Week 5/6 - Term 3

Principal's News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What a wonderful Book Week Parade we had this week. It was day filled with fun and laughter, and I want to extend a big thank you to Mrs Fellows again for driving this event. I am already thinking of who I can be next year or whether I should just stick with Bert from Mary Poppins and actually learn some of his dance steps. Thank you to all who helped make the day a success. 

If you have been onto the school grounds recently, you would have noticed the newly painted rear panels of our 150th year anniversary sculpture. Their fresh look has drawn many compliments from staff, students and families alike. The panels display elements of our school logo and key words from School Mission Statement. The remaining part of the sculpture was supposed to have been installed early in 2024 and has been an ongoing concern to have it completed. I have had some meetings with the artists via zoom and have another on Monday to hopefully view the completed project and discuss its installation date. 

We had our Board AGM this week and I am thrilled to announce that we have three new board members from our parent community joining our board - Maddison Teitzel, Melinda Gee and Mary-Kate Gentle. I would like to thank Jennifer Aceret for her time that she has served as Board Chair and welcome Marg Tawse as our new Board Chair after Jennifer stood down (remaining on the Board as a general member). Our current Board members and names were posted on our school Facebook page this week and I am looking forward to commencing work with our new new Board at our next meeting in September. . 

We had Rob from Bowen Blast commence his soccer clinics with our students this week and they have been warmly received by our students, as have our new soccer goals. Thanks to Mr Oliver Freeman, our groundsperson, we have one new goal assembled already and in use by our older students. The second goal post structure is still being assembled, but delayed due to some missing parts in transit from Townsville. Our new basketball backboards are on order and the brackets for mounting them onto the shed are currently being constructed. These new basketball boards, mounted in position and utilised for lessons and games will be instrumental in further developing our students’ sporting abilities. 

Tuckshops are important entities for those schools that are fortunate enough to have them, but sadly they seem to be disappearing from many schools due to the difficulty to staff them with volunteers. Understandably, many families are unable to volunteer now as both parents are working but we are sending out a cry for help nonetheless in case we do have some people whose circumstances may allow them to assist, even in an adhoc manner rather than necessarily locking in to anything on a regular basis.  Most tuckshops nowadays run as a loss even with volunteers, but exist as a service to the schooling community regardless;  however, without someone assisting the Tuckshop convenor, it is almost logistically impossible to prepare and serve the students. A letter is going out today giving more detail on how you might be able to assist on any Wednesday and / or a Friday between now and the end of the year. If families could give that some consideration,  our students would be most grateful.  

We are very excited to commence our Pre-Prep program next term in Week 1 on Friday 10th October. A letter has gone out to all of our Prep families who have had their enrolment interview and returned their signed Enrolment agreement. Ms Emily Leighton and Ms Lindy Anderson will be running our Transition program next term and were working today on the necessary planning and preparation. If you are still wanting to take advantage of this important program next term, but haven’t yet had a Prep 2026 interview, please make an appointment through the office before the end of this term on Friday 19th September. If you still have the enrolment agreement to sign  and return after your interview, please do so by end of term. 

Thank you to all of the families who have already responded to the uniform survey that went out yesterday. I wanted to clarify a few  things in relation to the survey. If families decided that they were in favour of House shirts being introduced, to be worn on a designated day each week and at sporting events throughout the year, the House shirt would not be a compulsory item. If families did not want to purchase one of those, their child would still be able to wear the school HPE shirt on those days instead. The phase in period for any uniform changes that families choose,  would be over a lengthy period of two years so that any existing uniform items that are phased out would be able to be worn for the remainder of this year and the subsequent two years so that no existing uniform item would be wasted. Costings for the uniform items are very similar item for item with the exception of the existing black shorts/skorts being cheaper than the bottle green options. The quality and durability of the bottle green options are better however. The Office will send out the pricing comparisons next week for families to see as well. 

There won’t be any assembly in Week 8 (Monday 1st Sep), as it is a very full week with our Verification team arriving for two days, our Fathers’ Day mass and breakfast, and the Friday student free day for Staff Professional Development. I am conscious of maintaining as much face to face teaching time as possible for our students. 

