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Dear Parents and Carers
This week, we begin the season of Lent, a time of reflection, prayer, and preparation leading up to Easter. Lent invites us to pause, refocus, and draw closer to God through acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a season of renewal, where we strive to strengthen our faith and show kindness to others. As we journey through Lent, let us encourage our students to think about ways they can be kind, generous, and thoughtful in their daily lives. Small acts of service, gratitude, and patience can make a meaningful difference in our school and wider community.
As a Catholic community, we keep Pope Francis in our thoughts and prayers as he faces illness. The Pope plays a vital role in guiding the Church and inspiring us to live with faith, compassion, and service. We invite you to join us in praying for his health and strength, asking God to grant him comfort and healing. May our prayers bring him peace, just as his words and actions have brought hope and inspiration to millions around the world.
School Improvement
Each year, we reflect on areas for growth and set goals based on data and feedback to enhance teaching and learning across our school. This year, the leadership team and teaching staff have identified three key areas for improvement:
- To improve student achievement in Reading and Mathematics through the implementation of explicit teaching using evidence-based practices.
We are implementing explicit teaching strategies grounded in evidence-based practices. Staff will refine instructional routines to ensure consistency across the school and embed high-impact teaching strategies to improve student outcomes. A strong focus will be placed on checking for understanding to ensure students master key content and skills. - To equip teachers with the knowledge, tools, and support to foster safe, engaging, and productive classrooms through explicitly teaching an engaging behaviour curriculum.
Teachers will continue to explicitly teach our behaviour curriculum to promote active engagement in learning and minimise distractions, ensuring a supportive and focused classroom environment. - To improve student achievement through the implementation of a new Scope and Sequence for Religious Education.
This year, staff will engage with the new Religious Education Scope and Sequence, developed by Catholic Education, with the support of our Religious Education Coordinator. This will guide the teaching of RE and deepen students' understanding of their faith.
At St Mary’s Primary School, we are committed to providing the highest quality education for our students. A key part of this commitment is ensuring that our teachers have the tools and strategies to deliver effective, engaging lessons. I sincerely thank our staff for their dedication and efforts in making this possible.
To reinforce classroom learning, we encourage all students to engage in daily reading, either independently or with a family member. Additionally, those who are able should practice their times tables and fundamental mathematical processes. Regular and consistent practice is key to mastering these essential skills.
Appointment of new Executive Director
On 14 February 2025 the Board of Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Education Limited appointed Mr David de Carvalho as the Executive Director of Catholic Education.
Please refer to the Media Release below for full details.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Thank you to all families who attended our Parent-Teacher Introductory Meetings. These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to connect, set learning goals, and support student progress. We appreciate the extra time our staff have dedicated to these discussions. Please remember that you are always welcome to contact your child’s teacher throughout the year to discuss their progress or any concerns. Each week, you will receive an email with important information for the week ahead. Please feel free to reply with any questions.
School Community Council
Last week our School Community Council Executive met for the first time this year. The School Council provides the opportunity for members of the school, parish and Archdiocesan community to support the mission of Catholic education in a particular school. Working with the Parish Priest, Principal and staff the School Community Council members provide leadership to the school community.
Our School Community Council Executive members are:
- Chair: Mrs Mary Dullard (Parent)
- Deputy Chair: Mrs Mel Price (Parent)
- Secretary: Mrs Anna Baran-Tangata (Parent)
- Treasurer: Mrs Annette Hazell (Finance Officer)
- Parent Representatives: Mrs Annalise Thompson, Mrs Leah Bourne and Mrs Jessica Tong
- Staff Representatives: Mrs Genevieve Schofield, Mrs Brooke Connaughton, Mrs Sue Heffernan
- Principal: Mrs Johanna Wain (ex officio member)
- Parish Priest: Father George Azhakath (ex officio member)
- Pre-loved Uniform Contact: Mrs Anna Baran-Tangata
- Canteen Contact: Mrs Leah Bourn
This term, we will be forming a Working Party to help organise our Easter Egg Raffle and prepare for the Mother’s Day Stall. In the coming weeks, we will invite families to donate chocolate eggs, bunnies, or other Easter treats. These will be bundled into gift bags and raffled on the last day of Term 1. Stay tuned for more details!
We are also excited to be hosting a Parent Engagement Workshop this year, facilitated by the Family Engagement Officer from Catholic Education. Once the date is confirmed, we will share more information.
If you have any ideas, feedback, or questions, please feel free to reach out to a member of the School Community Council Executive. We value your involvement and look forward to working together to support our school community!
Save the Date – 2026 Enrolments
Our official enrolment period for 2026 begins in Term 2 (5 May – 30 May). If you know families with children starting Kindergarten next year, please encourage them to attend our Open Day on Tuesday, 6 May (Week 2, Term 2). This is a wonderful opportunity to experience life at St Mary’s and see our school in action.
Blessings on the week ahead.
Kind regards
Jo
Mrs Johanna Wain
Principal
“Prayer is the breath of faith.” – Pope Francis
Our school community holds Pope Francis in our thoughts and prayers as he faces illness. Throughout his papacy, he has been a source of wisdom, compassion, and faith, continually reminding us of the power of prayer and unity.
Taking his name from St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis has always had a special connection to school communities such as ours; providing service to those in rural areas inspired to service. As a Catholic school, we are called to support one another in prayer, especially in times of need. We invite you to join us in praying for Pope Francis' health and strength, asking God to grant him comfort and healing. May our prayers bring him peace, just as his words and actions have inspired millions around the world.
Assemblies
Each term we hold three assemblies to showcase learning, share success with our Merit awards and present information to our school community. Selected students from each grade also received a merit award. Please keep an eye out for upcoming assemblies on the parent Compass calendar. Next week Year 5 are hosting assembly on Friday 14 March at 2pm.
COMPASS Parent calendar
Most parents are now using the COMPASS calendar with ease. Please keep an eye out for upcoming events. If you are having any difficulties accessing it, please inform your child's teacher and/or ask at the front office.
ATTENDANCE Matters!
Did you know that if a student misses as little as eight days in a school term, by the end of primary school they will have missed over a year of education?
Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. Our goal is to improve attendance rates and reduce unexplained absences. To assist with this initiative we have set up a reminder email to come out from COMPASS to you as parents if your child is away. This provides an explained absence on your child’s attendance explaining if they are unwell, or you are travelling to a sporting event for example.
The Importance of Arriving On Time & not leaving early
Student learning is more successful when students are present consistently for the whole school day. Students who arrive “just a few minutes late...” miss out on vital information on the day ahead, doesn’t impact their routine and gives students time to socialise with their friends before class starts. This also applies for leaving early. Often our last session each day are a child’s favourite subject eg art, sport or science. These subjects provide scope for the development of life long skills and building of peer relationships so we want students to be involved in these as well.
Extended Leave
We recognise there are circumstances where students may need extended leave from school. Parents must seek permission from the Principal for their child or children to travel during school term for periods of time. Travel is considered to be domestic or international travel for the purpose of a family holiday, family business, bereavement or other reasons. Please send a note addressed to the Principal requesting the period of leave.
Legislation requires approval from the Principal and/or CECG if parents or carers wish to take their child out of school for longer periods of time of over 25 days or more. A form (available from the school front office) must be completed and returned for Principal approval prior to leave.
NAPLAN
Next Wednesday NAPLAN assessments begin for Year 3 and Year 5 students. A reminder that these assessments are a snapshot of what your child can do across various domains of literacy and numeracy. These assessments will be held in the mornings so please make sure your child arrives at school on time prior to the bell.
Below is the NAPLAN timetable:
Mrs Jessie White has contacted families regarding required adjustments for individual students participating in NAPLAN. Please contact Mrs White if you have any further questions about your child’s participation in these assessments, or your child’s teacher.
Games Club
Each Thursday & Friday during the second break, we have Lego & Puzzle Club upstairs next to Year 6 for those students who would like some quiet time to build, construct off the playground. If you do have some spare puzzles or lego at home that your children may have outgrown and you would like it to go to a new home, please let us know and we will definitely welcome donations. All students are welcome to join Mr Ziino to build Lego and play cards/board games. If you think your child would benefit from attending but are concerned that he/she may not come on their own, please let us know. We will encourage students to join us.
Mrs Carla Durnan
Assistant Principal (Acting)
We are now in the season of Lent, a 40 day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We began preparations for the season last week with Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day), a firm favourite with the St Mary’s students. The following day the students in Years 1-6 attended a beautiful Ash Wednesday Mass held at Sacred Heart.
CARITAS Australia - Project Compassion
Each year Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australians in schools, parishes and the community to stand in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable communities. Please support this wonderful cause which runs until Easter Sunday, by sending coins in with your child for their class mission box. Thank you!
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, was celebrated with great enthusiasm at St Mary’s this week! Students and staff enjoyed flipping pancakes and indulging in this fun tradition. Shrove Tuesday marks the day before Lent begins, and it’s a time for feasting before the season of fasting. It was traditionally a day to use up rich foods like eggs, milk and sugar, which would be set aside during the 40 days of fasting. The custom of eating pancakes became a popular way to use up these ingredients. We embraced the spirit of community and joy, welcoming Fr George into classrooms to assist with the cooking as we all enjoyed some delicious pancakes with a variety of toppings. A big thank you to all the staff who coordinated the fun and flipped pancakes with a smile!
Ash Wednesday
On Wednesday this week, our school community came together to celebrate a whole school mass to mark Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It was a special time for reflection. During the Mass, Father George gave each student a blessing and marked our foreheads with ashes, reminding us of the importance of humility, prayer, and repentance. It was a beautiful way to start this season of reflection and growth. Thank you to our altar servers, Year 6 readers, our wonderful choir and guitarists and the Year 3 Reconciliation students for doing the offertory. We look forward to continuing our Lenten journey together, learning about kindness, generosity, and prayer.
Year 6 Leadership retreat ‘Journey with Jesus’
Today, Year 6 attended our ‘Journey with Jesus’ Faith Formation Retreat at Carroll College, Broulee. The Journey with Jesus retreat is a faith-filled experience for our Year 6 students. The day is led by students from the Catholic Schools Youth Ministry team and Carroll College Faith Ministry students. IUsing the symbolism of a backpack; students learn that on a journey they need to bring many items with them to explore different obstacles and enjoy different opportunities.
Combined Schools Mass
On Tuesday 1st April, we will come together as a K-12 Pathway community to celebrate our Combined Schools Mass for 2025. We warmly invite all families, friends and parishioners to join us to celebrate this special mass which will be held at Carroll College, Broulee beginning at 10:00am.
Mrs Jessica Afflick
Religious Education Coordinator
Our wonderful students in Year 2 have had a busy and exciting start to the school year. They are to be commended for the maturity they display at school each day, and have quickly established themselves as leaders of the infants’ block.
Our Year 2 classroom is a busy hive of activity. When we aren’t learning about the features of imaginative, informative and persuasive text in English, telling time to the half-hour in Maths, navigating the Bible, searching for microorganisms in Science or planning a cruise that visits every continent and ocean on Earth in our Geography lessons, you will find our room littered with tissue paper as we create collage snakes, transparent moths and upcycled lanterns! We are very pleased to be able to share some of our learning with you this week!
Religious Education
This term in our Religion lessons we have been learning that the Bible is like a library of books. We have been learning to differentiate between the Old and New Testaments, locate stories and identify their geographical and cultural features.
“There are two parts to the Bible; the longer part is called the Old Testament, and the other one is shorter and called the New Testament. The Old Testament is about God and the New Testament is about Jesus.” William L
Choir and band are also very popular in Year 2! At Whole School Masses, you will find most of the class at the front of the church making beautiful music and representing our school with pride.
English
Our English lessons are divided into four main parts: Reading Comprehension & Fluency, Spelling, Grammar and Writing. Currently we are learning about different text types (imaginative, informative, persuasive) and their features. We use punctuation to guide us, so that our reading sounds smooth and expressive. We are currently exploring common nouns, proper nouns and pronouns.
“In English, we are learning about persuasive texts. I have learned that we can persuade people with our writing. That means to change their mind. You have to use strong words in bold.” - Sydney N
Mathematics
Do you remember learning how to tell the time? It is certainly something that has stayed in my own memory of childhood. I can clearly remember the ‘ah-ha’ feeling of suddenly understanding how to read an analogue clock. It has been wonderful to witness lots of ‘ah-ha’ moments in the Year 2 classroom lately as the students learn to accurately identify time to the half-hour. Well done Year 2!
“ The hour hand is short and the minute hand is long. When it is half past, the long hand points at the 6, and the short hand will be in the middle of two numbers.” - Camden H
Creative Arts
The students in Year 2 love to create amazing artworks! Our art lesson on Wednesday afternoon is always highly anticipated. At the moment, we are upcycling plastic softdrink bottles into lanterns and pendant lights. The students are using tissuepaper layering techniques to create interesting designs. We are also very excited to welcome Mrs Ellen Shannon to St Mary’s. The students are thoroughly enjoying their Friday drama class!
“We have made jellyfish using coffee filters and different types of ribbons. We have also made self-portraits. First, we coloured the back of a picture of our face, then we traced it and then we coloured it in with pencil. They looked amazing. ” - Maeve M
Science
This term in our biology unit we are learning about ecosystems providing living things with everything they need to live, grow and change. We are learning that animals, including humans, have offspring that look similar to their parents and have looked for microorganisms in a sample of dam water using a microscope. Currently, we are patiently waiting for our Sea Monkeys (brine shrimp) to hatch. Did you know that brine shrimp take just 8 days to reach maturity? Our biology unit will conclude with the student’s sharing a specimen and report they are working on at home. Our families will be invited to visit our classroom to watch us present our findings (Weeks 9 & 10).
