Dear Parents, Carers, Boys & Girls,

What a welcome relief it was to see the rain stop on Wednesday. While some of our grassed areas are still too wet to play on, the boys and girls were delighted to finally have some play time outdoors, and I think the teachers were pleased too! Our thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of individuals, families and communities across NSW and southern Queensland affected by the unpredictable extreme weather and flooding. Let us all take time to pray for those facing hardship due to the loss of loved ones, their homes or businesses.

God of hope and mercy,

we lift up to you all victims of natural disasters

and those responding with assistance and aid.

Protect all who are in any form of danger;

provide practical help to those in need;

strengthen the weary, console the grieving,

heal the suffering;

and bless those engaged in disaster relief

efforts with safety and courage. Help all people

of good will respond with compassion

and generous hearts.

We ask this in your holy name.

Amen

Meet the Teacher
Earlier this week we held our ‘Meet the Teacher’ afternoons. It was so lovely to have so many parents attend these meetings in person. Our staff were grateful for the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak with you about your hopes for your child’s learning in 2022. Sharing information about your child really helps our teachers understand your child’s needs and assists them in progressing your child’s learning. We hope you found the meetings to be as positive as the teachers did. 

It is important to keep the lines of communication between home and school open, if you have any enquiries about your child's learning, please contact your child's class teacher. 

Archdiocesan Swimming
On Tuesday, fifteen of our students from Year 2 to 6 competed at the Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival in Queanbeyan. Congratulations to all of these students who represented our region, we are so proud of you! You were great ambassadors for our southern region and St Mary’s.

St Patrick’s Day
On Thursday, 17 March we will celebrate the Feast day of St Patrick and all students are able to come to school on this day wearing something green. Our Year 4 and Year 5 students are organising a cake stall and the funds raised will be donated to flood affected schools and families in the Ballina/Lismore area. Please send in some money for your child to purchase some delicious treats on this day. 

Special School Assembly and Family Picnic
Don’t forget to ‘save the date’ for our first whole school assembly, Monday 21 March at 12 noon. At this assembly our Year 6 students will be presented with their leadership badges and we will welcome our new Kindergarten students to the St Mary’s family. After the assembly we will be having a picnic lunch for the whole school community in the front garden. Families are asked to bring a picnic rug, food and drink for their family. Children whose parents are unable to make it will join their teachers for the picnic lunch. If the weather is not favourable, the picnic will be held in the PAC and under the COLA.

Morning Drop Off/Afternoon Pick Up
When dropping off your children of a morning please park in a designated parking area. Please do not use the school's driveway in Queen Street to quickly drop off your children, this is an unsafe practice. Cars stopped in this driveway are impeding buses moving out safely.

Just a reminder that we have returned to two pick up areas in the afternoon. Students can be picked up at the end of the oval near the Church car park and at the front of the school near the St Mary’s statue. You are more than welcome to come into the school grounds and wait. Please let your child know which area you will be picking them up from. A teacher is rostered to walk the groups of students down to these two areas. We ask that you please don’t come up to the COLA area where the bus children wait, as you would then need to sign in and out.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Please continue to pray for the children in our Parish that will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation this year. Last weekend these children and their families attended a Commitment Mass at the Sacred Heart Church. Next Friday, 18 March, all of Year 3 will attend a faith formation day at Carroll College, exploring the theme of Reconciliation. Thank you to Mrs Afflick and Mr Harpley who continue to guide and support these students on this journey.

Parent Talk Newsletter
Parent Talk newsletter is distributed electronically twice a term by the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP). The newsletter aims to provide parents and carers with relevant and timely information about developments in education, wellbeing, CCSP advocacy program and significant Catholic news and events.

Personalised Plans (PPs)
At St Mary’s our commitment is to respecting and honouring the diversity of each individual as a fundamental principle of learning and teaching. Each child is unique and learns in a variety of ways and at different rates. Our teachers provide an accessible and inclusive curriculum by planning for teaching, learning and assessment that meets the needs of all students, including those who require reasonable adjustments.

A key part of our education program is to establish a Personalised Plan for students with disability who require ongoing adjustments to learning. Throughout the year, teachers use evidence of learning and other relevant school data to inform decisions about reasonable adjustments. Personalised plans are reviewed annually and throughout the year as necessary, through collaborative planning meetings.

Consultation and collaboration between teachers, students, parents/carers and other professionals is a critical and ongoing part of this process. During such an exchange (face to face meeting, email or phone call), the student, their parent/carer, teacher and other professionals discuss the impact of the disability, how this affects access to the curriculum and what reasonable adjustments, if any, may be required. We work together as a team to plan the goals that the student will work towards achieving as well as the strategies that will be used to support them.

From the plan, teachers make adjustments to their classroom programs to address the identified student outcomes. Regular review of the Personalised Plans is important to determine if the goals or outcomes are being achieved and to alter the goals or strategies as needed. It is important to remember that this is only a plan and therefore it does not necessarily mean interventions or modifications are happening on a daily or weekly basis. 

On Tuesday 15 March, Mrs Christine Wanjura (Disability, Wellbeing and Inclusion Officer) and Mrs Margaret Pollard (School and Family Services Officer) from Catholic Education will be at St Mary’s to support and work with staff in planning strategies for meeting students' learning needs. 

If your child has a Personalised Plan, your child’s class teacher and members of the Learning Support Team will be available to meet with you in Week 9 regarding your child’s learning goals and to discuss the current Personalised Plan we have in place for your child. A note will go home in the coming weeks for you to book a time for this collaboration meeting. 

Personalised Learning Pathways (PLP)
A Personalised Learning Pathway is for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students and maps the pathway that our Aboriginal students follow to achieve learning goals. 

In the coming weeks a note will go home inviting you to attend a meeting in Week 9. In attendance at the meeting will be various stakeholders in your child's education and anyone you or your child nominates to attend who will assist in the collaborative planning for your child.

A PLP is a working document, designed in collaboration with teachers, parents and students, which informs the best way for the student to achieve their goals and aspirations. To develop PLPs, teachers start with assessment and use evidence of learning and other relevant school data about each student. In developing the PLP, specific goals will be set and clear strategies put in place to support your child in meeting the agreed learning and cultural goals.

The meeting will focus on the strengths and challenges of your child and how the school can best support them to achieve their goals. This process helps students grow in confidence, and gives parents the opportunity to work together with the school to help make their child's experience at school a success. We look forward to working with you.

Sick Children
Once again we would like to thank you for your continued support to keep children home when they are sick and for coming to collect them when necessary.

If your child tests positive to COVID, it is important that you let the office know straight away so that the parents of that class are informed. Names of students are never disclosed.

We look forward to seeing as many of you at the Special Assembly and Picnic on Monday 21 March at 12 noon.

God bless and take care,

Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal