Week 1/2 - Term 4

Principal's News

Dear Parents and Caregivers 

Term Four is well and truly underway already, with a hive of activity occurring in many places around our school and parish community! The term will no doubt go quickly being a 9 week term, but being combined with the annual culminating events for graduating students and end of year schedules of reporting and wrapping up a completed year for all students, we will all need to strap in and hang on.

Our swimming program is being well received by our students as they further develop their swimming abilities and also prepare for our Swimming Carnival in Week 8 on Friday 28th November. A big thanks to Mrs Bev Lowcock who is overseeing our swimming program and our carnival. We are so very appreciative of her contributions and input to our St Mary’s community. 

We have managed to squeeze in a 3 week interschool modified hockey competition with Queens Beach State school this term thanks to Mr Peter Tawes, and we are hopeful for similar ventures with soccer and basketball next year. Mr Tawes is a retired teacher and remains an active hockey coach. Many in our community will know Mr Tawes and his previous hockey coaching at St Mary’s as well as his current volunteering with Maths tutoring for our Senior Primary students. 

The games will be a modified version of the full hockey game and will be played in the Covered Play Area. The schedule will be as follows:

• Friday 24th October – Venue: St Mary’s Catholic School
• Friday 31st October – Venue: Queens Beach State School
• Friday 7th November – Venue: St Mary’s Catholic School

The teams from both schools will come together just after 1:30 pm for a series of warm up drills, with the games themselves being two 20 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime.  The first game will have a strong focus on game rules, how to play, and passing the ball out into open space. Mr Tawes will be umpiring and running the games with staff from both schools managing their respective teams. 

Each school will put forward a mixed team of 5 players with 3 reserve players. Given that we have only managed 3 games this term, and our Year 6 students are in their last term of Primary school, we will allocate these games to our Year 6 students, however the plan is to have the capacity to also have some of our Year 5 and 6 students next year involved in interschool sport competitions. Games will be played (and modified) with a focus on safe play. A key component of the modified game is punting and keeping the ball on the ground. If the ball is raised off the ground, the player is penalised. This removes the need for mouth-guards. Shin guards will be provided on the day. I have spoken to our Year 6 students today and will send home more information for parents on Monday. 

Our new basketball backboards have arrived and are with the contractor to install this term. Due to their weight being slightly more than expected, the contractor has decided to install a pole under them now in addition to the brackets onto the sides of the shed. This is being organised now and they will hopefully be installed and in use before the end of this term. This will be an exciting addition to our sporting capacities for next year. We have a very healthy interest in both basketball and soccer at St Mary’s and I believe that the students abilities will be set to soar here next year. 

Thank you to all in our community as we have navigated and surveyed the uniform options for St Mary’s. As mentioned in our surveys, any uniform changes that occur will have a 3 year transition period so that families are not under any compulsion to rush out and make any changes. Regarding the uniform changes, all proposed changes and new additions (House shirt and hat) received a majority vote except for the black shorts / skorts. The black shorts and skorts will remain and can be purchased from Best and Less still if families prefer. School locker will also offer those items for families if they wish. 

Our 2026 Student Leadership Selection process commenced last week for our Year 5 students. They received and introduction to the process and nomination forms for them to complete, along with getting their parents permission, a peer endorsement and a staff endorsement. This week the students who nominated, had an interview with the school leadership team to discuss their nominations. Next week they will prepare speeches and in Week 4 they will present their speeches to students in Years 4-6 and staff. Our 2026 student leaders will be announced in Week 5, and formally presented with their badges in the final week of school at our End of Year Awards morning on Tuesday 2nd December. 

I will be in Townsville next week at Principal meetings and training for our new online enrolment software, and our Assistant Principal Mrs Krystal Land will be Acting Principal in my stead. I am already looking forward to returning in Week 4 and finishing the year well with the rest of our St Mary’s Catholic School community. Thank you again for your commitment to our school and your child’s educational journey.

