LINKS: Term One Week Seven

From the Principal

Mental Health in the Bush

Welcome to Week 7! This week, I wanted to draw your attention to something that is very dear to my heart, and I am sure is dear to many of you also. The Royal Flying Doctor’s Service are instrumental in providing all kinds of health services and support programs for regional Queenslanders. Ridewest is a 1,311km biennial charity bike ride from Brisbane to Longreach raising money and awareness for mental health services for Queenslanders living in remote regional areas, through the Wellbeing Out West program delivered by the Royal Flying Doctors service:

This year, my brother, Paul, is participating in this event for the sixth time; my brother-in-law, David, is participating for his second time; and another brother, Brian, participated in this event in 2022.

On Friday the 5^th April, the Toowoomba contingent are hosting a Charity Lunch at St Saviour’s College, Toowoomba with a range of guest speakers including former dual international Mat Rogers. Please see the flyer below if you are interested in attending. They will also hold a raffle, so if you would like to contribute by donating a prize for this, please feel free to contact me.

NAPLAN

The next couple of weeks sees our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students undertaking their NAPLAN tests. We wish them all the very best for these tests and know that they will do their best.

P&F Meet and Greet and Student Council Disco

Congratulations to the P&F and Student Council for hosting this tremendous event on Friday 23^rd February. It was great to see so many families gathered to celebrate being a part of this fantastic community.

Astronomy Night

We have been offered a fantastic opportunity by St Ursula’s College teacher, Mr Stephen Broderick, to come and host an Astronomy Night on Wednesday 6^th March from 7-8.30pm. Many of our mums were probably taught by Mr Broderick during their time at St Ursula’s. Mr Broderick will then return to do another workshop with some of our students on the final day of term. We thank Steve for gifting us with this opportunity.

Miss Angela Collins
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Hello St Mary’s community,

Just a reminder that there is NO ASSEMBLY this Friday (8^th March) due to our Year 3-10 Swimming Carnival. The P-2 will have a nice quiet morning back at school.

Libby Trickett Presentation

This Thursday afternoon at 2pm, students in Years 4-10 are planning to walk to the Goondiwindi State Primary School to participate in a presentation by Libby Trickett, Olympic Swimming gold medallist. We thank Kirsty Dowling for organising the event and GSPS for hosting it. This is part of the Mental Health Presentation series, which promises to be a great event! Libby is only in town for one day and has a jam-packed agenda.

NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7 & 9)

The NAPLAN tests are scheduled for the mornings (either first session or middle session), on the following dates:

• Wednesday 13^th March – Writing test
• Friday 15^th March – Reading test
• Monday 18^th March – Conventions of Language (Spelling, grammar, punctuation)
• Wednesday 20^th March - Numeracy

Remember you can access a practice test to help see what the question format is like, at the following NAP Public Demonstration website:

Why not ask your child to show it to you?

If you have any concerns about your child sitting NAPLAN tests, please speak to their classroom teacher.

John Shaw
Deputy Principal

Religious Life

“Never let anything cause you trouble or anxiety which is not an offence to God”. 

 ~ Catherine McAuley

 Harmony Week 

Year 3M will be leading us in their prayer assembly on Friday 22^nd March at 8:45am to talk about embracing diversity in our school and communities. The message of ‘everyone belongs’ is one that Catherine McAuley herself embodied. At St Mary’s, we too encourage the notion of everyone belongs and is welcome.   

Family Mass

Our next Family Mass is Sunday 17th March at 9:30am where we will be focusing on the Easter story (events of Holy Week). Please join us for a lovely morning of Mass, Craft and a BBQ.

 Easter Liturgy 

Our Easter liturgy will be held on Thursday 29^th March (last day of Term 1) at 10am in the Centenary Centre. All families and friends are invited to attend this liturgy which retells the sacrifices Jesus made for us all. Please note there will be no assembly this week (week 10).  

Wishing you all a great fortnight! 

