Newsletter Term 3 2025 4th September
Principal Report
Dear parents and carers,
This week St Mary's has hosted a panel of leaders from the Catholic Education Office in Bathurst, including Mrs Christina Trimble the Executive Director, to undertake our 5 year cyclic review. All schools undertake this process on a recurring cycle to track improvement. The review encompasses all aspects of school life: Faith and Catholic Identity, Learning and Teaching, Wellbeing, Relationships and Facilities. Our processes have been examined with a close scrutiny and members of the panel have spoken with students, teachers, support staff and parents in our community.
The purpose of the review is to reflect on the last five years and scope an improvement agenda for 2026-2030. As soon as I have the completed report I will share it with the community via our CaFE group. Initial feedback is that it has been a very successful review. It has been wonderful to take these two days to celebrate all that has been achieved by our hardworking staff and students since the previous review in 2020 and to dream what the future may bring.
Growing a mentally healthy generation
Our school has recently been collaborating with Be You, an organisation that "provides educators with knowledge, tools and resources to create positive, inclusive and responsive learning communities where every child, young person, educator and family is empowered to achieve their best possible mental health."
With R U Ok? Day coming up next Thursday, we thought it would be timely to invite you to complete a survey so we can have a real sense of how our Wellbeing is travelling in our community. Three surveys have been designed, one for teachers and support staff, one for our students and one for our parents and carers. You should receive a link to the survey in Compass soon. Next Thursday we would like all of our students to wear a touch of yellow for R U Ok? Day.
Conversations about mental health can be tricky. Please know that we are here to support you as best we can. Here are some of the services that you or your children can reach out to as well:
- Beyond Blue Support Service
beyondblue.org.au/get-support
1300 22 4636 - Kids HelpLine (5-25 years)
kidshelpline.com.au
1800 55 1800 - headspace (12-25 years)
headspace.org.au
1800 650 890
Eisteddfod
Yesterday a choir of 35 students from Years 3-6 represented St Mary's at the Eisteddfod. While we didn't win a place, the feedback from the adjudicators was wonderful and our students came back bursting with pride, as well they should. Congratulations to our very talented Mrs Abbey for her hard work in preparing the students and of course, our wonderful children for their outstanding commitment to St Mary's Choir.
Confirmation
We are currently in Confirmation season. This weekend Bishop Michael will be conferring the sacrament at the Saturday evening mass and at the 10:00am on Sunday. If you haven't yet met the Bishop, this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce yourself after mass. Remember that the Church is the people, not a building, and you are all an integral part of this.
Happy Father's Day
Thank you to our Year Two teachers and students for a beautiful liturgy this morning to celebrate our fathers and the father figures in our lives. For those who still have their fathers with them, for those whose fathers are no longer here or who live far away, we wish you a beautiful day. These special days can bring so many mixed emotions so go gently.
Enjoy a wonderful weekend... remember that we have a pupil free day on Friday 19 September for our Staff Spirituality immersion.
Gayle Stratton
Assistant Principal
National Child Protection Week
Next week is National Child Protection Week (7–13 September), and this year’s theme is Shifting Conversation to Action.
To support this important initiative, eSafety is running Virtual Classrooms to help primary school students learn how to protect themselves online. There is a session for year 3-4 and years 5-6. Online trainers will run through practical tools such as managing privacy settings, passphrases and personal information, recognising body clues and where to seek help in harmful situations. St Mary's students will participate in the following online webinars and activities:
Virtual Classrooms
For Years 3-4 
Be an eSafe kid: Power up your protection online
Years 5-6 
Be an eSafe kid: Use your safety skills for protection online
By the end of the learning session, students should be able to:
- Recognise and rehearse protective behaviours online, such as using privacy settings and passphrases.
- Recognise that body clues can influence their safety and wellbeing online.
- Use help seeking strategies to recognise and address harmful situations online.
- Identify the qualities of a trusted adult and how to access support pathways.
For Parents - below is a link to great resources including the hard to have online conversations with your child, online safety basics, parental controls and more!!
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Religious Education
Claire Nicholson
Religious Education Coordinator
Year 6 Confirmations: Over the past two weekends, our Year 6 students have been receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. This week the final candidates will be confirmed by the Bishop at:
Saturday 6th September – 5:00pm, St Mary’s Church
Sunday 7th September – 8:30am, St Joseph’s Church
Sunday 7th September – 10:00am, St Mary’s Church
Please keep them in your prayers as they complete this special step in their faith journey.
Upcoming Parish Masses and Celebrations
Sunday 14th September – 10:00 am St Mary’s Patronal Feast Day, St Mary's Church
Weekend of 13th/14th October – Blessing of Rosary Beads (all Masses)
Friday 31st October – 5:45pm, All Saints Vigil Mass, St Joseph’s Church
Saturday 1st November – 9:30am, All Saints Feast Day Mass, St Joseph’s Church
Sunday 26th November – 12:00 noon, Blessing of Animals
Sunday 23rd November – Christ the King Procession & Parish Festival
Christian Leadership Awards
Ilithiya Parry Levi Trembath Adaline Mann
| In recognition of "Positive View of Life" |
Mason Edwards Callum Harris Solomon Lutkie Charlie Venner Aayansh Sharma Lola Bell
| In recognition of "Community & Common Good" |
Bailey Firth Jye Edwards | In recognition of "Search for "Hope & resurrection" |
Isabella Palmer Tobias Mckenna | In recognition of "Reconciliation" |
Curriculum News
Creative Arts - Visual Arts
At St Mary's, our students have the opportunity to learn about and create artworks. Many art lesson are based on skill and technique while linking with other curriculum areas. Below is a range of just a few of the beautiful art created by our talented students, lead by our creative teachers.
School News
SRC Initiative
Your child is invited to wear a splash of yellow on R U OK? Day next Thursday 11th September, to raise awareness for mental health. This important day is all about reminding us to check in with each other and showing kids that asking “Are you OK?” can make a real difference.
| Year Group | Grade Reps | Event |
| Kindy | Michaela Wilson & Alice Weily | Kindy Orientation |
| Year 1 | Sharon Henry & Stacey Tracey | Kindy Welcome Morning tea-"Tissues & Tim Tams" & Father's Day Gift Stall |
| Year 2 | Amanda Fragar | Father's Day Breakfast |
| Year 3 | Renee Davis & Lizzy Jaensch | Mother's Day Breakfast |
| Year 4 | Olivia Day Gorham & Renee Davis | Easter Egg Raffle |
| Year 5 | Jess McGrath & Katrina Holway | Mother's Day Gift Stall |
| Year 6 | Kellie Pickering, Kym Flitcroft & Angela Duncan | Kindy Welcome Morning Tea -"Tissues & Tim Tams "& Year 6 farewell |
Sports News
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/
SPORTS UNIFORM Term 3 (Winter)
(any changes to the uniform days will be sent out via Compass)
Kindergarten - Thursday
Year One - Thursday
Year Two - Friday
Year Three - Wednesday & Thursday
Year Four - Wednesday
Year Five - Monday & Friday
Year Six - Wednesday
Class News
Library News
Canteen News
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.)
School-Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SPB4L)
Hygiene
As there have been many cases of students falling ill recently, our focus this week was on good hygiene practises to help prevent further spread of sickness.
Personal Hygiene
BE SAFE - I will:
- practise personal hygiene
- wash or sanitise my hands well before and after I eat
- wash my hands well after using the bathroom
- cough into my elbow or tissue
- use tissues correctly
- keep my hands away from my mouth and nose
BE RESPECTFUL - I will:
- respect the space of others
- turn away from others if I need to cough or sneeze
- say ‘Excuse me/pardon me’ when I cough or sneeze
- say ‘Bless you’ when someone sneezes
BE RESPONSIBLE - I will:
- wash or sanitise my hands when needed
- put my used tissue in the red bin
- use sanitiser after I sneeze or cough
- stay home if I am unwell
- make good choices when using the bathroom
Bathrooms/Toilets
BE SAFE - I will:
- practice personal hygiene
- use a quiet voice in the bathrooms
- report damage & danger
BE RESPECTFUL - I will:
- respect the privacy of others
- respect the school property
- not damage any property
- leave the area clean
BE RESPONSIBLE - I will:
- ask permission to go to the bathroom
- not play in the area
- not take food and drink into the bathroom
- use soap and toilet paper correctly
- use the correct bathroom for my grade
- never put anything that doesn’t belong in the toilet
Health Matters
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
Student Wellbeing
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.
Community News
NO Parking in the Bowling Alley car park
the bowling alley car park is for their patrons so please park elsewhere when dropping or picking up your children.
The PCYC has many parks that can be used for dropping off and picking up
Thankyou
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