Newsletter 2025 Term 3 Week 1
PRINCIPAL NEWS - Mr Peter Hughes
Welcome back to Term Three!
On Wednesday sixteen of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students travelled to Cootamundra to celebrate NAIDOC week by gathering with students from other Catholic schools in our region for the annual NAIDOC Mass. At the mass several of our students were recognised for their efforts in learning about various aspects of their culture.
Dustin Bruce was recognised for the work he has done in the area of Identity and Culture, particularly with his focus on learning the language of his ancestors.
Serenity Gunning was recognised for her effort and achievement in sport. Equally important is the way she displays good sportsmanship, encourages others and is always willing to assist.
Grandparents Day
It was wonderful to see so many grandparents at today’s celebrations. The students were very excited to be able to show them around the school and in particular their classrooms.
I thank the parents that assisted with the afternoon tea, our Year Six students that assisted with serving and the school choir for their performance.
Attendance
After examining the attendance data for term two Mrs Rumble’s class, Year 3/4 Blue, had the best attendance rate of 94.35% which is an outstanding effort. They have received a special treat off Mr Hughes as will those that had an attendance rate of 100% for the term.
Year 5/6 White was very close with an attendance rate of 93.32% while Year1/2 Blue, Year1/2 Gold and Year5/6 Blue all had attendance rates over 90%. The guidance from Catholic Education has an attendance rate of at least 92% for all classes across all schools in our system
The children with a perfect attendance rate for term two were Nandini Jhunjhunwala, Bridie Martin, Charles Murdoch, Bailey Smithers, Anjodjot Singh Sohi, Phoebe Denniss, Alexander Carson, Imani Fernandez, Angus Berry, Connar Smithers, Chloe Clarke, Louis Clarke, Belle Morris, Jaxon Wark, Bella Robinson, Yuhan Alicoy, Gemma Harris, Shae Hardy and Pippa Sawyer.
Reading Challenge
This term’s Reading Challenge begins on Monday and runs for four weeks. All students from Years Three to Year Six were given their reading logs this week, while students in the younger grades use the diaries or logs associated with their home readers.
To complete the challenge students must read for a minimum of 19 out of the 20 nights. All students that complete the challenge will again have lunch cooked by Mr Hughes and the senior students will also go into a draw for a $50 gift voucher from Slate.
AP NEWS - Mrs Katie Thompson
Public Speaking
This term two student qualifiers from each year level in primary compete at the Interschool, Western Region and finally the Archdiocesan Public Speaking levels. The following dates indicate when each of these events takes place.
- Inter-school speak-off St Josephs Grenfell: Wednesday 30th July (Week 2)
- Western Region Finals: St Patrick’s Gundagai, Wednesday 6th August (Week 3)
- Archdiocesan Finals: Sacred Heart Central School Cootamundra, Friday 12th September (Week 8)
We wish all the following students the best of luck on Wednesday as they represent our school and compete against St Joseph's Grenfell, with ONE student from each year level qualifying to speak at the Western Region competition in Week 3.
- Year 3: Frankie Hardy, Pippa Harris
- Year 4: Henry Burgess, Rohan Caldwell
- Year 5: Ayla Terry, Alex Presser
- Year 6: River Hambilton, Amity Sullivan
Go St Mary’s!!
RE NEWS - Ms Jillian Murray
On the final day of Term Two, our school community came together to celebrate mass.
Our school mass was a special time to come together in faith, gratitude, and community. It allowed us time to pause and give thanks for the learning, laughter, friendships, and growth we've experienced.
During the celebration, Fr George from Galong and Mrs Pauline Sharpe, representing our Community Council, offered a special blessing for our new Bibles. These Bibles, kindly provided through the generous support of the Community Council, have now found a home in our Stage 2 and 3 classrooms. They will serve as a valuable resource for students as they continue to grow in faith and deepen their learning at St Mary’s School.
SCHOOL FEES REMINDER - TERM 2 OVERDUE/TERM 3 INVOICING
A reminder to all families that Term 2 school fees are now overdue. Term 3 fees will be invoiced next week, and updated statements will be sent out accordingly.
As outlined in the 2025 School Fee Letter, we rely heavily on school fees to support our operations, as we only receive 80% of our funding from the Australian Government. School fees are essential to help us continue delivering high-quality education, funding all staff, and maintaining and improving our school’s facilities.
We would like to remind families that no student will be refused enrolment, excluded, or disadvantaged due to a family’s financial circumstances. This is a policy of the Archdiocese. If you have any concerns regarding your school fee account, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a confidential discussion about the assistance available to support your family.
We also encourage families to contact Donna Dal Molin, our Office Manager, to set up regular payments via BPoint to help with budgeting.
We value your partnership and thank you for your continued support of our school.
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR 5/6 CLASSROOMS
This week in Year 5/6 we have been honing our photography and cinematic skills in readiness for creating a Stopmotion video of the Fable we are writing in English.
So far we've tried Claymation, Paper Cut-out, Lego and Object motion videos.
We're very impressed with what our classmates have created so far.
So watch this space for the finished product!!
NRL LEAGUE STARS
This week the Year 3/4 students participated in a number of skill and game based activities specific to Rugby League for PE. The NRL League Stars afternoon program kicks off next week for 8 weeks of fun.
Don’t forget to register⭐️
The program is for kids aged from 5-12yrs.
ST MARY'S ON STAGE
We are excited to inform you that St Mary’s will be holding their first ever St Mary’s On Stage evening on Wednesday, 24th September (week 10) . This event is an opportunity for students to show their incredible skills and talent on stage to our school community. This may include, but is not limited to, dancing (solo or group), playing a musical instrument, stand up comedy or singing.
Auditions for any student K-6 wishing to participate in this event will be held during Week 5 and 6 at school. This allows students an opportunity to practice their performance prior to the audition. Students will need to provide a copy of their music for dancing and singing or bring their instruments and sheet music (please note that a piano & drum kit is available at school). Students will be told in advance which day they will be auditioning. As much as we would love all students to participate in this event, spots are limited hence why we require auditions.
Please discuss with your child whether they would like to be a part of this event and complete the google form. All students must have a completed google form if they wish to participate, especially if it is a group performance.
CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM
We look forward to seeing our amazing students shine and share their talent with us all.
