Week 7, Term 1 2025 - 11th March 2025
Principal's Reflection
Rising Above the Storm
Emma never saw it coming. One day, she was thriving in her dream job; the next, she was staring at a termination letter, her world unravelling in an instant. Fear gripped her—bills to pay, responsibilities piling up. But as the shock faded, she realised she had a choice; let adversity define her or rise above it.
Life often throws unexpected challenges our way, whether it's a sudden job loss, a health crisis or personal setbacks. While adversity can feel overwhelming, resilience and the right mindset can help us navigate difficult times. Here are some key strategies to overcome unexpected hardships:
- Accept and Acknowledge – The first step is to accept the situation and acknowledge your emotions. Suppressing feelings can lead to stress, while facing them allows you to process and move forward.
- Seek Support – You don’t have to face adversity alone. Lean on family, friends or support groups for encouragement and guidance. Talking to others can provide new perspectives and emotional relief. And remember, lean into your faith.
- Stay Adaptable – Unexpected adversity often requires adjusting your plans. Embrace flexibility and look for alternative solutions rather than dwelling on what’s out of your control.
- Focus on Small Steps – Overcoming difficulties can feel overwhelming, but breaking challenges into smaller, manageable steps can make them easier to tackle. Celebrate progress, no matter how small. Also, rather than searching for instant answers, focus on growing through the experience, trusting that clarity will come in time.
- Maintain a Positive Mindset – While optimism may not change the situation, it can change how you respond to it. Focus on what you can control and seek lessons in adversity to foster personal growth.
- Take Care of Yourself – Stressful times demand self-care. Prioritise sleep, nutrition and physical activity to maintain emotional and mental well-being.
Adversity is inevitable, but with resilience and the right approach, you can turn unexpected challenges into opportunities for growth and strength.
All the very best,
Wes Rose
Principal
From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose
In our Prayers
Prayers are requested for Janaka Balasuriya and his family (wife Dulani and Vinudi in 2A) as he recovers from major surgery in Townsville.
Sacred Garden
Construction of our new Centenary Garden commenced today. Our landscape gardener is scheduled to commence works next Monday 10th March. I am sure that this space will be a lovely and well-used feature of our school for many years to come.
(Artistic Impression of our new Centenary Garden)
P&F Meeting
I warmly invite all interested parents to attend our P&F meeting this evening (11/3) from 6pm in the Staffroom. At this meeting, we will look at our 2025 wish list, which is always a very constructive exercise.
NAPLAN Testing
All the best to the Year 3 and 5 students who will complete their NAPLAN tests over the coming week.
Staff Training
- This Tuesday, teachers from St Mary’s will be joined by teachers from St John’s and St Francis Xavier for a Professional Learning session led by our Diocesan Indigenous Education Coordinator, Phillippa Johnson. This is sure to be a worthwhile session.
- This Thursday afternoon, our school leadership team will work with Mr David Paul (Assistant Director: Schools) in preparation for the School Improvement Team visit in late April.
Quote of the Week
“Unexpected events can set you back or set you up. It’s all a matter of perspective.”
-Mary Anne Radmache
Project Compassion - Second Week of Lent
Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.
Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students now have access to clean drinking water at their school and are able to focus on education.
This transformative story is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world. Will you stand with students like Toefuata'iga this Lent?
Please donate to Project Compassion.
You can support Project Compassion using donation boxes in student classrooms, scanning the QR code, by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413. There are also envelopes available from your parish.
Caritas Classroom Tally
Class | Total | Class | Total |
Prep C | $4.00 | Prep R | $16.00 |
| Year 1B | $18.50 | Year 1C | $18.00 |
| Year 2A | $7.00 | Year 2L | $26.10 |
| Year 3M | $26.00 | Year 3P | $44.20 |
| Year 4G | Nil | Year 4R | $7.00 |
| Year 5C | $5.00 | Year 5F | $25.00 |
| Year 6C | $12.00 | Year 6T | $14.00 |
| TOTAL | $222.80 |
Shrove Tuesday Thanks
Nearly 400 pancakes were enjoyed at St Mary’s last week on Shrove Tuesday! Many thanks to our Tuckshop Coordinator Ms Gillis and her assistant Mrs Powell. The proceeds of this fundraiser will go to our school’s Project Compassion Lenten appeal for Caritas. Well done St Mary's!
St Mary's Pie Drive
Less than 1 week to get your orders in!
Don't forget to ask your family and friends if they would like to place an order for scrumptious pies to support our St Mary's P&F Pie Drive.
- Orders will close Monday 17th March
- Delivery will take place Tuesday 1st & Wednesday 2nd April (last week of term)
Scan the QR code to order, click on this LINK
Contact Melissa McGuiness - 0439 375 509 for any enquiries.
Clean Up Australia Day
Well done to the 60 students, parents and staff who attended Sunday morning’s Clean Up Australia Day event at Quota Park. The beach and parkland are looking clean and tidy thanks to their efforts. Some obscure items were found, including the broken hull of a sailboat. In keeping with our theme of ‘War on Waste’, Theo found a toy soldier which won most unusual item!
