Dear Parents and Carers,

Moruya Celebrates Parade
What a wonderful event the ‘Moruya Celebrates, Yesterday’s Heroes’ was for our community in Moruya and St Mary’s was thrilled to be part of the celebration.

Thank you to all the families that were able to join us on the day. It was lovely to have Mum’s, Dad’s, grandparents and older and younger siblings of our students join in and walk with us in the parade. Thank you to Betty’s family (Year 6) for the use of their ute, and TJ Lawns for the use of the trailer, their support enabled us to put together a superb Neverland and pirate ship float. 

A huge thank you to the staff, especially the fabulous Green ladies, Mrs Sue Heffernan, Mrs Shellie Butler, Mrs Brooke Connaughton and Mrs Jessie White for their amazing efforts and hard work in building the float and organising the children. We are very grateful for the time they put into rebuilding Neverland and creating a fabulous pirate ship. I may well be biased, but the St Marys float was by far the best on the day!

A huge thank you also, to our Community Council, who cooked and served delicious sausage sandwiches down at Riverside Park.

We have had lots of wonderful feedback from the organisers and the community…we even made the front page of the Bay Post!

Special School Assembly
Next Monday at 2pm in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) we will be hosting our Whole School Assembly. Parents, grandparents and visitors are most welcome to attend.

We will be handing out the first round of our Special School Awards for 2023. Based on our four School values, I am kind, I am safe, I am respectful, and I am doing my best. The leadership Team will choose approximately 10 students who live out that value everyday at our school. Recipients will be treated to a special lunch outing with me in the following week.

Year 4 will be showcasing their amazing Term 1 learning at this assembly too. 

Swimming in Term 4 
Great news!
We can confirm that swimming lessons for students in Years 2-6 will take place in Term 4 this year. Last year, we held our swimming lessons in Term 1 but unfortunately this year, the Moruya pool was unable to find swimming instructors. 

In recent weeks, four of our own staff participated in the Royal Life Saving Australia: Swim Teacher course, for students seven years and over, so that we could offer our own swim classes. In previous years parents have contributed towards swimming lessons with the majority of the cost being covered by the School Community Council. From now on, that won't be necessary as the school will cover the costs of replacing teachers while swimming is on. 

Thank you to our School Community Council for its large donation towards the costs of the  qualifications. A big win for all! 

New Enrolments...Welcome to St Mary's
In the last few weeks several new students have joined us at St Marys. We are thrilled with how well William, Koa, Troi-Nina and Taleena have settled in and feel at home with us. 

If you know of anyone in the community considering joining us this year or next, please encourage them to contact the front office for a chat. We are an inclusive school and we  welcome all students and their families from different faith backgrounds. We offer significant fee remissions for both current and prospective families who can not afford our school fees. 

Open Day 
Please put down on your calendar our Open Day this year, Wednesday 3 May. Our Open Day is a great opportunity for prospective and current families to see the school in action and hear about our supportive and nurturing school community. We will be having a presentation and information session, and it will be an opportunity to meet our leadership team, staff and current student leaders.

Claire Burrows Retirement 
We were honoured yesterday afternoon, to be able to host a retirement party for Claire Bateman Burrows. Having taught in Year 1 and in the library here at St Mary’s, Claire has been on leave for the last couple of years. Claire has had an incredible career working in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese since the 1980s. We are grateful that Claire chose to be with us for her years of teaching and for sharing her expertise, especially in early years’ literacy and Reading intervention. 

It was great to have Mick Lowe and his wife Christine and some of Claire's colleagues join us to celebrate Claire's achievements. 

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.

Lent 
As we come towards the end of the term, we need to remember that we are in the season of Lent, the most important time in the Catholic Church Year. Under the guidance of Father Anthony and Mrs Genevieve Schofield, we are teaching the students that Lent is a time of getting closer to God; a time to do good deeds, give to the poor through Project Compassion and  have conversations with God. We teach them that Lent, Holy Week and Easter are much more than chocolate and easter eggs.

Mary, Mother of the Church Pray for us. 

Noeleen O’Neill
Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Boys and Girls,

NAPLAN
Congratulations to our Year 3 & 5 students who have completed their National testing over the past two weeks. NAPLAN testing 2023 for students in Years 3 and 5 commenced on Wednesday 15 March. Catch up tests can be completed up to Monday 27 March for students who may have missed a test through an absence or for other reasons. 

Last year state and federal Education Ministers agreed to a change of dates for delivery of the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Earlier testing in the year means that schools will receive school and student results much earlier, allowing for teachers to identify specific areas of learning needs across the school which will inform our planning.

