Dear Parents and Carers,

Each week, I have the pleasure of reading all class memos to hear about the great learning taking place in every classroom from Kinder to Year 6. Feedback from our parents suggests that they value the consistency, timing and quality of information shared by their child’s teacher. If you have additional questions, please email your childs’ teacher between 8am and 5pm and they will respond to you as soon as possible. I am sure you would agree that we want our teachers to be teaching, rather than emailing during the school day, so please give them the time required. If you would like to speak with me, please don't hesitate to call the Front Office at any time.

Professional Learning 
On Monday this week, the teaching staff were involved in professional learning about the use of Daily Review in their instructional practice.The review of previous learning helps students recall words, concepts and procedures effortlessly and automatically when they are needed to solve problems or to understand new material. In recent months, all teachers at St Mary’s have introduced Daily Review into their Literacy and/or Numeracy practice. Teachers have been observing each other's teaching and meeting to plan grade level Daily Review slides. The students have responded very positively and the staff are committed to making Daily Review a core element of their instruction. We will post videos on Facebook in the coming weeks for you to see Daily Review in action. If you are interested in learning more about Daily Review and other High Impact Teaching Practices, I recommend reading this  short booklet on Principles of Instruction.

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Educational_Practices/EdPractices_21.pdf

Additionally this week, all staff completed their annual CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training after school. All staff at St Mary’s do have their full First Aid certification, but our official First Aid Officers are Mrs Cathy Smith and Mrs Annette Hazell in the front office. Please contact them with any information/updates e.g. Asthma Plans etc.   

Library help
Mrs Croese would love to have some help from parents to cover new books for the library. If you can help her out, please send her an email on margaret.croese@cg.catholic.edu.au

Canteen
What a success the new canteen is! Each Friday, Hayley and her helpers provide an incredible service for our students (and parents). Our Year 6 students are developing good customer service and leadership skills as they support the younger students to be respectful and well mannered. Some adjustments to QKR timings has hopefully sorted out any earlier issues. Please let Hayley know of your availability to help out and she will create a roster. Even once a term would be helpful.  

Fee remissions/financial support
Our school fees are sent home early each term. Most parents have set up a regular payment plan that helps them manage their fees. No students will be denied a place at St Mary’s due to financial reasons. We offer many fee remissions (called Scholarships in other schools) for those in need of support. Catholic Education continues to offer support to those families affected by COVID. Please contact Annette Hazell at the front office or me directly on noeleen.oneill@cg.catholic.edu.au  if you are having any difficulties in paying school fees. All information is held in the strictest of confidence.

Fair Education - Little Investigators Mornings
On Thursday September 8 and Wednesday September 14, we will be hosting two mornings for Preschool children to come to St Mary’s to join some of our current Kinders in their Investigations. Parents of all local children (not only those enrolled for 2023) are welcome to stay and learn about our morning routine.  Please let others know.

These mornings DO NOT replace our normal Kinder 2023 Orientations planned for November and they are not a compulsory part of transitioning to St Marys.

Bus Behaviour
In recent weeks, we have been informed of some misbehaviour of students on a couple of the afternoon buses. Students from St Mary’s and other schools are ‘mucking about’ too much. We have been reminding our students not to get involved in touching other people or their belongings, throwing bags etc. Can I please ask you to also remind your children of how important it is for them to behave appropriately on the bus. Bus drivers have a huge responsibility to keep everyone safe. It takes a very special person to be a school bus driver!

Fathers Day 
Next week we will have some special Fathers’ Day activities at St Mary’s. The students will make a gift for their dads during the week and all dads are invited to an early morning coffee and donut on Friday September 2. Father Eden, our new Parish Priest, is hopefully popping in too to meet our fathers.  

I encourage all families to attend weekend Mass whenever they possibly can. Father Eden would love to meet our families and have the children with him to celebrate. The Saturday evening Mass is at an earlier time now, 5pm so it should be more family friendly. 

A Prayer for Families

Loving God,
We thank you for the gifts of families.
We ask your blessing on all families today and always.
Be with us in our daily life together. 
Be our guide in times of challenge. 
Be our strength in times of difficulty. 
Be our joy in times of delight.
Help our families to grow stronger in your love 
And show us how to love one another as you have loved us.
May we welcome Jesus as the unseen guest in our home. 
May we be his voice and hands, respecting and caring for those we meet. 
May we look to the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
as we strive to be the best family we can be. 

Amen    

God’s blessings on your families.

Noeleen O'Neill
Principal

Whole School Mass
Last week it was wonderful for us to be able to gather as a whole school to attend Mass to celebrate the very important feast day for The Assumption.  All the students set such a great example with their reverence during the Mass. Thank you to Mrs Croese, Mrs Devonald and the choir for their lovely performance and also to the students who did readings and offertory. We very much look forward to being able to attend Mass again soon.

Year 5 Class Mass
Year 5 attended Mass on Thursday and celebrated the Feast of Saint Louis. Fr. Eden told the boys and girls all about Saint Louis, who was the King of France at age 12. We also enjoyed a visit to our classroom from Fr. Eden on Wednesday, where we were able to share with him all about our learning in Religious Education this term which is focused around prayer. 

Kindergarten Investigations
This week during Investigations, Harper and Zayne were exploring prayer and connecting with God. They had set up this space on the verandah and told me as I walked part “we are praying for each other and all of the people who have died.”

Key Leaders Day
Today, Mrs O’Neill and I participated in a Key Catholic Leaders Day run by Catholic Education. There were many rich discussions and dialogue on some complex and challenging issues faced by leaders in schools these days. 

First Eucharist
We continue to keep the 17 students making the Sacrament of First Eucharist in our prayers. A reminder that this celebration will take place on Sunday 18 September at 10am Mass. 

All Year 4 students will take part in a Eucharist Retreat Day in the school hall on Tuesday 6 September where they will undertake a series of activities based around the Eucharist and continue their faith formation in preparation for this special sacrament. This will complement their classroom learning.

Wishing you blessings for a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Jess Afflick
Religious Education Coordinator

Peter Pan the Musical
The students are busy preparing for the school production of Peter Pan. The cast members are rehearsing their lines, class dance items are well underway and the excitement levels are running high! 

The production team are asking for volunteers to help with the painting of the backdrops. We have three scenes that have been drawn and helpers are required to assist with the painting. All paints and equipment are supplied. If you are able to help or know of some creative people who may like to assist the production team, please contact: jessica.white@cg.catholic.edu.au 

The production team would like to introduce some of the cast. These children were asked to reflect on what they love about the production… 

Charlotte Ekin is Wendy Darling: I am enjoying being Wendy in the Peter Pan musical because she is an adventurous character who loves meeting everyone in Neverland. Wendy loves seeing the Mermaids at the lagoon and having a house built for her by the Lost Boys. She loves Neverland but realises that London will always be her home. 

Fiona Senger is Bill Dukes the Pirate: I love being a cheeky naughty Pirate. I am very busy on the ship following Captain Hook's orders. I am always trying to catch those sneaky Lost Boys and discover Peter Pan’s hideout deep in the Neverland forest! 

Billie Booker is Michelle a Mermaid: I am enjoying being Michelle the Mermaid because she is a sassy character who loves playing in the sea all day long! The Mermaids are friends with Peter Pan and have the most amazing costumes! 

Christian Carter is Mr Darling: Mr Darling is a responsible character who values his family and traditions. I enjoy being Mr Darling because I get to sing songs, wear a suit and boss my children around! 

Tickets will go on sale very soon at the school office! Please make sure you have the production dates on your calendar: 

15th November: 12pm Matinee and 6.30pm
16th of November 6.30pm  

Mrs Jessie White
Coordinator (Acting)

Year 3 has been very busy this Term. We hit the ground running in Week 1 and haven’t stopped. Here are a few things we have been working on this Term.

Religion
In Religion this Term we have been learning about Jesus’ stories. We have been investigating parables and learning about how they were used to teach special lessons. We have begun filming short movies that retell the parable of the good Samaritan. 

English
We have been focussing on fairy tales so far this term. Year 3 has written a number of different fairy tales. These have included fairy tales with a twist, modern fairy tales and even an original fairy tale of their own. We have begun watching BTN and learning how to record notes and write reports. We have also been working on our public speaking skills. We recently finished the class novel ‘Brian’s Winter’. The children loved this story which followed on from last term’s novel ‘Hatchet’. I have just started reading ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

Maths
We have been improving our daily review skills this term. We do daily reviews during Maths lessons to revise content previously covered. We have been learning about addition and subtraction algorithms, We have also looked at positional language and concepts. We learnt about compasses and directions. We have learnt about coordinates as well. 

Geography
We have been studying the unit titled ‘Places are Similar and Different’. This topic is divided into six units. Within these units, students are learning about different climate zones within Australia and comparing those to our neighbouring countries. They are evaluating the impact of climate on the settlement patterns of particular areas and how it influences the daily lives of the people who live there. 

Science
In this unit, Year 3 is learning that there are three states of matter. They have been identifying different materials as a solid, liquid or gas through engaging interactive and hands-on experiences. They have been exploring how adding or removing heat can affect a material’s state of matter through investigations and experiments. This unit involves students working scientifically and using scientific thinking.

Art
We have been creating some wonderful pieces of art this term . We have been focussing on line work. Check out some of the photos.

PDHPE
In PDH Year 3 have been learning about rights and responsibilities. In PE they started the term with some of the field events from athletics. We then moved onto kickball and tee ball.

Mr Matt Harpley
Year 3 Teacher 

St Mary's Superstar Staff

Mr Bateman - Coordinator / PDHPE

We love Mr. Bateman as our teacher because he is fun, helpful, understanding, funny, kind, nice, active, cool, trustworthy, fair, supportive, great and has a nice hair style. He asks what we want to do, lets us have a turn at changing the rules, tells funny jokes, spends his time preparing the games for us, teaches us about good sportsmanship and teaches us to overcome our fears. He makes learning fun, always bounces back when he breaks his ribs, encourages me and he goes for the blues.

I love teaching at St. Mary’s because we have amazing students who demonstrate a love of learning every day. We also have a fabulous staff who go above and beyond to make the students' learning so enjoyable and engaging.

Mr Ziino - Learning Support

Mrs Stephen - Kindergarten

We love Mrs. Stephen as our teacher because she is nice, keeps us safe, kind, friendly, helps us when we are feeling sad, loves us, helps us learn and is the best teacher. We love her so much !

I love teaching at St. Mary’s because all of the teachers here are like a family and we enjoy each others’ company. We all love the kids at our school and this all makes school a happy place to be 5 days a week.

Mrs White - Year 6

We love Mrs. White as our teacher because she is nice, kind, persistent, fun, loving, dedicated, funny, helpful, loving, stylish, understanding, bubbly and caring. She knows us very well and loves her coffee. Mrs. White helps us learn if we don’t know what to do, will never give up on us, pushes us to do our best and is the best teacher. She focuses on everybody as a whole and every person individually with their different needs and helps us grow everyday.

I love teaching at St. Mary’s because after teaching at many schools,
working here feels like coming home. I love being part of a collegial staff
who go above and beyond to create engaging and interactive
learning opportunities for all of our students.