Newsletter Term 4- 17th October 2024

WELCOME BACK! 

We’re excited to embark on the final term of the year together. This term promises to be filled with enriching experiences as we delve deeper into our Religious Education program and draw nearer to the season of Advent, celebrating our faith and community.

Blessing of the Animals

Fr. Greg invites you to send in a short 30-second video of your pets for the upcoming Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, 27th October at 12pm at St Mary's Church. These videos will be shown during the weekend parish Masses leading up to the Blessing.

Please introduce your pet and briefly share what they mean to you and your family.

Guidelines:

• Keep the video under 30 seconds
  
• Please send videos to stmarysorange@bth.catholic.edu.au 

We look forward to seeing your pets and celebrating them with our community!

Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT

What works for your child and your family around wellbeing and learning?

Do you have a few minutes to share what works for your child around wellbeing and learning? A positive school experience shared is something we would like to hear. CSPA is listening so go ahead and tell us.

Scan the QR code or click on the survey link: https://bit.ly/3MQTXM4

Thank you from CSPA!

PDHPE - Movement Skill and Performance

Dance is part of both our Creative Arts and PDHPE syllabuses. During Term 4, each class will participate in 7 weeks of dance instruction run by the specialist dance teachers from Dance Factory. This will culminate in a performance by each grade. We look forward to inviting family and friends, to enjoy watching these performances towards the end of the term.  

Cricket - Students in Years 2, 3, 4 and 6 will participate in some skills sessions run by Cricket NSW this term. This aligns with our Physical Education outcomes of movement skill and performance - striking and fielding.

Staff Professional Learning

As part of our commitment to ongoing learning, on Monday, the teaching staff participated in day of professional learning with Chad Ferris from IdeatEd. We continued our focus on feedback strategies and embedding our Learning Framework (below). This was a valuable day where we were able to share evidence-based strategies and began to create a 'playbook' or resource bank of strategies. By maintaining a school-wide approach to feedback, our students will regularly have the opportunity to learn and practise feedback strategies which build in complexity from one grade to the next over their years at St Mary's.

As a staff, we have been astounded by the willingness of our students to seek and take on feedback about their work. This growth mindset and desire to improve is exciting!

2025 CaFE Group & meeting

The CaFE meeting  will be held Thursday 24th October 2024 at 3.30 pm in the Library 

2024 CaFE Grade Reps

Kinder: Alicia Holmes, Stacey Tracey (Kinder Orientation Night, Set up Kinder FB group)

Yr 1: Olivia Day-Gorham, Amy Hinchcliff (Kinder Welcome Morning Tea)

Yr 2: Renee Davis, Alicia Holmes (Mother’s Day gifts)

Yr 3: Mel Balchin, Olivia Day-Gorham (Mother's Day breakfast)

Yr 4: Jess McGrath and Katrina Holway (Father's Day gifts)

Yr 5: Kym Flitcroft, Kellie Pickering (Father's Day breakfast)

Yr 6: Kate Pulbrook, Sharon Collins (Easter Egg raffle and eggs. Organise Yr 6 2024 end of year event)

Bathurst Diocesan Community Sport

Dear Parents,

Keep up to date with sporting events and achievements across the Bathurst Diocese. Search CEBD community sport or use the following link. 

https://sites.google.com/bth.catholic.edu.au/cedbsportcommunity/

One Orange News 

As the weather has warmed up and the blossoms are in the air,  One Orange has been enjoying eating our crunch and sip in the great outdoors! It is also a time for us to stretch our legs, have a run and enjoy being together!

Whilst we are outside we have been using this time to appreciate the beautiful nature God has given to us! We are so lucky!

In English we have been learning about writing paragraphs and adding adjectives and verbs to make our sentences more interesting. Look out for Year One at the Pulitzer Prize ceremony in the future!

One of the books we have been studying in English is Gerald the Giraffe and  we have created amazing and fun artworks to display in our room!

On Tuesday we went to a fabulous performance at the Orange Civic Theatre! It is such a wonderful experience to participate in live theatre! We were amazed at the incredible puppetry. However, the bus trip is always a highlight!

