From the Deputy 

Dear families,

2023 Technology Program, 1-to-1 devices in Years 3 to Year 6 (orders due!)

A reminder to families enrolling students in Years 3 to Year 6 in 2023 that we have a student laptop program commencing next year, whereby all students in those year levels will have their own Chromebook to take to and from school. All of the information has been distributed via Seesaw and hardcopy notice.

Orders for devices must be placed by Tuesday 22nd November to ensure delivery and a smooth start to the program in 2023.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or Daniela Borgese as ICT Leader.

Main Campus grounds and landscape master planning

We are pleased to announce that we have engaged with CM Landscapes to develop a master plan for all outdoor areas on our Main Campus. 

The design concept and the purpose of the document is to generate ideas and discussion. This may change over time due to evolving student and staff needs. However the intention is to create an overall theme and style that is consistent throughout the school grounds to allow for future planning.

CM Landscapes is passionate about education, personal growth, and development. In partnership the school hopes to raise greater environmental awareness and respect for the landscape. The design intentions of the plans are to

• Increase biodiversity with a focus on indigenous planting
• Create opportunities for children to learn and play within the naturalistic environment
• Improving the existing functionalities by designing a variety of educational spaces, social spaces and productive areas
• Inspire children’s creativity and imagination

The Master Plan is in a draft phase and we will be seeking feedback from families, students and staff. The landscape plans will come to fruition in the next few years by seeking grants, sponsorship, conducting working bees, and raising funds through P&F initiatives. Some snap shots of the master plan document are below:

St Mary's Primary School Carols

Please save the date of Thursday 8th December and join us for our St Mary's Primary School Carols commencing at 5pm. All students and classes will be presenting a small section of the Christmas story.

St Mary's College Carols

In addition to our own carols, the community is invited to the College carols the week before on Thursday 1st December at 6pm where our school choir will proudly be participating in a section of the evening.

Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony

A reminder to join us tomorrow at 2:00pm for our Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony on the Main Campus courts. All family members are welcome!

To celebrate the week, below is a round up of all of the classroom learning that has been happening around the school:

Prep: Through picture story books Prep explored the importance of Country within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, as well as how storytelling is used to teach important life messages. They used cotton buds to paint an aspect of the environment they appreciated.

Year 1: We learnt about the traditions and meaning behind a Smoking Ceremony. We read a picture story book called My Culture and Me, about a little boy who learns the traditions of his rich Aboriginal Culture that’s been passed down from his elders for thousands of years. We also read Baby Business which tells the story of a Dharug baby smoking ceremony that welcomes baby to country. The smoke is a blessing – it will protect the baby and remind them that they belong. The students  discussed their own culture and the cultural traditions that happen when there is a new baby. We are  now really excited to experience a smoking ceremony here at St Mary's.

Year 2: Year 2 will be using the picture story book ‘Ceremony’ by Adam Goodes to explore Indigenous traditional ceremony. As part of this learning a focus will be on the Adnyamathanha words ‘Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti!’ meaning ‘Welcome children come’.

Students will also respond in drawing to the St Mary’s Smoke Ceremony and the following words "Our family gathers as the fire burns. The smoke rises up as we take it in turns . . Then clapsticks tap - one, two, three"

Year 3: We explored the incredible artwork by Indigenous Australian artist and author, Bronwyn Bancroft. We read two of her picture story books and compared the similarities and differences between the two texts ‘Clever Crow’ and ‘In Your Dreams’. We were inspired by her individual style and how she merges traditional indigenous art with modern storytelling.  

Year 4: We are learning about the ritual of the smoking ceremony and the significance it holds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how we can participate.

Year 5: The Year 5’s reflected on the ancient tradition of a Smoking Ceremony and what a brighter future for St Mary’s might look like.

"A brighter future for St Mary’s might look like the planting of more Australian native trees.” Indie

“A brighter future for St Mary’s could be that all the students from all classes come together more often.” Annika

“A brighter future for St Mary’s could be learning more about Aboriginal culture and traditions.”  Poppy

“A brighter future at St Mary’s could look like us giving thanks for what we have.” Heidi

Artwork by Leo:

Year 6: In Year 6 we explored the ritual of the smoking ceremony and the significance it holds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We read read and reflecting on the prayer Aboriginal Blessing by Brooke Prentis

https://www.commongrace.org.au/blessing_brooke_prentis