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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

6 May 2022| Week 3

Upcoming Dates

  • 10th May to 13th May: Naplan testing period for Years 3 & 5
  • 16th to 19th May: Naplan catch up testing period
  • 13th May: Defence Family Gathering afternoon
  • 20th May: Assembly led by Year 1/2 Room 5
  • 23rd May: Athletics Carnival (Years 3-6)
  • 31st May: School Photo Day
Please refer to School Stream for full event details. Please check the EVENTS tab to add event details directly to your calendar!

Principal's News

Week 3, Term 2, 2022

Photo
Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Mother’s Day: This Sunday we celebrate Mothers’ Day. Words cannot express the sincere thanks we give for all mums and mother figures. This morning we acknowledged our Mums with a whole school liturgy lead by our Transition students in the Mary MacKillop Hall - there was not a dry eye as the students shared why they love their Mums and the portraits they had created for these special women. Our P&F Committee also surprised some very lucky ladies this morning with some gift baskets. Congratulations to Oisin's Grandmother, Evie and Harry's Mum and Kim's Mum! Thank you all for coming along this morning.

One last final big thank you to our P&F who ran a very successful Mother's Day stall yesterday. We hope you all enjoy your goodies on Sunday... if the children have managed to keep them a secret!
IMG_4678
Mother's day
To My Mother
Robert Louis Stevenson

You too, my mother, read my rhymes

For love of unforgotten times,
And you may chance to hear once more

The little feet along the floor.



Defence Family Gathering Afternoon: Next Friday afternoon our Defence School Mentor Mrs Karen Jerret will be running a Arts and Craft afternoon tea for our Defence students and their families. Mrs Karen will send out details directly to our Defence families. We hope you can all make it!

Transition 2023: SIBLING ENROLMENT PAPERWORK Due by 31 May 2022.
We are now in the early stage of planning for the 2023 school year and the class structures across the school. We are requesting for any of our existing families (including our Community of Learners) who may have a child eligible for Transition in 2023 to ensure their enrolment application paperwork has been submitted to the school by the 31st May.

An enrolment pack is available on line from our website or alternatively from the front office in Lindsay Street. Children who are born between 1st July 2017 to 30th June 2018, are eligible for entry into the 2023 Transition class.

In faith and love,
Rosie Harrison

A Prayer for Mothers

An Irish Blessing
There is but one and only one,
Whose love will fail you never.
One who lives from sun to sun,
With constant fond endeavour.
There is but one and only one
On earth there is no other.
In heaven a noble work was done
When God gave us a mother.



A Mother’s Love
There is no love like a mother’s love
No stronger bond on earth...
Like the precious bond that comes from God
To a mother, when she gives birth.
A mother’s love is forever strong
Never changing for all time...
And when her children need her most
A mother’s love will shine.
God bless these special mothers
God bless everyone one of them...
For all the tears and heartache
And for the special work she’s done.
When her days on earth are over
A mother’s love lives on...
Through many generations
With God’s blessing on each one.
Be thankful for our mothers
For they love with a higher love
From the power God has given
And the strength from up above.



Religious Education News

Mothers: In the high majority of instances, metaphorically speaking, mothers are like candles, sacrificing themselves to bring light and warmth to those around them. Mothers are most often empathetic and generous beyond their means. Mother’s Day provides us with the opportunity to give back.

The Gospel stories tell us that even at the time of his death, Jesus was considerate of His mother, stopping on the road to Calvary to inform her that He was entrusting one of His disciples to care for her in His absence. This example from Jesus towards His mother teaches us of the love and respect we should and do hold towards our mothers.
We wish all mothers and women in our lives that are like mothers a wonderful day of love, respect, gratitude, and kindness this Mother’s Day.

Sacramental Program: This term children will begin preparations for their Sacraments.

Children celebrating Confirmation have had their first lesson this week learning about Baptism and keeping promises. Their next lesson will be Thursday 19th May from 3 - 4pm. Children will need to be collected from the library at 4 pm and enter the school via the coded gate.

