2024 Term 2 Week 3
Dear Parents and Carers,
We were delighted to celebrate a beautiful Mother's Day liturgy led by our wonderful Kindergarten students. Their heartfelt prayers, songs, and readings made the event truly special. It was a joy to witness their enthusiasm and love for their mothers, creating a memorable experience for all who attended. Thank you to our Kindergarten teachers and students for their hard work and dedication in making this liturgy a success.
St. Mary's will be hosting the Regional Principal's Meeting on Thursday 23 May. Visiting principals will have the opportunity to tour our school, including classroom visits where they can observe the outstanding work our students are engaged in. This event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the dedication and creativity of both our students and staff. We are excited to welcome these educational leaders to our community.
We are thrilled to announce our Pyjama Day on Friday, 24 May. This day is a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together in a fun and cozy way while supporting a great cause. We will be collecting gold coin donations to raise money for the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal, helping those in need during the colder months. Please ensure your child comes dressed in their favorite pyjamas or tracksuit. We ask that children wear joggers, not slippers, for safety during the day's activities.
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and explore how we can contribute to reconciliation in Australia. During the week of Monday 27 May - Friday 31 May, our students will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of cultural immersion activities designed to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures and histories. These experiences aim to promote respect, trust, and positive relationships within our community.
Please be reminded that Thursday 30 May is a Staff Development Day. On this day, our staff will be attending the Diocesan Proclaim Spirituality Day at St John Paul College in Coffs Harbour. This event is an opportunity for all schools in the Clarence region to come together under this year's theme, Hope for the Future. Staff will hear from guest speakers, Dr Maeve Heaney, Director of the Xavier Centre of Theological Formation at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and Roby Curtis, Director of Emmanuel City Mission (ECM), Brisbane. Please note that no staff will be on site on Thursday 30 May.
The Grafton Eisteddfod, which will take place on 4-5 June, is just around the corner. Many of our students have been diligently preparing for their performances, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication. This event is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talents and for us to support and celebrate their achievements.
Warmest regards,
Jacki, Dom and Jas
Term 2 Events Calendar
Mother's Day Liturgy
We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the heartwarming Mother's Day liturgy that took place last week. Our kindergarten students did a fantastic job in presenting a beautiful and touching liturgy. Their songs, prayers, and heartfelt gestures were a true testament to the love and appreciation they have for their mothers and mother figures.
To all the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and mother figures in our community, we hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Your dedication, love, and support are deeply valued and cherished.
Thank you once again for making our Mother's Day celebration so memorable.
Mini Vinnies Pyjama Day
On Friday 24 May, students are invited to wear their pyjamas to school for a gold coin donation. All money raised will be donated to St Vincent De Paul's Winter Appeal.
Mrs Dominique Montford
Assistant Principal Mission
Learning and Teaching
All students should now have their log in details for the Premiers Reading Challenge. The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an initiative of the NSW State Government. It aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student - to read, to read more and to read more widely.
In order to complete the Challenge, students must read the following number of books based on their Challenge Level:
|
Challenge Level |
Number of books you must read |
Minimum number of PRC books |
Maximum number of Personal Choice books |
PRC book lists you can read from |
|
K-2 |
30 |
20 |
10 |
K-2, 3-4, 5-6 |
|
3-4 |
20 |
10 |
10 |
3-4, 5-6, 7-9 |
|
5-6 |
20 |
10 |
10 |
5-6, 7-9 |
You can find the booklists on the Premiers Reading Challenge Website.
Our local library has many of these books available to borrow. They also have an extensive eBook collection, available to borrow 24/7 allowing students access to the latest best-selling books for free. They can be downloaded directly onto phones and i pads. Head into the Clarence Valley library and talk to one of the librarians, who will be more than happy to provide support setting this up.
Warm regards
Jas
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
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.
Covid 19
COVID-19 is still present in our community.
Students and staff CANNOT attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
If a student is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is feeling well and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school but the school is to be informed of the positive test result.
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.
Parking in Hoof Street
There are a small number of parking spaces near the Sunrise Shop (corner of Hoof and Turf Streets) for use by their customers. To assist this small business, we suggest parking away from the corner.
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.
Transport NSW Position Vacant
Transport NSW has a position available as a School Crossing Supervisor - Clarence Valley/ Casino LGA. We have shared the link below: