Term 3 Week 2 2025
Principal's Message
Welcome back to Term 3! We are excited about the learning opportunities that are occurring throughout the term for students and don’t worry parents, there are lots of events that you can be a part of to support your child/ren’s learning journeys, such as:
- Catholic Education Week Liturgy, 28th July at 2.15pm
- Arts Extravaganza, 30th July at 6pm
- Feast of the Assumption/Market Day, 15th August
- Parent-Student-Teacher interviews, 18 & 19th August
- Book Week: “Book an Adventure”, Dress up: 21 August
- Father's Day Liturgy, 4 September at 10am
- Warwick Ball Games, 12th September
- ‘Real Talk’ Parent Forum, 15th September
- School Ball, 18th September at 6pm
Each year we place ‘Catholic Education Week’ as a time to celebrate the wonderful aspects of Catholic schools, the people who work there and the families who bring life into our school communities. Faith, hope and love is alive at St Mary's, especially in the way that we treat each other, share our faith through prayer and special events, and the hope that we engrain into our school culture by looking after those in our school and wider community. Please join us in our liturgy celebration on Monday, 28th July at 2:15pm in MacKillop Hall, being led by Year 6.
During our Liturgy we will acknowledge staff who have achieved ‘long service’ awards. These awards are given in recognition of each staff members dedication to Catholic Education, walking in the footsteps of Jesus and displaying expertise in curriculum & pedagogy. Recipients for 2025 are:
Mrs Chrissy Byrne – 20 years service
Mrs Catriona Lawson – 20 years service
Mrs Andrea Lewis – 20 years service
Mrs Sharon Young – 25 years service
We would also like to acknowledge SMW’s nominees for the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards:
Excellence in Education Support
- Teaching and Learning Support- Tracy Sullivan and Lisa Watt were nominated in the area of excellence they provide with well-being support at SMW. In their roles as ‘well-being officers’ both Tracy and Lisa exhibit continual compassion, innovation and commitment to enriching the lives of our students daily, and their impact reaches far beyond the walls of the wellbeing room. They are living examples of our mission to create a school where every child feels known, loved and empowered for success.
- Administration, Finance and Facilities Support- Wendy Ryan was nominated in the area of excellence in facilities support as our grounds person and OHS officer. Her tireless efforts, creative problem solving and genuine care for our students and staff make her an irreplaceable member of SMW. Her leadership, dedication and the impact of her work – particularly in ensuring the success of our 150 years celebration- are worthy of the highest recognition.
Why do parents choose St Mary’s as an educational choice for their child/ren?
Feedback from parents at enrolment interviews showcase very specific reasons for why they are choosing SMW for their child/ren. They are:
- Our reputational feedback highlights that we provide excellence within our academic pedagogy and well-being approaches.
- We offer a values-based learning environment that nurtures the whole child—academically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally.
- We are known for our strong sense of and links within community, where faith, compassion, and respect are woven into everyday learning.
- Our families appreciate the emphasis on character development, service to others, and the strong partnership between home and school.
- We provide an inclusive learning environment that focusses on the individual needs of each child.
The evidence is in the proof of our enrolment growth since the beginning of 2024, where we started with 282 students and now at the beginning of Term 3, we have enrolled currently, 320 students. Resulting with a 12% increase of student growth.
Many contributing factors have led to this sustained growth through the establishment and growing of our school culture, strengthening our educational practices, developing a whole school approach to well-being and maintaining positive relationships with our families. Thank you to our current and new families for trusting in us to provide a quality education for your child/ren.
It's here!
Every two years, families from our school communities share their views through the Shaping our future – Perception Survey. It’s a valuable way for us to reflect on how each of our schools are living out Toowoomba Catholic Schools shared purpose: enabling full and flourishing lives.
This year’s survey was sent via Sentral for Parents earlier this week.
Please keep an eye out for it – your feedback helps shape the future of all 32 Toowoomba Catholic schools.
We will also be asking Years 5 to 12 students from across the diocese to complete a student version of the survey during Catholic Education Week at school.
For more information please email: smwarwick@twb.catholic.edu.au
It is imperative that all our parents follow our car parking processes in the carpark, and on both Palmerin St and Pratten St. On Palmerin St we have spaces out the front of the office for parking and access for able bodied people and for those who have a disabled classification.
There should never be a reason that the disabled car park is being used unless you have an authorised sign showcasing your disabled classification.
It is ILLEGAL to incorrectly use this space, and the police have been notified that visitors are using this space who don’t have a disabled classification. We are an inclusive school and if you can’t find a space at the front of the school, head to the carpark as there are usually empty spaces.
Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated.
New Staff
I would like to warmly welcome our new staff members; Tess Hamlin, who will be teaching 3T from Week 4 and Layla Wolfenden, who is our new First Nations Support Officer and is at SMW on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Hi, I'm Tess Hamlin, and I am thrilled to be joining the St Mary's community as a graduate teacher in Year 3. I completed my education degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and teaching has always felt like a natural path for me. Coming from a family full of educators, it almost feels like a birthright!
I love working with younger students and find great joy in watching the incredible growth that happens in those early, formative years. During my time at university, I had the opportunity to teach English in Cambodia, which gave me valuable insight into explicit teaching and the power of communication - even across language barriers.
I am especially passionate about student welfare and believe strongly in supporting every child to help them feel safe, confident, and ready to learn. Outside the classroom, you'll often find me horse riding or working on a new woodworking project.
I am really looking forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff, and becoming a part of such a special and supportive school community.
Layla Wolfenden - First Nations School Officer
Expertise: Adaptability, empathy and having a positive attitude towards life.
Interests: Horses/ animals, history, music and gardening.
2026 Prep Positions
Please note that our Prep positions for 2026 are fast filling up. If you haven't booked an interview with myself, please do so immediately to ensure your child has a place with us next year.
Homework Policy 2025
After reviewing our homework policy with staff and the Parent Engagement Network, please see below our updated version.
Positive relationships between home and school are very important to us and the SMW staff work very hard to ensure that you are kept up to date with your child's progress at school. Our Parent Engagement Charter outlines everybody's role in how we continue to maintain open, positive relationships. Please read to ensure that you understand what each stakeholder's role is.
Student Protection is everybody's business and if you have any concerns at all about the safety of your child, please note that the following people are SMW's nominated Student Protection Contacts: Ms Kath Stevenson, Ms Emma Timmins and Mr Brett Armstrong.
God Bless
Emma Timmins
Principal
Religious Life of the School
Catholic Education Week
Catholic school communities across Queensland are celebrating the unique spirit and shared mission of Catholic education during this year’s Catholic Education Week, held from 27 July to 2 August.
This year’s theme, Communities of Faith, Hope and Love, highlights the enduring values that shape Catholic schools and the diversity of the 313 school communities and 29 kindergartens educating more than 162,000 students across the state. There is a particular emphasis on hope to tie in with Pope's Jubilee Year theme: Pilgrims of Hope.
Here's what some of our staff are hopeful for at our school:
Our special celebrations for Catholic Education Week at St Mary's are:
- Monday, 28th July, we will celebrate with a liturgy led by Year 6 at 2:15pm in the MacKillop Centre (School Hall).
- Wednesday, 30th July, we will host our annual Arts Extravaganza from 6-7pm.
- Friday, 1st August, there will be a Pupil Free Day to give our staff the opportunity to join with staff from across the diocese for Professional Development and prayer in Toowoomba. Please note that our Out of School Hours Care is available on Friday from 6am-6pm.
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 – Thursday, 31st July, at 6pm
Commitment Masses – Saturday, 2nd August (Family Mass) 5pm or Sunday, 3rd August 8:30am
First Session Date – Thursday 7th August at 4-5pm (4 sessions)
First Communion – either Saturday, 30th August, 5pm or Sunday, 31st August, 8:30am
Parish Celebration – Sunday, 31st August, after Mass
All meetings will be in Parish Office next door to the Church. It is expected that children and a parent will attend all workshops.
Family Mass
On Saturday, 2nd August, at 5pm there will be ‘Family Mass’ where the songs and readings are chosen for children. At this Mass children are encouraged to help with the ministries of welcoming, reading, offertory and singing. Please contact Mrs Young if your child would like to participate.
Parish Masses
For Winter, Saturday night Mass will now be at 5pm. There is also the Sunday morning at 8:30am option. There is children's liturgy during the Sunday morning Mass through school terms.
May peace be with you,
Sharon Young
Assistant Principal - Mission & Identity
““Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Albert Einstein
Curriculum
St Mary's NAPLAN Results
This week, we received the individual NAPLAN results for our Year 3 and Year 5 students. Individual Student Reports will be sent home in the coming days, providing a detailed look at your child's performance in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation, and Numeracy.
Understanding Your Child's NAPLAN Report
We understand that NAPLAN reports can raise questions. The reports use national benchmarks and proficiency standards to provide a snapshot of your child's learning progress compared to their peers across Australia. It's important to remember that NAPLAN is just one measure of your child's achievement and should be considered alongside classroom assessments and teacher observations.
For your reference, we've included a helpful resource from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA):
This guide explains NAPLAN in more detail, including:
- What NAPLAN is and how it assesses students
- How to interpret your child's individual student report
- How NAPLAN results are used to inform teaching and learning
Next Steps
We are thrilled with the initial results that have come through for St Mary's; these are a testament to the exceptional efforts of both SMW students and staff! In the coming weeks, we will be diving deeper into the data to help determine the next steps for Year 3 and 5 in their learning.
Student-Parent-Teacher Interviews
We warmly invite all families to attend our upcoming Student-Parent-Teacher Interviews later this term in Week 6. These meetings are a valued tradition at St Mary's and play a vital role in strengthening the partnership between home and school.
We encourage students from Prep to Year 6 to attend the meeting alongside their parents. This approach fosters student confidence, ownership of learning, and a deeper understanding of their personal growth. During the meeting, students will present a prepared assessment piece or learning task and share their learning journey. They will reflect on:
- The process they followed in completing the task
- Challenges they encountered along the way
- Strategies they used to overcome those challenges and succeed
These conversations are powerful moments of reflection and celebration. For students in Year 3 and Year 5, the meeting may include discussion of their NAPLAN results, but the focus will remain on holistic learning and progress across all areas.
We look forward to these meaningful conversations and thank you for your continued support in your child’s education. If you have any questions about NAPLAN or the upcoming meetings, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or a member of the Leadership Team.
Wishing you all a wonderful fortnight!
Jess Harper
Middle Leader: Teaching and Learning
Library News
Book Week Dress Up
A highlight of the school calendar is our annual Book Week Dress Up. This year it will be held on Thursday, 21st August. This year the theme is 'Book an Adventure' and Mrs Ryan has put together some great ideas for costumes.
Book Club
Orders are due back by Friday, 1st September.
Book Donations Wanted for Market Day
We’re calling on all families to have a bookshelf clear out! The library is collecting unwanted books in good condition to sell at this year’s Market Day in Week 5.
All funds raised will go directly to support Pyjama Angels, a wonderful charity that helps children in foster care develop literacy skills and a love of learning.
Donations can be dropped off at the library anytime over the next 3 weeks.
Thank you for helping us turn your preloved stories into a brighter future for others!
Positive School Culture
100 Days Brighter!
Last Friday, our Prep - Year Two students celebrated 100 days of school. We are especially appreciative of our bright Early Years staff who lead our little students learning.
Jumpers & Jazz
Every year our town becomes a hive of colour and sound with the Jumpers and Jazz Festival. We love being a part of it, as does the St Mary's Kindy and Parish.
Special thanks to Mrs Lewis for coordinating our school entry - Dreams.
