St Mary's School, Charleville eNewsletter

Principal - Ms Megan Pearce

Dear St Mary’s families and friends,

As we come to the end of Semester 1, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for making my first semester as Principal of St Mary’s such a positive and memorable one. From the moment I arrived, I have felt so warmly welcomed by our students, staff and families. It’s been a real joy to get to know our community and to see first-hand the way our Mercy values are lived out each day.

Looking back over the term, there is so much we can all be proud of. Our students have given their best in so many ways, in the classroom, on the sporting field, in the arts, and in the way they support one another. I’ve been inspired by their kindness, their enthusiasm for learning, and the way they rise to challenges. Together we’ve celebrated important moments from our prayer gatherings and sacramental milestones to school events like Mother’s Day Picnic, Under 8’s Day and our Cross Country Carnival.

I’m also incredibly grateful to our staff, who work so hard each day to support the learning and wellbeing of every child. Their dedication and care truly make a difference. I want to acknowledge the way our team has embraced new learning and worked together to strengthen our teaching practices.

One of the key areas we’ll continue to focus on next semester is MTSS, our Multi-Tiered System of Supports. This is all about making sure that every student receives the right support, at the right time, so they can thrive both in their learning and their wellbeing. You’ll find more about what this means for students and families further down in this newsletter.

I also want to thank our families for your support and patience as we take the time to get our Parent Engagement Network (PEN) right. We are committed to making sure our community is fully informed before we move towards our AGM next term. Further details of information sessions for next term are included in this newsletter and has been sent via our parent portal.

Thank you for your partnership this semester. I wish all our families a safe and restful break, and I look forward to seeing everyone again next term, ready for another great semester at St Mary’s.

Baxter_Bilby.pdf

Supporting Every Child at St Mary’s – Our MTSS Journey

At St Mary’s, one of our key priorities this year is the implementation of MTSS - our Multi-Tiered System of Supports. MTSS is a whole-school approach designed to make sure every student receives the right support at the right time, so they can thrive in both learning and wellbeing. It helps us work together as a team to identify and respond to student needs early and ensures no child slips through the cracks.

This semester, we’ve been laying strong foundations. As a staff, we’ve been looking closely at our school data on reading, behaviour, attendance, and wellbeing to help guide our actions. We’ve been reviewing and refining our whole-school teaching practices for reading and have worked together successfully on creating a consistent approach to classroom management. This helps create a calm, supportive environment where all students can learn and grow. Through this work, we’ve also identified that attendance is an area where we will focus further next term, putting in place systems and practices to support improved attendance for all students.

As we move into Semester 2, we are committed to setting new goals that build on the great work we’ve started. We’ll begin with professional development for staff on our Pupil Free Day, where we’ll review our progress so far, reflect on our data, and set clear directions and priorities for the semester ahead. Our focus will be on ensuring we have consistent routines and supports in place, so that every child is set up for success in the classroom and beyond.

I look forward to reporting back to you in Week 1 of next term’s newsletter about our MTSS directions and goals for Semester 2. Thank you for your ongoing support. We know that working in partnership with families is key to ensuring every child at St Mary’s grows and succeeds.

Establishing a Parent Engagement Network at St Mary’s School Charleville

I want to take a moment to thank you for your support and interest as we work towards establishing a Parent Engagement Network (PEN) here at St Mary’s. As many of you know, since the disbanding of our P&F, we have been working carefully and thoughtfully to create a structure that supports genuine parent involvement in a way that is positive, sustainable, and reflects the spirit of our school community.

Over the course of this semester, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Toowoomba Catholic Schools, including Bernadette (Executive Director of Family Engagement) and Tracey Jacklin (TCS Executive Officer), to ensure we are taking the right steps. Their guidance has helped us plan a process that will be well-informed, inclusive, and set up for success.

Next term, we will continue this work with further consultation and opportunities for parents to learn more about how PEN works and what being part of it involves. We have organised for Bernadette and Tracey to come in Week 2 to meet with our community, answer questions, and support us in this important process. Bernadette and Tracy will make available two information sessions on the Tuesday and Bernadette will then come along to our Athletics Carnival the next day. Before we move towards holding an AGM in week 5, we want to ensure all families feel confident and clear about the structure, roles, and expectations of PEN. We have organised to meet with other PENS in our Diocese in week 4, with specific dates yet to be confirmed.

I am deeply grateful to those who have already expressed interest in being involved or have nominated for executive roles. Your patience as we work through this process thoughtfully is very much appreciated. Our goal is to ensure that when we do hold our AGM, our school community feels well-informed and ready to move forward together.

More information about next term’s consultation sessions will be shared early in the new semester. I warmly invite all families to be part of this important journey as we strengthen family-school partnerships at St Mary’s.

Prep Enrolments 2026

ENROL NOW for Prep 2026!

Is your next little learner ready for Prep in 2026?

At St Mary’s we are getting ready to welcome the next generation of St Mary’s students! We’re now accepting Prep Enrolments for 2026 and we’d love to welcome siblings of current students! As places can fill quickly, we encourage families to enrol now. Enrolment is online via our website: Home - St Mary's School, Charleville or forms are available at the office if you can't access the internet.

If you have questions or would like to chat with the Principal, please contact our friendly office team.

APMI - Miss Imogen Hunt

As we end Term 2, we are blessed to witness our students growing in faith through key sacramental celebrations and community events.

First Holy Communion

Congratulations to our students who recently received their First Holy Communion. This sacred milestone marks a deepening of their relationship with Christ and the Church. We are grateful to the families, staff, and parish team who supported the children on this journey.

Confirmation with the Bishop – Sunday, 27th July

We are excited to welcome Bishop Ken to our school community as our students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is a powerful moment of grace and commitment, as they are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they prepare for this special day.

We invite all our community members to be part of this Mass at St Mary’s Church on Sunday 27^th July at 9:00am. Following this we will have a morning tea to celebrate our students.

Catholic Education Week – Week 3 (28 July – 1 August)

This year’s theme, “Communities of Faith, Hope and Love”, invites us to celebrate the unique mission of Catholic education. Throughout Week 3, we will host a range of activities including liturgy and classroom learning that reflect our shared values.

NAIDOC Week – Honouring Culture and Country

In Week 2, we will proudly celebrate NAIDOC Week, recognising and honouring the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme, The Next Generation; Strength, Vision & Legacy, encourages us to listen deeply, walk together, and celebrate the richness of the world’s oldest living cultures. Our students will engage in meaningful learning experiences, storytelling, and prayer as we reflect on our shared journey of reconciliation.

Let us continue to walk together in faith, culture, and community.

Warm regards,

Imogen Hunt

Curriculum Support - Mr Tony Kim

As we reach the final week of Term 2, we want to take a moment to thank our school community for the support, energy, and commitment shown throughout the term. It’s been a term full of learning, growth, and achievement – and we’re not done yet!

Attendance remains just as important in Week 10 as it was on Day 1. While it may be tempting to think the term is winding down, our classrooms remain vibrant, focused, and full of meaningful learning opportunities. Teachers are continuing to deliver a rich and engaging curriculum right up until the final hour of the term.

This week is a valuable time for:

Consolidating knowledge and reinforcing key concepts.
Completing final projects and assessments.
Celebrating progress and reflecting on achievements.
Preparing for a strong start to Term 3.

Every lesson, every activity, and every moment counts. When students are present, they stay connected to their learning, their peers, and their school community.

Let’s finish Term 2 with the same enthusiasm and commitment we started with. We encourage all students to attend every day this week and make the most of every opportunity.

Regards,

Tony Kim

Curriculum Coordinator

Learning Support - Mrs Majella Lynch-Harlow

Supporting Student Wellbeing Through Our MTSS Framework

At our school, we are committed to supporting every student’s emotional wellbeing and positive behaviour through a structured approach known as the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). This model ensures that all students receive the right level of support based on their individual needs.

Tier 1: Universal Support for All Students

All students benefit from Tier 1 supports, which are proactive, school-wide strategies designed to promote positive behaviour and emotional regulation. These include:

The 1-2-3 Strategy: A consistent approach used across classrooms to guide behaviour and help students make positive choices. It is based upon clear expectations and boundaries, consistent calm responses and reasonable respectful consequences. Problematic behaviours are counted to give students a reminder of expectations, opportunities to make better choices and time out to reflect if behaviours continue.
Acknowledgement of Expected Behaviour: Students are regularly recognised and celebrated for demonstrating our school values and meeting behaviour expectations. These acknowledgements can be for individual students – giving Mercy Merit points that students can redeem for privileges and small rewards, praise notes and shout outs and awards at assembly. The Mercy Merit points are also used for entry into our weekly prize draw at assembly. Acknowledgements can also be given to class groups such as awarding Baxter Bilby to the class best demonstrating the expected behaviour each morning.
Emotional Regulation Support: Teachers provide in-the-moment coaching and tools to help students identify and manage their emotions throughout the day.

These universal supports create a safe, predictable, and supportive environment where all students can thrive.

Tier 2: Targeted Support for Some Students

Some students may need additional help to understand their emotions and develop effective coping strategies. In these cases, we provide Tier 2 supports, which may include:

Social Stories: These are short, personalised narratives that help individual students understand specific situations, emotions, or behaviours. They teach appropriate responses and reinforce emotional regulation strategies in a clear, supportive way. The student works with the Learning Support Teacher to write a personalised story which they then illustrate. They regularly read the story and practice the skills. Copies are kept in the classroom, their support staff and sent home.
Anglicare Programs: Students may also be invited to participate in small group programs such as:

Feeling FANTAStic – focused on building emotional awareness and resilience.
ChillAx – designed to help students manage stress and anxiety through practical strategies.

These supports are tailored to students who benefit from more focused instruction and practice in social-emotional skills.

Tier 3: Intensive Individualised Support

For students with more complex needs, Tier 3 supports offer intensive, individualised interventions. These may include:

Individual Behaviour or Wellbeing Plans – These are developed in collaboration with the student, classroom teacher, learning support teacher, parent and other support staff. They identify clear behaviour goals, the support that will be provided and how to best respond before, during and after a significant behaviour incident.
Regular sessions with a Guidance Counsellor
Collaboration with families and external professionals to ensure a coordinated approach to support.

These interventions are designed to address specific challenges and help students build the skills they need to succeed both emotionally and academically.

Library - Mrs Vanessa Alexander

📚 Readers’ Cup Triumph! 🏆

We’re thrilled to share the exciting results from this year’s Readers’ Cup competition! Eleven of our enthusiastic readers represented our school in two spirited teams: The Question Marks and The Page Turners.

Throughout the event, both teams demonstrated incredible teamwork, literary knowledge, and a passion for reading. After a strong start, The Question Marks found themselves in second place following the second round. But with determination and sharp thinking, they surged ahead in the final two rounds to claim first place—a fantastic achievement!

Meanwhile, The Page Turners showed great resilience and teamwork, climbing the ranks to secure a commendable fourth place finish.

We’re proud to announce that The Question Marks will now go on to represent our region in Brisbane towards the end of Term 3. The students are already preparing for the next challenge by diving into five wonderful new books by fantastic authors—we can’t wait to see what they achieve next!

📖 In other library news, puzzles have been taking off in the library! We’ve seen lots of committed puzzlers working together and enjoying the challenge. We’ve also added a new shelf to showcase our popular war section, making it easier for students to explore this fascinating genre. Many thanks to Mrs. Short and Mr. Patto for putting this together for our readers.

🧱 Lunchtime LEGO Fun!

The library has been buzzing with creativity during lunchtime as students dive into building imaginative LEGO creations. Whether working solo or in small groups, the students show incredible creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork as they bring their ideas to life, one brick at a time. It’s wonderful to see the collaboration and joy that these sessions inspire. At the end of each term, Mrs. Williams carefully deconstructs all the creations, ensuring that the LEGO is ready for a fresh wave of innovation and fun in the following term. We can’t wait to see what they build next!

📅 A quick reminder to families: Term 3 is when we celebrate Book Week at our school! It’s always a highlight of the year, filled with fun activities, dress-ups, and a celebration of all things reading. Stay tuned for more details as the date approaches.

The Arts - Mrs Leilani Thomas

Can You Believe It’s the End of Term Already?

What a fabulous semester it’s been in the Arts room! Our Year 5–6 students have transformed into mini-musos, rocking out on xylophones, ukuleles, boomwhackers and a whole treasure trove of percussion goodies. Don't worry our Preps haven't missed out! They've been getting their groove on with boomwhackers too—turns out learning is super fun when we can whack things!

But the hands-down favourite this term? Puppets! Because let’s be honest—everybody loves puppets. There’s just something magical about bringing a character to life, and our years 1-4 students have embraced it with flair (and plenty of funny voices).

To wrap things up, we finished the term with an epic round of theatre games—the perfect way to celebrate a term full of creativity and laughter.

Here’s to a well-earned break, and more fun to come next term!

Year 3 - Miss Katherine Spalding

Here are a few interesting things that have been happening in the year 3 classroom.

In science we have been investigating the different properties of solids, liquids and gasses and how heating and cooling can change the state of matter. With this knowledge we have designed lunchboxes to prevent Zooper Doopers melting in the sun.

In the past few weeks, we have been busy researching Australia’s neighbouring countries. We have written TEEL paragraphs informing our audience about the interesting features of these different countries. If you visit the year 3 classroom, we would love to show you our posters we have been working so hard on!

To finish the term off, on Thursday 26^th June, we will have our class party to celebrate the end of a wonderful semester. Students are welcome to wear free dress and bring a plate of food to share.

Hope you all have a lovely holiday break and looking forward to seeing everyone in Term 3!

Year 4 - Mrs Madisen Flaherty

Hello to our amazing families,

Wow! What a term it has been! The students have once again conducted themselves with confidence, curiosity, compassion, resilience, and maturity. In Year Four, we completed units involving grid references, composite shapes, numbers, and fractions. The students particularly enjoyed creating fractions using playdough, playing fraction bingo, and practised their number facts with a program called 99math.

Additionally, they thoroughly enjoyed their English and HASS units this term, which focused on the colonisation of Australia and the First Fleet.

In science, the students conducted experiments and analysed the properties of various materials. Their final assessment piece involved "Testing the Tents," where they designed one paper tent and one cardboard tent, incorporating some plastic, to investigate which material and its properties were best suited for tent design when water was poured on top. The students enjoyed this activity and presented their results in graph format.

Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to each of you and wish you all a safe and wonderful holiday. I look forward to seeing everyone back in Term Three!

Warmest regards,

Mrs Madisen Flaherty

Year 5 - Mrs Kirsty Lines

Excursion to SES
Year 5 was lucky enough to be able to visit the SES shed on Monday, June 16. We have spent the term investigating floods, especially flooding in Charleville.
Visiting the SES shed helped to cement our learning and gave us the opportunity to ask any questions that had been raised during our learning. A big thank you to Jana, Hope’s mum, who was a wealth of knowledge and also made sure we got to see all the SES equipment (the buggy was a favourite!)

Class Party
We’re looking forward to our class party on the last day of term, earned through the accumulation of class points during the semester!
Have a great holiday,
Mrs Lines and Year 5.

Year 6 - Miss Toni Lamb

It has been a wonderful term 2 in the year 6 classroom. The students have been very busy between helping with school functions, leadership roles and getting all of our schoolwork completed.

They have been working very hard in English learning and finding lots of information about the Gallipoli Campaign to make their very own information text. The result and creation of incredible posters was extraordinary to see and I was so proud of all their efforts. We also got to explore the Secret Base and learnt some new information which was so very exciting and interesting.

In Science we have looked at states of matter and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiments involved. Some of which included some fizzy soft drinks and melting chocolate from a solid into a liquid, for a nice, sweet treat.

Religion lessons and prayer assembly practices have also kept us busy and out of trouble.

Year 6 has excelled and thrived in HASS talking about wants and needs and what we will need in our houses as adults to survive. They love a good practical task, and this suited them down to the ground!

We have had a wonderful term 2 and I am so excited to see what term 3 has to bring!

Year 6 and Miss Lamb 😊

Year 5 & 6 Camp Fundraising

Term 3 Meal Deals will be held on the following dates - 1 August, 8 August, 22 August and 12 September. More information will be advertised closer to the dates.

In the meantime, don't forget about the lunch offer at our Athletics Carnival in Week 2 of next term. Orders are due by Friday 18 July. Please see the flyer below for more details.