18th August 2022
Principal News
Performing Arts Festival
We have many students entering in a variety of sections at the Performing Arts Festival next week. Thank you to our teachers and parents for supporting this wonderful community event. Classes will be transported to and from the Racecourse for all large group entries. Please see the note that went home to families today for finer details. Students are required in full formal uniform for Thursday and Friday next week. Good luck to all participants.
Prep Enrolments 2023
Does your child turn 5 by 30th June 2023? Enrolment interviews for Prep 2023 will take place in Week 9 of this term. Please contact Deidre or Loretta in the school office to arrange an appointment for an enrolment interview. Our Mini-Mary’s pre-prep program will be held in Weeks 2, 3 and 4 of Term 4.
Reading success at St Mary’s School
Below you can see the mid-year data representation for our students who have a determined reading level this semester (using PM and PROBE). This data shows the percentage of students who are ‘at or above’ typical reading growth against the Diocesan results. It is exciting to see that our school is performing well against the diocese and where we can grow in terms of reading success at St Mary’s School. If you would like more information about your individual child’s growth, please ensure you contact your class teacher. Also pencil in your diary that parent-teacher interviews are happening in Week 9 this term. More information regarding interviews will be sent home in the next fortnight.
Tuckshop will return very soon!
Thank you to our volunteers who have nominated themselves to be a helper in our tuckshop. We still require some helpers, so if you are available please let your class teacher know. Volunteers will be required on Fridays from 8:30am – 10:30am. Please note: no children are permitted in the tuckshop at any time. Thank you in advance for your support.
Date Claimers:
- Performing Arts Festival – 24th–28th August
- Student Free Day – Friday 2nd September for Consistency of Teacher Judgement Day
- Week 9 – 2023 Prep enrolment interviews
- Week 9 – Parent-Teacher Interviews
- Grandparents Liturgy and morning tea – Friday 9th September
- St Mary's Fete - Friday 21st October
Have a fabulous fortnight.
Cheers,
Katrina
APRE News
Sacramental Program
Congratulations to our students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Saturday, 13 August at Parish Mass. We thank Bishop McGuckin for travelling to Charleville to confirm our students. If you have any feedback from the program this year please feel free to contact me on 46541638 or Kirsty.lines@twb.catholic.edu.au. Please see photos below of our students and Bishop McGuckin.
Parish Mass – Class led
Please see photos below from the Parish Mass Years 4 -6 led on August 6. We have received lots of positive feedback from families and look forward to classes leading a Parish Mass in term 4.
Prayer Assemblies
Our Prep – Yr 3 classes will be performing Prayer Assemblies this term. Last week, Year 1 taught us about the Sacred Myth of Creation in the Bible. Well done Year 1! Please see photos below. Year 3 will teach us about the Psalms of the bible this week. Other dates for Prayer Assemblies:
Year 2 – Thursday, 1st September – 11:05am in PAH (Friday 2nd Sept is a PFD)
Prep – Thursday, 8th September – 11:05am in PAH (Friday 9th Sept is Grandparents Liturgy and Morning Tea)
Grandparents Liturgy
Our annual Grandparents Liturgy will be on Friday, 9th September at the Church.
We look forward to welcoming and celebrating Grandparents and our St Mary’s community (aunties, uncles, friends) at this liturgy. We will have open classrooms after the liturgy, where families can have a lesson with their children and then a morning tea. More details to come in the next newsletter.
Wishing you a blessed fortnight,
Kirsty Lines
APRE
Curriculum News
Hi Families,
How do you feel about mathematics? What feelings or thoughts does it illicit for you? Did you experience success when you were at school? Was it a challenge?
Everything you feel about mathematics is ok. I just wanted to share with you this week, that there is no such thing as a mathematical mind and while challenging, everyone can learn mathematics. We look forward to beginning our journey as an Inspire Maths school in 2023 and we look forward to many professional development opportunities. These opportunities will be provided by TCSO to support us with developing our own mathematical mindset as teachers and to impart this knowledge on to our students.
Reading Check In
What are you doing in your family to get 10 – 20 minutes of reading each night. I would love to share your ideas with the wider community. Anonymously of course. If you have a reading routine that works well in your home, why not share it. Email Vanessa.Alexander@twb.catholic.edu.au with your ideas and I will anonymously share in our next newsletter.
Have a great week!
Vanessa Alexander
Learning Support
Library News
Our library is a changing space, and we are all loving our new shelving!
Still a way to go with our total refurbishment.
Also loving the learning, creativity and interactions happening at lunch time!
This term we will be celebrating Book Week (20th – 26th August) - YEAH!
We have been exploring the theme, “Dreaming with Eyes Open” in our library lessons, with students in every class initially uncovering the theme by completing an online jigsaw puzzle. As well all students completed a Kahoot, an online quiz all about Book Week. One of the questions in the older years Kahoot was how many years have we been celebrating Book Week? The answer is 77 and discussions about what happened around 77 years ago ensued. Obviously during the war period the development of children’s literature was not a priority, so at the end of the war it was determined that there was a need to encourage publication of children’s literature, and what better way… than a competition. There has been a Book Week competition and theme ever since – just wanted to share a little history.
Book Week is fast approaching, and parents are encouraged to join our celebrations.
Book Character Parade –8:45am Tuesday 23rd Aug in the Cobb & Co Hall
On this day students, teachers, and parents as well, come along dressed as a book character with their book.
“Dreaming in the Library with Eyes Open” – Thursday 25th Aug 5:30 -7pm.
During this time parents and students are welcome to come along to the library for some fun with books.
HPE News
Hi St Mary’s families and welcome to week 6!
Last week I attended the District Athletics Carnival along with 22 enthusiastic students! It was wonderful to see all students compete in an array of events. Congratulations to Kahli Wilson for taking out the 11yrs age champion. A huge congratulations to all students on being the winning school of the carnival. St Mary’s has won this every year since 2017!
Thank you to our wonderful P&F for our new district sports shirts. Please enjoy some photos below.
Yours in HPE,
Ms Mac.
The Arts
Instrumental Music
Mr Whatling has changed the day that he will teach at St Mary's next week.
He won't be here on Tuesday 23rd August but will be here on Thursday 25th August.
Prep News
Over the last two weeks we have been very busy in Prep.
We reached a big milestone for students where they turned into 100-year-olds for the day, for their 100th day of schooling.
We have been using our designing skills for our obstacle course where students are beginning to use descriptive language on how to complete it.
In English, students are writing rhyming sentences and have been enjoying creating words that rhyme together in order to be successful in their writing.
Over the last few weeks students have been enjoying creating sandcastles after we read a text about the sandpit in guided reading. On Friday students were excited to see some creatures in there to play with and it allowed them to think outside of the box for their dinosaurs.
Upcoming events in Prep
- Bookweek Parade – Tuesday 23rd August
- Performing Arts Festival - 24th – 28th August (Students' Music performance is on Thursday 25th at 9am + Verse speaking is on Friday 26th at 9am)
Kindest regards,
Imogen Hunt
Year 1 News
Over the last two weeks Year One have been extremely busy, from planning and performing our prayer assembly, practicing for the Performing Arts Festival, and preparing for Book Week in week seven.
This week in sport we had a visit from professional cricket players where students were given the opportunity to expand on their cricket skills.
During English this week, we have been identifying verbs, adjectives, and nouns in different texts to learn about how the author has used them to make the text more engaging.
In Maths, we have been learning how to collect data and represent our findings, using the correct vocabulary.
In Religion, we are finishing our unit about Genesis 1-2 and how we can relate these sacred myths to our daily lives.
Thank you for supporting your children at home with their homework and their reading. Please remember to practise rainbow facts and doubles.
Year 2 News
Year 2 have been learning all about rain and how we should use water responsibly in science.
We were also very lucky to have Mrs Lines visit our classroom to explain the Creation story to us in Religion.
We surveyed the students at St. Mary’s to identify the main environmental issues in our school and used our skills of data collection to show this on graphs. This information that we have gathered will assist us in explaining how we can be stewards of creation for our Week 8 prayer assembly.
Year 3 News
Year 4/5 News
Year 5/6 News
August Birthdays
James Dare, Caitlyn Schumacher, Kaylee Pamenter, James Brayley, Grace Sullivan, Sllim Owen, Benjamin Newby, William Hay, Millie Williams, Ben Williams, Luca O'Toole, Gabriel O'Toole, Mrs Ann Russell, Miss Molly Brooker
Happy birthday to all students and staff who celebrate their birthday in August.
Flyers
