mary's Art Show. You demonstrated exceptional dedication and imagination, bringing your vision to life with remarkable skill and passion. Well done Dillon! |
3P | Hunter | For the fantastic reading you've been doing in BOOST groups—it's wonderful to see your confidence grow and your use of expression improving. Keep up the great work Hunter. |
4R | Archer | For your responsible attitude and the work you have put in this term, to improve in all areas of your school day. Great effort Archer! |
4R | Sonny | For the effort you have made this term to improving your reading and summarising skills. Well done, Sonny! |
5C | Jake | For your amazing academic achievements this term. Jake I am so proud of how far you have come, keep up the great work next term! |
5C | Harlen | For your amazing poem on the Fuzzels! |
5M | Ashlyn | For showing persistence, resilience and determination with your Maths On-Line exam. Your results reflect your hard work. Keep it up Ash! |
5M | Keegan | For the hard work, research and care you put into your confirmation poster. You should be very proud of the result! |
6T | Chiara | For being a Sound Waves star. Your exceptional knowledge and deep understanding of the relationships between phonemes and graphemes is outstanding. Well done Chiara! |
6V | Joshua | For displaying the virtues of persistence and diligence when completing your assessment tasks. Your teacher is impressed by your hard word and dedication. |
6V | Justin | For working diligently to achieve excellent results across all learning areas. It has been great to see the enthusiasm and commitment you have shown towards your learning this term. |
Community News
Becoming Catholic: We welcome anyone inquiring to become Catholic
The process Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) which is the customary process the church has provided for anyone who wishes to be welcomed into the full life of the Church. This process is about to commence. An adult is anyone over the age of 16.
If you know of someone who is interested in finding out more about the Catholic Faith, please ask them to contact the Cluster Parish office
p: 4957 4807 or e: cluster@smky.catholics.org.au