School News
St Joseph's Cup
Please be advised that the finals for St Joseph's Cup will now be 20th October 2023 11.30am. Students have been given their prose to learn for the finals this week to allow time to practise.
GENERAL SCHOOL REMINDERS
Attendance
Thank you to families who explain their children's absences from school. Please remember to reply to the SMS sent or contact the school by phone. The Office also sends a reminder email which you can reply to with an explanation. You can explain planned absences in advance by writing an email or phoning the school. Absences of more than 10 days require a form to be filled out to apply for "Extended Leave" which requires approval from the Principal.
Please contact the Office either by phone or email regarding attendance matters.
School expectations
- Term 3 Winter Uniform
- Clean tidy hair. Hair that is long must be tied back (general rule if it touches your shirt collar)
- Uniforms are to be worn correctly and appropriately daily (if circumstances prevent this communication with your teacher is required).
- General rule is no jewellery except for: watch, earrings studs or sleepers
- No fingernail polish
- No writing or drawing on self - arms, legs, hands
- No writing or drawing on school hats
- No chewing gum at school
- All children are to speak politely and have outstanding manners
- Swearing at school is not appropriate
- No hands or feet. Students do not use hands or feet to hurt others.
- Respect school and others property
Parent Messages for Students during the Day
Please make sure where possible you phone the school by 2pm with any messages for students to be given before home time. This would be greatly appreciated so we have minimal interruptions in class time.
Contacting Your Child's Teacher
Teachers welcome contact from parents, if you need to talk with staff please either contact the class teacher by phoning the school – 6772 4441 or email the school on smaadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au
Please do not expect teachers to be able to speak to you while they are on duty or once class has begun. If you require an urgent conversation, please phone the office on the above number so that a message can be delivered by office staff and the teacher will contact you as soon as they can.
School Hours
8:20am Doors Open & Student Supervision begins.
8:50am Classes start.
Students who arrive after 8:50 am will need to be signed in by Parents at the Front Office, if this doesn't occur parents will receive an unexplained notification for late attendance.
Thank you for signing your child in if they are late as this ensures our attendance records are accurate.
10:50am-11:30am First Break
1:30am-2:10pm Second Break
3:10pm Classes end
3:15pm Buses are loaded
3.10-3.20pm Pick up top gate Dangar Street
3:15-3:30pm Pick up Rusden Street.
All students are to be collected by 3:30pm.
After School Care is available for families from 3:10-6pm on site at school.
School Office Hours
The School Office hours are 8:20am - 4pm Monday- Friday.
Student Absence
Absences, Illness & Notifications
It is that time of year - cold and flu season plus COVID-19! Please let the school know if your child has tested positive to COVID so we can alert our families of COVID in the school.
Parents please let the school know the reason for your child's absence by responding to the SMS or by contacting the school by phone, 67724441 or email smaadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au
Government legislation states, notification of your child's absence must be received no later than 7 days after your child's last day of absence.
Due to government legislation, notification of your child's absence must be received no later than 7 days after your child's last day of absence. Please respond to all student absences requests through the school office. Ph 67724441 or email smaadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au
If your child is unwell and requires an absence of longer than 3 days, please obtain a medical certificate for this absence.
Please note that partial absences (eg if you need to pick your child up early for an appointment or dropping them off after an appointment) should not be entered via the Compass App. An email or phone call to school to let us know you need to pick your child up early will help us have them ready for you to collect at the required time. When you pick them up, please sign your child out using the Kiosk tablet at the office window.
Lost Property
Please make sure that you check and label or re-label clothing items so we can return items to their owners and please remember to rename items purchased from the Clothing Pool - if the previous owner's name is still on it, we will send it home with them!
Apart from many items of unlabelled uniforms we also have large amounts of unlabelled lunchboxes, lunch containers and drink bottles in our lost property baskets. It is impossible to return these items to students. Unnamed uniform items are donated to the clothing pool.
Clothing Pool
The Clothing Pool is open by appointment every second Friday morning. It will next be open on Friday, 22nd September from 9.30 am - 11.00 am.
Please contact the school office on 6772 4441 or smaadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au to book a time. If you are paying for second hand clothing items via Compass, please contact the school first, so that we can confirm that your required size is available.
Sports Uniform days are as follows:
Kindergarten and Years 5 & 6 (stages ESI and S3) wear their yellow sports shirt on Tuesdays.
Years 1, 2, 3, 4 (Stages 1 & 2) are to wear their yellow sports shirt Wednesdays.
All students wear their coloured house shirt on Fridays. Thank you.
SCHOOL UNIFORM - We wear it with pride!
At St Mary's we have high expectations with wearing our uniform with pride. We therefore seek parent and student support with wearing our uniform correctly each day.
Canteen Summer Menu
Starting in Term 4 the canteen will be serving the Summer Menu. Please see below.
After School Pickup
When picking up students in the afternoon from the Rusden Street entrance, please bring your family name sign so that we can call students as quickly as possible to avoid congesting the corridors. If you require a new sign or additional ones please contact the the School Office.
Keep connected with what is happening at school through Compass & the Newsletter
Please make sure you are connected to COMPASS and receive the newsletter.
All families need to subscribe to the St Mary's COMPASS portal. Regular information comes from this site to families. Each parent is given a login. If you have lost your login details or are having difficulty logging in please call the School Office for assistance.
It is also really important to read the newsletter fortnightly. The Newsletter can be found electronically on COMPASS.
Manners Matter
Manners matter - not just some of the time, but ALL the time.
Students are encouraged to stop, look at the person speaking and use the person's name to ensure they are using their best manners.
School TV
SPECIAL REPORT: R U OK? Day
Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm –– are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.
R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention year round by urging people to invest time in personal relationships and empowering informal support networks to identify signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, “Are you OK?”
Engaging in R U OK? Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK? Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.
This Special Report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.Here is the link to your special report https://stmarysarmidale.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-day
School Travel Passes
Information for parents and students from Transport for NSW
Students who require a School Travel Pass but have not yet applied need to apply or update their details as soon as possible.
Parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.
New Student Travel Passes will be sent to the student’s nominated postal address within two weeks of their application being approved. Students living in rural and regional areas will receive their travel pass from their nominated transport operator. Note: some rural and regional operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.
Mobile Phones and other Electronic Devices
When students arrive at schoolthey musthand in their mobile phone, smart watch or other electronic device at the school office. Devices will be returned to the students at the end of the day.
If a student doesn't hand their phone or device into the Office when they arrive at school, the phone or device will be removed from the student and kept in the Office for parents to collect.
All electronic devices that are brought into school are at the owner's risk. No liability will be accepted by the school in the event of loss, theft or damage of the device.
Complaint Management
Please see below a guide for parents and caregivers.