Week 10, Term 2 2024 - 18th June 2024
APRE's Reflection
Hard Yakka. Can you remember this ad from 1995?
It was a very ‘Australian’ call for workers to get through the tough tasks. It’s also the term You Can Do It! founder, Michael Bernard uses to describe the antidote to student work avoidance or procrastination. Far beyond what was available to students in 1995, children today have so many distractions; close by, calling them to turn to videos, games, chats etc, than in previous decades.
As Michael Bernard says, “While everyone procrastinates, I think you’ll agree that it is one of the nuttiest human behaviours. It is nutty for the following reason found in its definition:
Procrastination involves deciding that it is in your best interest to do something, and delaying it even though you see the disadvantages of the delay. We ‘shoot ourselves in the foot’ when we procrastinate!”
For students, Academic procrastination is a significant obstacle to student success at school and prevents young people from achieving their personal best. When students delay completing academic tasks, such as studying or doing homework they are making all tasks more difficult in the future. There are consequences for not completing tasks, not only from the person expecting the task to be performed. It also leads to a decline in students’ wellbeing. It is associated with poor academic performance, emotional distress (stress, anxiety, and depression) and physical health deterioration.
Procrastination is a poorly understood behaviour. It can be a failure of self-regulation, it could also be due to fear of failure, or success. Students may say;
“I can’t stand this. School is stupid. I am stupid. I’ll never understand or finish this.”
Others may be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel;’
“I’d like schoolwork to be fun and interesting, but I know it won’t always be. I haven’t learned this yet. I can try to do this differently, or ask for help. I can handle this.”
Our teachers do their very best to ensure that lessons are fun and interesting. However, there are times that students may find things frustrating, difficult and hard to learn. It will be important when this happens not to think: “School is stupid. I am stupid. This is not fun, but it should be. I won’t do it.” Instead, we want everyone to have a working tough attitude and to think: “I like it when school is fun and exciting, but it won’t always be. To be successful, I have to do things that seem boring or hard. When I do, I will do my best – even if it takes time.”
In our You Can Do It! Lessons, we teach students strategies to help them self-manage their learning and avoid getting very frustrated and procrastinating. If you would like to support your child by building on these lessons you can find more information on the following website.
As expected, our scripture also offers wisdom; But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7
Have a wonderful holiday, Terri Leotta
Quote of the Week
“Time is what we want most, but use the worst.”
- William Penn
From the Principal | Mr Wes Rose
Show Holiday
A reminder that this Thursday 20th June is the Mackay Show Holiday. St Mary’s will be open on Friday 21st June as normal.
School Holidays
This Friday 21st June is the last day of Term 2. I wish all students, families and staff a relaxing mid-year break. Term 3 resumes Monday 8th July.
Staff News
- I advise that Miss Taryn Potts has tended her resignation from her position at St Mary’s School, due to personal reasons. Her last working day with us will be next Friday, 21st June. I thank Miss Potts for her dedication and hard work with the class this year. She has made a significant impact on the students, and we wish her all the best for the future. We are currently in the process of recruiting a suitable teacher for 3P, and we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information regarding her replacement. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time.
- Our Librarian, Mrs Lynne Camargo, is attending a Librarian Conference in Rockhampton this week. She will return to school on Friday.
Semester 1 Report Cards
Please note that student report cards will be released on Parent Lounge this Friday 21st June. This report card is a summary of your child’s learning and achievement for the Semester. I ask that all parents access their child’s report card and read/discuss this with your child. If you require further information, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office.
P&F Meeting
I advise that our next P&F meeting will be held tonight (18th June) from 6pm in the staffroom. All families welcome.
Southern Suburbs Athletics Carnival
Well done to the 10-12year old students who participated at the Southern Suburbs Athletics Carnival today at the ARC. For those students who were selected into the SS Athletics team, the MDSS Athletics carnival will be held at the ARC on 18th-19th July.
St Mary’s School Song
Back in 1924, this journey began, when the Sisters of Mercy marched across the land.
Committed to faith and community, with us today, lives the legacy…
Those are the opening lines of our very own St Mary’s School Song, “Learn From Christ”! Students and staff collaborated with musician Josh Arnold to compose and record this song in our centenary year, which is a wonderful celebration of our great school. “Learn from Christ” showcases all the talent, colour and life of St Mary’s, so make sure you check out the music video!
Centenary Shirts
Our new centenary shirts are looking great and I thank the many families who ordered a shirt. These can be worn to school each Friday for the remainder of the year. We do have limited sizes still available, both in kids and adult sizes for sale at $35 each. If you would like to purchase a shirt, please see the school office asap.
Sport Gala Days
A reminder to parents on the upcoming Sport Gala Days this week.
AFL Gala Day | Wednesday 19th June | Harrup Park
- Years 5&6 only
- Students are to be privately transported to and from the fields
- Please arrive no later than 8:15am, collection at 3:00pm
- Parking will be available in the car park off bridge Road from 8:00am
- The Harrup Park cafe will be open on the day, however we recommend that students bring their own lunch and snacks
- Students can wear their St Mary’s sport uniform with suitable shoes/boots
- Jerseys will be provided by the school
- Mouthguards are Mandatory
Grant Rovelli Gala Day | Friday 21st June | Abbot Park Fields
- Born in 2014 & 2015 only
- Students are to be privately transported to and from the fields
- Please arrive no later than 8:45am, collection at 2:45pm
- A canteen will be available on the day for the purchase of lunch but children are more than welcome to bring lunch from home
- Students can wear their St Mary’s sport shirt with suitable shoes/boots
- Jerseys will be provided by the school
- Mouthguards are Mandatory
If you have an questions, please contact the school office.
St Mary's Battlers
The Battlers started slow in their semi final clash against St Francis Catholic Primary School but finished hard with some gutsy defence and team effort. We went down 24 points to 12 but not without a fight. Rahil Singh is to be commended for his courageous middle strength and Oliver Standish shone in a length of the field try that helped us to fight back with some points on the board. Thank you and well done to our non Challenge Cup players who stood up for the season to wear the mighty Battlers jersey. Although the end of our John Paap season, Challenge Cup is just around the corner and we look forward to our final training session before the carnival on Monday 8th July from 3:15-4:15pm at Abbott Park fields.
Sports Stars
We would like to congratulate Flynn P and Riley H on their stellar run at the recent regional cross country trials and their selection to the Capricornia 11-19 years Cross Country Team.
Flynn came in 1st and Riley came in 3rd in their respective age groups.
We wish you both all the best at State Championships in Brisbane in July.
Caritas Reflection
Earlier this month the Year 6 classes learnt all about Caritas and how the charity works in partnership with Australian Catholic schools to provide education on how to better help those in need.
They then held the annual Caritas Stalls to help raise funds, and also presented to each class across the school to share the work, learning and outreach that goes into the stalls and the awareness of why we support Caritas.
Following are some reflections written by Year 6 students:
Caritas this year was by far my favourite thing in year 6. Caritas was easy and hard but, the easiest bit about Caritas was selling our fun little Creations, and our hardest thing about Caritas was Making our slide show for us to be ready by the due date. But we had a A GINORMOUS PROBLEM!!!!!!!! A big part of our stall was our jibbitz which are croc charms. Sadly they didn’t end up coming but we did have some at home already and that is what we had to use. We sold Brownies, mystery boxes, lolly kabobs, bracelets, guys, how many are in the jar and a raffle. I think this was an amazing experience because we all need to no how lucky we are and have a roof over our heads at night and have fresh water and yummy food. My group felt amazing when we found out that we raised $194 and that we gave it to a really good course, we want our money to go to those that don’t have fresh water , yummy food and so everyone can have equal rights for all. We had to share our slideshow with another class so that they know about Caritas and what a great organisation they are. It also helps the other classes realise how lucky they are. I enjoyed sharing but we were all very nervous. It was a good experience.
By Harper Jamieson
This term we learnt about Caritas and why we support them. At the beginning we had to plan about making our stalls to sell goods so that the money that we raised goes to caritas to provide basic necessities for the less fortunate. We had to research what Caritas does and why we support the company.
All the groups had to organise about what to sell for our stalls and it was really busy preparing all the items to sell and even the small things to keep the food healthy like tablecloths and posters to advertise to buy from our stalls. All stalls were amazing and sold a good amount of money and all together we raised $3800 which was an amazing effort from all of grade six.
We had to prepare slideshows to present to classes to show how we planned our stalls and the reasons why we support Caritas. It was an effort from all the groups to contribute their time to make the stalls and make the slideshows and altogether it was worth it to contribute because it was a good amount of money we raised. This was really good because it would help the less fortunate have basic necessities like food, clean drinking water, shelters, education and hospitals to take care of those that are sick. We raised money to help for equal rights for all to have the same lives as us. We showed social justice to provide and share what we have for those who are less fortunate. We made it more fair for those who are less fortunate and make them have lives like us and access what we have in our lives.
It was an enjoyable experience to create and sell things from our stalls and it is going to a great cause. I learnt that it's good to give up stuff to help those that are in poverty to make them have better lives and equal rights for all. I learnt that we can give up our time to provide for the less fortunate to stop the world in poverty and make it equal for those who are less fortunate and make them have lives where all of our lives are equal. This was a good learning experience for the whole of grade six because we learnt about why we support Caritas and how it's a good cause to provide basic needs to support less fortunate people. It made us learn how to help Caritas by making stalls that made a lot of money. We learnt why we want to support caritas and how it's a great cause helping many people and changing their lives around from poverty to have a successful life.
By Josh S
In week 8 the year six’s opened Caritas stalls and raised $3,800 for people who are less unfortunate and need basic health needs like food, water, hygiene, shelter and medical equipment. Caritas is a charity helping to care for others in the world like Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy volunteering to spread justice and equality around the world to the people who are left out and don't have as much life needs.
In the two days of the stalls the year six’s learnt how to manage and keep a stall running to raise money for Caritas. They also learnt how to manage money and organise a fun experience for everyone so they could help out people in need. Caritas is important so that kids can get educated and would not have to suffer and starve because they couldn't get a job or couldn't make any money. Caritas wants to make everyone equal and so they can get the opportunities everyone has in life. Without Caritas people would starve and wouldn't have enough money to buy basic needs which would cause death.
To showcase the meaning of Caritas the year six’s created a presentation to show to the prep’s all the way up to the year 5s why Caritas is so important and why we should spread equality and justice around the world to care for others. The year six’s were successful and worked really hard and raised $3,800 which is going to be donated to Caritas for people who need care and education. It was a great experience and they enjoyed fundraising and overall they loved it!
By Lacey Cheyne
Centenary Dinner
Bookings for the Centenary Dinner can now be made through the following link
Student of the Week
| PP | Tabitha R | For being a wonderful listener and learner in Prep. Tabitha, you always have your hand up ready to share your ideas with the class. Thank you for being such a wonderful role model for your friends! Keep up the super work. |
| PP | Sierra G | For great work with your reading and writing. Sierra, you have worked so hard to learn your heart words and are doing a wonderful job of sounding out when reading. Keep up the fantastic effort! |
| PR | Merci P | For being a lovely new addition to Prep R. Thank you for trying hard to adjust to the new rules and routines. |
| PR | Tane B | For working hard during all Heggerty sessions. You engage in all lessons so beautifully and the hard work is paying off in your reading and writing. Well done! |
| 1B | George M | your amazing manners and helpfulness in the classroom! You always greet your teacher with a smile too! |
| 1B | Helena R | For always amazing your teacher with your incredible creativity. Your drawings and artwork display such talent! Well done! |
| 1B | Matilda B | For always showing an enthusiastic attitude in your writing tasks. It is a joy to read your work. Well done! |
| 1S | Maisie S | For the growth you've made in computers this term. You are now typing sentences and inserting matching pictures into your Word Document with little support. Well Done! |
| 1S | Ethan K | For the detailed description you gave to your 'That's My Monster' writing and how he keeps you in bed. Keep up the great work Ethan! |
| 2A | Hudson L | For the amazing effort and beautiful manners you used this week. You have a kind heart and take care of others always. Keep up the great work Hudson! |
| 2A | Eloise C | For the pizazz you add to every story you create and our morning wellbeing announcements. You make us all smile. Keep being you Eloise! |
| 2L | Year 2L Class | For the class participation, support and team spirit during the Junior Athletics Carnival!! The cheering, the laughing, the pats on the back and the words of encouragement made for a super-special day showing what St Mary's is all about! Your teacher is very proud of you all!!! |
| 3C | Alfie M | Congratulations on delivering an outstanding oral presentation on your chosen animal! Your clear and confident speaking, thorough research, and engaging content kept the audience captivated from start to finish. Well Done Alfie! |
| 3C | Jessie R | Congratulations on your impressive work with writing clear and engaging topic sentences, Jessie! They set a strong foundation for your paragraphs and showcase your excellent writing skills. Keep up the great work! |
| 3P | Maggie A | For your kind and thoughtful nature. You always are helping others and your teachers in the classroom. Keep up the amazing work! |
| 3P | Dominic W | For always following classroom rules and using your kind heart and initiative to help. Well done, Dominic! |
| 3P | Imogen T | For your amazing studious work ethics and kind nature. Your hard work this semester and kindness has not gone unnoticed. Keep shining Imogen! |
| 4C | Nate P | For your wonderful effort with your Math RTI focus this week. It is great to see you working on explaining your thinking and problem solving skills. |
| 4R | Olivia D | For the effort you have been making with completing your assessments this past week. Your positive attitude and persistence have been outstanding. Well done, Olivia! |
| 4R | Cooper A | For the initiative you demonstrated in applying yourself to designing and creating your game, quickly and efficiently in design technology lessons this week. Keep up the ‘You Can do it’ attitude Cooper. |
| 5C | Jackson C | For your hard work in completing your information report on John Oxley. Well done! |
| 5C | Brydie E | For you hard work in completing your information report on Edward John Eyre. Well done! |
| 5M | Gabriel C | For the extensive research and great presentation of your T is for Tiger Snake task. Your took a lot of pride in it and it shows. Keep it up Gab! |
| 5M | Mia C | For the joy and fun you bring to the classroom every day. You are a ray of sunshine, Mia! |
| 6T | Sophie R | For consistently showing persistence and aiming high in all learning tasks. You’re a star! Keep up the great work Sophie! |
| 6T | Oscar D | For your enthusiasm and persistence you demonstrated during our Caritas stalls. You showed great leadership skills to overcome challenges your group encountered. Well done Oscar! |
| 6V | Addison C | For being a positive, hardworking member of 6V and working diligently to complete assessment tasks. |
| 6V | Oliver M | For showing interest and enthusiasm when learning about the effect the environment has on living things. It is great to see you actively participating in class experiments and making valid predictions and conclusions. |
| Sports | Class 4C | What a great PE lesson this week. You all listened well to the instructions for the new game and then displayed great sportsmanship and team play throughout the game. There were plenty of laughs and smiles during 3 Ball which was fantastic to see. Keep it up 4C. |
| Drama | Rock Pop Mime Team | Thank you for giving up your lunch times to practise. Your dedication and determination to nail our routine is admirable – you all ROCK!!! |
Community News
Position Vacant
Administration Assistant – Catholic Parishes of North Mackay & Farleigh
The Catholic Parishes of North Mackay & Farleigh are seeking a casual Administration Assistant to provide support to the Parish Secretary, and to fill in for leave absences.
The role supports the parish ministries and administration. The position will involve approximately 4 hours per week, plus additional hours for leave coverage when required.
Applications close: COB Monday, 8th July 2024. Please submit a brief cover letter outlining your availability and suitability for the role, and a current resume with two references to ken.kelly@rok.catholic.net.au. For more information or a copy of the Position Description, contact Ken Kelly on the above email or phone 4957 4855.
