Week 6, Term 2 2025

Principal's News

Dear Parents and Caregivers 

We have just completed a very encouraging and rewarding week for our younger year levels this week. Our Under 8s Day on Tuesday was a great success for our existing families as well as a number of new families to our school community. Kidz at the Beach, along with Bowen Early Childhood Education and Care were able to join us on the day, and joined in with all of the fun and learning. We had 13 families attend our first Ready, Set, Prep morning today and I had the privilege of meeting some new families to our school community at this event as well. Thank you to all of our helpers that made these events a success, and It is exciting to have a number of new families making enrolment enquiries for next year. Our Prep Open day is rapidly approaching on Saturday 7th June and we will have another Ready, Set, Prep morning early next term for those families who were unable to make it today. The end of next term will be the cut off date for those families wishing to participate in our Pre-Prep program in Term Four so please ensure that you have your child enrolled for Prep 2026 prior to 19th September. We have 7 students with confirmed enrolments already, with another 13 students who have either had enrolment interviews or have appointments booked to happen. 

Last week was rounded off with a fantastic whole school Disco thanks to our amazing P and F and a band of merry helpers! Everyone had fun and full bellies with the scrumptious meals and treats on offer. Having families sign in and out was important to let us know who was on site for the event and we have had some good suggestions to streamline that process for next time. 

School Photo days are always very busy with many logistical boxes to tick and this year’s day was no different. We have some sibling photos that were missed on the day and they will be taken this Monday so please remember if you are one of those families, to ensure correct uniform for the photo. Thank you to all families for ensuring the correct uniform last week. The cooler weather seems to be creeping back again now so the student uniform code: School Uniform is included again this week to show the correct warm clothing. Thank you for assisting us in this area. 

Our Athletics Carnival is almost here (Friday 20th June) and I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mrs Muir’s husband Graeme, who has kindly marked out a modified track on our top oval for some track training for our students. Unfortunately, our main oval is still currently under repair to ensure that students do not roll an ankle. In order to help our students prepare properly for their carnival this year, we will walk to Bowen State School next week to use their track for training and lessons. We truly appreciate the generosity of BSS to accommodate us this year. A letter will be going home to parents today regarding this training opportunity. 

In Year One this year, we have had the privilege of Miss Lara Applin working with our students as she completes her final studies as a pre-service teacher. She has been an asset to the class, but sadly we will be saying goodbye to her next week as her time with us comes to a close and she returns to Brisbane. Please be sure to wish her well and say goodbye next week. Staff will say goodbye to her with dinner out next Tuesday. Mr Hughes and Mrs Hodge will certainly miss her, as will all of our students and staff. 

Our school Board met last week and will meet again in June. We are currently looking for new Board members to join our existing Board, so please make contact with me through the front office if you are interested in serving the school community in this manner. Membership is open to all members of the parish and school community with some eligibility criteria that apply. Examples of eligibility criteria include such things as a commitment to uphold the Catholic ethos, identifying strongly with the Catholic identity of the school and in possession of a blue card. St Mary’s School board is a body with consultative responsibilities and functions limited to those set out in the school board constitution. The Diocesan Education Council is reviewing a number of policies at the moment as part of their review cycle every two years and have asked all school boards to review some select policies this term. We are currently reviewing policies to do with enrolment, curriculum, student protection, employment and inclusive practices. 

I am looking forward to working with the school community further as we move towards the reporting cycle of Semester One and towards our mid-year break. Wishing everyone a safe and blessed weekend.

Yours sincerely

Rodney Lane

Acting Principal

Apologies for any inconvenience, however breakfast club will not be running in week 7 (Tuesday 3rd and Thursday 5th June). It will resume in Week 8, thank you!

Religious Life of the School

Dear families and members of our school community,

It is with deep sorrow that we acknowledge the passing of our beloved Holy Father. We join the global Catholic community in mourning this profound loss, and we offer our heartfelt prayers for the peaceful repose of his soul. We also pray for and celebrate our new Pope, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi from Italy, who was elected on April 17, 2025. He believes in peace, helping the poor, and bringing people of all faiths together, and we know he will guide the Catholic Church with kindness and hope.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, the groundbreaking encyclical letter written by Pope Francis. This powerful document ignited a global movement focused on the care of our common home and revitalized the Church's commitment to Catholic Social Teaching. Through Laudato Si’, Pope Francis called us to deepen our respect for creation, stand in solidarity with the poor, and take action rooted in justice and compassion.