Student of the Week
Week 6, Term 1 Student Award Winners
| Prep C | Lily | For always approaching your learning with enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Your hard work and determination shines every day. Keep up the fantastic effort! |
| Prep C | Duke | For showing great persistence and resilience in your learning. You always try your best and never give up. Your teacher is so proud of you! Keep up the amazing work! |
| Prep R | Andrew | For working hard to complete tasks independently and in the allocated time frame. Your sequencing of The Very Itchy Bear was fantastic. Keep trying hard Andrew! |
| Prep R | Rhys | For always listening and following instructions. You are trying your hardest in everything you do and we are very lucky to have you in Prep R. Keep being amazing! |
| 1B | Piper | For your amazing writing this week. You wrote sentences with detail and formed your letters correctly in the lines. You’re a writing superstar Piper! |
| 1B | Ezra | For the amazing day you had yesterday. You were worked hard to stay focused, get your work completed and made great choices. You are a superstar Ezra! |
| 1C | Piper | For your super effort in class all week. You have been working hard on all tasks and participating in class conversations with enthusiasm. Keep up the awesome effort Piper! |
| 1C | George | For your amazing classroom effort all week. You worked hard in writing to re-read your words, adding extra information to complete your sentence correctly. Keep up the awesome effort George! |
| 2A | Joanna | For the beautiful way you have blended into our 2A classroom. We love to see your smile as you enter the classroom each day. Welcome to St Mary's, Joanna. |
| 2A | Flynn | for the effort and attention you have given to every aspect of your work this week. I can see all the great choices you are making. Keep up the great work Flynn! |
| 2L | Theo | Theo you have had such an amazing week! You’ve listened to instructions, worked really hard to complete schoolwork and you’ve asked for assistance when you’ve needed it. Well done! Keep up the superb effort! |
| 2L | Vivienne | Vivienne your work ethic has been nothing short of fabulous this week! Your homework sentences are outstanding and your enthusiasm for learning in the classroom is amazing! You are a superstar!! |
| 3M | Adeline | For the fantastic reading you've been doing in BOOST reading groups—it's wonderful to see your confidence grow and your use of expression improving. Keep up the great work Addy! |
| 3M | Nate | For demonstrating ‘Responsibility’ in his learning. Nate has been working well in the classroom, showing focus and dedication towards his learning. Well done Nate, I am proud of you for always trying your best! |
| 3P | Audrey | For your excellent work in our writing lessons this week. You have shown great focus and determination to plan and write interesting narrative stories. Thank you Audrey and keep up the super work! |
| 3P | Remi | For your excellent work in maths this week. Remi, you have worked hard to complete all your classwork quickly and independently. It was great to see you explaining your thinking to the class when we were trying to solve challenging maths problems. You are a maths star! Keep up the wonderful work Remi! |
| 4G | Claire | For her excellent sentence writing for her narrative piece in class. Her use of dialogue and language features was outstanding! Keep up the good work Claire! |
| 4G | Isaac | For demonstrating exceptional persistence and resilience in class! Your dedication to learning, your ability to overcome challenges, and your determination to never give up, shows true strength of character. Your resilience is an inspiration to your classmates and a testament to your hard work and perseverance. |
| 4R | Isla | For the reverent way you participated in our Ash Wednesday liturgy. Your positive and helpful attitude to all tasks in the classroom sets a wonderful example for your classmates. Well done, Isla! |
| 4R | Reegan | For your lovely handwriting and neat bookwork. We are so pleased to have you join our class. Welcome to St. Mary’s Reegan. |
| 5C | Oliver | For you insightful contributions to classroom discussions about equivalent fractions. Oliver you were able to successfully articulate complex relationships between related fractions. Keep up the great work! |
| 5C | Meeka | For your exceptional writing this week. Meeka you have been able to successfully write a persuasive and a narrative text this week to a very high standard. You are definitely ready to conquer NAPLAN! Keep up the great work. |
| 5F | Sienna | For confidently engaging in class discussions with insightful answers and thought-provoking questions. Your active participation enriches our class conversations. |
| 5F | Oaklan | For always being ready to learn, organised and efficient. You have a knowledge seeking mind and an incredible passion for pushing your mathematical skills. You are going to achieve great things with this brilliant attitude to learning. |
| 6C | Peyton | For your commitment to learning every day. You always give 100% to all tasks and show exemplary learning behaviours. You are a wonderful role model for our class. Keep up the great work Peyton! |
| 6C | Lachlan | For your focus and energy in our class discussions. It is wonderful to hear your worthwhile contributions in group activities. Keep up your amazing efforts. |
| 6T | Mila | For consistently and wholeheartedly applying 100% effort to all tasks you undertake. Your work ethic is impeccable! You are a wonderful role model in our classroom. Keep up the fantastic work Mila! |
| 6T | Keegan | For demonstrating an impressive understanding of the relationship between graphemes and phonemes in Soundwaves this week. You successfully segmented challenging words with great skill and accuracy. Well done, Keegan! |
| 6T | Mia | For the persistence you showed in mathematics. You worked hard to deepen your understanding of percentages, fractions and decimals. Well done, Mia! |
| Sport | Aidan | You show up to every PE lesson with a “Can Do” attitude! Well done on always trying your best and never giving up even when activities are tricky. |
| Sport | Olivia | Your determination to improve your distance in our 5 minute run has been great to see. You are continually pushing yourself to your limits in PE lessons. Keep it up Olivia. |
| Drama | Year 1B & 1C | Presenting delightful stories through dramatic play. Your performances are uplifting and always entertaining! |
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