Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back for another term of fun, learning and the building of friendships at St Mary’s. After visiting each class it is obvious the students enjoyed their break as they positively recounted the many exciting adventures they experienced. Yesterday, the staff were involved in a Spirituality Formation day led by Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn. This important spiritual experience was held at the chapel at Bolo including staff from St Joseph’s, Grenfell and St Francis Xavier, Lake Cargelligo.

As you would be aware NAIDOC Week was celebrated last week. St Mary’s will celebrate this in Week 1 of this term, by completing indigenous artwork which will be displayed in the hall. Students will also be engaging in a number of indigenous activities throughout the week. The St Mary’s NAIDOC celebrations will culminate in the designing their very own boomerang in their BCR groups.

On Friday our leadership class will attend this year’s Archdiocesan NAIDOC Mass in Young. We are confident our Year 6 class will be excellent ambassadors of St Mary’s. More details about this event can be found on Compass.

On Saturday evening our staff supported the St Mary’s Parish Debutante Ball. It was a lovely celebration of faith, compassion and Service. The 12 debutantes looked stunning and enjoyed a lovely evening. Assistant Principal Nickey Harland and I were privileged to be part of such an amazing celebration. A special congratulations and thanks to our very own Darcy Nicholson and Luna Kelly from Year 1 who were the page boy and flower girl.

From this Term onwards the school newsletter, a vital point of communication between home and school, will be published on a Tuesday. Apologies for any inconvenience.

In the last week of Term 2, I was officially appointed to the ongoing position of Principal of St Mary’s. I am deeply honoured and humbled to serve such a fantastic staff, school and community. I look forward to what the future at St Mary’s War Memorial holds.  

Remember my door is always open.

Principal

Damian Collins

Term 3, 2024 Class and Whole School Mass Timetable

Winter Skirts and Ties available from the school office

Elastic Ties and Small tie your own Ties have arrived!!

Girls winter skirts - various sizes - $40.

Ties (either elastic or tie your own) - various lengths - $16

If you want further information please call the school office on (02) 6972 3003.

      Happy Birthday to

Ciara O'Meley and Harriet Bell

who celebrate their birthday during this week.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

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
Friday 26th July	NAIDOC Mass - Year 6	Young
Monday 29th July	ICAS Registrations CLOSE
Monday 5th August - Friday 9th August	ICAS - Writing & Digital Technologies	At School
Thursday 8th August	'Grug' Kinder, Year 1 & 2 excursion	Wagga Civic Theatre
Monday 12th August - Friday 16th August	ICAS - English	At School
Thursday 15th August	School Photo Day	At School
Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August	ICAS - Science & Spelling	At School
Monday 26th August - Friday 30th	ICAS - Maths	At School

Grug

• Winter uniform to be worn
• Hair is to be tied up and neat & tidy
• Socks - Boys grey and Girls navy
• Ties with top button done up
• Jumpers to be worn
• Girls in navy pants or school skirts and boys in grey pants
• No jewellery other than small studs or sleepers

  - Envelopes will be available at the front office when they arrive for those who do not wish to order online.

St Mary's War Memorial School

School Photography Date: 15th August 2024

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link above.

Important Information:

• School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school.
• Don’t forget to order your sibling photos now - when you order your single photos.
• Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day
• Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
• Past years’ photographs are available at school’s advancedlife & your advancedyou photo sites (follow the link above)

*Sibling photographs must be ordered either online, prior to the day of photography.  A photograph will not be taken without an order. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at the school.

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St Mary's War Memorial School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at  enquiries@advancedlife.com.au.

   

REGISTRATIONS 

CLOSING next Monday 29th July 2024

This year the UNSW ICAS assessments are online and will be held in August.

Participation in these assessments is at parents discretion.  There is no obiligation for your children to sit these assessments as they are not used in the schools reporting.

The ICAS assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment.  Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.  Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

All registrations and payment for 2024 are to be done online

To register and pay for your child please click on the following link and note that the special code for St Mary's is VNS280.

https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

Cost for EACH assessment is $19.25, except Writing which is $23.65

The sitting windows for the ICAS tests are listed below, however the school will finalise the actual date of the tests in the coming weeks:

Writing - Monday 5th - Friday 9th August

Digital Technologies - Monday 5th - Friday 9th August

English - Monday 12th - Friday 16th August

Science - Monday 19th - Friday 23rd August

Spelling Bee - Monday 19th - Friday 23rd August

Mathematics - Monday 26th - Friday 30th August

We are welcoming new enrolments for the 2025 school year.

Please enrol online before the 2nd of August, however late enrolments are always accepted, at our website with the link below - https://smwms.nsw.edu.au/enrolment

If you require further information please call the school office.