Week 4, Term 2 2025

Principal's News

Dear Parents and Caregivers 

The term seems to be travelling very quickly with four weeks already completed and many events still to happen - especially in regards to our Early Years students, and more specifically our Prep families for this year and next. 

We are very excited to be holding our Under 8’s Day this term, with invitations extended to other stakeholders in the Bowen Community to join us for the event. I have visited a number of our early learning centres in the last couple of weeks to promote the day and we have already had some positive feedback. It has been some time now since we have opened the celebration up to learning communities outside of our school and we are anticipating a fun-filled experience as we explore Scientific Thinking Through Play. Our Under 8’s day will be Tuesday 27th May, from 9am-11am, with a Tuckshop meal deal able to be ordered via the flexischool app. 

READY, SET, PREP is our new initiative for families wanting to commence Prep in 2026, and will provide them an opportunity to bring their Pre-Prep child along to our Prep class from 9:00am until 10:30am on Friday 30th May. During that time, the pre-prep children will join with our Prep students to become familiar with Prep activities, routines and our Early Years staff and Leadership Team. Staff members will be on hand to speak with parents and answer any questions. To register your attendance at this event, please email bwn@tsv.catholic.edu.au or phone 4786 1203.

Our assistance to families wanting to start Prep at Saint Mary’s in 2026 will continue with an Open Day on Saturday 23rd of August and another Ready, Set, Prep morning in Term 3. In addition to these programs, we will be offering Pre-Prep classes for a full day each Friday in Term Four (8 weeks) for a minimal cost each day. The Pre-Prep classes will only be available for those students already enrolled in Prep for 2026 so please contact the office to make an appointment for an enrolment interview prior to Term Four if you are interested in our Pre-Prep program this year. I have had many interviews booked in the last 2 weeks and I have really enjoyed meeting more families in our local community. 

With all of our upcoming Prep events, I want to make sure that we also flag some other areas of interest this term at Saint Mary’s. There is a great deal of excitement building for our P and F Disco next week. A big shout out to our band of helpers working busily behind the scenes to ensure the success of this night. I wanted to remind everyone to please sign your child in and also out at the end of the night to help ensure we are all working together to make it a fun and safe night. We have our School Photos day the week after that on Tuesday 26th May. Photos provide for great memories down the track and it would be greatly appreciated if we can have our students in their best uniforms with hair, jewellery and uniform items attended to according to our student uniform code: School Uniform . Our Athletics and Sports committee met yesterday to continue planning for our Athletics Carnival on Friday 20th June. We will have further information and details out to families within the next few weeks. 

Our School Board meeting this month was postponed from Wed 14th May until Wed 21st May. Amongst other governance matters, School Boards regularly review and update policies in order to ensure that compliance and operational matters are kept current. When the Board meets next, one of the policies that will be reviewed is the Parent Code of Conduct that is on the website of all Catholic Schools in the Townsville Diocese and attached here for your perusal. 

Code of Conduct for Parents

As we are now coming into cooler weather, It is timely for us to be reminded of the winter uniform code for Saint Mary’s Catholic School. Students may wear a bottle green jumper or there are green coats with the school logo available for purchase at the office if anyone would like to buy one of those. On colder mornings, if students' legs are cold, they can also wear black tracksuit pants  / tights. Thank you in advance for helping us uphold our uniform rules as part of showing pride in our school and a commitment to being our best. 

Yours sincerely

Rodney Lane

Acting Principal

Religious Life of the School

From the Chaplain’s Corner – Supporting Our Students and Families

At our Catholic school, we are committed to nurturing the hearts, minds, and spirits of our students—not only through learning, but through compassion, connection, and care.

As your school chaplain, I’m blessed to walk alongside students and families in a range of ways. We offer several programs designed to support student wellbeing, build community, and reflect our shared values of mercy, compassion, and faith in action.

Some of the programs we currently run include:

• Mini Vinnies – A student-led group focused on social justice, charity work, and reaching out to those in need in our local community. Our Mini Vinnies immersion night will be on Friday the 6th of June for Mini Vinnie members in Grades 5-6, please ensure you have returned your child’s permission letter or contacted the school office.
  
  
• Gardening Club – A peaceful space for students to get their hands dirty, nurture the environment, and experience the joy of growing and caring for creation.
  
  
• Breakfast Club – Open to all students Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am, this is a welcoming place where students can enjoy a healthy breakfast and a positive start to the day. Breakfast club has just recommenced in Week 3 of this term.
  
  
• St Mary’s Youth Group – A vibrant and fun way for students to come together in friendship, faith, and reflection, building lasting relationships and a deeper sense of purpose.  Our last group excursion was to the Eco Resort, and this weekend all members (aged 10 and above) are welcome to come together and help out by cleaning the church. Contact swindridge@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au
  
  

As school chaplain, I work closely with students and families who may be facing challenges—offering daily check-ins, emotional support, or just a listening ear. We can also offer support in terms of school uniforms and household essentials. If your child or family is going through a challenging time, please know that you are not alone. I am here to help.

You can reach me through the school office, or privately via email at swindridge@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au 

Together, through our programs and pastoral care, we are living out our mission as a Catholic community—responding to the needs around us with love, dignity, and hope. It is a privilege to do this work, and to be a part of the lives of our students and families.

God bless

Mrs Suzette Windridge
School Chaplain and Assistant Principal of Religious Education

Learning and Teaching

I am delighted to invite all St Mary’s Catholic School students to join in the 2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC).

The PRC is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, between 6 May - 22 August. 

To complete the challenge:

•   Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
•   Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
•   Years 5 and 6 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2025 challenge is to engage more students to read than ever before! Last year saw more than 216,000 children from around the state participate.

Our school target this year is to have every child in our school participate. 

Next week we will be having Josh Denman our Occupational Therapist from TCE visit for two days. In week 6 Tegan Golding from TCE (Speech Language Pathologist) will visit for one day as well. We are looking forward to working with these specialists to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all individual learners. 

Kind Regards,

Krystal Land

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

Music & Art News 🎶🎨

This week in Arts, our students have been musicians, sculptors, and sketch artists - and we’ve got a brand new art space to celebrate their creativity! 

The Library Art Gallery

I’m thrilled to announce the opening of our new Art Gallery in the school library. This space will showcase our students’ artworks on a rotating basis, giving everyone a chance to enjoy and celebrate the amazing creativity happening across all year levels. There’s already some wonderful artwork on display, and it’s a fantastic way to share our students’ talents and creativity. 

Year 6: You Are My Sunshine! 

In Music, our Year 6 students have been exploring the song You Are My Sunshine. They’ve not only been practising their singing, but they’ve also been learning to play it on the glockenspiel. It’s been a great way to build their musical skills, focusing on pitch and rhythm and experiencing playing melodies on different timbers. 

Year 2: Sculpting from Nature! 

In Visual Arts, our Year 2 students have gained a deeper understanding of artistic mediums by venturing outdoors to collect natural materials. Leaves, sticks, stones and flowers became the foundation of their unique sculptures. After creating their 3D artwork, students carefully sketched their designs, paying close attention to detail and texture. It was a beautiful blend of creativity and observation, and the students are so proud of their creations.

Cultural Leaders Report 📝

 The next couple of weeks at Saint Mary's are going to be really exciting!

 Our upcoming events are: our school photos, Naidoc week, our pajama party disco and Under eights day. 

Under eights day’s theme this year is Unleashing Scientific Thinking Through Play.  It will be happening on 27th May from 9am-11am.

Our stalls will be: 

Spaghetti and marshmallow tower building  

Bee bots 

Push and pull  

Bug investigation and herb craft 

Fossils 

Volcano sandpit play  

Face painting: which we will be running, so come and see us!

Obstacle course and wet play 

Milk magic 

Life energy fitness 

Jumping castle 

Town library  

You could help us make this day even better by:

• Volunteering some time on the day to help in the tuckshop
• Bringing in construction material to use on the day
• Inviting your under eight friends and their families

Don’t forget our PJ party disco on Friday 23rd May.  Wear your best pajamas!

We will inform you about Naidoc as it gets closer.  It will be happening in Week 10. 

We look forward to seeing many of your faces in the coming weeks,

Sincerely,

Year 6 Cultural Leaders

Bailee, Elishia, Tate, Ezekiel & Isaiah

Class Awards - Week 2 - Show Respect⭐

Class Awards - Week 3 - Mercy and Outreach⭐

Birthdays🥳

Mothers Day Breakfast 💐

Thank you so much to the P&F for organising such a wonderful morning for all of the AMAZING women in our lives.

My New Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 50

Next

My New Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 13

Next

Around the Grounds at St Mary’s

Prep- PE

Year 1- Super power writing

Year 2- Writer’s notebook

Year 3- Climates in Australia

Year 4- Comparing animal habitats

Year 5- Independent reading

Year 6- Dividing numbers

P & F Disco - Next Friday, 23 May 🪩🕺

Next Friday, 23rd May, we will be holding a pyjama themed disco!

All students (and parents/carers if they like!) are invited to come dressed in their pyjamas and enjoy a fun-filled family night of music, dancing, games, prizes, food and drinks.

The disco will be held in the Big Shed at St Mary's and will run from 6-8pm. Parents are required to stay for the duration of the disco to supervise their children.

All parents and children on site will be signed in and out for safety reasons. A menu will be sent out closer to the night. There will be yummy dinner and dessert options to purchase. It is a cash only event so please remember to bring cash.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Reminder School Photo's - Monday, 26 May 📸

Queensland School Photography will be taking our photos on May 26th and all families should receive their school photo envelopes by next week. Start practicing your poses St Mary's.

Ready, Set, Prep!👦👧

Open to all students starting Prep next year .

Thank you Mr Muir

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Muir for generously volunteering his time and effort to paint key areas for our athletics practice. Your support helps keep our facilities looking great and ready for our athletes to perform at their best.

Your contribution is truly appreciated by all of us at St Mary's Catholic School 🙌👏

Reminders 🌞

Cross Country Age Winners🏃‍➡️🏃‍♀️‍➡️🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 9

Next

Bowen and Whitsunday Sub District ⚽🏈

Stop, Drop, Go Zone

Uniforms

Uniforms are available for purchase from the school office. Reminder that uniform days have now changed, please see below:

Formal Uniform - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

Sports Uniform - Wednesday and Friday

Specialty, commemorative and representative shirts - Friday

Community News

Mary Mackillop OSHC

OSHC at St Mary’s Catholic School is now operating Monday to Friday from  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.

Food (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 Sue on 0428 216 062 OR at bowenoshc@mmcnq.catholic.edu.au

School Dental Service

Tuckshop