Week 1, Term 1, 2024
Weeks 2 and 3 - What's On
- Wednesday, 31 Jan - 5pm, Parent Information Session in the Library
- Thursday, 1 Feb - 5.15pm, P&F AGM and Meeting, in the Staffroom
- Friday, 2 Feb - 9am, Blessing of the School Leaders and Commissioning of the Mini Vinnies Mass, in the Church
- Tuesday, 6 Feb - 3.15pm, NRL Parent Meeting
Principal News
Welcome back for 2024!
I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas break and managed to spend some quality time with family and friends. Thank you to the P&F for organising coffee vouchers and food for the Tissues and Tea morning on Monday. Thank you also to the families who were able to stay for a chat. It was lovely to catch-up over a cup of tea and cake and I look forward to getting to know you all further throughout the year.
The students have all transitioned well into their new classrooms this week, and were naturally excited to reunite with their friends and engage in learning again. I have visited all classes throughout the week and it was wonderful to see how happy and engaged the students were, and how quickly they became used to their new rooms and teachers. It was a shame that our first week back was cut short by the closure of the school for Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, however Townsville Catholic Education will always place the safety and wellbeing of our school community first. I have been in contact with the Critical Incident Management Team in Townsville over the last two days to keep them updated about our school's status. At this stage, we are expecting to be back at school on Monday, however if there are any changes to these plans, I will communicate this with you over the weekend via Compass and our Facebook page.
Our "Wadda Mooli - Welcome" breakfast that was planned for Thursday morning unfortunately had to be postponed as a result of the weather. We will communicate a new date as soon as possible. This event will be a social morning for parents to get to know each other while the children can play together before heading to school.
Parent Information Session
We will be holding a Parent Information session at 5pm this Wednesday in the library. Parents are invited to attend this event to learn more about the day-to-day learning and teaching within the school, and how you can help support your child's learning at home.
P&F and Board AGMS
On Thursday, 1 February, we will be holding our P&F AGM. The P&F works to increase parent and community engagement and provides a platform for families to have a voice within the school. Our Board AGM will be held on Saturday, 17 February, as part of the annual Board Formation. The Board supports the Principal in the development of policies and school governance. Both AGMs will be held in the St Mary's staffroom and all are invited to attend. Your support in upholding our high standards and reputation in the community is appreciated.
Welcome
This week we have welcomed 23 new Prep students along with Keira, Marina, Sakith, Benjamin, Georgie, Connor and their families to our school community. We also welcomed two new teachers, Mrs Stephanie Rees (Year 3) and Miss Abbey Ross (Year 6). I trust that you will make these students, staff and families feel welcome when you meet them.
Uniforms
At the beginning of a new school year it is important that you are aware of our uniform policy and expectations. Please take the time to read the Uniform Policy. Some of the common things that we notice are incorrect earrings, hair accessories, shoes and socks. We thank you for your support in ensuring that our students are wearing their school uniform with pride and representing the school in our community in a positive manner.
Volunteer Induction
We are very lucky to have so many volunteers working throughout our school. Our staff and students greatly appreciate your help! Our volunteers are such an integral part of the day to day life of our school. In order to be a volunteer you need to complete the Volunteer Induction which can be found on our school website as well as attend a school site induction. Our Site Induction for this term will be on Thursday, 1 February, at 8:45am.
If you have any concerns or questions throughout the year, please talk to your child’s teacher in the first instance. Please remember that during the day, teachers don’t always have the opportunity to check their email so if you have an urgent message, please contact the Office. Teachers will endeavour to reply to emails within 48 hours.
Parent Code of Conduct
Parents are the most important role models for a child. As parents and carers, there is an expectation that you will work with the school, the staff and other parents to contribute to a positive and collaborative learning community. These expectations apply while on school grounds, attending school events, using social media which is related, or could reasonably be connected, to your role as a parent/carer at the school or communicating with staff, parents or other school community members. The expectations are clearly outlined in our Parent Code of Conduct which applies to all parents and carers of children who attend Townsville Catholic Education schools. The Parent Code of Conduct is attached to the newsletter this week for your information. I would encourage all parents/carers to read this document carefully.
God bless,
Alicia Ninnes
Religious Life of the School
Whole School Community Mass
Hello everyone and welcome back to St Mary’s. I hope you are all well and had a restful, joyfilled holiday! Our very first whole school Mass will be on February 2nd, 9 am in the Church. Please join us in welcoming our new School Captains for 2024 and also in commissioning our Mini Vinnies students in Years 5 and 6. Mass will be led by the Year 5 and 6 students. If you have a child in these grades, please return your permission form signifying you wish your child to be part of the Mini Vinnies group. Throughout the year, there will be many opportunities for this group to develop their sense of service to community and answer their call to care for all of God’s creation and peoples.
Lent
As a Christian community, Lent signifies a most significant time in the liturgical year. It is a time of reflection and repentance, in which we prepare for the Lord’s resurrection at Easter. Please join us for our whole school Ash Wednesday service in which we acknowledge our faults and recommit ourselves to God, receiving the Ashes as a personal sign of witness, to remind us of our mortality, and as an act of rememberance. The service will be on the 14th of February and is led by our Year 4 students, at St Mary’s church.
Laudato Si`
This year, St Mary’s will have a focus upon Laudato Si`, especially within student's Religious Education lessons and units. To begin this process, St Mary’s has registered for Clean Up Australia Day on Saturday 24th of February. We will be meeting at the Soundshell at Front Beach at 9 am, however we ask that parents please return notes to indicate which students will be joining us on the day.
Prayer Renewal Team
As you may be aware, St Mary’s has been undergoing a Prayer Renewal process in which we have assessed and critiqued the prayer life of our school. In Term 4 of last year, we completed a Prayer Audit of our whole school, looking at Prayer in 15 key areas. We looked at our strengths and challenges and from there we had ideas for growth as a prayer based community, to further strengthen our identity as a Catholic school.
Some key take aways were:
- Christian Meditation is a successful and well integrated form of prayer at St Mary’s
- Teachers are routinely gathering students for prayer experiences within classrooms
- Students experience prayer in a range of formats, including praying the Rosary, through song and dance, and in morning prayer gatherings
- There is room for teachers to plan prayer experiences for staff meetings and other events
- There is a need for more spontaneous prayer forms throughout the school
- There could be the opportunity to have more parent involvement in class prayer and/or more prayer retreats offered to the school community
We are asking parent volunteers to please join with the prayer renewal team for this term, as we begin to look at our actual school prayer and its purpose and relevance within our school community. The team meets once a month, and it would be wonderful to see parents contribute to the spiritual life of our school in this capacity. The more people who contribute in the renewal of our school prayer, the more accurately it will reflect our faith and future direction as a community. Our two dates for meetings this term are February 15th and March 21st. Please email swindridge@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au if you would like more information. For those who may not be familiar yet with our school prayer, I have attached it below:
Dear God,
You have shown how much You love us all
by the gift of Your only Son.
We pray that we will come
to a close loving relationship with you
through following His examples.
Help us to show each other that we care
and so make our school a place of love,
happiness, work and achievement.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sacramental Program
All students Years 3 and up (who have been baptised) are encouraged to enrol in this year's Sacramental program, which will have roughly 8-9 sessions during Term 2. It is the final step in students becoming full members of the Catholic Church and being confirmed in their faith. Please contact aninnes1@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au or swindridge@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au for more information. If your child has not been baptised and you would like them to receive this sacrament, please contact us or the parish to organise a date for their baptism. The program will be run by Bev Lowcock, Rachael Young, Alicia Ninnes and Suzette Windridge.
The Resilience Project
This Term teachers will begin training in TRP and start lessons with students. We are very happy to offer this special program for the well being of our students. The Resilience Project is committed to teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent and manage mental health and build young people’s capacity to deal with adversity. Teachers and students will engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM), and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.
Check out their website for more information:
And check out TRP@HOME; a place filled with inspiration and activities for the whole family, to help improve your wellbeing and build resilience. TRP@HOME
Parents will be offered resources and tips throughout the year, as well as attendance at a seminar to help them unpack and support the mental well being and positive mindset of students. You can access the parent hub on TRP platform and I have included a link to an introductory video here: Part 1: Meet Martin and learn about The Resilience Project https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-martin/
Football Training
At St Mary’s we know that a healthy body… leads to a healthy mind… leads to a healthy spirit! We need to spend time on each aspect, as together they support the holistic growth of the child. We are so blessed to have some terrific Dads in the St Mary’s community who are volunteering their time to train students in Footy. All students aged 8 and above are welcome to join them on Tuesday afternoons from 3:15-4:15 pm here at school. Permission notes are available in the school office.
