Dear Parents,

Spring is always a special time of the school year, especially for primary school students. The days are warmer and the students are loving being outdoors and playing in the sun. 

The students in Year 2 were excited to have a new student join them last week. We welcome Ryan F and his family to St Marys and trust they will have a very positive experience with us. We look forward to also welcoming another two families to St Mary’s early next term.

Special Visit 
On Wednesday this week, we welcomed  Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn to St Mary’s. Following a meeting with the Leadership Team, Mr Fox visited each classroom and observed the students learning English. He was impressed by the teachers' expertise in Direct Instruction and their use of the CATALYST resources developed by Catholic Education. The students were engaged in their learning and happy to show Mr Fox their knowledge and skills. At lunch time, Cooper H and Indi T took Mr Fox on a tour of our school and the new playground. Catholic Education contributed significant funds to St Mary’s to build the new playground, so it was wonderful to have the Director visit this week when the final works are being completed.

Kinder 2024
Next Wednesday September 13, we will be hosting a ‘Dip into Kindergarten’ morning for children enrolled or considering enrolling at St Mary’s in 2024.  We are very close to finalising the class structure and we want to be sure that all enrolments have come through.  If you know of any parent who is still undecided, please encourage them to attend with their child next week. For more information please contact Mrs Gen Schofield.genevieve.schofield@cg.catholic.edu.au  

It is also unsafe to walk your child through the staff car park before and after school. If coming from the south of town, please walk your child up to the Main Bus gate. Ideally, students should be dropped off at the Official Drop off points at Church Street gates or at the Church car park. We thank you for your support with this. 

New Playground
The new playground and outdoor learning spaces are almost finalised! In the next couple of days, some more shrubs will be planted and a new fence will be erected between the Presbytery and the school on the east side.

Our next step will be to replace the Shade cover over the original playground equipment. 

We will allow the students to start playing on the playground equipment shortly but we will hold off using the new Natural playground until next term, giving the plants and grass areas more time to establish.

We are fortunate to have such a beautiful setting overlooking the Moruya river. Teaching the students to respect and take care of their school environment is an important part of their learning at school. We are very impressed at how the students have treated the new areas.

Mobile phones and Cyber Safety
We understand that some students require a mobile phone for bus travel and arrangements before and after school hours. Whilst at school however, no students are allowed to use their phones. Each morning, students must hand in their mobile phone to their teacher and then collect them at the end of the day.

We do our best to make sure that the students are monitored when using devices at school. Catholic Education has blocked inappropriate websites and social media platforms. 

Cyber safety is an increasingly important topic for young people and one that requires vigilance and support both at school and at home. At school, the students are taught about cyber safety in PDPHE with Mr Hill and in their regular classrooms with their teachers. Teachers use resources from the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and the eSafety website to support the students' learning about digital safety, cyber bullying and gaming. Parents are urged to closely monitor their children's use of technology, especially late at night. For more information and support, please consult the eSafety website parent page.https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

Whole School Assembly
On Monday September 11, we will be hosting our next Whole School Assembly at 2pm in the PAC. All parents, grandparents and visitors are welcome to join us.

Our Year 3 teachers and students have been busily preparing to showcase the great learning that takes place in their classroom everyday.

Ten children will be awarded the ‘I am Kind’ Awards at the assembly. On Thursday September 14, I will be taking the children for a Special lunch as a reward.   

First Eucharist
This Saturday evening at 5pm, nine of our Year 4 students will be receiving the Sacrament of First Eucharist at Sacred Heart Church. With the guidance of Father George and Mrs Gen Schofield, the Year 4 teachers Mr Justin Bateman and Mrs Sophie Kenny have been preparing the students for many weeks. Please pray for the children and their families and if possible, join us at Mass as we celebrate together.

God's blessing on you and your family.

Noeleen O'neill
Principal

Dear Families,

First Holy Communion
This Saturday at 5.00pm, St Mary’s students Mackenzie H, Matilda W, Oliver A, Samuel H, Samuel W, Madelyn M, Anthony M, Lily M and Oliver A will be making their First Holy Communion (Eucharist) at Sacred Heart Church. Our Catechism teaches that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. When we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, it is an act of thanksgiving to God. Pope Francis refers to the Eucharist as a gift, and reminds us about how important it is to our faith journey. When speaking to a group of children in Italy, Pope Francis said to them, “You will make your First Communion, always remember that day your whole life: the first day that Jesus came to us. He comes, makes himself one with us, makes himself our food, our nourishment to give us strength.”

As we reflect on these words, we can give thanks to Fr. George, Mr. Bateman, Mrs. Kenny, and friends and family of the children who have helped prepare them for First Holy Communion. We especially thank their parents who are the primary educators of the children in the ways of the faith.

All are welcome to join us at 5.00pm on Saturday 9 September at Sacred Heart Church as we celebrate mass and First Holy Communion.

Prayer at a child’s First Communion
Lord Jesus Christ, bless the children coming forward to receive
Holy Communion for the first time. 

May this day be the step toward a life-long love of the Eucharist.

Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to you for comfort, guidance, and wisdom as they grow into full discipleship.

Thank you for their innocence and goodness.

