Principal's message

Dear Parents and Carers 

Welcome back to Term 3. I’d like to begin the term on a positive note thanking the families who were able to join us for the Mass on Sunday. I also heard on the grapevine that the Dad’s Day Out was well supported and those who attended had a great time. This community spirit is what delineates St Margaret Mary’s from other schools and your continued support is sincerely appreciated. 

Last week we hit the ground running with Naidoc Week concluding Friday with a beautiful smoke blessing performed by local Elder - Uncle John Allen. This week the teachers have been focussed on embedding strategies they learnt from the Seven Steps of Writing course into student learning programs. All classes will send a curriculum note outlining the learning for this term on Friday. We are also voting for our class SRC Reps for semester 2 and these students will receive their badges at this Friday’s assembly.   

I look forward to the opportunities the new term will bring to partner with you in providing high quality, well rounded education for the children.

NAPLAN

Good news - NAPLAN 2023 individual student reports have been dispatched to schools and will be sent home with students in Year 3 and Year 5 this Friday 28 July. I remind parents that as of this year proficiency standards replace the previous reporting of student NAPLAN results. Please see the parents fact sheet and sample individual student report for a detailed explanation of these changes. As always if you have any questions or concerns please contact your child’s teacher and schedule a meeting.

Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services - SCECS

Further to my communication at the end of Term 2, I have been in close consultation with SCECS in relation to vacation care in the September holidays. I think we can all agree, the late cancellation of the proposed June service made life difficult for many families and I have sought feedback from all stakeholders to find a way forward. SCECS are currently working on a trial program for the September holidays and the details will be communicated in Week 3. In the meantime this is the information I have been provided to share so we can work together to avoid the disappointment of last holidays.

• Days of care offered will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for both weeks. 
• A minimum of 20 children per day are required for the service to run.
• The fee structure will be budgeted for 20 children, with a base fee of $70 with additional programmed costs added on top.
• Excursions will be trialled within walking distance ie Queen's Park and have a provider such as a sports program to meet the team and children there.
• The details of the trial program will be available to families in Week 3 of the term.
• Families will have until Friday 25 August, to book in.
• Numbers will be reviewed Monday 28 August, to determine if Vacation Care can run and families will be advised the same day.

Student use of Digital Devices and Online Services Policy

In April 2023 Premier Chris Minns and Deputy Premier and Minister for Education & Early Learning Prue Car announced a mobile phone ban in all NSW state schools effective from Term 4 2023. Following consultation with our school leaders, Sydney Catholic Schools has implemented a new Student use of Digital Devices and Online Services Policy.  While digital devices play a valuable role in student learning, some devices like mobile phones and online watches can cause distractions in class and hinder social development when used during breaks. 

The policy establishes guidelines on device usage, specifically identifying restricted times and device types during the school day. In the case of genuine emergencies or the need for your child to contact you, the school office will connect you. Since our school already has device rules in effect, this policy will have no impact on our students.

Warm Regards 

Mrs O’Donnell