LINKS: Term Three Week One

From the Principal

Welcome back to Term 3

A huge welcome back for Term 3. We look forward to a busy and productive term with many events coming up, particularly our School Musical, The Lion King Jr. We wish all our cast and crew the very best as they prepare for this production.

Athletics Carnival

A huge thank you to Mrs Kathy Spicer for her leadership and organisation for our annual Athletics Carnival that was held on the last Thursday of Term 2. Well done to all of our competitors who showed great athleticism and sportspersonship on the day!

Mercy Day

Our last day of last Term we celebrated our Mercy tradition with our Inaugural Mercy Day. This was a day of faith, friendship and fun and I’d like to thank Mrs Karra Suhr for her leadership in the planning of this day.

Catholic Education Week

Each year, in Week 3 of Term 3, we celebrate Catholic Education Week. Please be aware that the Friday of Week 3, 26^th July, is a Pupil Free Day with staff heading to Toowoomba for Professional Learning. Please note that the office will be closed on this day.

2025 Class Allocations

We will soon be thinking about staffing and class allocations for 2025. Our staff work with great care and dedication to ensure that we place students appropriately, knowing their strengths and needs within the classroom. While we will not be able to accommodate all requests, if there is something that you would like us to consider when allocating staffing and classes for next year, can you please let me know before the end of Term 3.

Miss Angela Collins
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Hello St Mary’s community,

Welcome back!

I hope you are well-rested, although for some of you, the school term may well be more restful than the holidays!

St Mary’s is very fortunate to have hosted renowned international expert, Mr Brad Huddleston, who spoke to our Year 7 to 10 students about the impact of digital devices/technology. Brad, from the USA, is a world-renowned researcher, speaker and author, who has been warning about the health impacts on the brain, particularly on young people/adolescents, associated with over-use or misuse of technology.

Brad’s books include “Digital Rehab – Learning to live again in the real world” and Digital Cocaine.

Brad is speaking at a public seminar this Sunday evening at 6pm at the Community Centre at 6 Anderson St, Goondiwindi. I encourage you to go along to listen and learn.

Access the brochure for more information using the below link: 

God bless,

John Shaw
Deputy Principal

Religious Life

NAIDOC WEEK

St Mary’s will celebrate NAIDOC Week during the first week of Term 3 (8th - 12th July). This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud. Year 5S will be leading us in a prayer liturgy on Friday 12^th July. We also have Tawana Carmody, Education Officer: First Nations Education from Toowoomba Catholic Schools joining us. She will spend time in our classrooms on Friday and then speak to our secondary students in the REC time. 

Confirmation

We welcome back our students making their sacramental program this year. Confirmation formation classes commence next week on Wednesday 17^th July at 4pm in the Library. The Rite of Confirmation is scheduled for Saturday 17^th August at 6pm, with Bishop Ken presiding.

Catholic Education Week

 Celebrated annually in week 3 of term 3, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all 312 Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos. We will start our celebrations with 4/5F liturgy on Friday 19^th July. Classes will also participate in a few other small activities over the week. Please note that Friday 26^th July is Bishop’s Inservice Day (Pupil Free Day) with all St Mary’s staff in attendance in Toowoomba.

Grandparent’s Day

During Catholic Education Week, we will celebrate Grandparent’s Day on Thursday 25^th July from 8:45 – 11:15am. We ask all our grandparents who are available, to join us for a morning of celebration.

Family Mass

Our next Family Mass is Sunday 21st July at 9:00am. We will be unpacking the Gospel of Jesus feeds 5000. Join us for a relaxed morning of Mass, craft and a BBQ afterwards.

Wishing you all a wonderful term ahead.

Karra Suhr
Assistant Principal Religious Education

Secondary News

Welcome to Term Three! We are thrilled to have all of you as valued members of our school community and are so grateful for your continued support.

At St Mary’s School, the wellbeing of our students remains a top priority. We firmly believe that a sound mind and body are fundamental for achieving academic success. Throughout the upcoming months, we will be concentrating on promoting mental health awareness, stress management, and self-care practices.

