7th February 2019 Term 1 Week 2

St Mary’s School Warwick Newsletter

Newsletter

This year school newsletters will be accessible through Schoolzine and its

platform, every 2nd Thursday

commencing 21st February.

Important for next week:

Tuesday, 12th February

9.30am Beginning of Year

Mass & Morning Tea

3.30pm Southern Downs

Softball trials

Wednesday, 13th February

Parent Information Evening

and BBQ

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

What a wonderful place St Mary’s Warwick is! I feel very blessed to be

able to be a part of such a warm, inviting, caring and supportive

community of staff, students, parents and Parish. I hope that as either

a new or an old member of St Mary’s you have also had this experience

and been a part of the St Mary’s Way. I can’t believe that we are fast

approaching the end of the 2nd week of school and I hope that your

child/ren have settled in well with teachers, friends and routines.

As an educational leader I see my role as twofold: (1) to walk with

parents, staff and students to continually build upon their relationship

with God and make Jesus real to all; and (2) to ensure that all students

reach their full academic potential in a supportive, flexible

environment. I believe the St Mary’s Way to RISE UP encapsulates my

role seamlessly.

Staff have been working hard on the school Annual Action Plan for

2019 to identify our target areas of need and how we are going to

address them. Once this is finalised, this will then be shared with

parents to ensure that our school vision is clear.

Over the last 2 weeks I have had, the opportunity to talk with staff

about the BEST things about St Mary’s and it is the consensus that they

value highly the positivity and sense of community from parents and

students. As mentioned previously, I too have witnessed community in

action through the ‘Cuppa & Chats’, Mass on the weekends, at pick

up/drop off and the friendly and respectful way all interact with each

other.

I hope to meet you all over time and look forward to seeing you at the

Beginning of Year Mass and Family BBQ next week and then on the 21st

February for the first P&F meeting for the year.

Have a lovely weekend!

God Bless

Emma Timmins Principal

163 Palmerin Street (PO Box 555) Warwick Qld 4370 Phone: 4661 1872 Fax: 4661 4809 Email: smwarwick@twb.catholic.edu.au

Website: http: //www.smwarwick.catholic.edu.au

the St Mary’s way

Schoolzine Newsletters

We are pleased and excited to inform you that we’ll be producing a new

eNewsletter with Schoolzine. The move to this new format will enable us

to communicate with the school community across multiple channels. It

will promote and enhance our engagement with parents, students and the

wider community.

We believe you’ll find the eNewsletter highly engaging, as it will provide

us with a more efficient and effective means of connecting with you. The

new format will allow the inclusion of video, photo galleries, online

bookings, mobile app, feedback forms, calendars and so much more.

The newsletter also has a sponsorship section which provides a great

opportunity for local businesses to engage with our parent community. If

you would like to be a part of this, please contact Schoolzine.

Phone Jude 07 5414 2363

jude.dawson@schoolzine.com.au

RE News Blessing for Year Six School Leaders

Spirit of God, you guide us and light our way. Bless our Year six students as they take on the role as leaders of St Mary’s School. Bless our community as we encourage and support them in their leadership role.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The St Mary’s Way Our school has adopted these six positive learning behaviours – Respectful, Inclusive, Safe, Exceptional, Understanding and Prayerful. They are taught in the classrooms and in the playground and are at the very essence of the St Mary’s Way – what makes St Mary’s special.

School Leadership Mass Our Opening School Mass will be held in the Church, on Tuesday, 12th February at 9:30am. At this Mass all Year 6 students will be presented with their School Leaders badges. Year 6 students are required to wear their formal uniform. Parents and extended families are invited to share this special occasion. Morning tea will follow in Assisi Place.

Family Mass Please join us the Parish’s next Family Mass on 10 March at the 8:30am Sunday Mass. Please note the new date due to a very special Filipino celebration being held on the 24 February. This is a great community celebration with readings and songs chosen with children in mind. We are looking for families who would like to sing, read the readings, carry the offertory and be welcomers. If your family would like to do any of these ministries please contact Sharon Young at school or phone 0429 921 200.

Sacrament of First Reconciliation Weekly Formation Workshops – Week beginning 11 February at 3:30-4:30pm at the Parish

Meeting Room.

Curriculum Teachers Know the Importance of Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is a critical component of being an exceptional teacher and while the students

of St Mary’s spent the last week of the school holidays getting ready to return to the classroom,

our teachers spent time discovering new ways to ignite student passion for learning and how

be a positive force in the lives of learners. Our staff spent their valuable time pursuing ways to

know more, understand more and learn more.

Our teachers delved into Designed Learning in Numeracy spending time reflecting on how to

make maths in the classroom more collaborative and engaging, how to foster a problem-

solving environment and all importantly how to build positive mindsets and a have a go culture.

The learning didn’t stop there as our teachers were challenged by Catherine McAleer from

Caritas to increase an awareness of social justice issues for our students and to create a

culture within the school which encourages everybody to reach out to those in need. As a

whole staff we also reflected on 2018 as the year of “A Story in the Making” and then forged

forward to undertake the challenge to “Live the Story” of Jesus in 2019.

The saying, “practice what you preach,” comes to mind when it comes to the need for teachers

to embark on lifelong learning. It is part of our role as educators to keep questioning, changing

and demonstrate a willingness to learn. Our St Mary’s teaching community takes pride in

playing an active role in creating a culture of curiosity and a desire to keep learning real.

Ways to Develop Lifelong Learning in Your Child

Value your child's uniqueness. ...

Involve your child in activities that will help him learn best…

Encourage learning growth. ...

Don't focus on grades. ...

Let him/her ask questions. ...

Teach him/her how to learn. ...

Be part of a community. ...

Model lifelong learning to your child.

Administration

Spotted RISING UP Congratulations to all the students who have been ‘Spotted Rising Up’ this week.

Last week our weekly prize winners were Levi Harmer and Alyvia Hallman.

Please celebrate with your child if they have brought home a Spotted Rising Up slip.

Term Dates for 2019 Pupil Free Days Term 1 Monday 29 January – Thursday 4 April Friday 2 August Term 2 Tuesday 23 April – Thursday 27 June Monday 21 October Term 3 Monday 15 July – Thursday 19 September Term 4 Monday 7 October – Friday 6 December

Cuppa and Chat Please join us for a ‘Cuppa and Chat’ every Tuesday morning for this term. This is a great place to meet new friends and to catch up with old ones. Please contact Sharon Young or Patrice Riordan (at the parish) if you would be available to go on a roster to help twice a term.

Parent Information Night and BBQ Parent Information Nights are important opportunities to meet your child’s teacher and to clarify expectations for the year. During these sessions information is shared about curriculum, homework, rules and teacher communication. There is also the opportunity for parents to ask any questions. There may be some clashes in times with families and we encourage parents to particularly attend the Prep and Year 6 sessions and then catch up with other children’s teachers at the BBQ. Meetings will be in your child’s classroom.

This year these will coincide with a family BBQ at the Upper Campus and children’s disco for school aged children in the MacKillop Centre open from 4:45pm-6:30pm. Sausages will be $2 each. Sausages, bread, cooked onion, sauce and cordial will be available from 5:30-6:30. Please bring any other drinks, nibblies your family would like. Please RSVP by Friday, 8th Feb for catering purposes.

Wednesday 13th February 5:00pm Year 1 and Year 2 5:15pm Prep and Yr 6 5:30pm Year 5 6:00pm Year 3 and Year 4

Last week a bundle of forms was sent home with each child

and another bundle with the youngest child.

Please ensure all necessary forms are completed and

returned.

Bell Times 8:35 First bell rings 8:40 Classes commence 10:55 Lunch break 11:30 Classes recommence 1:30 Snack break 2:00 Classes recommence 3:00 End of school day

Sign In and Out Registers Parents bringing children to school late MUST sign the children in at either campus on the register available. If a child is collected during the day, the register must be completed by firstly signing the child out; if the child is returned to school (perhaps after a dentist/doctor visit) parents/caregivers are required to sign the child in on the return. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEW REGISTER LOCATION FOR THE UPPER CAMPUS IS NOW LOCATED OUTSIDE THE YEAR 6 CLASSROOMS.

School Student Protection Contacts: The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the highest importance at St Mary’s School. As with all non-state schools, we have nominated School Student Protection Contacts who are staff members that students can raise concerns of abuse, harm or inappropriate behaviour by others. At St Mary School, our School Student Protection Contacts are:

• Mary Rutledge (Upper Campus – Year 4 teacher)

• Kath Stevenson (Lower Campus – Year 2 Teacher)

• Kerri Shooter (Middle Leader)

• Sharon Young (APRE)

• Cathy Mills (St Mary’s School Counsellor)

• Emma Timmins (Principal)

All School staff receive regular training and information to be able to respond to student

protection concerns. Please contact the Principal should you have any queries regarding

student protection processes at St Mary’s School.

Sports Uniform Days Library Borrowing Days Prep – every day Prep – Wednesday

Year 1 – Tuesday & Friday Year 1 – Thursday

Year 2 – Tuesday & Wednesday Year 2 – Thursday

Year 3 – Wednesday & Friday Year 3 – Tuesday

Year 4 – Wednesday & Friday Year 4B – Tuesday Year 4R – Thursday

Year 5 – Thursday & Friday Year 5 – Tuesday

Year 6 – Tuesday & Friday Year 6 – Wednesday

School Fees – 2019 Parents will be emailed their school fee account for Term 1 2019 shortly. Every family receives a statement of fees, regardless of whether your account has a credit balance or not. Please note that ADF Direct Debit is the recommended payment option for school fees at St Mary’s School as it allows school fees to be paid in regular instalments, weekly, fortnightly, monthly and quarterly. If you have internet banking at home you may prefer to set up your school fee account as follows. (Please ensure you identify your payment with your surname and school fee account number listed on the right hand side of your Fees Statement).

Archdiocesan Development Fund Commonwealth Bank A/c BSB 064 786 Account 518206001

If you are experiencing difficulty with meeting your financial commitment to St. Mary’s School, you are asked to make contact with Mrs Timmins as soon as possible so that alternative mutually agreed arrangements may be made. Any fee concession or special arrangements made in 2018 ceased at the end of 2018. Parents/Caregivers will need to arrange for an interview with Mrs Timmins as soon as possible, otherwise school fees will be charged as per 2019 schedule.

All information related to each family’s financial arrangements is strictly confidential. All inquiries regarding School Fees are to be directed to the Principal. Thank you for your commitment to St Mary’s School and commitment to your child’s education.

Allergy Awareness We have students at our school with severe nut and dairy allergies. Some of our students will have a reaction if they come into contact with nuts or dairy. Food is not to be shared among children and children will be encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating. Parents are encouraged to not supply their children with any food that includes elements of nuts and to follow their child’s teacher’s direction about what to supply for birthday treats.

School Banking Information regarding school banking has been sent home today. School banking is conducted every

Tuesday of term through the school office.

Collaborate to RISE UP! Parents are invited to meet with teachers in Weeks 4 & 5 from Monday, 18th February – Friday, 1st March to discuss their child and their needs. We request that all parents meet with their child’s classroom teacher. All parents will be allocated an interview time.

A letter and interview form has been sent home today with each child. To ensure you obtain a suitable time, please return the interview form promptly.

Student Protection and Volunteers The information below is regarding Diocesan requirements for Volunteers and Visiting Specialists regarding Student Protection. Information packages are available for parents and caregivers at the school office. The Volunteer and Visiting Specialist Induction video still must be viewed online. Volunteers are an important part of our school life. Family members are asked to volunteer in the classroom, Tuckshop, athletics’ days, swimming carnivals etc. When volunteers (who are not parents) specifically work with children in the classroom and Tuckshop, they are asked to have a valid Volunteer Blue Card. Mrs Smith in our school office can assist volunteers with this process. An important part of the Volunteer Process is the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Volunteer Student Protection requirements. All Volunteers in the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools are required to:

• View an induction video

• Complete a Declaration Form

• Provide the signed copy to the school office and retain one for themselves

• Where a conflict of interest may occur, a Volunteer Conflict of Interest form must be signed.

All information is available at: http://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/work-for-us/volunteers-and-visiting-service-providers/

Sport

Last week the students in the 10-12 years age group received a letter explaining the process we are using this year for students to indicate that they wish to be considered for nomination to the Southern Downs Trials. If you would like your child/ren to participate please return the form as soon as possible. Southern Downs Swimming trials will be held at the Allora Pool on Monday, 25th March. Nomination forms will be sent home with eligible children shortly.

Tuckshop News School Tuckshop Commencement, Rosters and Menu

Tuckshop will be available on each Thursday and Friday starting week 3, Thursday, 14th February. All ordering for tuckshop must be completed before 7.30am using the online facility (flexischools). NO BAG ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you are yet to register for this facility, please go to www.flexischools.com.au and click “register”. Information on how to use this process is available in the school handbook (hard copy and online).

Parents are reminded that the success of the tuckshop relies heavily on the financial and physical support of families. If you are able to help by working in the Tuckshop this year, please complete and return the tear off section from the Tuckshop letter that has been distributed. An updated menu will be sent home shortly.

This year there is also an alert system in place for if your child has allergies. This will mean selecting this alert for every order but will mean that an allergy alert is printed on every label.

P&F News The St Mary’s P & F welcomes all new and returning families to 2019. In 2018, the St Mary’s P & F held a number of events for families and friends of the school community. Additionally, through the money raised at these events, the P & F purchased 60 iPads for the students of St Mary’s School. The AGM will be held on Thursday, 21st of February 2019 in the Lower Library at 6pm. We encourage and welcome all new members to the P & F and would like to officially open nominations for the executive positions. Please see the attached form at the end of this newsletter and return to the school office no later than Thursday 14th February 2019. Also we hope that all families consider attending our St Mary’s Race Day on the 30th March 2019. It is a great opportunity to build relationships with others in our school community.

St Mary’s School Race Day Date Claimer – Saturday 30 March. A great fun day out for families. Sponsorship is now available – contact Natalie at basil@raheenstud.com.au for more details.

Notices

Please note that this is not suitable for children to attend due to the nature of some topics explored.

TERM 1, 2019 – DATE CLAIMERS DATE EVENT

WEEK 1

Monday, 28 January Public Holiday

Tuesday, 29 January Term 1 commences

WEEK

3

Tuesday, 12 February 9:30 Beginning of the Year Mass & Morning Tea 3:30 Southern Downs Softball trials

Wednesday, 13 February National Apology Day Parent Information Evening and BBQ

WEEK 4

Collaborate to RISE UP! Parent Teacher Meetings

Wednesday, 20 February Year 6 Just Leadership Day 3:45 Southern Downs Aussie Rules trials 6:00 School Board Meeting

Thursday, 21 February 6:00 P&F Meeting

Friday, 22 February 9:00 Year 6 Parish Mass

WEEK 5

Family Week

Monday, 25 February 2:00 Assembly led by 5S Southern Downs Swimming trials

Tuesday, 26 February Southern Downs Basketball trials

Friday, 1 March 9:00 Year 4 Parish Mass World Day of Prayer Clean Up Australia Day

WEEK 6

Wednesday, 6 March 9:00 Ash Wednesday Mass Yrs 3-6 11:30 Ash Wednesday Liturgy Kindy – Year 2 Darling Downs Swimming trials

Friday, 8 March International Women’s Day

WEEK 7

Monday, 11 March 2:00 Assembly led by 6O

Wednesday, 13 March 3:30 Southern Downs Tennis trials

Friday, 15 March National Close the Gap Day National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence SD Football, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League 9:00 Year 3 Parish Mass

WEEK 8

Wednesday, 20 March Year 6 Camp 6:00 School Board Meeting

Thursday, 21 March Year 6 Camp Harmony Day 6:00 – P&F Meeting

Friday, 22 March Year 6 Camp Warwick Show Day Holiday

WEEK 9

Monday, 25 March 2:00 Assembly led by 4B

Tuesday, 26 March School Photos

Wednesday, 27 March School Photos

Friday, 29 March Year 5 Parish Mass

Saturday, 30 March School Race Day

WEEK 10

Wednesday, 3 April 10:00 Holy Week Liturgy (Year 3)

Friday, 5 April Pupil Free Day – Teacher Professional Development End of Term 1