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Special Announcement
Last week, Mr Tim Smith, our Performance and Improvement Leader from Catholic Education visited us to announce to the staff that Mrs Jo Wain had recently been appointed as Principal of St Mary’s from 2025. Mrs Wain who is currently the principal of St Bernard’s in Batemans Bay is already known to some of our families as she was on staff at St Mary’s some years ago. I congratulate Jo and wish her every success as she takes over next year. I know she will love her time at St Mary’s, with our beautiful students and staff.
Parent Information Night
Thank you to our parents who braved a very cold night last week, to attend a Parent Information night on Learning and Data. It was wonderful to welcome parents of students across all grades. Mrs Sue Heffernan shared information about Catholic Education’s Catalyst Initiative and our school’s implementation of Direct Instruction in Literacy and Numeracy. Parents were informed of system and school data collection and how we use that data to inform our teaching and learning. I encourage parents who may have more questions to talk with their child’s teacher. If your child currently has a Personalised Plan, our Learning Support Teachers; Mrs Jessie White (Kinder-Year 2) and Mrs Jo Matthews (Year 3-6) will also be able to answer your queries. It was wonderful to have all teaching and support staff present on the night and I thank them for their support and commitment to their students’ learning.
A special thank you to Mrs Sue Heffernan, our Assistant Principal for her commitment to leading the Teaching and Learning at St Mary’s. Sue is a talented and experienced educator, who is committed to supporting our teachers and further improving their practice, which in turn leads to improving student outcomes.
Next week's Parent Teacher meetings are an important time for parents to gain an understanding of how their child’s learning is progressing. If you are unable to make the meetings, please contact your child's teacher for a conversation.
Online Safety and Mobile Phones
Online Safety is an increasingly important issue for young people and their parents and one that requires vigilance and support both at school and at home. At school, all students are taught age appropriate protective behaviours and cyber safety. 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. I highly recommend parents consider enrolling in some of the upcoming free webinars to keep themselves informed of emerging technologies and ways of protecting their children online.
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 closely when using devices at school. Catholic Education has blocked inappropriate websites and social media platforms. If parents become aware of any inappropriate use of technology e.g. gaming, messaging at school, please inform me or your child's teacher. We need to work together to keep all of our children safe.
Winter uniforms
As the weather gets colder, please make sure that your child comes to school in warm clothing.
A gentle reminder that school uniforms need to be named, as it is almost impossible to find lost items without names. The old maroon jumper can still be warm, preferably under the new navy school jumper (jacket). The maroon raincoat style coat may only be worn outdoors.
All students are to wear black shoes on regular school days. They do not have to be leather but they must be a plain black shoe or jogger. Thank you for your support with this. Wearing the school uniform with pride, is important at St Mary’s.
Sacrament of Confirmation
We continue to pray for our Confirmation students, their sponsors and their families. With the support of Father George and Mrs Afflick, the Year 6 teachers have been working hard to prepare the children for such an important time in their life.
God’s blessings on you and your families.
Mrs Noeleen O'neill
Principal
Semester One Reports
Semester One reports will be available on the Compass Parent Portal on Friday 21 June.
Reporting provides feedback to students, parents and other teachers about student progress. In a standards-referenced framework, teachers make professional judgements about student achievement. This is done at key points in the learning cycle.
The A–E grading scale or equivalent provides a common language for reporting. Teachers use the grading scale to report student levels of achievement. This applies to Stages 1 to 3 (Year 1-6). A to E grades are not required for reporting on student achievement in Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten). Please see the report cover for an explanation of the A-E grading scale.
Teachers refer to a variety of information about student progress and achievement in relation to the outcomes assessed and the content taught up to the relevant point in time.
Parents are encouraged to book a parent/teacher meeting with their child’s teacher to discuss their child’s learning progress.
Parent Teacher Meetings
Parent teacher meetings have been scheduled for Week 9 on Monday 24 June and Tuesday 25 June. This is an official meeting time set aside for you to discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher. At this meeting the teacher will also explain your child's half yearly report and how the grades are determined based on work samples and assessments. The meetings will be 10-15 mins in duration.
Thank you to all the parents who have been able to book a time and come into school and meet with their child’s teacher this week. These meetings are, and have been a wonderful opportunity for parents, students and teachers to discuss and celebrate effort and progress in learning as well as goal-setting for next semester. The staff are very appreciative of the support you give to them and the partnership that they have in working with you to build the wonderful community of St Mary’s.
The booking portal on Compass closed on Sunday night 23 June. If you have not made a booking and would like to speak with your child's teacher, please email your child's class teacher to make an alternative time to meet.
NCCD Collection of Data Information for Parents
All schools across Australia are required to participate annually in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD).
Next week an important document will be sent via Compass about the process. Please take the time to read the document as it contains important information about data collection.
Below you will also find an infographic about the NCCD.
NAIDOC Regional Mass and Awards 2024
On Friday 26 July (Week 1) St Bernard’s Primary School will be hosting the South Coast Schools Regional NAIDOC Mass which will be celebrated at St Bernard’s Church, Batemans Bay at 11am. St Mary’s will join other students from schools across our Southern Region including St Bernards, Batemans Bay, Carroll College, Broulee, St Patrick’s, Bega and Lumen Christi, Pambula.
All our Aboriginal students at St Mary’s from Kindergarten to Year 6 and our Year 6 students will be attending this special Mass. We warmly welcome the parents, carers and families of these children to join us.
Further details will be sent out via COMPASS.
Mrs Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal
Dear Families
Year 6 Confirmation Retreat Day
On Wednesday last week, Year 6 headed out to Carroll College to take part in their Faith Formation Retreat Day. These days are always a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together with students from St Bernards and participate in fun activities which strengthen their understanding of their learning about the sacrament of Confirmation. The day's activities were very capably led by the Year 9 and 10 Youth Ministry team, who demonstrated excellent leadership skills and ensured it was a wonderful day for all involved. Thank you to Carroll College and especially Mrs Barling for hosting us.
Lila W - Last week we went to Carroll College for a Confirmation Retreat. It was a very fun, action packed day with heaps of fun activities. We made posters about “What Makes a Hero” and painted rocks with the Fruits of the Spirit. There were lots of fun games like bean bag toss and ice breakers. We also got to paint banners and pick our favourite parts from different bible passages. We had a yummy hotdog lunch and we all had so much fun!
Elyse B - Last week on our Retreat Day with St Bernards we got to learn about the Sacrament of Confirmation. We learned about Carlo Acutis who is soon to become a saint. We played some fun games and then in our small groups we got to do rock painting, making bookmarks and painting banners. We had hotdogs and ice blocks for lunch and Fr Loi gave us all a special blessing. Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends from Carroll College and St Bernards.
Confirmation
This Sunday, the Sacrament of Confirmation will be held at 10:30am at the Church. The Archbishop will celebrate a special Mass for the children and their families who have been busy preparing over the term. We keep these children in our thoughts and prayers over the coming days. May the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen them as they take this important step in their spiritual lives. All are welcome to join us for Mass on Sunday.
5/6 Maroon: Sophie A, Madison C, Felicity P, Leo S, Callum T and Blake R
6 Blue: Sophie VW, Lila W, Elka H, Nathan W, Mitchell W, Spencer S, Cooper C, Jimmy D, Xavier L, Benjamin P.
Condolences
We send our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the Asbury family following the passing of Kate’s father last week, Grandfather to Sophie in Year 6 and Nicholas in Year 4.
Grace and blessings on your path.
Mrs Jessica Afflick
Religious Education Coordinator
This award is an acknowledgment that students have been
outstanding and have gone above and beyond in the
classroom and on the playground!
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Kinder B |
For being an enthusiastic, engaged learner and doing her best! |
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Kinder B |
For creating a fantastic, detailed map of her home and surrounds. |
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1 Blue |
For outstanding growth in your writing, demonstrating your thorough understanding of sentence structure and punctuation. You are an author! |
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1 Blue |
For designing an amazing parkland in geography, displaying your knowledge of built, natural and managed features! |
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2 Blue |
Mastering some tricky words and showing a big improvement in her reading skills. Top Job Rayne! |
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3 Blue |
For her engagement in all learning. Keep up the enthusiasm, careful work and being committed to doing her best. Well done Maisie. |
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3 Blue |
For his enthusiastic approach to learning in Maths, eagerness to learn new things and share his understanding with the class. Keep it up Oli! |
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3/4 Maroon |
For your efforts and engagement during CMC maths lessons, especially with place value of large numbers. Well done! |
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4 Blue |
For showing excellent leadership skills at Mass reading all of the responses and helping her peers and younger students. |
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4 Blue |
Your excellent knowledge of lines of symmetry in maths. |
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5 Blue |
For consistently exemplary effort and engagement in Reading Mastery, demonstrating exceptional comprehension. |
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5/6 Maroon |
For consistently displaying outstanding learning behaviours during his Mastery Lessons. You are an absolute pleasure to teach. |
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6 Blue |
Demonstrating improved note taking skills during text level writing. |
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Kinder B |
For carefully collecting and representing data on a picture graph. |
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1 Blue |
For displaying outstanding growth in your knowledge of tricky word reading. Keep up the great effort!!! |
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2 Blue |
Displaying excellent research skills when finding interesting facts about South America. Well done! |
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3 Blue |
Her careful and methodical approach to her school work - keep it up Eve! |
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3/4 Maroon |
For demonstrating confidence in his ability when naming and describing different types of matter during our recent Chemistry assessment. Well done! |
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4 Blue |
For her determination to succeed and improve her reading fluency and comprehension. |
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4 Blue |
For his excellent knowledge and application in maths session identifying lines of symmetry |
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5 Blue |
For consistent effort and outstanding results in Connecting Maths Concepts |
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5/6 Maroon |
Your exemplary behaviour as a positive role model within the classroom…Having the I can attitude. |
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6 Blue |
Her great work at interpreting timetables to determine the duration of events or journeys. |
Religion
We are fortunate to be a part of a Catholic School. At St Mary’s we engage in daily prayer and learn about the life of Jesus during our Religion lessons. In Year 1 we are currently enjoying learning about the Old Testament and the adventures of Moses. The Year 1 children had the great privilege of leading our recent whole school Mass for Grandparents Day where we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Year 1 children, accompanied by their family members, confidently read the prayers of the faithful, the daily readings and the offertory. At the conclusion of the Mass the children performed a liturgical movement, which is a simple movement sequence which is a form of prayer.
English
English lessons in Year 1 are a combination of many different learning experiences. Each day the students participate in “Mat Time”, where they are explicitly taught digraphs. trigraphs, spelling rules and tricky words. The students use white boards during these lessons to display their understanding, providing Mrs White the opportunity to give on the spot feedback on student learning. During daily English lessons the students participate in Literacy Groups with Mrs White and Mrs Butler. This is an absolute highlight of the day as the children work in small groups, completing a variety of reading, writing and spelling activities. 
Maths
During Maths lessons in Year 1 we enjoy a combination of hands-on learning experiences and our direct instruction lessons. In Year 1 we use a variety of materials to consolidate our understanding of learnt concepts. During our Connecting Maths Concepts lessons we are currently learning how to vertically add and subtract two digit numbers. During investigations the children are using MAB blocks to represent their learning. We are currently learning about 3D shapes as a part of the Stage 1 Measurement strand in Mathematics. The children have used a variety of materials to create real life models of these shapes, identifying vertices, faces and sides of pyramids, cubes and prisms. The children took great pride in teaching their Kindergarten friends about the shapes they had created.
Sport
As we prepare for the upcoming St Mary’s Athletics Carnival the Year 1 children have been participating in a variety of modified games, where they are learning the necessary skills to participate in long jump, shot put and discuss. Breaking these skills down for young students is important as it teaches them correct technique. The students made connections between the field events of discus and shot put and the iconic book character Miss Trunchbull!! The Year 1 children are looking forward to the upcoming athletics carnival.
Science
This term Year 1 have been learning about different types of materials during their weekly chemistry lessons with Mrs Ziegler. The students have observed how materials change when they are heated and cooled. A highlight of the term was the week the children made their own candles, observing the changes in the wax as Mrs Ziegler heated it. “It started as a solid, became a liquid when heat was added and then it turned back into a solid once more, AMAZING” a student observed.
Investigations
In Kindergarten and Year 1 we learn by investigating! Each afternoon the children work collaboratively in pairs or small groups at learning zones in our classrooms. The zones are set up based on our current units of work that are being taught throughout the day. The students are all given an opportunity to be “THE FOCUS STUDENT” (a crowd favourite). The focus students have the privilege of wearing a special sash and are given specific tasks to complete which are personalised to student learning outcomes.
Mrs Jessica White
1 Blue Teacher
St Mary’s Athletics
St Mary’s Athletics Carnival will be held at Gundary oval (weather and grounds permitting) on Friday 28 June. All track events, shotput and discus will be held on this day. High jump and Long jump will be completed and finalised at school. Southern Region Athletics will be held at Bega (weather and grounds permitting) on Thursday 8 August. More details will be communicated to families for eligible students closer to the date.
Mary Poppins: Assistance with class dance items
Please place the following dates into your calendars as Mary Poppins is flying into St Mary’s on 5th and 6th of November.
Mary Poppins is a whole school production, which means that all students, Kindergarten to Year 6 will be involved. Each class will have a dance item that they will rehearse during class time in Term 3. Our school musical is always a wonderful community event and this year we are asking for as many parent volunteers to assist us to bring our magical dream to life!
We are asking for parents who would like to assist with the dance component of the class items. Each class will be allocated a song and we are requesting that parent helpers join us during school hours to assist with simple dance choreography. This will take place during Term 3 and will require visiting the school once a week. If you are a dance teacher or someone who loves to move and groove we are seeking your assistance. You will work in collaboration with a class teacher and the production team. If you are interested please contact Mrs White. jessica.white@cg.catholic.edu.au
Please keep your eyes on the Newsletter and Compass, as we will soon be requesting parents to assist with backdrop painting, set and prop design.
Many thanks in advance.
The Production Team
Guitar Group
Guitar group has started again this term.
If you are in Years 3-6 and interested in showing us what you know or exploring new tunes, please join us First Break every Thursday in our school Library.
Beginners welcome!
Mr Campbell and Mrs Devonald
