Week 8, Term 3 2025 - 2nd September 2025
APRE's Reflection
At St Mary’s, we help our students learn about faith and grow in their faith as they develop a relationship with God. One way we do this is by celebrating Mass together as a school community. At our feast day Mass next Monday, we will honour Mary, our patron Saint with a whole school Mass followed by a shared morning tea and games session. For our students, Mary is a role model. She shows us how to love God, care for others, and always try our best to do what is right. Mary reminds us that even though we can sometimes feel sad or unsure about our lives, God has a plan for each of us, and He is always with us.
Mary’s life shows us that faith isn’t just something we talk about - it’s something we live. When we care for others, help those in need, or take care of God’s creation, we are living our faith, just as Mary did. At St Mary’s, students are encouraged to follow Mary’s example by being encouraging, caring and respectful to others. Through small acts of kindness or being kind to others, we can all make a difference.
Last week, Year 6 students shared some of their Religion assessment work with me. They have been learning about faith and how faith can grow and mature through experiences, and reading Bethany Hamilton's book, Soul Surfer. Bethany believes that she has been able to overcome some of the most challenging obstacles because of the grace of God and because of His plan. The students have used Bethany’s inspiration to develop a strong understanding of what faith is. Their surfboard assessment pieces clearly demonstrate that many students are developing a strong faith and a relationship with God that has already helped them to get through difficult times. We look forward to seeing these surfboards on display in the school office next week.
Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose
School News
- A reminder that this Friday 5th September is a Pupil Free Day. We welcome Mrs Steph Salazar (instructional coach), who will work with our staff to unpack our new coaching model.
- A reminder that our P&F has a Father’s Day stall this Tue-Thu in the school Hall from 8am-8:25am. Thank you to the parent helpers who are assisting on the stall.
Year 6 Camp
Last Wed-Fri, our Year 6 students travelled to the Capricorn Coast for camp. Enjoying a visit to the Cooberrie Park Wildlife Park, Koorana Crocodile Farm, Great Keppel Island and the Capricorn Caves the students (and staff) had a wonderful time. Thank you to Mr Townsend, Mrs Cusack, Mrs Yet Foy, Miss Borg and Mr Kelland for accompanying the students.
Capricornia Athletics
Mackay recently hosted the 10-12 years Capricornia School Athletics Carnival at the ARC. The Cap sport region encompasses school from Mackay to the North, to Emerald to the West and Gladstone in the South. Well done to Malachi N, who ran PB’s to finish 2nd in the 10 years boys 800m and 1500m events and to Lexie M who came 2nd in the 12 years girls Long Jump (PB) and 3rd in the High Jump. Lexie and Malachi have now gained gained qualification for these events at the QLD Athletics Championships in Townsville 13th-15th October. All the best!
Baby News
Congratulations to Kris and Sally Redfern on the birth of their new son, Maddix. Maddix is a baby brother to Piper in Year 1.
Quote of the Week
“Life is better when you cry a little, laugh a lot and are thankful for everything you've got.”
- Anonymous
Pupil Free Day
St Mary's Feast Day
Join us on Monday, 8th September as we celebrate Mary’s Feast Day.
We warmly invite parents and families to join us for this special celebration of faith, community and fun.
Mass at 9:00am in the Hall
Followed by Mary’s Birthday Cake
Then we’ll head to the oval for some fun shared activities including:
- Skipping
- Pickleball
- Giant Jenga
- Soccer...and more!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Belinda van Lint
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
Father's Day Stall
Our wonderful P&F are once again making it easy to spoil Dad this Father’s Day!
The Father's Day stall will continue tomorrow and Thursday, from 8am-8:30am in the school hall.
We wish all our dads a very happy Father's Day on Sunday 7th September.
HPE Week
It’s National HPE Week! 🎉
This week, we’re celebrating the vital role Health and Physical Education plays in the Australian Curriculum and in shaping the wellbeing and development of our students. HPE isn’t just about sport—it’s about building movement skills, resilience, teamwork, respect, and lifelong wellbeing. It equips every young person with the tools they need to thrive.
At St Mary’s, students will be diving into a range of exciting activities during their PE lessons:
- Prep to Year 3 will get moving with dance and fitness challenges 💃🏃♂️
- Years 4 to 6 will put their strategy and teamwork to the test in fast-paced invasion games 🧠⚽
Lunchtimes will be packed with fun too! Students can join in:
- A basketball shoot-out 🏀
- Just Dance sessions 🎶
- A colouring competition 🎨
- Or test their knowledge in a HPE quiz 🧩
The highlight of the week? Free Dress Thursday! Students and staff are invited to wear their favourite sports gear to school. We can’t wait to see the amazing variety of sports represented—it’s going to be a colourful, energetic celebration of everything HPE stands for.
