Dear Parents, Carers, Boys and Girls,

Moruya Celebrates Parade
This Saturday, 11 March, our town will be holding a community celebration ‘Moruya Celebrates, Yesterday’s Heroes’. The event is about celebrating life in the Eurobodalla and the people who worked tirelessly over many years to raise funds for community needs. The event will begin with a street parade followed by activities at Riverside Park and then Riverlights on our beautiful Moruya River at dusk. 

St Mary’s Primary School will be taking the Moruya community to ‘Neverland’ and we have been very busy putting together a float for the parade. Thank you to the families that have 'revived' and organised their children’s costumes from last year's musical, ready for Saturday. We are thrilled to have some of our new Kindergarten students join us and some of our Year 6 2022 students as well. Also a big thank you to all the parents who have said they will be walking with us in the parade…you are also welcome to dress up!

If you would still like to be part of the parade, it is not too late. The parade begins at 1pm. We will assemble on the school oval at 12:15pm and then at 12:30pm walk down River St to the tennis courts and join our parade float.

The Community Council are running a fundraising BBQ on the day at Riverside Park toward the end of the street parade route. You will find them under the St Mary’s marquee. Thank you to all our volunteers who will help set up, cook, serve and pack away. It’s going to be a wonderful day!

NAPLAN 2023
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 first thing in the mornings so please make sure your child arrives at school on time prior to the bell.

Below is the NAPLAN timetable. If your child is unable to attend one of the tests, then they will have time to complete a make-up test. For online tests (Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy), Year 3 and Year 5 students have until the end of the test window (27 March) to complete catch-up tests.

​​Students who are absent on the above dates will sit the tests from Tuesday 21/03/2023 to Monday 27/03/2023. In the event of technological issues, we also have these dates as back-up for the whole grade/s. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Heffernan or Mr Bateman.

Please see the flyer for more information about NAPLAN 2023.

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. 

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 8 (Monday 20 March, Tuesday 21 March, Wednesday 22 March) regarding your child’s learning goals and to discuss the current Personalised Plan we have in place for your child. 

Bookings will be available via COMPASS from next Monday. If you are unable to book via COMPASS please email your child’s teacher.

On Tuesday 28 March, Mrs Margaret Pollard (Senior Officer School and Family Services) from Catholic Education will be at St Mary’s to support and work with staff in planning strategies for meeting students' learning needs.

Webinar: Anxiety and Resilience
Please find attached a flyer with information on a webinar focusing on the important topic of Anxiety and Resilience. This free webinar will be delivered by Dr Justin Coulson PhD for parents, carers, and staff in NSW and ACT Catholic schools. This webinar will be held on Wednesday 29 March at 7.00pm.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Preparing for First Reconciliation
Last weekend, many of the students making the Sacrament of First Reconciliation attended a Commitment Mass with their families. We pray for the following students in Year 3 as they prepare for this special sacrament later in the month:

Nicholas A, Beau McD, Ethan T, Ariah T, Matilda P, Willa McL

Faith Formation Retreat
Today, the Year 3 students travelled to Carroll College together with students from St Bernards, to participate in a Faith Formation Retreat. This retreat day supported the students in deepening their understanding of the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. The students enjoyed a range of activities led by the Year 9 Youth Ministry group.  We are so grateful to be able to join together with our pathway schools for these enriching experiences!

This Sunday we enter the third week of Lent. In Sunday’s Gospel, we will learn about a woman who encounters Jesus at the well.  The woman visits the well in the middle of the day when it is very hot, because she wants to avoid the other women of her town who she fears will judge her for being sinful.  At the well she meets Jesus. Jesus speaks with her for a while and she is deeply touched by this casual but transforming conversation. 

“Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?”  John 4:29 

CARITAS Australia - Project Compassion
During the Lenten season, we continue to raise money for Project Compassion. Year 5/6 have taken the initiative to create posters to promote the fundraiser, which are on display around the school. I was very impressed by the effort they put into this great cause. Please support Project Compassion: You may send coins in with your child for their class mission box, or use the QR Code below to go straight to the St Mary’s fundraising page. Thank you for your support!

SAVE THE DATE: Harmony Day Tuesday 21/03/23
On Tuesday in Week 8 we will celebrate Harmony Day. The students are invited to wear orange. We will hold a prayer liturgy and a cake stall (money raised will be going to Project Compassion). More information will be posted on COMPASS shortly.

Invite Us Deeper
Almighty and ever living God,
you invite us deeper into your world, your people, your Lent.
May this time be one of outward focus;
seeking you in those we often ignore.
Help us live a Lent focused on freedom, generosity, and encounter.
Give us hearts hungry to serve you
and those who need what we have to give.
AMEN

Gen Schofield
Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

The students in Kindergarten have had a fantastic start to the year. In just a few short weeks, we have made some huge learning leaps. We are now settled into the routines of school. Earlier this term we had a visit from Mrs. Brooke Wardana, our Instructional Coach from Shaping Minds. Brooke remarked about what a beautiful,  settled bunch our Kinders are; of course I couldn’t agree more!

The Year 6 buddies have been an amazing support to Kindergarten, helping them say goodbye to their grown-ups in the morning and playing with them at break times. Having now settled into life at ‘big school’, Kinder are enjoying getting to know their classmates and forming new friendships. 

Religion
We are currently learning about the season of Lent. We have been discussing things we can do to acknowledge this very special time of year, such as being helpful to our families and being kind to others. Perhaps most importantly, we need to help those less fortunate than ourselves. The students have come up with some wonderful suggestions about how to do this, such as donating toys to charity.

English
In Kindergarten, the students take their English lessons very seriously because they are very excited to learn to read and write! These little superstars have learned the sounds for letters ‘m’, ‘s’ and ‘t’. Next, they will learn their first vowel ‘a’… and then it’s time to put these sounds together to read our first words! We are working hard on our handwriting too - we have so much to remember in Kinder!

Kindergarten love to move their bodies while they are learning. In the images below they are jumping out words in sentences, as well as demonstrating their understanding using whiteboards.

Maths
In Mathematics this term our explicit lessons  and daily review sessions have included counting and subitising collections, writing the numerals 0-5, interpreting simple data displays, sorting and grouping objects, 2D shapes and sequencing events. We are finding many uses for our newfound mathematical knowledge and skills, and love applying these concepts during our Investigation time.

Geography
In Geography we are learning about places; how they are used and how we can care for them. Our Geography Investigation Zone is a ‘mini Moruya’. We look forward to adding our own creations to this zone as the unit progresses.

Investigations
In Kindergarten we thoroughly enjoy our Investigation time! Our classroom is set up with a variety of different zones, including Religion, English, Maths, Geography, Science, Reading Nook, Tinkering, Construction and Art. The students love this time of day when they can explore, create, discuss and problem solve. During each session, our focus students are given a task to complete, which is linked to the Early Stage 1 learning outcomes. Pictured below are just a few of our fabulous projects.

In Kindergarten we love to learn, and we are doing it at a great pace. No wonder we are all a bit tired at the end of each week. I’m sure you will get a big surprise when we put our next learning update in the newsletter because we will have come so far!

Gen Schofield
Kindergarten Teacher

St Mary’s Swimming Carnival Age Champions
Last week, we presented the swimming awards to the students who placed first, second or third at our school carnival back at the start of the term. 

We all at St Mary’s congratulate the following students on their achievements.

In extremely exciting news, the winning house was HOWARD! After many years it is wonderful to see the Howard team holding the trophy high and proud by Noah D and Indi T (Howard house captains).

Archdiocesan Swimming
On Tuesday, I was very lucky and privileged to be part of the Archdiocesan swimming carnival at Queanbeyan. 14 of our students travelled to the swim centre to compete against swimmers from across the Archdiocese - representing the Southern Region. 

We witnessed some incredible talent throughout the day from all regions and our students encouraged each other and showed positive team spirit and sportsmanship. A highlight was definitely the relays, in particular the incredible effort of the junior boys team: consisting of Oli A, Leo S, Spencer S and Xavier E. Another highlight was hearing the excited cheers when our swimmers saw they had beaten their PB times, some by as much as 5 seconds. Congratulations to all our St Mary’s representatives! I am very proud of your efforts and commitment to doing your very best.

Age Champion: CG 11 yrs Boys
A very special mention of our very own Ky N who was named the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocesan 11 years Boy Age Champion for the meet! An incredible effort Ky and we cannot wait to see you continue to do your best in swimming in the following years. 

MacKillop Swimming Championships
From the carnival, we have several students travelling to the MacKillop Swimming Championships at SOPAC in Sydney on Thursday 30 March. What an outstanding achievement for our little school.

Congratulations to: 

Tennis and Cricket events
We congratulate Darcy F who has been very busy on his return to school this year with all things sport. Darcy competed at the MacKillop Trials Tennis event at Wollongong on Friday 24 Feb. Darcy said there were some great players on the day and enjoyed the experience. 

Darcy then jumped into a car and travelled to Ballina/Lismore to be part of the MacKillop Boys Cricket Invitational Team. The team is playing from Tuesday - Friday this week and I am sure that Darcy is gaining invaluable experience and skills from being at such a prestigious event. I look forward to sharing Darcy's results in our next newsletter. Darcy has shown incredible dedication and commitment to many sporting areas over the past few years and it is wonderful to be able to recognise his achievements at such a high level. Congratulations Darcy!

Rugby League and Netball Trials
Next Tuesday, many of our students in Stage 3 will be travelling to Canberra to trial for a place in the Canberra Goulburn Rugby League and Netball teams. 

These events are highly popular and an exciting event on the calendar as the students reach stage 3 and are finally eligible to trial for a place in the teams. 

We wish these students all the very best as they compete against other students from across the diocese.

Year 3 and 4 AFL gala day
Take a look at the photos from yesterday's Year 3 and 4 AFL Gala day. The students all had a fantastic time.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator

Hayley Van Weerdenburg
Canteen Manager