We have been very proud of our Year 3 and Year 5 students’ approach to the testing and the way they have efficiently used the time given to them to complete the tests. Thank you to the Year 3 and Year 5 teachers who have supported the children.

Little Investigators Playgroup
Each Tuesday morning from 9-11 a group of children from ages 0-5 and their parents have been attending our Little Investigators Playgroup. Our playgroup offers a wide variety of learning experiences each week and it is a great way for the children to learn about the world, make friends and develop social skills. Our playgroup also gives mums, dads, grandparents and caregivers a chance to share ideas and experiences. Most of all it's great fun!

Our playgroup is open to all families, not only those with children enrolled at St Mary’s. It is offered at no cost to families. Please spread the news in the local community, we love to see new faces.

Parent Information Evening with Dr Lorraine Hammond
On Thursday 4 May at 5:30pm, we are really excited to have Dr Lorraine Hammond facilitating a Parent Workshop for our K-12 community on ‘How the brain learns to read, the best way to teach it and how you can help at home’. 

Dr Lorraine Hammond AM, is an Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University and has worked and researched in the area of early literacy, high impact instructional strategies, including explicit teaching and learning difficulties since 1990. 

At St Mary’s, we have been fortunate to have someone of Dr Hammond’s expertise working with the staff in a coaching capacity and leading a number of our professional learning days. 

We hope that as many of our parents are able to attend this workshop which will be held in the Carroll College hall. Childcare will be provided. Please see the flyer below for further information.

God bless and take care,

Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal

Dear Families,

Harmony Day
On Tuesday we celebrated Harmony Day. In the morning, we held a prayer liturgy led by Year 4. I congratulate the Year 4 students for displaying maturity and reverence as they led us in prayer. During the liturgy we heard about Jesus feeding the Five Thousand; a Gospel story that tells us a lot about Jesus and how he wanted to live in harmony with others. After the liturgy, we bought delicious treats donated by our very generous Year 1 and Year 4 families. We raised a total of $445.45 for Project Compassion. This is a huge boost to our total fundraising during Lent. Many, many thanks to you all!

Sacrament of Reconciliation
We pray for Aria T, Nicholas A, Ethan T, Beau M, Willa M and Matilda P who will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Tuesday 28th March. Everyone is most welcome to join us at the Church at 5:30pm.

Combined Schools Mass
On Wednesday 5 April 2023 (Week 10), all students and staff will be attending a Combined Schools Mass at Carroll College, Broulee. We look forward to sharing this special celebration with the St Bernard's and Carroll College communities, as approximately 1000 students and staff come together in prayer. Please complete the permission form on COMPASS by 31/3. All families are warmly invited to attend.

Holy Week
Soon we will commemorate Holy Week - the most important time in the Church year. Holy Week is the final week of Lent and begins on the Sunday before Easter, known as Palm Sunday. Holy Week is a time when we gather to remember and participate in the Passion of Jesus Christ. The Passion was the final period of Christ's life in Jerusalem. It spans from when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to when He was crucified. 

St Mary’s students have been invited to formally participate in two of our Parish Masses during Holy Week: the 10am Palm Sunday Mass (2nd April) and the 10am Easter Sunday Mass (9th April). If your child is able to participate, could you please return the permission slip, or email me: genevieve.schofield@cg.catholic.edu.au

Gen Schofield
Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Dear Parents and Carers,

Whole School Assembly Week 9
Year 4 students look forward to sharing their learning experiences with you next Monday 27 March in the PAC commencing at 2pm. Students will be showcasing their art work of Australian Bird Collages, speaking to you about the importance of “Beach Safety” and sharing what they have learnt about the natural features of different countries around the world.

School Photos Term 2 2023
School photos will take place Term 2 - Week 3 - Monday 8 May. We ask that students wear their winter uniform for the photos this year. Envelopes for ordering and online payment information have been sent home with students. Please return these to your child’s classroom teacher. 

Justin Bateman
Coordinator

It’s been a very busy start to the year for Year 6 Blue. The class has settled in well and has worked collaboratively to establish clear rules and expectations in class. The students are now busy with their daily learning and are making very pleasing progress. The students in 6 Blue have had a number of opportunities to demonstrate their leadership skills at carnivals, assemblies and in the interactions with their kinder buddies. They have done a fantastic job helping their buddies settle in and feel welcome and safe at school. 

Religion
We have just finished a unit on the history of the Catholic Church in the early years of settlement. During this unit Year 6 learned about how Catholics had been persecuted in England prior to settling in Australia. They learned about some of the early missionaries who spread the faith throughout Australia. We have recently begun our learning about the season of Lent.

