2025 Term 1 Week 3
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been a pleasure welcoming our Kindergarten students over the past fortnight. They’ve done an excellent job settling into our school routines and adapting to the structures we have in place.
2025 School Leaders
During our Beginning of School Mass this year's school leaders were inducted. Congratulations to the following students:
| School Captains | Parker Bancroft | Addison Peppernell |
| Vice Captains | Willow Dwyer | Daisy Grayson |
| House Captains | ||
| Goretti | John Graham | William Bryant |
| Marian | Charlotte Ensbey | Arlie Brotherson |
| Patricius | Krystal Randell | Braxn Nipperess |
| Regina | Macey Eveleigh | Austin Earp |
Swimming
We are excited to see the new Grafton Pool up and running. We look forward to holding our swimming carnival for 2025 in Term 4. Holding the carnival at this time of year will allow us to select students based on their times for qualification to Zone the following year.
In addition, we are hoping to secure a Sporting Schools grant in Term 4 to provide weekly swimming lessons for our students. This will not only help us assess their swimming abilities in preparation for the carnival but also ensure their safety. The wade pool will also be open by then, offering our less confident and younger students a chance to enjoy the water.
Canteen
A special thank you goes to Nancy Nolloth, who has taken on the role of Canteen Supervisor. Nancy has done a fantastic job getting the canteen up and running so that we could open today. In the near future, she will be introducing new items to the menu. If you are able to volunteer your time to assist in the canteen, please contact the school office.
NB: a Compass message was sent out last Thursday to inform families that the Flexischool portal for Canteen ordering will be closed. Going forward, all canteen orders should be placed through Compass. If you need a refund for previous orders, this can be done via the Flexischool app. A special canteen day is planned for Ash Wednesday.
Assembly
We’re also thrilled to announce that our school assemblies will be held weekly on Fridays at 2:30 pm. Principal Awards will take place in Weeks 4 and 8 of each term. During these weeks, there will be no Mercy Awards.
School Fees
In the last few weeks families were contacted by the Catholic Schools Office to explain the changes that are occurring with school fees this year. Fees for the school year are charged in February (or upon enrolment) and families were asked to nominate the payment plan that best suits their situation eg payments made weekly, fortnightly etc. Statements were sent out this week and included the schedule of payments for the year.
Please contact the school office if you did not receive your statement.
Upcoming Events
A Term 1 Events Calendar is attached to this newsletter. This document will be regularly updated, so be sure to check back for any changes.
Warm regards
Jas Stuart
Acting Principal
It has been such a joy to welcome our new Kindergarten students and their families to the St Mary’s community! We have also been incredibly proud to witness our current St Mary’s students step up as mentors and friends, offering support and guidance to our newest members. Their kindness and enthusiasm, inspired by Jesus' example of love and compassion, has truly made this transition a smooth and positive experience for everyone. This display of empathy and support reflects our school's Mercy values, which emphasise compassion, service, and justice.
Beginning of Year Mass & Leaders Induction
Last Wednesday, we celebrated the beginning of a new school year with our whole school Mass, led by Father Joe. It was a special occasion, marked by the formal induction of our new student leaders, who were presented with their leadership badges. It was so lovely to be joined by so many of our parents, carers, and community members as we shared in the Eucharist together, giving thanks for the year ahead and asking for God's blessings on our school community.
Family Parish Mass: Sunday 2nd March
We warmly invite all our students and their families to join us for Mass at St Mary's Church on Sunday, March 2nd at 8:00 am. We would love to worship together as a community. Morning tea will be provided after Mass, offering a chance to connect with one another.
The season of Lent begins before our next edition of the Newsletter, on Wednesday 5th March. Lent is a 40-day season commencing on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday. Throughout the 40 days of Lent, we commit more fully to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a time for strengthening our faith, a time to reflect on who we are and where we are going. We will be holding two events in the coming weeks to prepare and begin our Lenten season. This is a time we also offer the opportunity for students to participate in almsgiving at school by beginning our collections for Project Compassion.
Shrove Tuesday
On Tuesday 4th March, we will begin preparing for our Lenten Journey by celebrating Shrove Tuesday.
Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was a day of preparing for Lent and feasting. People went to church to confess their sins and then went home and feasted on foods that were forbidden to eat during Lent, such as eggs and fats. One way of eating all the forbidden food was to make pancakes.
Classes will begin their day with a small prayer on Shrove Tuesday followed by pancakes being available for students to purchase for a Gold Coin donation at Lunchtime. We would love parent helpers to assist in the preparation of the pancakes from 9:00am, if you are able to assist please contact the school.
Ash Wednesday
Our Ash Wednesday liturgy will be held on Wednesday, 5th March at 11:15am. Ash Wednesday begins the forty days of preparation for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. On Ash Wednesday we receive ashes on our forehead. The ashes are from the burned palms from last year's Palm Sunday, and they are an outward sign that we want to spend Lent growing closer to God.
Bishop Greg Homeming is the Bishop of our Lismore Catholic Diocese. Each year he presents a series of ever-popular Lenten talks in the lead up to Easter. This year the Bishop is focusing on the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Bishop Greg’s talks will be held on Mondays and will begin at 6pm:
- Monday 10 March
- Monday 17 March
- Monday 24 March
It will be available to view on the Lismore Diocese YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@LismoreDioceseAU
Student Expectations & Values: The St Mary’s Way
Last week at assembly, our student leaders announced that our St Mary's Way focus is…
Like Jesus, I am respectful by using manners and speaking politely.
