Term 2, Week 4 2025 - 13th May 2025
Principal's Reflection
With the passing of Pope Francis and the new appointment of Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Church has been front and centre in international news over the past few weeks.
With this media attention comes the inevitable scrutiny from a wide range of detractors of various facets of the Church. With a global reach of around 1.4 billion Catholics, along with the wealth that goes along with an institution that is over 2000 years old, it can be easy to dismiss the Church as ‘having too much and doing too little’. And some would argue that these criticisms are valid.
However, this view dismisses so much of the good work that the Catholic Church does around the world each and every day. The fact is that outside of government, the Catholic Church is the biggest provider of healthcare, welfare, education and 3rd world social relief around the world.
It is often easy to overlook just how influential Catholic ministry is in these areas, and this is starkly apparent in our Australian society. St Mary’s school is a part of this; one of a multitude of Catholic organisations striving to make Australia and the world a better place. Fr Richard Leonard SJ compiled the list below in 2018, but it does highlight the extent of the Catholic footprint in Australia.
- The third largest non-Government employer in Australia: at least 221,000, of which 165,750 are women (75%).
- 758,000 school children are in the Catholic sector.
- 1,710 Catholic schools: 1,239 primary schools; 350 secondary schools; 95 Primary Secondary combined; 17 special schools
- 87,000 education staff: 55,287 lay teachers and specialist staff; 70% of all teachers and 45% of all principals are women
- ACU is the fastest growing, truly national university with 33,100 students, producing the largest number of teaching and nursing graduates in Australia. It is the second-largest Catholic University in the world.
- Notre Dame University Australia, has 12,125 students and retains the Kullari NAIDOC Award for the most successful university for indigenous graduations.
- 70 hospitals with 10,500 beds (12% of all hospital beds)
- 23,200 residential aged care beds in 550 facilities.
- 5,393 retirement and independent living units and serviced apartments.
- 8 dedicated hospices with palliative care services.
- 20% of all medical research is conducted at St Vincent’s or Mercy Healthcare Research Institutes.
- Largest non-Government welfare provider: 51 member organisations; 12,600 employees; 500 different services; 1.1 million clients were cared for in 2018.
- St Vincent DePaul is the largest and most extensive volunteer welfare network in the country with 18,209 members and 30,910 volunteers.
- Caritas Australia raised $30m for the poor in 2018
- Catholic Mission raised $12m for the poor in 2018
- The numbers of Catholic worldwide sits at 1.2 billion.
These are certainly significant numbers and underscore the fact that our Christian faith motivates the action that is so evident in these statistics. This is the good we rarely tell anyone.
All the very best,
Wes Rose
Principal
From our Principal | Mr Wes Rose
In our Prayers
Please keep Mrs Caitlin McKenzie (Year 3M teacher) and her family in your prayers. Caitlin was injured on Sunday and remains in hospital. We continue to pray for Caitlin’s recovery and for the expert medical care she requires at this time.
School News
- This Friday, we welcome Mr David Paul (Assistant Director: Schools) to St Mary’s for his termly visit.
- Mrs Battaia will be away on Long Service Leave from Wednesday 14th to Tuesday 20th May (inclusive). She will then attend the Diocesan Wellbeing conference in Rockhampton 21-22 May. We look forward to her return next Friday.
Quote of the Week
"Peace is built on the foundation of justice"
- Pope Leo XIV
Prep 2026 Enrolments
2026 Prep Enrolments are open for new and existing families. If you have a sibling commencing Prep in 2026, please complete your enrolment application ASAP so we have an idea of sibling numbers.
Enrolments close on the 30th May 2025 and interviews will commence in Term 3.
If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
Walk Safely to School Day
Run Club
P&F News - St Mary's Trivia Night
Dust off the sparkles, don the flares and come get your groove on at the St Mary's Trivia Night.
Tickets are now available. Click on this link to secure yours now.
Prep Mother's Morning
Last week, our Prep Mums celebrated Mother's Day early with their students. Thank you to all the mums who came in to share some time with their precious little ones.
Student of the Week
Week 3, Term 2 Student Award Winners
| Prep C | Emily | For being a respectful and responsible class member who always listens carefully and gives your best effort. Your kindness and willingness to help others make our classroom a better place! Keep being you Emily! |
| Prep C | Lola | Lola, you approach your learning with such joy and enthusiasm—it’s truly wonderful to see! Your teacher is so proud of the way you’re confidently reading and writing words on your own. Keep up the amazing work! |
| Prep R | Claire | For the hard work you are doing during writing lessons. You are sounding out tricky words and trying your best every time. You are a writing superstar! |
| Prep R | Myka | For your amazing effort in maths this week! You are working hard on ordering numbers and counting back skills this week. Keep up the fantastic work! |
| 1B | Oskar | For the confidence you have shown in our sound work this week. You were chopping up your sounds and blending them like a champion. Well done Oskar. |
| 1B | Nina | For your work in maths this week. You have worked through grouping and number patterns quickly, and confidently shared your understanding with the class. Well done Nina! |
| 1C | Byron | For your awesome effort when writing in class this week. You have been keen to add more information to your sentences and share them with others. Your teacher loves the way you work hard to sound out your words when writing. Keep up the amazing effort Byron. |
| 1C | Rosa | For your super effort in class this week. You have been working hard to write sentences including the ‘who, what, where, when and why’. Your sentence writing was fabulous! Keep up the awesome effort Rosa! |
| 2A | Thomas | For the enthusiastic way you enter the classroom each day. You are always willing to put your hand up and have a go! Keep trying new things! You are doing a wonderful job, Thomas. |
| 2A | Kobi | For the kind, caring and considerate student you are! It is so lovely to see your confidence grow. You are a valued member of 2A and always so willing to help your peers. Keep being you Kobi! |
| 2L | Gianna | Gianna you are the sunshine that brightens up our classroom every day with your beautiful smile and positive mindset! Keep shining! |
| 2L | Benz | Benz this week when your teacher asked you to ‘jump’ in mathematics, you certainly nailed the ‘jump strategy’!! Keep up the amazing focus and ‘can do’ attitude! |
| 3M | Emerson | For the positive attitude you have shown in Mathematics this semester. You are working hard to overcome challenges to deepen your understanding. Keep it up Emerson! |
| 3M | Luca | For being a responsible class member of 3M by always being prepared, completing work on time, and helping others when needed. Luca’s dedication and positive attitude make our classroom a better place! Thank you! |
| 3P | Delancee | For the enthusiasm and concentration you demonstrate during our Boost reading sessions. Delancee, it's wonderful to see you reading fluently and confidently and answering questions during reading time. Keep up the super effort! |
| 3P | Hudson | For trying your best, showing perseverance and demonstrating ‘You Can Do It’ attitude in your learning. Hudson, thank also for always being willing to help out your classmates and teacher whenever needed. Keep up the wonderful work! |
| 4G | Jacob | For a great start to Term 2, always being on task, consistently following expectations, and producing well-presented book work. Your dedication and focus are outstanding, and you set a great example for others! |
| 4G | Mackenzie | For showing incredible perseverance in maths – tackling challenges with a positive attitude, not giving up when it's tricky, and working hard to improve every day. Your determination is inspiring! |
| 4R | Ella | For your confidence and enthusiasm in presenting and sharing your knowledge about ANZAC Day with the class. Your contribution was interesting and greatly valued by both your teacher and the class. Well done, Ella! |
| 4R | Paulo | For your persistence and positive ‘can do attitude’ with difficult tasks. Your dedication to overcoming challenges and consistently striving to do your best has impressed your teacher." Keep up the great effort Paulo! |
| 5C | Alanna | For your work in Mathematics this week. Alanna your attention to detail has ensured you have successfully identified the factors and multiples of all the given numbers. Keep up the hard work. |
| 5C | Malachi | For your thoughtful contributions to classroom discussions. Malachi you add such value and rich insights to all our classroom discussions. |
| 5F | Nate | For demonstrating a steadfast commitment to learning, applying yourself diligently across all areas, and consistently showing discipline and self-control. Keep it up Nate! |
| 5F | Emilie | For consistently staying on task, demonstrating efficiency in learning, maintaining a positive attitude, and giving your best effort this week. Keep it up Emilie. |
| 6C | Raj | For your focus and commitment to all class tasks. It is wonderful to see you engage with your learning and volunteer responses in class discussions. Keep up the great work Raj. |
| 6C | Nate | For your energy and enthusiasm in class. Your zest for learning is contagious, helping us to delve deeper into our understanding, making you a wonderful asset to our classroom. Keep up the great work. |
| 6T | Alice | For being a motivated and focused student who commences all tasks promptly. You follow instructions and complete all work to a high standard. It has been very pleasing to see, Alice! |
| 6T | Gab | For the outstanding effort you demonstrated in RTI this week. We were impressed with your knowledge and understanding when calculating fractions. Keep up the hard work Gab! |
| Sport | Blair M | Blair, you brought your best effort to PE this week. You were an attentive listener, a fantastic team player, and tried your best to improve your running technique with each new activity. Keep up the great work. |
| Sport | Emma C | Emma, you always give 100% in PE lessons and are an excellent role model for your peers. Your teacher is proud of your focus, determination and self-discipline and the way you quietly go about achieving our weekly goals. Keep up the fantastic effort. |
| Drama | Classes 4G & 4R | Thank you for creating happy tears! Your ability to take on different roles by walking in someone else’s shoes, using your imagination, exploring multiple meanings through dramatic play and your joy for reading is outstanding! |
Community News
