2025 Term 1 Week 10
Dear Parents and Carers,
Our staff wish you all a restful and school Easter holiday break.
As we journey through the sacred season of Lent, we are invited to pause, reflect, and grow closer to God through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a special time for our school community to deepen our faith and open our hearts more fully to the love of Jesus.
Lent is not just about giving something up - it’s about making space for God in our daily lives. Whether it’s through kind words, small sacrifices, or reaching out to help others, each of us can make a difference in our school, our homes, and our world.
Here at St Mary’s, we encourage our students to live Lent with intention - by being kind friends, generous helpers, and thoughtful listeners. Through acts of love and compassion, they are walking in the footsteps of Christ.
May this Lenten season be a time of grace, growth, and transformation for all of us. Let us support one another in faith as we prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter.
Finally, thank you to the families and helpers who so generously supported our Easter Raffle. Our helpers were able to make a large number of prizes from the donated items.
Warm regards
Jacki Moore
Principal
Keeping School Funding Fair – What You Need to Know
Did you know that 6 in 10 Australians don’t fully understand how school funding works? Catholic Schools NSW has launched the Keep School Funding Fair campaign to ensure families have access to clear and accurate information.
Our schools play a vital role in providing high-quality education while keeping costs affordable for families. A fair, means-tested funding model ensures all students are supported, no matter their background.
Read the Catholic Schools NSW media release below to learn more, and visit keepfundingfair.org.au to watch the explainer video and take action.
“We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery - the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’ We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the ‘fundamental duty of love of neighbour, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy’. We realize that joy is demanding; it demands unselfishness; it demands a readiness to say with Mary: ‘Be it done unto me according to thy word’.”
- St. John Paul II
Angelus, Adelaide, Australia
Sunday, 30 November 1986
John Paul II didn’t sugarcoat it - life is hard. True joy isn't about pretending everything is perfect. Instead, it comes from knowing that even when things are hard, there's a deeper truth: the story of Jesus shows us that love and hope ultimately win. The idea of his rising again – the Resurrection – is a powerful turning point. It means that even though there's darkness and difficulty in the world, that's not the final say. The message of hope, like a joyful shout of 'Alleluia, He is risen!', is what endures.
That’s what makes us Easter people. We carry a hope that holds steady when life gets messy. It's about showing kindness to those we find difficult, choosing to be understanding even when it's not easy, and believing that the power of hope is still alive in the world and in ourselves.
So as we walk through this Easter season, maybe the real question is not ‘what can I get?’ but ‘what can I give?’ What if Alleluia wasn’t just a word we sing but the way we live? Maybe that’s exactly what the world is waiting for - an Easter people who don’t just sing ‘Alleluia’ but live it, wherever they go.
St Mary’s presents - Stations of the Cross Thurs 10th April at 10:00am
You're warmly invited to join us for a moving presentation of the Stations of the Cross, depicting Jesus' journey from condemnation to the cross. We welcome families, friends, and all members of our community to experience this powerful reflection with us on Thursday, April 10th at 10:00am. We have a large cast of students from K - 6, bringing this significant story to life.
Sacrament of Confirmation - Tuesday 20th May
Confirmation is a special step for our baptised children, where they'll receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and make a deeper commitment to their faith. Confirmation confirms Baptism and is the second formal step in the process of becoming initiated into the Christian community.
Students in Years 3 - 6 will begin preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation early in Term 2. If your child wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this year, please complete the Google Form that has been shared with you via Compass.
We're looking forward to guiding our students on this wonderful journey of faith!
Activity in the Year of Hope - THE KING OF KINGS
Angel Studios, creators of The Chosen and Sound of Freedom, will release THE KING OF KINGS in Australian cinemas on April 10, 2025. This animated film, featuring stars like Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, and Oscar Isaac, reimagines the story of Jesus through Charles Dickens narrating to his son.
More than a movie, THE KING OF KINGS is a faith-formation tool, bringing Christ’s love, sacrifice, and triumph to life. With stunning animation and timeless values, it offers families a meaningful, Gospel-centered experience.
Watch the trailer here: THE KING OF KINGS | Official Trailer | In AUS & NZ Cinemas April
Playground Survey
Thank you to each parent and their child/children who took the time to complete the playground survey via Google Forms. We truly appreciate your thoughtful feedback.
As part of our ongoing commitment to school improvement, we will be carefully reviewing all of your responses. Your insights will be invaluable as we work to enhance our playground and create a more enjoyable and engaging space for all students. We will keep you updated on our progress!
Student Expectations & Values: The St Mary’s Way
This week, our school leaders again chose to focus on one of the most important aspects of the St Mary's Way: respect. This week, our school focus is on demonstrating respect through action! We're challenging everyone to actively participate in keeping our school environment clean by picking up rubbish whenever you see it. Let's work together to show respect for our space and each other.
Wishing you an Easter Season of Hope & Renewal,
Hannah Gorman
Assistant Principal Mission
Learning and Teaching
Our Learning and Teaching School Annual Improvement goal is focused on enhancing students' reading and spelling skills. We are implementing targeted strategies and resources to strengthen foundational literacy, aiming to foster confident and capable readers and writers. This commitment ensures all students have the tools they need to succeed academically and beyond. We appreciate your partnership in supporting your child's literacy development at home, below are some ways that you can assist in supporting your child’s reading development.
Understanding the Basics:
- Reading isn't natural: Unlike spoken language, reading requires explicit instruction. It's about connecting sounds to letters.
- Key components:
- Phonemic Awareness: This is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. It's purely auditory.
- Phonics: This involves understanding the relationship between sounds and the letters that represent them (graphemes). It's about connecting sounds to print.
- Fluency: This is the ability to read accurately, quickly, and with expression.
- Vocabulary: Knowing the meaning of words is essential for understanding what you read.
- Comprehension: This is the ultimate goal: understanding the meaning of text.
How You Can Help at Home:
- Phonemic Awareness Activities:
- Play sound games: "I spy" with sounds ("I spy something that starts with /b/").
- Practice segmenting (breaking words into sounds): "Cat" is /c/ /a/ /t/.
- Practice blending (putting sounds together): /s/ /a/ /t/ makes "sat."
- Practice manipulating sounds: "Change the /c/ in 'cat' to /b/'—what word do you have?" (bat).
- Phonics Practice:
- Help your child learn letter sounds. Focus on the sounds letters make, not just their names.
- Practice sounding out words: Encourage your child to say each sound in a word and then blend them together.
- Read simple, decodable books: These books use words with predictable sound-letter patterns.
- Build Vocabulary:
- Read aloud to your child regularly.
- Talk about new words and their meanings.
- Use rich language in everyday conversations.
- Develop Comprehension:
- Ask questions about the stories you read together: "What happened? Why?"
- Talk about the characters and their feelings.
- Encourage your child to make connections between the story and their own experiences.
- Make Reading Enjoyable:
- Read together every day.
- Let your child choose books that interest them.
- Create a print-rich environment at home.
Important Considerations:
- Be patient: Learning to read takes time and practice.
- Keep it positive: Encourage your child's efforts and celebrate their progress.
Warm regards
Jas
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Cross Country
Congratulations to those students who have qualified to attend the 2025 Clarence Zone Cross Country Carnival. The carnival will be held at McAuley Catholic College on Monday 5 May (Week 2, Term 2). Additional information will be provided in the Compass Event. We wish our students every success.
All of these students will now represent our School at the Clarence Zone Cross Country Trials. This carnival will be held at McAuley Catholic College, Grafton on Monday Week 2, Term 2. Students will travel by bus to and from the event during school hours. Special mention to all our Infants students who ran with great speed in our Cross Country, we may have to extend their race next year!
Winter Sports Trials - Rugby League
After so many postponements, today Thursday 10 April, is the Diocesan Rugby League Trials at Frank McGuren field Grafton. Willow Dwyer, Braxn Nipperess and Harry Whyte are involved in these trials and are in our thoughts as they represent our school today.
Sport Term 2
St Mary’s have secured a Sporting Schools Grant for Term 2. The application was made for a Professional Basketball Coach to teach students the foundation skills of basketball. Blake from Basketball N.S.W will run this program at school with all students on Fridays, Kindergarten to Year 6.
Counselling
Kind regards
Catherine Collopy (School Counsellor - St Mary’s Grafton)
Upcoming webinars
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.
CV For Life
My future CV is an interactive program for Year 6 students to
- encourage lifelong learning
- raise aspirations
- Elevate self-awareness of transferable skills
- Introduce future educational pathways
Relay for Life
OOSH Vacation Care
School Year Safely: Tips for 2025
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.
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.