Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday, I received the wonderful news that we are about to open up and return to a more normal school setting. 

From Monday February 28, the majority of restrictions in schools in NSW will be lifted. Having students and staff able to mix across the school and our parents back on site will enable for full participation and sharing between home and school.  

All parents and visitors are welcome back on site from Monday.  It is essential that every time you visit, you sign in and out using COMPASS at the front office.  Please support us with this and not go straight to the classrooms.  

We are very pleased that we held off making the decision to have online Meet the Teacher meetings, Kindergarten Parent Welcome and our Yr 6 Student Leadership Assembly. We are now able to host these important events with everyone during the next few weeks.

Kindergarten Parent Meeting and Morning Tea
On Thursday March 3, at 9 am we will host a parent information session in the Kindergarten classroom. Staff will explain the daily and weekly schedule and describe what learning looks like in the Kinder classroom.

Following the meeting, parents will have a chance to meet other parents whilst enjoying a cuppa. Younger siblings are invited to attend and we will set up a supervised play area for them. Please do not attend if you or your children are sick. 

Meet the Parent Meetings
In Week 6, teachers will be available for individual parent teacher PT meetings after school. This will give parents a chance to talk with their child's teacher and discuss goals for the semester. We really hope all of our parents take up this opportunity. If you prefer a phone call, please let your child's teacher know. We are currently organising for parents to book PT meetings via COMPASS. Front office staff are no longer able to make bookings on your behalf. If you have any difficulties, please let the relevant teacher know.

Special School Assembly and Family Picnic - Year 6 Student Leadership Induction and Kinder Welcome
On Monday  March 21 at 12 noon, we will have our first whole school assembly in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) in a long time. Hopefully many of our parents and grandparents can attend on the day. Following our Year 6 Student Leadership Induction, Kindergarten welcome and regular assembly, we will have a family picnic in the front garden. Parents are asked to bring along a picnic rug and food and drink for their families. Those children whose parents are unable to make it will also join in with their teachers. If the weather is like it is this week, we may need to have the picnic in the PAC and under the COLA….. If so it will be noisy! 

Pick Up Arrangements
As student safety is our number one priority, we have decided to remain with walking the students to pick up zones.  With restrictions lifted, we will return to having two pick up spots. You may choose between the end of the oval near the Church car park and the front garden near St Mary's statue. Parents are welcome to come inside the school grounds and socialise. You are welcome to make use of the playground but we ask you to please not come up to the COLA area where the bus children congregate. To do so you would need to sign in and out.  

Sick children
Thank you very much for keeping your sick children at home and coming to collect them if necessary. We are very grateful for your support and understanding. 

If your child tests positive it is important that you let the school office know staight away so that the parents of that class are aware. Names of students are never disclosed. 

RATS
Next week, eight more Rapid Antigen Test kits will  be sent home with your eldest child.  From next week, parents are asked to use them,  when their child shows symptoms of COVID.  This will be the final round from the Government to be supplied through schools. 

Student Information Updates
Recently, you will have received two blue forms about Student Information that need to be returned to school as soon as possible. Parents are asked to carefully check and update contact details, mobile numbers, emergency contacts and permission status. It is really important that your emergency contacts are aware that they may be called if we can not contact you. 

School Fees Remissions
We know that the last three years have greatly impacted many of our families and we do not wish to add any additional stress around school fees. Parents are asked to set up periodic payments to manage their fees. If you are experiencing financial stress, please make contact with Mrs Hazell or me so we can assist you to apply for a remission. 

Catholic Leaders Retreat and System Days
On Tuesday next week, I will join Mrs Jacqui Hefferan, Principal at Carroll College and Mrs Jo Wain, Principal at St Bernards to travel to Bowral for the annual Catholic Education Leaders’ Retreat and System meetings. Archbishop Christopher Prowse and Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education will lead in our faith formation and challenge us as leaders in contemporary catholic schools. Our Assistant Principal, Mrs Sue Heffernan will be filling in for me in my absence.

Prayers for Ukraine
We pray for the people of Ukraine and for world leaders to make the right decisions. Pope Francis has called on us to pray to St Mary Queen of Peace. 

I invite everyone to make this coming 2nd March, Ash Wednesday, a Day of Fasting for Peace: let believers dedicate themselves intensively to prayer and fasting. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope it has been a lovely fews week for you and your children as you settle back into the groove of the school term.  

First Reconciliation
It was lovely to see many parents and carers at the First Reconciliation enrolment meeting last Thursday evening. We thank Father George and Mr Harpley for their input. At the meeting Mr Harpley talked about how the children’s learning in the classroom would help prepare them for this special sacrament. A key focus during this term will be around the parable of the Prodigal Son and the unconditional love God has for us as His children.

If you were unable to attend the meeting last week and you would like your child to make their First Reconciliation, please let your child’s teacher know. We look forward to welcoming these children and their parents at the upcoming Commitment Mass on Sunday 6th March at 10am. 

World Day of Prayer
Parents and friends are warmly invited to attend the World Day of Prayer at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, hosted by the school, on Friday 4th March 2022 from 1:30pm, followed by afternoon tea in the church picnic area. This is an ecumenical prayer day. Invitations have gone to the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, Uniting and Southern Life churches. 

Milton and Thomas in Year 1 spent their investigation time at the construction zone. “We are building a church.”

Condolences
We send our heartfelt condolences to Mrs Hazel and her family following the passing of her uncle this week. 

A Thank You Prayer To God 

Father in heaven, 

We thank you for the amazing, beautiful world you created. 

Help us to care for it. 

We thank you for the wonderful unique people you have made us to be. 

Help us to care for one another. 

We thank you for the incredible tasty foods you have invented. 

Help us remember and care for those who are hungry. 

We thank you for the inspiring stories and teachings in the Bible. 

Help us to share this good news with people everywhere. 

AMEN

Mrs Jess Afflick
Religious Education Coordinator

Dear Parents and Carers,

At St Mary’s we value collaborative working relationships between our families and the school. We have found that when parents and teachers work together, we can support students in more productive and consistent work and behaviour, which in turn can improve students’ interest, motivation and engagement in learning both at home and at school.

In Week 6, on Monday 7 March and Tuesday 8 March, we will be holding our 2022 Meet the Teacher Interviews. We are thrilled that we will be able to welcome families onsite and hold these meetings face to face. Each interview will be a 10 minute session.

These interviews are a great opportunity for you to connect with your child's 2022 class teacher and share information about your child that may assist the teacher to support your child in their learning this year. Your child’s teacher will be able to share with you about how your child has settled into the new school year.

The following questions will be discussed during your ‘Meet the Teacher Interview’:

• What are some areas of strength you have seen in your child’s learning?

• What are some areas of learning you would like to see your child continue to work on?

• Something I’d like my child to achieve this year is...
• My child’s interests include…

Bookings for interview times will open next week and be made through the online portal Compass. We would recommend booking sooner rather than later as the system works on a first come first served basis. If you have more than one child, we recommend not making back-to-back bookings to allow you time to move between rooms. If you need a meeting time outside the available time slots, please contact your child’s teacher to make an alternative time.

Information on how to book an appointment on Compass can be found here:

The booking portal on Compass will close on Sunday 6 March. 

God bless and take care,

Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal  

PDHPE Term 1
This term in K-2, I am focusing on developing the children’s fundamental movement skills (FMS). During the first few weeks of term, the students have been exposed to a range of fun and engaging activities to further develop their jumping skills. As they get older, this skill can be integrated into a number of sports, such as athletics, basketball, AFL and soccer just to name a few. I have included “Tips for Learning how to Jump” you can try with your child at home. Encourage them to make a fun obstacle course to further develop and practice using this skill. Have fun!

Students in Years 3-6 have been practising key basketball skills during PE lessons. They have made terrific progress already through practising their dribbling, cross overs, passing and shooting drills, then incorporating these into modified games. It has been pleasing to witness the wonderful teamwork and camaraderie they display, especially in the modified games.  

To complement the students' intensive swimming lessons, students in Years 1-4 have been learning about  key water safety measures to support their safety in, around and on water. One of our key questions has been “how can I be responsible for my own, and others’ health, safety and wellbeing?” It is always exciting to hear them share their knowledge and understanding about staying safe around water and why this is so important to them.

Justin Bateman
Coordinator

Religion
We have been learning about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many of the students in Year 3 will be making the Sacrament of Reconciliation later in the term. We have learned about choices and consequences and have begun studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son. 

English
Most days we begin our English learning with a range of spelling activities. Each week we focus on a particular phoneme. We investigate different graphemes that can be used to spell that sound. We have been learning about narrative writing,practised character descriptions and the use of interesting adjectives in our writing. We have looked at how we can grab the reader's attention by using a sizzling start. This week we focussed on prediction as a reading comprehension strategy. Our class novel is ‘Demon Dentist’ by David Williams. The students are hooked on this book and love our daily read aloud. 

Mathematics
Our main focus so far has been centred around whole numbers. We have been learning about place value, and the students have been developing their understanding of the significance of the position of a digit in a numeral. We have explored expanded notation, odd and even numbers and the use of arrays to investigate patterns.

Science
We are focussing on the ‘Earth and Space’ science this Term. The students have been making a number of predictions about how the Earth, Sun and Moon move and interact with each other. They have also made predictions about how night and day occur. We have begun by learning about the Sun, investigating what the Sun is and  how the power of the Sun affects us on Earth.

History
Our unit ‘Community and Remembrance’ will focus on a range of topics from investigating our First Peoples of Australia, how our community has changed and how and why we commemorate significant events in Australia. We have begun by looking into what ‘country’ means to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The students have investigated different languages and how they are represented on a map. They have also been looking closer to home to find out more about languages that belong to our local area.

Maths
We have been investigating how we can use different measuring tools to measure different lengths. We designed 3 different paper planes and measured the distance they each flew using a trundle wheel. We then used our addition strategies to add the total distance flown for each plane. Through hands-on learning students were able to measure, record, compare measurements and demonstrate our ability to convert measurements between millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres. We have also been focusing on multiplication through counting large collections in a variety of ways.

Among The Gum Trees (Geography/Science/Visual Arts)
Our Among The Gum Trees unit provides students with rich learning opportunities for hands-on learning through a variety of lenses. We have taken on the role as biologists, representing and explaining our understanding about how living things have life cycles and that living things depend on each other and the environment to survive. We are investigating closely the conditions that affect the germination of eucalyptus seeds. Students later in the term will consider the impacts some animals and eucalypts have on each other. 

We are learning a variety of techniques used in watercolour art and how they create different effects. From these experimentations we have begun planning and designing our own unique eucalyptus watercolour art. 

Students have developed an understanding that our eucalyptus trees are a natural feature in our Australian environment and we have located and represented these on our class maps.  

Welcome to Week 4! We have had a wonderful start to the sporting year so far.

Southern Region Swimming Carnival
We congratulate the following students on their selection to attend the Southern Region Swimming Carnival at Narooma Swimming Pool. We wish them all the very best of luck as they compete at the next level of competition. Students who are successful at this carnival will then move onto Archdiocesan Swimming selections in Queanbeyan on Tuesday 8 March.

Intensive Swimming Program
This week saw the beginning of the Intensive Swimming Program. There was a lot of excitement on Monday as Years 1, 2 and 5 headed off to the pool for their first swimming session. Today, will see the first session for all remaining grades. It is important that students bring their swimming bag with towel, shoes, goggles and a change of underwear to school as it is too difficult for office staff to contact parents if they have forgotten it on the day. Thank you for your cooperation with this. We thank the St Mary’s Community Council for their donation to this year's swimming program and we look forward to sharing more photos as the weeks progress. 

MacKillop Basketball Trials
Best of luck to Year 6 student Kordel H as he travels to Wollongong on Friday to play for the Archdiocesan Basketball team. Kordel has some outstanding basketball skills and we are sure he will represent St Mary’s with pride. I look forward to sharing Kordel's results with you in the next newsletter.

Ribbon Presentation
On Monday, I will be presenting the students who placed first, second and third in the school swimming trials with their ribbons. Keep an eye on the school Facebook page for photos. 

Upcoming Dates

Individual Sports Trials
For individual sports trials, registrations must be completed online at https://csnsw.sport/ prior to the closing date. It is recommended that students trialling must be at a high level of skill and competency for that particular sport. 

For further information, please feel free to contact me at school or via email:

megan.grant@cg.catholic.edu.au

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator