Term 2 Week 10 2024
Principal's Message
Welcome to the final week of Term 2! Can you believe that we are half-way through the school year? 20 weeks of learning and growing. I can imagine that your child/ren are feeling quite tired and weary due to the cognitive and emotional load it takes for them each day to turn up to school and be ready to learn. Thankfully, they now have 2 weeks now to rest, recharge and refocus ready for the next 20 weeks. Don’t forget we have the extra week this year in Term 4!
Parental engagement involves partnerships between schools and parents, recognising shared responsibilities, and can be divided into two core domains (Fox & Olsen, 2014):
· Family-led learning focuses on high aspirations for children, shared reading, a positive environment for homework, parent-child conversation, a cognitively stimulating home environment and support for social and emotional wellbeing. This is also referred to as “at-home” engagement.
· Family-school partnerships that encourage positive parent-teacher relationships, communication about children’s progress, and engagement in the school community, while equipping parents to effectively support and encourage their children’s learning and wellbeing. This is also referred to as “school-based” engagement.
There are many ways in which parents can engage with their child’s learning both at school and at home. The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) in partnership with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and local schools (across the government, Catholic and independent sectors) developed a conceptual model outlining specific actions and attitudes central to parental engagement (Figure 3). This conceptual model provides the types of parental engagement that are most effective (Barker & Harris, 2020).
God Bless and have a lovely break!
Emma Timmins
Principal
Religious Life of the School
150th Celebrations
We have a wonderful committee putting together a great program of celebrations for our 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in October. We welcome everyone to the celebrations and also ask for your help to make these special occasions for our school. Ways you can help:
Committee Meeting -please join us at our next meeting on 24th July at 3:30pm in the boardroom.
Memorabilia - We are looking for St Mary’s memorabilia. If you have any old uniforms, photos or report cards related to your time here or someone from your family and you are willing for us to display, please let the office know.
Sponsorship - We are also looking for sponsorship for the St Mary’s Festival. If you are interested or you know someone who might be, please contact the school office.
Prizes – We are seeking prizes for this event. If you know any businesses who can donate, please ask if they would be interested and we will recognise their contribution.
Stall Holders - We will be advertising for stall holders in the near future and would like to give our families preference. Please contact the school office if you have a business who would like to have a stall at our event or have an idea about what could be a good stall for us to have.
Celebrating First Nations Culture
Our students and staff have celebrated First Nations culture this week with art and storytelling, followed a liturgy led by Year 2. Special thanks to Miss Morgan and her helpers for bringing the day together for our students so we could celebrate First Nations culture.
Class Liturgies
Recently, Prep led a beautiful liturgy about creation. Some things that our Preppies love about Creation:
- Kaleb - I love that God created fish because we can eat them.
- Travis - I love that God created the trees because animals climb up and live up them.
- Ramsay - I love that God created the flowers because they smell beautiful.
- Nate & Lachlan K - I love that God created people because they play with us.
- Harper - I love that God created people because we can hug each other.
This week, Year One led a meaningful liturgy about Baptism and belonging to God's family. Thomas led a reflection using a dirty mirror made clean again - Like this dirty mirror is cleaned, our hearts are cleaned when we say sorry to God. When we make bad choices and act wrongly towards others and God, we get dirty and people can’t see the real person we are. When we say sorry we are washed clean and reflect the face of God.
Winter Appeal Thanks
This week we were able to restock the St Vincent de Paul pantry at Ozanam House. The St Vincent de Paul members were overwhelmed with our generosity and are very grateful for our support. Special thanks to the Mini Vinnies members who created posters, spoke at morning prayer and compiled all our goods.
Parish News
First Communion
Students who have celebrated their First Reconciliation and Confirmation are invited to prepare for their First Communion next term. Please contact the Parish Office if your child would like to register your child for this sacrament. Dates will be:
Parent Night Date – Wednesday 7th August 2024 7pm
Commitment Masses – Saturday, 10th August (Family Mass) 5pm or Sunday, 11th August 8:30am
First Session Date – Thursday 15th August at 4pm or 5:30pm (4 sessions)
First Communion – Saturday, 7th September 6pm or Sunday, 8th September 8:30am
Parish Celebration – Sunday, 8th September after Mass
Parish Masses
Please note a new church time for Saturday nights - For Winter, Saturday night Mass will be starting at 5pm. Sundays will continue to be 8:30am. There is also Children's Liturgy on Sundays during Mass time (not through school holidays).
May God bless you,
Sharon Young
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
'Let us take one day only in hands at a time. Resolve to do good today and better tomorrow.' - Catherine McAuley
Curriculum
Semester 1 Academic Report Cards
As we wrap up Term 2, we want to take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments and progress of our students. Yesterday, Semester 1 Academic Report Cards were released, providing valuable insights into your child's learning journey. We encourage you to take the time to review these report cards with your child, focusing on both Academic and Effort Grades. Our last newsletter shared more detailed information in how these grades are awarded at St Mary's.
Understanding Report Cards
It's essential to understand that students demonstrating skills and understanding AT their Year Level Standard receive a C grade. This means they are meeting the expectations for their current year level.
Students who receive an A or B grade have demonstrated abilities ABOVE the standard for their year level. They must have demonstrated above-standard abilities in most/all of the curriculum achievement standard.
A D or E grade indicates that a student is still DEVELOPING their skills to reach the year level standard. This may be in multiple areas across the subject curriculum, or just 1 or 2.
Rest assured, differentiated learning and intervention will continue in Semester 2 to support those students working towards achieving the Year Level Standard, as well as enriching the learning of those students working above the curriculum standard.
We encourage you to attend our Student-Parent-Teacher Interviews in Term 3 to learn more about how your child’s individual learning is catered for in their classroom. Your child will also share some of their work with you and explain their process of creating it. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to see your child in action as a learner, and understand their skills and abilities more clearly.
The Importance of Effort
Effort grades are just as crucial as academic grades, but they measure something different. We believe every child can aim for an A in Effort, no matter their academic level. When a student earns an A for Effort, it shows they're really trying their best and not giving up when things get tough.
We can't predict what jobs our kids will have in the future, but we do know that a strong work ethic will help them succeed in any career. School is the perfect time for children to develop habits that will serve them well throughout life. These include creating routines, communicating effectively, bouncing back from setbacks, developing strong learning behaviours, and putting in consistent effort.
We encourage you to talk with your child about their Effort grade. If they've done well, celebrate their hard work! If there's room for improvement, discuss ways they can boost their effort next time. Remember, learning to try your best is a valuable skill that will benefit your child long after they leave school.
Teacher Comments
Our dedicated teachers have put significant effort into writing individualised comments for every student. These comments offer a detailed understanding of what your child can do and highlight areas for continued growth. We ask that you support us in helping your child develop these skills at home, as this partnership is vital in ensuring their continued progress.
I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to our teachers for their time and effort spent during the assessing and reporting period. Like tax season for accountants, this time of semester can feel like a marathon to complete, and our committed teachers have made it through still with smiles on their faces! We are so blessed to have the teaching team that we do here at SMW, and we wish them a safe and restful holiday break with their families.
Keeping Up with Learning Over the Break
The upcoming holiday break is a wonderful opportunity to reinforce learning in everyday situations. Reading together, exploring nature, cooking, and engaging in discussions can provide rich, real-life learning experiences, and keep their Smart Brains working! Maintaining skills and routines during the holidays will help ensure a smooth transition back into Term 3.
We wish all our families a happy and relaxing holiday break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back safely for another exciting term of learning and growth.
Jess Harper
Middle Leader: Teaching and Learning
School Guidance Counsellor News
BUSHkids
BUSHkids is a not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting the health and wellbeing of children and families for over 85 years.
What do they do?
BUSHkids provides free preventative and early intervention allied healthcare.
BUSHkids will work with you and your child to:
- provide timely support to ensure you access the supports you need.
- give you information about best-practice early childhood intervention supports and how you can help your child.
- increase your confidence and capacity to manage and respond to your child’s support needs.
- increase your child’s ability to do activities they need or want to do throughout their day.
- increase your child’s inclusion and participation in mainstream and community settings like childcare or recreation.
- give you information about, and referrals to, other support services if needed, like parent support groups.
BUSHkids provides child based, parent based and family group programs.
Child Based groups include:
Fun FRIENDS
Fun FRIENDS is a great way for kids to learn the social and emotional skills that will help them make and keep friends, build their self-esteem and confidence, and help them maintain their mental wellbeing throughout life. Age range 4 – 7 years.
PALS Social Skills Program
PALS teaches younger kids the skills they need to build friendships and get along with others, particularly the social skills needed to do well in school. Age range 3-6 years.
Alert Program® – How does your engine run?
The Alert Program® teaches kids to recognise and regulate their level of alertness to different situations, supporting their ability to engage appropriately in what they need to do during their day. Age range 4 years +
Family based groups include:
A Steady Start to School
A Steady Start to School is BUSHkids’ school readiness program designed to prep your preppie for the big step-up to school. ‘A Steady Start to School’ provides techniques and strategies you can use at home to help your child get ready for starting school and support them through their year in Prep.
1-2-3 Magic® & Emotion Coaching
1-2-3 Magic® gives parents and carers practical ways to manage the behaviour of difficult children and provides easy to follow steps to help raise well behaved, loving, competent kids.
Triple P
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program gives parents and carers the knowledge and practical skills they need to manage difficult behaviour. It helps parents and carers build the relationship with their kids and provides simple techniques for resolving family issues and preventing problems from developing.
There are four problem topics to choose from:
- Dealing with disobedience
- Developing good bedtime routines
- Managing fighting and aggression
- Hassle-free shopping with children
Strong not Tough
The Adult Resilience program increases coping skills and resilience by showing participants how to be aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and equipping them with the skills to help them with relaxation, mindfulness, reframed thinking, communication, conflict resolution, and positive actions.