St Mary's Kindy
St Mary's Parish
Mystery Reader
Thank you to our recent wonderful Mystery Readers:
Sarah Eastwell shared a special favourite, 'Possum Magic' by Mem Fox. The students loved working their way around Australia and 'nibbling' on all the foods to make Hush visible again.
Jo Lawerence from Jo Jos Brewhouse for sharing the book 'When I'm Feeling Kind' by Trace Moroney. She led the students through a beautiful book following a little bunny feeling kind and exploring the feeling 'kind'.
Student Awards
Exceptional Learning Award | Making Jesus Real Award | |
Prep B | Arloh A, Darcy M | Evanis S |
Prep W | Henry D, Benjamin S | Katie C, Jude B |
1D | Kaden G, Eissa B | Milton G, Lachlan G |
1H | Nate V, Aaron H | Lachlan K, Korbin C |
2D | Kevin H, Jasmine B | Mahaeliah S |
2S | Oscar A, Rose C | Zoe C, McKenna L |
3L | Emilia R, Grace R | Gurnoor S, Jayden E |
3T | Oliver R, George H | Maicy R, Huxley S |
4L | Ava M, Jimmy A | Sheila L |
4K | Illiana C | Ryka H |
5F | Laiken F, Ciann R | Mackenzie L, Charlotte S |
5D | Brady R, Luke N | Darcy S, Harriet S |
6B | Arden M | Declan R |
6H | Naish B | Koa B |
Spotted Rising Up
Congratulations to all the students who have been 'Spotted Rising Up'. The prize winners were Tarlia W and Gracie W, which was announced at Assembly on Friday, 25th July 2025.
Please celebrate with your child if they have brought home a Spotted Rising Up slip. It means that they were 'spotted' displaying one or more of the RISE UP positive behaviours.
Sport
Southern Downs Athletics Trials
Congratulations to our huge team of athletes who have qualified to attend the Southern Downs Athletics Carnival at Allora State School.
Please note the 1500m is this Wednesday, 30th July at 3:45pm. This event only will be held at Warwick State High School Hamilton Oval.
If your child is not attending please let Mrs Young know. If your child is only in one event they only have to be at the carnival for that event. However, please note that the times on the timetable are only estimates and if your child is late they will miss their event.
Administration
Safety Concerns
- Disabled Parking Spots – these are only for people who have disability parking permits. We have people in our school community who need these and they are unable to use them when other people are parked there. These are available on Palmerin Street and in the carpark.
- Palmerin St Gate – please be vigilant about closing the gates when entering the school. Please never pin back the gate on Palmerin Street. We have little people who we need to keep safe and inside the grounds.
- Carpark Drop Off and Pick Up – If the car park line is full please take a quick trip around the block but do not block the street. Also move right to the end of the line to allow more cars into the space.
Soccer Goals
We have been gifted with some soccer goals from the Warwick Football Association. The only problem is that we need to get them to school! There are 4 of them and they are 5x3m. We would really appreciate if some has a trailer that may be able to move them. If you can help please contact Mrs Young.
School Fees
School Fees for Term 3 have been sent out, due back by Monday 18th August 2025.
The Art Extravaganza is always a special night with art work from all our students on display. There will also be a recording of our school choir playing and performances from our school band and some instrumental music students.
Parent Engagement Network (PEN)
Term 3 Date Claimer - 'Real Talk'
The PEN has engaged 'Real Talk' present a workshop on helping caregivers foster healthy self-worth and respectful, flourishing relationships. The workshop will be particularly linked to the sessions they will be holding with our Year 5 & 6 students the following day but will be relevant to all parents and caregivers who want some up-to-date ideas on how to handle these tough and important parenting topics.
The parent workshop will be Monday, 15th September. More details to follow.
Notices
Strengthening Young People Against Anxiety
Catholic School Parents Network is offering this webinar for free. The link to click on to register is https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1F2ru7CCQy-Ey1hGpbn-vw
