Dear Parents and Carers

It has been a wonderful weekend for many of our Year 6 families with the Sacrament of Confirmation being conferred by Bishop Brian Mascord on Saturday night. Students from St Mary’s and other local primary schools gathered with their families to receive the Sacrament. The mass was beautifully supported by the Parish community. A big thanks to all staff who supported the students. In particular to Mr Simon Kinch in his role as Religious Education Coordinator who combined with Mrs Erin Chard, provided beautiful music on the night. The St Mary’s candidates had been well prepared by Mr Brent Harding. This preparation culminated in a Retreat Day hosted by St Mary’s on Friday. Thank you to Father Michael for generously sharing his time and knowledge with our candidates and for being so supportive of the families presenting their child. Congratulations to all of the newly confirmed students who have made such an important commitment to their faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

There were many reasons to celebrate our school last Thursday as our Infants and Primary Choirs made the journey up to Nowra to compete in the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod. Both choirs represented their school with great pride. I was lucky enough to join the choirs for the day to witness their enthusiasm and beautiful songs. The children were so well presented in their full school uniforms and looked so impressive on stage. Both choirs came home with an award: the Infants choir a Highly Commended, and the Primary Choir First Place in the small choir section. A big congratulations and thank you to our Music teacher and Choir leader Mrs Erin Chard who trained and conducted the choir with such a sense of joy for singing and music.

Thank you to everyone who visited and supported our school Book Fair last week, there were many excited customers moving through the school with very shiny new books. This initiative has provided some lovely new books for our school Library as well as motivating students to read, read, read! Thanks to Mrs Louise Hamilton and Mrs Karyn Faust for their running and organising of this annual event.

Kindergarten 2020 Interviews will be held in the coming weeks. If you know of a family who would like to join our beautiful school next year, please remind them to return their enrolment forms to the school office at their earliest convenience. Once  forms are received an Enrolment interview can be booked. We are excited this year to introduce a ‘Transition To School Playgroup’ where all students and their parents are invited into school to play, and to get to know each other. This will assist in building confidence and community, before our new Kinders begin their school journey.

Last Monday, Mr Simon Kinch and I attended the initial meeting for the ‘Fathering Project’ which is a combined schools community project with the Apex Club and Milton and Ulladulla Primary Schools. This project focuses on the important role of fathers and other father figures in the lives of children, as well as building a network of fathers supporting each other. One of the main tips of the night was the importance of connecting with your children and the importance of eye contact to make this connection. At St Mary’s, we are encouraging children to greet each other and adults at school and encouraging them to look at each other when they do this. It would be great to have our parents also encouraging this at home and out in the community. St Mary’s School is very happy to be hosting the first Fathering Project event on the 24th June. Please save the date and practise your paper plane making skills for the event. Everyone is welcome to join the fun!

Have a good week and I look forward to seeing you around our school.

Yours in partnership,

Laurinda Nelson

Principal

Tuesday 28th May:  P& F Kids Breakfast                            

 Shoalhaven Schools Workshop Year 6  at St Johns Nowra                              

Bus leaving 8.15am sharp                             

Reconciliation Liturgy 9.30am

Thursday 30th May:

Year 5 & 6 Parents are invited to meet 6.00pm St Mary's School Hall with Mrs Sandra Hogan from St Johns

Friday 31st May:   

Assembly Year 2, 2.30pm & Infants choir performance

Monday 3rd June:  

P&F Meeting 6.00pm Staff room

Tuesday 4th June:   

P&F Kids Breakfast

Eisteddfod Verse Speaking Nowra, Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2

Bus leaving 8.15pm sharp

Friday 7th June:    

Athelics Carnival Frogs Holla

Friday 14th June:  

Assembly Year 5, 2.30pm & Primary choir performance

SPB4L Celebration Corner                                         

Class Merit Awards Week, presented at Assembly on Friday afternoons

Kinder –Zuri G, Jacob Mc

Year 1 –Arabella B, Luen R

Year 2 – Milla G, Joshua Mc

Year 3 – Aska P, Abby L

Year 4  - Zara C, Balin W-C

Year 5 – Alexander L, Callan M

Year 6 – Jye G, Digby O

Shining Star

Andie M, Max C, Arlo D, Delphi S-H, Matthew R

Super Star Awards for Week,

We care for Ourselves

Max B, Bryn, Bowie M, Alexa R, Axel B, Charli P, Milla G, Peyton M, Aurelia R 

Jemma McM, Jacob DG, Louis R, Coen R, Delphi S-H, Imogen H, Meka C                         

We Care For Others

Ila H, Max C, Sumarni WC, Matthew R  

We Care For Our Learning

Jemima C, Jemma McM, Axel B, Tehya G, Eli D, Parker M-J, Tex L, Hamish K, Darasimi O

We Care For Our School

Jemima C, Andie M, Summer G, Hamish K, Austin G

Photo 1: Max B shining at the AFL skills day.

Photo 2: Ben K making some creative pictures with 2D shapes.

Photo 3- 4: Alexander B, Bryn S developing early Multiplication and Division skills.

Photo 5-6: Bowie M, Lachlan W and Jacob McC very focused on developing their fine motor skills.

Photo 7: Timothy O consolidating Friends of 10 facts with the ‘Make 10’ bingo game.

Photo 8: Zuri G receiving a gift from our lovely prac student Mrs Nakita Hellman, who finished up on Friday. We will miss you Nakita!

Photo 9: Parker G Ellyana S, Jemima C and Daisy D are enjoying a sunny day together. Life is swell in Kindergarten!

Catholic Youth Ministry Wollongong team’s new ACTIVATE fire program.

Year 6 students from St Mary's and St Michael's were all treated to a day-long immersive spiritual experience. A range of sessions were on offer throughout the morning and afternoon that included a mix of singing and prayer, discussion and reflection, games, workshops and other fun...plus the social opportunity of a sausage sizzle together at lunch.

Based on the Year 6 Religious Education unit, Confirmation: Celebrating the Gift of the Holy Spirit, the program is designed to move our young people from a passive experience of their faith towards a more active, mature and responsible engagement with God.

The experience also gives the children a taste of the youth ministry initiatives they will be offered in secondary school and a chance to share in our Catholic mission to spread the word and love of God through words and action.

The Catholic Youth Ministry were assisted by students from St Johns High School Nowra.

Yipee!! Our Annual Athletics Carnival is coming up on Friday Week 6.

When: 7th June 2019

Where: Frogs Holla

Time: 9:45am start

Events and Extra Info: 800m, 100m, 200m, Discus, Shot Put, High Jump, Long Jump.

ONLY students turning 8 this year or older can qualify for the next level carnival.

Most events are run in ‘Junior’-8/9/10 years, ‘11 Years’ and ‘Seniors’- 12/13 years except for the 100m sprint which is run in each age category.

Students who place 1st and 2nd in the FINALS of the 100m and 200m OR/AND place 1st in all other events will be asked to represent St Mary’s Star of the Sea at the South Coast Diocesan Carnival on Tuesday 13 August at Beaton Park, Gwynneville.

Please bring: hat, sunscreen, packed lunch as per normal day, LOTS of water, change for the cake stall and BBQ.

Students will go to school as normal and catch the bus to Frogs Holla. Parents may collect students after the carnival. Permission notes will be sent home this week and need to be returned by Tuesday 4th June.

WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

1. The P&F will be hosting a sausage sizzle and cake stall as they did last year. If you can help out with baking for the stall, cooking the BBQ on the day or selling at the cake stall, please contact Jodie Lee via email:  jodieannlee1@gmail.com
2. Parent helpers needed to assist in the running of events. Each event will have a teacher organising but a parent helper to assist recording and measuring would be marvellous.

Last Monday saw several of our students participate in the SPLICED gifted and talented workshop held at Chittick lodge in Gerringong. It was an early morning for our students - Abby Louth, Tess Wilson and Sia Kapetanos but well worth the efforts as all students made great progress and contributions toward their SPLICED project. Twelve students from St Mary’s are participating in this years program, responding creatively to the theme ‘The Good, the beautiful and the true’.

Mrs Emily McGregor

Visual Arts Teacher

The School Support Officers were spoilt with a lovely luncheon last week for all the wonderful things they do for our students and teaching staff. Thank you!!

Please join us for a liturgy on Tuesday 28th May at 9.30am.

National Reconciliation Week is celebrated each year throughout Australia between 27th May and 3rd June.   These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for all Australians to highlight and celebrate the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and rights in the history of our nation. In 2019, the theme is “Grounded in Truth, Walk Together with Courage”.

Lucas A, Liam R, Lily W, Louis R

The uniform shop would like any uniforms students have out grown and families are happy to donate back into the pool of pre loved uniforms. The pre loved uniforms are avilible to all families of the school and can be picked up on uniform shop days.

School Ties are on order.

Schedule of School Route Service Changes