Term 1 Week 2

Regular attendance at school for every student is essential if students are to achieve their potential and increase their career and life options.

Students arriving to school late are signed in at the school office. Office staff will provide the student with a late slip to be given to the classroom teacher.

Students leaving before the last bell will be called to the school office for collection.  

Detailed information for changes to attendance are to be provided to staff.

PROCEDURES FOR ABSENT STUDENTS

Planned: Families may provide staff with details concerning planned events beforehand eg medical appointments, allowing the attendance roll to be updated. Documentation is required when students go on extended leave. Please contact the school to arrange the application.

Unplanned:  Families may use the skoolbag app to notify the school of an absent student. After the roll is marked by the class teacher an SMS will be sent to the nominated parent. Please reply to the sms with the reason as soon as possible.  

Further information: https://bit.ly/2XzEkyt

CODE OF CONDUCT

Staff

This Code of Conduct Policy applies to all those employed by the CSO and Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lismore. It outlines the obligations, responsibilities and standard of behaviour required of all employees to uphold the values, integrity and reputation of the Catholic Church, the CSO and all parish schools.
Employees are required to be familiar with the requirements of this document and ensure they comply with the behaviours and obligations outlined within it.

Student

A Code of Conduct applies to students at St Mary's Primary School based on four broad bands: 

1. RESPECT
2. SELF RESPONSIBILITY
3. SAFETY
4. EFFORT

CHILD PROTECTION

Children and young people have a fundamental right to grow, develop and feel safe in environments that are free from violence, exploitation and harm. The Catholic Schools Office Lismore has clear expectations that all students in Catholic systemic schools in the Diocese of Lismore will be protected from all forms of harm including sexual, physical and psychological harm as well as ill-treatment and neglect. The Catholic Schools Office and Catholic systemic schools in the Diocese have certain responsibilities and expectations to ensure the safety and protection of children in their care, including supporting measures to ensure that children and young people will be taught how to protect themselves and to seek help if they are concerned about their safety.

Employees are required to be familiar and comply with child protection legislation as varied from time to time, including but not limited to:

● Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW)
● Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW)
● Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)
● Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW)

Failure to comply with the child protection responsibilities and obligations required by legislation or the Policy will result in disciplinary action being taken, up to and including immediate termination of employment, termination of contractor agreement, notification to external agencies and/or criminal charges.
An employee who becomes aware of a possible breach of the policy or legislation by another employee must report this to their Principal or Human Services at the Catholic Schools Office. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.

COMMUNICATION

Open communication is very important to us. This link outlines the different ways to 'stay in touch' at St Mary's: https://bit.ly/2RlDSBp

If you have a concern please contact your child’s teacher directly.  Should you require additional assistance concerning the matter, please make an appointment with the Principal.
Further information: https://bit.ly/2yERBNZ https://bit.ly/3dcEORY

This Term, all students will be participating in a Rugby League skills and teamwork program. This will take place every Wednesday this Term.

We kicked this off with the Launching of the NRL Roads to Regions program and were fortunate enough to have players from the NRL visit the school on Wednesday. Liam Knight (Rabbitohs). Matt Ikuvalu (Sharks) and Aiden Tollman (retired).

The NRL Inspire – Respect, Health & Wellbeing and Inclusion & Diversity program aims to provide interactive learning experiences that inspire our young people.We very much appreciated the input given and look forward to participating in the NRL Program beginning next Wednesday.

Dear Parents and Carers, 

What a great start to the 2020 year! I would like to wish you all a very warm welcome to another year at St Mary’s. It was greatly appreciated that you supported us in ensuring that your children attended their MAI and Best Start Interview. This is an important opportunity for teachers to meet with each student. 

Years 1 to 6 students were eagerly greeted on Friday! All the staff were so impressed with how well they settled into their learning spaces. The teachers and students love the new desks that have arrived. A lovely splash of colour and they are very practical with their whiteboard tops and adjustable height. 

The Mini Mary’s program proves its worth when the kindergarten students arrive with enthusiasm and familiarity to begin their learning journey.  I enjoyed witnessing the joy, laughter and not too many tears as each family trustingly left their child in our care. I look forward to meeting with the parents and carers of our students at the various events or opportunities during the year.

On Friday 14 February the whole school will go to the church for our Beginning of Year Mass commencing at 12 Noon. Please come along as we prayerfully ask God’s blessings on our school and our community.

A flyer has been sent home today with your child inviting you to attend the We Are Better Together Family School Partnership Night which will be held on Wednesday 12 February from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. Similarly, on Thursday 13 February from 9am - 10:30am you are welcome to be a part of the Community Conversation to explore our shared vision for the children of St Mary’s; to see how we can partner together to ensure the best outcomes for all of our children and to learn from Mr George Otero who is a family school partnership expert from America. Please RSVP as soon as possible via the details on the flyers or the skoolbag app. I look forward to seeing many parents and carers attend this amazing opportunity.

The teachers of St Mary’s are proud to announce that a Learning Expo will be held on Tuesday 18 February at 5:30pm in the school hall and breezeway. It is a great opportunity to learn more about our teaching and learning program, find out about co-teaching, STEM, homework, additional needs and special programs! You will be able to chat to the teachers about classroom routines and subject areas. Chrissie Morrision, Parent Assembly Cluster Organiser for the Lismore Catholic Schools Office, will be present with a display of materials and information. And there’s more - you will be able to purchase a sausage sandwich for the cost of a gold coin! 