Last week, we had 5 students participate in the Whitsunday trials for athletics.  All of our students performed to the best of their abilities on the day with a big congratulations to Knite Land in Year 5 who has made it through to the North Queensland trials the 2nd September for shot put.  Great work Knite and all the best for the next stage. 

Hoping everyone has a relaxing weekend.

Yours sincerely

Rodney Lane

Acting Principal

Religious Life of the School

Week 7 is Social Justice Week at St Mary’s. This special week coincides with Social Justice Sunday on 31st September, when the Catholic Church acknowledges the vital work being done to promote justice and dignity for all. Each year, the Australian Catholic Bishops release a Social Justice Statement, offering a message of hope and a call to action. You can read more about this year’s statement here: Social Justice Statements.

In 2025, the Bishops focus on one of Australia’s most pressing challenges—homelessness. Their message invites us to follow the example of Jesus, who always noticed, listened to, and cared for those on the margins of society.

At St Mary’s, our students will be engaging in activities to bring this message to life:

• Tuesday: Students will participate in “Frankly We Care”, a hot dog fundraiser for the Bowen Neighbourhood Centre. All proceeds will go directly towards providing meals for people experiencing homelessness in our own Bowen community.
  
  
• Friday: Students in Years 2–6 will visit St Vincent de Paul to purchase an outfit for a school fashion parade. They will also take part in a session with Stephen, Youth Coordinator for St Vinnies Youth Townsville, to learn about the impact of fast fashion and explore ways we can make more thoughtful choices. All students are welcome to participate in the fashion parade and to purchase an outfit or bring one from home on the day (including Preps and Year 1s).
  
  

We hope these experiences will be both enjoyable and meaningful, encouraging students to reflect on how we can all play a part in supporting those who are struggling, vulnerable, or in need.

Thank you for your continued support of these initiatives—it makes a real difference!

God’s blessings, 

Mrs Suzette Windridge.

Learning and Teaching

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are pleased to share that all seven classrooms across our school now have their own new and improved Soundfield System. Soundfield Systems are a wonderful, but expensive tool which assists students and teachers. We have been working towards achieving the goal of ensuring that every class has an updated Soundfield System for the past 4 years.  

What Is a Soundfield System? A Soundfield System is an audio distribution system that uses a microphone (usually worn by the teacher) and one or more speakers placed strategically around a room. The system amplifies the teacher's voice, evenly distributing it across the classroom so that all students—regardless of where they are seated—can hear clearly.

1. Improved Speech Intelligibility - In a typical classroom, students seated at the back or near noisy areas (like windows or doors) may struggle to hear the teacher clearly. Soundfield Systems ensure that speech is evenly distributed across the room, making it easier for students to understand instructions, explanations, and discussions.

2. Supports Inclusive Education - Students with hearing loss, auditory processing disorders, or attention challenges often benefit greatly from clearer audio. However, these systems also help English language learners and students with learning differences by enhancing their ability to focus on and process spoken information.

3. Reduced Vocal Strain for Teachers - Teachers frequently report voice fatigue from raising their voices all day. A Soundfield System allows them to speak in a natural, conversational tone, which not only preserves vocal health but also creates a calmer classroom environment.

4. Enhanced Student Engagement and Participation: When students can hear clearly, they are more likely to stay engaged, follow instructions accurately, and participate in discussions. This improved engagement often leads to better academic outcomes and fewer behavioural issues.

5. Better Classroom Management: With consistent audio reinforcement, teachers can maintain control of the classroom without shouting or repeating themselves. This helps maintain attention and reduces disruptions, fostering a more organised learning environment.

We are proud to resource our school with quality resources to help all learners achieve success during their learning journey!

Kind regards,

Krystal Land

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

St Mary's Term 3 calendar

Music & Art News

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

Year 2: Patterns, Lines, and Bowerbirds!
In Visual Arts, our Year 2 students have been diving into the world of pattern and line. Using the text Bowerbird Blues as inspiration, they explored how repetition, shapes, and textures can be combined to create eye-catching artworks. The results are stunning—full of detail and creativity!

Prep: Freeze, Dance, and Explore!
Meanwhile, our Prep students have been discovering that music comes in many different styles and moods. Through the much-loved game of Freeze Dance, they explored how their bodies can move to different types of music—and how fun it is to stop suddenly when the music pauses! It’s been a joyful way to build listening skills, rhythm awareness, and a love of music.

Year 6 Report - Interview with Mrs Fellows

This week we held our book week parade at st marys our theme was Book an Adventure.  All classes participated in creating items on this theme. We had a great time making worlds for students to experience.  We would like to thank Mrs Fellows for all the hard work she had put into making book week very special for the students of St Marys.

Questions for Mrs Fellows

1. Why do you think Book Week is important? Because every occupation/everything you do in life you need to be able to read to help in real life.  The enjoyment of reading is important.

2. Why should children read books? To look at pictures,to be entertained and to find out more information about any subject they are interested in.

3. What is the purpose of book week?

• .To engage students in books and more
• To extend knowledge of books and reading that we can all be part of the adventure of reading

4. Favourite Author:

Mc Beaton - writes under 2 different names very diverse with writing styles and genres.

Francine Rivers - historical novels with a spiritual theme: including Westerns and  Roman era.

Book fairs: We have 3 a year - the reason for this is that for every single  $1 that gets spent on books school gets 50 cents to spend on books. Last Book Fair earnt enough for 80 new books including graphic novels bought from book fair. Because the students made props for book fair, it saved lots of money for our school and allowed us to be more involved.

Thank you again, Mrs Fellows

Class Awards - Week 4 - Compassion & Care

Birthdays

Pre-Prep Transition Staff – Term 4, 2025

We are so excited to announce our Prep Transition Staff – Term 4, 2025for Term 4, 2025!

What an absolute dream team we have lined up, full of energy, warmth, and dedication to making our youngest learners feel confident, curious, and ready to begin their primary school journey.

Tonight we held our School Board AGM

It gives us great pleasure to introduce you to our new School Board representatives:

Rachel- Teacher/Secretary

Maddison- Parent

Melinda- Parent

Rodney- Acting Principal

Marg- Chair

Mary-Kate- Parent

Paul- Parish

Father Sibi- Parish Priest

We thank you all for taking on these roles and are looking forward to working with you to support our school

Book Week Parade

St Mary’s, you are amazing! Our Book Week Parade today was out of this world!

Students, parents, staff and younger siblings went above and beyond with their incredible costumes. From simple to extravagant, we had the lot.

We are absolutely the luckiest School to have all of these wonderful families as part of our school community. Congratulations Mrs Fellows for a huge success!

Your tireless work and organisation all came together perfectly today (Apart from that pesky yellow crayon that kept causing mischief).Well done St Mary’s! We can’twait to do it again next year.

My New Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 109

Next

Guiding, Strengthening & Challenging

Our upgraded panels look amazing! The panels contain elements from our school logo and key words from our Mission Statement.

Congratulations to Knite Land

Huge congratulations to Knite Land for making it to the next round in shot put at the Whitsunday District Trials! Your hard work and dedication are truly paying off. Keep pushing forward and showing that strength and determination!

Father Sibi Visits Year 3

Father Sibi visited Grade 3 this week to talk about the 10 commandments. He answered many of the student's questions and discussed what the Beatitudes are.

My New Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 10

Next

Scoccer Sessions have begun

We have been fortunate enough to secure Coach Rob from Football Queensland this term to deliver some sessions to the students at St Mary's.All of the students had an absolute blast, learning the skills that are used to play the game.

My New Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 31

Next

Soccer Lessons

We are thrilled to share that we have been successful in getting Sporting Schools funding for Term 3 and Football QLD have sourced a coach to deliver 4 clinics to our students. Thank you to the Australian Sports Commission and Football Queensland for providing us with this amazing opportunity!

Rail Safety Week

Thank you so much to Dan and Marshall from Aurizon for visiting with our Early Years classes this week to talk about being safe around trains and railways. 

Bulling No Way Week

Recipes Wanted

We’re putting together a special cookbook and we’d love to include your amazing creations! 🍰🍛🍪

If you’ve got a family favourite, a secret sauce, or a go-to dish you’re proud of, now’s the time to share it with the world.

Submit your recipe using the link below:
https://publishedauthors.com.au/

Friendly Reminder

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