2025 Term 3 Week 6

New Staff introduction:

We are pleased to welcome two new members to our St Mary’s team.

Aimee Fordham will be joining us as a Student Education Officer on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

Anna Walsh is taking on our Wellbeing Officer role on Fridays and will also contribute as a Student Education Officer on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

We look forward to the valuable contributions they will bring to our community and encourage everyone to extend a warm welcome.

Postponed - Public Speaking Competition - Wednesday 3 September 

Due to a clash of dates we have postponed our Public Speaking competition as many of our Stage 2 and Stage 3 students are attending the Clarence Zone Netball/Soccer Knockout.

We will notify you of the new date for the Public Speaking event as soon as possible.

Kinder 2026 School Tours next week

Enrolments for our Kindergarten 2026 class are almost finalised. Next year we will be taking two Kindergarten classes. Kindergarten families will be visiting our school over the next few weeks for school tours and then in Term 4 for Mini Mary’s.

It's been a pleasure meeting with the families and we look forward to welcoming them to our school community. 

Catholic Schools Office (CSO) Media Team visit

CSO Media Team will be visiting our school on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 September to film some promotional material to generate online content for promoting our beautiful school and the amazing community.

If you are interested in participating, can you please let Lisa in the office know so we can schedule a time for you to meet the team. 

Father’s Day Breakfast & Liturgy - Friday 5 September

We warmly invite all fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other special male role models to join us for a Father's Day Breakfast on Friday 5 September from 8:15am.

Following breakfast, our talented Year 2 students will lead a beautiful Father's Day Liturgy at 9:00am in the school hall.

We look forward to celebrating and honouring the amazing men in our school community!

R U Ok? Day - Wear Yellow to Show You Care - Tuesday 9 September

On R U OK? Day, we take time to check in with those around us and ask a simple but powerful question: "Are you OK?" It’s a reminder to look out for one another and to support friends, classmates, and family who might be going through a tough time.

As part of this day, students are learning what it means to be a good friend. They’re encouraged to:

• Listen carefully to what their friends are saying
• Show they care by being kind, patient, and supportive
• Speak up if they’re worried about someone, by telling a teacher, parent, or another trusted adult

We also invite everyone to wear yellow, the official colour of R U OK? Day. Together, we can help build a caring school community where every student feels seen, heard, and supported.

Sacrament of First Communion Parish Masses - Weekend of 13 and 14 September

We keep in our prayers the following children in our school community who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on the weekend of 13 and 14 September: 

Ave Brown, Cooper Nelson, Darcy Allen, Jonathan Woolfe, Matilda Austin, McKinley Harris, Remi Bentley, Ruby Squires, Sarah Fernandez, and Tiarn Nipperess.

This is a truly special and sacred time in their faith journey, as they receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time. In this sacrament, they are welcomed more fully into the Church and experience the real presence of Jesus in a very personal way. It is a moment of deep grace, joy, and connection with God. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with them!

Stage Two Walking Prayer Labyrinth - Thursday 18 September

We are excited to welcome Warren Niethe, our Religious Education and Catechesis Education Officer from the Catholic Schools Office, to guide our Stage two students through a special Walking Prayer Labyrinth experience.

The Prayer Labyrinth is a peaceful and reflective activity that helps students slow down, pray in a quiet and thoughtful way, and feel closer to God. As they walk the path, students are encouraged to reflect, listen, and open their hearts in prayer.

We look forward to this meaningful opportunity for our students to grow in their faith through a creative and calming form of prayer.

NRMA Science & Road Safety Program - Friday 19 September

We’re so excited for all of our students to take part in the exciting NRMA Science & Road Safety Program. This is a dynamic and engaging experience designed to make road safety education fun, hands-on, and memorable!

Delivered by professional science educators from Fizzics Education, this interactive show teaches students the WHY, WHAT, WHO, and HOW of road safety, all with a unique science twist. The program includes live science experiments on stage, hover boards, helmet fittings, and more, all aimed at helping students understand how science plays a part in staying safe on and around our roads. 

We look forward to a fantastic day of learning and discovery as our students explore the science behind road safety!

School Fee Assistance

We recognise the financial pressures that families may face and strive to offer flexible payment options to accommodate different circumstances. DLCSL is developing an organisation fee assistance and debt management processes that will replace the current policies that exist at our schools. 

Please reach out to Jacki if your family experiences financial difficulty or hardship, or alternatively you can complete the form on our school website.

Term 3 2025 Calendar link

Pupil Free Days and Public Holidays 

Warm regards

Jacki, Jasmine and Hannah

CONGRATULATIONS 

Congratulations to two of our students, Addison Peppernell and Stevie Rizzo.  Both girls have achieved amazing levels of success in their chosen sports.  

Diocesan Athletics Carnival 

St Mary's was represented by five students at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival held in Coffs Harbour last Monday. Isabella James, Jack Cornish, Braxn Nipperess, Jimmy Walsh and Cooper Stewart were fantastic on the day. Jimmy made it through to the Final of the 11 years boys 100m.

Diocesan Soccer and Netball Knockout

The Clarence Zone are having their Soccer and Netball knockout round next Wednesday in Yamba. This competition is for Stage 3 students only. The Winners of this knockout will progress onto the Diocesan Soccer and Netball Knockout to be held in Grafton in Term 4. This competition is played across the whole Diocese. St Mary’s Grafton has nominated a girls and boys Soccer team, and a girls Netball team.

Dudley Jones Tennis

Next Friday is the Dudley Jones Tennis Tournament for Stage 3 students and the Todd Woodbridge Knockout for Stage 2 students. St Mary’s has a number of teams competing which should be a wonderful day of Tennis at the Grafton City Courts. St Mary’s are the current holders of the Dudley Jones Shield and hopefully we can hold on to the title.

NSW Touch Football

Thank you to NSW Touch Football for hosting a fantastic Gala day at Rushforth Rd Sporting fields on Wednesday. St Mary’s had 6 teams competing, 3 Stage 2 teams and 3 Stage 3 teams. All played fantastic footy and scored some great tries. This was a promotion of Touch football for any who are interested in participating in the local competition.  

Fees

GRAFP_2025_Instalment_Payment_Reminder_3rd_Quarter_.pdf

GRAFP_2025_Instalment_Payment_Reminder_3rd_Quarter pdf 145.91 KB

Lithium Safety

 

1. Only charge e-bikes, e-scooters, power tools in the garage or shed, away from living areas and exit doors.
2. Never use or charge batteries or equipment showing signs of damage such as swelling, leaking, discolouration, or odours
3. Only use chargers that comply with relevant standards and have been supplied with, or deemed compatible with, your battery or device
4. Never leave devices on charge for extended periods (e.g. overnight) or unattended
5. Switch off once fully charged
6. Don’t charge phones on your pillow or in bed, only charge devices on hard surfaces
7. Buy products from reputable brands and suppliers

For further information go to https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/chargesafe

ebike_safety_poster.pdf

ebike_safety_poster _pdf 175.48 KB

Unfollow the Fear - a Guide to Online Bullying

Whether you’re a student being harassed in a group chat, a parent unsure how to help your child, an educator overwhelmed by tech-fuelled drama, or a professional watching your reputation unravel this resource is for you.

Unfollow_the_Fear.pdf

Unfollow_the_Fear _pdf 1.42 MB

CVCON 2025 enrolment forms

2025_Enrolment_form.pdf

2025_Enrolment_form _pdf 420.72 KB

Uniforms

St Mary's School uniforms are available to purchase from Lowes in Grafton Shopping World. The sports uniform is worn on Wednesday and Friday each week.

Attendance

• If your child is arriving to the school after 8:45am please sign them in at the office.
• Please use Compass to record full day absentees.  Partial absences are recorded by staff when students are signed in and out of the office.
• Students who leave a school event early will have a partial absence recorded.
• A medical certificate or other documentation may be requested where frequent absences due to illness occur.
• Generally, extended leave (greater than 10 days) during the school term would not be approved.  These absences are recorded on the roll as unjustified and a completed Form 01 Extended Leave Notification Travel/Other Greater than 10 Days is required. 
• In exceptional circumstances parents may complete an Form 02 Approved Extended Leave Application - Travel/Other Greater than 10 Days for consideration by the Principal, explaining why an absence for extended leave is in the best educational interest of the student. The Principal may decline or accept this application.

Overseas Visa Details

Reminder:  Parents and Carers are to keep the school informed of any change in residency/visa status during the course of their child's enrolment, with evidence of new visa status provided. Parents should be made aware that the school must be informed of any change in residency status.

Working With Children Check (WWCC)

At St Mary's we are committed to creating and supporting a culture of safety for children and ensuring that children are protected. All employees and volunteers are required to have a current WWCC. 

NB -  The vast majority of volunteers in schools are parents of a child attending the school at which they are volunteering (eg reading groups, fetes, camps, excursions and canteen) and therefore do not require a WWCC.  Exceptions to this are 

• volunteers interacting one-on-one with a child not their own, 

• working with children who have a disability, 

• offering mentoring services, 

• when the volunteer is not a parent or close relative.

Child Safeguarding Statement

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools (DLCS) is wholly committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

As school communities and as individuals, we commit to fostering communities of safeguarding that recognise and uphold the dignity and rights of all children and young people. Our commitment is drawn from the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, in love and justice, whereby the dignity and sacredness of each child is respected.  Additional information may be found on the DLCS website or by using this link: Child Safeguarding Policy.