Simone Sibley
HPE Teacher
P&F News
St Mary's Art Extravaganza - Tuesday 16th September
🎨 St Mary's Art Exhibition – Tuesday 16th September 🎶🍕
Join us for one of the most anticipated events on the St Mary’s calendar—the Annual Art Exhibition! This vibrant evening will feature:
- 🖼️ A stunning showcase of artwork from students, staff, and parents
- 🎶 Live music on the green
- 🍷 A fully stocked bar
- 🍕 Delicious wood-fired pizzas from Nonno’s Pizzas
✨ Art Raffle Don’t miss your chance to win an original Katherin Murray painting! Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the Art Show.
🎨 Display Your Artwork Parents and students who wish to exhibit their work should contact the school office to secure a spot.
🍕 Pizza Preorders Beat the queue by preordering your pizzas at QuickCliq. Preorders close at 9am on Wednesday 10th September.
🙌 Volunteers Needed We’re looking for parent helpers to assist with:
- Serving drinks at the bar
- Hanging artwork
- Packing down after the event
If you’re able to lend a hand, please fill out the Volunteer Form https://forms.gle/Ah2yvzETmGvfN1qT6.
We can’t wait to see you there for an evening of creativity, community, and celebration!
Christmas Fair Meeting
The St Mary's Christmas Fair is just around the corner. Please come along to our meeting to discuss ideas. We would love to hear from you.
Term 3 Chess Competition
♟️ Celebrating Strategy, Sportsmanship & Success
This term’s chess competition introduced a new format, with teams competing in fixed positions and earning recognition both as a group and individually. Our St Mary’s students rose to the challenge with focus, resilience, and pride.
🏆 Primary Premier Division – Champions!
Congratulations to Mitch, Creed, Woodley, and Kolby, who took first place as a team in the Primary Premier Division. Their outstanding performance has earned them an invitation to compete in Brisbane next term.
- Individual Awards:
- 🥇 Woodley (Position 2) and Mitch (Position 3) received medals for placing first in their respective positions.
- 🎗️ Creed (Position 1) and Kolby (Position 4) were awarded ribbons for their strong individual efforts.
💪 Strong Effort & Growth
Lexi, Levi, Jacob, and Caleb also competed in the Primary Premier Division. While they didn’t receive ribbons, they showed great determination and notched up a few wins.
- Special mention to Levi, who embraced the challenge and came close to defeating Creed in a thrilling match!
🎖️ Ribbon Winners – Primary B Division
In the Primary B Division, Paulo, Remi, Banjo, and Elena each earned ribbons for their impressive results. Their strategic play and teamwork were commendable.
All students displayed exceptional sportsmanship and represented St Mary’s with pride. Their respectful conduct and enthusiasm made them a joy to accompany. There will be no more interschool competitions for 2025, they will commence again in the first term of 2026. We congratulate Mitch, Creed, Woodley and Kolby on making the State Championships in Brisbane in October.
Swap It
Student of the Week
Week 7, Term 3 Student Award Winners
| Prep C | Sophie | Wow, Sophie! You are becoming a super reader and writer! Watching you work so hard and grow in confidence this term has been wonderful to see. Keep up the amazing work! |
| Prep C | Henri | Henri, your focus and effort during maths sessions have been impressive. You're showing great independence when tackling tricky problems. Keep challenging yourself! |
| Prep R | Audrey | For working hard when writing retells. You are confidently writing sentences using excellent spelling choices. Keep up the fantastic work! |
| Prep R | Claire | For working really hard in maths sessions. You are showing confidence when working on tricky problems and can do so easily. You are a Maths Star! |
| 1B | Mia | For the amazing work you did using a conjunction to join the simple sentences from Jetty Jumping and then creating your own. What super star you are Mia! |
| 1B | Lucy | For the persistence and practice you put into RTI this week whilst adding tens and ones. You never gave up and you always try your best. You are a shining star Lucy! |
| 1C | Edie | For your perseverance and effort during this week’s ‘Automathic’ speed test activity. Mrs Cleaver was so impressed by your commitment and the extra practice you put in to boost your fluency. You consistently seek out ways to grow and improve in every area of your school life—a mindset that will take you far Edie, well done! |
| 1C | Isla | For your continued awe-inspiring effort across all school subjects—your dedication is truly exceptional. You consistently go above and beyond, not only completing your work to an outstanding standard, but also seeking out new challenges and pushing yourself further every day. Keep shining, Isla. |
| 2A | Keira | For being a determined reader who is making fantastic progress—her voice is clear, her pace is fluent, and she tackles tricky words with confidence and skill. Her growing love for reading shines through every page she turns. Well done Keira! |
| 2A | Flynn | For making great growth in using his computer time wisely, showing focus, responsibility, and a growing confidence in his learning. You can independently log in and get straight to work. You are a computer whizz Flynn! |
