2025 Term 4 Week 3
Dear Parent and Carers,
Term 4 is off to a wonderful start! Term 4 is typically a busy term with Semester 2 report cards and our end of year celebrations.
Staffing
As we enter into Term 4, we would like to share that Mr Peter Tonkin has announced his plans to transition into retirement at the end of this year.
For an extensive number of years, Peter has been a true cornerstone of St Mary's and a driving force behind our vibrant sporting culture. During his remarkable tenure at the school, he has worked across all year levels and learning spaces, sharing his expertise from the early years right through to the upper primary.
Peter’s dedication, wisdom, and countless contributions have shaped our school community in lasting ways, particularly in developing student confidence and character both in the classroom and through sport and physical education.
As we celebrate this well-deserved next chapter, we will deeply miss his leadership, expertise, and the unwavering commitment he has shown every single day. Peter has assured us that he will be available for some casual teaching next year and has even agreed to join us on the Stage 3 camp! We look forward to it, Pete!
Congratulations and best wishes Pete!
World Teachers Day today!
A massive and heartfelt Happy World Teachers' Day to all our incredible educators here at St Mary's Primary School!
Every single day, you inspire, guide, and nurture our students, shaping not just their academic abilities but their character and futures. The creativity, patience, and warmth you bring to your classrooms make St Mary's a truly special place to learn and grow.
Thank you for everything you do. Your work is more than just a job - it's a profound contribution to our school community and the world. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful team.
We hope you feel appreciated today and every day!
Jacaranda Float Parade - Saturday 1 November
We’re excited to be taking part in the vibrant Jacaranda Float Parade on Saturday, 1 November. This is a highlight of the Jacaranda Festival for many of our students.
This event relies heavily on the support of volunteers, including the teachers and the truck driver who generously volunteer many hours of their time on a Saturday. To help make lighter work of this, we would love to have lots of parents join us to assist with decorating our float. If you are available to assist please meet us in the school carpark at 2pm. Your time and creativity will make a big difference in bringing our float to life!
Parent permission in the Compass App is required for students to board the float. Space is strictly limited. Students should arrive with plenty of time to avoid missing out. For safety and scheduling, once the float is full or the gate is closed, we cannot permit any late arrivals to board.
There is a storm predicted for Saturday afternoon, if weather conditions are not favourable we may cancel our involvement in the parade in the interests of staff and student safety. Please watch your Compass App for any messages.
School Bells
To help students transition smoothly back to learning time, we’ve introduced a warning bell at the end of each play break. When the bell rings, students are reminded to start packing up games, use the bathroom, have a drink and make their way to their classrooms. This small change is designed to support students in being ready and settled for the start of their lesson.
Kiss and Drop
Kiss and Drop – Turf Street
Turf Street is a very busy road at all times of the day, especially during school drop-off and pick-up. To help keep traffic flowing smoothly and ensure the safety of our students, please follow these guidelines:
- The Kiss and Drop bay is a 1-minute parking zone.
- Drivers must remain in their vehicles at all times.
- If your child cannot fasten their seatbelt independently, please park your car in a designated parking area, and collect your child from either the Turf Street or Hoof Street gates.
- No double parking at any time.
Our staff members go above and beyond during pick-up times to ensure that students are being collected safely. Please treat them with respect and kindness.
Disco
Our Year 6 students and parents will be running a school disco on Thursday 6 November. Proceeds from the disco will go towards the Year 6 Graduation and Fun Day.
Please note that a parent or carer will need to remain on site to supervise their child/children throughout the entirety of the Disco.
Transition Activities
The Transition to School program for children starting Kindergarten in 2026 at St Mary’s Primary will be held on Tuesday 11 November and Wednesday 19 November.
The McAuley Catholic College are holding their orientation day for all year 6 students who have accepted an offer of enrolment at McAuley Catholic College for 2026 on Tuesday, 11th November 2025. Also on the 11th November, a Year 7 2026 Parent Information Night is being held at the College, starting at 6pm.
Additional information has been shared previously with families.
School Fee Assistance
We recognise the financial pressures that families may face and strive to offer flexible payment options to accommodate different circumstances. DLCSL is developing an organisation fee assistance and debt management processes that will replace the current policies that exist at our schools.
Please reach out to Jacki if your family experiences financial difficulty or hardship, or alternatively you can complete the form on our school website.
Sun Safety
As the weather quickly warms up, please remember that we are a Sun Smart school. This is a friendly reminder that all students are required to wear a school hat during outdoor play and activities. Please help us by checking at home to make sure hats are clearly labelled, in good condition and by encouraging sun safe practices both in and out of school. Students who do not have a hat will play in passive play during break times.
