Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to ‘real’ school at St Mary’s. The students have returned not only several centimetres taller but full of energy and excitement. This Friday is World Teachers Day and how wonderful it is to have all of our students back with us to help celebrate it. 

Cohort Model 

The staff and students have adjusted well to our new Cohort model from Kinder to Year 6. As mentioned previously, each cohort operates separately throughout the day, with each one having its own learning space, staff and break times.  We have managed to incorporate our Learning Intervention programs and visiting therapist’s timetables into our model.

Perhaps the best part of the model for me personally, is that I can hear children play all day from my office! With this comes additional work for the front office staff though as minor playground injuries are now not limited to the two breaks in the day. 

A couple of cohorts have moved to different locations for the rest of this term.  I thank Mrs Fran Devonald and Mrs Carla Durnan for offering to move out of their block, allowing the larger Stage 2 team cohort more space. With the regulations around vaccinations, we have made some adjustments to the Stage 2 teaching team. Mrs Sophie Kenny has returned to helping Mrs Alicia Hampson and Ms Georgia McCormick in Stage 2. Our current Year 3 students are particularly fortunate as they are already being taught by their Year 4 (2022) teachers. I am very pleased to announce that Mrs Alicia Hampson and Ms Georgia McCormick have been allocated to the two small Year 4 classes for next year. What a great head start for Year 3 students!

Morning and Afternoon arrangements

Thank you for holding off sending your children to school before 8:20 am each morning. It is very important as we are not able to supervise the students earlier than this. 

We are particularly grateful for the reduction in the number of afternoon phone calls from parents requesting early pickups. Please continue to limit those to important appointments or urgent situations. 

Public Speaking 

We have recently been informed of the rescheduled dates for Archdiocesan Public Speaking. The Southern Region competitions will be held virtually on November 16 and 17, with the Archdiocesan Public Speaking competitions set for November 25. Our school representatives have already been chosen and I wish them well on the day.

Year 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner/Disco

Our Year 6 Graduation Mass will be held on Thursday December 9 at 9:30 am at Sacred Heart Church. Mrs Croese is liaising with Father George about the expected capacity, but for now please know that all Year 6 parents may attend. The Year 6 and School Awards will be given out following the Mass. Unfortunately at this stage, our Student Leadership Handover ceremony can not occur at the Mass as we are unable to mix the Year 5 and 6 cohorts. My hope is that this might change before then. 

Earlier this week, the Year 6 staff and students met and discussed their preferences for their End of Year Celebration Dinner on Tuesday December 14 at the Moruya Golf Club. The students have overwhelmingly voted to have their own "student only" dinner and disco, similar to last year’s. We understand there may be some parents who have different viewpoints on this, but we have decided to go with what the students want. Their choice is more appropriate to the age of the students and the stage of their schooling. We will be talking with the students about age appropriate clothing and accessories and we support you as parents in deciding not to spend unnecessary money on the night. Under the guidance of their teachers, a Year 6 Graduation Working Party has already been set up and they are well on their way to planning their great night out. Depending on COVID restrictions, parents are likely to be able to come in and collect their children towards the end of the night. More information will be sent home in the coming weeks. 

In conversations with the Year 6 teachers this week, we discussed how mature and positive the students are, despite losing time in their final year of primary school. We are so pleased that our students have already had their camp as most Year 6 students across our system have unfortunately missed out.

Kinder 2022 Orientation

We are pleased to be able to organise our Kinder 2022 Orientation sessions for the coming weeks. The dates and times set are Wednesday mornings, November 17 and November 24 at 9:30 am - 11:30 am. Invites will be sent to families shortly. Unlike previous years, only children already enrolled for Kinder 2022 may attend the Orientation Days. If you know of someone who is still considering St Mary’s, please encourage them to contact us as soon as possible so the application process can be completed in time.

We currently have 20 students enrolled, and following an incredible year Mrs Jacquie Stephen has been asked to teach Kinder again. Mrs Gen Schofield will be teaching Year One next door in our Early Years Block. Both teachers will be involved in the Orientation Days as the teachers team teach during the day. Mrs Jo Mathews and the Learning Support Team will also assist on the days. We have been waiting on the lifting of restrictions to resume our in person parent interviews for Kinder 2022 parents. Unless things change in the next couple of weeks, it's likely I will continue interviews through Teams or over the phone. 

2022 Important Dates  

Term One

NOTE
Kinder students rest day at home on Wednesdays from February 9 - March 2 inclusive

Term Two 

Term Three

Term Four

Mission Activities

On Sunday October 24, our Catholic community celebrated World Mission Sunday. Pope Francis calls on us to give spiritual and financial support to overseas missions so that they can continue to provide life-giving work to those most in need. This year’s theme ‘We Cannot Remain Silent – We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20)’ is twofold. It is a message of hope - Jesus Christ is risen and we need to show love, compassion, and mercy to others. It also challenges us to stand up and speak out on behalf of those who are weaker and poorer than us.

At St Mary’s we will respond by praying and fundraising through Cohort based activities next week.  Children and families living in poverty stricken areas in Thailand will benefit from our efforts. Please support us by sending in coins as we share our faith through our actions. 

As COVID restrictions in the community ease, I encourage our families to return to Mass on the weekends. Father George is especially looking forward to having the little ones back in his congregation.

Take care and God Bless
Noeleen O'Neill