“Ecosystems have to have shelter, water, food and air. We have been learning about Sea Monkeys. I learnt that you need to use fresh water (like rain water) because if you don’t they’ll die.” - Rowan W
Geography
So far in Geography, we have learned that our intergalactic address is:
St Mary’s Primary School
40 Queen Street
Moruya
New South Wales 2537
Australia
Planet Earth
The Solar System
We have been learning about the different continents and oceans, and where they are located. We are now in the process of planning a route for a cruise ship, that must visit every continent and ocean on Earth.
“I have learned that there are 7 continents and Australia is the smallest continent. The biggest continent is Asia.” - Evana P
PDHPE
In Health this term Mr. Hill is teaching the students all about being safe, in and around water. In our Friday sport sessions, we are focussing on gross motor skills. Every 1-2 weeks we focus on a new skill, and have so far covered the side-gallop, hop and skip. Each lesson includes modelling the skill, guided practice and skill development games.
“ Mr. Hill teaches us about being safe around water. He plays games outside with us and they’re really fun.” - Byron S
Mrs Genevieve Schofield
Teacher 2 Blue
CECG Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival
Last Monday, 8 students travelled to Boorowa to participate in the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival. Despite a brisk start to the day, the weather warmed up and was a beautiful day for swimming. Our swimmers, Oliver A, Matilda P, Elsie L, Patrick W, Zane C, Patterson M, Milton W and Quinn A combined with many other swimmers from across the southern schools to form part of the Southern Region Swim Team, showing off their impressive swimming skills. They all participated in the true spirit of sportsmanship and were excellent representatives for our school. Congratulations to our super swimmers on a highly successful swimming season and we know they will continue to shine in the pool for many years to come. A special mention to the small team of parents who accompanied the students on the long trip to Boorowa, not only being an excellent cheer squad, but for assisting with time keeping and set up/pack up.
Cross Country and Run Club
Our next school based carnival will be the Cross Country event, being held at Gundary Oval on Friday 28 March. We warmly invite all families and friends to join us. The day will begin around 9.30am and will begin with the longer (competitive) 3km race for the 11-13 year old students. Following this, our 8-10 year old students will run the (competitive) 2km course. As an alternative, any student who does not wish to run competitively, may opt to run in a shorter 1km fun run. We will also welcome the K-2 students to participate in a short 500m race. This is always a highlight for parents and students alike. A more detailed outline for the day will be communicated in the coming weeks.
In preparation for the cross country, Mr Hill has been meeting with students each Wednesday morning at the run club on the school oval. It is wonderful to see so many keen and enthusiastic students each week, practicing their running techniques and improving their running stamina and long distance endurance. As we get closer to the carnival, Mr Hil may also add a training session during break times throughout the week. This will be communicated as it gets closer.
Eurobodalla Netball Cup: Broulee
On Thursday, April 3, students in Stage 2 will be attending the Eurobodalla Netball Cup at Captain Oldrey Park in Broulee. We will be entering both competitive and noncompetitive teams. More information will be communicated via COMPASS next week. In the past, we have had a wonderful experience at the gala day and are looking forward to expanding our involvement with Netball NSW. Please keep an eye out for further information to come.
Key Sports Dates and Representative Sports Trials 2025
Please find below a list of current sporting dates for events for the coming term.
Friday 28 March: St Mary’s Cross Country (whole school)|
Thursday 3 April: Netball Cup Broulee (Stage 2)
Monday 7 April: K-2 AFL skills day
Holidays
Friday 2 May: Southern Region Cross Country Wolumla
Students in Years 5 and 6 are now eligible to participate in the Canberra Goulburn Sports Trials in 2025. This is always a highly anticipated privilege and one that the stage 3 students all look forward to. Please note: these dates could be subject to change so please keep an eye out for any changes via the newsletter or on the Canberra Goulburn Sport facebook page.
Thursday 27 March: CG Netball trials
Monday 31 March: Rugby League Trials
Monday 7 April: CG Soccer trials
To register your child for these trials, please log onto the CSNSW Sport Website. If this is your first time registering on this site, you will need to create a profile before registering. If you are having any issues with navigating this site, please be in touch with me as soon as possible. Registrations for these events generally close a week prior to the event. For more information, please be in touch.
The following trials require a different pathway. Please be in touch with me via email regarding information for these events
Tuesday 11 March: CG Hockey Trails
Friday 16 May: Girls Rugby 7’s
Monday 25 August: Golf
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
Mrs Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator