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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

26th November 2021| Week 7

Important Dates

  • 2nd December: Year 6 Graduation Mass
  • 6th to 8th of December: Life Education Van visiting St Mary's
  • 9th December: School Carols Evening & Carols Around the World
  • 13th December: End of Year Mass and Awards Presentation
  • 14th December: Student Step up Day, Welcome to our School Liturgy & Parent Information Session for 2022 Families
  • 15th December: Year 6 Big Day Out
  • 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 7, Term 4, 2021

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Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What a wonderful way to end our week this week with the sound of fun and joy sounding out across the school community for our Spirit Cup Fun Day. With the warm weather we have recently been experiencing, the most popular activity today was definitely the wet water slide activity. A huge shout out to Miss Walsh for organising this and a range of other fun activities as our Term 4 positive behaviour reward. I know she was here very early this morning setting up the activities so that they would be ready to for the children.

The St Mary’s leadership team and school administration pride themselves on keeping our community informed about school events. Teachers also ensure families are kept up-to-date with event times, venues etc. and have shared these in their term overview newsletter with families. To avoid distress and upset please check school communications for correct information before contacting the school. Please access all communication which is sent through several avenues: School Stream, weekly Newsletters and Facebook. We are always willing and happy to help you when you need. Please be respectful to the staff at all times.

We look forward next week to our Year 6 Graduation, which the teachers and support staff have been preparing. This will be a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the children and families at this important milestone of their Primary school journey.

With only a few weeks left of Term 4, there is much to be accomplished by the last day on Thursday 16th December. Preparations are in full swing for final year events and activities.

Upcoming Events:
  • 2nd December: Year 6 Graduation
  • 6th to 8th of December: Life Education Van visiting St Mary's
  • 9th December: School Carols Evening & Carols Around the World
  • 13th December: End of Year Mass and Awards Presentation
  • 14th December: Student Step up Day, Welcome to our School Liturgy & Parent Information Session for 2022 Families
  • 16th December: Last day for students
Farewell to Isobelle and Heidi and family and Eva, Noola, Hamish and Kyah and family who have recently left our school community.

Welcome to Ivy and family and Charlotte and Lachlan and family who recently joined our school community.

In love and faith
Rosie Harrison

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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Classroom News: Room 5

Robot Buddies!
This term Room 5 have been investigating the concept of creativity! All term we have been collecting recyclable materials so that students can design and build a model of their very own Robot Buddy!

Students created multiple designs for their robot buddy before picking their best design to create - which they started this week. The goal is to create a robot that has all parts still attached when the robot is moved and to use at least three different materials. After building our robots students will evaluate and think about what they could differently to improve their robot design.

Here is a sneak peak of some of our Robot Buddies...
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Religious Education News

Advent
Thank you to Room 14 and Room 16 in leading us in our Advent Liturgy this morning.
The month before Christmas has got to be the longest time of year for children! It doesn’t help that Christmas decorations seem to be hitting the shops earlier each year.

The Advent season can be a great time for families to celebrate "the reason for the season"— Jesus Christ.
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Advent is a Latin word that actually means “coming.” In the Catholic Church, Advent is a time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. Advent officially begins four Sundays before Christmas. Each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
Here is an Advent guide for your family to help your family celebrate Advent and focus on Jesus. Advent guide for your family (just submit your name and email).
Vinnies Xmas
Attitude
MJR: This week our theme is ‘Taking the good with the bad’. In life we have great times, good times, ordinary times and not so good times. During the week, children will explore this theme and ways we can celebrate and deal with different times in our life.

Carols Evening Nativity: On Thursday, 9th December, in our school courtyard, we will be celebrating our Carols evening as a whole school. To begin the evening, some students from across the school will participate in a short nativity play.

Term Four Mass Dates: It is great that all parents are able to join us for Masses and Liturgies at the moment. We will let you know should this arrangement change.

We have three remaining Masses/Liturgies for this Term:
Thursday, 2nd December (Week Eight): Graduation Mass at 6:00pm in the Cathedral.
Monday, 13th December (Week Ten): End of School Year Mass 8:30am in the Cathedral.
Tuesday, 14th December - Welcome to New families Liturgy 8.30 am.

Clare Nolan
Religious Education Co-ordinator

Spirit Cup Fun Day!

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary we are focused on developing and educating the whole person within a safe, supportive and respectful environment. Student learning and wellbeing is centred around quality evidence-based pastoral care and wellbeing practices that are modelled on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and ensure students gain essential social and emotional skills for life.

One of the ways that we promote student wellbeing and positive behaviour is through the ‘Spirit of St Mary’. The spirit of St Mary encompasses our Making Jesus Real philosophy, the Gospel values and the Four R’s (Respect, Resilience, Responsibility and Being Ready to Learn).

Today we celebrated our Spirit Cup Fun Day as a celebration of the students’ achievements in showing the spirit of St Mary's all term. All of students and staff took part in outdoor ten pin bowling, slip ‘n’ slide, ‘Minute It to Win It’ games, water challenges and team building activities. We had a tasty ‘sausage sizzle’ for lunch.

Thank you to the St Mary’s Parents and Friends Committee for contributing money towards the Spirit Cup Fun Day for the waterslide! We are lucky to have an inclusive school community where families are actively involved in school life. The Parents and Friends Committee have an active social calendar and are always looking for volunteers to help coordinate upcoming events. If you would like to help out please, contact them directly via email parentsandfriends@stmarysnt.net.

Here is a snapshot of some of the fun from today!
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WhatsApp Image 2021-11-26 at 10.31.09 AM

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.


Received USB orders to date have been processed and have been either sent home with your child or are ready for collection from the front office, as per your selection when ordering.

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

Back to Front Maths

Maths
How many birds are in this image?
What number would be too large?
What number would be too small?

Estimation is a Mathematical Skill adults use daily. We estimate how much things will cost, about how far away something is and how much milk to pour onto our cereal. The Australian Curriculum also asserts that estimation is important for students to live and work successfully in the 21st Century.

Computational estimation allows students to check if their answers are reasonable. Mathematics educators have proposed that in the early years, F–2, the foundations for computational estimation can be laid. Students can use concrete referents such as real objects and manipulatives and focus on groups of objects in order to develop number sense and build up visual perceptions of approximate and exact amounts if students learn to estimate confidently in the classroom using meaningful contexts, this confidence may be transferable for use in the real world. As students’ progress through Mathematics, estimation and number sense allows students see if their computation is reasonable.

Shannon Feldtman
Curriculum Leader Mathematics

Learning Journey Folders

In Week 10, each student will bring home their Semester Two Learning Journey Folder. This folder contains a range of work samples demonstrating your child’s learning and achievements throughout Term 3 and Term 4. They are a rich tool for demonstrating what students know and can do and for identifying what they need to continue to work on.

Included in this folder are samples of work across Learning Areas as reported against in the Student Academic Report for Semester Two. Most work samples are accompanied by a rubric reporting the achievement standards for each learning area.

We encourage families when you receive your child's Learning Journey Folder and Semester Two Academic School Report to take time with your child to discuss their achievements and areas for growth and development.

Bishop’s Daily Reflection

The miracle that we share - BR - 26Nov2021
The miracle that we share
I was about to go into the Cathedral. It was the celebration of the Valedictory Mass for the Year 12 graduates from St John’s College. The young people had lined up ready to walk up to the altar. I was at the end of the line outside.
I looked across to the young trees growing on the lawn next to the Cathedral.
It was a moment of encounter between me and the trees. I felt a connection with them. We share the same energy Source. The same creative energy of our loving God flows through me and through them. Pope Francis reminds us of this in his encyclical ‘Laudato Si‘. The psalms in the Jewish scriptures also speak of all creation singing the praises of God.
I remembered something that I heard years ago which resounded in my heart.
‘When you see a tree and you see just a tree, you have not seen the tree!
When you see a miracle then you have Seen the tree.‘
The miracle continued inside the Cathedral. Those young graduates full of dreams, energy, hopes and life come from so many ethnic, linguistic, and other backgrounds. At the start of the homily, I asked them if they loved themselves?
By this I meant do you like yourself? Do you believe in yourself? Do you accept yourself? You are not perfect, but you are uniquely special and gifted as well as being unique. You are capable of so much.

I reminded them that they are deeply loved by God and unconditionally so.
I told them how proud we are of them all. I also reassured them that our Church family will always be there for them. We share in the ongoing creative act of God. We are sacraments of the Mission of Jesus to each other. We need to lovingly remind each other of the miracle that we are!

Yours in Christ,
+Charles Gauci
Bishop of Darwin & NT

Parents & Friends Christmas Raffle

P&F Raffle
We are so excited to announce 6 AMAZING prizes for this year’s Parents and Friends Christmas raffle:
CAT Esky full of goodies
DoTERRA oils pack
F45 Gym 1 Month Membership voucher
Dometic 33L Esky and party starter pack
Bluegum Photography Location Family Photo Session Voucher
$100 Visa Gift Card

The raffle will be drawn at our Carols Event on 9th December. Winners will select their own prizes on the night!

We are so grateful to all our sponsors who have very generously donated prizes for our raffle.
A BIG thank you to:
  • Bridge Toyota Darwin
  • F45 Training Gym Darwin
  • Blue Gum Photography
  • Our local doTERRA Wellness Advocate - Lisa Di Donato
Additionally, we extend a thank you to two St Mary’s Families who donated prizes and wish to stay anonymous. We greatly appreciate your very generous donations and for sponsoring our raffle this year!
Tickets for our Parents and Friends Christmas Raffle have been sent home with families this week and cost $2 each. Additional tickets are available from the school front office.

BYODD Program

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Technology is an educational tool to support learning... it does not replace the learning of key fundamental skills!
A friendly reminder that next week 2nd December is our cut off for parents to order a BYODD - Bring Your Own Designated Device, for pre-Christmas delivery.
Devices can still be ordered after this date and our Day 1, Term 1 cut off date is 6th January 2022. Devices are currently in stock and ready to be shipped.

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 in Year 5. These documents include answers to frequently asked questions about the program, 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 below. If you have any questions regarding the BYODD program, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or our school’s Deputy Principal Christine Ferreira.

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.

Christmas Carols Evening

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 t-shirt, Santa hat or accessary - be as creative as you like!
Copy of Christmas - Made with PosterMyWall

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.

As a result of our current enrolment numbers for Transition in 2022 we are delighted to share with our school community that we will have two small Transition classes of around 15 students. This will give 2022 Transition students an optimal learning environment for their first year at school.

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.

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

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.
Playgroup 1 copy
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

Cupcakes 1
Netball
Variety
Football 1
Carnival of fun
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