Week 10, Term 3 2024 - 10th September 2024
APRE's Reflection
Dear Parents,
The reflection below is one which has always resonated with me, and now especially, in this Centenary Year and as I head off to a new career, blessed by my time at St Mary’s. It’s hard to leave but I do so knowing that time will not wait for me and opportunities are fleeting.
Thank you for the privilege of being a part of this wonderful community. I will be cheering from the sidelines as St Mary’s School continues to be a place of love, learning, encouragement , care and respect.
The Value of Time
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the sweethearts who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!!
May your holidays be a time of rest and happiness.
Terri Leotta
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
“The Value of Time” Author Unknown
From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose
Farewell Terri Leotta
This Friday, we bid a heartfelt farewell to Mrs Terri Leotta, who has been an integral part of St Mary’s School for more than 20 years. As both a teacher and Assistant Principal Religious Education (APRE), Terri has touched the lives of countless students, staff, and families through her dedication, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to our school community. Throughout her time at St Mary’s, Terri’s passion for teaching and her leadership in faith education have made a lasting impact. She has nurtured students not only academically but spiritually, guiding them in their growth as individuals of integrity and compassion. Her contributions to liturgies, religious celebrations and outreach programs have been instrumental in fostering the school's strong sense of community and faith. Terri's presence in the classroom has been equally significant, where her dedication and creativity have inspired students to strive for excellence. Colleagues have often remarked on her generosity of spirit and her ability to lead with kindness and humility, always putting the needs of others before her own. As we reflect on Terri’s legacy, we are filled with gratitude for her years of service, her leadership, and the many ways she has enriched our school. While we will miss her dearly, we wish her all the best in her future endeavours, confident that wherever she goes, she will continue to make a positive difference. Thank you, Terri, for your dedication, faith, and heart. You will always remain a cherished part of St Mary’s family.
St Mary’s Feast Day
Last Friday we celebrated the Feast Day of St Mary’s nativity (birthday) with a Mass in the morning session. I thank Fr Anthony for presiding at this Mass, and Mrs Leotta and the Year 6 students for helping prepare and conduct the Mass. In the middle session, we dedicated the Centenary time capsule, which will wait patiently in the ground until the school’s 125th celebrations in 2049. Then in the afternoon, we enjoyed one of the most well-loved St Mary’s school events – the International Food Day! Students, staff and parents enjoyed tasting the large range of international food, with over 30 dishes from 19 countries on offer. On behalf of the school community, I sincerely thank the parents that were able to prepare a dish, we really appreciate it! Funds raised for Catholic Mission from this event totalled $4,178.75.
Staff News
- Mrs Donna Berardi is on Long Service Leave from 9th September, returning 7th October. In her absence, Mrs Leigh Ford and Mrs Sue McGann will teach 1B.
- Miss Stacey Banks is also on Long Service Leave from 9th September, returning 7th October. In her absence, Mrs Hollie Cleaver will teach 1S.
- We had several staff (Mrs Battaia, Mrs van Lint and Mrs Sorbello) attend the NCCD regional reflection meeting today.
Centenary Yearbook and Cookbook
We still have copies of these books available to purchase from the school office. All students who are enrolled this year have their photo included in this book, which will be a great keepsake for families. Please see the ladies in the school office to get your copy.
Tuckshop Day - 11th September
Jump Rope for Heart
Well done on a fantastic term of skipping St Mary’s. The tricks that are being showcased in PE lessons are fantastic and it is great to see everyone pushing themselves to learn new tricks each week. There is still 1 week left to raise money or log your skipping hours. Let’s see if we can hit 40 hours of skipping practice.
A huge shout out to Addison Cookson this week for her awesome effort at Double Dutch last week in skipping club. Addi got progressively better with each attempt and ended up at 61 skips.
- 27 students registered on the portal.
- 14 students actively fundraising.
- Raising $3046 to date.
- Logging 35 hours of skipping practice! ♥
Make sure you stop and check out the club challenge posters on the basketball court. If you haven’t made our Kangaroo Club (Prep/Year 1), 1 minute, 3 minute or 5 minute club yet set yourself a challenge to get your name on one of these posters before the end of term.
Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher
Swimming Carnival - Save The Date
Sacramental Program
Students in Year 3 or above are invited to begin preparing to receive their Sacraments; Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Communion.
Enrolment forms are available at the school office and can be completed and brought along to the first workshop.
If you would like further information please contact the school office.
St Mary's
Workshop – 17th October 3:15pm
Workshop – 24th October 3:15pm
Tuesday : Reconciliation – 29th October 6pm
St Francis Xavier
Workshop – 14th October 3:15pm
Workshop – 21st October 3:15pm
Monday: Reconciliation – 28th October 6pm
St Michael’s
Workshop 1 - Sunday 13th Oct
Workshop 2 - Sunday 20th Oct
Sunday: Reconciliation – 27th October after 9am mass
Workshops will take place at the school.
Terri Leotta
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
October - Month of the Rosary
Next term, we will commence praying a decade of the Rosary. We will pray the Rosary each day in October. St Mary's honours the Blessed Mother of Jesus and our school booklist requires that each student have their own set of Rosary beads throughout Prep to Year 6.
If your child does not have rosary beads, please purchase a set through our school office for $12 or source them from home, St Vincent de Paul.
Thank you.
Terri Leotta
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
St Mary's Bike-A-Thon
Readers Cup State Final
In June this year, our St Mary’s Readers Cup team competed against 479 regional teams. They won the Mackay round and were invited to compete against the top teams in the state at the Readers Cup State Finals. William, Ellis and Blake travelled to Brisbane last Thursday to compete in the state final event. They met Lian Tanner, author of one their favourite books - ‘Spellhound - A Dragon’s of Hallow Book’
The competition is run by the Queensland branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. The team had to read and study five novels in a trivia style event. The boys were well prepared and very competitive all day. The team won the first round with a perfect score of 20/20 and took home a book prize. After an excellent morning of competition, the team finished with a final ranking of 6th place in the state and were awarded a medal for their efforts. What an amazing achievement! Congratulations to William, Ellis and Blake, we are so proud of you.
Community News
