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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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12th November 2021| Week 5
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Important Dates
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- 16th November: Transition Orientation Sessions Continue
- 19th November: Assembly led by Year 5/6 Room 9 and Year 5 leadership speeches for 2022
- 23rd-25th November: Year 5/6 Camp
- 26th November: Advent Liturgy led by Year 3/4 and Spirit Cup Fun Day
- 2nd December: Year 6 Graduation
- 9th December: Carols Around the World
- 16th December: Last day for students
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All Term 4 events and details are published on SchoolStream. Please check the EVENTS tab to add event details direct to your calendar!
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Principal's News
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Week 5, Term 4, 2021
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This week we acknowledged Remembrance Day with a beautiful school Liturgy led by our Room 11 students.
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Symbolic of Remembrance Day is the poppy flower which grows freely through much of the countryside of Northern France and Belgium.
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In wearing the Poppy I am reminded that this time in 2018 I visited France for the 100 years marking of the end of WW1.
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During my time away, one of the most lasting experiences and a definite highlight was the time spent in northern France staying in a little village just near the Australian war memorial at Villiers Brettoneau. I was able to visit my uncle’s grave and pay tribute to the sacrifice he made for my family. One of the most deeply moving experiences was the time spent in the John Monash centre at Villiers Brettoneau. I left the Monash centre with a deep sense humility for all the beautiful young men who gave their life for their country and feeling so proud of the freedom and life I have been able to live as a result of their sacrifice.
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There is a school in the village nearby, which is called the Victoria school in tribute to the soldiers and support of Australia during the First World War.
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Like many of the villages along the western front which display flags and signs saying “we will never forget the Australians”. I will never forget their supreme sacrifice.
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Uniform Reminder
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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We invite you to bring in the following to your child's classroom:
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Transition and Transition/1: Christmas lollies and biscuits, both sweet and savoury.
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Year 1/2: Long life milk, custard, tea, and coffee.
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Year 3/4: Christmas pudding/cake, shortbread, fruit mince pies, poppers, serviettes.
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Year 5/6: Canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned ham and pasta sauce.
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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.
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Donations can be sent to school with your child and deposited in the basket in their classroom.
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MJR: Each week we have a whole school MJR theme. In week 6 our theme is 'The Great 8'. The Great 8 are the actions that we use to show who we are as a person and how we are blessed by the spirit of Jesus in our hearts. These are words that you can do, not just say.
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Remembrance Day Liturgy: Thank you to Fr Ched, Room 11 and the defence students for leading our Remembrance Day Liturgy.
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Upcoming Masses/Liturgies:
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Friday, 26th November (Week Seven): Advent Liturgy
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Thursday, 2nd December (Week Eight): Graduation Mass
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Monday, 13th December (Week Ten): End of School Mass
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All are welcome to attend
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Religious Education Co-ordinator
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Classroom News: Room 7
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We are having lots of fun in Transition/Year 1- Room 7 ‘growing our brains!’. We are very proud of our achievements this year as we can all write independently and have made wonderful progress in Mathematics.
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This term the children have been learning to write Narrative texts which include an Orientation (Setting and Characters) a series of events, Complication (problem) and a Resolution to their story (how the problem gets solved). We are in the process of making puppet theatres and puppets to retell fairytales.
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In Mathematics the children have explored pattern making, made some 3-dimensional objects and are learning about their characteristics. They have continued to work with numbers and partitioning numbers using place value.
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In Science the students have sorted and tested the observable properties of a variety of different materials and then designed and made their own party hat, considering the weather it might be worn in. We have also planted some seeds as a surprise!
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21st Century Dance Concert USB
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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.
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Received USB orders to date have been processed and have been either sent home with your child today or are ready for collection from the front office, as per your selection when ordering.
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Thank you once again for making our 21st Century Dance concert a very memorable evening!
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Semester Two Academic Reports
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At this time of year, you might be forgiven for thinking that students and teachers are beginning to slow down as we head towards the end of the school year – not so! Our teachers in particular are very busy putting together student Academic Reports and their Evidence of Learning Portfolios.
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St Mary’s Catholic Primary School’s reporting processes reflect the requirements outlined in the Northern Territory Department of Education’s Assessment and Reporting policy. The following information provides further background and details on the academic reporting process and how judgements are made in order to award the overall results seen in your child’s report.
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What requirements are there for reporting to parents?
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Schools are required to provide written reports, at least twice a year, on student achievement. A 5-point scale is used to outline student achievement against the year level achievement standard.
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The approved 5-point scale used at St Mary’s is outlined below:
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The grades awarded on this report are based on:
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A = Evidence of learning demonstrates outstanding achievement at this year level.
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B = Evidence of learning demonstrates high achievement at this year level.
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C = Evidence of learning demonstrates sound achievement at this year level.
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D = Evidence of learning demonstrates limited achievement at this year level.
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E = Evidence of learning demonstrates very limited achievement at this year level.
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What does a ‘C’ Sound achievement standard mean?
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For all Australian Curriculum subject areas, students are assessed against the relevant Achievement Standard for that year level. It is important to recognise that the Australian Curriculum achievement standards clearly outlines the expectations of a ‘C’ standard. If your child receives a ‘C’ or ‘Sound’ achievement, they are operating at the year level standard and expectation. This means that the student is achieving everything required for the subject at that stage in their corresponding year level at school. Therefore, attaining a ‘C’ or ‘Sound’ achievement means your child is on target for their age and year level.
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When will I receive my child’s report?
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Semester Two reports are emailed to parents during the last week of Term 4. If you would like to request a printed report, please email the front office. Please ensure that we have the most up to date email address on file at the office to ensure you receive your child’s report.
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Student Wellbeing
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The Student Wellbeing Hub is a website funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and provided by Education Services Australia.
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It is based on the Student Wellbeing Framework which acknowledges the fundamental importance of wellbeing in a school environment, including students, families and school staff, to ensure safe and trusting relationships in a positive learning environment so that wellbeing and students can flourish.
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The website has a parents section that includes information about primary and secondary students including;
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- Wellbeing topics such as encouraging online safety, supporting your child to make responsible decisions, your child’s mental and physical health
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- Links to resources about many topics such as healthy eating, drugs and alcohol, safety, mental health and support for mental health, bullying, and online safety. The resources can be filtered by year group and format.
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This website contains a very thorough collection of resources and information about Wellbeing topics for the whole school community. There is a student section as well.
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The Student Wellbeing Hub provides an opportunity to subscribe to a newsletter, as well as to check the Facebook page for more information.
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Click the button below to visit the Student Wellbeing Hub.
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Apple for the Teacher
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Show these absolute legends how much we appreciate them!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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
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BYODD Program
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Technology is an educational tool to support learning... it does not replace the learning of key fundamental skills!
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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.
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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.
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Outstanding School Fees
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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.
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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.
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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:
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School Fees: Please quote your Family Ref (at the bottom right of the statement).
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Out of School Hours Fees: Please quote your Family Name and OSHC
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Community of Learners: Please quote your Family Name and COL
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To request an updated statement for School Fees please contact our finance officer Louise Higgins on louise.higgins@nt.catholic.edu.au.
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OSHC and COL statements are processed and sent out weekly by our Bookkeeper Kathy Zerafa.
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School Fee Information
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Christmas Carols Evening
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The classes have started rehearsing their Christmas Carols for our upcoming Christmas Around the World! On the night students come dressed in their best Christmas outfit - a Christmas tshirt, santa hat or accessory - be as creative as you like!
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Enrolments for 2022
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Help spread the word! Enrolments for 2022 are now open
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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.
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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.
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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.
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In the Event of a Cyclone
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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.
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New Way November 2021
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Download our School App
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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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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.
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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.
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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!
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We are so excited to be running our very own Playgroup sessions at St Mary's.
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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.
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St John's Catholic College, Darwin
Year 7 2022
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Information regarding Year 7 2022 at St John's Catholic College.
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Looking after each other on the bus
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What is happening in Darwin
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