This week, we were privileged to host Brad Huddleston, a well-known speaker, author, and expert in the field of technology's impact on our minds and society. Brad engaged with our 7-10 students, sharing his expertise on the influence of digital devices and social media. With his background in technology and psychology, Brad offers profound insights into navigating the challenges of the digital era and fostering a healthy relationship with technology. Through his various platforms, he advocates for responsible digital habits and educates individuals and organisations on the potential risks and benefits of technology use. 

Compassion and respect are fundamental values at St Mary’s School, rooted in kindness and inclusivity. We urge all students to treat one another with empathy, respect, and compassion, creating a culture of support and acceptance for all. Together, let's cultivate an environment where everyone feels valued and included.

As our students delve into their studies, we encourage them to adopt structured revision practices for long-term information retention. Rather than last-minute cramming, aim to regularly (weekly) review notes, create personalised study materials, and actively engage in learning both in and out of the classroom. Effective time management is key to balancing academics, extracurriculars, and personal responsibilities. By organising their time wisely, setting achievable goals, and creating a study schedule, they can reduce stress, stay organised, and excel academically while enjoying other activities.

We anticipate a rewarding second semester filled with growth, learning, and memorable moments. Should you have any queries or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Mr Bevin Goodes
Assistant Principal Secondary

Pastoral

As mentioned in the previous Links Newsletter, Bevin Goodes and I attended The Resilience Project Teacher Seminar in Brisbane last term. I was already a huge admirer of both Hugh van Cuylenburg and Martin Heppell but came away from the day with so much enthusiasm and eagerness to impart what I learnt to both our staff and students.

What really resonated with me was the importance that all speakers placed on the times when they have felt the most happiness in their lives, and this is when they have felt the authentic connection with the people and environment around them.

As both a teacher and a parent, this reminded me of the importance of taking the time to make those in my presence feel seen and heard, as well as the importance of finding ways to connect.

This speaks to and informs the idea and the importance of “being present” for your child, for example by your stopping scrolling and putting your phone down to allow yourself to take an interest in them by having a conversation with them cuddling them / playing with them to create that connection.

Brené Brown (an American professor and social worker) has said:

‘The way to establish connections is through vulnerability’

and:

‘vulnerability is taking an emotional risk when the outcome is uncertain’

As such, it’s our job as educators and parents to really work on creating a connection first with our students and children so that they can feel comfortable to become vulnerable around us, to create that authentic connection.

Hugh went through the ‘3 Principles of GEM’ (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness), again touching on the importance of looking around daily and being grateful for the things that we do have instead of being too busy and paying attention to what we don’t have. He discussed the importance of having a positive mindset in times when we experience adversity. He suggested using the words “I get to” instead of “I have to” to reinforce this mindset.

He explored the importance of us as parents and teachers modelling Empathy for our children and students as much as possible. He explained that a common mistake we as parents make is that we instinctively step in too much to try and ‘fix’ our children’s problem (I know I am guilty of this.) Instead, he said that our children need to feel validated. E.g your child comes home and says, “Mary Jane didn’t want to play with me today.” Instead of trying to fix immediately, you can validate by saying “Helen, I can see you feel really sad and left out. I have felt that before when I was at school.”

When we validate, we make our children feel good and so next time they will come to us for their problems and more freely share their concerns.

Lastly, I purchased a packet of GEM conversation cards to use with both my family and in the classroom. These are fantastic and I highly recommend them. I had the vision of my family sitting around the dinner table and having in-depth conversations around the scenario cards. I’ll be honest and say that this has not (yet!) been the reality, as most nights involve a degree of chaos in our household!

However, I have managed to get 10 to 15 minutes of quality connection time over dinner time or just before bed which sees us as a family reflect on these 3 GEM principles. You just need to start somewhere!

In the classroom, I’m pleased to report that the students I have worked with using these cards have been much more responsive.

Mrs Nicki Wyllie     

Middle Leader: Pastoral                                    

Nicola.wyllie@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Sports Report

Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to McAuley House for taking out the 2024 Athletics Carnival.  It was lovely to see so many students participating in the carnival this year.  Twenty- five records were broken on the day also… a huge congratulations to these students too.  A team has been selected to firstly compete at the Catholic Schools Carnival in Toowoomba on Friday, 12^th July.  (the weather is forecast for rain, so we will definitely know by Thursday if the carnival is going to go ahead.  If it is called off… it will be cancelled, not postponed to another day.

