NAPLAN Assessments – Well Done to Our Year 3 and 5 Students!

This week and last, our Year 3 and Year 5 students participated in the NAPLAN assessments, which help to provide valuable insights into their learning progress in literacy and numeracy. These assessments are just one way we track student development and identify areas where we can best support their learning.

We are incredibly proud of all our students for their effort, focus and perseverance throughout the tests. Every student should be commended for their dedication and positive attitude. Well done, everyone! Thank you to Miss Tovey, Mrs LeHunt, Mrs Mason, Mrs Vozzo, Miss Romios, Mrs Botwood, Mr Buttigieg and Mrs Abiad for supporting our students so well.

Cybersafety Webinar - TONIGHT (Thursday 20 March)

A final invitation to attend tonight’s Webinar presented by Martin McGauran, primary teacher and digital safety educator and Carley McGauran, psychologist and mum to 3 school-aged kids. This session is strictly for parents and carers only as the content is not suitable for children.

If you haven’t had a chance to register, don’t worry - just jump onboard via the link below at 7.30pm https://event.webinarjam.com/go/live/203/gv7o9urpawsxs6

Date: Thursday 20 March 2025

Time: 7.30pm (90 mins)

Topics covered include:

Social media

Impacts of screen time

Online gaming

Cyberbullying

Child & tween online trends

Managing devices at home

Explicit/adult content

Strengthening family

Communication

Prayers in Pyjamas – A Wonderful Evening!

Last Wednesday evening, it was wonderful to see so many of our junior families come together for Prayers in Pyjamas. It was a joyful and faith-filled night where we learned more about Jesus, friendship, and kindness. Through singing, listening, creating and prayer, we deepened our connection with God and one another.

A heartfelt thank you to Father Jerome, Mrs. Borgese, Miss Raffaele, Miss Jacquie and Mrs Ferrari for preparing and leading our sessions. It It was wonderful to see many families at the Junior School Mass on Sunday, where we sincerely thank our student and parent readers and offertory bearers for their wonderful leadership and participation.

Term 1 Inquiry Expo

All students having been working hard with their teachers on their Inquiry learning topics this term. We are looking forward their Inquiry Expos according to the schedule below:

Prep - Friday 28th March at 9am

Grade 1 - Tuesday 25th March 3pm

Grade 2 - Thursday 27th March 3pm

Grade 3/4 - Thursday 3rd April 3pm

Grade 5/6 - Wednesday 2nd April 9.05am

Harmony Week and Harmony Day - Friday 21 March

Harmony Day is fast approaching and tomorrow, we will celebrate Australia as a multicultural and inclusive nation. Students are invited to wear their school uniform, but can incorporate a touch of the colour orange where possible. Orange represents social communication, meaningful conversations, and the encouragement of mutual respect.

The message of Harmony Week 2025 is Everyone Belongs—promoting inclusiveness and respect for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by shared values.

Did you know?

Recent census data shows that:

✔ Nearly half of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.

✔ We identify with over 300 ancestries.

✔ Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia.

✔ 85% of Australians agree that multiculturalism benefits our country.

✔ Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia include Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Filipino, Hindi, Spanish, and Punjabi.

On this day, we will also be collecting gold coin donations for Project Compassion. Families are welcome to contribute beyond gold coin amounts—your generosity makes a difference!

Project Compassion - Free Dress Day

The Faith and Social Justice Leaders have successfully petitioned Mrs Ferrari for a fundraising free-dress day in support of Project Compassion. Students will be allowed to wear free dress next Friday 28 March. Gold coin donation for the classroom Project Compassion box on the day please.

House Cross Country - Wednesday 26th March

Our annual Cross Country event will be held next Wednesday 26th March for students in Years 3 - 6. Students should please wear sports uniform with their house top on this day. Students will either run a 2km (8, 9 & 10 year olds) or 3km (11 & 12 year olds) circuit held across the road at Alma Park. We will hold the event in the middle block of the school day (11:30-1:40pm). Families are welcome to come and support their students and if you are able to volunteer to be a marshal please indicate your availability on the forthcoming Operoo form.

School Photos

Please note that our School Photos are scheduled for the last week of term, on Tuesday 1st April. Full school summer uniform is worn on this day. Year 3-6 who have PE on Tuesday’s should please bring a pair of runners to change into.

Ride2School Day 2025

A huge well done to everyone in our school community for the incredible turnout at Ride2School Day 2025! It was fantastic to see so many students and families embracing active travel.

A big thank you to our amazing P&F team for providing a delicious and nutritious breakfast and organsing the CoffeeVan. Our Year 6 Leaders also did a fantastic job running activities and assisting throughout the morning.

This year, students got creative by decorating their helmets or wearing fun accessories for the parade. Thank you for making this event such a success! 🚴🎉 Congratulations to the all the students for their creative approach to this day!

Recent student of the week award winners:

Well done the the following students who received their certificates at recent assemblies.

Annabel M (5/6M) - For always entering the learning space respectfully, considering the needs of others and using her manners. You are a positive role model in our class.

Bella D (5/6L) - For listening to others and treating others with kindness.

Harrison F (3T) - For consistently demonstrating respect and kindness to everyone while holding himself and others to high standards.

Amira V-M (1R) - For being a respectful member of our class by always completing learning tasks quietly and listening to her peers. Well done!

Casper R (Prep B) - For following teacher instructions and being ready to learn!

Oscar M-V - For being recognised for consistently using his manners with his teacher and peers in the classroom.

Orison L (3T) - For consistently showing respect to all staff members at St Mary’s by listening attentively and encouraging others to do the same. Great Work Orison!

Emily L (2J) - For the respectful and friendly way she interacts with all in the class. We are very lucky she has joined us in Year Two.

PollyJ (4M) - For behaving respectfully and responsibly during the filming process for the school video. You followed the norms and represented our school very well.

Willem O (5/6L) - Willem demonstrates respect by listening carefully and following instructions; and consistently shows that he is ready to learn.

Zelie F (5/6M) - For speaking and behaving respectfully toward her peers and adults, in the classroom, during specialist classes, in meetings and in the playground. You are a terrific role model Zelie.

Braxson C-M (4M) - For showing respectful behaviour working with the students at the local kinda. I was very proud of you Braxson. Well done!

Community Calendar

The 2025 community calendar can be found on the Calendar page but we encourage all families to connect to the School’s Google Community Calendar.

Please also see link to our Google Calendar.

If you wish to add this calendar to your personal device, you can use the following ical link:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/c_c8el163bek1cvane44i0pm23eo%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

TheirCare Program