English
In Year 6 Blue, we start our days off with Spelling Mastery. We all head off to our groups and participate in the intensive spelling lessons. After this we come back together for reading. The next activity is usually our daily review. During our daily review we revise spelling conventions, grammar, sentence structures, vocabulary and much more. Quite often we create some fantastic sentences as a part of our vocabulary studies.

We have been focussing on persuasive writing and Year 6 Blue have become very competent at convincing others to agree with their opinions. Sorry parents if they have been using these newly acquired skills to squeeze you for more pocket money etc.

Maths
In Mathematics this term our explicit lessons and daily review sessions have included comparing fractions and creating common denominators, multiplying numbers with decimals, order of operations equations, perimeter and solving division algorithms with fractions and decimals instead of a remainder.

We also spend time each week completing Maths Pathways modules online. This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to consolidate on previous learning and learn the next skill for a variety of concepts at an individual level. It has enabled many students to extend their learning and others to catch up.

Science
In the biological science unit we are currently studying, the students have investigated how physical conditions of the environment affect the survival of living things. We have Investigated organisms that live in extreme environments.We have learned that changes in physical conditions affect the behaviour and survival of living things, including animals that migrate or hibernate and mould growth. We have just begun an experiment to see how different water quality affects seed growth.

Art
Each Wednesday the class has been doing art with Mrs Wendy Hacket. They have been doing some great work in their sketchbooks.

PDHPE
On Wednesday afternoons Mr Paul Hill has been teaching Year 6 a drug education unit. The students have been very engaged. They have also been playing a number of games focussed around teamwork. Over the last couple of weeks they have also been preparing for the Cross Country Carnival.

Mr Matthew Harpley
6 Blue Teacher

‘At the MacKillop Cricket in Ballina/Lismore, the team and coaches were very nice. Our team got along very well and we became good mates. The best part of the 4 days was when we beat Polding in the last 3 overs of the game. Overall, it was a great experience.’ - Darcy F

Rugby League and Netball Trials
Last week, 16 students from stage 3 travelled to Canberra to take part in Rugby League and Netball trials. 

Rugby League - All the boys played so well and proudly represented St Mary’s with great sportsmanship. Cooper C, Leo S and Mitchell W (Year 5) all made it into the probable/possible team selections for the U11’s.

In the Open’s, there was some tough competition on display and all the Year 6 boys showed off their skills on the footy field, again with great sportsmanship on display. 

Congratulations to:

Mitchell W on his selection into the Canberra Goulburn 11 years Rugby League Team.

Axel S, Noah D, Frank D and Oscar G on their selection into the Canberra Goulburn Opens Rugby League Team. The boys are very excited to be part of the CG team and are very much looking forward to the MacKillop trials in May.

Netball: Betty D-B was the one and only representing St Mary’s at the CG Netball Championships. Betty was part of the South West Team, combining players from several schools including St Bernard’s. With some very close scores and a high level of skill on display, the South West team took out the honours, winning the overall competition. Congratulations Betty and the South West girls! We look forward to seeing Betty in action in May at the next level of competition.

K-2 AFL Skills
Last Friday, students in K-2 thoroughly enjoyed an AFL skill session conducted on the oval by John and Max from AFL South Coast. There were lots of smiling faces as they took on various activities such as target throwing, passing, tackling the tackle bags and parachute games. Each activity was very capable led by our year 6 leaders who showed great enthusiasm and encouragement for the little students. 

MacKillop Swimming Championships
We congratulate these 5 students travelling to the MacKillop Swimming Championships at SOPAC in Sydney next Thursday 30 March. What an outstanding achievement for our little school.

Congratulations to:

St Mary's Cross Country
Today we held the St Mary's Cross Country and the weather was beautiful. Photo's of the day will be posted on Facebook. The next level of Cross Country (Southern Region) will be held on Friday 28 April (Week 1, Term 2).

Canberra Goulburn Soccer Trials
Any student in Years 5 or 6 interested in trialling for the Canberra Goulburn Soccer Team is invited to register in the CSNSW website. The trials will be held in Canberra on Monday 3 April (week 10) and will be open to students from all southern, western and northern regions of the Archdiocese.

If you need any further information regarding these trails, please be in touch with me via email megan.grant@cg.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Dates
Wednesday 3 May: NSW Netball Eurobodalla Cup, Broulee. Interested students to see Mrs Grant to register.

Thursday 11 May: Weyman Shield - Stage 3 Rugby League/League Tag Gala Day, Ack Weyman Oval.

Monday 15 May: Canberra Goulburn Rugby Union Trials, Canberra. To register, please go to the CSNSW website.

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator