Week 5, Term 3 2023 - 8th August 2023

Principal's Reflection

Last week, I was fortunate to attend the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) Conference in Hobart. 

The APPA National Conference is an annual event, bringing together primary school principals from across the country and overseas.  Joining over 300 other principals from state, Catholic and independent schools, I heard from a variety of speakers ranging from education experts, paediatricians, neuroscientists, futurists and even explorers.  I came away refreshed and reinvigorated as to the very special endeavour we have as primary educators.

One speaker who particularly resonated with me was New Zealand based neuroscience educator, Nathan Wallis.    Nathan comes from a teaching background but now focuses on working with educators to enhance outcomes for students with complex needs and coming from traumatic backgrounds.  His keynote entitled, ‘The First 1000 days’, gave some excellent insights which apply to all students.  I summarise his work below.

The first 1000 days of a child’s life

The early years of a child's life, particularly the first 1000 days (from conception to about 3 years) are a critical period for their overall development, particularly when it comes to brain development. The importance of nurturing and providing a stimulating environment during this phase cannot be overstated.

Scientific research has shown that a child's brain undergoes rapid growth and development during the first few years, forming the foundation for cognitive, emotional, and social skills later in life.  From conception to 3 years, the brain grows from a single cell to weighing over 1.2kg, making some of the most sophisticated neural connections we will ever make in our lives. 

Nurturing interactions, such as responsive caregiving, positive communication and physical touch play a pivotal role in shaping the architecture of the brain.  A nurturing environment fosters secure attachments, which in turn create a sense of safety and trust, essential for healthy brain development.

Engaging activities like reading, playing, and exploring stimulate neural connections, enhancing cognitive abilities and creativity.

Furthermore, a child's brain is highly plastic, meaning it has the ability to adapt and reorganize based on experiences. Positive experiences and enriched environments optimize this plasticity, supporting the development of essential skills like language acquisition, problem-solving and emotional regulation.

In contrast, neglect or adverse experiences can impede brain development, leading to long-term negative effects on learning, behaviour and mental health. Thus, investing in nurturing and brain development during the early years lays a strong foundation for a child's lifelong learning, emotional well-being, and overall success.

As caregivers, parents, and educators, it is our collective responsibility to provide the love, care and experiences that shape a bright future for our children.  Activities like meditation, calm breathing and  co-regulation, as well as a healthy rapport between child and parent/teacher are to be prioritised.

If this interests you, you can find further information about Nathan’s work on his website.

All the very best

Wes Rose
Principal

From our Principal - Mr Wes Rose

Interschool Chess Comp
Congratulations to the following students who represented St Mary’s at the Mackay Chess Competition yesterday; Anirudh, Violet, Woodley, Caleb, Ila, Alfie, Jai, Cruz, Creed, Elouise, Jacob, Olivia, Jessie, Isaac and Elena.  Our students played well in their rounds, displaying good sportsmanship and solid chess skills.  Special mention to our ‘St Mary’s Knight’s’ team (Woodley, Cruz, Creed and Anirudh), who were crowned overall winners in the Primary School division and have now qualified for the state championships in Brisbane later this year. 

Thank you to Mrs Berardi for running our Chess Club and for accompanying our students to the tournament.

Book Week Dress Up Parade 
With Book Week fast approaching, it is important that families ready themselves for one of the most enjoyable events in our school calendar, the famous St Mary’s Book Week dress up parade! 

Held on Tuesday 22^nd August from 8:40am in the Basketball Court, all parents and friends are invited to join with us for the dress up parade.  Whether students come as their favourite book character, or get together with a few friends to have a team entry, it really is a lot of fun!

Uniform Reminders
With the cold weather upon us, it is timely to remind parent and students of the uniform expectations at St Mary’s.  A reminder to all families of our uniform guidelines.  Some important areas to note include;

• Students are to wear plain black footwear (formal shoes or joggers). Please note that appropriate footwear can be purchased from many retailers in Mackay, including Athletes Foot and Intersport.
• Navy jumper with school badge on left side. Navy stockings or tracksuit pants.
• No coloured nail polish or acrylic nails.
• Boys hair styles. Be neat in appearance and not falling into eyes or past the collar. Hair may not be dyed or worn in a style that is extreme or inappropriate for school (e.g. no tracks, rat’s tails, mo-hawks, top knots, hair no shorter than gauge 2 or undercuts that have a large variance between length).
• Boys: No earrings or body piercings.
• Girls hair styles. Be neat in appearance and not falling into eyes. Girls with shoulder or longer length hair must have it tied back. Hair may not be dyed or worn in a style that is extreme or inappropriate for school. Hair accessories should be minimal and must be in colours of navy, blue or white.

A Message from our First Aid Room
The health and safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. When your child becomes sick at school, we follow medical guidelines from the Rockhampton Diocesan Catholic Education Office and Queensland Health. If serious or contagious symptoms arise, immediate first aid is provided and parents will be notified. Should the situation demand and your child requires additional medical care, we won't hesitate to call an ambulance.