May their hands, extended in anticipation of your body and blood,
inspire all of us to cherish this sacred Sacrament.  Amen.

Year 4 Sacramental Retreat
On Wednesday last week the students in Year 4 enjoyed a fun and informative day at Carroll College. The students participated in a range of activities related to the Eucharist. This Sacramental retreat was superbly led by the Year 9 Carroll College Youth Ministry students. We thank Mrs. Belle Barling and Mrs. Erica Drewson for organising such a great day.

Fathers’ Day Liturgy
Last Friday Year 2 hosted a liturgy to celebrate our wonderful fathers and father-figures. During the liturgy, Year 2 reverently retold the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). It was wonderful to see so many dads in attendance. Thank you Year 2 and Mrs. Durnan for a very special liturgy.

English
The term kicked off with preparation for public speaking. Year 6 did a great job with their speeches. Throughout the term, we have focussed heavily on sentence and paragraph level writing through explicit direct instruction and daily practice. We began the term focussing on Narratives. The students wrote short narratives for the Mayor’s Writing Competition. We have since moved onto informative texts. We have also commenced a new class novel entitled “Once” by Morris Glietzman.

“We have started doing ‘paragraph of the day’ which is really fun.” Asher B

“This term we started off with public speaking which was really nerve racking and now we are learning how to write informative texts.” Indi T

Maths
This term we have commenced the CMC Maths Program. We do this four days a week. The students cover a variety of concepts each lesson and are provided with many opportunities to practice previously covered concepts. We continue to use Maths Pathways once a week in class and as a valuable online resource for homework. Students have been working to complete modules to mastery level in Maths Pathway, with a strong emphasis on taking a thorough approach to setting out bookwork, as well as checking and rechecking written responses before moving on.

“In maths we have been doing CMC Maths and I like it because it pushes me to do better.” Alex H

“This term we have been doing the program CMC Maths to help us to learn at our level.” Jakayda 

“In CMC Maths I have learned a quicker way to count up and down.” Quade M{!

Religion
Students in Year 6 have been learning about some of the beliefs we have as Catholics. We have studied the Liturgical Cycle and looked at several key celebrations held each year. We have delved deep into the parts of the Mass and what each part represents. The students are about to begin an assessment task requiring them to create a contemporary version of ‘The Last Supper’.

“We have been doing all the parts of the mass so we understand what happens better.” Darcy F

“We have learnt about the parts of the mass and their meaning.” Meeka

Arts
This term all students in Stage 3 have been learning a variety of dance styles. Ms Teggart takes Year 6 each Wednesday afternoon. The class looks forward to this session and many students return from the lesson keen to show off their new dance moves.

In Visual Arts we have focussed on a number of drawing techniques and styles. We have recently completed a piece titled ‘Waves in a bottle’. We have just begun some one perspective surreal art. The students are really enjoying this style.

“We like to do new art pieces almost every week like a boat dancing in a bottle.” Frank D

“I have enjoyed learning about the different elements of dance and how they are incorporated in different dance styles.” Grace R

“Dance has been very fun, especially contemporary and jive. We have also done salsa dancing, Bollywood and so much more!”  Indi

Science
All students in Stage 3 have been studying Earth and Space this term with some very interesting concepts and facts about tectonic plates, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. They have learned how these geological events can help shape the Earth’s surface. We have just begun a major assessment task involving the collection of data on a number of active volcanoes.

This term we are learning about natural disasters and tectonic plates - Isaac B

“In Science we have been learning about active volcanoes, extinct volcanoes, and erupting volcanoes. We are looking at how different volcanoes look and erupt, along with their different shape and size.” Mae M

Geography
Twice a week Year 6 go to Mrs Grant for Geography. This term students have been learning about Asia. They have been learning about the countries that make up Asia. They have studied the cultural diversity of the region. This week they have focussed on different types of employment available in some rural areas of Asia.

“In Geography we have been learning about the countries of Asia.” India-Arie

“This term we have been looking at the parts of Asia and Komodo island.” Oscar

Sport/PE
PE with Mr Hill continues to be a big highlight with Year 6 Blue students each week. This term students have had the opportunity to develop skills in Oztag, AFL and a variety of games requiring a high level of teamwork. We were blessed with some amazing weather over Winter which allowed plenty of outdoor sport. In PDH the students learned how to be cybersafe and how to stand up to bullying.

“Getting better at doing new sports like AFL, soccer and European handball and getting better at my sportsmanship.” Axel S

“We are learning about cyber bullying and how to be an upstander.” Liam

Other Highlights
“This year I made it to Canberra for swimming in breaststroke and made it to Canberra again for running in the relay.” Evie G

“We are learning about Aboriginal culture at school and on special days.” Ryley B

Sports News

MacKillop Athletics Championships
Congratulations to Anikah H, Mackenzie H and Asher B who travel to Sydney in Week 10 to compete at the MacKillop Athletics Championships. These students will be representing St Mary’s and the Southern Region on Monday 18 September at Sydney Athletics Centre, Olympic Park in various track and field events. We wish Anikah, Mackenzie and Asher all the very best of luck. It is an amazing achievement to reach this high level.

Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator