Newsletter 2024 - Special Edition 11th April 2024
Principal Report
Dear parents and carers,
Welcome to this special edition of our newsletter to share some of the exciting things that have been happening in our school this past week.
Mr Duncan took a group of talented thinkers to the da Vinci Decathlon at Scott's All Saints College in Bathurst on Monday. St Mary's placed third overall! Please see this special report on the following pages. Thank you to Ms Erin Losanno for accompanying the students to this event.
We then had an incredible display of sportsmanship and team spirit on Tuesday at the Athletics Carnival. Thank you to Mrs Frew and the staff for their organisation of the day. I was really impressed with the student participation and enthusiasm, as well as the determination of staff and volunteers to bring the day together for our students, regardless of the conditions. My deep thanks to all.
I have some staff news to share, some of it joyous and some very sad. Mrs Cheree Pell has been diagnosed with a serious illness and will undergo surgery in the holidays. She will then commence a period of chemotherapy and treatment. I know you join with me and our staff in sending our love and prayers to Cheree for the speediest of recoveries. We are also mindful of the devastating impact of this news on Cheree's family and friends and we pray for their strength too, as they support her. We will confirm staffing for Year One Orange as soon as possible. Please trust us with this; we are waiting further information from Mrs Pell's medical team as to how much leave she may need. We will keep you updated.
One of our amazing Year Six leaders, Logan Benson, has approached me about a student fundraiser for the Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea in May. The staff will also host one. I would ask, as a community, that we really get behind this event this year as another way to show our support for Mrs Pell. More information to come.
On a positive note, we have Mrs Funnell and Mrs Crum each expecting the arrival of a new baby in Winter. It is wonderful to have this happy news to boost us and we are of course, delighted for them and their families. Both teachers hope to work until the end of Semester One, and we will support them to do so. St Mary's will be advertising for their roles early next term.
Thank you for the way you have supported us and your children this term. We hope to see as many of you as possible at the ANZAC day march on Thursday 25 April. The children will need to be in their winter uniforms. Please see the flyer on the following page.
School recommences for the students on Tuesday 30 April as the staff will be engaged with mandatory training workshops on Monday 29 April. Enjoy a wonderful break with your children and come safely back to us for a wonderful new term of learning, opportunity and friendship.
Kindest regards,
Gayle Stratton
Religious Education
Joshua Meyers
Acting Religious Education Coordinator
ANZAC Day Liturgy
Our Year 6 Leadership Team will be leading our ANZAC Day Liturgy which will take place in the hall on Tuesday the 30th of April at 12:30pm. All are welcome.
Mother's Day Liturgy
Year 1 will be leading a special Liturgy for our Mothers and the people who are mother figures in our lives in week 2. This will take place on Friday the 10th of May at 12:30pm in the hall. All are welcome.
Project Compassion
Thank you for your kind donations to Project Compassion. We will update you on the amount donated, which will then be forwarded to Caritas Australia.
Reflection
As we transition from the joyous festivities of Easter, we must remember that the season of Easter spans 50 days, concluding with Pentecost on the 19th May. This time prolongs the joy of the initial day and is celebrated with various feasts commemorating the life of Jesus. Easter serves as a reminder of hope, renewal, and the triumph of light over darkness. It is a time of spiritual reflection and gratitude for the blessings in our lives. As we move forward into the rest of the school year, let us carry the spirit of Easter with us—the spirit of hope, love, and unity. Together, we can continue to inspire and empower our
students to reach their full potential and make a positive impact on the world around them.
May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year
bring peace and happiness to you and those you hold most dear.
And may Christ, Our Risen Saviour, always be there by your side
to bless you most abundantly and be your loving guide.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday
Christian Leadership Awards
Matipaishe Muchapondwa Nasochi Odoemene Isabel Jees Scarlett Sheldrick Kael Valdez Barclay Remy Magee Hunter Jones Izak Joseph Indiana Schaapveld Patrick Holmes Maeve Sharp Bailey Firth Delilah Muldoon Elsie Raso | In recognition of "Community & Common Good" |
| Matilda Pickering | In recognition of "Search for Truth & Wisdom" |
Lotti Carter Kathleen Sharp Nelson Schofield Chloe Chan Laura Davis Poppi Hummerston Aquinah Mariyam Ajith Isaac Jaensch Sebastian Townsend
| In recognition of "Positive View of Life" |
Anzac Day
Da Vinci Academic Decathlon 2024
On Monday, 16 students from Years Five and Six attended the da Vinci Academic Decathlon at Scots All Saints school in Bathurst. The Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of students competing in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy. The questions are written by university students and are extremely challenging- most are set at high school level!
Both teams performed very well. Year Five achieved second place in Art & Poetry and Mathematics. They also placed third in English and Science. Year Six achieved first place in Cartography and English. They placed second in Art & Poetry and Ideation. Year Six also placed third in Creative Producers and Science. Their results were enough to place them in third overall!
Thank you to all the parents who dropped their children off early at school and a big thank you to Erin Losanno for helping out and attending the day with us.
Mr Duncan
Curriculum
Sports
SPORTS UNIFORM Term 2 (any changes to the uniform days will be sent out in compass)
Kindergarten - Monday
Year One - Monday & Thursday
Year Two - Monday
Year Three - 3 Gold Tuesday, 3 Blue Wednesday, 3 Orange Thursday
Year Four - Friday
Year Five - Tuesday & Friday
Year Six - Friday
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
This week, we braved the cold and the rain to enjoy a fabulous day of competition and fun at our annual carnival. There was such a positive atmosphere of participation, inclusivity and sportsmanship. All of our students from Year 2 to Year 6 participated in the 100m sprint, long jump, discus and shotput. Many students nomintated for the 200m sprint and we ran the finals of the 800m and relays. The 1500m and high jump finals were completed at school prior to the day.
Thank you to the wonderful ex-St Mary's Year 9 students from James Sheahan, who helped out on the day, with the track events and running the field events. They did a great job! We want to thank our fantastic parents who volunteered so generously of their time to assist with catering, timekeeping, place judging, setting up and packing up for the day. We appreciate the efforts of the CaFE group for providing morning tea and arranging the sausage sizzle for lunch. A huge thank you to Katie Frew, our convenor and Mrs Downey and the wonderful athletics committee for their organisation of the day. And to our staff for their 'can do' attitude!
Athletics Assembly - we will be presenting ribbons and awards on Friday May 3rd at 12:30pm. Some of our students will progress to the Southern Region Athletics Carnival on August 2nd in Canowindra.
Easter Raffle News
A Big Thank you to all the families that donated Easter prizes and purchased Raffle tickets in this year's Easter Raffle.
We raised $3500.00 and this money will help towards the purchasing of new playground equipment in the primary playground.
Canteen News
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