Week 5, Term 4 2022 - 1st November 2022
Principal's Reflection
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” - Psalm 113:3
The majesty of sunrise and sunset has captivated humankind since ancient times. Its rhythm has guided people for time immemorial - inspiring ingenuity, artwork, exploration and innovation.
Sunrise brings the start of another day; another chance to learn, grow and do, an opportunity to start anew. Sunset marks a time for rest and contemplation, a time to reflect on past decisions and prepare for the coming day ahead, finding ways to ‘do’ and ‘be’ better tomorrow.
The following photos show sunrise and sunset in our local Mackay area over the past 2 days. (If you have a hunch of where I took these photos, please let me know!)
With the advent of technology, we are even able to view Earth’s sunrise from space.
In the Christian Bible there are many references to the sun (as well as the wider environment) which serve as reminders to us of the abundance of God’s grace, His beautiful gift that we all called to love and share. Indeed, our recent ‘Mission Challenge’ was for staff, parents and students to create an artwork or capture an image that illustrated our school’s Catholic Identity. With over 70 entries, I know there are more than a few entries that feature our natural environment. Our judge, Sr Denise, certainly has her work cut out for her!
Like many things, the sun’s predictable regularity can wrongly lessen its wonder and awe. However, it is important that we frequently take stock of the majesty of nature, a true gift from God that all people, as stewards of creation, need to appreciate and look after.
“This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” - Psalm 118:23
All the very best,
Wes Rose
Principal
From our Principal - Mr Wes Rose
Staff Training
This Thursday our office secretaries, Mrs Wilkes and Mrs Falzon will join me at a training session focusing on our new online enrolment system which is due to commence next year. The new system, Funnel, replaces our existing online system and is designed to be more user friendly for prospective parents as well as school administrators.
This Friday our APRE and deputy Principal, Mrs Terri Leotta, will attend the regional APRE meeting.
Report Preparation
Parents may notice a relief teacher in their child’s class over the coming days. This is to enable teachers to prepare the Semester 2 report cards. A reminder to parents that reports will go live on parent lounge on Thursday 1st December.
Quote of the Week
"To the humble, everyone's a teacher. To the proud, no one is."
-Kenwert
Children's Liturgy
PLEASE NOTE: Enrolment Mass for Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be held this Saturday 5th November, 5pm at St Mary's Church.
Sacrament of Reconciliation - Important Dates
| Workshop 1 | Enrolment Mass | Workshop 2 | Reception of the Sacrament | |
| St Mary’s Parish | Thursday 3rd November 3:30pm Early Years Precinct | Saturday 5th November 5pm St Mary's Church | Thursday 10th November 3:30pm Early Years Precinct | Thursday 17th November 6:30pm TBC St Mary's Church |
| St Francis Parish | Monday 31st October | Enrolment Mass 5th/6th November | Monday 7th November | TBC |
Booklists 2023
**PLEASE NOTE: 2023 BOOKLISTS HAVE BEEN EMAILED TO ALL PARENTS**
Mackay School Supplies are once again St Mary's preferred supplier for the 2023 booklists. This locally owned family business are supporting our P&F by giving our school a rebate on all 2023 booklist orders packed by them. This will be used to purchase additional classroom equipment.
Collection times are: Monday 28th November to Wednesday 30th November from 8am-8:30am in the School Hall. Orders must be paid for prior to delivery.
Each year level booklist can be viewed by clicking the links below. If you'd like to order online directly with Mackay School Supplies please click here.
If you have any queries regarding the booklists, please contact Michelle at Mackay School Supplies on 0432 515 407 or ask at the school office.
St Mary's Christmas Fair
Year Level Christmas Fair Coordinators
A big thank you to all parents who have volunteered their time either being a Fair Coordinator or a volunteer at the fair. A roster for the night will be communicated to all year levels from their coordinator via Facebook or email.
I am currently still seeking a coordinator for Grade 2 if a parent would like to volunteer.
Stalls Coordinators
Prep - Fairy Floss & Snow Cones Aileen Balding (Prep C)
Grade 1 - Mini Cent Sale Lisa-Ann McNamara (1B) & Bianca Miles (1L)
Grade 2 - Cold Drinks
Grade 3 - Hot Chips Emily Camilleri (3B)
Grade 4 - Bar Nikita Kinnane (4K) & Ashley Miles (4C)
Grade 5 - Sweet Stall Natalie Phelan (5L) & Kate Vella (5R)
Grade 6 - BBQ & Food Preparation Jess McEwen (6V)
Donations
We are currently seeking donations for our Mini Cent Sale and would greatly appreciate your assistance. Donations can be goods, cash or gift vouchers. All supporters will be listed in our school newsletter acknowledging your sponsorship.
Major Raffle
For our major raffle this year, we have some amazing prizes! These prizes will be drawn on the night of the fair and winners contacted by phone.
Raffle tickets will be distributed to all families next Monday, so please check your child's bag. Each family will receive a book of 10 tickets @ $3 per ticket.
All sold tickets, with money included, are to be returned to the school office no later than Friday 18th November. If you require additional raffle books, please contact the office.
STEM Club
Last week's STEM club was a Lego bungee challenge. Fine motor skills were a must, so it was our oldest students who took out the win with the longest bungee. Well done to Eddie, Tyler, Sam and Nicole.
Sport News
Could any students interested in direct nomination to Capricornia Swimming 2023 Regional Trials please contact me for forms or visit https://capsport.eq.edu.au/. Only students affiliated with a swimming club can nominate direct for Capricornia Trials.
More information about an MDSS swimming trial (to be held in Term 1, week 2 2023) will be released in December for those students not affiliated with a swimming club.
Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher
Student of the Week
Week 4, Term 4 Student Award Winners
| PC | Eddie | For your enthusiasm and participation during our special LAND program sessions. You loved learning about our native trees and plants and were so keen to share your understandings! |
| PP | Bowen | For great work during our Daily 5 activities this week. You approach every task with enthusiasm and always complete your work quickly and correctly. Thank you for working so hard Bowen! |
| PP | Narnia | For being a maths star! You worked hard in maths rotations this week with some tricky number sharing activities this week! Keep up the great work Narnia! |
| 1B | Lincoln | For being a very capable and reliable student by helping others in the classroom to complete work. Your teacher thinks you are a kind, caring and very clever friend. |
| 1B | Nicholas | For always giving one hundred per cent in your written work. Your handwriting has improved and your stories are a pleasure to read. Well done! |
| 1L | Matilda | For your wonderful application in handwriting - it's so neat and beautifully presented! |
| 1L | Jackson | You have come ahead in leaps and bounds with your reading! Keep up the great work! |
| 2A | Olivia | For always being organised and ready to learn. |
| 2A | Hugo | For concentrating and listening attentively in class and always bringing a cheerful smile! |
| 2B | Abbey | For your diligent work in class. You are setting a fine example to your friends. |
| 3B | Mia | For the wonderful fluency and expression you use in your BOOST reading group. You are a pleasure to listen to when you read. |
| 3B | Piper | For the positivity and confidence you have shown in your work recently. It is wonderful to see you believe in yourself. |
| 3M | Isla | For showing initiative and determination when completing your work this week. You have been a role model for your group and encouraged them to stay focused as well. |
| 3M | Maisy | For the respect and reverence you showed when Sr Denise came and spoke to our class. |
| 4C | Ava | For your great contributions to our class discussions and your commitment, to finishing the year strong. Keep up the great work! |
| 4C | Gavin | For your commitment to learning and your creative designs to demonstrate your knowledge of area. Great work Gavin. |
| 4K | Peyton | For your in-depth HaSS research project on an early explorer. Your comprehensive presentation on Frederick de Houtman was informative and well-rehearsed. I was amazed, well done! |
| 5L | Kai | Kai it was so lovely to receive a message from a member of the community who was so impressed by your sense of responsibility, and how caring and well-mannered you were during the week. Your leadership qualities shined and you were a great representation of our St Mary's students. Your teacher is bursting with pride. Well done! |
| 5L | Brielle | Brielle you are always a ray of sunshine in our class and go out of your way to see the best in others. Keep sharing your positivity and friendship! |
| 5R | Mia | For consistently working hard across all subject areas. We are constantly impressed by your eagerness and willingness to complete any task to the best of your ability. |
| 5R | Dean | For the effort and concentration you showed in your PAT Spelling test. Well done on a fantastic result. |
| 6M | Isabelle | For the confidence and willingness to 'have a go' you have been displaying in maths this term. Keep it up Izzy! |
| 6M | Lucas | For the hard work, effort and research you are putting into your geography assignment on Japan. I can't wait to see the finished product. |
| 6V | Zac | For excellent application to all aspects of your work this week Zac. You should be very proud of your efforts so far this term. Keep up the great work! |
| 6V | Katie | For showing interest and enthusiasm while learning about social justice. Your contributions to class discussions, group activities and independent research have been outstanding Katie. |
Community News
