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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

5th November 2021| Week 4

Important Dates

  • 10th November: Basketball Interschool Sports Day
  • 11th November: 8.30am Remembrance Day Liturgy led by Year 5/6 Room 11
  • 12th November: Assembly led by Years T/1 Room 7 & 8
  • 19th November: Assembly led by Year 5/6 Room 9 and Year 5 leadership speeches for 2022
  • 23rd-25th November: Year 5/6 Camp
  • 2nd December: Year 6 Graduation
  • 9th December: Carols Around the World
  • 16th December: Last day for students
All Term 4 events and details are published on SchoolStream. Please check the EVENTS tab to add event details direct to your calendar!

Principal's News

Week 4, Term 4, 2021

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Dear Parents,

Once again thank you for your support and quick response to the snap lockdown requirements which affected our school day today. We hope and pray that there are no more identified cases in the NT and that we can resume our normal routines as soon as possible. In the meantime, I ask that you remain up to date with Government Health announcements over the weekend. As a school community we are advised by Catholic Education NT and Department of Education guidelines around school compliance. We will continue to update our St Mary’s community via SchoolStream when and if the situation changes. Parents please remember that it is a NT Health requirement that you wear a mask on site, including our Community of Learners and OSHC when signing children in/out during this period.

All of Australia has applauded the wonderful news this week of little Cleo Smith being reunited with her family. It is a timely reminder of the preciousness of every child and the importance of safeguarding our children’s wellbeing at both home and school. Little ones are often very naïve and unaware of potential dangers to their personal safety. An incident this week of a stranger on the footpath outside the school calling out to students to gain their attention raises our awareness of the importance of speaking to the children around ‘stranger danger’. Thank you to our staff for their vigilance and quick response. As a follow up to this incident the school has reviewed the current ‘line of sight’ from the Lindsay St footpath into areas of the school which could pose a potential hazard. As a consequence, in addition to the padlocks already on these gates, a decision has been made to install a fence banner in front of the Lindsay St entrances, similar to the banner on the Cavenagh St fence. This will prevent anyone on the street being able to see into the school verandah areas. In the meantime, our grounds staff will place a temporary shadecloth covering on the fence until the banners can be properly installed.

Delightful news this week with the announcement and recognition of Kaiden Castle as a recipient of the Fred Hollows Humanitarian awards for 2021. Kaiden was one of 10 children nominated for this award in the Northern Territory for 2021. To mark the recognition of his nomination for this award, his parents and Grandfather visited his classroom yesterday during the National Zoom presentation.

In faith and love,

Rosie Harrison
Principal
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Uniform Reminder

Please ensure that your child has the correct uniform requirements including the correct footwear, socks and school hat. Please support us in our endeavour to adhere to our uniform guidelines, which can be found in our Parent Handbook or school webpage.
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Religious Education News

Prayer: As we snowball towards the end of the year, let us share this prayer together:
Psalm 23 – For Busy People (by Toki Miyashina)
The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush;
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,
He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity.
He leads me in the way of efficiency,
Through calmness of mind;
And His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things
To accomplish each day
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me
In balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of activity,
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity;
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be
The fruits of my hours
And I shall walk in the pace of my Lord
And dwell in His house for ever.
Amen

Catholic Missions: Last Friday we participated in the Catholic Mission’s Socktober campaign with our crazy sock and hair day. We did this because Catholic Mission is not only endorsed by Pope Francis but because, as believers in Christ, it is our mission to continue the work of Jesus Christ. Fundraising is one arm of the work that Catholic Mission does. Together we can sock it to poverty. At our liturgy we focused on praying together for the children in Thailand and other poor countries. Advocating is giving voice to the needs of the poor and vulnerable and in addition, fundraising is just one component of our Gospel mission.
As a school we raised a total of $159.20. Thank you for your generous support!

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St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal: We have begun collecting donations for our annual St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Thank you to all those who have donated so far.
The Vinnies Christmas appeal is all about bringing joy and festivity to families and individuals who may be in need of some extra support at this expensive time of year.
We invite you to share in the spirit of Christmas by donating food items that will be made into hampers to help provide families with a Christmas filled with joy and happiness.

We invite you to bring in the following to your child's classroom:

Transition and Transition/1: Christmas lollies and biscuits, both sweet and savoury.
Year 1/2: Long life milk, custard, tea, and coffee.
Year 3/4: Christmas pudding/cake, shortbread, fruit mince pies, poppers, serviettes.
Year 5/6: Canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned ham and pasta sauce.

Additionally, if you wish to donate other goods such as toiletries, small Christmas gifts for children, there will be an additional basket for these items in the front office.

Donations can be sent to school with your child and deposited in the basket in their classroom.

Clare Nolan
Religious Education Co-ordinator
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Classroom News: Room 9

It's Electric!
Room 9 is learning about electricity in Science this term. We are having lots of fun exploring circuits with batteries. In addition, we are also discovering materials that are good and bad conductors of electricity. Inspired by Pope Francis' message of Laudato Si, we are going to explore renewable sources of energy. Given our tropical climate in Darwin, we are going to focus our learning on solar energy.
We are all wired up for this exciting scientific journey!

Rachita Jain
Room 9

Back to Front Maths

Professor Peter Sullivan, describes Problem Solving as a process whereby, “students devise their own ways of solving a task that they have not been taught to do”. This is not applying familiar mathematics to a new context, but instead describes an experiment, where students try to work out mathematics that is new to them.
The ‘Number Search’ image allows children to explore the relationship between fractions and area, before the teacher explicitly explains this concept. Using tricky problems such as this allows children to make deep connections between their current understandings. In this case, connecting their current understanding of the properties and area of geometric shapes to related fractions. This builds a more deeper understanding than if the student was simply told the answer.
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21st Century Dance Concert USB

St Mary's Concert Banner 2021
We are so excited to re-live the fun of our 21st Century Dance concert!
You can now order your copy of the concert which was professionally recorded by Dreamedia. To order now online, click the button below or complete the "Concert USB Order Form" found in the FORMS tab on School Stream.

USBs will be available in approximately 1-2 weeks time and can be either collected from the front office or sent home with your child (please choose which option when ordering).

Thank you once again for making our 21st Century Dance concert a very memorable evening!

Apple for the Teacher

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Show these absolute legends how much we appreciate them!
The annual Hot 100 Apple for the Teacher competition is an opportunity for families and schools to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our teachers!
This Year 3 of our amazing teachers; Ms Zufferey, Mrs Coccetti and Mrs Carew and one of our Early Childhood Educators Ms Hargreaves have been nominated.
There are awesome prizes for the both the winning teacher, their class and the school so please click the link below to show your support and vote!

Parents & Friends Christmas Raffle

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This term the Parents and Friends committee are holding a Christmas Raffle to continue raising funds to upgrade the technological learning supports for our school, this includes iPads, Laptops, desktop computers and associated educational resources.

If you have a business that might like to contribute a donation of goods or services as a prize please contact Briony via email on parentsandfriends@stmarysnt.net or drop your donation to the office.

Raffle booklets will be sent home with students in the coming weeks and our raffle will be drawn at the school's Carols event in Week 9.

The parents and friends committee would like to take the opportunity to thank you for considering our request of a donation and will be thanking all businesses who contribute via our school newsletter.

Thank you, Parents & Friends Committee

School ICT & BYODD Program

“The most important thing that schools can do is not to use technology in the curriculum more, but to use it more effectively.” Urs Gasser

The above quote just has to resonate with teachers and parents in our community. Like many schools, we have spent quite a lot of time and money keeping our software and hardware up to date with the latest technology. We have sought to improve our ratio of computers (including laptops, iPads). In 2022 we seek to have students to a point where we have one device per student in Years 4 to 6 and one device to approximately three students in Transition to Year 3.

It is important to us that we allow our students the opportunity to use a range of technologies in the classroom and for it to be readily available to them. We are, after all, teaching a generation of children whose futures will be predominantly online. However, what we use our technology for – and how we are integrating in into our curriculum effectively – is what is important.

Beginning in Transition and in subsequent years, we teach our students basic technology skills such as how to log in to websites like Reading Eggs; as well as how to go about opening documents, save them to files, and find and edit them for future use. By the time students reach Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 they have personal Google Drives that allow them to create and collaborate with their peers.

Another area that we, as a school, devote our time to is CyberSafety. We know that some of our students are using social media, despite their age. We also know how important it is for today’s students to be aware of their digital footprint. Everything we post can be seen by anyone. There are many resources available across many platforms that support schools in teaching their students about the importance of being safe online. At St Mary’s we seek to provide detailed, substantiated policies and agreements to our community about safety with technology, and expect our students to use technology – both at school and at home – in an age-appropriate and positive way. Please do not hesitate to contact us about how your children are using technology – it is an area that our school is very passionate about. Because of our commitment to this area of the curriculum we are very well placed to prepare our kids for the digital world they currently live in, and the digital world of the future that remains unknown.
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Technology is an educational tool to support learning... it does not replace the learning of key fundamental skills!
Our BYODD program has proven to be extremely successful and popular providing opportunities for teachers to integrate technology meaningfully into the learning and teaching program and for students to extend their learning beyond the classroom. From 2022 students moving into Year 4 will also be eligible to join the BYODD program for the start of the new school year.

Please take the time to review the BYODD Parent Information and device specification guide which was sent home to all Year 3/4 students and those without a designated school device. These documents include answers to frequently asked questions as well as information regarding the chosen device options and how to order. We also encourage you to learn more about our device supplier Edunet by watching the short video linked in the button below. If you have any questions regarding the BYODD program, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher.

Outstanding School Fees

Thank you to the many families who have already finalised their school accounts for 2021. To those families who still have fees outstanding please be aware
that payment is now due and fees need to be paid assoon as possible.

