Week 8, Term 4 2024 - 19th November 2024

APRE's Reflection

The first Sunday of Advent this year will be Sunday, 1st December and this is the first day of a new church or liturgical calendar. The Advent season starts four Sundays before Christmas and finishes on Christmas Eve. Advent is a season of preparation! The word itself comes from the Latin word meaning “coming.” During these four weeks, we prepare our hearts for Christmas and the coming of Jesus.  

The Advent wreath is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar. It has five candles set on top: three purple, one pink, and one white in the centre. Purple candles represent us preparing for the Lord’s coming through things such as prayer and fasting, the pink candle represents rejoicing, and the white candle represents Christ’s purity and light.  

One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh but Jesus is the true gift at Christmas.

The Advent season is a great time of year to share God’s love with others. This time of the year is a time of giving and as the holidays approach, it’s important to remember the vulnerable people in our community that still need support. 

At St Mary’s we are once again supporting the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Thank you to all our families who have already generously donated items to support this appeal.  There is still time left to donate, we will be presenting our donations to a St Vincent de Paul representative at our Week 9 assembly.

This year we have allocated a specific range of items needed for each year level:

Prep: Christmas Hamper Items
Year 1: Babies and Toddlers
Year 2: Toiletries & Games for Seafarers
Year 3: Young Children (4-8 years)
Year 4: Older Children (9-12 yrs)
Year 5: Christmas Hamper Items
Year 6: Teenagers

We thank you for your generous support as we approach the season of Advent. It has been amazing to see the students coming to school with their donations.

Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal: Religious Education (Acting)

From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose

St Mary’s Fair
The St Mary’s Fair was a lovely event on Saturday evening.  The profit from the fair contributes significantly towards the Parish and our school, so thank you to the many businesses and families who have donated items, cooked sweets and volunteered their time to help on a stall.  Your help is greatly appreciated. 

A special thank you to Tanya Davies, who celebrated her 10^th and final year as our Fair Coordinator.  Tanya, we have really appreciated your hard work and dedication to bring this large event to fruition over this time.

School Counsellor News
I advise that due to a change of the counselling allocation for some schools, Wendy Parker will be concluding as our school counsellor at the end of the year.  Wendy has been a long-serving staff member of St Mary’s for many years; as both a teacher and school counsellor.  Her relatable personality and genuine care for all has been a real feature of her approach to students and staff and we will surely miss her.  On behalf of the school community, I thank Wendy for all her efforts and wish her well in her role as school counsellor for St John’s Walkerston (3 days) and MacKillop (2 days) next year.  In consultation with staff from the Catholic Education office, we have begun the recruitment process to appoint a new counsellor for 3 days per week, commencing in 2025.  We aim to have this finalised by mid-December.

2025 Teacher Placements
I am pleased to advise that we have appointed the following teaching staff for the 2025 school year.

2025 Orientation Morning
I advise that our orientation morning is scheduled for next Thursday 28^th November.  Students in Years 1-6 next year will visit their 2025 classrooms and spend time with their new year level teachers.  We also welcome our new teachers on this morning; Mrs Parrott, Mrs Ford, Miss Graham and Mrs Cleaver. Several new students in Years 1-6 will also attend our orientation day and I am sure that our existing students will make them feel very welcome.  Our 2025 Prep students will attend from 9:15am-10:30am.  Families will initially assemble in the hall and then students will proceed to the Prep classrooms while the parents stay on for morning tea.  Year 6 students attending Catherine McAuley College in 2025 will spend the entire day at the college.  I am sure that this orientation day will give students and teachers in insight into the new school year.

2025 School Leadership Speeches
Our student leadership speeches were held today in the Hall and I congratulate all candidates on their courage and preparation to deliver these speeches.  Year 4-6 students and all staff have cast their votes, with the 2025 student leaders announced at assembly this Friday, 22^nd November. 

Report Cards
Semester 2 report cards will be published on Thursday 5th December, via Parent Lounge.  I encourage all families to log in to Parent Lounge to access and read these reports, which give parents a comprehensive report of your child’s academic progress this semester.

End of Year Gifts and Treats
With the end of year upon us, many students bring in cards, lollies and gifts for classmates and staff.  Whilst it is a lovely gesture to bring in a card or gift, I ask that students refrain from bringing in candy cane or other lollies to share with their classmates. 

Chewing Gum
We have noticed some students bringing chewing gum to school.  I remind all students that chewing gum is not allowed at school, as we are increasingly finding gum left on the concrete and other places.  I thank parents and students for their support with this matter.

Quote of the Week

Youth Mass & Children's Liturgy

PLEASE JOIN US!

St Mary's School will join with St Patrick's College to celebrate our Youth Mass on Saturday 23rd November, St Mary's Church at 5pm.  Children's Liturgy will be also be held.  

Mass will be followed by a pizza outside the church. Everyone is most welcome to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal: Religious Education (Acting)

End of Year Mass Invitation

All parents, friends and carers are invited to attend our End of Year School Mass on Tuesday 3rd December at 8.45am in the St Mary's School Hall. This final Mass will include a candle ceremony and handover of Year 6 leaders to our 2025 leaders. 

St Mary's Christmas Fair Wrap-Up

We feel very blessed to have such generous and passionate supporters of the St Mary's Christmas Fair.To everyone that supported the 2024 St Mary's Christmas Fair, many local businesses, parent, parish and staff volunteers, and to every St Mary's family and local family that attended, your generosity means the world to us and the St Mary's community.

Christmas Fair Major Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our 2024 Christmas Fair raffle winners:

1^st Prize -Emma Wilson
2^nd Prize - Caleb Karcz
3^rd Prize - Yasmin Gillis
4^th Prize Cassandra Hayward 
5^th Prize: Kiera Kinsella
Bonus Prize: Mitch Coles

It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my role as organiser of the St Mary’s Christmas Fair.

Over the years, I’ve often been asked why I take on this role year after year. My answer has always been simple. It is my way of giving back to our wonderful school community. This role has also given me the opportunity to meet so many parents and parish members along the way.

For the past ten years, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some truly generous people. Whether it’s volunteering on the night, baking goodies for the Sweet Stall, or donating prizes for the Major Raffle or Cent Sale. It’s these contributions that make the Fair the success it has become.

Each Fair night, our school community comes together to create something special, not just for our children, but for everyone who attends. The atmosphere, filled with joy and togetherness, reflects the spirit of St Mary’s.

I would like to sincerely thank the staff of St Mary’s, volunteers, families and local businesses who have always given so generously to this event. Your willingness to lend a hand, uphold traditions, and ensure the Fair remains a cherished event is always greatly appreciated. Volunteers truly are the heart and soul of making it all happen.

Although I am stepping away from this role, the memories, the friendships, and the feeling of belonging will remain with me. Thank you all for making this journey so incredibly rewarding.

Tanya Davies
St Mary’s Christmas Fair Coordinator

St Mary's Christmas Concert

Christmas Under the Stars!

On Thursday 5th December from 6-7pm in the basketball court we will host our Christmas Concert. Our students have been busily learning several Christmas dances under the expert tutelage of our Performing Arts Teacher, Mrs Wood. 

Letters have been sent home with students outlining details of costume requirements. These letters can also be found by clicking on the appropriate link below. 

Student of the Week

Week 7, Term 4 Student Award Winners

Community News