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Upcoming Dates
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- 10th February 2023: Opening School Mass with St John's Catholic College, 9 am at St Mary's Cathedral
- 17th February 2023: Assembly 8.30 am led by Room 13
- 21st February 2023: Shrove Tuesday, Caritas Pancake Fundraiser
- 22nd February 2023: Ash Wednesday
- 23rd February 2023: Parents and Friends Gathering
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Event details will be updated on SchoolStream closer to the event date.
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Please check the EVENTS tab regularly and add event details directly to your calendar!
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Principal's News
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Week 2, Term 1, 2023
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Welcome to the first St Mary’s Newsletter for 2023.
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It was wonderful to see our students returning to school so happily last Wednesday. Thank you very much to all our families as you prepared your children for the start of the school year. At St Mary’s we pride ourselves in living out the ‘The St Mary’s Way’ in all we do. This is evident in the manner and way the students dress in uniform and wear it proudly each day.
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I would like to particularly welcome our Transition students and their families to St Mary’s; we are excited to be a part of the wonderful journey you will have within our school community. Our Year Six leaders have made a wonderful start to the year and formed a great connection already with their Transition Buddies.
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At St Mary’s, parents are partners in their child’s learning, and we look forward to working closely together to nurture the academic, spiritual, and social wellbeing of our students and families.
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Parents are warmly invited to be part of our Opening School Mass tomorrow morning in the Cathedral at 9am and I encourage and welcome all of you to engage as much as possible with what’s happening at School.
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As we begin the year it’s timely to check that all parents are connected to the Schoolstream App which is the primary means of communication between school and home. You will find directions for accessing the App on the following pages.
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Please also remember that all visitors to the school during school hours must call at the office to sign in. This ensures your safety under Workplace Health and Safety regulations.
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The School Newsletter will be available on the Schoolstream App every Thursday.
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I share with you a quote I came across last week from Jules Chevalier, founder of the religious order, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart or OLSH sisters who established St Mary’s Primary School.
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“In our schools no one is a stranger, no one is a foreigner, we are all one in the Heart of Christ”
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Tips for Transitioning to School
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BE PREPPED FOR SCHOOL: TIPS FOR TRANSITIONING
Your little one’s introduction to Transition can seem equal parts anxiety-inducing and exciting – and it’s important to be prepared for a range of emotions from both yourself as parents and carers as well as from your child. Finding the right school for your family and being prepared to support your little one’s emotional needs can make the process much easier than you may think.
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Starting Transition is not just about the first day of school, but rather setting your child up for a smooth transition from early learning to a life of education. Parents should work in partnership with their chosen school to make this big step much less daunting. According to the Victorian Education Department, “successful transition programs contribute to 60 per cent of student learning improvement in academic and social development”. With this in mind, the school’s transition program is imperative to not only your little one’s adjustment into Transition, but also their long-term academic outcomes so be sure to attend information sessions and educate yourself on the school’s transition period and how it can assist your little one is to insert text.
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Finding the Right Fit for a new school
Choosing a school with a successful transition program offers families and schools the opportunity to get to know one another and brings the entire family on the journey from enrolment right through to the first year. It gives your child the chance to build relationships with teachers and peers, as well as feel comfortable, confident and supported in their new learning environment.
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Common objections: “I don’t want to go to that school!”
Make sure your child has the chance to be heard. Get down on their level or bring them up to your level so you are eye-to-eye. Ask them what they are concerned about and reassure them that their feelings are valid rather than dismissing how they are feeling. It is likely they are worried about not knowing anyone or not fitting in, so you can comfort them by letting them know their classmates will be feeling the same way and will want to make new friends, too. You could also reassure them by explaining their pre-transition days will give them the chance to meet new friends.
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The Big Day
Offer plenty of opportunities for communication prior to their first official day so your little one has an understanding of what to expect. You can start to mention big school, school uniforms and how proud you are of them or involve school talk in playtime at home. The Queensland Government offer a ‘Starting School Game’, which is available to download online and includes games and information encouraging parents and kids to talk about starting school in a playful way. If you find your child is overwhelmed or worried about starting school, this is a fun way to get them accustomed to the idea.
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Common objections: “I want to stay home with you!”
It can be so difficult to see your little one upset at drop off, but reassuring them and being prepared for how they may react will help you to respond to the situation. Kids Matter recommends learning from other transition periods and tailoring an approach that suits your little one’s temperament. For example, think about a time your child experienced another transition period. What approach helped them through this stage? Use this experience and tailor it to this situation.
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Transition class and Beyond
Once your child is settled into school, clear communication with the school is crucial for ongoing success. Schools see education as a partnership between schools and families and parents and carers are welcomed as members of the school community.
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Prayer
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Religious Education News
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Opening School Mass: Parents are invited to join us for our Opening School Mass, which will be held at 9:00 am this Friday, 10th February. We will celebrate with St John's Catholic College.
On Friday our Year Six leaders will be presented with their captain badges.
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Opening School Mass - Friday 10th February 9am in St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral
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Shrove Tuesday Fundraiser - Tuesday 21st February
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Ash Wednesday Liturgy - Wednesday 22nd February
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Holy Week Liturgy - Friday 31st March in the Mary MacKillop Hall
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Religious Education Co-ordinator
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Making Jesus Real (MJR)
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Making Jesus Real (MJR) is a program that is centred around the belief that we are the image of Jesus to all people around us. We are His representatives and our actions should reflect His values. The MJR program aligns with the school Religious Education curriculum and Values Education/ Wellbeing/ Social Emotional Learning. At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, MJR is not seen as an ‘extra thing’ to ‘do’. It is a values based philosophy, it becomes ’the way’ we do all things. MJR filters through everything we do and say during the course of any given day. For example the values and example of Australian Open champions Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott (Australian of the Year). They showcase the values that we strive to embody in our MJR teachings! Their values read straight out of the MJR workbooks including:
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• Hard work, be determined and mental toughness – winning the hard ball (pun intended)
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• Teamwork – together everyone achieves more is obviously Ash’s constant message
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• Using your talents – understatement!
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The list could go on and on.
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Here is a wonderful interview of Ash Barty by an aspiring nine-year-old at the Australian Open.
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This could be a great conversation starter with your children at home.
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Welcome to Students and Families
To the following students and families who recently joined our school community.
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Hadleigh; Platon; Zian; Quinlan; Raymond; Daniel C; Jaxon; Aoibhin; Evelyn; Chan; Ailish; Aaron; Elpida; Matthew; Delilah; Thomas; Henry; Jordan; Beau; Mitchell; Claire; Mary Lou; Harlow; Chloe; Daniel P; Charlotte; Konstantinos; Wendy; Isla S; Cruz; Mia D; Pearl; Ella; Abigail; Liam; Emily; Kimberly; Angelo; Amyra; Amora; Simbarashe; Yundi; Shiloh; Varundeep and Alyssa.
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News from Room 8
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Parent Information Letters
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Thank you to families who came to our Parent Information Night yesterday evening! There was a lovely buzz as new and existing families had an opportunity to visit classrooms and meet your child's teacher for 2023.
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Below you can access a digital copy of the Parent Information Letters which were handed out at the Information Sessions:
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Naplan 2023
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National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. NAPLAN is the measure through which governments, education authorities, schools and the community can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes.
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NAPLAN tests skills that are critical for every child to progress through school and life. These include reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken every year across all schools in Australia at the same time. In 2023 the testing period for Naplan has been brought forward earlier in the year to March 15th to 27th of March. If your child will not be at school during this time please advise your child's teacher.
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All Naplan tests at St Mary's will be completed online except for the Year 3 writing test. Last week Years 3 and 5 students were sent home an information sheet about Naplan tests, including details of test duration and requirements.
As a school we utilise Naplan results to guide our future direction and goals. The data will be analysed to determine our strengths as a school and to identify areas of need. For more information regarding Naplan please contact our Deputy Principal and Curriculum Coordinator Christine Ferreira.
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BYODD Program 2023
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PORTAL IS STILL TAKING ORDERS FOR BYODD
In 2023, we have expanded the BYODD program to students in Years 3 to 6 and it is a requirement that students in these year groups have their own designated device for school use.
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Please find linked below the documents and information for BYODD. These documents contain all the information that you need to know regarding our 2023 BYODD program:
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Ordering your child's device is quick and easy through our supplier Edunet. You can learn more about our supplier Edunet by watching this video.
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We know of a previous St Mary's family seeking to sell their existing BYODD device as they have needed to upgrade for Middle School.
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Upcoming PE opportunities
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Music News
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New School and Library Bags
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We are very excited to share that in 2023 we will be introducing a St Mary’s school bag! We will have two sizes available to accommodate our younger and older students. The new school bag is made of a lightweight yet durable fabric. We will also have waterproof library bags available for purchase in the new year as well.
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Cost of the school back packs will be $45 and $10 for the library bags, both will be available for purchase at the start of the school year.
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2023 School Terms
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Term 1, 2023 Monday, 30 January 2023 - staff return
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Wednesday, 1 February 2023 - students return
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Thursday, 6 April 2023 - last day term one
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Term 2, 2023 Monday, 17 April to Friday, 23 June 2023
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Term 3, 2023 Monday, 17 July 2023 - staff return
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Tuesday, 18 July 2023 - students return
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Friday, 22 September 2023 - last day term three
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Term 4, 2023 Monday, 9 October 2023
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Thursday, 14 December 2023 - last day for students
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Friday, 15 December 2023 - last day for staff
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2023 School Fees
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Early Bird Discount!
Pay your school fees in full before the end of
Term 1 for a 5% discount!
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Payments can be made at the Front Office or via Direct Deposit:
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Name of Account: St Mary's Catholic Primary School
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Account Number: 39 686 0268
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Please quote your Family Ref (at the bottom of the invoice) as the reference when processing your payment. Invoices will be sent out by the end of Week 3.
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Outside School Hours Care and Early Learning Centre Fees
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Download School Stream
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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!
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Want to avoid fees when topping up your Flexischools account?
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Click below to download a step-by-step guide on how to top up your Flexischools account without a surcharge via Electronic Bank Transfer
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To streamline processes across the school, in 2023 we are only accepting online orders for lunches.
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All families need 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.
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You can find the Canteen menu in School Stream. 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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Cyclone Season
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.
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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.
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Please listen to the radio or TV for updates in relation to school closures and reopening.
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We will endeavour to keep families informed via school stream, but this will be dependent on the availability of power and personnel.
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Visit www.securent.nt.gov.au for more information.
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For up to date weather alerts please refer to www.bom.gov.au . (http://www.bom.gov.au/)
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What is happening in Darwin
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