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Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you have had an enjoyable week.
On Wednesday we had the privilege of commissioning our Year 6 leaders for 2025. As I listened to their pledge, I was reminded of how special it is to be part of the St Mary’s community. Our Year 6 leaders wholeheartedly embraced their leadership responsibilities, and I have no doubt they will lead our school with pride and courage. I have already witnessed our School Captains and House Captains demonstrating outstanding leadership at our recent Swimming Carnival, setting a wonderful example for their peers. I look forward to seeing them continue to grow as role models throughout the year.
A special congratulations to our Year 6 students who were elected last year to the Student Leadership Team for 2025 and to all our Year 6 students who have become leaders of our school.
Congratulations to our School Captains Tessa and Declan and to our House Captains
Cassidy: Ollie & Bella
Howard: Charnaya & Matilda
Eyre: Liam & Abbie
I have been very impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment to their roles and I look forward to supporting and watching as they grow in their leadership roles.
Last Saturday evening at Mass, the staff of St Mary’s were inducted for the new school year by Fr George. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to nurturing all those in our care, so that we may grow in a deeper awareness of God’s presence and a greater understanding of His teachings. In doing so, we bring to life the vision of our school motto: In All Things May God Be Glorified. It is a privilege to lead such a beautiful school community, and I look forward to the year ahead.
Staff Professional Learning
Our learning journey continues…. Last Wednesday, we had a visit from an external coach, Dean Katsiris. Dean is a dedicated teacher at Mastery Schools Australia, where he leads both Explicit and Direct Instruction. Renowned for his expertise in mentoring and coaching, Dean supports new teachers and assistant teachers in mastering these instructional methods. He also leads the "Teach Like a Champion" training for staff at Mastery Schools Australia Varsity. Dean worked alongside staff with the aim to support teachers and leaders to improve their practice through practical professional learning. Dean led our Staff Meeting this week with a particular focus on engaging Daily Review Literacy Routines.
Mrs Ziegler, Mrs Brady and myself will be participating in Initialit Training next Monday and Tuesday and Mr Hill and Mrs Ziegler will be attending a Catalyst Onboarding Workshop in Canberra next week. All staff are committed to continuing to grow in their roles and providing evidence-based instructions. At St Mary’s all decisions are made in the best interest of our students. We are committed to maximising learning time and ensuring that our students’ needs are met both socially, emotionally, and academically.
Attendance at school
I would like to thank all parents and carers for making student attendance at school in 2025 your priority. Ensuring your child attends school every day is a legal responsibility for all parents and carers.
The school day starts at 8:50am and arriving at or before this time is essential to ensure your child starts every day to maximise their learning time. If your child is late by even as little as 5 minutes a day, this time accumulates over the course of the term to days and weeks of missed learning.
We understand that on rare occasions you might be late to school. If this is the case, please sign in using the Compass kiosk at the front office before sending your child to class.
Swimming Carnival
Last Thursday I saw many talented swimmers take part in our annual swimming carnival. The students show great team spirit, cheering for their houses and participating in a variety of events. It was wonderful to see every child have a swim! A special thank you to Mrs Grant for her preparation and organisation of the day. Also to our parents and staff who assisted us and supported us on the day. It was lovely to see the St Mary’s community come together after the holiday break.
Carpark Safety/Bus Zone
For the safety of all our students, we kindly remind you that parking in the bus zone is not permitted at any time. This area must remain clear to ensure our school buses can safely pick up and drop off students without obstruction.
We understand that parking can be challenging during busy times, but we ask for your cooperation in using designated parking areas. Keeping the bus zone clear helps us maintain a smooth and safe arrival and dismissal process for everyone.
A reminder that the Staff carpark is for staff parking only. Please do not drop your child/ren off in the carpark in the mornings as this is not a safe area. Parents are asked to please park at the front of the school or in the Church carpark.
Thank you for your support in keeping our school safe.
Parent Education
CCSP invites all parents and carers to join us for our Term 1 free webinars. Please register using the links. We look forward to seeing you online!
SCHOOLSPEAK 101: Presented by Mary Ryan, Head of Professional Learning, CSNSW
Tuesday 25 February, 12.30pm – 1pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
OR
Wednesday 26 February, 7.30pm – 8pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
School Student Broadband Initiative (free NBN service)
The Federal Government's School Student Broadband Initiative provides a free NBN service to eligible families with school age children. Link: School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI)
I look forward to connecting with many families next Thursday at our welcome Barbeque and Disco starting at 5pm.
Blessings on the week ahead.
Kind regards
Jo
Mrs Johanna Wain
Principal
NAPLAN NEWS
NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy – important skills that each child needs to succeed in school and life. The NAPLAN tests are designed to help us make sure students are on track with their literacy and numeracy development.
This year students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in NAPLAN online. Year 3 complete Reading, Conventions of Language and Mathematics online. Year 3 complete writing with pen and paper. Year 5 complete Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Mathematics online. All students use headphones during the conventions of language test, the numeracy test and the Year 5 writing test so they can hear audio instructions.
NAPLAN tests are in Term 1, and occur between the 12 March - 24 March.
NAPLAN tests skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time through the school curriculum and every day in the classroom. Teachers will ensure that students are familiar with the test format and will provide appropriate support and guidance. Excessive preparation is not useful and can lead to unnecessary anxiety. NAPLAN tests should be treated as just another routine event on the school calendar. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure them that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program, and to urge them to simply do their best on the day.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.
Ms Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal
Staff Commissioning
At the beginning of each academic year, the staff at our K-12 Pathways Schools are commissioned to the ministry of Catholic education at special Masses held at Batehaven and Moruya. We thank Fr. Rex and Fr. George for these beautiful celebrations. These Masses are always a meaningful way to acknowledge the mission we share as educators - to nurture the minds and hearts of the students in our care.
“Lord you commission us with the promise of your
Grace and the reassurance of Your presence.
Send over us the spirit of Your Son,
the spirit of light and truth
that we may come to the knowledge
that surpasses all understanding
and leads all people to peace.”
Opening School Mass
On Wednesday we welcomed families and students to our Opening School Mass celebrated by Father George. It was a very special occasion for our Year 6 students who were blessed and commissioned ito their leadership roles for 2025.
Sacrament of Penance (First Reconciliation)
On Thursday last week, we held a meeting for parents of students in Year 3 who are making the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this term. Key dates for this Sacrament are as follows:
- Commitment Mass: 5pm Saturday 22 February
- Sacramental Retreat at Carroll College (all students in Year 3): Wednesday 26 March
- First Reconciliation Celebration at Sacred Heart: 5pm Thursday 10 April
This Saturday night, Catholic students in Year 3 that are making their First Reconciliation will come to our Sacred Heart Parish Mass and commit to being involved in the Sacramental program. Students will receive a booklet to work on at home to deepen their knowledge as part of this special celebration.
Ash Wednesday
Please join us at Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday 5 March at 9:15 am for a whole school mass to celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. We look forward to sharing our Lenten journey with our families.
Year 6 Leadership retreat ‘Journey with Jesus’
In Week 5, Year 6 will be attending our ‘Journey with Jesus’ Faith Formation Retreat at Carroll College, Broulee. The Journey with Jesus retreat is a faith-filled experience for our Year 6 students. The day is led by students from the Catholic Schools Youth Ministry team and Carroll College Faith Ministry students. It will be a day packed with games, activities, drama, videos and talks that all explore the Gospel messages of God’s love, support, and forgiveness. The students spend the day learning about what we need in life for our journey with Jesus. Using the symbolism of a backpack; students learn that on a journey they need to bring many items with them to explore different obstacles and enjoy different opportunities. This is the same as we explore and deepen our relationship with Jesus through prayer, reflection and building relationships with others. During the Journey with Jesus retreat day students will explore their own role of leadership and ministry as Year 6 students, and learn more about how they can use their gifts to lead in our own school community.
