Week 5, Term 4 2023 - 31st October 2023
Principal's Reflection
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
I am sure that many of you have heard the saying, ‘everything’s relative’, and it can be an attractive option to justify actions and behaviours, but there is a deeper truth that is important to ponder when we consider relativism versus absolutism.
On assembly in Week 3, I spoke about the importance of understanding the pitfalls of relativist thinking when it comes to judging our own behaviour compared to other’s behaviour.
In certain settings, it is perfectly fine to judge our performance and actions against others. Think of a running race; you race against others and finish relative to how fast the other runners are. Against a group of Preps a Year 6 student would blitz the field, but even our fastest student would finish a distant last if they matched up against Usain Bolt!
Comparing ourselves relative to others can have its pitfalls, however. Consider our own behaviour and actions. Relative to other members of the community, an action could be deemed either saintly or objectionable. The behaviour didn’t change, rather the benchmark changed.
In our ever-changing world, it's important for us to understand and appreciate the concepts of relativism and absolutism, especially when it comes to moral values. These philosophical ideas influence our choices and actions and hold a significant place within the Christian tradition. In this article, we'll delve into these concepts and their relevance to our lives.
Understanding Relativism: Relativism suggests that what is considered right or wrong can vary from person to person, culture to culture, or situation to situation. In a relativistic view, there are no universal moral truths. This perspective can sometimes lead to a world where values are shifting constantly, depending on the circumstances and individual opinions.
The Christian Understanding of Moral Absolutes: In contrast, the Christian faith is founded on the belief in moral absolutes. Christians believe that there are universal, unchanging moral principles rooted in God's teachings. These moral absolutes are not subject to change or personal interpretation. They serve as a steadfast guide for ethical living and decision-making.
In the Christian tradition, moral absolutes provide a strong foundation for living a virtuous life. They are based on the lived example of Jesus Christ, as well as teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount, and the Golden Rule, which emphasize values like love, compassion, and justice. The recognition of moral absolutes reminds us that there are timeless principles to guide our actions and behaviours, and these do not change depending on the circumstance.
As members of St Mary’s school, we are encouraged to measure our actions and behaviours not merely against the standards of our peers or the changing world, but against the moral truths we find in the teachings of Jesus. By doing so, we align ourselves with the Christian understanding of morality, ensuring that our choices are rooted in love, compassion and justice.
In conclusion, understanding the concepts of relativism and absolutism is vital for moral development. While the world may offer shifting values, the Christian faith provides a stable foundation, guiding us to make choices that reflect the teachings of Jesus. I hope that this understanding will inspire our students to uphold these principles in their daily lives, making our school a place of kindness, respect, and love.
All the very best,
Wes Rose
Principal
From our Principal - Mr Wes Rose
2024 Class Teachers
We are working towards finalising our staffing requirements for 2024. I am hopeful that we will announce 2024 class teachers in next week’s newsletter.
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.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Oaklan, Vance and Duke Marwood who were baptised at St Mary's Church on Saturday. We warmly welcome them into our faith community.
Quote of the Week
“A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment.”
- Proverb
2024 Confirmation of Enrolment Form and Sibling Discount
Dear Parents
Please find below a link to complete the 2024 Confirmation of Enrolment and Sibling Discount Form. This information was also emailed to all parents last Tuesday. If you haven't already completed the form, we kindly ask that it be submitted by Wednesday 1st November 2023.
2024 Confirmation of Enrolment and Sibling Discount Form
This form only needs to be completed once per family.
This form will confirm your child’s enrolment in St Mary’s for 2024 and also help us to determine whether you are eligible for a family discount on your fees, dependent upon the number of children you have attending Diocesan Schools.
Section 3
When completing section 3, please ensure that you complete the name, school and year of all children attending Diocesan Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in 2024. Please list each student on a new line, eg:
Michael Smith, St Patricks College, Year 11
James Smith, St Patricks College, Year 9
Sarah Smith, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Year 6
Section 7
The Catholic Education Office in the Diocese of Rockhampton are asking all parents to update their consents to ensure every school has accurate and up to date information with regards to parental consents. Please complete each question in this section. You are welcome to update these consents on parent lounge at any time throughout the year.
Should you have any queries in relation to this form, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Kathy Parrish
Finance Officer
All Saints and All Souls Day
Southern Cluster Mass Times - Wednesday 1st November
6:30am - St Francis Xavier, West Mackay
9:00am - St Michael's, Sarina
12:10pm - St Patrick's, Mackay
4:00pm - Francis of Assisi Chapel
5:30pm - St Mary's, South Mackay
Southern Cluster Mass Times - Thursday 2nd November
6:30am - St Francis Xavier, West Mackay
9:00am - St Michael's, Sarina
12:10pm - St Patrick's, Mackay
5:30pm - St Mary's, South Mackay
St Mary's Swimming Carnival
Our St Mary's Swimming Carnival is this Friday 3rd November at the ARC Pool.
Thank you to those parents who have indicated they would like to help on the day. These parents have been emailed with the jobs allocated.
The outline for the day is as follows:
Junior Carnival
9.15am races to start.
The order will be as follows-
- Noodle races
- Freestyle races
- Breaststroke races
- Backstroke races
- Butterfly races
If time permits there will be a chance for all students to have a ‘play’ in the pool before heading back to school at 11am.
Senior Carnival
11.15am races to start.
The order will be as follows-
- All 25m events
- 100m open events
- 50m events
- If time permits relays.
Students will head back to school at 2pm.
REMINDER - WHAT TO BRING/WEAR
- house colour shirt or sun shirt/rashi (long sleeved if possible)
- hat
- packed lunch
- water bottle
- towel
- goggles and cap (if required)
No face, hair or body paint is permitted.
**Parents/spectators are reminded to please be mindful of the spectating areas as per the photo below.**
Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher
St Mary's Christmas Fair
Silly Sock Day
Thank you to all the students and staff who wore crazy socks today to raise much needed for funds for Catholic Mission.
Thank you to all the students and staff who wore
crazy socks today to raise much needed for funds for Catholic Mission.
Prep Grandparent's Day
Grandparents are the perfect mixture of wisdom and mischief, joy and strength and we are grateful for all the grandparents who were able to celebrate with our Prep classes last week. Grandparent's Day is always such a special event.
Student of the Week
Week 4, Term 4 Student Award Winners
| Prep P | Aleyna | For being such a sensible and reliable member of our class. You are always ready to help out your friends and teacher whenever it is needed. Thank you for all the extra jobs you do. You are a star! |
| Prep P | Thomas | For wonderful listening during carpet time. You are always ready to share your thoughts and ideas with the class. Thank you for being such a fantastic classroom worker Thomas! |
| Prep R | Jack | For being a wonderful role model and always making green choices. You are a pleasure to have in Prep R. Keep being amazing! |
| Prep R | Cash | For always being a wonderful listener during class learning and answering questions. Thank you for being so enthusiastic, it is lovely to see. |
| 1B | Asha | For your enthusiasm for reading is so delightful and it's wonderful to see your love for challenging books. You are a super reader! |
| 1K | Evelyn | For showing great knowledge and understanding of baptism symbols through her creative collage. |
| 1K | Cara | For tremendous retelling skills. For writing a creative acrostic poem. You have amazed me this week. |
| 1K | Bridie | For working hard all week in spelling practice. Well-done! |
| 2A | Hunter | For being a kind and responsible class member, who gives his best efforts. Awesome work this year, Hunter! |
| 2A | Evie | For your fluency and expression when reading aloud. It is enjoyable listening to you read! |
| 2L | Olivia | Olivia, this week you have demonstrated the virtues of persistence and resilience. You worked so hard to complete your Rube Goldberg machine with your partner. It certainly tested your patience, but you kept going! You are a champion! |
| 2L | Norsang | Norsang, your teacher is very impressed with your efforts when designing your Rube Goldberg machine. You considered others' opinions and worked well with your team members. Keep up the fabulous work! |
| 3B | Tane | For working hard to catch up on tasks. Huge effort. |
| 3B | Caleb | For your input into class discussions this week. It is great to see you having a go and adding your thoughts. |
| 3P | Leah | For improvement in your pace when completing classroom activities. |
| 3P | Izaac | For excellent fluency when reading in boost groups. |
| 4A | Elly | For the work you put into your persuasive introduction. You have used the introduction structure perfectly and we are looking forward to seeing your persuasive letter in the upcoming weeks. |
| 4A | Sam | For the amazing effort you have showed during our money unit investigations. We can see you using the three reads in mathematics and solving the money problems like a pro. Keep up the great work Sam! |
| 4C | Levi | For your enthusiasm and commitment with your religion task on the Early Catholic Church in Australia. |
| 4C | Ivy | For your wonderful fluency and expression in Boost each week. Your efforts are appreciated. |
| 5SA | Oliver | For the effort and concentration, you displayed during your Soundwaves and PAT testing this week. I was so proud of your approach to your assessments. Excellent work Oliver! |
| 5SA | Rahill | For your lovely delivery of the Rosary this week, you did a beautiful job. I was so pleased you volunteered. Well done! |
| 5T | Parker | For the focus and persistence you demonstrated when solving multistep word problems during RTI this week. It was very impressive Parker! |
| 5T | Harper | For your improved focus and effort you have shown across all learning areas this week. You have commenced tasks promptly and completed your work to a great standard which has been very pleasing to see. Keep it up Harper! |
| 6M | Ashton | For your insightful and informed contributions to our Geography unit. You know so much about other countries! |
| 6M | Nathalie | For your disciplined and hard working approach to all assessment tasks. You are showing all the traits for success in high school. |
| 6V | Brielle | For displaying interest and enthusiasm when learning about Asia. You have been working diligently on your travel brochure and paying great attention to detail when researching the flags of Asian countries. |
| 6V | Ava | For consistently displaying an excellent, responsible attitude to all her learning and always being a most helpful and polite student. |
Community News
On Thursday 16 November at 5:30-7:30pm, St Patricks College Mackay is hosting our very own “Arts in the Garden''. This evening will be showcasing what the very talented performing arts students have accomplished over the year. With a Walk Through Art Gallery, Illuminate Installation Display, Dramatic Performances, student led work, and live music, you're bound to see something that will interest you. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase, so come along and enjoy a fantastic evening.
Please RSVP to the event via this link: https://forms.gle/ZkX5Skp2HPzfYy8H6