| 2L | Christina | Christina, you stepped into the spotlight at St Mary’s Got Talent and amazed us all with your confidence, clear voice, and radiant smile. Your performance was 'pitch-perfect' proof that bravery doesn’t always shout—it sometimes sings! Well done! |
| 2L | Helena | Helena, you danced like nobody was watching—even though everyone was! Your solo performance at the St Mary's Got Talent Show was filled with flair, creativity, confidence..... and funky footwork. Well done! |
| 3M | Nathanial | For always offering a helping hand to your peers and teachers. It is wonderful to see the way you look out for others. We are lucky to have you in 3M! |
| 3M | Edie | For your enthusiastic participation in class activities. You bring such joy to 3M with your positive attitude and brilliant sense of humour. Keep up the great work! |
| 3P | Delancee | Super work in mathematics. From maths rotations to maths mentals to textbook challenges, you've shown incredible focus and determination. Your hard work is paying off as you grow stronger in every area of maths. Keep up the fantastic work Delancee! |
| 3P | Oliver | For the fantastic focus and teamwork you’ve shown during Boost reading groups. Oliver - you always listen carefully, share thoughtful ideas, and help make group discussions meaningful and fun. Your love of reading really shines through—keep up the great work! |
| 4G | Claire | For always setting a great example for your peers by being ready to learn, following instructions, and consistently trying your best. Your hard work and commitment really stand out, and your teacher is very impressed with the effort you show each day. Keep up the great work Claire! |
| 4G | Jackson | For showing growing confidence in your reading comprehension during Boost sessions this week. You have approached the tasks with focus and determination, and it is wonderful to see how much your skills are improving. Keep up the great work Jackson! |
| 4R | Milah | For consistently demonstrating a responsible and conscientious approach to all tasks. Your teacher appreciates your initiative and helpfulness in the classroom. You make a positive difference each day Milah. Keep up the great work! |
| 4R | Hunter | For demonstrating exceptional mathematics skills when working with decimals this term. Your ability to complete work quickly and accurately has been truly impressive. Keep up the fantastic work Hunter! |
| 5C | Emerson | For your can do attitude in mathematics this week! Emerson I am so impressed with your positivity and willingness to succeed this week. Keep up the great work! |
| 5C | Indie | For your amazing narrative extended from the ideas within The Grandest Bookshop in the World, you’ve shown exceptional creativity and imagination. Indie, your fantastic character and setting details brought the story to life in a way that was both vivid and unforgettable. |
| 5F | Rohan | For showing a fantastic shift in mindset during your religion assessment this week—turning 'I can't' into 'I can'. It's great to see you challenging yourself and embracing growth. Well done - Keep pushing forward. |
| 5F | Sienna | For demonstrating genuine curiosity, dedicated focus, insightful thinking, and thoughtful contributions in religion lessons this week. Well done—keep up the conscientious learning. |
| 5F | Artik | For your excellent sportsmanship and leadership skills displayed at camp last week. Your ability to gel with your group members and your work it out attitude were inspirational to those around you. Well done, superstar! |
| Sport | Lucas | You have worked hard in PE this term to be a positive role model. Your teacher is impressed with your listening skills, support for your peers and your willingness to get out and pack away equipment. |
| Sport | Jessie | Mrs Sibley loved the way you used your excellent throwing and catching skills to ensure everyone on your team was included i the game. Your willingness to share the ball, along with your good sportsmanship, demonstrated the spirit of teamwork and respect, making the activity enjoyable for all. |
| Drama | Prep C & R | Using your wonderful imaginations to bring stories to life - still life stories that is! Your creativity and joy made every freeze frame moment magical! |
Community News
You are invited to
World Festival of Magic
Exciting all new acts!
Date: Monday 27th of October 2025
Time: 6PM
Cost: FREE
Tickets: One ticket per person attending the show. Children MUST be accompanied
by an adult.
Seating: Seating isn’t allocated
Duration: Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Location: Mackay PCYC. 33 Norris Road, Park Access, North Mackay
World Festival of Magic has been organized as a special FREE outing to bring some joy and laughter to the children, teenagers and families who have been having a hard time due to illness, disabilities, or other health related issues as well as children in protective custody. This also includes those who may be experiencing emotional and/or financial difficulties.
We are pleased to offer this opportunity to view this show FREE of charge due to the kindness of the Mackay business community and the Lions Medical Research Foundation.
Please click here for a preview of past shows: https://vimeo.com/912431457
Please note that our performances will include some flashing lights and occasional loud or dramatic music.
For tickets and if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to send an email to showtickets@helpthekids.com.au or Call Rae on (07) 3810 2587 (Mon – Wed, 10am-2pm)