Mrs Carla Durnan
Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)
A snapshot of life in Kindergarten!
Our smallest St Mary’s students have had a VERY BIG couple of weeks! Everything is brand new for them: lunchboxes, shoes, uniforms, teachers, friends and school! We are so impressed with how quickly they have adapted to life at ‘big school.’ Below is just a small snippet of what they have been up to in the first few weeks of school. As the Kindergarten teachers we are so proud of how quickly they are learning the ropes of school life!
Before we share “life in Kindergarten” from an adult's perspective, we thought it would be fitting to hand the ropes over to the children and ask them…. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT ST MARY’S?
Archie: Playing at the park and investigations.
Claire G: Playing with my friends and the vet zone in investigations.
Claire S: When they call my name out to go to bus lines.
Ezek: I love the whole school and all the learning.
Peyton: Getting to see my sister and learning Science.
Lane: Playing at the park during breaks.
Darcy H: I love Maths and Science.
Darcy McM: I love learning about adding numbers.
Bonnie: I love time with my buddy and drawing during Art.
Louis: Time with my buddy and Science in class.
William: Playing ‘duck duck goose’ and working with my buddy.
Conor: Being outside and learning to write numbers in Maths.
Leo: I love being at school, I love learning Maths and crossing out the big balls.
Khoi: Playing with my new friends. I love this place.
Seth: Playing in the park and when we get to do investigations.
Ada: I love playing with my friends at the park.
Jamie: I love St Marys because I get to play at the park.
Imogen: I love getting to play on the monkey bars with my friends.
Isha: I love play time with my friends.
Darcy He: I love when our class has sports time.
Zechariah: I love St Marys because I get to make new friends.
Maisey: I love St Marys because I get to do Art and investigations.
Arnem: I like my teachers because they make me feel safe and help me.
Claudia: I love St Marys because I get to go into the vet zone for investigations.
School Expectations
One of the first things we learnt were the St Mary’s school expectations. At St Mary’s we are Kind, Safe, Respectful and we Do our Best. We had a lot of fun role-playing what it looks, sounds and feels like to enact these values in the classroom and on the playground.
A Special Visitor
Kindergarten were intrigued to receive a very plain looking box in the mail. What lay carefully wrapped inside was anything but boring. We discovered a delicate jade green chrysalis! Since opening this mysterious package, we patiently watched and waited. It was very exciting to see a beautiful monarch butterfly emerge from the tiny capsule. The Kindergarten students made a wish before releasing “Sunshine” the butterfly.
English
Kindergarten are extremely excited to have begun the very special journey of learning to read! We began with exploring the concept of “What is a word?”. We have been very busy immersing ourselves in the words that are all around us, and have discovered that we can speak, read and write words. We have been using our bodies to jump out words in sentences, and our fingers to count them. We also love to listen for rhyming words in stories and creating nonsense rhyming words, which fill the classroom with laughter!
Buddy Time
No Term 1 Kindergarten learning update would be complete without making special mention of our Year 6 buddies. Since the second orientation session, our buddies have been nearby to help us settle into school in the morning, find someone to play with at break times, or, as in the photos below, enjoy the love of literature. Today the Kindergarten and Year 6 children took to the stage, as they shared with the school community a special dance accompanied by the song “Try Everything” which has a beautiful message that we can all relate to as we approach the 2025 academic year! Thank you Year 6 for your soft and gentle approach as you support the Kindergarten students each day, it has not gone unnoticed.
Investigations
In Kindergarten we investigate! During the afternoon sessions the students work collaboratively in pairs or small groups at learning zones in our classroom. 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 are given specific tasks to complete, which are personalised to student learning outcomes. Investigations develop the students oral language, social skills and communication. We thoroughly enjoy witnessing their interactions as they engage in the investigation zones.
