Week 3, Term 4 2023 - 17th October 2023

Principal's Reflection

Why Parent Engagement Counts!

Parent engagement is an invaluable component of a child's educational journey, where parents, teachers and the local community come together to create a supportive learning environment. This article delves into the profound impact of parent involvement in primary education, emphasising its influence on academic success, social development and emotional well-being.

Building Strong Relationships - Parent engagement serves as the cornerstone for building robust relationships. It instils a sense of belonging for students, making them feel valued and supported, which in turn boosts their self-esteem and confidence.

Enhancing Academic Achievement - When parents actively participate in school activities and work closely with educators, it can lead to improved academic performance. The partnership between parents and teachers allows for a more tailored approach to addressing individual learning needs, resulting in better overall educational outcomes.

Developing Social Skills - Parent engagement extends beyond academics, offering students opportunities to develop crucial social skills. Participation in extracurricular activities, volunteering and school events helps children learn important life skills, including teamwork and effective communication.

A Supportive Environment - An engaged parent community creates a nurturing and supportive school environment. Children thrive when they feel their education is valued, leading to reduced stress and anxiety associated with the school experience.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning - Parent engagement instils a love for lifelong learning in students. Observing parents actively pursuing education and self-improvement serves as an inspiring example, encouraging young learners to do the same and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Strengthening Community Bonds - Parent engagement not only benefits students but also tightens the bonds within the local community. It fosters unity and shared responsibility for the well-being of the next generation, ultimately leading to increased civic participation and a more connected community.

In conclusion, parent engagement in primary schools is a powerful force that nurtures the holistic development of young learners. It builds relationships, enhances academic performance, fosters social skills, creates a supportive environment, encourages lifelong learning and strengthens community bonds.  This fact was evident on Sunday when nearly 200 parents, students and staff attended the P&F Bike-a-thon.  Promoting parent engagement in primary schools is an investment in the well-being and growth of our children and the communities they are a part of, setting the stage for a brighter future.

All the very best,

Wes Rose
Principal

From our Principal - Mr Wes Rose

St Mary’s Bike-a-thon
Sincere thanks to the nearly 200 students, parents and staff who attended our P&F Bike-a-thon on Sunday.  Our ‘Super Heroes’ theme was well received, with many dressing up as their favourite hero, as well as some ‘home-grown’ interpretations gracing the event. 

Riders made their way from Caneland Park to the fishing pontoon, and afterwards enjoyed a sausage on bread and fellowship with their classmates and friends.

Well done to the best-dressed winners:

Best Dressed Boys                            Hunter Mapp and Campbell Smith
Best Dressed Girls                            Riley Doolan and Gemma Cusack
Best Dressed Family                        Taylor family
Class with most attendees           2L

Thank you to our event sponsors, Mackay Cycles, who generously supplied the prizes and to Mel McGuiness and her team of parent helpers who made the morning a success.

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Staff News

• I am away on Yr 5 camp this week. Mrs Leotta is acting principal in my absence.
• Mrs Fallon Tass (Teacher Aide) will attend the Diocesan retreat, “A Pace of Grace” in Yeppoon this Tue-Fri.
• Mrs Wendy Parker (school counsellor) and Mrs Emily Dalglish (learning support teacher) will attend the regional Counsellor/LST meeting this Tuesday.
• Several staff will travel to Melbourne to attend an English Teacher’s conference. All the best to Rob Townsend, Andrea Pembroke, Lisa Cusack, Belinda Van Lint, Belinda Battaia and Donna Berardi.  More info about the conference can be found here.
• Congratulations to Mrs Battaia on her successful performance review last Friday.

Welcome St Patrick’s College Band!
This Thursday from 2pm-2:30pm, we welcome members of the St Patrick’s College Band to entertain our students in the hall. This is always an entertaining visit, showcasing the instrumental music program on offer at St Patrick’s.  Parents are most welcome to attend.

Year 5 Camp
All the best to the Yr 5 students who are attending their camp this Monday-Wednesday at Seaforth Pines.   Students will enjoy several activities focusing on active teamwork, effective communication and problem-solving. Thank you to Mr Townsend, Mrs Albert, Mrs Yet Foy, Mrs Gordon, Mr Cookson who will accompany the students.  I will also attend camp. We will return to school on Wednesday approx. 2:30pm.  If parents need to contact us whilst on camp, the school mobile phone is 0472 873 882.

Families Leaving
As our total enrolment drives many aspects of our school (staffing, budget, class sizes and structure) it is important that we try to be as accurate as possible in predicting the school enrolment for 2024. If you know that you will be leaving at the end of the year, please notify the office as soon as possible. Your assistance with this matter is greatly appreciated.

NAPLAN Survey for Teachers & Parents
ACARA has recently commissioned a national survey designed to capture school feedback on the changes to the 2023 NAPLAN testing schedule. The survey seeks to gather valuable feedback from school communities across the country including principals, teachers, parents, and carers.

Your feedback plays a key role in the ongoing enhancement and refinement of the National Assessment Program. The survey responses will assist ACARA to make informed decisions, leading to simpler, clearer, and more meaningful test results.  A link to the survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NRTZCHN . We encourage you to engage with the survey; your participation is voluntary, but your contributions and opinions will be appreciated by ACARA.

Quote of the Week

Booklists 2024

**PLEASE NOTE: 2024 BOOKLISTS HAVE BEEN EMAILED TO ALL PARENTS**

Mackay School Supplies are once again St Mary's preferred supplier for the 2024 booklists. This locally owned family business are supporting our P&F by giving our school a rebate on all 2024 booklist orders packed by them. This will be used to purchase additional classroom equipment.

Collection times are: Tuesday 28th November 2:30-3:30pm and Wednesday 29th November from 8am-8:45am in the School Hall. Orders are due by Friday 27th October and must be paid for prior to delivery.

Orders can be placed online here or by emailing your order to Mackay School Supplies.  Each year level booklist can be viewed by clicking the appropriate link below.

If you have any queries, please contact Michelle at Mackay School Supplies on 0432 515 407 or ask at the school office.

High School Transition Sessions

Transitions are moments in life which involve moving from one stage to another and dealing with the changes that come with them.   

High school transition is a topic that creates much discussion for students so supporting concerns and responding to queries is one way that we help the students feel more comfortable about this change.  

In the coming weeks, Mrs Motteram, Mrs van Lint, Mrs Dalglish and myself will conduct a number of highschool transitions sessions with the year 6 cohort. Topics for discussion will include:

• school maps, staff and timetables
• wellbeing approaches to take care of your self
• assignment questions and expectations 
• mindset

In the past, the students have responded very well to the opportunity to discuss their queries in small group situations with teachers that they know. 

We look forward to the success of these sessions this year. 

Belinda Battaia 
Assistant Principal: Curriculum 

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Workshop 2: Thursday 26th October - 3:15pm (Early Years Classrooms)

Reconciliation Sacrament: 9th November 6:30pm (St Mary’s Church)

Socktober

During the month of October, students can buy badges to earn points for their sports team which will be included in the Swimming Carnival Tally and also to raise money for Catholic Mission.

Badges are on sale from 8.15am outside the library. 

Silly Sock Day

Day for Daniel

Day for Daniel is Australia’s largest child safety education and awareness day. Held annually on the last Friday of October, Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe.  On this day, parents, carers, and educators are encouraged to start a conversation with children and young people about personal safety. St Mary’s school will also conduct a child safety lesson, focusing on the three steps to personal safety - Recognise, React, Report.

Students are encouraged to commemorate this day,
by wearing an item of red on Friday 27th October. 

St Mary's Swimming Carnival

Our annual school swimming carnival will be held on Friday 3rd November 2023 at the Mackay Aquatic Recreation Complex.  

We invite all parents and friends to attend as spectators.  If you choose to collect your child following their races, please advise their class teacher.

Once again the day will be divided into two sections: 

1. 9am Junior Carnival; and 
2. 11am Senior Carnival.

Junior Carnival

• The “noodle event” will once again be available for any students who cannot swim but who would like to participate in the carnival;
• The noodle event consists of students swimming the pool with a noodle as support and a lifeguard on hand;
• Students who enter any of the 25m events CANNOT enter the noodle event.

Senior Carnival

• Students have the option of swimming 25m OR 50m for each stroke;
• They CANNOT do both distances for one particular stroke; 
• They can vary distances amongst the strokes depending on their ability for that particular stroke. (e.g. 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 25m backstroke).
  

We are looking forward to a fun-filled, exciting day.

Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher

St Mary's Christmas Fair

Eisteddfod Congratulations

We were doubly blessed last week with both our year 2 and year 3 classes placing first in the Choral Speaking at Eisteddfod. Congratulations year 2, Aliceon Ramsay (speaking coach from St Patrick's College), Miss Azzopardi and Mrs Lewis for your hard work and dedication. Congratulations year 3. Miss Potts and Miss Banks are very proud of your hard work and commitment. Look at those proud smiles!

Book Club

Student of the Week

Week 2, Term 4 Student Award Winners

Community News