Weeks 8/9, Term 4

Principal News

As we bid farewell to another remarkable year at St Mary’s Catholic School, it is with immense pride and gratitude that I present the annual Principal's Report for 2023. This year has been filled with numerous achievements, growth, and moments of joy that have collectively shaped the vibrant tapestry of our school community. Our Annual School Improvement Plan guided decisions made throughout the year, and I am pleased to report on our success in reaching each of our goals.

 Our commitment to academic excellence has been strengthened by our emphasis on data-informed teaching practices. This year, we prioritised the use of data by teachers to inform their planning and teaching practices, with a specific focus on Inclusive Education and Writing. The insightful analysis of student performance data during Know Your Learner sessions has allowed our teachers to tailor their instructional approaches to meet the diverse learning needs of our students. This year was our second year of the Writing Project, with continued impressive results in the field of writing and improved attitudes towards writing and feedback from most of our students. The Writing Project has particularly had a positive impact in our NAPLAN results, with our students achieving above the state average. Our Year 5 students also achieved above the state average in Reading, Spelling and Numeracy. Congratulations to all students who have extended themselves this year, and to their teachers for supporting them. Our academic achievements are definitely something to be proud of!

This year, we embarked on a journey to deepen our connection to our faith by reviewing and developing the school prayer through engagement with the Prayer Renewal Project. This initiative, rooted in our commitment to spiritual growth, has provided an opportunity for our community to review current prayer practices within the school. As we move into our second year of the project, we invite members of our wider community to become involved, and to come together in reflection, prayer, and dialogue, further enriching the Catholic identity that is at the heart of our school's mission. This year also saw Mrs Suzette Windridge become our new APRE and Chaplain. Her commitment to Mission and developing our youth program has seen the introduction of a Social Justice day, where the students engaged with our local St Vincent de Paul congregation and learned about the important ways in which St Vincent de Paul supports our community. Mrs Windridge has also worked very hard to develop our youth group and buddies programs, with retreats and weekend activities being well-attended. In very exciting news, her mission efforts in 2023 and her Laudato Si’ action plan for 2024, resulted in our school being awarded the Executive Director’s Laudato Si’ award for 2023. Congratulations Mrs Windridge on a successful first year as APRE.

This year marked a momentous occasion for St Mary’s as we celebrated our 150th anniversary. The hosting of a successful celebration was a collective effort that involved the support and collaboration of the entire school community and local organisations such as the Historical Society and the Whitsunday Regional Council. From alumni and parents to current students and staff, the festivities were a testament to the enduring spirit of our school. The celebration not only honoured our rich history but also served as a platform to envision an even brighter future for St Mary’s. I would like to once again thank everyone who was involved in making the event the success that it was, in particular Mrs Judy Feeney and Mrs Sarah Romano, who were both driving forces within our 150th Annivesary committee.

Recognizing the importance of fostering Indigenous cultural competence, we set a goal to build cultural understanding and celebration through key events and staff professional development. This year, we initiated targeted efforts to integrate Indigenous perspectives into our curriculum, organise cultural events, and provide professional development opportunities for our staff, with all teaching staff completing the Pedagogy of Difference training. This year also saw the achievement of many of our Reconciliation Action Plan goals, including the installation of our yarning circle, and three new flag poles. These initiatives aim to create an inclusive and respectful learning environment that honours and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.

Update regarding staffing in 2024:

In the last newsletter, I listed the teachers for each of the classes in 2024, however at the time, we still did not know who the Arts/Music and Year 3 teachers would be. I can now confirm that Miss Rachel Strambini will be our Arts/Music teacher two days each week and will still be in Year 4 for the other three days each week. Rachel is a dedicated teacher with a passion for extending her students, and I am sure that this will show in her teaching of the Arts and Music. We will be advertising this week for a new teacher to take the other two days and the results of the recruitment campaign will be released as soon as possible.

We will be also be welcoming Mrs Stephanie Rees as our new Year 3 teacher. Stephanie is an experienced teacher, who will be coming to us from Brisbane Catholic Education. Stephanie is looking forward to moving to Bowen with her husband and becoming part of our St Mary's community. We look forward to welcoming Stephanie to our school.

I wish all of our families and safe and happy Christmas season, and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday, January 22, 2024!

Alicia Ninnes

Religious Life of the School

Thank you and Merry Christmas! 

Hello everyone, how are you all? I have noticed some tired students (and many tired parents too) as the year has drawn towards its end. It has been an exceptionally busy term and we are all looking forward to the holidays and a rest both physically and spiritually. I want to thank the school community for extending me grace this year as I settled into my new roles at St Mary’s. It has been a year of massive learning and growth, and I appreciate the people who have naturally supported and encouraged me on my journey so far. You have demonstrated the true Christian values of our school and faith in doing so, and it certainly was not unnoticed. I want to thank you for your support and care. I have honestly loved my new role and am so excited to continue my work next year. May God bless you all this festive season… enjoy the holidays and see you soon! 

Parish

The parish are again having their annual cent sale on the 16th of December. This is a big fundraiser for our Church and a wonderful opportunity to score some terrific Christmas bargains as well! If you have any prizes you might like to donate, please let me know (or Father Sibi sibichank@tsv.catholic.org.au) Also please consider bringing your family to the Christmas Eve vigil at 6:00pm, 24th December (St Mary’s Church). It is always a beautiful Mass. We will begin with carols at 5:30 for those who would like to join in beforehand.

Graduation Dinner

The Year 6 Graduation ceremony at Merinda was a truly special celebration of these incredible students and their time at St Mary's. Miss Cooke’s wonderful, fun personality was evident in their finale performance, and the reverence and maturity students demonstrated during the liturgy made me feel so very proud! They were just like a family on Thursday night, and you could see the close bonds that existed between students. We wish them the very best success next year as they begin their highschool journey. Well done Year 6, we will miss you all!

Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Congratulations to Miss Harte and Prep for winning the ultimate Pizza Party as a result of their fundraising efforts. This year, St Mary’s raised nearly 500 items for those in need within our community, and the burden of Christmas for families will be lessened as a result of your efforts. Thank you everyone and may God bless you for your compassion towards others, and for supporting students in this campaign.

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. 

Learning and Teaching

As you know for the past two years we have been on our journey to improve the teaching and assessing of writing, along with, increasing student engagement with literacy in general. Next year we will continue with our literacy journey as we will be focusing on improving the teaching and assessing of reading. 

As you enter the holiday period, there are some things that you can do in order to ensure that your child is maintaining their literacy skills. Please remember that your holidays can be a very busy period of time, and there is no pressure to complete the suggested activities below. Some parents like to spend time with their children doing some learning-related activities over the break. Therefore, the activities below are just a suggestion and not compulsory.

Reading:

- Find a book, magazine, comic or newspaper to read each day,

- Look at catalogues and read the words in them,

- Read signs and shop names when driving in the car,

- Listen for words in tv shows or on the radio and ask an adult what the word means, and,

- Make something new in the kitchen with an adult and read the recipe.

Writing:

- Help an adult write out the grocery list

- Write a wishlist or letter to Santa

- Write some Christmas cards out

- Write a letter to a loved one who does not live here

I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas, spend time with your loved ones, and are refreshed and ready to go for another school year come January 2024.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Land

Learning and Teaching Adviser

Tournament Awards

Last Term, 32 students from St Mary’s travelled to St Catherine’s  in Proserpine to compete in the regional finals of Tournament of the Minds.  

St Mary’s had six teams which competed in four different categories: The Arts, Social Science, STEM and Language Literature.  They performed well and were very good at answering the spontaneous questions.

St Mary’s did extremely well and won each category.  These teams then compete in the state finals: 

•  STEM Primary - St Mary's Primary School
  - Team 2 - Mission Possible 
• Language Literature Primary - St
  Mary's Primary School -Team 3-Famous
  Five
• The Arts Primary - St Mary's Primary
  School - Team 6 -Kaddies
• Social Sciences Primary - St Mary's
  Primary School -Team 5- Old and Ne

Honours went to:

• STEM- Primary- St Mary's Primary School
  - Team 1 - The Bowen Boys
• Lang Lit Primary - St Mary's Primary School
  -Team 4 - Midnights

Spirit award:

• Lang Lit Primary - St Mary's Primary School
  -Team 4 - Midnights

This is an amazing achievement for our school. We are extremely proud of the dedication, enthusiasm and teamwork the groups have demonstrated and are very proud of all their achievements.  Thank you to all the parents who supported us on the day.  Thank you to Miss Strambini and Mrs Windridge for giving up your Sunday to judge.  Thank you to the Year 2s who had a lot of props in their room for 6 weeks and did not touch them.  Thank you Mrs Feeney and Mrs Persello for practising spontaneous questions with us.

The winning teams competed in the State finals, and although they did not progress, learnt a lot from the experience.

Swimming Carnival 

On Wednesday 22nd November, all students participated in the annual St Mary’s Catholic School Swimming Carnival. It was great to see the students make such wonderful progress over the 7 weeks of swimming lessons and see them apply their skills during the Swimming Carnival. Congratulations to everyone on their efforts in the races and the encouragement and support that they showed towards one another. 

Special mention goes to the following age champions:

8 Yr  Girl - Alisha Kirk                         8 Yr  Boy - Rafferty Pilcher

9 Yr Girl - Elodie Robertson             9 Yr Boy - Matthew Pugh

10 Yr Girl - Sophie Palmero              10 Yr Boy - Sam Murray

11 Yr Girl - Samantha Pugh               11 Yr Boy  - Charlie Kahler

12 Yr Girl - Mia Cernusco                   12 Yr Boy - Domingo del Solar

It was an incredibly close race for the house winner with Mackillop taking the win for 2023 on 406 points with Foley only 12 points behind. Well done to all students on your participation and enthusiasm!

Annual Awards

Congratulations to everyone who received an award today! You should all be very proud of your achievements!

Principal Awards

Congratulations to all the students who received Principal Awards today! Well done on following the Mary's Way all year!

From the Guidance Counsellor

A SPECIAL REPORT: Starting Year 7

When a child starts high school, they suddenly become one of the youngest and newest kids at school all over again - a small fish in a big pond! The transition between Year 6 and Year 7 is one of the biggest jumps in a child's life and is a very important milestone. This can easily become a daunting time for students and parents alike.

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Some students may be feeling a little anxious about their expectations of starting Year 7 and finding their place in the “big pond”. As your child grasps new skills and engages in new study practices, it is important for parents to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. Parents and students can easily become overwhelmed during this time of transition but, there are a number of strategies that can be implemented to start things off on the right foot!

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school guidance counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help. Here is the link to your special report:

https://smbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-starting-year-7

Award Winners Week 7, Term 4

In Week 7, our weekly awards were presented to students who have been following Mary's Way by showing "S" - Show Respect.

Mary's Way Award Winners:

Back row: Annastasia, Bailee-Maree, Samantha, Saoirse

Front row: Denver, Harley, Enoch

Praise Note Winner of the Week:  Jaxon

Star Reader of the Week: Noah

Award Winners Week 8 , Term 4

In Week 8, our weekly awards were presented to students following Mary's Way by showing "M" - Mercy & Outreach.

Mary's Way Award Winners: 

Back Row: Kendall, Sam, Elishia

Front Row: Jet, Zach, Delta

Praise Note Winner of the Week: Matthew

Star Reader of the Week: Bailee-Maree

150th Anniversary Event

Birthdays



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:

School Dental Service

UQ Research Project