Karra Suhr
Assistant Principal Religious Education

Secondary News

Overcoming Procrastination and Mastering Organization

As this academic term progresses, assessments inevitably loom on the horizon, testing our knowledge and understanding of the subjects we've been studying so far. For many students, the road to preparation is fraught with obstacles like procrastination, poor time management, fear, and distractions. However, with the right strategies, these hurdles can be overcome, paving the way for success.

Avoiding Procrastination:

Procrastination, the arch-nemesis of productivity, can derail even the most well-intentioned students. To combat this, prioritise tasks, schedule study sessions, and hold yourself accountable for meeting deadlines.

Organisation: Why Bother?

Organizing study materials not only ensures preparedness but also makes studying more efficient and less stressful. By maintaining tidy notes, utilising a designated study space, and adhering to a study plan, students can optimise their learning environment both at home and at school.

Time to Study:

Effective studying isn't a last-minute sprint but rather a steady marathon. Allocate time to study incrementally in the weeks leading up to assessments to reinforce learning and reduce stress.

How to Study:

Adopting effective study strategies can make a world of difference in retention and comprehension. Techniques such as drawing mind maps, creating study cards, summarising key points, and teaching others can solidify understanding and boost confidence.

By implementing strategies to combat procrastination, mastering organisation, and adopting effective study techniques, students can approach assessments with confidence and competence. Remember, preparation is the key to success, and with dedication and perseverance, every student has the potential to excel.

Mr Bevin Goodes
Assistant Principal Secondary

Sports Report

Wow….what a busy few weeks of sport we have had.  I am attaching the beginning of Term 2, as it is also extremely busy.

Please make sure you check the sign up board so you don’t miss out on sports.

Dates for Mac Zone 2024 -  Term 1

Dates for Mac Zone 2024 – Term 2

Mac Zone Netball

Congratulations to all our students who participated in the Mac Zone Netball trials on Friday, 23^rd February.   This year was the first time the boys were allowed to compete, as they are now picking a DD boys netball team.  Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in the Mac Zone Netball team and will now compete at the Darling Downs trials on Monday 11^th March.

Boys – Sam Bishop, Jono Webb and Bronson White

12 years girls – Milly Doherty, Molly Giltrow and Annie McDonald

11 years girls – Kate Quinlan, Penny Quinlan, Grace Vukovich, Lizzie Hayes, Isobelle Pink and Abbie Pimm

DD Swimming

Congratulations to our team of 11 who headed to Gatton on Wednesday, 28^th February for the Darling Downs Swimming Championships.  The Macintyre team were successful in winning the shield for another year.  Congratulations to Jim Jekyll who has made his first Darling Downs team and is off to the State Titles at the end of the month.  Also a special congratulations to our 9 year olds who competed for the first time.  Rupert O’Toole won the 9 years boys age champion, winning his breaststroke and coming 3^rd in the freestyle, while Speencer Heeson won the 9 years boys backstroke.  These boys are too young to go on to the next level.  Well done to everyone else who swam some big personal best times.

Mac Zone Touch trials

Congratulations to our touch players who headed to Inglewood on Thursday, 29^th February for the Mac Zone touch trials.  Congratulations to Max Burrow, Harry Baker, Hudson Derbidge, Annie McDonald and Bride Bate who will now head to Toowoomba for the Darling Downs touch trials.

Mac Zone Tennis trials

The Mac Zone tennis trials were held on Friday, 1^st March.  Congratulations to the following students who gained selection in the Mac Zone Tennis team.  These students head to the Darling Downs trials later in the month.  Congratulations to:

Charlie North, Jono Webb, Alfred Charles, Milly Doherty and Penny Quinlan.

Mac Zone Basketball trials

The Mac Zone basketball trials are set for Wednesday, 6^th March.  Please meet Mrs White in the Centenary Centre.

DD AFL 

Best wishes to our Ella Dunmill, Sam Bishop, Mitchell Henderson and Jono Webb who are off to the Darling Downs AFL trials on Tuesday, 5^th March.  

Cross country training

Cross country training has started.

Those born 2015 onwards are welcome to join in. Please meet Mr Goodes or myself in the Undercover area by 7am.  Most sessions will be held at the town park.  We will run down there and run back to school.  We should be back on campus by 8.15 to allow for you to organise your own breakfast and get changed.

Dates for years 7-10 -  Term 1

Laura Geitz Netball Training

Best wishes to our Laura Geitz team who will compete at the Laura Geitz Cup on Sunday 17^th March, 2024.  These girls will be presented with their playing dresses at assembly on Friday, the 15^th March.  Best wishes to:

Charlotte Ambrose, Bronte Dennis, Lexi Boyd, Mila Field, Annie Keeping, Alice Pink, Zara Dennis, Grace Leadbetter, Stella Reardon and Scarlett Reardon.

“ There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do”.

Derek Jeter

Yours in Sport,

Kathy Spicer

(Kathy.Spicer@twb.catholic.edu.au)

Library News

Parents welcome to come in and browse with students.

Please remember, parents are welcome to come in and browse before school, we understand some of our year level borrowing standards do not suit all families (eg if you have a Year One student and would like them to borrow larger chapter books) so feel free to come in and see us and have a look.

7 weeks in and we have lots of learning and reading taking place in the library!

Prep – Preppies have become very efficient borrowers, we even had time for 2 stories this week!

Year One – Year One have been enjoying browsing our early chapter books and are getting into the swing of logging on to the computers….we are chanting goo…y e a r 1! This helps us to remember what comes next when logging in.

Year Two – Good fit books is our focus when finding a book for our desk. Students are discovering lots of treasure on the general fiction shelves!

Year Three – Good fit books and logging on to the computers is our focus and we are smashing it!

Year Four – E-mails, e-mails, e-mails!

Year Five – Email refresher and AccessIt searching fun!

Year Six – Learning the basics of APA referencing – not so fun but necessary for secondary school readiness!

Please encourage students to bring library bags/books each week to assist with routines.

Book Club

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 2

Orders close Wednesday 13^th March 8pm.

This issue contains:

Please order online through ‘the loop’ as we no longer accept cash orders at school.

Parents have mentioned they find it easier to order through the website than the app as it can be difficult to find our school on the app.

Items purchased will be sent home as soon as possible after they arrive.

Thank you for your support of Book Club as it raises funds for our library.

Emma Petrie
Teacher Librarian

Extension and Enrichment

Louise Cowley
Middle Leader Extension and Enrichment

Middle Leader - Pastoral

School Uniforms

A neat uniform helps foster school spirit and a sense of pride in our school. It has been noticed by staff that some students are wearing many variations of the school uniform. Our staff would like to focus on encouraging our students to have a greater sense of pride when wearing our school uniform and we would like to request your support with this.

Our school community believes that our uniform is important in encouraging a sense of self-esteem and self-discipline in students. Not only do uniforms reduce social disparities and distractions, but they also foster unity, promote a good work ethic, and encourage respect within our students. The wearing of uniform also ensures outsiders to our school community are readily identifiable.

We are currently working on some school wide processes to encourage our students to improve the wearing of our school uniform. We are also looking at ways we can better communicate these uniform infringements with our parents and carers. To resolve any confusion, please refer to the St Mary’s Uniform Guidelines:

All items that students require are available for purchase at Gundy Clothing or Arthur Schofield & Co. We have a growing pool of second-hand uniforms at the St Mary’s Op Shop should you wish to purchase these discounted items. If you have uniforms that you no longer use, these can be donated for this purpose. We thank you for your kind donations. If there are any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

Nicki Wyllie
Middle Leader Pastoral 

Email: Nicola.wyllie@twb.catholic.edu.au

Careers

March 8 2024 is International Women’s Day. International Women's Day (IWD) provides a key moment to celebrate the achievements of women in the workplace and shine a light on the employers supporting them.

From employers and workers to advocates and inventors, women have made our workplaces more vibrant, innovative, and just. As we celebrate International Women's Day, here is five women who have made a difference and changed the world of work.

1. Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace." She was also the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in East and Central Africa.

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (United States)

Known affectionately as The Notorious RBG, Ruth served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was the first Jewish woman and second woman to serve on the court.

“Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”

1. Ela Bhatt (India)

Ela is an organiser and activist who founded the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) in 1972. She was also appointed by Nelson Mandela to the group of world leaders known as The Elders in 2007.

"It is the women who are the leaders in change and without their participation poverty can never be removed."

1. Laudelina de Campos Melo (Brazil)

Laudelina was a Brazilian organiser and workers' rights advocate. In 1936, she created the first association of domestic workers in Brazil.  

In 1961, Laudelina founded the Association of Campinas' Domestic Laborers (Associação dos Empregados Domésticos de Campinas) to unite domestic workers and equip them with literacy skills. Thanks to her work, Brazilian domestic workers gained the right to social security and yearly paid holidays in 1972. 

1. Edith Cowan (Australia)

Edith Cowan was the first woman to be elected to an Australian parliament. She narrowly defeated the sitting member on the strength of the work she had done to improve the lot of women, children and the under-privileged.

References:

Carly Sheridan
Career Development Practitioner

Cultural Report

Instrumental Ensembles:

Instrumental Ensembles have commenced this week with Mr Jessen.  Parents of instrumental students will have received an email from Mr Jessen this week listing their ensemble details and rehearsal times for Term 1.  Please be aware that there may be some changes and additional rehearsal times added as we move into Term 2. We appreciate you adding these times to your weekly planners and reminding your students of their ensemble day and time.

Term 1 instrumental ensemble rehearsal schedule:

Choirs of Angels:

Due to the busy nature of the Term 1 calendar and changes to the swimming timetable, some amendments were made to lunch time choir rehearsals for the remainder of term 1. Morning rehearsals remain unchanged.

Term 1 Choirs of Angels rehearsal schedule for weeks 7-10:

Lion King Jr Musical:

Students and parents can now access the rehearsal schedules which lists the focus points for each rehearsal for the remainder of Term 1 and all of Term 2 in the Sentral app, in the activity section.  Both the Term 1 and Term 2 rehearsal schedules have been added. Named characters should check which specific scenes or songs they should be preparing at home each week to ensure productive rehearsals.

Benita Klowss
Middle Leader - Culture

P & F News

All the new seating is now in place. Thanks to Craig Sim, Richard & Tenille White, Jodie and Andrew Erbacher and Yvette Bartels for helping us assemble and put them into place.  Plaques are being organised for sponsoring families. Thank you so much for your support.

Did you know?

• All St Mary’s parents and carers are members of the P&F and are always welcome to attend meetings and/or submit agenda items (a minimum of 1 week before a meeting).
• The P&F is a support network for parents to participate in the activities and decision-making process at the school and to work for the benefit of the school and the children (Catholic Schools Parents Queensland).
• The P&F Executive are your representatives.

Last year our focus was building on our sense of school community, and the events we held were about bringing us together.   The focus for the use of P&F funds from levies and fundraising was to prioritise projects that directly benefited the students including seating, the science fair workshops, and technical equipment upgrades (Spheros for year 6, and sound systems for classrooms).

The St Marys School Goondiwindi AGM will be held on Tuesday, 26 March at the school library at 5.15pm. We welcome all parents and carers along. There is no pressure to take on a specific role.  We will also hold a short general meeting to discuss the development of our upcoming 2024 projects which we will announce soon.  Agenda items can be submitted until 19^th March.

Your current committee includes: Denise Ellis (President), Christian Capp (Vice President), Jodie Erbacher (Treasurer), and Danielle Stephenson (Secretary). We have been supported by an enthusiastic group of dedicated members who come to meetings, help plan and run events and activities. 

 Denise Ellis
P&F President

Community News