News
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May you see the Spirit of Jesus everyday!
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We look forward to seeing you soon!
">I encourage all families to join us for our Welcome Disco and BBQ on Thursday 21st February from 5:00pm – 7pm. There will be a DJ, games and prizes as well as food and drinks. This is a FREE event for all families including Community of Learners so we encourage you to come along and get to know new families and staff.
Opening School Mass: It was wonderful to have so many families join us for our Opening School Mass last Friday at 8.45am in the Cathedral with Bishop Charlies. Congratulations to our 2019 student leaders who were commissioned and blessed by Bishop Charles in preparation for their significant leadership role in our school community.
St Mary’s School Board: Our school Board AGM will be held on Monday 18th Feb at 5pm, followed by a general meeting. The School Board performs an important advisory role to me as Principal in relation to policies, decision making and school improvement planning. There are usually 6 parent members on our school board as well as myself, Parish Priest and staff member. Prospective members meet with Bishop Eugene and me prior to the AGM to discuss the roles and responsibilities of Board members. If you would like to be considered for a position on the School Board, please request a nomination form from the office.
Parents and Friends: St Mary’s P & F will be holding their first meeting on Tuesday 12th February at 5:30pm in the OLSH Library. New members are encouraged to join our P & F committee which meets monthly on a Tuesday to organise social events and fundraising for school resources. Ideally we would like a parent or two from each class to help with our P & F. If you can’t attend meetings but would still like to help out, please email principal.stmarys@nt.catholic.edu.au Children are welcome at the meetings.
Staff Commissioning Mass: An invitation is extended to families to join our staff for our commissioning Mass this Sunday 10th February at the Cathedral, 9:30am. Bishop Charles will bless and commission St Mary’s staff as we undertake the very important task of educating your children.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Darcy Fisher and family as Darcy’s father passed away recently; Jack Hooper and family as Jack’s great grandmother passed away recently and Vashi Casula and family as Vashi’s grandfather passed away recently.
Welcome to Lulu Gardiner (room 5) and family who recently joined our school community.
">School Counselling Program
Hi, my name is Sarah and I am the School Counsellor from CatholicCare NT. I am located at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School one day a week on Thursdays (8.30 – 4.30 pm) and I'm here to provide students with support and emotional well-being. Through the School Counselling Program during a counselling session I conduct Child Centred Play Therapy modality which is a developmentally appropriate, evidenced based, therapeutic intervention for school aged children from 3-11 years old. This approach is based on the belief that "play is therapy" for children, like when adults talk through their problems to solve them, here children play through their problems to solve them.
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy builds on the child’s inner resources and strengths, which are supported by the therapeutic relationship to bring about growth, development and healing in the child. Play therapy helps children develop confidence and positive self esteem, find healthier ways of communicating and can promote resilience and coping, in ways that are appropriate to their developmental stage.
Here are some of the following referral reasons that your child may be struggling with and that Play Therapy can be an effective therapeutic approach by referring to the School Counselling Program; divorce & separation of parents, anxiety & depression, low self esteem & self confidence, social difficulties, angry & aggressive behaviour, trauma & abuse, grief & loss, autism spectrum disorder, attachment issues etc.
Play therapy is a gentle intervention that provides a safe and secure space for children to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through their first and most natural language; play!
Referrals can be made through contacting the school’s front office, principal, teachers, and the School Counsellor.
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Bernadette Wilmore
Defence Transition Mentor
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