In celebration of Laudato Si’ Week, from May 16th to 24th, our students will again engage in a range of reflective and creative activities. As part of this, students will participate in an art competition that highlights key themes of Catholic Social Teaching, including homelessness, poverty, care for creation, solidarity, and subsidiarity. We are delighted that members of St Vincent de Paul from Bowen and Townsville will serve as guest judges for this competition. 

Additionally, our Mini Vinnies students will gather for their annual Immersion Night—an evening of reflection and action where they will consider the challenges facing our modern world and explore how they can be part of meaningful solutions. The night will be led by Stephen Gasparini, Youth Coordinator for St Vincent de Paul in Townsville, and will include a simple shared meal of soup, followed by an experience of ‘sleeping rough’ to help students empathise with those who face homelessness daily. If your child is in Mini Vinnies in Years 5 or 6, please ensure you have provided the necessary permission for them to attend this important event.

May this time of remembrance, learning, and action inspire us all to walk more humbly, love more deeply, and serve more generously.

In faith and service,
Mrs Suzette Windridge
Assistant Principal – Religious Education & School Chaplain

Mary Help of Christians feast day is held annually on May 24th. Mary Help of Christians is actually the patroness of Saint of Australia, and Mary Help of Christians heavily underpins our schools mission with 'Mary Our Help' being our motto. On Friday 23rd of May, students gathered for a special prayer service and meditation to recognise and celebrate this significant day. Thank you to our Year 2 class and Mrs Young for leading this service. May we all remember that in times of need, Mary our Mother intercedes for us all. 

My New Gallery

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Learning and Teaching

Over the past 12 months I have been working with teachers, alongside our Curriculum Adviser Nic Beltramelli to drive school improvement in the area of Learning and Teaching. As part of this work we used an evidence based approach to start forming some non-negotiables and high expectations for Learning and Teaching at St Mary's.

I am pleased to share that we have developed a clear vision for what Learning and Teaching at St Mary's is. Please review our vision and if you have any feedback that you would like to give us, please come and see me or flick me an email at kland@smbtsv.catholic.edu.au

St Mary's Catholic School Vision Statement for Learning and Teaching:

We believe that all children are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, we are committed to fostering a Catholic Education where we guide, strengthen, and challenge each other to reach our full potential as lifelong learners. 

In our professional learning community, we commit to supporting all learners through:

• Modeling the Catholic ethos and values by setting high expectations in academic, social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of school life
• Providing engaging learning spaces that are safe, inclusive, and flexible to foster a love of learning
• Reviewing SMART goals regularly to promote academic success 
• Strengthening joint responsibility and efficacy across all staff, by guiding and nurturing each other to maintain respectful and collaborative relationships
• Establishing strong partnerships with parents and the wider community

Kind Regards,

Krystal Land

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

Music & Art News 🎶🎨

This week in Arts we have been hard at work learning new skills and expressing ourselves in exciting ways.

Year 1: Rhythms you can feel! 

In Music, our Year 1 students have been discovering the magic of rhythm! They’ve been exploring patterns that make one sound (ta) and two sounds (ti-ti) on a beat. Through clapping, chanting, and playing games, they are developing a strong sense of timing and beat while learning to recognise and name these rhythm patterns. It’s been so exciting to see their confidence grow! 

Prep: Magic Painting! 

In Visual Arts, our Prep students have been exploring different mediums in a beautifully simple way. They used crayons to create bold, bright drawings, then painted over them with a watery paint wash to discover the amazing effect of resist art! Watching their colours pop through the paint was a moment of wonder and a wonderful lesson in how different materials can work together to make something magical.

Year 1: Rhythms you can feel

Prep: Magic Painting

📄 Mercy Leaders newsletter 📄

This term, St Mary’s is doing a lot of exciting things to do with our spiritual growth.

Meditation for Mary Help of Christians: Last Friday, we did a whole school meditation to remember Mary our Mother, everyone participated respectfully and we thank the year twos for a beautiful service and lovely singing   

Mini Vinnies- This term we are starting our Mini Vinnies groups on a Friday. I am lucky enough to be in the first group today, and I can’t wait to find out what we are doing.  We will report back later in the year about what we have learnt.

Next Friday we have the mini vinnies sleep over. It will run from 4 till 8 and we will learn how to support others in need by learning about homelessness. 

MMBDO- On the 26th of June we will once again be having our fun MMBD. This year we will be going out to the cinema and watching Lilo and Stitch!

Youth Group - after the Mass last Sunday, the youth group cleaned the church up to look clean.

Gardening Club  -  Just remember that gardening club will be held every Thursday on second break at 1:00, you can take home delicious herbs and vegetables to make your muscles grow strong.   

Elishia, Harry and Connor

(Year 6 Mercy Leaders)

Class Awards - Week 4 - Compassion & Care⭐

Class Awards - Week 5 - Safe, Just & Fair⭐

Birthdays🥳

Ready, Set, Prep ✨

Our Preppies had a wonderful time this morning welcoming new families to our school for Ready, Set, Prep!

Ready, Set, Prep Gallery

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P & F Meeting - Thursday, 5 June at 5pm

Prep Open Day - Saturday, 7 June 🌈

 Classroom tour
 Meet Mrs Jones our amazing Prep Teacher
 Meet the Leadership Team and staff
 Craft and other fun activities
 Free sausage sizzle and sweet treats
 Petting Zoo
 Face painting with school leaders
 Coffee van
All Welcome, we hope to see you there!

Guess who is coming to our Prep Open Day 🤡

The one and only Windy the Wizard! mark it on your calendar, 7th June from 9-11am. Come and see what our school can offer you and your child for their learning journey.Windy is the master of comical clowning, mystical magic, jester juggling, sky-high stilt walking, baffling balloon sculpting, puppetry and trick bike riding and many other fun and entertaining skills. If we are lucky we may even get to meet Stewie his gorgeous rabbit!

High Jump - Wednesday, 11 June

Athletics Carnival - Friday, 20 June

MMBDO - Thursday, 26 June

St. Mary’s students are crushing it – Amazing Work!!!

These two girls showed an impressive understanding of Baptism. They carefully listed every step of the sacrament and illustrated all its' key symbols—the oils, the dove, garments, laying on of hands, and more.

We hope their deep appreciation inspires them to share the meaning and gifts of Baptism with their friends and family!

Check out this amazing writing by Maddy! We definitely have a future author here, we loved reading your text!

Check out this amazing writing from Jet. He had an idea about Tom Holland and couldn’t put his pencil down! Well done, keep up the great work!

🌈 Thank You for Celebrating Under 8’s Day with Us! 🎉

A huge thank you to all the families, little ones, volunteers, staff, and community members who made Under 8’s Day so special! 

From the laughter and games to the crafts, face painting, and fun activities, your energy and smiles lit up the day.

It's always a joy to celebrate the magic of early childhood together ✨

We’re grateful for your support and can’t wait to do it again next year! 💫

Under 8's Day Gallery

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P & F Disco - Oh What a Night🕺🪩

Another fantastic P&F Disco was hosted on Friday night where everyone was invited to wear their pyjamas and dance the night away. We would like to thank the P&F for once again giving their valuable time to bring joy to the faces of our school students. It was clear to see that everyone in attendance had a great night!!!

Disco Gallery

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The Gold Rush - Year 5 HASS 💛

In Year 5 during HASS, students have been learning about the Eureka Stockade and the Gold Rush. This week we had a Gold Rush Hunt in the playground.

My New Gallery

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Whole School Meditation

My New Gallery

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Reminders 🌞

Bowen and Whitsunday Sub District ⚽🏈

A big congratulations to Charlotte, who represented us proudly and came 55th out of over 100 competitors! We’re so proud of her effort, determination, and sportsmanship.

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