Term 2 Week 1 Newsletter 2025

Important Dates

Character Virtue:   G R A T I T U D E
What it looks like:  Gratitude is saying "thank you" when someone is kind to you.  It's appreciating the good things in your life. 
What it means:  Gratitude is about recognising and being thankful for the people and blessings in your life.
Why it is important:  Gratitude helps you focus on the positive and makes you happier.  It also encourages kindness because you appreciate what others do for you.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,
Welcome back to all the students and families for Term 2. I hope all families had an enjoyable holiday.

Thank you to all of our families who took the opportunity to participate in the Dubbo ANZAC Day March last Friday.  It was great to see our school so well represented at this important community event. 

Citizenship Awards - Last term, we held our Whole School Assembly, a significant event celebrating student achievements.  At this assembly, we announced and congratulated the students who had been awarded a Citizenship Award for Term 1.  These students were recognised for their positive attitude, behaviour and for working to the best of their ability in the classroom, and for their qualities as good citizens.

Congratulations to:

House Award - Morning Tea - Congratulations to the students in Lennon who gained the most points for Term 1 on the Class House Award Chart.  KG were our Term 1 Line Award winners. They will receive their special morning tea this Thursday. Students are awarded points for demonstrating excellent behaviour, doing their best school work, effort, attitude and being model students. Ultimately, the House with the most points at the end of 2025 will be awarded the Annette Storer Shield in Term 4. 

Easter Raffle - A huge thank you to all members of our school community who supported our P&F Easter Raffle last term. We drew the top 30 winners at our assembly last term and had over a hundred winners in total. We raised an impressive $5,600 for our P&F, which will be spent on improvements to our school for the benefit of our students.
Thank you to our administration team, Mrs Tobin, Mrs Marlin, Mrs Bywater, and Mrs Caldbeck, who generously gave of their time in collecting the tickets, counting the money, and preparing our prizes. Thanks also to our P&F members who came and helped distribute the prizes to our lucky winners throughout the day.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2026 - Enrolments for Kindergarten 2026 are open. Parents wishing to enrol their child are asked to contact the school to receive a copy of St. Mary’s Enrolment Policy and the current Enrolment Application Form. Forms can also be accessed via our school website. A copy of your child’s Birth Certificate, Baptismal Certificate, Immunisation Record, and any other supporting documentation will be required to process your enrolment application. Enrolment interviews for all new families will commence on Monday, 26th May.
Our little brothers and sisters of current students commencing Kindergarten next year should have submitted their enrolment application by now. 

Annual School Improvement Survey - The survey will be sent to staff, parents, and students soon. The survey will be 'live' for two weeks from the initial 'open' date. This survey aims to provide all stakeholders in our school community with a 'voice' in how our school operates. The survey is straightforward, and your responses are collected, collated and used to inform the school where we are operating well and areas where we may need to improve. This is an essential tool that all schools in our Diocese participate in each year. Data from it forms and guides our annual improvement plans for the following year. 

Winter Uniform - Officially, the children are to wear their formal winter uniform after the June Long Weekend, but if your child is feeling cold, they may wear their winter uniform from the commencement of Term 2.

REMINDER: Notes for Change of Routine - Parents are reminded that Compass notes are required from parents/guardians with an accompanying explanation:
* For students to be exempt from Friday sports activities.
* For permission for children to leave the playground accompanied by a parent/guardian.
* For ANY change in the usual routine for a child returning home from school.
* For a child to leave school before lessons finish, accompanied by a parent/guardian
* For a child to attend an appointment during school hours, accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Sport

Polding Trials Representatives - Best of luck to the following students who will be trialling for selection in Polding teams this Friday:
Netball:   Maggie and Zara
Rugby League:   Fletcher, Jake, Jackson, Thomas, Ollie and Slater.

PSSA Competition - The Dubbo District Primary Schools Sports Association (PSSA) Winter Sports Competition will take place in Term 2 and involve our students in Years 4-6. This competition involves students from the various government primary schools in Dubbo, St Pius X School, and ourselves. Games are held from 11.30 am-1.00 pm each Friday at various venues throughout Dubbo. Nomination notes will be sent home this week.
The aims of the Dubbo District PSSA competitions are for the children to:
* Enjoy sports.
* Develop a positive attitude.
* Develop skills in various sports in a competitive situation.
* Attain higher standards of behaviour.
* Mix with students from other schools through sports.

Religious Education

Meet 4 Mass - Our Term 2 Meet 4 Mass has been scheduled for Sunday, 18th May 2025. Mass will commence at 9am at St Brigid’s. We would love to see you all there. 

2025 Sacraments - Term 2 will see us start off our 2025 sacramental programs with Confirmation registration as well as preparation sessions ready for Confirmation early in Term 3. Please refer to the email sent from our parish regarding dates and if you have missed out on registering your child for one of the sacraments, you need to contact Rosie Hosking, St Brigid’s Sacramental Coordinator via email at sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au

Anzac Prayer Service - Today we held a prayer service as part of our Assembly to mark ANZAC Day. Thank you to our amazing Year 6 leaders who lead this service for our school. We also thank everyone who came along to the march last Friday, representing St Mary’s on this occasion. 

Vale Pope Francis - Unfortunately, Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, humility, and reform. As the first Latin American pope, he brought a deeply human touch to the papacy—advocating for the poor, embracing interfaith dialogue, and championing care for the planet. His openness and gentle leadership inspired millions across the world, regardless of faith. He reminded us that mercy, justice, and love must be at the heart of our actions. May he rest in peace, and may his legacy continue to guide and uplift us in the years to come. Thank you, Holy Father.

Thursday Night Dinner - Year 6 Students from St. Mary’s are rostered on to volunteer at the second Thursday of the month dinner for our local parish this month. On Thursday, 8th of May, we are looking for some of our Year 6 leaders to come along, help set up the hall, help to serve dinner and clean up for our local parishioners. This is an annual event and a great opportunity to give back to our local community. If your Year 6 child would like to volunteer, can you please email one of the Year 6 teachers this week.

Altar Servers - It was fantastic to see St. Mary’s represented over the Easter season at Mass as altar servers. We thank these students and their families for participating in our local parish over the holiday period. 

ST. BRIGID'S PARISH - MASS TIMES:  (Please note change of Mass times for evening Masses)
St Brigid's:  Saturday - 5pm, Sunday - 9am and Sunday - 5pm
St. Laurence's Church:  Sunday - 7.30am

Attendance

School Fees

Community News

BIRTHDAYS:
Celebrating their birthday this week are:
Archie, Lachlan, Cohen, Harrison, Indya, Nate, Kai, Joseph
and Mrs Sue Nuttall.
We hope you enjoy your birthday!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * * * *

Canteen

MunchMonitor - We encourage all families to use the MunchMonitor online program for lunch orders. 

School Uniform

CCSP Parent Survey

Tell us about your experiences as a Catholic school parent and what you'd like to know more about.

We value every parent's thoughts and opinions.

CSSP would like to know how involved/engaged you feel you are in your child's learning at a NSW/ACT Catholic school, how connected you feel in your child's school, and your thoughts on how schools could enhance family-school partnerships.

This data informs our parent learning program and provides us with valuable information about how our Dioceses and schools are engaging with families.

Thank you so much for taking time out to give us your feedback.

Please click the link to go to the survey: