Issue #4 19th March 2025
Principal's Update
Cross Country Our school Cross Country will be held this Friday, 21st March. There has been a change of venue, and all students will run the course here at school. Our Cross Country is a compulsory event, children can run or walk. There will be ample parent viewing of the track, which will encompass parts of the oval, school and church grounds. The track length will remain the same as each year. The approximate times for the events are: Kinder: 9.10am, Year 1: 9.20am, Year 2: 9.40am, Year 3: 9.55am, Year 4: 10.15am, Year 5: 10.35am, Year 6: 10.50am. Please note, these may be adjusted without notification on the day due to changing circumstances.
We ask students to please bring a towel to sit on, apply sunscreen and repellent at home, and pack a water bottle. Students will sit on the oval to cheer on the various age groups. Parents will not be able to sit with their children during this time, there will be a designated viewing area for parents, separate from the students. On sporting days, we like all students to participate and cheer on others in our school community. Our wonderful St Mary’s students always have a go and try their best. As such, parents are asked to not take children home early from the Cross Country.
Catholic Schools Broken Bay guidelines allow only the top 6 boys and top 6 girls from the 8/9 years, 10-years, 11-years and 12-years age groups to proceed to the CCC Cross Country. The 8 year old and 9 year old age group is a combined group. Although the 8 year olds and 9 years olds will run separately at our school level cross country, the results will be combined and only 6 boys and 6 girls, total, from these two age groups will progress through to CCC level. The 8 and 9 year old races at our school Cross Country will be timed to allow a top 6 to be awarded; finishing in the top 6 of these age groups will not necessarily mean a child proceeds to CCC. We will have official timekeepers and these results will be final.
We look forward to a wonderful day, the sun will be shining brightly!
Harmony Day Tomorrow we celebrate Harmony Day as a school. Harmony Day is a special day where we celebrate and respect different cultures, showing kindness and inclusion to everyone, no matter where they come from. It's about understanding that we all belong and are important, no matter our differences. All children are encouraged to wear orange. Joggers are still required as footwear.
Easter Hat Parade On Friday 4th April we will hold our K-2 Easter Hat Parade. It will be held for approximately 20 minutes after our morning 9.00am assembly on the top playground. Children are encouraged to make a hat at home and wear it for a short parade in front of the school. Students in Years 3-6 are welcome to make and wear a hat of their own as they watch the younger children parade, however they will not be in the parade itself.
NAPLAN This week, our Year 3 and Year 5 children finish sitting NAPLAN, which is held annually during a 9-day window in March. Children sit national testing for Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language (Spelling and Grammar/Punctuation) and Numeracy. I am always impressed by the positive attitude and willingness to have a go that the children display. I am so proud of the way our children always try their best.
School Photos School photos are being held later this term, on 7th and 10th April (Week 10). April 7th will be class photos and individual photos, and group photos. Sibling photos and make-up individual photos will be on Thursday 10th. All children must wear their full school uniform (not sports) on both of these dates. We are not able to accommodate the many different family requests regarding the times of photos being taken on the day. School photos must be purchased before photo day via Compass. A message from MSP Photography was sent to you yesterday. Please check your emails and Compass, as purchases are made directly through the Compass App to MSP Photography, and must occur prior to photo day.
ANZAC Day ANZAC Day is in our school holidays. We will be commemorating this significant occasion with our school meeting at Toukley Green at 9.15am on ANZAC Day, for our school to walk together and lay a wreath. You are welcome to join us, a note went home last week. On Wednesday 30th April (first day of Term 2), we will commemorate ANZAC Day with members of the RSL attending school at 10.00am for a school liturgy. Please join us if you can.
Year 7 2026 Taster Days Soon, our two local Catholic High Schools will be hosting a 'Year 7 Taster Day' for our students. Year 6 parents have received information via Compass about registering. We know you will enjoy your high school experience at MacKillop or St Brigid's. The flyers for both schools are later in the newsletter.
Mother's Day Stall We look forward to providing another wonderful Mother’s Day Stall in Week 2 of next term (Wednesday 7th May). Purchases of gifts are pre-paid only through the Qkr! app, and can be bought from today until Friday 2nd May only. Gifts are $10 each, with a maximum of 2 gifts per student. As always, we do hope there will be many mums or dads available to help with the stall. Please call or email the school to register your availability.
Playgroup Next Wednesday 26th March will be our first playgroup for 2025. It will be held from 9.15am in the parish hall. Please come along for a morning of smiles and fun activities. We look forward to seeing you there.
Broken Bay Swimming Results Well done to all of our swimmers who recently competed in the Broken Bay Swimming. Everyone swam so strongly and were terrific sports. Congratulations to the students who are now moving to Polding; Flynn B, Jase B, Lachlan B, Oliver C, Ollie B and Rhys M.
Year 5 and Year 6 camp dates for 2025 Year 6 will attend Canberra this year on 4th-6th June. Year 5 will attend camp on 11th-12th September. Details about both overnight excursions will be sent out by teachers closer to the dates of travel.
Easter Raffle Over the next 2 weeks our Mini Vinnies students will begin selling raffle tickets for the Easter Raffle. It will be drawn a few days before the Easter break. Tickets are 3 for $1. To make our raffle a success, we need donations! If your family is able to donate an easter egg, a bag of eggs, a block of chocolate or a box of eggs we would appreciate it. All donations should go to your child’s classroom, not the office. We also welcome donations of cellophane for wrapping!
Soon, we will ask for a team of parents to assist in wrapping the gifts for the prizes. It is a great way to meet other parents!
All about Lachlan! Lachie is a Year 2 student at St Mary's. He and his family have been part of our school community for many, many years. 12 months ago, Lachie received a diagnosis of Early Onset Cone Dystrophy. This is a rare eye disorder. Lachie is vision impaired and currently mastering the skill of using his cane. Our children across all grades are learning about ways to make our school a safe place for everyone. Below is information about Lachie, so that you can get to know him too.
Stage 3 Gala Day On Wednesday 9th April, our Year 5 and Year 6 children will attend a fun Touch-Tag Gala Day at Tuggerah. The permission note has been sent out on Compass, please complete as soon as possible so teams can be finalised.
Carpark Please drive safely through our carpark! Slow down and look for children. Our newly painted pedestrian crossings are easily seen, and should be adhered to. Parking in the bus bay is never allowed.
Use of Play Equipment After School It is lovely to see so many children and parents using our school play equipment (on the oval and top playground) after school, however there has been an increase in the amount of injuries and incidents occurring after 3.15pm. Our office closes at 3.30pm and difficulties arise when the children hurt themselves, or parents need to leave the school grounds after the auto-gates have been closed. We encourage after school play to be finished by 3.30pm. Thank you for your understanding.
From our REC
Year 2 Sunday Grade Mass
Just a reminder that our Year 2 students and teachers have been preparing for our Sunday Grade Parish Mass. Thank you to all our families who have responded. It’s not too late! All the students will be singing a Thanksgiving Hymn we have been learning. This is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with classmates, meet other Year 2 parents, and build lasting connections. Trust in the people you make good connections with. Please bring a plate to share after mass for a shared morning tea.
Easter Raffle
This year we have made a few changes to our annual Easter Raffle. Raffle tickets will be sold to students in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 in Week 8 and students in Years 3 to 6 in Week 9. Tickets will be sold before school and at recess time by our Mini Vinnies team members. We are conscious of the cost of living and will also be putting a cap on the amount of tickets each child can purchase. Students can purchase no more than $5 worth of raffle tickets. Raffle tickets are 50c each or three for $1. Students can purchase on multiple days but can not exceed $5 total. Mini Vinnies will have class lists and will write down the number of tickets purchased. Individual tickets will be written out prior to the raffle being drawn.
We are asking for donations for our Easter Raffle. These could be Easter Eggs, chocolate bars or other Easter themed items. Donations will be made into raffle prizes. This initiative is always loved by our students. Please donate if you can.
Holy Week Liturgy - Andrew Chinn
On Tuesday 8th April Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with our students. In addition to this, he will be preparing and leading our students in our Holy Week Liturgy. Students will all have a session with him with their class teachers.
So that this is effective, each grade will be learning a designated song and wearing a particular-coloured t-shirt on the day. Students will all wear their sports shorts, joggers and their assigned coloured t-shirts. Details are outlined here: Kindergarten - Purple, Year 1 - Rainbow or Tie Dyed, Year 2 - Blue, Year 3 - Red, Year 4 - Green, Year 5 - Black and Year 6 - White.
Sacred Spaces
Over the last two weeks 6 Gold and 5 Gold have shared their learning in Religious Education. 6 Gold shared their learning around the 7 sacraments and 5 Gold shared their learning about St Patrick. On Monday we celebrated the Feast of St Patrick. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland. The Holy Trinity refers to the belief in one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. St. Patrick showed that, just like the shamrock has three separate leaves but is still one plant, the Trinity is made up of three parts but is still one God. This simple example helped people understand a complex idea in a way they could relate to.
Reconciliation
Please keep our students preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in your prayers. These students will make this Sacrament on Tuesday 1st April.
ANZAC March 2025
Last Friday a note was sent home inviting students to attend the 2025 ANZAC March at Toukley RSL. ANZAC Day falls on the last Friday of the holidays. If you would like your child or children to participate in the march and service please return the note to the office. Our captains will be laying a wreath. Students are asked to wear their full summer uniform.
Taster Days for our local Catholic High Schools
Each year, our two local Catholic high schools run a 'Taster Day', for our Year 6 children to experience life in their potential high school for a day. These days are supervised by high school staff and run all day at the high school. Registration is with the high school (not us), and through the links provided. Children must register to attend the day.
Attached is the flyer for both Mackillop and St Brigid's. If you are considering one of these high schools for 2026, you may like to send your child to their Taster Day:
Mackillop's Taster Day is Monday March 31st.
St Brigid's Taster Day is Thursday May 8th.
