WELCOME TO TERM 2!
We hope you had an enjoyable break and found the time to rest and recharge the batteries, ready for a busy term of inspired teaching and learning at St Mary’s. 

To stay well-informed of the many exciting activities and events that our learning community has planned throughout the term, it is important to check our communication channels for details and any updates regularly. To ensure effective communication with our parents and carers, we have several channels available, including our fortnightly newsletter, Facebook posts, class weekly memos and COMPASS. Please refer to the COMPASS calendar for upcoming dates.

Next week we are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the innovative learning and faith development that occurs in Catholic schools every day.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY 
On Monday 28 April, teachers in all schools in the Canberra/Goulburn Diocese spent the day engaged in quality professional learning dedicated to curriculum implementation. Our day was facilitated by Gillian Forrester, the Teaching and Learning Officer - Literacy, from Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn.

Our staff spent the day working with Gillian on how to effectively implement CECG’s English units of work and the accompanying resources. At St Mary’s we use CECG’s novel study units to enhance English reading instruction for students in Years 3 to 6. These units provide comprehensive, evidence-based resources that align with the NSW Curriculum, focusing on developing students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. 

Each unit centres around a carefully selected novel, offering a learning sequence, discussion prompts, and activities designed to engage students deeply with the text. The structured approach encourages close reading and thoughtful analysis, fostering a deeper understanding of literature. These units integrate writing tasks that allow students to respond to their reading, further reinforcing their literacy skills.

By incorporating these targeted programs and approaches, we strive to minimise cognitive load, optimise learning capacity, and foster a supportive learning environment for our students. Through deliberate practice, repetition, and gradual skill development, we empower our students to become confident learners who can effectively apply their knowledge and skills in various academic contexts.

Our Term 2 Novel Studies are:
Year 3 - Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon by Anita Heiss
Year 4 - Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
Year 5 - Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Year 6 - Us Mob Walawurru by David Spillman and Lisa Wilyuka

e-SAFETY 

Helping your family stay safe on devices and apps 

New built-in restrictions for Instagram Teen Accounts
Teens under 16 won’t be able to go Live or turn off protections from unwanted images in DMs without a parent’s permission under additional Instagram Teen Account protections. Meta, who own Instagram and Facebook, are also planning to make Teen Accounts available on Facebook and Messenger. Find out more

Apple adds child safety measures 
Apple is introducing new measures to the App Store to better protect young people online. It’s part of a broader effort to minimise data collection and give parents more control over what's shared with app developers. Parents will be able to update their child's account age if they previously set it incorrectly, and will be able to consent to their child's age range being shared with app developers so they'll be shown more age-appropriate content in the App Store. Read more in Apple’s Helping Protect Kids Online White Paper

TikTok introduces new family features
TikTok has introduced new family pairing features giving parents additional tools to set boundaries and customise limits. A new in-app meditation feature is designed to help teens wind down after they use TikTok after 10pm. Find out more about TikTok and how to report online abuse or block someone by referring to the eSafety Guide.

K-12 PATHWAY
Monday 5 May - Carroll College Year 7 Information Night
An information session for families wishing to enrol their children at Carroll College in 2026 is being held on Monday 5 May. An information session will begin at 5:30pm followed by tours of the College between 6:15-7:00pm.

Friday 9 May - Carroll Day
Our Year 5 & 6 students will be going to Carroll College on Friday to join in the carnival celebration activities and to watch their ‘Battle of the Bands’ concert. Information about this event has been sent to Stage 3 families via Compass. Permission needs to be received by 2 May.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support of St Mary’s and I look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week with you. 
God bless and take care

Mrs Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal