Term 3 Week 8 | 3 September 2025

Principal - Ms Megan Pearce

Dear Families and Friends,

What an outstanding few weeks we have had at St Mary’s! Our students have been blessed with a rich variety of academic, cultural, sporting, and performance experiences that highlight the opportunities available even in our remote community.

QLD Opera - We began with the magic of the Queensland Opera, giving our children a taste of world-class music and performance right here at school. This was quickly followed by our students showcasing their creativity and confidence at the Performing Arts Festival, where their talents shone brightly on stage. Adding to the excitement, the Australian Army Band brought energy, fun, and pride with their visit making it an unforgettable experience for all.

Reader’s Cup - We are especially proud of our Reader’s Cup Challenge team, Abraham Elias, Dominic Chang, Billie Doolan, Clara Alexander, and Addison McLeod. Together with Mrs. Alexander and Miss Majella, they set off to Brisbane on Wednesday afternoon to compete against schools from across Queensland. The entire St Mary’s community has been cheering them on. Being the only Catholic School to complete in the finals from our Diocese is a great achievement in itself but yesterday we received the exciting news that they came 18^th in the state.

Thanks to the generous support of the Acacia Country Practice, each of the five student finalists have received a $100 subsidy toward their travel. They raised $100 each and were given $1000 from their local win to support their trip, accommodation, and transport.

St Ursula’s Visit - Our students have also had the privilege of connecting with St Ursula’s College through the ‘Go West’ Partnership. Children have been learning to play soccer the Liverpool way, testing their skills in touch football, and building teamwork through performing arts dance workshops. We are also thrilled to be part of an ongoing partnership with St Ursula’s and will be doing something similar again next year.

I am incredibly proud of our students for the way they have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm, respect, and joy. A huge thank you goes to our staff and community partners who make these experiences possible. Together, we continue to create a vibrant learning environment where every child is encouraged to shine.

 Happy Father’s Day!

This weekend we look forward to celebrating Father’s Day with our St Mary’s Community. It is a special time to reflect on the gift of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and the many significant men in our lives who walk along side our children each day.

For our children, the gift of a father’s presence is found not just in the big moments, but in the everyday acts of sharing a story, turning up on the sideline, offering encouragement or lending a helping hand. It is the ordinary moments that form extraordinary memories.

As we celebrate Father’s Day, I encourage all of us to pause and appreciate fathers and father figures. To every dad in our St Mary’s family: thank you for the difference you make each day.

FATHER’S DAY AMAZING RACE!

Next Friday we are excited to invite all dads, grandads, and father figures to join us for a special Father’s Day Amazing Race at St Mary’s!

 When: Friday 12th September

Time: 12:30pm – 2:50pm Father’s Day Liturgy, Amazing Race, sausage sizzle

How It Will Work

• Families would work together in teams (Dad + child/ren).
• Teams would move around the school, completing “Minute to Win It” style challenges at checkpoints.
• They cannot move on until they complete the challenge (or 1 minute has passed).
• The race would finish on the oval with a paper plane distance throw and sausage sizzle.

Next Steps: REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE HERE

Please register by Tuesday 9/9/25 so we can organise catering and resources for activities.

We warmly encourage all families to come along, cheer, and enjoy the fun. Children are welcome to participate in the challenges alongside their dads or special guests.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

APMI - Miss Imogen Hunt

Looking Ahead to Father’s Day with Year 2

Next Friday, we look forward to a very special celebration as our Year 2 students lead our school community in honouring the fathers, grandfathers, and father figures who play such an important role in our lives.

This Father’s Day gathering is more than just a celebration—it is a moment to pause and reflect on the presence of God the Father in our lives, and how the love and guidance of our earthly father’s mirror that divine care. We will be reminded of the strength, compassion, and wisdom that fathers bring to their families and our community.

Following the liturgy, we invite all fathers and father figures to join us for an afternoon of fun and a sausage sizzle.

Grandparents Liturgy

We also warmly invite grandparents to join us for the liturgy next term week one. Our Year 5 students will lead this liturgy focusing on another important person in their life. We are excited to share that next term we will be hosting a Grandparents’ Scavenger Hunt Morning—a fun and faith-filled event designed to celebrate the wisdom, joy, and stories that grandparents bring to our lives. More details will be shared soon, but we hope you can save the date and join us for this joyful occasion.

Warm regards,
Imogen Hunt

Attendance Matters

Year 3 - Miss Katherine Spalding

Hello families—Week 8 already!

Here are a few highlights from what we have been working on in the Year 3 classroom.

Last week, we had a fantastic time performing at the Arts Festival. We were thrilled to receive a silver award for our verse speaking of Big Green Frog in the Toilet and a Highly Commended for our rendition of Happy. A big thank you to Mrs Thomas for helping us prepare so confidently for our performances!

In History, we have been captivated by the rich and fascinating past of our town, Charleville. We have explored the impact of natural disasters such as floods and fires and delved into stories of bushrangers—especially the infamous Kenniff Brothers, who were active in the Charleville region in the late 1800s. We have also learned about Charleville’s contributions to the World War II effort and discovered the legacy of Harry (Haralambos) Corones. A special thank you to Fran Harding, who generously shared her knowledge about the history of Hotel Corones. Additionally, we have explored the important conservation work of the Bilby Brothers in protecting this endangered species.

These engaging discussions have supported our English assessment, where we have been imagining the future of Charleville. Each student has proposed an idea to enhance tourism and improve life for locals. If you have not already, please ask your Year 3 child about their proposal—I am sure you will be inspired by the thoughtful and creative suggestions this next generation has to offer. Our speeches showcase our use of high modality words, emotive language, and rhetorical questions.

Year 4 - Mrs Madisen Flaherty

Welcome to Week 8, everyone!

What a term it has been! Not only have we had a massive amount of learning within the classroom, but students have also participated in a range of exciting activities outside of it. Each experience has brought the class closer together, strengthening their friendships and teamwork.

In terms of curriculum, we are currently deep into writing our persuasive texts on Beach vs Bush. The students have thoroughly enjoyed developing their arguments and supporting examples. In Mathematics, we have explored units on decimals, symmetry, powers of ten, and number facts. It has been wonderful to see how much the students enjoy working in pairs or small groups—this collaborative approach has really highlighted their ability to give and receive feedback, and it has been lovely to observe their teamwork in action.

Attached are the photos capturing these moments, along with snapshots from the extra activities they have taken part in this term.

If I do not get the chance to speak with you in person before the end of term, I wish you all a restful and enjoyable break. I am looking forward to seeing everyone back for the final term of the year (can you believe we are nearly there?)!

Warmest regards,

Mrs Madisen Flaherty

Year 5 - Mrs Kirsty Lines

Year 5 News

What an action-packed term Year Five has had so far!

We were especially proud of Hope, Remi, Mitch, Elliott, Patty, Mia, Gracie, and Sophie, all of whom represented Charleville and District at Regional Athletics. Congratulations Mia who is off to State Athletics trials!

Unfortunately, Regional Athletics was on the same time as the Performing Arts – but our remaining students had an absolute blast and represented St Mary’s with pride – achieving a silver in verse speaking and gold in class band!

We were so grateful for the help Mrs Thomas gave us and presented her with flowers on Monday.

We have loved the St Ursula’s visit and thoroughly enjoyed learning different soccer, touch, and dance skills! The basketball clinic in week seven was also unreal!

Year Five cannot wait until camp after the holidays. Thank you to our parents (especially Mrs Short!!) for all the fundraising you have done to send us to camp.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads, Pops and special people in our lives for Sunday!

Until next time,

The Year Five Gang

Year 6 - Miss Toni Lamb

It has been a busy, eventful, and beautiful Term 3 in the Year 6 Classroom. The students have been very busy practicing their Performing Arts poem performance, working hard in all subject areas and always striving for their goals in sports and co-curricular activities.

In English, the Year 6’s have been working tirelessly to create their very own persuasive argument on a community issue that they believe needs fixing or improving in Charleville. It is so exciting to see the care that the students have for our community and the improvements they have thought of are incredible and highly beneficial. I am always so proud of their efforts!

In Science we have been looking at circuits and energy and how these work in our homes and how we can encourage others to be safe around electricity.

In HASS, students have been learning about the Government and Federation in Australia and discussing the many important figures in our Government and political parties – local, state, and national.

In Religion, we have been discussing and brainstorming prayer and the different ways we can pray and show faith and hope in our lives!

In Maths we have smashed out an immaculate amount of learning and I am so proud of the kid’s determination, effort, and love for learning new concepts in maths. Currently we are looking at angles, which all the kids are super excited about!

We produced an incredible poetry performance at the Performing Arts and received Bronze, which they absolutely deserved, and I will forever remember as the best first performing arts for me ever! We have had some very funny days like crazy hair day and the book week parade, which were enjoyed by all. It really has been an eventful and wonderful term for us here in Year 6!

We have had a wonderful Term 3 in Year 6, and I am so proud of the kids’ efforts, attitudes, and growth, they are all SUPERSTARS!

               Year 6 and Miss Lamb 😊

Uniform Shop

Please be advised that prices for the School Uniform prices will be increasing by a few dollars per item.  This change will take effect around the end of Term 4 and will apply to uniforms sold for the 2026 year.

The price adjustment is necessary due to rising production costs, which have now exceeded our current selling price.  We will ensure any price changes will be kept to a minimum.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

September Birthdays

Flyers