Children celebrating Reconciliation and First Communion will have their second lesson this Thursday 12th May at 3 - 4 pm in the library. Children will need to be collected from the library at 4 pm and enter the school via the coded gate.

If you have any questions about the Sacramental Program or wish for your children to participate please contact clare.nolan@nt.catholic.edu.au for more information.

Sacarments
Please return all Project Compassion boxes and envelopes to the school office by Friday 27th May or donate online via the Caritas website at lent.caritas.org.au.
thank you
Key Dates:
Reconciliation and First Communion next lesson Thursday, 12th May 3 - 4 pm
Confirmation next lesson - Thursday, 19th May 3 - 4 pm

Clare Nolan
Religious Education Co-ordinator

News from Room 5

Room 5

Naplan Testing

NAPLAN: Next week students across Australia in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in NAPLAN tests. As I have mentioned previously NAPLAN is a point in time test and provides parents and schools with a snapshot of how students are performing at the time of the tests. They help identify areas of strength and areas where more teaching focus may be required for individual students or year level cohorts. They also provide schools, Education Authorities, States and Territories with information about how education programs are working and what areas need to be prioritised for improvement.

Students across Australia have a two week window to sit the assessments. At St Mary's, NAPLAN will take place on the following dates with additional make-up sessions scheduled where required.

Writing Assessment  – Tuesday 10th May
Reading Assessment – Wednesday 11th May
Language Conventions Assessment - Thursday 12th May
Numeracy – Friday 13th May

These sessions will take place in the morning block each day, so it is important that your child arrives to school on time. If you know that your child is going to be absent during the Naplan testing period, please contact your child's classroom teacher.

NAPLAN assesses Literacy and Numeracy, however it is important to remember that this is only one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting process. NAPLAN tests and reports do not replace the ongoing assessments which take place throughout the school year. At St Mary’s we believe that the best preparation for NAPLAN is the ongoing excellent teaching and learning that takes place on a daily basis. We also undertake some specific test practice and preparation to ensure students are familiar with the expected routines and are becoming more assessment capable learners.

As parents, the best help that you can give your children is to ensure they have a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast on test days. Please reassure them that we simply want them to do their best. Should your child show any signs of anxiety about such experiences, it is important to listen to and validate their feelings, rather than shutting them down. “Yes, tests can be a little scary, but they get easier the more you do them.” Give them some relaxation ideas and remind them of taking some deep breaths. Help them to retain some perspective.

Please understand that NAPLAN does not define your child as a learner. While it gives us some information, it does not tell us about their remarkable sense of humour, their independence, their resilience, the way they get along with others, their artistic and sporting abilities or their delightful manners – everything that makes them unique. At St Mary’s we know and appreciate your whole child.

School Photos

School photos

School photo day is 31st May

Order your photos using the link below

School code is: 1QT CAX BQ2

CathCroc

Caathcroc

Annual Athletics Carnival Years 3-6

Athletics-Carnival
The annual St Mary’s Athletics Carnival is to be held on Monday 23rd May, 2022 at Arafura Athletics Stadium, Marrara. This event is only held for students in Years 3-6. The carnival will run from 9.00am to 1.30pm and is being held as an inter-house carnival for all students. The results from the carnival will also assist in the selection of the St Mary’s Athletics Team for the Darwin Region Inter-School Carnival held later in Term 2.

The students will be travelling to and from the venue by bus and will therefore require your permission to be transported by chartered coach. The buses will be ready to depart at 8.30am sharp and it is important all students are ready to leave at this time. Students from Year 3 – Year 6 will be picked up from the venue at approximately 1.30pm and returned to school.

All students will need to bring:
  • Hat
  • Drink bottle/s
  • Recess & Lunch – please ensure you pack food with a freezer pack to keep cold as no refrigeration will be available
  • Sports Uniform / House colours – sun smart clothing
  • Runners
  • Sunscreen
Parent Volunteers will also be needed on the day to assist in the running of the carnival, if you are available to help and have a current OCHRE card, please email zara.pearson@nt.catholic.edu.au. We encourage families and parents to come along on the day and help cheer teams on!

