St Mary's War Memorial School West Wyalong eNewsletter

Dear Parents/Carers,

As we enter Week 8, the end of term is fast approaching and the holidays are just around the corner. The final three weeks are filled with important events and activities, so we encourage all families to read the newsletter carefully to stay informed and avoid missing out.

On Monday, St Mary’s had the privilege of hosting two educators from COGlearn as part of our ongoing commitment to professional learning and instructional improvement. The visiting coaches worked alongside our teaching staff, offering support and constructive feedback to enhance their classroom practice. I am pleased to share that our staff demonstrated exceptional professionalism and expertise throughout the day. The COGlearn team expressed their admiration for both our dedicated teachers and the respectful, engaged students they encountered. It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on our practice and celebrate the strengths of our school community.

On Thursday and Friday of last week I met with other principals in the region. We discussed the assessment approach that the Archdiocese are looking to mandate for Mathematics, ‘Acadience’. It was encouraging to see how closely this assessment piece aligns with the Connecting Maths Concepts (CMC) program we already teach at St Mary’s. I am confident that our students are well prepared for this assessment tool and will be able to respond effectively to the even more challenging aspects of the tests.

Last week, we warmly welcomed the Naidoo family to our school community. Avanya has joined Kindergarten, and Divya has joined Year 5. We trust you’ll enjoy your time with us and look forward to the wonderful contributions you’ll make to our school.

As outlined in the school uniform policy “For health and safety reasons boys and girls hair is to be worn tied back if longer than shoulder length. Hair adornments must be in a colour scheme that matches the uniform and kept to a minimum. Jewellery is also to be kept at a minimum.” Where the policy states “Jewellery should be kept to a minimum”, means that we request that only small sleepers or studs be worn. Dangling earrings or decorative sleepers are not permitted for safety and uniform consistency. Thank you for your cooperation and support in maintaining our school standards.

Remember my door is always open.

Principal

Damian Collins

Sometimes despite your best intentions, getting your children to school can be difficult. If your child is reluctant to go to school, it can be challenging, but there are several approaches you can take to address this:

Open Communication: Talk to your child to understand the reasons behind their reluctance. It could be due to academic pressure, social issues, or other concerns.
Positive Reinforcement: Encourage and reward your child for attending school. Small incentives can motivate them to go.
Involve Them in Solutions: Ask your child for their input on what might make school more enjoyable or less stressful for them.
Work with the School: Collaborate with teachers and school counsellors to address any issues your child might be facing.
Create a Supportive Environment: Ensure your child feels supported at home. Help them with homework and be there to listen to their concerns.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down the school day into manageable parts and set small, achievable goals to help your child feel more in control.

It's important to be patient and understanding while working through this. Every child is different, so finding the right approach might take some time.

This week at St Mary’s our focus value will be Mercy - Mercy means choosing not to hold someone’s wrong action against them and letting go of anger and bitterness. It’s showing kindness and compassion, even if the other person doesn’t apologise. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to show mercy when he said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you.”

A Prayer for Mercy

Term 3 Class Mass

Date

Class

Week 8

Wednesday 10th September

Kinder, Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3 Class Mass @ 12pm

Parents and friends are more than welcome.

Week 9

Wednesday 17th September

Year 4, Year 5 & Year 6 Class Mass @ 12pm

Parents and friends are more than welcome.

School Involvement in Sunday Mass

This Sunday, our school is rostered to participate in the parish Mass.
We will be contributing to several parts of the celebration, including:

Welcome

Music

Offertory Procession

Prayers of the Faithful

First Reading

Second Reading

Responsorial Psalm

If you or your child would like to be involved, please see me for more details.
We’d love to have as many students and families participate as possible!

Student Pick Up and Drop Off Procedures

A reminder to all families that when collecting your child/ren early from school or dropping them off late, you must report to the Front Office.

For safety and accountability reasons, parents are not permitted to go directly to classrooms to collect their child. Upon arrival at the office, staff will contact your child’s classroom teacher and have them sent down to meet you.

You will also be required to sign your child in or out using the Compass Kiosk (pictured below).

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and organised school environment.

Classroom Access Reminder

We kindly remind all families that parents are not permitted to enter classrooms at any time during the school day. This is to ensure minimal disruption to learning and to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students.

If your child has forgotten an item, please bring it to the Front Office, and our office staff will ensure it is delivered to your child promptly.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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Week 7 Whatever You Do, Do Well Award Winners

Tomas Haworth	Ted Iverach	Matilda Cumming
Hugh Haworth	Piper Hoye	Sam Robertson
Stevie Smith	Charlotte Pursehouse	Reuben Ridley
Rose Hague	Harriet Bell	Adalia Chantrill

Our assemblies are held at school on Friday afternoons at 1:50pm in the School Hall. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

Show Day BBQ

Last Wednesday, our wonderful Community Council hosted a BBQ at the West Wyalong Show. A heartfelt thank you to the amazing volunteers who generously gave their time to help out. Your support and effort are truly appreciated and helped make the day a great success!