Unfortunately, we had some storm damage during the holidays which is in the hands of the insurance company. I will keep you updated!

Sincerely

Jacki Moore

Principal

Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten students had a fantastic first day meeting up with their Mini Mary’s crew, making new friends, exploring their new learning space and experiencing break times with the rest of the St Mary’s students. Kindergarten were lucky enough to have their first Science lesson with Mrs Niethe and PDH lesson with Mrs Ingram. We then finished off the day learning about how different styles of music make you move and feel with Mr Woods. How lucky are we!!  

Kindergarten is a wonderful time in your child’s life and one he/she will remember fondly. A child’s early years are spent discovering themselves and others, the world around them and developing their emerging thoughts, skills and values. We are very excited to guide their journey as the Kindergarten Team and look forward to many wonderful experiences.

Beginning Year Mass

St Mary's Beginning Year Mass will be held at 12:00pm at St Mary's Church on Friday 14 February. We would love for you to join us at this mass to celebrate the beginning of the 2020 school year.

Class Parent

The first class parent meeting will be held on Tuesday 25 February from 5:00 - 5:30 pm. If you are interested in becoming a class parent please come along to the meeting. Class parents are a valuable asset to our school and an important link between the class teacher and parents. 

Weekly Mass

Class groups will take turns in attending the Friday Parish Mass at midday at St Mary's Church. Below is the schedule for this term.

Children's Liturgy

This term, Children's Liturgy will be held twice a month at the following times and churches. Following each of these Masses, there will be a morning tea that parishioners are welcome to attend. 

On Wednesday night, our new school leaders represented our school at the investiture ceremony for parishioners Peter and Bill Dougherty who have recently been awarded the Papal Honour of being a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great. The leaders joined a large congregation of family and friends in a Mass led by Bishop Gregory Homing.

Our whole school community passes on congratulations to both Peter and Bill for this wonderful recognition.

Welcome back to the 2020 school year! This year we have decided to rename Sport to PE. Doing this aligns our classroom activities with our PDHPE syllabus and allows us to ensure that the activities our students engage in during class time are meaningful and purposeful to what the students should be learning. We will continue to use the term ‘sport’ for activities that take place outside of school such as Zone and Diocesan representative activities for Swimming, Athletics, Netball, Soccer etc.  

Term 1 PE

This term students will be participating in an Aussie Hoops Basketball program for 4 weeks and then 4 weeks of a Cricket program run by NSW Cricket instructors. Our infants students (kinder - year 2) will participate in cricket first while our Primary students will enjoy learning new skills in basketball.

2019 Zone Swimming

I would like to congratulate the following students on successfully gaining selection in the St. Mary’s Swimming team.

Harlow Callaghan, Serge Lobsey, Emily Archer, Olivia Peppernal, Sienna Patricks, Jamison Allen, William Yager, Sophie Sutherland, Mabel Mula, Max Lobsey, Wynn Brown, Zaden Nipperess, Archie Pope, Sieanna Sutherland, Steffany Nudo, Kane Patricks, Jack Cheney, Hazel Golding, Scarlett Mula, Jack Hall, Gus Lobsey, Amber Powell, Annalese McKee and Liam Salvestro

Students have received a note this week with details about the carnival, travel and cost. This year’s Clarence Zone carnival will be held in Coffs Harbour on Thursday 20 February.

Wednesday Morning Fitness Group

On Wednesday mornings from 8:15am, students (and parents!) are invited to come for a run, jog or walk around Playground A to help improve fitness, practise for our cross country and athletics carnivals or simply just to enjoy being active and alive! The session will finish at 8:40 to enable students to change or cool down so they are ready for a successful day of learning. We hope to see you all there!

MAJOS FC Sign On

Sign On is now open for the 2020 Football season. Visit www.playfootball.com.au to register for the upcoming season. If you have any questions regarding the process please feel free to email majosfc@gmail.com, talk to Mr Green or head along to the information day on Saturday 15 February here at St Mary’s Primary School at 9:00am.

Last year we applied to be part of the Better Together, Strengthening Family and School Partnerships project offered by the Catholic Schools Office and our application was successful!

Family, school and community partnerships are a significant contributing factor to high performing schools and have been linked to improved academic and wellbeing outcomes for students. 

We will be holding our first community conversation with George Otero and Lismore CSO Parent Partnership Consultant, Janita Thomson. George and Janita will be at St Mary’s Primary on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February.

Family School Partnership Information Night- Wednesday 12 February 5:30 pm 

An information evening to outline the Better Together Partnership Program.

Community Conversation- Thursday 13 February 9:00 am

A community conversation facilitated by George Otero and attended by primary students, parents and school staff.

Please use the schoolbag app to register your interest in attending our events next week.

Safer Internet Day - 11 February 2020

We are starting the conversation about internet safety! Students and staff will be engaged in a variety of eSafety activities on Tuesday 11 Feb to create greater awareness of the importance of being safe on the internet. Parents and carers, you are invited to join us and keep the conversation going at home. Visit the eSafety website for lots of info, free parent webinars, quizzes, questionnaires and activities that you can do to improve your understanding of the internet and support your children at home. 

P & F and Class Parent Meeting

Our very first P&F and Class parent meeting will be held on Tuesday 25 Feb from 5:30pm in the staffroom. At this meeting we will discuss the role of the P&F and Class parents and our vison for the 2020 school year. We would love to see you there!