Playgroups
Playgroup is a regular meeting of parents and carers with their children, aged 0-5 years, aimed at forging the bonds essential for child development, parental confidence, and community connection.
If BUSHkids sounds like something you would be interested in or you would like more information, you can contact BUSHkids on: 07 4667 1200 or email: warwick@bushkids.org.au
Alternatively, you can also email me at Brett.Armstrong@twb.catholic.edu.au for further information.
Have a wonderful holiday break!
Brett Armstrong
School Guidance Counsellor
Positive School Culture
School Disco Fun
What a night to remember at our School Disco! Our students danced the night away to the beats of 'DJ Walker' with endless energy. The Junior and Senior Cheer Squad, led by our amazing Year 6 leaders, wowed us all with their fantastic performance!
A huge THANK YOU to the parents and carers for bringing their children along, and to the dedicated St Mary's staff for giving up their time to support this fun event. Our students and staff truly embraced the Neon/Bright Colours theme with their dazzling outfits!
Congratulations Mrs Lawson
Recently Mrs Lawson was awarded a National Service Medal for 15 years of service to the community as a Queensland Ambulance Service First Responder. In the role, Mrs Lawson supports the sick, dying, their families and bystanders during times of crisis in rural and remote areas whilst waiting for further advanced medical support arrive via onroad ambulance or Lifeflight helicopter. Congratulations Mrs Lawson on having your service recognised.
Mrs Lawson pictured with QAS Assistant Commissioner, Peta Thompson, presented with her National Service Medal.
Administration
Just a friendly reminder to name your child/ren's clothing and belongings for school. These items cost parents a lot of money and there are lots of items in our school lost property that are unnamed.
Recently, a Yeti water bottle was left on our timekeepers table at the Athletics Carnival. If you are missing one, please contact the School.
Animals on School Property
Please see our policy below regarding animals on school property. Please review as we have some students with severe phobias of animals and there are WHS requirements around having pets at school.
Thankyou to our Traffic Supervisors/Lollipop ladies for helping keep our children safe. Your work is much appreciated.
Wishing you all a wonderful winter holiday and we look forward to seeing all our families back for Term 3 on Tuesday, 9th July.
Parent Engagement Network (PEN)
Hello Parents and Carers,
We are the Parent Engagement Network (PEN) executives. It is part of our role to assist the Principal and School Leaders to engage you, as parents and carers, in the school community so you can be actively involved in this special journey of your children’s education.
Thank you to all of the parents that participated in our PEN survey. Your feedback is invaluable and please keep a look out in the newsletter as we will address things over time. The PEN executives have met with the Leadership team and are working together to discuss raised ideas and issues.
We (the executives) meet regularly throughout the year with our Principal, Ms Timmins, Fr Franco and school leaders to discuss the plan for the school and how the PEN can support with the upkeep of our school, required resources, events, funding etc.
Four times per year we hold a “Forum”.
These Forums each include a certain topic, involving a guest speaker or presentation. Some of them may be based on school business such as policies, procedures and strategic planning. Others are focused on topics that are educational and beneficial to us as parents/carers in raising our children.
The topic of each upcoming Forum is advertised in the school newsletter.
After each topic or guest speaker concludes, there is usually an opportunity for you to hear the Principal's report, any business arising, coordinating of events or a report from the chair of the PEN.
These “Forums” make up our “Parent Network meetings”. You, as parents and carers are the “Parent Network”.
Regards
Fiona Ah-Loy, Emily Cross and Mandy Moretto
Sport
Athletics Carnival
Thank you to everyone who supported and helped at our Athletics Carnival on Monday.
Congratulations to all students who participated on the day and to our winning House, Rooney Red.
The following are our Individual Age Champions and Runners Up for this year:
9yr old Boy Champion: Carlo S; Runner Up: Eli P
9yr old Girl Champions: Maddison B and Zoe W; Runner Up: Grace R
10yr old Boy Champion: Luke N; Runner Up: Riley B and Declan R
10yr old Girl Champion: Ciann R; Runner Ups: Sophie B and Abby L
11yr old Boy Champion: Xavier F; Runner Up: Alex M
11yr old Girl Champion: Samantha G; Runner Up: Harper B
12yr old Boy Champion: Mason W; Runner Up: Darcy B
12yr old Girl Champion: Emily N; Runner Up: Willow D
The winner of our Robin Miller Shield is Samantha G.
The winner of our Robin Miller 6yr old Fastest Runner is Kevin H.
Records broken on the day were: Samantha G - High Jump. Sammy jumped a smashing 1.32 metres, breaking Lily Osborne's record of 1.26 metres in 2016.
Students who have qualified for the Southern Downs Athletics trials will be notified over the holidays. These trials date has changed since the beginning of the year and will now be 30th July at 3:30pm for the 1500m and 14th August for all other events.
Age Champions
1500m Winners
Athletics Carnival Action Shots
Parent Spectators
Notices
