Week 6/7 Term 3

Term 3 Weeks 8-9 Important Events

• 28-31 August - Parent / Teacher Interviews
  
• 31 August - Fathers' Day Breakfast and Liturgy
• 1 September - PUPIL FREE DAY
• 7 September - P&F meeting, 5pm
• 9 September - 150th Anniversary Event, 2-5pm, with social event to follow at the Grand View Hotel

From the Principal

This week, I have been participating in the Principals' Meeting in Townsville. The Principals' Meetings are an opportunity for Townsville Catholic Education to provide training that can be passed on to staff in their schools, and to inform Principals of changes and initiatives that will be implemented in the near future. It is also an opportunity for Principals to work together to ensure best practice across all of the Townsville Catholic Education schools.

Some of the topics that were covered this week in the Inclusive Education space included submissions for 2024 Inclusive Education funding, tightening of policies related to Student Support External Providers accessing time in schools, and development of risk assessments related to behaviour and student and staff wellbeing. In the Staffing and Strategic Planning space, Townsville Catholic Education engaged a presenter from Melbourne to provide training in working effectively with parents to support students with disabilities. The Principals were also engaged in training around changes to the School Renewal process, and Workforce Strategy planning to support staff wellbeing and quality teacher retention rates. In the Learning and Teaching space, topics that were covered included tightening of policies around the different phases of learning and Townsville Catholic Education's plans surrounding the familiarisation and Implementation of Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum over the next few years. With this in mind, Townsville Catholic Education has announced an additional Pupil Free Day in 2024.

Pupil Free Day 2024

Townsville Catholic Education Office has approved an additional professional development day in 2024. The date will be Friday, 26 April, 2024 and will be a pupil free day. This day follows on from the ANZAC Day public holiday on Thursday, 25 April. The reason for granting this additional professional development day is to provide the time and opportunity for all teachers to prepare for the implementation of V9.0 of the Australian Curriculum at the commencement of 2025. This planning day will focus on supporting teachers to have a deep understanding of the changes to content and assessment from the current Australian Curriculum to the newly revised curriculum. There is much planning already occurring in all schools to ensure all teachers are well placed to provide rich learning experiences for their students. This additional professional development day (pupil free day) will only occur in 2024.

Mrs Alicia Ninnes. 

Religious Life of the School

Last Saturday, some of the St Mary’s youth group were busy serving breakfast and treats to the hungry hordes visiting Home Hardware. They are well on their way to raising the necessary funds to attend their Catholic Youth Convention in Brisbane and they have had a lot of fun in the process!  It won’t be long before we draw the raffle tickets for the Spring Gardening prize, so please pop into the office to purchase your tickets (at $1 per ticket) and support these students. Raffle drawn last week of Term 3. 

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend. God bless and many thanks. 

Mrs Windridge. 

ALTAR SERVICE TRAINING

A very big thank you to Sister Judith Foster, who visited us last week from Townsville to instruct students on altar serving. Sister also taught students about ‘Church Manners’ and what it means to be reverant. Judith will also be visiting with staff next term to discuss the Catholic ethos in more depth, and we can’t wait for her to share her experience and wisdom. Sister Judith works directly with Bishop Tim and is involved in the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church, and we are blessed to have her support here at St Mary's. 

Sacramental Program 2024

Mrs Young, Mrs Ninnes, Mrs Beverly Lowcock and Mrs Windridge are already busy preparing the Sacramental program for next year. We are so excited to begin this special journey with families in the local community. Please see the notice below and get in early to register your child for the 2024 Sacramental program. 

Father's Day Liturgy

Father's Day is a chance to honor the fathers and father figures in our lives. St Mary's will be holding a very special Father's Day Liturgy on August 31st at 8.45 am, run by our Prep students. The liturgy will take place in our big shed after Father's Day games and breakfast, so that our students can express their gratitude and love for their fathers, grandfathers, and all those who play a paternal role in their lives.

We look forward to sharing this moment with you all. Let’s come together as a community to celebrate the wonderful gift of fatherhood and the joy, love and strength that fathers bring into our lives.

Mrs Hammond

Thank you to Cheryl Hammond for visiting our Year 3 class and filling them in on what St Mary’s was like when you were here as a student. Year 3 has been learning about how our school and parish has changed with the times and were so excited to hear from a past student. Mrs Hammond plays the organ at Church and is an invaluable member of our school and parish community. 

As you are all most probably aware, St Mary's will be hosting their 150th celebrations very soon! We are so excited to connect with the community to celebrate our rich history and proud heritage within Bowen. You can learn more and register to attend the event by going to our school webpage and clicking on 150th celebrationshttps://www.smbtsv.catholic.edu.au/.../join-us-for-our.../ If you attended St Mary's and would like to be part of the 'roll call' on the day, please email your name (plus maiden name if applicable) and the year you began your attendance at St Mary's to: 150thcelebrations@gmail.comIf you are unable to attend but would like to share a memory for the occassion, please email to the same address. Tickets to the meet and greet after Mass are also available at the school office. See you there!

A big thank you to the Whitsunday Regional Council for creating posters for our 150th celebration displays. We truly appreciate how the community has come together to help St Mary's prepare for this event. Liam and Heather organised aerial photographs of our school zone from 1960 to present. If you would like to have a look at how things have changed, come along to our 150th celebration on the 9th of September! 

Pupil Free Day - 1st September 2023

Please be advised  - Friday 1st September 2023 is a pupil free day. 

Pre prep program and OSHC will not be running on this date. 

Prep 2024

We are currently taking Prep enrolments for 2024. If you have a child beginning school next year or know someone whose child is due to begin Prep, please get your enrolment forms in ASAP. These forms can be found on our school website. Please follow this link to access our current enrolment form.  

150th Anniversary Event

From the Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - NEURODIVERSITY

Neurodiversity emphasises the natural variation in how an individual's brain functions and how they perceive and interact with the world, leading to diverse ways of learning and communicating. While most young people are neurotypical, some exhibit variations in brain development, such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia, making them neurodivergent.

Embracing neurodiversity involves accepting, celebrating, and supporting neurodivergent children and adolescents without attempting to change or treat their differences. Using respectful language, challenging unhelpful attitudes, avoiding assumptions, and actively promoting inclusivity can help embrace neurodiversity effectively.

Acknowledging the unique ways neurodiverse young people do things and then adapting tasks and activities to ensure their full participation will encourage them to develop strategies that feel natural to them. It will help improve their mental health, wellbeing and sense of self. By recognising and nurturing their strengths, parents and caregivers can contribute to building an inclusive and compassionate society where all young people can thrive.

Learning more about neurodiversity, equips caregivers with insights into effective communication techniques, educational strategies, and parenting approaches tailored to the specific needs of their neurodivergent child.

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 Neurodiversity edition of SchoolTV
https://smbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/neurodiversity

Award Winners Week 6, Term 3

In Week 6, our weekly awards were presented to students who have been following Mary's Way by showing "B" Be My Best.

Mary's Way Award Winners:

Back row: Daniel, Sophie, Mica

Front row: Benjamin, Theodore, Asha

Absent: Quade

Praise Note Winner of the Week:  Ben

Star Reader of the Week: Sophie

Principal's Awards

Ten Praise Notes:

Back row: Grace, Ada, Austin, Kobi, Laharnah, Ben, Jet

Middle row: Rosalina, Makayla, Georgia, Collins, Miranda, Benjamin, Maddie, Hunter, Alexander, Lewis

Front row: Delta, William, Aubrey, Harley, Jaicee

Absent: Isabella, Ahkeem, Laila, Liberty

Twenty Praise Notes:

Back row: Sam, Manning, Joel, Blake, Kye, Tate, Chelsea

Front row: Zane, Sophie, Aaliyah, Oscar, Hudson, Maggie, Indy, Rose

Absent: Ella

Thirty Praise Notes:

Emerson Graf

Award Winners Week 7, Term 3

In Week 7, our weekly awards were presented to students following Mary's Way by showing Mercy and Outreach.

Mary's Way Award Winners: 

Back Row: Hudson, Kye, Leland, Jacob, Petelo

Front Row: Aubrey, Matilda

Paise Note Winner of the Week: Jayden

Star Reader:  Lewis 

Principal's Awards

Ella, Laila, Aislinn, Liberty-Grace, Chelsea

Birthdays

Birthdays

                                   Rose, Andrey, Finn

Tuckshop Menu Term 3

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.

The government has announced changes in the way that Child Care Subsidy is worked out. The income limit for CCS will be increasing to $530,000, meaning that the cost of OSHC will reduce for the majority of families. The changes came into effect on 10 July.

Currently the service costs $17.50 for Before-School Care, and $22 for After-School Care, before CCS reductions are applied. Food (breakfast and afternoon tea) is provided at no extra cost. Please see below for more information about the upcoming reduction in fees.

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

School Student Broadband Initiative

The School Student Broadband Initiative, in partnership with NBN Australia is providing unconnected school aged students and their families with free internet for 12 months.

This Initiative aims to boost education opportunities by providing up to 30,000 Australian eligible families with school age children (K-12), with free nbn-powered broadband internet at home.

For more information on how to apply and grant guidelines follow the link:

Community News

UQ Research Project

Auskick