We often see students at the office feeling unwell, sometimes due to wanting to skip class, discomfort with routine changes or other unrelated issues. Over time and with good home/school communication, we attempt to distinguish genuine cases. If we ask you to collect your child from the sick bay, please comply, as our limited sick bay space affects recovery. For contagious symptoms, we'll contact you to collect your child, to ensure your child's well-being as well as the health of our other students and staff is maintained.

While we understand families have work commitments, safeguarding student health is vital. Our office staff are first aid-trained but not medical experts, necessitating your presence. If your child tends to exaggerate illness, encourage them to discern real sickness before seeking the sick bay. Your cooperation ensures a healthy environment and timely care. I thank all parents for their assistance with this matter.

Traffic Safety
Recent near misses serve as a timely reminder of the crucial importance of cautious driving around our school. We urge all parents to prioritise safety and exercise extra care when dropping off or picking up your children. Please slow down, be vigilant, avoid using mobile phones and avoid distractions. Together, we can create a safe environment whilst travelling to and from school. Your commitment to safe driving is a valuable contribution to our school's safety culture. Thank you for helping us keep our school zone safe for everyone.

Reading Assessments
You may have noticed that your child’s teacher has been released over the past week to conduct Diagnostic Reading Assessments (DRA) with their students.  As a school, we use DRA to track reading growth and achievement.  DRA is also used to identify strengths and weaknesses and set reading/comprehension goals for each student.  I thank the teachers for their diligent work in administering these assessments, which form an important part of our ongoing monitoring and assessment practices.

Quote of the Week

A Message from our APRE - Terri Leotta

Andrew Chinn Visit

On Monday 21^st August we welcome Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, who will be visiting our school to share his songs with our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The concert will take place in the school hall with sessions for classes throughout the day and a whole school concert at 1:45pm. Parents and Carers are welcome to join us for the concert at 1:45pm.

Andrew also works with students who are particularly interested in singing and we have even had a St Mary’s students chosen to record with Butterfly Music on one of Andrew’s CDs,  “In Joyful Hope.” If your child is interested in being part of the choir please register their details to Mrs Leotta via this link Choir Participants

Andrew Chinn: Biography
Summary points if doing an introduction:

• Was a teacher for 20 years in Catholic schools in Sydney, taught all grades from kindergarten to Year 6 (was a kindergarten/prep teacher for two years)
• Song writing since 1993
• Has released 12 albums, 6 picture books, and 5 DVDs and has an online resource for teachers: www.butterflyhouse.online
• His music is used in schools across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada and he has visited more than 1000 different schools around those countries.
• His best-known songs are These Hands, Together As One, Rainbow, In the Beginning, Shine Among Them, An African Blessing, God Made Them All, and Rise Up!.
• Lives in Wollongong with his wife, Bernadette and a couple of Shetland Sheepdogs called Mollee and Elbee, who love going to the beach.
• He has four daughters and TEN grandchildren!!
• He is a proud Sydney Swans supporter.
• Andrew’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music.

Book Fair

Come along to find the best new books and help earn free books for our library!

Open next Monday to Wednesday. EFTPOS available.

St Mary's Art Show - Tuesday 29th August

The annual St Mary's Art Show is back for 2023 showcasing artwork from students Prep to Year 6 following their lessons with our resident artist, the talented Ms Maria Lenz.

The entry fee is a gold coin donation (to purchase your child(s) artwork).

There will also be art displays from our photography club, teachers and parents.

Live music, a bar and food will take place on the green.  Bento boxes are available to pre-order from www.quickcliq.com.au, enter the date 29/08/2023 for the item to be available.

This event is always a highlight of the St Mary’s calendar and we look forward to seeing everyone from the St Mary’s community on the evening.

If any parents would like to volunteer on the night, please contact the school office. 

Spelling Bee 2023

This week students from Years 3 – 6 will be participating in the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee.  This is an online competition.  Students taking part in the Spelling Bee will be given 30 random words. They have 25 seconds to spell each word.  Students may not be familiar with all the words they are asked to spell. However, exposing students to new words and their definitions will help expand their vocabularies and encourage them to continue reading.  The Spelling Bee allows students to complete 30 spelling words in a fun format where they have to aim for accuracy, to beat the clock and finish ahead of their fellow students right across Australia.   High scoring students will be invited to sit the Queensland State Finals.

Your student can ‘Try the Bee’ at home in preparation for the task. www.spelling-bee.com.au/play/?try-the-bee

If you have any questions, please see Mrs Val Paul or your child’s teacher.

Library News

Take a look at this Lego masterpiece some of our year 3 students have been working on over the past few weeks in the library. The piece, named 'The Prison Ship' was created by Tane, Oliver and Izaac. Amazing boys!

Student of the Week

Week 4, Term 3 Student Award Winners

Community News