If you believe that that you will not be able to pay your school fees account by the end of the school year (16th Dec, 2021) or are having difficulties making payments, please contact the office and make an appointment to arrange a payment plan. Payments can be made at the School office by cash or EFT. Credit Card payments can be made over the phone or electronic payments can be made directly to the school.

Our account details are as follows:
Account Name: St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Branch Number: 085-933
Account Number: 39 686 0268
Reference when processing your payment:
School Fees: Please quote your Family Ref (at the bottom right of the statement).
Out of School Hours Fees: Please quote your Family Name and OSHC
Community of Learners: Please quote your Family Name and COL

To request an updated statement for School Fees please contact our finance officer Louise Higgins on louise.higgins@nt.catholic.edu.au.
OSHC and COL statements are processed and sent out weekly by our Bookkeeper Kathy Zerafa.

School Fee Information

School Fees

Christmas Carols Evening

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Enrolments for 2022

Enrolling now
Help spread the word! Enrolments for 2022 are now open
If you would like an enrolment package, please contact the school office. If you have already received an enrolment package for your Transition 2022 child, please complete and return to the school office as soon as possible so your enrolment interview can be scheduled. If your child is currently enrolled in the St Mary’s Community of Learners Pre-school program you will still need to complete a School enrolment form for Transition.

Please note, that until enrolment paperwork is received at the school office, we cannot hold places for Transition 2022. Therefore, if you currently have a child at St Mary's and have a younger sibling starting Transition next year, please let the school office know as soon as possible.

Our Transition Orientation program has commenced. Only children who have completed enrolment forms will be able to attend the Orientation program, so please kindly finalise all Transition enrolments as soon as possible.

In the Event of a Cyclone

As we are now in the cyclone season in the Top End, families are reminded of our school procedures in the event of a cyclone. School closures are announced by the Department of Education and are broadcast to the public on the local TV and radio stations. In the event that government schools are closed, Catholic schools will also be closed. Please listen to the radio or TV for updates in relation to school closures and reopening. We will endeavour to keep families informed via our school app – school stream, facebook and email, but this will be dependent on the availability of power and personnel.

Visit www.securent.nt.gov.au for more information or visit the app store and download the SecureNT app.

For up to date weather alerts please refer to www.bom.gov.au.

A free service for all Territorians. Log into https://www.tiofi.com.au/alerts and register. Information can be received directly to your phone or email.

New Way November 2021

New Way November
Please see above this month’s Action for Happiness calendar. The theme for this month is ‘New Ways November’. Learning something new or getting involved in an activity that really absorbs and interests us is great for our wellbeing. When we learn something new, we create new connections between our neurons. We rewire our brains to adapt to new circumstances. This happens on a daily basis, but it’s also something that we can encourage and stimulate. Keeping our brains active is not only good for us physically but it can also help you feel like you are flourishing as you see yourself make progress with a new skill, or just make you smile as you make a mess and decide to start again. Being playful and trying new things is important, as is remembering that it's OK not to get it right first time - change "I can't do it", into "I can't do it...yet!" This growth mindset is something we encourage at St Mary’s by showing resilience, being ready to learn and using NED’s power of ‘yet’. This month's calendar is full of ideas to help you and your family decide what to try next.
phillipians
Circle of Control
Today’s New Ways November message is very apt for our current circumstances;
Change your normal routine today and notice how you feel.
Our students, staff and families have all shown great resilience with changing circumstances overnight. One useful tool that can be used to help students is the ‘Circle of Control’. The Circles of Control help you to look at things that concern and impact on your wellbeing in a very practical way, by focusing on what you can control and influence around you, therefore building your resilience. When events occur that changes circumstances suddenly or cause an element of stress or worry on our loved ones, our immediate reaction is to want to ‘fix it’. The ‘Circle of Control’ helps to relieve worry for our students by allowing them to focus on only those things that they can control in their lives.
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Download our School App

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APP

Why download the App?

  • Receive instant notifications for important news and classroom updates.
  • Complete permission and absentee forms.
  • Keep up to date with events and save event details directly to your own calendar.
  • Order from our school canteen.
Don’t forget to turn your notifications on – so you don’t miss any important notices!

Canteen Online Orders

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To streamline processes across the school, this term we will be phasing out paper bag lunch orders from our canteen.
We encourage families to set up an account for online ordering through Flexischools, which is linked directly in the School Stream App. Details on how to set up an account can be found in the “CANTEEN” tab of School Stream. There is no need to download the Flexischools App, it can all be accessed from the School Stream App.
Please note daily orders close at 8.40am. Any orders received after this time, will be fulfilled subject to availability of stock and may be substituted for a basic sandwich.
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Please help spread the word!
We are so excited to be running our very own Playgroup sessions at St Mary's.
These sessions are open to families outside of the school and cater for babies and toddlers of all ages. You can find us every Friday (school term only) in the Mary MacKillop Hall, please enter via the Parish entrance from Smith Street.

St John's Catholic College, Darwin

Year 7 2022

Information regarding Year 7 2022 at St John's Catholic College.
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What is happening in Darwin

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Netball
Football 1
Carnival of fun
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