Photo Gallery & Classroom Learning

K - Yr 6

Year 1

Maths - Measuring area for rectangular shapes

Geography - Natural and build environments

Year 2

Religion

We are learning that saints are ordinary people who reflect God’s goodness to the world.

Students presenting their Saint research findings.

Students listening to the story of 'The Good Samaritan '.

Students responding to 'The Good Samaritan '.

Students reflecting God’s goodness as they lead prayer.

English

Students learning through group rotations.

Maths

Students measuring the area of their foot in Area.

Students sharing their collection into equal groups in Division.

Science

Designing in Science

Creating our Arcade Games

Year 1 playing our Arcade Games

Awards

I am Safe, I am a Learner, and I am Valued, Respected and Cared for

Year 3

Religion

Our Year 3 students recently wrapped up an inspiring Reconciliation unit. Throughout these lessons, the children explored the deep meaning of forgiveness and reflected on how God's love continuously brings us peace, comfort, and a clean heart when we choose to make things right. Building on this solid foundation, the class has now commenced their new unit on the Eucharist. They are beginning to learn about the sacred traditions of the Mass, the significance of the altar, and what it means to gather together as a faith community to share in God's meal.

Congratulations on First Reconciliation!

We extend our warmest congratulations and blessings to our St Mary's Year 3 and Year 4 students who celebrated the Sacrament of First Reconciliation last week: Alexander, Annelie, Barney, Emmi, Evan, Francesco, Harlan, Leanna, Lucy, Matilda B and Tariq.

Taking this step in their faith journey is a special milestone. We are so proud of the reverence, thoughtful responses students brought to this sacrament. We ask our parish and school community to keep them in their prayers as they continue preparing for their First Holy Communion.

Welcome Miss Clement

Last week, we were thrilled to welcome Miss Clementsto our school community. Joining us from UNE, she has already thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our clever Year 3 students teaching our class.

Miss Clement has shared her smile, wonderful talents and enthusiasm with us already. We feel so lucky to have her enriching our learning environment for her three-week placement.

Please join us in giving Miss Clements a huge Year 3 welcome!

Year 4

Exploring Our World: Year 4 Geography Unit

This term and for the first five weeks for Term 4, our Year 4 students are stepping into the role of geographers as we launch our new unit: The Earth's Environment.

Throughout this unit, students will explore the natural world, investigate how environments sustain life, and examine the ways people interact with and protect local and global habitats.

What We Are Learning

Natural Features & Vegetation: Identifying different natural environments, climates, and major vegetation zones across Australia and neighboring regions.
Resources & Sustainability: Discovering how natural environments provide essential resources (air, water, soil, energy) and how we can use them responsibly.
Environmental Protection: Investigating how people, including First Nations traditional owners, care for and manage Country and local ecosystems.
Mapping Skills: Using maps, legends, grid references, and spatial tools to locate world environments and landforms.

How You Can Support Learning at Home

Spot Natural Features: During weekend outings or trips to the park, ask your child to point out natural vs. human-made features.
Discuss Sustainability: Involve your child in everyday habits at home, such as sorting recycling, saving water, or choosing reusable items, and discuss why these actions matter.
Explore Maps: Take a look at an atlas, a globe, or a digital map together to explore different countries, climates, and natural landmarks.

We look forward to a term filled with curiosity, discovery, and practical learning about the planet we share!

Prayer Service - Thank you!

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Year 4 Prayer Service. Gathering together as a community to honor Mary, Mother of God, created a warm and meaningful atmosphere for our students and staff.

Your presence and active participation meant so much to our school family. Seeing parents, caregivers, and children praying together reminded us of the strong foundation of faith and support that binds our community. Mary’s example of grace, faith, and unconditional love continues to be a powerful guide for our students, and sharing that reflection with you made the occasion truly special.

We are deeply grateful for your continued partnership in nurturing both the academic and spiritual growth of your children.

Mathematics: Fractions

Parents and caregivers can help children build on the strategies they already have for dividing objects, such as equally sharing a set of objects, to develop an understanding of basic fraction concepts. These tips are based on the Developing Effective Fractions Instruction for Kindergarten Through 8th Grade Practice Guide. Start with an activity that involves equally sharing a set of objects among a group.

• Children can draw a picture or use physical objects such as pebbles, candies or blocks to demonstrate sharing among a group.

Follow with an activity that involvesequally sharing a single, whole object.

• Children can draw a picture of a single object and mark divisions on their drawing or use an object that can be easily divided into pieces.

Materials needed: 12 candies, or other countable objects

Adult: I have 12 pieces of candy. I want to share them with youand your friend so that all three of us have the samenumber of candies. Can you help me share the candyamong the three of us?

Child moves each piece of candy, alternating between three piles of candy until all candies have been distributed.

Adult: Now that we have three groups of candies, let’s count how many are in each group to make sure they have the same number.

Child counts four candies in each group. Some children may count candies individually by ones, while others may count by twos or fours.

Adult: Great! When we share the 12 candies between three groups, we each get four pieces of candy, or one-third of the candies.

Materials needed: paper and crayon, or an actual sandwich

Adult: Let’s pretend we have one sandwich. Can you draw one big sandwichfor me?

Child draws a sandwich

Adult: Thank you! We only have one sandwich, but I want to share this sandwich with you. Can you draw a line on this sandwich to show me where I would cut it so that we both have the same amount of sandwich?

Child draws a line through the middle of the sandwich (the child may draw the line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally between two corners).

Adult: Great! When you cut the sandwich down the middle, you get two equal pieces, or halves. One half for me and one half for you.

Materials needed: two cups that hold different quantities of water

Adult: I have two different-sized cups. Let’s seehow many cups of water from the smaller,pink cup will fill up the larger, blue cup.

Child fills the larger cup with water from thesmaller cup, counting each pour.

Also try estimating how much of the larger cup would fill the smaller cup.Ask, “About how many pink cups do we need to fill two blue cups?”Example activity measuring with household objects: measuring cups of water

Adult: It looks like one pour from the pink cup wasn’t enough to fill up the blue cup, but two pours would have been too much. We needed between one and two cups of water from the pink cup to fill the blue cup exactly. About a quarter of the pink cup is still full of water. That means the blue cup can hold an amount of water that is just about equal to one and three quarters of the pink cup.

Lake Keepit Camp

The wait is almost over! Our Year 4 students are set to embark on their outdoor adventure to the Lake Keepit Sport and Recreation Centre next week. It promises to be an unforgettable few days filled with team-building, new challenges, and plenty of fun.

Essential Last-Minute Checklist

Packing: Please double-check the packing list provided on Compass. Ensure all items—especially hats, water bottles, and jumpers—are clearly labeled with your child's name.
Medication: Any prescription medication and travel sickness medication must be given to the class teachers on the day of departure. Please conatact the office for further details regarding this important information.
Electronics: A reminder that mobile phones, hand-held games, and electronic devices are to be left at home so students can fully engage in the outdoor experience.

Thank you to our parent volunteer and the teaching staff who are helping make this trip possible. If you have any urgent questions before next Thursday, please contact the office.

Year 5

Commendations:

Pen Licence:

Congratulations to our Year 5 students who have officially earned their Pen Licence!

After practicing their neatest cursive and demonstrating consistent effort, these students are ready to put down the pencils and pick up the pens. We are so proud of their hard work, dedication and pride in their handwriting. Well done on reaching this exciting milestone and keep up the great work!

English & Book Week – Symphony of Stories

It has been a wonderful week of reading, researching and storytelling in Year 5!

In English, students have been exploring historical events and learning how to research, organise and communicate factual information. Each student selected a historical event that interested them and has been researching key details to create their own Information report. Students have been developing their skills in selecting relevant information, using appropriate vocabulary and organising their ideas into a clear and informative text.

We have also been celebrating Children’s Book Week – “Symphony of Stories”! As part of our celebrations, students had the wonderful opportunity to participate in an interactive virtual workshop hosted by the State Library of New South Wales with award-winning Australian author Deb Fitzpatrick, author of 11 books, including her latest middle-grade novel, Tawny Trouble (2025). The session gave students the opportunity to connect with a published author, hear about her writing journey and be inspired by the world of books, stories and imagination.

It has been a fantastic week of researching the past, discovering stories and celebrating the joy of reading and writing! 📖✨

Mathematics:

Our mathematicians have just finished their unit on Area! Students learned how to measure and calculate the space inside shapes using square centimetres, square metres, and also discussed square kilometres and hectares. Students are reminded to use the handy formula used to find the area of any rectangle: Area= Length X Width.

We are now moving into Division. Students will be practicing dividing larger numbers by single numbers, as well as figuring out what to do with "remainders" when things don't divide evenly.

How You Can Continue the Learning at Home:

Measure the House: Ask your child to estimate and calculate the area of a rug, tabletop, or room floor. Measure the sides in metres or centimetres and multiply the length by the width!
Practice Everyday Sharing: Involve your child in real-life math. Ask questions like: "If we have 145 photos and each album page holds 6, how many pages will we fill?" or "If a $45 dinner bill is split between 4 people, how much does each person pay?"
Brush Up on Times Tables: Quick recall of multiplication facts is the absolute secret weapon for confident, fast division. Playing quick times tables games in the car is a great way to build confidence and oh so important!

Religion: Save the date!

Year 5 Parents and carers are invited to attend St Mary's Primary school on Friday, September 11th to take part in our student-led Liturgy. More information will be available closer to the day via Compass.

Year 5 Coffs Harbour Adventure Centre Excursion:

Our Year 5 students recently returned from an unforgettable excursion to the Coffs Harbour Adventure Centre! Throughout the trip, students (and teachers) were encouraged to push past their comfort zones, putting into practice our theme of showing at least "10 seconds of courage" whenever faced with new and exciting physical challenges.

Beyond their bravery on the Giant swing, Mega drop, Skywire and Commando course, our students represented our school with pride. The Coffs Harbour staff and teaching team were impressed by the lovely manners, respect and responsibility our cohort displayed - especially during mealtimes in the dining hall, while moving around the centre grounds and in how they left their rooms at the end of camp. It was a wonderful trip and so great for students and teachers to have the opportunity to see one another outside the usual classroom setting.

Memories were made,

fears were faced,

& friendships were forged.

Congratulations to Year 5 on an incredible trip!