17th March 2022
Principal News
Welcome to Week 8!
Next week, teachers will be conducting parent-teacher interviews either face-to-face or via telephone before and after school. I strongly encourage all parents/carers to take this opportunity to engage with your child’s teacher and attend a parent-teacher interview to discuss your child’s achievement, effort and behaviour. Some questions that might guide your enquiries during the interview include:
- What is my child learning?
- How is she or he doing?
- How do you know (how she or he is doing)?
- How can she or he improve?
- What supports can I provide, and can you provide if she or he is struggling? When will we check in again?
Although the life of a parent is often hectic, you should try to read with your child at least once a day at a regularly scheduled time. Don't be discouraged if you skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Did you know that by reading for twenty minutes each day, your child will be exposed to reading approximately 1, 800, 000 words per school year!
Data Collection – Student residential address
The Australian Government is conducting the 2022 Student residential address collection to inform Commonwealth school education policy and funding and is utilised to calculate the school community’s capacity to contribute to the costs of schooling. It is essential that the enrolment information for your child is up to date and as accurate as possible. Please contact the office to update your child’s information if required.
Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) – Coordinator: Melinda Phillips 0419 699 201
Outside School Hours Care continues this year at St Mary’s School in the Performing Arts Hall. If you would like to take advantage of this service, please call Melinda Phillips (after 12 noon Monday-Friday) to secure a spot for your child/ren. We are excited to offer this service to our entire community and believe this is a wonderful opportunity to share our school culture with other community members as they experience some time at St Mary’s School.
Vacation Care will be offered this Easter Vacation, please contact Mel to secure care for your child/ren as soon as possible 0419 699 201.
Tuckshop Convenor – required ASAP
We are currently seeking keen applicants for the Tuckshop Convener role. Friday tuckshop will return when we can successfully fill this position. This is a paid position. Contact the office for more information.
Important Dates….
Week 8 | Guidance Counsellor visit |
Week 9 | Learning Support Teacher visit |
Bookfair: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | |
Parent-Teacher Interview Week | |
Thursday 31st March | School Cross Country and Colour Run |
Have a fabulous fortnight.
Cheers,
Katrina
APRE News
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
Our Sacramental candidates for 2022 will be making their first Reconciliation on Friday, 18 March at 9:30am, in the church. This is a private sacrament, with students and parents attending. Please pray for our candidates at this special time.
STAND WITH UKRAINE
Please support St Mary’s as we ‘STAND WITH UKRAINE’ on Friday, 18 March. We ask students to wear blue and yellow (if possible) and bring a gold coin to donate to UNICEF. Our school leaders will go down the main street to ask for donations for UNICEF and raise awareness on this day as well. Below is a prayer Pope Francis has asked us to pray for Ukraine. Please feel free to join us by wearing blue and yellow on this day and we’re happy to pop by any workplaces around town that have done a collection for this worthy cause. If you’d like to participate, please contact me on Kirsty.lines@twb.catholic.edu.au or 46541638.
EASTER CELEBRATIONS
Because of the way the holidays fall this year, we commemorate Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday in week 10 of Term 1 and celebrate Easter on the first day back at school on Easter Wednesday, which is the 20 April. We are going to celebrate each event for week 10 in the morning at 8:30am, before moving into class. We would love to have as many parents as possible join us! Each celebration will take ten minutes and will be over by 8:45am. Please join us!
Monday 28th March - Palm Sunday celebration & re-enactment - lunch shed & oval |
Tuesday 29th March - Holy Thursday re-enactment - Jesus washes his Disciples' feet - lunch shed |
Wednesday 30th March - Good Friday commemoration - PAH |
God bless,
Kirsty Lines
APRE
Curriculum News
What a wonderful fortnight it has been, I have had the opportunity to visit classrooms and see our teachers and school officers at their best. It’s a busy and fulfilling job teaching 20+ little people. Hats off to all their amazing work.
A recent article that has been thrown my way has given me food for thought. Reflecting on my own teaching over the years and what the expectations of teachers are. If you are interested in a long read, click on the link below.
Until next time,
Vanessa
Library News
Some more lunchtime snaps
Book Club Issue 2 Out Now
Wow!
Book Fair
We are all excited about Book Fair in Week 9!
Book Fair Times
Tuesday 22nd March – Thursday 24th March
8:00 – 9:00 am and 2:15 – 3:15pm
Late night shopping Tuesday 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Parent helpers needed.
HPE News
What a quick term it has been! Our last swimming lessons this week. It has been tremendous to see so many of our students gain confidence in the water and improve on their stroke techniques.
A shout out to the volunteers who have helped week in week out to make sure students have maximum time in the water and not sitting on the edge – THANK YOU!!
Many district trials have been happening over the past few weeks. We have seen some students selected for Regionals Teams and some for South West Teams. Well done to all the students who have trialled and to those who have been selected. Please remember to bring back the red district shirts so there are enough for students on trial days.
In Health, students are busy learning and are commencing some parts of their assessment pieces. Please enjoy some pics below.
Stay tuned for information about our Cross Country and Colour Fun Run!!!
Yours in PE and Health,
Ms Mac.
Prep News
Year 1 News
Over the last two weeks Year One have been exploring animal and plant features in science. Helping us to understand how and why zoos group their animals in certain ways. We will be creating our own ‘Charleville Zoo’ over the next two weeks. Year One spent some time with buddies last week for religion, learning how we are all made in the ‘Image of God.’ This week in math we have been exploring place value and how we can create numbers in different forms.
Year 2 News
In year 2 we have been working on probability and chance in math. We have been creating our own ‘Most Magnificent Thing’ using recycled materials in English and are writing the sequence of steps we did to make this. We have really been enjoying sharing time with our Year 3 buddy class each Friday afternoon – as pictured in photos.
Please let me know if you would like to arrange a parent-teacher interview with me in week 9. I look forward to seeing you then!
Miss Price.
Year 3 News
This week we have been using our mathematical knowledge to complete an investigation about what 1000 words looks like.
We have also enjoyed spending time with our year 2 buddies on a Friday afternoon.
Year 4/5 News
Year 5/6 News
Happy Week 8! WOW – nearing toward the end of term already!
We have been super busy in Year 5/6 with lots of leadership duties and learning.
In English we have been looking at Poetic Narratives and we are excited to start writing our own.
In Science, we have enjoyed learning all about adaptations and how living things survive in specific environments.
We are excited to begin looking at fractions this week in Mathematics!
Within Religion, we have investigated the key question – what does faith mean to us? We have also drawn a strong focus to our Mercy Value – Compassion. Please see some posters our leaders made to show younger students how we show compassion at St Mary’s!
Within HASS, we have enjoyed our inquiry approach to how Australia is connected to other countries through trade, tourism, migration and aid.
DIGITAL FUN – we have also spent some time learning about digital citizenship and coding.
Warm regards,
Miss Morrison and the Year 5/6 Crew 😊
March Birthdays
Daniel Batstone, Lexi Tickell, PJ Pezet, Walter Cameron, Jock Winks, Hope Castles, Billie Doolan, Rosie Ballard, Ella Owen, Betty Thomas, Regan White, Mrs Hampel, Mr Lambourne, Mrs Lines.