Week 4 Term 4

From the Principal

Queensland celebrates World Teachers’ Day annually on the last Friday in October. On this day, we acknowledge the amazing work that our teachers do throughout the year.  We are incredibly blessed at St Mary’s to have such a dedicated staff who are always willing to give extra time and effort for the benefit of our students.  As teachers, we don’t always see the impact that we have on a student's educational journey, because the results may not be apparent until much later. It is always encouraging when we see them years later and they let us know the amazing achievements they are experiencing in their lives, and sometimes they let us know that we had a part in that. Teaching is a calling and it takes an abundance of patience, strength and courage to be a teacher. Our teachers spend many, many hours outside of the school day planning, marking, creating resources and organising events for our students, in order to give them an engaging and well-rounded education. I would like to say thank you to our dedicated and professional teachers and those who support them. If you get the opportunity, please take the time to say thank you, and let them know their efforts are appreciated.

Alicia Ninnes

Religious Life of the School

Roman Catholicism has more than 1.2 billion followers worldwide. It is possibly the oldest tradition within Christianity, tracing its roots all the way to the times of the New Testament. Why do Catholics go to church? People attend church to obtain a sense of inclusion, to worship God, and to be part of a charitable community. When we encounter God through others, it is truly an uplifting experience. This Saturday we will celebrate our final Family Mass for 2022. It will be held in the St Mary's Parish Church from 6:00 - 7:00pm. The students have been busy practicing songs, readings, actions, and making artwork. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please come along and join us if you can! Mrs Windridge, Mrs Young, Mrs Firth and the Youth Group will be meeting from 5:00pm in the school library for some fun games and snack foods. We will then walk over to Church at the commencement of Mass. All students are welcome to attend this group on Saturday, so please email Mrs Windridge or myself if you'd like to attend, and we will adjust catering numbers. 

Thank you to Father Sibi, who visited Year 2 and 4 this week to talk about forgiveness and kindness. He related these key areas to the bible stories being studied in class. The story of Zacchaeus is a concrete example of a sinful man who changed when Jesus showed him compassion. God calls us to be people of peace, and to forgive others. Throughout our lives we are tested, and it is through faith that we grow closer to God. Forgiveness is an important part of our faith, and understanding faith is integral to this. When we put our faith in God, we show complete trust and confidence that we will be guided in our lives.

This week our students were treated to a sausage sizzle as part of World Mission Week. The profits were donated to Socktober and will help those in need. This year the focus is on preventing poverty in Ethiopia. Food insecurity and malnutrition remain key issues today in many parts of the world. The students wore CRAZY socks to raise awareness and ‘sock’ it to poverty!   

What’s Coming Up:

*Whole School Meditation – All Saints and All Souls (Tuesday 1^st November 8:45 am)

*Remembrance Day Liturgy (Thursday 10^th November 9:00 am)

*End Term Mass (Thursday 24^th November 9:00 am)

Have a great weekend! 

Matthew Knight - Acting APRE

Socktober

From the Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - RAISING GIRLS

Raising girls in today’s modern world can be a difficult path for parents and carers to navigate. These days, girls are transitioning to puberty a lot earlier than they used to and the physical, psychological and emotional changes they experience are challenging. As a result, by mid-adolescence, girls are twice as likely to develop mood disorders more so than boys.

Some parents and carers may feel uncertain about how best to support their daughter through the ups and downs of adolescence and how to keep the lines of communication open. With the rise of social media and technology, mental health difficulties in girls are increasing as often they are faced with online images that make it difficult to see themselves as acceptable. Ensuring a daughter’s opinions are heard and her views listened to, will go a long way towards making her feel loved and supported as she tries to establish her own identity.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will attain a clearer picture of what girls are wanting from their adult carers and how best to support them through adolescence.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school guidance counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Raising Girls edition of SchoolTV
https://smbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-girls

Award Winners

In Week 3, our weekly awards were presented to students following Mary's Way by showing "S" Safe, Just and Fair.

Mary's Way Award Winners:

Back row: Dwyatt Schultz, Quade Cristaudo, Anna Sylvester, Brayan Waite

Front row: Penelope Jones, Knite Land, Hunter Dodd

Praise Note Winner of the Week: Sam Murray

Award Winners

In Week 4, our weekly awards were presented to students following Mary's Way by showing "B'' Be my best.

Mary's Way Award Winners:

Back row: Sam Murray, Aislinn Ninnes, Chase Lowcock, Daniel Szollos

Middle Row: Alfie Smith, Harry Menzies, Sophie Palmero, Mason Drysdale-White, Oscar Watson.

Front row: Amy Das, Lily Finau

Star Reader: Scarlette Bear

Paise Note Winner of the Week: Matilda Smith

NAPLAN High Achiever Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving well above the national minimum standard in the NAPLAN tests this year:

Austin Stevens - Numeracy

Domingo del Solar - Reading, Numeracy Grammar and Punctuation

Andrea Firth - Spelling, Grammer and Puncuation

Bailee-Maree Tapp - Reading, Writing

Aislinn Ninnes - Writing, Grammar and Punctuation

Kobi Buckley - Reading, Numeracy

Mica McVeigh - Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, Numeracy

Tate Buckley - Writing

Elishia Petersen - Reading

Sophie Palmero - Writing

Jayden Kirk - Grammar and Punctuation

Aaliyah Klaus - Reading, Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling

Charlotte Wood - Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, Numeracy

Swimming Program - Term 4

Students will be participating in a Swimming Program for 7 weeks on Fridays, beginning in Week 1 on Friday 7 October. 

Students will travel to the town swimming pool by bus where they will receive swimming lessons delivered by qualified Learn to Swim instructors and will return to school after their lesson by bus. A classroom teacher will be in                                                              attendance at all times to aid with supervision. 

Your child is required to bring;

• swimming costume

• towel

• sun-safe shirt (compulsory) 

• goggles (optional). 

Please ensure that all swimming gear is clearly named. Teachers will ensure that sunscreen is applied prior to the lesson.  

NB: Students in Year 6 and Year 5 are encouraged to arrive at school wearing their swimmers under their school uniform, remembering to bring a change of undergarments! 

Swimming lessons will take place on the following dates:

• Friday 7 October

• Friday 14 October

• Friday 21 October

• Friday 28 October

• Friday 4 November

• Friday 11 November

• Friday 18 November

• Swimming Carnival - Friday 25 November - more details to follow.

The lesson timetable is as follows:          

• Year 6 9:30am- 10:00am

• Year 5 10:05am - 10:35am

• Year 3 10:40am - 11:10am 

• Year 4 11:15am - 11:45pm

• Year 2 11:50pm - 12:20pm 

• Year 1 12:25pm - 12:55pm

• Prep 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Students will be picked up from school by bus 10 minutes prior to their lesson time.

Parents are welcome to assist in the water during their child’s lesson. Please see Mrs Antonio or the classroom teacher if you are interested in helping during the lesson or if you have any questions or concerns.  If you require any further information please contact the school office.  

Birthdays

Click the below link for a special Happy Birthday Song.

Tuckshop and Lunchboxes

A reminder that Nude Food Fridays continue this term. We are encouraging students to minimize single-use plastic on Fridays to protect our oceans. Use those reusable containers as much as you can! Our Containers 4 Change program is still going so please remember to put your poppers, plastic bottles, and other suitable containers in the blue bins. All money raised through the Pilchers Containers program will be donated to the EcoBarge Volunteer and Turtle Rehabilitation program in the Whitsundays

Please be advised our Tuckshop days have recently changed from Mondays and Wednesdays to Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Mary Mackillop OSHC

OSHC at St Mary’s Catholic School is now operating Monday to Friday from  6.30 am to 8.30 am and 2.45 pm to 6.00 pm.

If you would like more information or to register, please contact Miss Rob on 0428 216 062 OR at bowenoshc@mmcnq.catholic.edu.au

Community

Soccer Summer 6s Competition

Football Coaching

Swim Club