It has been lovely to witness our students embracing this focus and interacting so positively with one another. It's heartwarming to see the children actively trying to emulate Jesus' example of respect in their daily interactions, creating a more harmonious and supportive environment for everyone.
Wellbeing
At the heart of Catholic Education lies a commitment to the wellbeing and safety of every student. Using the Berry Street Education Model, all classes continue to work on establishing and maintaining safe and predictable learning environments through routines. This focus supports our 2025 School Improvement Plan (SAIP) Goal: Uplift student engagement and wellbeing through optimal learning environments.
Along with practicing key routines, all classes engage in daily Christian Meditation, following lunch break, to nurture their ability to be still and silent with God. Christian Meditation is a simple way of silent prayer practiced by Christians as early as the fourth century. Children are natural meditators and readily open their hearts and minds to God’s presence within and around them. Over time, as we develop a regular practice, meditation changes us. The changes that take place can best be described as in St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
Koori Kids 2025 ANZAC School Initiative
Students will today receive a competition entry form for the Koori Kids 2025 ANZAC school initiative. The aim of this initiative is to provide a greater understanding and awareness on the importance and respect of ANZAC Day. We encourage all students to complete and submit their creative entries by returning them to school by Monday 7th April, so they can be mailed off for judging. At a school level, we will have prizes for the top 3 Infants and Top 3 Primary entries!
Three flyers have been attached to this newsletter regarding Behaviour Management, Understanding Bullying and the CCSP Dream Webinar for your information.
Sincerely
Hannah Gorman
Assistant Principal Mission
A question teachers often get asked in K-2, is how can we support our children at home with their reading.
When teachers send home reading activities it is for consolidation and to practice what they have been learning at school. Some of the reading activities that are sent home are decodable words or texts.
Here are some helpful tips when reading with your child at home.
How can I support my child’s reading when they are reading a decodable text?
It is important that a child does not randomly guess or use the pictures to work out unknown words. Focus should be on the letters and sounds, and the process of blending those together to read the word. To support this strategy, you can download the Decoding Poster ‘What to do if I get stuck?’ from our website in the free resources section.
Some key features when supporting the reading process
- Use a tracking finger to hold the position of reading and have your child slide it along as they read.
- If an error is made, ask your child to try decoding the word again. Then re-reading the complete sentence will assist with fluency and understanding.
- If your child forgets the sounds when decoding, say the sounds out loud for them, so they can blend them together.
- At the end of the book ask questions to check for understanding and to discuss the story.
- Celebrate each book and the effort your child has just given!
What if my child is reading every word slowly and sounding out every word?
Some children take a little bit longer to develop automaticity in reading and that’s ok. The process of sounding out words may seem tiresome, but this is part of the process. Learning to read takes time and hard work! Repeated practise is the key!
To learn more about helping your child at home or where to access decodable readers visit:
https://www.speldnsw.org.au/parents-hub/decodable-readers-at-home/
Kind regards
Rebecca Bentley
Acting Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Counselling
Welcome to Term 1. The following free Headspace workshop is evidence based, trauma-informed and follows the Australian Disaster Recovery framework. Please click on the link below to register for this free online Webinar.
At some stage we will all experience grief, and yet it can feel like an extremely isolating experience. Find out what simple and practical things you can do to support yourself and others through grief.
When: Mon 24th February - 4-5pm
Where: Online
Register here
Who: Staff and Parents and Carers
Kind regards
Catherine Collopy (School Counsellor - St Mary’s Grafton).
Sport
Clarence Zone Winter Sports Trials
A number of St Mary’s students tried out in various winter sports over the past week. Congratulations to these students who have been selected to represent the Clarence Zone
Soccer - Parker Bancroft and Jimmy Walsh
Hockey - Addison Peppernell, Freya Kroehnert and Charlotte Brown
Rugby League - Braxn Nipperess, Willow Dwyer and Harry Whyte
Rugby Union trials are coming up, good luck to Sandy Fenn, Hugo Fenn, Braxn Nipperess, Ethan Maloney and Jimmy Walsh.
The Diocesan trials are coming up in the next few weeks and we wish all our representatives the best of luck on their sporting endeavours.
Yours in sport
Peter Tonkin
Primary School Gala Days - Football Registration
FEES
Start the School Year Safely: Tips for 2025
As children return to school, it's important to prioritise their safety on the journey to and from school. Take time to discuss these key safety tips with your child:
Getting In and Out of the Car:
- Always use the door closest to the curb to prevent stepping into traffic
- Make sure your child waits until the car has completely stopped before exiting.
Walking Safely:
- Encourage distraction-free walking by asking your child to remove headphones and put away devices while crossing streets.
- Teach your child to stay alert, follow traffic signals, and use designated pedestrian crossings.
Using the Bus Safely:
- Wait at the bus stop together, standing at least one step back from the edge of the road.
- Always meet your child at the bus stop on the same side of the road—never call them across from the opposite side.
- Wait for the bus to leave before crossing the street, ensuring it is safe to cross.
Using Wheeled Transport:
- Remind your child that helmets are mandatory when riding a bike in public—it’s the law.
- Encourage helmet use and protective gear for other wheeled activities, such as scooters, skateboards, and rollerblades.
Never sacrifice safety for convenience, source: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au
CVCON 2025 enrolment forms
Bricks4Kidz Northern Rivers
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.
Parking in Hoof Street
There are a small number of parking spaces near the Sunrise Shop (corner of Hoof and Turf Streets) for use by their customers. To assist this small business, we suggest parking away from the corner.
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.