Permission forms for the Athletics Carnival will be collected online through the School Stream App. Please select the ‘Athletics Carnival Permission Form’ under the FORMS tab on the homepage. Alternatively, you can complete the form by following this link: https://smcps.myschoolstream.net/athletics-carnival-permission-form/ If prompted the school code is smcps.
We appreciate you completing the form by Thursday 19th May, 2022.

Pastoral Care and Wellbeing News

Welcome to PlayZone

PlayZone is our lunchtime play centre that promotes learning a variety of skills through fun and structured activities.

In Term 2 we have incorporated the principles of Laudato Si - Care for our common home into our activities. Lego is a great educational resource that allows minds to be creative with their design while practicing problem solving and teamwork skills. Many students have been engaged in our St Mary’s ‘Lego Masters’ design challenge. They have been designing environmentally friendly modes of transport using alternative sources of energy, such as solar or wind, to reduce the impact of using fossil fuels on our world.
Play 1
We have also been keeping an eye on the Gulumoerrgin seasonal calendar of the Larrakia land whilst looking to the sky for signs of the much-welcomed cooler weather of the dry season. This week, in conjunction with Ms Karen and the Defence students, we crafted some Dragonflies to welcome the month of May and Damibilla season.
Play 2
We look forward to more creative fun together over the coming weeks.

Jacqui Krek
Inclusion Support Practitioner

Spirit of St Mary's Update

Our Spirit Cup token Goal for this Term is 50,000 Dojo points! It’s a big goal for our student but we are confident that if we work together as a team we can achieve this goal and have a super awesome Spirit Cup Fun Day!

Shout out this week goes to Room 7 & 8 for Making Jesus Real in their care and preparation for a beautiful Mothers’ Day liturgy. Shout out to all the amazing women in our lives and St Mary's Community!
spirit points

Meaningful May

meaning
When we ask people what happiness means to them, their initial thoughts usually describe pleasures – things that in the moment bring joy or other fleeting, positive feeling emotions. However, soon their thoughts turn to a different type of happiness. Friends, family, pets, work, volunteering, learning, hobbies, creative pursuits like making music or art, nature, faith – examples of things that give life meaning. Working on and towards these things doesn’t always feel pleasurable at the time but enables longer-term satisfaction and fulfilment.

Meaning matters for happiness
People who have a sense of meaning in life tend to experience more frequent and stronger positive emotions; feel more positive about the future; have greater life satisfaction; have higher psychological wellbeing; have more satisfying relationships; use their character strengths more and feel better about themselves. Meaning in life is associated with physical health benefits such as reporting fewer ill-health symptoms, lower risk of heart disease, stronger immune systems and being less likely to engage in behaviours that undermine physical health. It also seems to help us live well for longer. People reporting higher meaning in life tend to have lower levels of physical and cognitive decline and live to an older age.
Meaning matters at work too. Feeling that our work is meaningful has positive benefits both at work and beyond. It predicts higher life satisfaction, meaning in life in general and better physical health. It is also strongly related to how engaged we feel in our work and our levels of job satisfaction.

Excerpt from Action For Happiness- 10 Keys To Happier Living

This month’s Action for Happiness calendar’s theme is ‘Meaningful May’. The calendar is full of ideas to help renew our sense of meaning in life.
May 2022

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Canteen Online Orders & Update

download
To streamline processes across the school, in 2022 we are now only accepting online orders for lunches.
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.

For those with an existing account, you will need to update your child's class and room number for 2022 before placing your first order. Please refer to the instructions in School Stream.

You can find the updated 2022 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.

Please note that at this time our school canteen has been impacted by supplier shortages. Some items may be temporarily unavailable and will be marked as 'out of stock' when ordering. Thank you for your understanding.

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