The second carnival is the Mac Zone Athletics Carnival which is to be held on Wednesday, 31^st July in Inglewood.  Notes will be handed out to the students early next week.

Congratulations to the following age champions and runner up:

Record breakers

Dani Walters – Long jump, high jump, shotput, discus, javelin, 100m, 200m and 800m

Lachlan Henderson – long jump, shot put, javelin, 100m, 200m

Jack Coggan – long jump, high jump, javelin, shot put, discus, 100m, 200m and 800m

Parker Dillon – Shotput, discus

Sophie Hayes – 400m

Chace Hagiel – 400m

Border District Athletics Carnival

The 2024 Border District Athletics Carnival is to be held in Warwick on Thursday, 25^th July.

Students will be advised of the events selected in and notes will be handed out early next week.

Yours in Sport,

Kathy Spicer

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

Learning Support

This term, we welcome Gabrielle Miller as a Student Support School Officer at St Mary's. Gabi will be working with students in Yr3, 4 & 5 during the week. She comes with a wealth of experience, with years of teaching and supporting students from Kind to Yr12. We are very excited to have Gabi as part of our team.

Extension & Enrichment

Library News

Book Club

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 5 due Friday 26^th July 8pm

Catalogues will be sent home this week.

This issue contains:

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

All purchases contribute to funds for our school library with all popular fiction titles in our library purchased due to the funds raised through orders – we are most grateful for this – THANK YOU!

Emma Petrie
Teacher Librarian

Guidance Counsellor

Triple P – Online Program

Confidently handle parenting challenges with free online support

Parenting is a big job, and it can sometimes feel hard. You may want to improve your child’s behaviour, grow closer and nurture their learning, development and wellbeing.

With free online support from the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, you’ll learn proven, practical strategies to raise happy, healthy, confident kids through every age and stage.

Whether you’re adjusting to life with a new baby, raising a growing child, concerned about anxiety, or dealing with changes in your family. There’s a free online program to make parenting less stressful and more rewarding.

Backed by research, proven by parents. Funded by the Australian Government. Get started now!  

Paul Fomiatti
Guidance Counsellor

Careers

Skilling Queenslanders for Work

The Queensland Government has announced a raft of SQW projects for 2024-25 - with more than a dozen projects set to kick off in the Darling Downs region!  Jobseekers will gain qualifications and real-world experience across a range of priority industries including construction, education, retail, community services, health, and hospitality.  See the full list of projects here 👉 

July 16, 2024 (Term 3, Week 2):

What: Uni SQ Head Start Program – Presentation focused on building self-awareness and talking through future study options available.

*Parent/community evening at 6pm*

Where: Gateway to Training

Who: Years 9 and 10

July 24, 2024 (Term 3, Week 3):

What: Aspire 2 Health Program

Where: Gateway to Training

Who: Years 9 and 10

September 9 – 13, 2024 (Term 3, Week 10):

What: Work Experience Program

Who: Years 9 and 10

Important note: Students must make initial contact with prospective work experience employer by Tuesday 16^th July 2024.

Please contact carly.sheridan@twb.catholic.edu.au for any specific enquiries.

Carly Sheridan
Career Development Practitioner

P & F

We have had wonderful interest in the upcoming Market Day project. Thanks Michelle Eulenstein for the wonderful idea. Michelle is available to provide feedback and answer questions. Contact details are on the Market Day flyers and plans.  This project is optional for students. It provides an exciting and fun opportunity to explore entrepreneurial skills, with students developing products or services to sell at Market Day. If you have submitted your expression of interest, you would have received a business plan guide to start developing your product over the school holidays.  Make sure you check with your parents to ensure that you have time and support.

Denise Ellis
President P&F

Community News

If your child/ren are interested in attending the St Joseph's Horse Sports Day in Chinchilla on the 19th July, please see attached permission form and information sheet. Entries and payments are due by this Friday 12th July. 
Saddle Pads and brow bands are available at the school office once entry has been submitted.