Term 4 Week 8 Newsletter 2024
Important Dates
Dec 03 | Christmas Concert - 6.00 pm @ St. Johns College Hall |
Dec 06 | Kindergarten Farm Excursion |
Dec 06 | Year 3 Friendship Day |
Dec 09 | End of Year Mass - 10.00 am @ St. Brigid's |
Dec 12 | Up Class Day - 10.00 am |
Dec 13 | Year 6 Picnic Day |
Dec 18 | LAST DAY OF TERM 4 |
2025: | |
Jan 31 | Teachers commence |
Feb 03 | Pupil Free Day |
Feb 04 | Kindergarten and Year 6 commence |
Feb 05 | Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 commence |
Feb 17 | 2025 Opening School Mass |
Apr 11 | Last Day of Term 1 |
Vision Statement:
St. Mary's Primary strives to be a welcoming Christ-centred learning community that promotes a quality holistic
education and trusting relationships in a caring and supportive environment.
Acknowledgment of Country: We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Wiradjuri people, who, long before us, lived, loved, educated and raised their children on this site. We pay our respects to elders past and present, and we recognise the young people who are our future. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in our community. We respect their deep physical and spiritual connections to the country through their stories traditions and living cultures.
Character Virtue: W I S D O M
Wisdom means having good judgement - knowing right from wrong - and can come from both knowledge and experience. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit to help us make the right choices to live a good and holy life. Wisdom helps you to avoid things that could lead you away from God and make you unhappy in the long run.
From the Principal
Mr Luke Wilson
Principal
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Week 8.
Christmas Concert - Our special evening for all families will commence at 6.00 pm tomorrow, Tuesday 3rd December, at St. Johns College Hall.
Our students are looking forward to a wonderful night. All students are asked to report to their class teachers in the HMC (Drop-Off and Pick-Up Building) by 5.45 pm. Children should bring a water bottle with them. Students must remain with their teachers while the concert is underway and return to their families afterwards. Children will return to the HMC at the end of the concert.
Parents must see their child’s class teacher to mark their child’s name off before they leave so the teacher knows the students are collected safely. There is limited parking on the school grounds, but there will be no parking between the hall and the HMC.
We look forward to seeing many family and friends at the concert.
Families are reminded that no food or drink is to be taken inside the Hall.
School Reports - The Semester 2 School Reports will go home to all families next Friday, 13th December. The Semester 2 Report is a report on your child’s progress for work assessed during Terms 3 & 4 using a variety of assessment strategies. The Report is an indication of your child’s achievements in Key Learning Areas as well as his/her work habits and social skills. Interviews are not compulsory at this time of year, but after reading the report, if you have any concerns, please take the opportunity to discuss them with the class teacher.
2025 Notes were sent home last week: Please sign and return ASAP. Thank you.
Medical students for 2025 -Paperwork for all students with asthma, allergies, etc., has been sent home. We hope that by doing this, we’ll give parents time to make doctor/specialist appointments so their doctors can sign off on the paperwork for next year as per CEDB Policy.
All 2025 paperwork must be submitted before this year's end.
Religious Education
Mr Tim Keady
RE Coordinator
Dear Parents,
Vinnies Hampers - Our annual Vinnies Hamper drive is underway again for 2024. Each year we ask students/ families in each class to purchase items that are donated to create Christmas Food Hampers for members of our local community who may find it difficult this Christmas. Please remember to send in your items before the end of this week.
Parent Survey - Please complete the school survey on your thoughts about how we celebrate Father's Day and Mother's Day at St. Mary’s. We appreciate your feedback to help us plan for 2025.
Results will be shared with the school community at the start of next year.
| RE Dates for the Calendar | |
Week 9 | Monday, 9th December - End of Year Mass @ 10.00 am - St. Brigid's |
SAVE THE DATE: Our 2025 Opening School Mass will be held on Monday, 17th February | |
Christmas Eve Mass Nativity Play | |
| Practice Dates Please allow up to one hour per practice. | Place & Time |
| Sunday, 8th December | St. Brigid's Church - 10 am |
| Sunday, 15th December | St. Brigid's Church - 10 am |
| Sunday, 22nd December | St. Brigid's Church - 10 am |
| Tuesday, 24th December - FINAL PRACTICE | St. Brigid's Church - 10 am |
| Tuesday, 24th December - Christmas Eve Mass | Children arrive at 5.30 pm and meet in the Church Hall. |
Gospel Focus: Be Alert (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36)
Waiting in Joyful Hope.
ST. BRIGID'S PARISH - MASS TIMES:
St Brigid's: Saturday - 6pm, Sunday - 9am and Sunday - 6pm
St. Laurence's Church: Sunday - 7.30am
300 Nights Reading
Congratulations to the following students who have already achieved 300 nights of reading in 2024! This is an impressive feat and we cannot wait to celebrate more students in the coming weeks. Students can claim their 300-night prize until the last day of the term. | |
| KB | Zadie McWhirter and Harriet Williams. |
| KG | Chelsea Meyers, Nate Hopkins, Hank Dunworth, Evie Pratten, Charlotte Gilmour, |
| 1B | Alexis Anderson and Merryn McArthur. |
| 3B | Lucy McArthur, Lily Thornton, Archie Chippendale, Isaac Pratten and Salma Seleem. |
| 4B | Zoe Taylor |
| 5G | Hudson Giddings, Thomas Galvin, Lucas Laws, Stella Hubbard and Ella Thornton. |
Sport
Basketball NSW Primary School Challenge - Well done to our St. Mary’s basketball teams, who competed in Penrith at the NSW Schools Challenge last week. While our teams did not bring home any trophies, they represented us with pride and should be congratulated on their efforts. Thanks to Miss Herbert and Mr Fuller for their management and coaching and to our generous and supportive guests who made the trip to Penrith.
Awards
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
| George Knight - 1B For his positive attitude and consistent effort to do his best in all areas. |
| Jack Williams - 1G For presenting clearly and reading confidently with good expression. |
| Lottie Woodham - 1G For her effort and participation during concert rehearsal. |
| Melody Good - 4B For her quiet and dedicated approach to all learning tasks. |
HOUSE AWARDS:
Congratulations to the following students for gaining 10 points for
their Sports House for exemplary behaviour:
| LA SALLE: | McAULEY: | MOORE: | LENNON: |
| Florence Scott - KB | Elias-Ali Ley - KB | Ruby Smith - KB | Aubrie Olsen - KB |
| Chelsea Slade - KB | Harvey Tegart - KB | Arshaan Thind - KB | Scarlett Long - KB |
| Ellie Fardell - KB | Liam Sutton - KB | Billy Carney - 3B | Emily Jones - 4B |
| Emmett Giddings - 3B | Stella Goodstat - 4B | Koa Cooper - 4B | Isabelle Robinson - 4B |
| Archie Whiteman - 4B |
Music
School Fees
Attendance
Automated Attendance Notification:
CEDB has set up Automated Attendance Notifications for our school.
Attendance Tracking: Teachers will record attendance as usual.
Automated Alerts: If your child is marked absent without a known reason, an SMS will be sent to your registered mobile number.
Immediate Action: You can take immediate action by contacting the school if the absence is unexpected or unaccounted for.
Ensure Your Contact Information is Up-to-Date: Verify and update your mobile number with the school office.
Communicate Absences: Notify the school in advance if your child will be absent.
Stay Alert: Look out for SMS notifications from the school.
PARTIAL ABSENCES:
Parents must attend the school office to use the Compass Kiosk to complete a PARENT DROP-OFF or PARENT PICK-UP if arriving late or leaving early.
FULL DAY ABSENCES:
A Note should be submitted via Compass for a FULL DAY absence from school.
Reminder: Parents to submit an attendance note within 7 days of absence. Thank you.
Community News
BIRTHDAYS:
Celebrating their birthday this week are:
Lily Thornton, Hartley Huggett, Tex Simpson, Tristan Farrelly,
Mrs Carol Walkom, Mrs Jacquie Clark and Mrs Danielle Dann.
We hope you enjoy your birthday!
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School student travel information for parents and students
School Travel Passes
Applications are now open for 2025 School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) travel.
Students in the Opal network applying for an Opal card (including a Term Bus Pass) for the first time will receive their School Opal card at their nominated postal address from mid-January 2025.
Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass but have not yet applied need to apply or update their details as soon as possible.
In the Opal network, students should travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.
Students living in rural and regional areas will receive their travel pass from their nominated transport operator. It may be issued via their school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some rural and regional operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.
Terms of Use
Students using School Opal cards must tap on and tap off in line with the Opal terms of use.
This includes travel within the approved times between 6.30 am and 7.00 pm from Monday to Friday on school days only. Students must use their Child/Youth Opal card for any travel outside these times.
All students are required to comply with the Student code of conduct. The code of conduct aims to ensure the safety and well-being of school children and other passengers. It is important that parents ensure their child is aware of this, as failure to comply with the code of conduct can result in a suspension from travel.
School Uniform
Canteen
Canteen Roster
TUES Dec 03 | Joanna Wiatkowski |
WED Dec 04 | Melissa Barrett and Ros Dixon |
THURS Dec 05 | Jordana Pearson and Emma McNamara |
FRI Dec 06 | Victoria Meyers and Jackie Pratten |
MON Dec 09 | Cassie Carney |
REMINDER:
MunchMonitor cut-off time for placing lunch orders - 9.45 am.
LATE LUNCH ORDERS:
9.45 am - 11.00 am - Parents are welcome to phone the school office to place a lunch order.
After 11.00 am - Students have an option of a Vegemite Sandwich, Cheese Sandwich
or Cheese and Vegemite Sandwich only.
Kinder News...
On Friday 15th November, Kindergarten held a Crazy Sock and Hair Day to raise awareness and donations for our 2024 class charity, Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House cares for the families of seriously sick or injured children in their time of need. More about this amazing charity here https://www.rmhc.org.au/
Thank you to all our Kinder families who supported this fun day and helped in raising $250 for this special charity.
St. Mary's Kindergarten Christmas decorations have been displayed around the palliative care ward and patient waiting areas at Lourdes Rehabilitation Hospital. All the patients, families and staff alike are enjoying the Christmas cheer these beautiful artworks have already created.
Well done Kindergarten.