As the Kindergarten teachers, we are very excited for the upcoming year of learning. These children are going to Try Everything and as the teaching team we look forward to working closely with their families to ensure that every child has an excellent first year of Big School at St Mary’s!
Mrs Alicia Hampson & Mrs Jessie White
Teachers Kindergarten
Congratulations to the following children who have received a class award for Weeks 1-3
|
Kinder Blue |
Darcy He, Imogen K, Levi P, Maisey S |
| 1 Blue |
Gisele G, Jai B, Izabel L, Payge Z |
| 2 Blue |
Helena J, Alexander K, William L, Maeve M,Jaden P, Evana P |
|
3 Blue |
Christopher T, Rayne C, Harper P |
|
4 Blue |
Patrick S, Evander S, Reign C, Patterson M |
|
4 Maroon |
Charlotte B, Zane C, Theodore J, Emilia K |
|
5 Blue |
Lewis McA, Jacob S, Maya C |
|
6 Maroon |
Lily McC, Pham N |
St Mary’s Swimming Carnival
We had a wonderful day at our annual Swimming Carnival last Thursday. The sun was shining and all the children arrived at the swimming pool with a positive attitude and loud voices cheering. We also had lots of parents come to watch and support our students which was fantastic! We welcomed four Year 2 students to their first experience of swimming carnivals and we couldn't be more impressed with their efforts and determination. Congratulations to James M, Alex K, Kingi T and Harper B who all swam incredibly well and with a never give up attitude. It was also the first carnival for our house leaders: Oliver A, Bella S (Cassidy), Abbie H and Liam McA, (Eyre) and Charnaya TK and Matilda W (Howard) and we all think they did a spectacular job at their first official event. There were some very close finishes which proved to be a highlight for the students in the crowd, as were the relays to conclude the races. A highlight for many of the staff on the day was witnessing some students with high nerves, dive into the pool and swim a fantastic race, even to their own surprise. There was such a positive and supportive feeling at the pool and we couldn't be more proud of the way all the students supported each other.
I would like to thank the staff of St Mary’s who go above and beyond to support not only me, but the students on carnival days, both in and out of the pool. We also had some wonderful volunteers: thank you to Mary, Jess and Carrie for giving up their time to assist. And lastly, our Carroll College Sports Coaching students, Ryan J, Tyler C and Jack H for their help with timekeeping and support of our students.
On Tuesday, we held the ribbon presentation assembly in the PAC. It was wonderful to have so many parents come along. It was my pleasure to present ribbons to the top 3 fastest swimmers in each event. Due to having multiple heats in most events, the ribbon presentations come as somewhat of a surprise to the children. It’s always nice to see their surprised faces when their names are called. Following the carnival and meticulous counting, I was very proud to announce the Age Champions and overall winning house for 2025.
Age Champions: Congratulations to the following students on being named the Age Champions and Runners up for Swimming 2025.
|
Junior Girls |
Junior Boys |
|
Runner up: Quinn A Age Champion: Elsie L |
Runner up: Patrick W Age Champion: Milton W |
|
11 Year Girls |
11 Year Boys |
|
Runner up: Aria T Age Champion: Matilda P |
Runner up: Thomas D Age Champion: Xavier E |
|
Senior Girls |
Senior Boys |
|
Runner up: Mackenzie H Age Champion: Matilda W |
Runner up: Sam W Age Champion: Oliver A |
Congratulations: It was a very close result between Howard and Eyre, with Eyre taking out this year's honours. Congratulations to the house leaders Liam and Abbie for leading the team to a successful swimming carnival win this year.
SR Swimming Carnival
Yesterday, I was witness to some magnificent swimming on display at the Southern Region Swimming Carnival at Narooma swimming pool. It was a fantastic day with some really amazing swimming. The Southern Region Carnival combines the fastest swimmers from our southern catholic schools, including: Batemans Bay, Bega, Pambula, Cooma and Bombala. I would like to thank Mrs Jess Afflick, Mr Matt Harpley and Mrs Janet Ryan for their expert assistance in the efficient running of the carnival as well as a special thanks to Ang Holmes, Jeni McCarthy and Nicole Allen from St Bernards for their help with running the computer program. Once again, we had our wonderful parent volunteers assist with timekeeping as well as other various jobs throughout the day. Thank you to Ali W and Rod W for taking on the timekeeping role for St Mary’s.
A definite highlight was watching the always competitive relay events to begin the day. There were some very close finishes and running the relays first sets the tone for competitive fun and team spirit.
Congratulations to Elsie L in Year 4 for being the runner up age champion for Junior Girls and Milton W for the runner up age champion for Junior Boys! Oli A in Year 6 also placed an impressive overall 3rd place in the senior boys. What a fabulous achievement by all of our swimmers yesterday!
We have several students who have made selection into the Southern Region Swim team, to compete at the CECG Swimming Championships at Boorowa on Monday 3 March. A full list of students attending the Archdiocesan swimming event will be published in the next newsletter. Just a reminder that registrations for the CECG carnival must be made through the CSNSW Sport website. If you need any assistance with the registration process, please be in touch at your earliest convenience.
MacKillop Tennis and Basketball
We wish the very best of luck to two of our Stage 3 students as they travel to Sydney/Wollongong to participate in the MacKillop Tennis and Basketball trials today. We are sure both Jake (Basketball) and Declan (Tennis) will be excellent ambassadors for St Mary’s! I look forward to sharing their results in the coming weeks.
Key Sports Dates and Representative Sports Trials 2025
Please find below a list of current sporting dates for events for the coming term.
Monday 3 March: CG Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival (selected students only)
Friday 28 March: St Mary’s Cross Country (whole school)
Wednesday 2 April: NSWCPS Swimming (if selected)
Thursday 3 April: Netball Cup Broulee (Stage 2)
Monday 7 April: K-2 AFL skills day
Holidays
Friday 2 May: Southern Region Cross Country Wolumla
Students in Years 5 and 6 are now eligible to participate in the Canberra Goulburn Sports Trials in 2025. This is always a highly anticipated privilege and one that the stage 3 students all look forward to. Please note: these dates could be subject to change so please keep an eye out for any changes via the newsletter or on the Canberra Goulburn Sport facebook page.
Thursday 27 March: CG Netball trials
Monday 31 March: Rugby League Trials
Monday 7 April: CG Soccer trials
To register your child for these trials, please log onto the CSNSW Sport Website. If this is your first time registering on this site, you will need to create a profile before registering. If you are having any issues with navigating this site, please be in touch with me as soon as possible. Registrations for these events generally close a week prior to the event. For more information, please be in touch.
The following trials require a different pathway. Please be in touch with me via email regarding information for these events.
Tuesday 11 March: CG Hockey Trails
Friday 16 May: Girls Rugby 7’s
Monday 25 August: Golf
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
Mrs Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator
Bus Safety Week: Monday, February 17th - Sunday, February 23rd, 2025
Get ready for Bus Safety Week, part of the annual Be Bus Aware campaign, running from Monday, February 17th to Sunday, February 23rd. This week, we're shining a spotlight on the importance of safety for all road users—whether you're a bus passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, or motorist.
Join us in raising awareness and teaching our children about safe behaviors around buses. Remember to:
- Wait for buses to come to a complete stop before boarding or exiting.
- Be cautious at bus stops and crosswalks—look both ways and stay alert.
- When waiting for the bus, hold hands and wait as far back from the passing traffic as possible.
- Meet your child AT the bus stop after school. NEVER wait on the opposite side of the road and call them across.
- Always wait until the bus has gone, then use a safe place to cross.
- Slow down to 40 km/h when bus lights are flashing.
- Follow all posted safety signs and instructions from bus drivers.
Together, we can keep our children and our roads safer and ensure that everyone arrives at their destination safely. Let’s all Be Bus Aware!