Yours sincerely

Rodney Lane

Acting Principal

Religious Life of the School

Welcome back to Term 4! This term is always filled with energy and community spirit as we come together to celebrate our faith and the many achievements of our students. I look forward to seeing our students continue with enthusiasm, kindness, and purpose as we approach the end of the school year.

We have several events taking place this term that reflect our Catholic identity and commitment to service. Students will be raising money for vulnerable communities in Zambia via crazy sock day which will be on October 31st. This will give students the opportunity to learn about global mission and make a difference through fun, faith-filled action. In early November, we will gather for our All Saints Prayer Service on October 31st, celebrating the lives of the saints who inspire us to live with courage and compassion. 

Our Year 6 students will lead our Remembrance Day Liturgy at 9 am on November 11th, honouring those who have served and reflecting on the importance of peace. We also warmly invite all school families to join us for Family Mass at 9:00am on Sunday, November 9th, and we hope to see many of you there. 

The Vinnies Christmas Appeal will begin shortly and we invite families to support those in need during the holiday season through donations via student classrooms. Mini Vinnie students will also be visiting Muroona Gardens for Christmas Activities and carols again this term. More information about these events will be forthcoming. 

Finally, we will conclude the school year with our End of Term Mass and Celebrations on the last day of term, giving thanks for the blessings of 2025 and the wonderful community shared here at St Mary’s.

May we continue to live out our school charism of justice, compassion, and outreach in all that we do.

For more information on Socktober and this year’s charity please see: https://www.socktober.org.au/about/zambia 

Suzette Windridge
Assistant Principal – Religious Education and School Chaplain

Learning and Teaching

Dear Parents and Carers,

During the Pupil Free Day on 7th October all teachers engaged in Professional Development about the new Educational Guidelines released by NSSAB.

The Non-State School Accreditation Board (NSSAB) have released Educational Guidelines to be implemented as of the 2026 school year, which outlines the Curriculum Requirements for schools, including the minimum time allocations for Learning Areas. 

Who is the NSSAB and what do they do?

• A statutory body; part of the portfolio of the Minister for Education and the Arts.
• Many functions including assess and decide applications about governing bodies' eligibility for government funding 
• Monitor whether accredited schools continue to comply with the accreditation criteria

Why the change to Learning Area time allocations?

• NSSAB underwent a review to ensure the accreditation framework was updated to reflect current best practices and emerging educational issues.
• Guidelines clarifies the statutory requirements for a non-state school’s written educational program under section 9 of the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Regulation 2017 
• Offers a framework to assist schools to demonstrate compliance and ensure the integrity of curriculum and learning outcomes for students are upheld.

(Qld Government, Non-State Schools Accreditation Board, 2025)

As part of these new guidelines being released schools need to complete an audit on the interruptions to learning time which needs to be utilised for curriculum purposes. After this they are to identify based upon the mandated hours for curriculum how many discretionary hours are left to be utilised in the life of the school for non curriculum related activities.

NSSAB defines discretionary time as the time allocation within the school week or year that schools can utilise to offer programs/events/ and or activities that go beyond the core curriculum or ACARA Version 9. 

Discretionary time includes:

• The Religious Life of the School: Prayer, Mass and Christian Meditation
• Assembly
• Culturally significant events e.g NAIDOC 
• Transition days 
• Fundraising Events
• Life Education Van, RACQ Streets Ahead, Daniel Morcombe Day etc
• Social Emotional programs eg: Friendology 
• Eisteddfod
• Sports Day, including athletics, cross country 
• School camps
• Supplementary, extracurricular events eg: Arts Council

Moving forward in the 2026 school year you will see some changes to the activities and events that occur at St Mary's. We look forward to continuing our work in this space to ensure that we are delivering the curriculum to a high quality standard and giving it the time that it deserves.

Kind regards,

Krystal Land

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning 

Music & Art News

Our students have had a busy start to term 4 that has been full of creativity and innovation as our students explored new tools, techniques and ideas in both visual arts and music. 

Year 3: Multimedia Masterpieces! 

In visual arts, our Year 3 students have been experimenting with multimedia artworks and the results are simply stunning! Using a combination of watercolours, markers, printed media and coloured paper, students created layered pieces full of texture, depth and imagination. They explored how different materials can work together and their finished artworks are bright and bursting with creativity.

Year 6: Making Music with Technology! 

In Music, our Year 6 students have been exploring melody and harmony using the Song Maker Tool on Chrome Music Lab. This digital music platform has allowed them to compose songs while experimenting with pitch, rhythm and layering sounds. It’s been wonderful to see students so engaged - testing ideas, collaborating and discovering how technology can be used as a creative instrument.

Year 6 News

On the 15th of October, 4 students competed in a competition called Quest for Knowledge. These students, Charlotte, Bailee, Zeke and Aaliyah, competed against schools across the Townsville Diocese, and we did an amazing job. Miss Davidson helped us practise and we really appreciate her help. THANK YOU MISS!! :) 

We dressed up as well for this event, and it was super fun. BRING ON THE GLITTER AND TUTUS!

We were on a Zoom call, and the other teams were very good. Congratulations to the winners and runners-up!! They all did a great job.

By Charlotte, Bailee, Aaliyah and Zeke

Term 4 Calendar

Class Awards - Week 1 - Show Respect

Birthdays

Praise Note Winner

Get ready to get colourful with our St Mary's Catholic School Monty's Colour Fun Run!

This term the P&F are hosting a Monty's Colour Fun Run on Friday, 5th December, to celebrate the end of the school year and raise funds to purchase and install large, heavy duty fans for the Big Shed to keep students cool!

Fundraising for our school is easy! Simply go to www.myprofilepage.com.au and click onto the register button to create a cybersafe, online profile page to share around to family and friends to receive online donations. There are prizes to be earnt and Monty coins to collect! You only need to raise $10 to receive your first incentive prize or you send your donations to one of the great causes on offer!

Online fundraising opens today (17th November) and closes on Friday, 14th November. Students should have received an information letter and booklet this week. Please contact the office if you have not received one.
For more information, please contact St Mary's P&F Association via email: pandfstmarysbowen@gmail.com

Day for Daniel and Crazy Sock Day

On Friday 31 October, students are invited to wear red to help us remember Daniel Morcombe. The colour red represents child safety and the Daniel Morcombe foundation.

Please note, crazy sock/hair day will be celebrated on the same day. Gold coin donation optional. All funds raised will go towards https://www.socktober.org.au/about/zambia

TOURNAMENT OF MINDS MOVIE NIGHT FUNDRAISER!

Help support our 25 local students as they travel to Sydney to represent our community at the TOM International Finals, competing against students from across Australia and 8 other countries!

Monday, 27th October
7:00pm for a 7:30pm start
$25 per person

Your ticket includes:
Lucky door ticket
Light supper with Peach Cakes, Little Caramel Tarts, Jelly Slice, Savoury Quiches, Sausage Rolls & more!

Raffles on the night!

Come along for a fun evening, great food, and to help our talented students reach the world stage! 

Friday Swimming Has Started!

Our students are back in the pool and having the best time splashing, learning, and building their confidence in the water! 💦

It’s wonderful to see so many smiles and so much progress already, what a great way to finish the week!

My New Gallery

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End of year Events

New Parade Time

Life Ed Visits

Healthy Harold has been visiting St Mary’s this week, and what a treat it’s been! Our students were thrilled to meet him and learn all about staying safe, healthy, and happy. From nutrition to friendships, Harold helped make these important lessons fun and unforgettable. Thanks to Life Education for bringing such a positive experience to our school!

My New Gallery

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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

A reminder that all tuckshop orders are placed through the Flexischools App.

It’s quick and easy — just download the app, set up your account, and place your order online.

👉 Please see the link below for more information and to get started.

Below are the Wednesday and Friday menus ⬇️