We have been very busy in Maths this term. We can solve mathematical equations, use a number line, make patterns, make equal groups and investigate volume and capacity. We particularly enjoyed using our muscles to heft different objects to test and order weight.

We would like to wish everyone a lovely holiday and we look forward to a fun filled Term Four!

SEVERE REACTIONS TO ‘NUTS’ & ‘EGGS’
As some of our students have a ‘nut’ and/or ‘egg’ allergy, we ask that nuts, nut
products and eggs NOT be packed as part of school snacks and lunches.
Sometimes even contact with nuts or eggs can trigger the severe reaction. This
severe allergy is called ANAPHYLAXIS and can be life-threatening.
Please, NO eggs, peanut butter, Nutella, nut products, etc.

(Check those labels to see that products do not contain nuts.)

Uniform Expectations

Our focus for the week has been on uniform. The school uniform is a distinguishing symbol of belonging to St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and it is expected that students wear it with pride at all times. The assistance of parents and staff is sought in maintaining a high standard of dress and presentation by all students. We appreciate the effort parents have gone to to ensure their children come to school wearing the correct uniform so neatly, including their hat. Students not wearing the correct or incomplete uniform are required to provide a note from a parent or carer giving reasons why and letting us know when the uniform will be corrected. If students continually choose to wear the incorrect uniform or ignore our dress code a parent meeting will be requested. Please note that all students are expected to comply with the Uniform Policy with regard to how their hair is worn.

Sport Uniform Girls and Boys - Navy polo shirt with logo, navy shorts, white socks, joggers, school hat

Summer Uniform Girls - Pink checked dress with white socks OR White shirt & navy shorts with navy socks, black shoes and school hat

Summer Uniform Boys - School blue short-sleeve shirt, grey shorts, grey socks, black shoes and school hat

Hat – Navy bucket hat with school logo
Black school shoes - Leather, polishable, classic style, low heel, either lace or velcro - no black
joggers please
Socks - No sportlet or cutaway styles
Shorts - No cargo, corduroy, jeans type, Canterbury or polycotton / cotton shorts

In addition to the uniform we ask that:
● Hair that is longer than the collar is to be tied back with a maroon, fawn or dark blue hair band or ribbon. This applies to all students regardless of genderStudents maintain acceptable hairstyles. Extremes of hairstyle are not permitted, including rat’s tails, mohawks, coloured hair and haircuts or undercuts less than a ‘two ‘and stripes etc shaved into their head. 
● Hair that is longer than the collar is to be tied back with a maroon, fawn or dark blue hair band or ribbon. This applies to all students regardless of gender.
● One small signet ring may be worn.
● Nail polish is not worn.
● One set of earrings is permitted. Plain sleepers or plain studs only.

Medication at School-  Parental  Advice

If your child requires medication that needs to be administered during school hours, please bring the medication to the school office, where it is stored safely. This includes asthma inhalers.

Medication must be authorised by a Medical practitioner with a letter 

Students can come to the office at an arranged time to have the medication administered by trained First Aid Officers.

The office does not have Panadol, unless parents supply and complete a form for their child only.

Thank you 

Children with communication devices such as iPhones and Smart Watches must be handed to the school office in the morning before class and collected at the end of the day. This includes any device capable of taking photos.

Please support your child to meet this school requirement.

If you need to contact your child during school hours please call the school office.

Orange CYMS Cricket Club Orange

CYMS Cricket Club is looking for players aged in the 12s and 13s for the coming season. If your child is interested in playing cricket please email Orange CYMS: 
cyms.cricket@gmail.com

St Mary's Uniform Shop

is run by  Parent Volunteers and is open from 8:45 am for an hour on  Friday Mornings. 

If you have put your order through Flexi schools it will be packed the following Friday and sent home with your child.

Dear Parents & Carers

Please label students' clothing , so we can return them from lost property with ease.

Clothes that don't have names will be returned to the clothing pool, if not collected by the end of term.

Thank you