Term 2, Week 3 2025 - 6th May 2025
Curriculum News | Belinda Battaia
The 2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge kicks off today. The challenge is not a competition but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Students at St Mary’s will challenge within their school by recording all the books they read between now and 22nd August 2025. The winning class will be announced on assembly following the closure of the competition and the collation of results. Let’s get reading St Mary’s!
How can I assist my child with their reading skills?
At St Mary’s we use the Dibels reading assessment to collect information about your child’s ability to read with fluency, accuracy and adequate comprehension.
Our Boost sessions then allow us to use this data to group students in mixed abilities with benefits that include:
- learning from each other's strengths and perspectives, leading to a deeper understanding of the read material.
- exposure to a wider range of vocabulary and communication styles, which can enhance social and verbal competencies.
- learning from each other, as stronger readers can reinforce their own understanding by explaining concepts to others, while less confident readers benefit from diverse perspectives and support.
When reading with your child at home some helpful tips to improve fluency, accuracy and comprehension include:
- Fluency - Reread favourite books and passages multiple times. This encourages a gradual increase in speed and accuracy and helps children become more familiar with the text, reducing the need to decode each word.
- Accuracy - Make reading accurately fun by listening to your child read and tracking how many words they read correctly and then let them track you. It is surprising to see how many small words we omit or change, even as confident readers!
- Comprehension - Encourage frequent reading, discuss what children are reading, and make reading a fun and engaging experience. To enhance discussion about reading distinguish questions with ‘in the book’ and ‘in my head’ questions. In the book questions - the answer can be clearly found in the words of the passage read. For example - What did the first pig build his house out of? In my head questions - the answer is a combination of what is in the book and what is in my head. For example - How might the pigs feel when the wolf comes to their door?
Reading is a fantastic way to bond with your child. At St. Mary’s, our staff cherish the moments spent in Boost reading sessions, fostering connections with both the reader and the text. We are continually exploring new methods to challenge and support our students, helping them achieve continuous improvement.
Belinda Battaia
Assistant Principal - Curriculum
From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose
Tuckshop News
I am pleased to announce that Mrs Julie Powell, our current tuckshop assistant, has been appointed as our new tuckshop convenor, which means that there will be no interruption to our tuckshop service. I also advise that Mrs Narelle Marteene has been appointed as our new Tuckshop Assistant. I know that Julie and Narelle will do a great job in our school tuckshop and thank them for their efforts.
School Improvement Review
Thank you to the parents, students and staff who contributed to our School Improvement Review last week. Our external reviewers, Mr Trevor Gordon (former principal and ACER consultant), Mr David Paul (Assistant Director: Schools), Mr Anthony Greene (Principal: St Paul’s Gracemere) and Mrs Julie McLaughlin (Principal: St Benedict’s Yeppoon) affirmed the great work happening at St Mary’s, and gave some purposeful suggestions for ongoing improvement. We will unpack these commendations and recommendations as a school over the coming months.
School News
-We keep Ms Maria Lenz in our prayers as she undergoes knee surgery this week. Please note that Maria will be away until mid June, therefore we will pause Spanish lessons during her absence.
- Welcome to Bronson (Yr 10 St Patrick's College student) who is completing his work experience in 6T this week.
- The P&F welcomes students to purchase a gift from their Mother’s Day stall, held this Wednesday-Friday from 8am. Gifts tend to sell out fast, so get in quick!
- We invite Prep parents to attend our early years literacy session, held tomorrow (7th May) from 2pm in the Hall. This session will be facilitated by our APC, Mrs Battaia and Mrs Paul, our Literacy Coach.
Quote of the Week
"All people are born as individuals, but many die as photocopies"
- Blessed Carlo Acutis
Walk Safely to School Day
When: Friday 16th May
Where: Mackay Basketball Stadium Car Park
Students will walk from the car park to school, supervision will
be provided
A free Breakfast will be provided upon arrival at school
Time: Student drop off 7.30am, for a 7.45am walk
RSVP: Monday 12th May
Please Accept/Decline via Parent Lounge/Events
St Mary’s will be participating in this year’s Walk to School Day on Friday 16th May. If your child intends on participating in the walk, you will need to accept the event invitation through the Parent Lounge for each child. This will ensure we have enough food for the free breakfast back at school. The event registration will need to be completed by Monday 12th May.
Parents and siblings are invited to attend and do the walk with our students. We invite parents to park or drop students to the bitumen carpark across from Mackay Basketball Stadium on the corner of Juliet Street and Bridge Road and we will gather participants on the grassed area. Students can be dropped off from 7:30am for a 7:45am walk departure. We will proceed down Juliet street toward St Mary’s with an approximate arrival back at school of 8:00am. Breakfast will be served to participating students at this time.
What are the benefits of riding or walking to school?
It helps children get enough exercise
Ideally, everyone aged under 18 should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. There isn’t time for this much sport as part of the school day every day, so riding or walking to school is a great way to help students get enough physical exercise.
It reduces pollution
If we want to care for the planet, we need to reduce pollution as much as possible. If more children ride or walk to school, this reduces the number of cars on the road. The result is cleaner air and a healthier environment for all of us.
It improves children’s health and wellbeing
Physical activity is extremely beneficial to our health - it’s one of the most important things we can do to reduce our risk of illness. It also improves educational outcomes. Children who have travelled to school in an active way arrive more alert, so they’re more able to concentrate and retain information.
It helps children learn about road safety
Road safety is such an important topic. Ride to School Day gives you the perfect opportunity to teach children how to stay safe while walking or riding.
It’s fun!
Riding, walking, scooting and skating are all great communal activities that children can enjoy with their friends, helping them to build stronger social connections. Families can get involved, too!
Belinda Battaia
Assistant Principal: Curriculum
Mother's Day Stall
Mother's Day is just around the corner. Spoil your Mum with a gift from our P&F Mother's Day Stall. See below for more details.
Mother's Morning Tea
After our parish Mass this morning we welcomed students, mums and grandmas to a Mother’s Morning Tea. It was a lovely way to begin the week.
Just like Mary, our mums are a source of comfort, love and support. We wish all our mums a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday.
P&F News - St Mary's Trivia Night
Dust off the sparkles, don the flares and come get your groove on at the St Mary's Trivia Night.
Tickets are now available. Click on this link to secure yours now.
Sport News
Second Hand Uniforms For Sale
We have an abundance of pre-loved uniforms in stock in the School Office.
We are asking for a gold coin donation for uniforms, with the exception of jumpers which are $5.
Please note we do not have unlimited stock and not all sizes and uniform types are available-first in best dressed.
All proceeds will go to Caritas.
Student of the Week
Week 2, Term 2 Student Award Winners
| Prep C | Evie | Evie, your teacher is proud of your amazing effort in maths this week! You are working hard and showing real confidence in your number sense and counting on skills. Keep up the fantastic work! |
| Prep C | Athena | For your hard work and persistence in Boost reading sessions. Your confidence is flourishing and you’re now sounding out your words and reading the heart words with ease. Athena you are becoming a reading whizz! |
| Prep R | Elle | For the positive attitude you show towards all your learning each day. You try your best and do it with a smile. Keep up the amazing effort Elle! |
| Prep R | Charlie | For the effort you are putting into Literacy Rotations. You are working well to sound out words to read and write. Keep up the fantastic effort! |
| 1B | Oliver | For your positivity and ‘have-a-go’ attitude. You are curious, eager to learn and not afraid of a challenge. Keep up the great work, Ollie! |
| 1B | Claire | For your happy and positive attitude in the classroom. You approach every task with a ‘Can Do’ attitude and a smile. You are a little ray of sunshine Claire! |
| 1C | Ann Maria | For your outstanding classroom effort. You care about others and reverently participate in all activities. Your teacher loves the way you take care with your work and follow instructions well. Keep up the awesome effort Ann Maria! |
| 1C | Flynn | For your awesome effort in the classroom this week. You have been engaged and on task, working carefully across all subject areas. Your teacher loves the way you work hard to proudly write in the red and blue lines. Well done Flynn! |
| 1C | Rori | For your super effort in all activities over the last few weeks. You enthusiastically participate in lessons, always trying your best. Your teacher loves the way you listen to instructions and apply feedback to improve your work. Keep up the awesome effort Rori! |
| 2A | Georgia | For beginning Term 2 with confidence and enthusiasm. Your active participation in class discussion has made me so proud. You have shown how engaged and curious you really are! Well done Georgia, keep up the great work. |
