Issue #18 8th November 2023
Principal's Update
Dates for 2023 and 2024
Last week you would have read about our upcoming events and dates for 2024 in the Compass notification. Here is a short summary of upcoming events that were sent our last week on Compass.
Week 6: K-1 Swimming Program, Year 7 Orientation Day - Mackillop only (17/11).
Week 7: K-1 Swimming Program, Advent Liturgy #1 (20/11), Year 7 Orientation Day - St Brigid's only (24/11).
Week 8: Advent Liturgy #2 (27/11), Kinder 2024 Welcome Liturgy (29/11).
Week 9: Advent Liturgy #3 (4/12), K-2 In-class awards (4/12), K-6 Award Ceremony (6/12), Year 6 Thanksgiving Mass (8/12), School reports go home (8/12).
Week 10: Advent Liturgy #4 (11/12), Year 6 Graduation Dinner (11/12) Christmas Carols Evening (13/12).
2024: Year 1-6 students return for their first day on Wednesday 31st January. Kinder begin on Friday 2nd February.
Rotary Citizenship Award
Next Wednesday, two of our students, Willow F and Vanessa M, will be recognised as our schools two Rotary Citizenship Award recipients at a presentation at Doyalson RSL. Willow and Vanessa have been recognised for their outstanding citizenship role, and will be presented with a certificate and medallion in recognition of this. Congratulations to you both!
Classes for 2024
Teachers are currently finalising class lists for 2024. If your child is not returning to St Mary's in 2024, please contact the office to let them know, as this influences our class numbers.
Carpark
Our carpark is the busiest and potentially dangerous area of the school. Thank you to the parents who have ceased pulling into the bus bay, due to the increased risk this creates. I would like to remind everyone that in this shared space, every adult and child has the right to feel and be safe, and it is everyone's collective responsibility to follow steps to do this:
- Do not use a mobile phone when driving in our carpark
- Only park in designated parking spots, parking ‘rear to curb’
- Look closely at both of the pedestrian crossings, and do not park/stop across the crossings
- Drive slowly (walking pace) and look for children walking and on bikes and scooters
- Do not park or stop in the bus bay, in front of the hall or in front of the gates near the oval. Use a parking spot when you are dropping off your children in the morning.
Cricket Team
Our cricket team recently made it to the Central Coast finals of the Waratah Shield. Both St John Fisher and St Mary’s played with great spirit and sportsmanship throughout the final match, however after a close battle, Tumbi won scoring 3/125 to St Mary’s 5/83. Congratulations to our team on their superb effort.
Help needed!
Are you a parent with some skills of painting on brick? Or are just willing to give it a go? Over the next few weeks we will be having a mural painted professionally on the wall between the Kinder classes and the Admin building (essentially, the side of Kinder White that is seen as you enter from Pandora Parade). We are needing an undercoat to be applied prior to the mural. All paint and equipment is provided, we are after just a parent or two to assist in painting the undercoat. Is this you? If so, please call our school office for more information. Thank you!
Proposed new classrooms
Year 6 Slam Poetry
REC Update
Paint and Chat
Next year our K-2 Religious Curriculum continues with our Year 2 classes. We need to paint another two kits and would love your help so our resources are ready for 2024. There will be images available to copy from. No experience needed, we would love your help!
Year 5 and 2024 Kinders Sunday Mass
On Sunday 26th November our Year 5 students and our Leaders for 2024 will be leading our Sunday Parish Mass. We are including our 2024 Kinder students and have sent home in their Kinder packs a crown and invitation. This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King and would love our newest members of our school and parish community to come wearing their crown. Mass begins at 9am and we encourage our Year 5 families to bring a plate of food to share with our Kinder families and Parish community.
Advent Liturgies
Our Advent Liturgies will be held on Mondays this year at 2pm in the church. Below is the date, week and grade that will be leading our liturgies. If you are not busy we would love you to attend these.
1st Week of Advent - Monday 20th November - Year 2 and Year 3 will lead
2nd Week of Advent - Monday 27th November - Year 4 will lead
3rd Week of Advent - Monday 4th December - Kinder and Year 1 will lead
4th Week of Advent - Monday 11th December - Year 5 will lead
All Saints Mass
Thank you to our Year 2 teachers and students who led our All Saint Mass last week. It was a beautiful mass.
Year 1 White and Gold Sacred Space
Thank you to our Year 1 teachers and students who shared their learning in Religious Education. It was wonderful to hear about Mary. October is tradtional the month of Mary and to hear such a great awareness of Mary was amazing.
Socktober - Catholic Mission Fundariser
Thank you to our school community who supported our Catholic Mission Fundraiser. We raised nearly $1000 to support this initiative! Congratulations to Levi in Year 2 who guessed the closest to the K-2 lolly jar and Ma'Niyah in Year 6 for guessing closest to the 3-6 lolly jar.
Christmas Eve Children's Mass and Nativity
If you would like your child or children to be involved in our Parish's Christmas Eve Children's Mass and Nativity please scan the QR code below. There are many different roles from reading to acting to dancing that they can be involved in. It is always a wonderful experience.
Thanksgiving Mass
Our end of year Thanksgiving Mass will take place on Friday 8th December at 9.15am. Year 6 will be leading this mass. It is the last Mass Year 6 will share with our school community and is always a special one. If you are not busy, please join us.
Sports News
Waratah Shield Cricket Competition Congratulations to our St Mary's School Team making the Finals of the Waratah Shield Cricket. Our Cricket team has played St Brendan's Lake Munmorah, Our Lady of the Rosary Shelly Beach and Our Lady of the Rosary, Wyoming. They have batted, bowled and fielded consistently well to win all of these games convincingly. Brody C, Darcy B, Willow F, Beau T, Euan B, Henry H, Abel N, Liam G, Matthew G, Van B, Hayden T and Koa F played in the final last Friday at EDSACC North Bateau Bay. The finals were played in cold and miserable conditions, but with great skill and determination. Both SJF and St Mary’s played with great spirit and sportsmanship throughout the final match, with Tumbi scoring 3/125 and St Mary’s 5/83
Many Thanks to Emma Dawson and Wade Foley for coaching the team. Also thanks to Wade for umpiring and Donna Canon for your exceptional scoring skills.
Merit and Star Awards
From our PEC
The Smith Family Saver Plus program supports eligible parents with $500 matched savings and free financial education. The matched funds can be used for education expenses including laptop, school uniforms and other education items.
Saver Plus is funded by the Department of Social Services and is the Australian longest financial education program for community, having more than 50,000 participants since 2003. RMIT University has conducted evaluation showing Saver Plus is effective to help people develop medium-long term saving habits.
Parents with children at school OR starting school next year would meet one of the program eligibility criteria. This would reduce pressure on parents as they learn the tools to sustain their finances and be better prepared for future school costs.
More information can be found in the program flyer and the link - https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/financial/saver-plus
Enquire now to see if you are eligible by using this link https://www.bsl.org.au/services/saving-and-managing-money/saver-plus/saver-plus-enquiry-form/