Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Week 3. The school year is definitely in full swing. All classes have completed their first full week of learning in a calm and settled manner. Our school year officially began with our Opening School Mass last Thursday. It was a lovely celebration. Thank you to Nickey Harland for her organisation and all students for their respectful behaviour in the Church.

We held our school swimming carnival for 2024 on Friday evening at the town pool. Many thanks to our teachers and volunteers who helped make it a fabulous event. Students who have qualified for the Western Region carnival in Cootamundra will be notified via Compass.

This week our ‘Meet the Teacher’ interviews will be held. Please ensure you have booked on Compass. These interviews are vital for communicating between yourself and your child’s teacher. It is a great opportunity to discuss your child’s needs and to voice any concerns you may have either socially or academically. Please do not miss this opportunity. If you are unsure how to book your time please contact the front office.

Healthy Harold will be visiting St Mary’s this week on Wednesday and Thursday. All students are super excited to spend time with Harold. The focus for the lessons is, ‘how to be a good friend’ which works in well with our school focus of ‘loving one another’.  

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Church season of Lent which is the 40 days leading up to Easter and an important time for the Church. On Ash Wednesday we remember the temptation of Christ and honour this time by fasting, praying and taking part in daily prayer. Students will receive ashes on their forehead to represent repentance. As Christians we reflect and remember how Jesus died for us. We ask God’s forgiveness for the times when we were not Christlike. We will be celebrating a whole school Mass at 2pm this Wednesday. All members of our school and parish community are invited and are very welcome to attend.    

Many thanks to our school’s Community Council who have given up their time to plant new trees on the Church Street side of the school. These trees look fabulous and much better than the bottlebrushes, crepe myrtle and kurrajong trees that were there. St Mary’s is so lucky to have such an active Community Council. Thanks goes to Stacey Smith, Sarah Curry and her two German workers for giving up their time to plant and water the trees. And our special thanks to Sarah and Josh Curry’s business Majors Mulch for donating the topsoil and mulch.

My door is always open!!! 

Regards,

Damian Collins

Assistant Principal

  Appreciation

This week's MJR focus is "Appreciation". People who practise this virtue can approach situations and hardship with empathy and are able to see positive solutions instead of just problems. People with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ are also less likely to feel depressed or anxious, regardless of circumstances.

3 Practical Ways To Live Appreciation Out:

• Saying thank you when someone does something kind for us
• Giving a small gift/hug/kind word to someone we care about for no special reason
• Offering to help around the house or classroom to show our parents/carers/teachers/friends we love them

A Prayer for Appreciation

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed on my life.

You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined.

 You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. 

You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions.

Amen

Attendances

Interviews for all Year 1 to Year 6 students will be held this week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3.30pm in your child's classroom, depending on teacher availiablity.

These interviews are held in Term 1 to enable parents to speak about their child's strengths and where they might require some help.

The booking form is available on Compass. When you open Compass go to more down the bottom of the screen with the 3 lines and select Conferences.

Please take this opportunity to speak to your child's teacher.

The following events are in the calendar in the next few weeks.

The Compass Calendar is updated to show Mass times, sporting events, important events.

Day	Event	Location
Wednesday 14th February	Kinder Rest Day and Best Start Testing
Wednesday 14th February	Life Education Van - Happy Healthy Harold	At School
Wednesday 14th February	Ash Wednesday Mass @ 2pm - All Welcome	St Mary's Church
Wednesday 21st February	Kinder Rest Day and Best Start Testing
Thursday 22nd February	Western Region Swimming For athletes who qualified only.	Cootamundra
Monday 26th February	Opening and Blessing of Refubishments	At School
Wednesday 28th February	Kinder Rest Day and Best Start Testing

• Medical Form (Blue) - All Years - Please complete and return the form to the school office.  A new form is required for each student every year.  If you indicate your child has asthma, even if seasonal, an action plan from your doctor is required to be held at the school office along with a puffer and spacer labelled with your child's name.

    

Parents of Kinder students are reminded that there are still 3 more rest days - Wednesday the 14th, 21st and finally the 28th of February.

Our Kinder students get very tired and this break will help them to remain keen and focused.