St Mary's Newsletter

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.  As he does this, the people spread their cloaks or cut branches on the road.  They shouted, “Praise God!  God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord!  Praise God!”  Praising another helps us focus on their strengths and gives us a positive outlook.  When we praise God, we feel blessed and humbled that someone so great could love us so much.  Praise prayer brings us closer to God.

The events outlined in Sunday’s Gospel, signal the start of Holy Week when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to crowds laying cloaks out for him and waving palms.  This was a joyous day for Jesus but the mood around him quickly changes and it is not long before the same people call for him to be crucified.  Mass for Palm Sunday will take place at St Mary’s Church on Sunday at 10.30am.  All are welcome to attend.

Saturday :  Palm Sunday 6.30pm

Palm Sunday:  10.30am 

Holy Thursday:  Last Supper/Washing of the Feet:  6.30pm

Stations of the Cross 10.00am

Good Friday (Passion of the Lord):  3.00pm

Easter Saturday Vigil Mass:  6.30pm

Easter Sunday:  10.30am

The Year Three to Six students had the pleasure of meeting Greg Hire and Optimus (Scott Griffiths) today.  The gentlemen spoke to them about succeeding in their careers despite facing adversities and hurdles early on in life.   They shared the key messages of practicing the easy things and learning from failure.  The students even did some rapping!  Thank you to Merredin Youth (especially St Mary's parents Andy Galbraith and Chesney Maloney) for enabling our students to have this fantastic opportunity!

Congratulations to St Joseph Faction who won the faction token count for Term One.  Each time a child displays their faction or school values out in the playground - the duty teacher gives them a token.  Ellie and Brock shared the token count at Monday's assembly, which was very close, but St Joseph came out on top!  This term the prize was a visit from the ice cream van.  I wonder which faction will win in Term Two and what the treat will be?

You will all be aware that as of the start of Term Two there is an easing of restrictions around schools.   The following information relates to parents/caregivers on school sites, under the Very High Caseload Level 1:  School Operating Guidelines:

Parents/Caregivers on the St Mary’s School site must comply with health and hygiene conditions previously outlined and follow mask wearing requirements.  Parents/caregivers are only allowed on the school site for the following purposes:

• Outdoor drop off/pick up of their child – this means dropping off and picking up of children outside the classroom – parents/caregivers are asked not to enter classrooms while students are present.  Parents will be able to enter the office to sign students out, drop them off  or drop something off for them – there will be no need to ring ahead to ensure that the students are waiting and ready to be collected.
• Assemblies – these will be limited to one year group.  Further information about this will be sent home closer to the time.
• Parent/Teacher Meetings – these can occur face to face with masks and hygiene practices in place, before and after school.  Should you wish to speak with your child’s teacher please arrange a meeting via email or your child’s diary/communication book.  Please be considerate of your child’s teacher’s time, particularly before school (at drop off time) when they are welcoming children and following classroom routines.
• To volunteer in roles outside of the classroom that are essential for the operations of the school, including the canteen and uniform shop.
• Infrequent special events in line with community venue capacity and density limits, and mask wearing requirements (off site).
• Face to face meetings (P&F, SAC) can occur – with social distancing and mask wearing.
• Parents/Caregivers are able to attend school and interschool carnivals – with social distancing and mask wearing.

Parents/caregivers attending school sites must adhere to physical distancing requirements.  Therefore, parents are kindly asked not to be on the school site beyond 8.40am and prior to 3.00pm – unless you are attending to one of the above matters.

These guidelines are subject to change and should this be the case – families will be notified via email prior to school recommencing.

As a reminder, if your child has a positive RAT result (including during the school holidays) you need to:

·       Self-isolate for a minimum of 7 days.

·       Register via the school’s COVID-19 Self-Reporting Portal.  This can be found on both the website and Skoolbag.

·       At Day 7, if symptoms are still present, continue isolating until symptoms clear.

·       If no symptoms are present after day 7, you can leave self-isolation. No testing is required.

+ As of Term Two, only the families in the class of the identified positive case and close contacts will be notified.+

As the first term of the 2022 school year comes to a close, I would like to sincerely thank the entire St Mary’s community for their agility and understanding this term – we started the year with so much hope and joy for what was to come but that very quickly changed.  As usual, the students and staff, pivoted with ease to a new normal.  Our parents, did what they do best and that is, support us so well.  I am truly grateful to lead such a magnificent community.

The Easter period brings with it a reminder of the importance of lived Gospel values. As we reflect during the season of Lent, we pray in solidarity for those in our community affected by COVID-19.  We have been humbled by the remarkable acts of generosity and kindness in our school community.  Easter is also a time for renewal and hope. As we prepare for the solemnity of Holy Week and the joy of Easter, let us reflect on the strength of our Christian unity.

I wish you and your family every blessing this Easter and may it be a time of renewal as you celebrate together. Please travel safe, be safe and stay safe.  I look forward to seeing everyone back on Wednesday, 27 April.

God Bless and have a lovely weekend with your families.

Ms Adriana Coniglio

Principal

Dress up as your favourite animal - Thank you to those who supported our fundraiser to raise money for our worm-farm. Students dressed up as their favourite animals for the day. We raised a total of $173.50 which will help the Environmental Ministry purchase some new worms.

Well done to the Class of 2022 for a fantastic assembly last week. In case you missed it, be sure to check St Mary’s School Facebook page.

Thank you to those who supported our Project Compassion Fundraiser. Students took the opportunity to come to school with Crazy Hair or a Crazy Hat. We raised $150.00  to go towards Project Compassion’s Lenten Appeal.

Kind regards,

Mrs Zoe O'Malley

Assistant Principal

We have introduced Number Talks into the beginning of our Maths sessions. Students are presented with a problem and need to use mental strategies to solve it. We then share our strategies with each other and learn different ways to solve the same problem.

We have been learning all about Lent and Easter in Religious Education. We incorporated our knowledge into our assembly script – Lent Assembly. Lent is a time for prayer, self-denial and almsgiving.

In Writing, we have been looking at suspense stories and the tools we can use to create suspense in our own writing. The students have written their own suspense stories and have typed these up using our brand-new laptops. Drafting our stories was a thorough process, with many opportunities for peer feedback and teacher conferencing. We are proud of our end results!

Christian Value Award

Pre-Primary:  Tessa O'Neill

Year One: Harry Hohaia

Year Two: Ava Anderson

Year Three/Four: Nate Sayers

Year Four/Five: Koby Sayers

Year Six: Lochlan Harris

Excellence Award

Pre-Primary: Aleaha Tirant

Year One: Sana Creagh

Year Two: Gabriel Tirant

Year Three/Four: Greta Gethin

Year Four/Five: Quin McGellin

Year Six: Vasylysa Vasylkiv

Music Award

Pre-Primary: Addison Last

Year One: Stevie Axford

Year Two: Fimi Okeowo

Year Three/Four: Patrick O'Neill

Year Four/Five: Catherin Tinoj

Year Six: Elijah Sutherland

Design & Technology Award

Pre-Primary: Addison Last

Year One: Hayley Growden

Year Two: Thomas Dolton

Year Three/Four: Layla Jacobson

Year Four/Five: Logan O'Meagher

Year Six: Oscar Davis

Thank you to all the families that were able to help in the Canteen in Term One.  We still have many empty spaces for Term Two - if you are able to volunteer please fill in the Canteen Volunteer eForm  by clicking here

Our Canteen can only run with the support and assistance of our school community.

Kind regards,

Damiana Demarte - Canteen Manager

damiana.demarte@cewa.edu.au

Here we are at Round 4 already.!

Thank you to our Round 3 sponsor Desert Eagle Helicopters! Thanks to Brad & Liddy for their ongoing sponsorship. The winner of Round 3 was Gambit76. Congratulations to Round 2 winner KJS! It’s been very close with the tipping every round.

You can order online through QuickCliQ or download an order form here.

To register for Junior Netball click here.

To register for Auskick click here.

To register for Midgets & Junior Football click here.

To register for Net (Pre-Primary & Year One) Click here.

To register for Set & GO (Year Two to Year Four) Click here.