Week 4/5 Newsletter Term 2 2024

Weeks 6 and 7 - What's On

• Monday, 20 May - School Photos
• Wednesday, 22 May - 1.50pm QPS Digital Addiction presentation, Yr 5 and Yr 6
• Friday, 24 May - 9.00am Mary Help of Christians Feast Day, whole school meditation
• Saturday, 25 May - 2.00pm - 6.00pm Family Fun Day
• Thursday, 30 May - 5.15pm Indigenous Education Advisory Group meeting
  
• Friday, 31 May - 7.30am Breakfast and Planting Day for First Nations Garden

Principal News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we continue to journey through the school year, it's inspiring to reflect on the numerous events that highlight the importance of the early years of education. These formative years lay the foundation for lifelong learning, fostering curiosity, resilience, and a love of discovery.

Over the past two weeks, our school has been a hub of activity, showcasing the enthusiasm and potential of our youngest learners. On Friday, 10 May, we had the pleasure of hosting a delightful Mothers' Day breakfast and liturgy, beautifully led by our Prep students. Their heartfelt performances and prayers touched everyone present and underscored the value of community and family support in our children's educational journeys.

Saturday, 11 May, marked our Prep Open Day, an event that welcomed prospective families into our vibrant school community. It was a joy to see so many eager faces and to share with them the nurturing environment we provide. The day was filled with activities that gave a glimpse into the enriching experiences that await our future students.

Currently, we are deep into the enrolment process and conducting interviews for the upcoming school year. It's a privilege to meet so many wonderful families and to discuss how we can best support their children's early educational experiences. These interviews are a crucial step in ensuring that we continue to build a community that values each child's unique strengths and needs.

On Friday, 17 May, our Prep, Year 1, and Year 2 students had an unforgettable experience at St Catherine's in Proserpine for Under Eights' Day. This event was a celebration of early childhood, filled with engaging activities that sparked imagination and joy. It was a day of laughter, learning, and building friendships, reinforcing the importance of play and creativity in early education.

Additionally, we are participating in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), which is currently being conducted. This census provides valuable insights into the development of our young children, helping us tailor our educational programs to better meet their needs. The data collected will inform our strategies to support every child in achieving their full potential.

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to our upcoming Family Fun Day on Saturday, 25 May. We are looking forward to welcoming the wider Bowen community into St Mary's for a fun afternoon of rides, stalls, and entertainment. This event promises to be a wonderful opportunity for families to connect, enjoy, and celebrate together.

These recent events highlight not just the vibrancy of our school community but also the critical role that early education plays in shaping confident, capable, and happy learners. We are dedicated to providing an environment where every child can thrive and where their first steps in education are filled with wonder and possibility.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Together, we are laying the foundations for a bright and successful future for all our students.

God bless,

Alicia Ninnes

Religious Life of the School

Hello everyone, I hope you are all traveling well and had a blessed Mother’s day with your loved ones. There are some key events occuring within the next few weeks in the Religious Life of our school. Community members are always welcome at these activities and encouraged to attend. 

Laudato Si` Week: Laudato Si` week will be held across week 5-6 here at St Mary’s and teachers are ready to immerse students in learning and activities based upon creation and sustainability, and how students can be stewards of the Earth. Activities will involve targeted lessons on creation and sustainability, gardening, popper recycling, letter writing (Fijian students) and prayer. Thank you to Jess from Lower Don Organics and also to Helena from Bowen Quality Seedlings for their donations, which will also be planted during this week. See: Link to Laudato Si` Week 

Murroona Gardens: Mini Vinnie students visited with the elderly residents of Murroona Gardens last week. They wanted to wish them all well for Mother's Day, and enjoyed art and craft as well as sharing cake to celebrate Mother's everywhere. We thank Murroona Gardens for allowing us to spend time with these special elders from our community. 

Mary Help of Christians: Mary Help of Christians feast day is on the 25th of May. There will be a whole school Mary Help of Christians meditation next Friday (24th) at 9 am in the big shed. Parents and community members are encouraged to come and meditate with the students, and learn about our Patron Saint. Mary Help of Christians is only one of Mary’s many titles. When we call her this, we are recognising her special place as Jesus’ mother. As Catholics we believe we can ask Mary to intercede when we are facing great difficulties and challenges in our lives, as well as to be a force against sin and corruption. This is why we call her Mary Help of Christians. Take a moment to ask Mary to pray for you on her feast day on the 25th. 

Prayer for Mary Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia  
and of the Military Ordinariate 
 
Almighty God, deepen in our hearts 
our love of Mary Help of Christians. 
Through her prayers and under her protection, 
may the light of Christ shine over our land. 
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. 
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. 
Bless especially the men and women 
of the Australian Defence Force and their families. 
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Many blessings, 

Mrs Windridge. 

ECSI survey winner: Congratulations to Katy Ward for being selected as the winning raffle ticket in our ECSI survey. We hope you enjoy your Whitsunday Cruise with your family! Thank you to all the people who took the time to complete this survey and to provide this valuable information for the  future planning of our school. 

Learning and Teaching

Our teachers are busy preparing their Semester 1 Wrriten Reports for Parents and Carers, these will go home via the Compass app on Wednesday, 19th June. If you experience any difficulties with logging onto the app, please see one of our friendly admin ladies for assistance.

Last week I popped into the classrooms to do a learning 'Walk and Talk.' It was wonderful to see engaged and successful learners across Prep-Year 6. Below are the activities that the students were completing:

• Prep: Handwriting
• Year 1: Sorting environments based on their features
• Year 2: Kahoot Maths questions
• Year 3: Writing sentences
• Year 4: Using homophones in sentences
• Year 5: Scripture writing
• Year 6: The Resilience Project- helping those who are scared.

We were excited to receive our 2024 Preliminary NAPLAN Data this week, the final data is expected to be released by ACARA towards the end of this term. As soon as we receive the finalised data we look forward to sharing this with you all.

Kind Regards,
Krystal Land
Acting- Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

Week 3 Awards - Compassion and Care

Week 4 Awards - Safe, Just and Fair

Birthdays

North QLD Bulk Port - Jetty Competition

We were extremely proud to have Ella receive an Encouragement Award in the North Queensland Bulk Port's Bowen Jetty Design Your Dream Jetty Competition. Amazing work Ella!

The Future Bowen Jetty

Thank you to North Queensland Bulk Ports for their support towards our upcoming Family Fun Day!

In June 2023, the Queensland Government committed $50 million for the replacement of North Queensland Bulk Ports’ (NQBP) Bowen Wharf to support continued community access. Bowen locals have had their say on what they would like to see in the future Bowen Jetty and NQBP is now considering all the feedback, prioritising what is important to locals and developing two design options to share with the community in June for further feedback. To sign up for project updates and to learn more about how you can become involved in the next round of consultation, email bowenwharf@nqbp.com.au or visit the Bowen Wharf Project Page.

Burdekin Junior Eisteddfod

Congratulations to the Year 5 and 6 students who competed in the Burdekin Junior Eisteddfod on Wednesday. They sang beautifully and were awarded two Highly Commended Certificates.

Family Fun Day

The members of the P&F committee are super busy bringing together this year's Family Fun Day that will be happening next Saturday, 25th May, from 2pm to 6pm.

There is going to be a lot of stalls, entertainment and free activities kindly hosted by the school and Bowen community groups. So be sure to check them out with your kids and encourage any other families in the community to come and join in on the fun.

We have a cake decorating competition that all children in the school and community are invited to enter and have the chance to win an assortment of prizes for the best decorated cake in their age group! Just bring in your child’s covered cake to the office on the day.

You will see members of the P&F committee before and after school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week selling Pony poo squares, raffle tickets and unlimited ride passes. So remember to bring cash and get in early to get your tickets and passes.

On Friday and Saturday next week, the P&F will be starting the massive preparations for the day. If you can help on either of these days, please pop into the tuckshop and see where we could use your help. We will send the muscles to the oval to set up gazebos from 2pm Friday.

This fantastic day would not be possible without your support and the support of our very valuable sponsors. Please check out the lists below and ensure to show your appreciation to these amazing businesses on the day and out in the community.

I can’t wait to see you all next Saturday 25th May from 2pm to 6pm.

Happy Mother's Day

Prep Open Day

On Saturday, 11 May, St Mary's opened its doors to the wider community for our annual Prep Open Day. The staff, and our Student Council, worked hard to provide a fun-filled morning for prospective students and their families.

Please enjoy the attached gallery of photos from the day!

Prep Open Day Gallery

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Guidance Counsellor News

In this edition of SchoolTV – MINDFULNESS
Over the last decade, mindfulness has been slowly rising in popularity with many individuals practising it on a regular basis. Evidence based research has found that there are many benefits to mindfulness which has prompted schools across the nation to implement this practice into their daily routines.

Mindfulness can be described as attention training for your brain, enabling you to focus on something without judgement and to stimulate curiosity. Mindfulness can be practised in a number of ways and is something that can be done by everyone - no matter what your age! It has been practised by many cultures around the world, but it is not exclusively affiliated to any particular philosophy or religion.

Mindfulness helps improve memory, engagement and performance. Its positive effect on the brain can improve immunity, mental wellbeing, learning ability, emotional health and even, time management. It is especially important in this era of information overload as our attention is constantly being pulled in many directions making us more distracted.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents can learn the best way to introduce this mindfulness to their children, implementing into their daily lives to have an overall positive impact on family relationships. We hope you take time to reflect on the resources offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback.

Here is the link to the Mindfulness edition of SchoolTV

https://smbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/mindfulness

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school Guidance Counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

The Resilience Project

Mary's Munchkins Playgroup

Tuckshop Closure Notice

Tuckshop Menu

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 Dani on 0428 216 062 OR at bowenoshc@mmcnq.catholic.edu.au

Cooinda Family Centre

School Dental Service