| 2A | Charlie | For the great start you have to Term 2. You have been responsible, making great choices and your bookwork has been outstanding! Well done Charlie, keep it going! |
| 2L | Ariana | Ariana, you have been very focused and have worked hard to complete assessment tasks over the past couple of weeks. Your teacher is super-impressed with your ‘can do’ attitude. What a great way to start the term! |
| 2L | Tyson | Tyson you have begun the term with a zest for learning. It’s wonderful to see you dive into two-digit addition in mathematics this week and show confidence in your efforts! Well done! Keep up the great work! |
| 3M | Eloise | For your dedication and pride in your learning. The effort you put into preparing for and completing your assessments last term is evident. Keep up the fantastic work, Eloise! |
| 3M | Narnia | For consistently demonstrating the value of kindness. Narnia always goes out of her way to support classmates, offer a friendly smile, and make everyone feel welcome. Narnia's positive attitude and compassion help create a classroom where everyone feels valued and respected. Thank you Narnia! |
| 3P | Banjo | For the energy and enthusiasm you bring to our classroom each day. Banjo, your excitement for learning sets a wonderful example for your classmates. Keep working hard and sharing your super ideas with us all! |
| 3P | Hannah | For always trying your best in class and demonstrating the virtue of persistence when things are tricky. Hannah, asking for help shows you're eager to learn. Thank you for being such a hard-working member of our class! |
| 4G | Hudson | For having a great start to Term 2 and for showing great segmenting skills during our Sound Waves lessons. You have been breaking words into sounds like a true phonics champion! Keep up the great work Hudson! |
| 4G | Maggie | For demonstrating excellent teamwork and understanding during our maths investigation. Using measuring cups and rice, you worked brilliantly with others to explore equivalent fractions, showing great communication skills and a keen mathematical mind. |
| 4R | Limo | For your outstanding narrative writing skills! You consistently demonstrate that you are organised, ready to learn, and committed to putting in your best effort in all your tasks. Keep up the fantastic work Limo! |
| 4R | Dominic | For your outstanding spelling skills! Your dictation results clearly reflect the effort you make in learning your spelling words each week. Fantastic job Dominic! |
| 5C | Hugo | For your respectful and diligent efforts with the ANZAC day liturgy. Hugo we were all very proud of you leading the singing and responses throughout the liturgy. |
| 5C | Emerson | For you fantastic start to the term. Emerson you have come to class ready and willing to work hard. Keep up the great effort! |
| 5F | Cooper | For consistently contributing to class discussions with focused and well-considered responses. Thank you for enriching our learning environment with your positive participation. |
| 5F | Mila | For consistently demonstrating outstanding self-control, unwavering respect for others, and a commendable work ethic. Your contributions to our class discussion in Religion this week were insightful and show deep understanding. |
| 6C | Ashlyn | For your persistence in tackling maths problems and the courage to share your thoughts. It is great to see your understanding grow and the way you willingly attempt to solve problems. Well done, Ashlyn. Keep believing in yourself! |
| 6C | Violet | For the organisation and the commitment you have shown when reading, during our Boost sessions this term. It is lovely to see you engage with the books and work in such a dedicated way, as you prepare for Readers Cup. Keep up the wonderful effort! |
| 6T | Kolby | For your maturity and proactive approach this week. You've led by example and been an excellent role model in 6T. Well done! |
| 6T | Ollie | For being a robotics expert. You demonstrated a caring and helpful nature leaving your own work to assist your teacher and classmates. Well done Ollie! |
| Sport | Hayley | For your enthusiastic attitude with all PE games. Your teacher loves the excitement you show in each new game and your willingness to take on challenges. |
| Sport | Class 5C | For the leadership skills and positive attitudes demonstrated in the P-2 Fun Run last week. Your teacher loved that you also showed this in the PE lesson this week. Keep it up. |
| Drama | Prep Classes | The joy, joy, joy you bring deep in my heart each and every lesson. Your imagination and expression creates delight for all! |
Community News
On behalf of the Parent Engagement Committee at Catherine McAuley College, you’re invited to a mystery dinner with a twist.
The bard, Mr William Shakespeare invites you to a grand masquerade ball at Catherine McAuley College to celebrate the wedding of Juliet Capulet to Count Erfit.
You may tether your horses at the front of the castle, but beware, there is a rumour that among the frivolity murder most foul may occur!
Ticket Link: https://events.humanitix.com/catherine-mcauley-murder-mystery-night
Get your tickets here https://www.trybooking.com/DBDFT