Also, please join us for our first general football meeting of the year, so that we can support this venture as a community. 3:15 pm St Mary’s Staff room, Tuesday 6th February. We are looking for more volunteers to help out with the program.
God bless,
Suzette Windridge
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
The Resilience Project
Learning and Teaching
NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments, and the broader community can determine how well young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.
- NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. NAPLAN does not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. A child’s teacher will have the best insight into the child’s educational progress. NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality.
- NAPLAN questions are directly linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. As such, the best preparation students can do for NAPLAN is to learn what they do in the classroom every day. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
- The assessments allow parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards in literacy and numeracy, and over time. Along with other school assessment reports, NAPLAN supports parents in discussing their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with teachers.
- NAPLAN results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students ’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.
- NAPLAN can support school improvement by enabling teachers to monitor their students’ progress over time against the national measure, to identify strengths and areas to improve in teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
- Students and parents wishing to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN can visit the public demonstration site on the NAP website. Some past NAPLAN papers are also available.
Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 13 and 25 March 2024. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
Read the NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers. To see the format of the tests, visit the public demonstration site.
This is the second year that NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May.
This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.
Why NAPLAN is conducted online:
- All schools transitioned to NAPLAN online in 2022, as the online format improves NAPLAN.
- NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.
- One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.
- Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN. • Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.
- For more information about online assessment, visit the ‘Understanding online assessment ’ page of the NAP website.
I hope that all of our students have had a great first week back at St Mary's and enjoyed starting their learning journey for 2024.
Kind Regards,
Krystal Land
Acting Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning
P&F AGM and Meeting
The P&F are holding their first meeting for the year next Thursday, 1st February, at 5.15pm in the staffroom. If you would like to join the P&F or have your say on any topic or just see what we do, please come along! We'd love to see you there!
Mary's Munchkins Playgroup
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
Back to School Road Safety
School zone safety – advice for motorists, parents and carers
With school back for 2024, we need to keep safety top-of-mind when travelling through active school
zones and around our school community.
School zone times have been standardised in Queensland to help motorists remember when to slow
down. The standard operating times for most school zones in Queensland are 7–9am and 2–4pm, with
some operating all day between 7am–4pm.
Speeding remains a significant concern, contributing to fatalities and injuries, and police will be on the
lookout for speeding motorists. Keeping below the signed speed limit in school zones helps keep
everyone safe. This simple adjustment may have minimal impact on travel time but has the potential to
significantly contribute to saving lives.
Children's crossings are identified by children's crossing flags, displayed near crossings before and
after school hours.
When the crossing is supervised, you, as a motorist, must:
- Wait until all pedestrians, bicycle riders, or personal mobility device riders have crossed the
road and the crossing supervisor has returned to the footpath. - Abide by the direction given by the School Crossing Supervisor.
Please keep our children safe by staying alert, slowing down and obeying our school crossing
supervisors who are there to help kids cross the road safely.
You can also help children become more road safety aware by:
- Showing them how to look for vehicles coming in and out of driveways and discourage them
from playing behind parked cars, or with toys or balls when walking to school. - Ensuring your child knows the safest route to and from school. This is usually the way with the
least traffic and the fewest roads to cross and teach your child to always walk on footpaths. - Showing your child how to cross at traffic lights when the green 'walk' sign is showing at
pedestrian crossings when vehicles have stopped and at supervised school crossings when
the supervisor has signalled it is safe to do so. - Accompanying children when walking or riding to school until they are old enough to
understand road safety (usually around 10 years or older). - Teaching your child if they catch the bus to never cross in front of or behind a bus; wait until
the bus goes before crossing the road. - Making sure wheeled devices (bicycle, scooter, skateboard, or rollerblades) used to travel to
school are well maintained and that the appropriate protective and safety gear (for example,
helmet, visible clothing, knee and elbow pads) are used.
Visit the Street Smarts website for more information about what to do at pedestrian and children
crossings.