Breakfast Club
During Term 4 Breakfast Club will be held on Wednesday mornings.
School Annual Improvement Plan
Learning and Teaching
Our school has been working diligently towards our Learning and Teaching School Improvement goal:
Every student can engage in the curriculum through the foundational skills in literacy, with a focus on reading and spelling.
This year, we continued the implementation of the SpellEx program in Years 3–6 and introduced InitialLit in Kindergarten to Year 2. Both InitialLit and SpellEx are evidence-based programs that use an explicit instruction approach to teaching reading, spelling, and writing.
Teachers collaborate weekly with our Middle Leaders of Curriculum to analyse student data and plan the next steps for each learner. In addition, staff meet three times per term as a whole school to review whole-school data and determine how to further embed evidence-based instructional practices into daily teaching.
Our leaders work closely with teachers through observation, modelling, and co-teaching, supporting both the planning and classroom implementation phases of student learning.
We are proud to report that our NAPLAN data in Reading and Spelling has shown improvement compared to previous years. We are excited to continue this important work as we strive for high levels of achievement for all students.
Religious Education
Our school has been working diligently towards our Religious Education School Improvement goal:
Implement best practice Religious Education to engage all students through contemporary pedagogy and teacher formation in Religious Education that meets all students needs through a focus on curriculum, delivery and formation.
We have launched a number of initiatives to achieve our goal of implementing best practice Religious Education that engages all students through contemporary pedagogy and strong teacher formation.
This year, we introduced the comprehensive St Mary's Religious Education Programming Guide and worked to enhance instructional delivery with a staff meeting focused on Storytelling Pedagogy and the Worlds of the Text to break open the Scriptures.
We have also provided engaging learning opportunities, including a special talk for K-6 from the Diocesan Director of Catholic Mission, Loana Wallace, a Stage 2 Walking Labyrinth Prayer experience, and a Stage 3 Walking Rosary Prayer Experience.
Mission
Our school has been working diligently towards our Mission School Improvement goal:
St Mary’s School is distinctly Catholic in identity
We have significantly strengthened the goal of ensuring St Mary's School is distinctly Catholic in identity through several intentional, community-wide initiatives.
We have embedded faith into our whole-school routines by holding liturgical celebrations and including daily prayer and the Examen in weekly assemblies.
To nurture a spiritual environment for our staff, we redesigned the staffroom to feature a dedicated prayer focus, and we continue to enhance our physical school environment by displaying traditional Catholic symbols and artworks in the main office.
Our commitment to missionary discipleship was powerfully demonstrated through our Socktober initiative for Catholic Mission, which saw incredible student engagement and fundraising success that was recognised by the National Schools Engagement Officer for raising over $1300 in just 24 hours!
Furthermore, we are looking forward to dedicated professional learning in Week 4, when our Assistant Director, Gary Reen, will lead the staff meeting to share essential information about our patron saint, Saint Mary, deepening our collective connection to our school's spiritual foundation.
Pastoral Care
Our school has been working diligently towards our Pastoral Care School Improvement goal:
Uplift student engagement, and wellbeing through optimal learning environments.
We have made great achievements toward our goal of Uplifting student engagement and wellbeing!
Our staff have been working with the CSO Pastoral Care Officer to refine our Whole School Behaviour management policy and procedures, with a final review of consequences being the last step before sharing with our community.
We have also used our professional learning to develop a Whole School Pastoral Care Continuum of Care, including the development and implementation of a Whole School Ready to Learn scale and clear Tiers of Intervention. This ensures every student receives the daily support they need to be regulated and prepared for optimal learning as part of our ongoing commitment to provide Christ-centred, safe and supportive learning environments.
Term 4 2025 Calendar Link
Pupil Free Days and Public Holidays
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17 December 2025 |
Final Day of 2025 for students |
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18 December 2025 |
Staff Development Day - student free day |
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19 December 2025 |
Staff Development Day - student free day |
Warm regards
Jacki, Jasmine and Hannah
New Resource for Families: Supporting Children Through Grief and Loss
We know that grief and loss can be some of the most difficult experiences for children to face. To support families in having these important conversations, a series of videos and resources has been created for parents and carers.
These resources, which focus on bereavement, are now available in the Parent Resource Centre Link.
We encourage you to explore these materials and use them to support your child during times of loss. If you have any concerns about how your child is coping, please share them with us so we can work together to provide the care and support they need.
Diocesan Cricket Trials
Hugo Fenn, Sandy Fenn, Harry Whyte and Spencer O’Range will be representing our school in the Diocesan Cricket trials being held in Lismore on Friday 7 November. If successful in selection they will then represent our Diocese at the Polding cricket trials in Bathurst in December. We wish all boys the best of luck with their future cricket trials.
School Swimming
Next Thursday we will be restarting our summer swimming program at the Grafton Aquatic Centre. It has been many years since we did our last program due to the closure of the aquatic centre. We look forward to connecting back with the aquatic centre and continuing to teach the very important skill of swimming and water safety.
Kind regards
Peter Tonkin
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Join Grafton Athletics – Fun for All Ages! Looking for a fun, inclusive way to stay active this season? Whether you’re aiming for personal bests or just want to give it a go, our safe and supportive environment helps build skills, confidence, and lifelong friendships.
Further Info and to Register now: graftonathleticclub.com.au
Athletics – affordable, fun, and for everyone! |
Message to Year 6
Stepping Stones Seminar Term 4 2025
The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network is hosting three different webinars for parents of primary school-aged children with disabilities. Parents are able to register for one or all three.
The three Webinars cover three different topics.
Please see the attached flyer for more information and to register.
MHID HUB Stepping Stones Seminar Term 4 2025 (1).pdf
Beach Safety
Message from The Council of Catholic School Parents
The Parent Pulse: Social Media and Our Children
From 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.
Your voice matters. By completing this survey, you are helping Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) understand the real experiences, challenges, and hopes of families in our Catholic school communities. The insights gathered will directly shape our advocacy with Catholic Education authorities and Government, ensuring that the needs and perspectives of parents and carers are heard at the highest levels.
Your input will guide us in championing initiatives that strengthen learning, wellbeing, and partnership between home and school.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Regards,
Cath Garrett-Jones
Executive Director
- Only charge e-bikes, e-scooters, power tools in the garage or shed, away from living areas and exit doors.
- Never use or charge batteries or equipment showing signs of damage such as swelling, leaking, discolouration, or odours
- Only use chargers that comply with relevant standards and have been supplied with, or deemed compatible with, your battery or device
- Never leave devices on charge for extended periods (e.g. overnight) or unattended
- Switch off once fully charged
- Don’t charge phones on your pillow or in bed, only charge devices on hard surfaces
- Buy products from reputable brands and suppliers
For further information go to https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/chargesafe
Unfollow the Fear - a Guide to Online Bullying
Whether you’re a student being harassed in a group chat, a parent unsure how to help your child, an educator overwhelmed by tech-fuelled drama, or a professional watching your reputation unravel this resource is for you.
Uniforms
St Mary's School uniforms are available to purchase from Lowes in Grafton Shopping World. The sports uniform is worn on Wednesday and Friday each week.
Attendance
- If your child is arriving to the school after 8:45am please sign them in at the office.
- Please use Compass to record full day absentees. Partial absences are recorded by staff when students are signed in and out of the office.
- Students who leave a school event early will have a partial absence recorded.
- A medical certificate or other documentation may be requested where frequent absences due to illness occur.
- Generally, extended leave (greater than 10 days) during the school term would not be approved. These absences are recorded on the roll as unjustified and a completed Form 01 Extended Leave Notification Travel/Other Greater than 10 Days is required.
- In exceptional circumstances parents may complete an Form 02 Approved Extended Leave Application - Travel/Other Greater than 10 Days for consideration by the Principal, explaining why an absence for extended leave is in the best educational interest of the student. The Principal may decline or accept this application.
Overseas Visa Details
Reminder: Parents and Carers are to keep the school informed of any change in residency/visa status during the course of their child's enrolment, with evidence of new visa status provided. Parents should be made aware that the school must be informed of any change in residency status.
Working With Children Check (WWCC)
At St Mary's we are committed to creating and supporting a culture of safety for children and ensuring that children are protected. All employees and volunteers are required to have a current WWCC.
NB - The vast majority of volunteers in schools are parents of a child attending the school at which they are volunteering (eg reading groups, fetes, camps, excursions and canteen) and therefore do not require a WWCC. Exceptions to this are
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volunteers interacting one-on-one with a child not their own,
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working with children who have a disability,
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offering mentoring services,
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when the volunteer is not a parent or close relative.
Child Safeguarding Statement
The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools (DLCS) is wholly committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
As school communities and as individuals, we commit to fostering communities of safeguarding that recognise and uphold the dignity and rights of all children and young people. Our commitment is drawn from the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, in love and justice, whereby the dignity and sacredness of each child is respected. Additional information may be found on the DLCS website or by using this link: Child Safeguarding Policy.