Saugage Sizzle

Last Friday, our amazing canteen manager, together with the Community Council, hosted a sausage sizzle for our students. The delicious lunch brought plenty of smiles and happy faces across the school.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the lunchtime rush run smoothly. Your support and teamwork are greatly appreciated!

Happy Birthday to

Adaline Stephens & Aris K C

who celebrate their birthdays during this week.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

Week 8

Date and Day	Teacher on Leave or PD	Class	Relief
Wednesday 10th September	Miss Turner	Year 6 Faith	Mrs O'Brien

St Mary’s is pleased to offer a great tutoring opportunity designed to support student learning and growth. There is a retired gentleman named Jack who is multi-lingual and also highly skilled in helping children who struggle with mathematics. He has undertaken tutoring in Sydney for students from low grades to Year 12 but now lives in West Wyalong. He is very dedicated to this work and enjoys seeing the children advance and grasp what was previously difficult for them.

Jack does not wish to be paid for this service. The incentive for him is solely being constructively helpful and having the satisfaction of seeing good results.

As Jack has limited mobility (uses a walking stick and is quite slow-moving) it would be ideal if the students could come to his home to be tutored. He would like a parent or parents to accompany the students, for two reasons - firstly because they can then absorb his approach to the learning process he uses and so to help the children at home as necessary, secondly due to the fact that there are ethical / safety considerations which need to be upheld. He will obtain a WWCC once he has a few students to tutor. He has held a WWCC previously.

Please contact the school if you wish to take up this fabulous opportunity!!

Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese Trials

If your Year 5/6 child has the ability to compete at a representative level in the following sports - Basketball, Cricket, Netball, Football (Soccer), Softball, Touch Football and Rugby Union - you are able to nominate them for the Archdiocesan trials.

Please note that the Archdicocesan representative sport trials are highly competitve and there is an expectation that children nominating for these trials have extensive experience in the sport and currently compete at a high level.

If you would like to nominate your child to trial for a sport please go to https://csnsw.sport

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ST ANNE'S SHOWCASE OF TALENT 2025

Students will travel to Temora Town Hall on Tuesday 23th of September (Week 10) to attend the Temora Showcase of Talent. A Compass event will been sent out in the next few weeks for parents to action.

Students will be travelling by bus which will be provided by the school, departure 8.55am sharp and return by 1.00 pm for lunch.

Students should wear full school uniform and bring their hat, water bottle, recess and a piece of fruit.

The performance is linked to our English and Creative arts curriculum.

A Compass event will be sent out this week. If your know your child will be absent on that day please call the school so they can be removed from the event.

Students and staff are eagerly looking forward to our upcoming Ignite and Explore Day—a celebration of the hard work and dedication our students have shown over the past three terms.

Teachers have planned a range of exciting and engaging activities for all students to enjoy throughout the day. It promises to be a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved.

As a special treat, students are welcome to wear mufti clothes on the day.

Basketball NSW Regional Primary Schools Tournament 2025

The BNSW Regional Primary Schools Tournament is coming back to the Riverina in 2025.

The upcoming tournament will now be held at PCYC in Wagga on the 21st and 22nd of October. A detailed draw will be released next week and will be attached to the Compass event for your reference.

Year 5 and 6 parents, please keep an eye out for the Compass notification, which will include all relevant information regarding the event.

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 10th September	K - 2 Excursion to Town Library - Author visit	Bland Shire Library
Friday 12th September	Todd Woodbridge Cup - Stage 2	West Wyalong Tennis Courts
Friday 19th September		At school
Tuesday 23rd September	St Anne's Catholic College Showcase - 10:30am	Temora Town Hall
Wednesday 24th September		At school
Wednesday 24th September	MacKillop Athletics	Sydney
Thursday 25th September	Police Fire & rescue Day	McAlister Oval
Thursday 25th September	Last day of Term 3	At school
Friday 26th September	Staff Development Day
Monday 13th October	Staff Development Day
Tuesday 14th October	Students Return	At school
Monday 20th October	Kinder Orientation - 1/2 day & Parent Information Session	At school
Monday 27th October	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Monday 3rd November	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Monday 10th November	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Thursday 13th November	School Photo Day	At school

We are welcoming new enrolments for the 2026 school year.

Please get your enrolments in for Kinder 2026 ASAP.

Thursday 13th November 2025

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School photography day is Thursday Week 5, Term 4. 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. Envelopes have not arrived at school yet. We will notify you when they do.
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 .

Reports available on Compass @ 3:30pm	TBC
Speech Day	Thursday 4th December
School Play	Thursday 11th December
Year 6 Graduation Mass	Tuesday 16th December
Year 6 Graduation Dinner	Tuesday 16th December
Final Day of School	Thursday 18th December

Date and Day

Teacher on Leave or PD

Class

Relief

Wednesday 10th September

Miss Turner

Year 6 Faith

Mrs O'Brien