2024 Term 2 Week 1
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back, everyone, to an exciting new term at St Mary’s! We hope you had a rejuvenating break during the school holidays. As we embark on Term 2, we're eager to dive into new learning adventures, enriching experiences, and memorable moments together. Our dedicated staff have been busy preparing engaging lessons and activities to inspire and empower our students. Whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or in extracurricular pursuits, we will embrace this term with enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence.
Information has been sent to parents regarding the Tell Them From Me Survey, an opportunity for every member of our school community to have their voice heard. This survey provides a platform for students, parents, and teachers to share their perspectives on various aspects of our school environment.
The Tell Them From Me Survey covers a range of topics including student engagement, school safety, teaching quality, and parent involvement. By participating, you contribute valuable feedback that helps us understand what we're doing well and where we can improve.
Your responses are completely confidential, and the information gathered will be used to shape initiatives and policies aimed at enhancing the overall educational experience for everyone in our school community.
We encourage all students, parents, and teachers to take part in this survey to ensure that your opinions are represented and accounted for. Look out for further details on how to access the survey and contribute to the ongoing conversation about our school.
We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming Mother's Day Breakfast and Liturgy on Friday 10 May. It's a time to honor and celebrate the incredible mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our school community.
The morning will begin with a heartwarming Mother's Day Breakfast at 8:00am, where you can enjoy a delicious spread of treats and mingle with other parents. It's a perfect opportunity to relax and connect with fellow parents while savoring some delightful refreshments.
Following the breakfast, we will gather for a special Mother's Day Liturgy starting at 9:00am. It will be a beautiful occasion filled with prayers, reflections, and music, as we express our gratitude for the love, wisdom, and guidance that mothers provide.
We encourage all parents to join us for this memorable event as we come together to celebrate the remarkable women who shape our lives in countless ways.
Next Wednesday, 8 May, our Aboriginal students and School Leaders will attend the Close the Gap Day in Yamba. The purpose of this local event is to educate and create awareness of the Close the Gap program among all youth within the Clarence Valley. Our students will engage in workshops throughout the day and experience a variety of cultural performances.
Warmest regards,
Jacki
Term 2 Events Calendar
ANZAC Day Liturgy
Our ANZAC Day liturgy this past Tuesday provided a meaningful opportunity for our students to remember and honour our heroes of the past, while also pausing to acknowledge and appreciate those who continue to serve our country today. It was a chance for our students to reflect on the values of service, bravery, and gratitude.
ANZAC Day March
Thank you to all the students who attended the ANZAC Day march. Your presence and respect were truly appreciated as we honoured the bravery and sacrifices of our servicemen and women.
Mother's Day Liturgy
We warmly invite all Mums, Grandparents, Aunts, and Special Women to a memorable Mother's Day breakfast and liturgy on Friday 10 May, from 8am. Your presence will make this occasion truly special as we celebrate the love and wisdom you bring into our lives. Don't miss out on this heartfelt tribute to you!
Mrs Dominique Montford
Assistant Principal Mission
Do it for Dolly Day
On Monday 13 May, we are inviting our students to wear Blue Free Dress as we participate in Do It for Dolly Day. This important day is an opportunity for our school community to reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students.
Learning and Teaching
All students should now have their log in details for the Premiers Reading Challenge. The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an initiative of the NSW State Government. It aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student - to read, to read more and to read more widely.
In order to complete the Challenge, students must read the following number of books based on their Challenge Level:
|
Challenge Level |
Number of books you must read |
Minimum number of PRC books |
Maximum number of Personal Choice books |
PRC book lists you can read from |
|
K-2 |
30 |
20 |
10 |
K-2, 3-4, 5-6 |
|
3-4 |
20 |
10 |
10 |
3-4, 5-6, 7-9 |
|
5-6 |
20 |
10 |
10 |
5-6, 7-9 |
You can find the booklists on the Premiers Reading Challenge Website.
Our local library has many of these books available to borrow. They also have an extensive eBook collection, available to borrow 24/7 allowing students access to the latest best-selling books for free. They can be downloaded directly onto phones and i pads. Head into the Clarence Valley library and talk to one of the librarians, who will be more than happy to provide support setting this up.
Warm regards
Jas
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Zone Cross Country
Congratulations to all the students who represented St Mary's at the Zone Cross Country on Wednesday 1 May. Five St Mary's students will compete in the Diocesan Cross Country later this term and we wish them all the best as they progress to the next stage.
Term 2 Sport
This term students will be working with Jamie from Athletics New South Wales to develop their skills. This learning will help prepare our students for our upcoming Athletics Carnival.
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.
Covid 19
COVID-19 is still present in our community.
Students and staff CANNOT attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
If a student is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is feeling well and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school but the school is to be informed of the positive test result.
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.
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
-
volunteers interacting one-on-one with a child not their own,
-
working with children who have a disability,
-
offering mentoring services,
-
when the volunteer is not a parent or close relative.