Dear Parents,

Spring is always a special time of the school year, especially for primary school students. The days are warmer and the students are loving being outdoors and playing in the sun. 

The students in Year 2 were excited to have a new student join them last week. We welcome Ryan F and his family to St Marys and trust they will have a very positive experience with us. We look forward to also welcoming another two families to St Mary’s early next term.

Special Visit 
On Wednesday this week, we welcomed  Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn to St Mary’s. Following a meeting with the Leadership Team, Mr Fox visited each classroom and observed the students learning English. He was impressed by the teachers' expertise in Direct Instruction and their use of the CATALYST resources developed by Catholic Education. The students were engaged in their learning and happy to show Mr Fox their knowledge and skills. At lunch time, Cooper H and Indi T took Mr Fox on a tour of our school and the new playground. Catholic Education contributed significant funds to St Mary’s to build the new playground, so it was wonderful to have the Director visit this week when the final works are being completed.

Kinder 2024
Next Wednesday September 13, we will be hosting a ‘Dip into Kindergarten’ morning for children enrolled or considering enrolling at St Mary’s in 2024.  We are very close to finalising the class structure and we want to be sure that all enrolments have come through.  If you know of any parent who is still undecided, please encourage them to attend with their child next week. For more information please contact Mrs Gen Schofield.genevieve.schofield@cg.catholic.edu.au  

It is also unsafe to walk your child through the staff car park before and after school. If coming from the south of town, please walk your child up to the Main Bus gate. Ideally, students should be dropped off at the Official Drop off points at Church Street gates or at the Church car park. We thank you for your support with this. 

New Playground
The new playground and outdoor learning spaces are almost finalised! In the next couple of days, some more shrubs will be planted and a new fence will be erected between the Presbytery and the school on the east side.

Our next step will be to replace the Shade cover over the original playground equipment. 

We will allow the students to start playing on the playground equipment shortly but we will hold off using the new Natural playground until next term, giving the plants and grass areas more time to establish.

We are fortunate to have such a beautiful setting overlooking the Moruya river. Teaching the students to respect and take care of their school environment is an important part of their learning at school. We are very impressed at how the students have treated the new areas.

Mobile phones and Cyber Safety
We understand that some students require a mobile phone for bus travel and arrangements before and after school hours. Whilst at school however, no students are allowed to use their phones. Each morning, students must hand in their mobile phone to their teacher and then collect them at the end of the day.

We do our best to make sure that the students are monitored when using devices at school. Catholic Education has blocked inappropriate websites and social media platforms. 

Cyber safety is an increasingly important topic for young people and one that requires vigilance and support both at school and at home. At school, the students are taught about cyber safety in PDPHE with Mr Hill and in their regular classrooms with their teachers. Teachers use resources from the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and the eSafety website to support the students' learning about digital safety, cyber bullying and gaming. Parents are urged to closely monitor their children's use of technology, especially late at night. For more information and support, please consult the eSafety website parent page.https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

Whole School Assembly
On Monday September 11, we will be hosting our next Whole School Assembly at 2pm in the PAC. All parents, grandparents and visitors are welcome to join us.

Our Year 3 teachers and students have been busily preparing to showcase the great learning that takes place in their classroom everyday.

Ten children will be awarded the ‘I am Kind’ Awards at the assembly. On Thursday September 14, I will be taking the children for a Special lunch as a reward.   

First Eucharist
This Saturday evening at 5pm, nine of our Year 4 students will be receiving the Sacrament of First Eucharist at Sacred Heart Church. With the guidance of Father George and Mrs Gen Schofield, the Year 4 teachers Mr Justin Bateman and Mrs Sophie Kenny have been preparing the students for many weeks. Please pray for the children and their families and if possible, join us at Mass as we celebrate together.

God's blessing on you and your family.

Noeleen O'neill
Principal