Principal's News, Term 2 Week 1

Dear Parents and Friends,
Greetings and welcome back to Term 2! I trust that you all enjoyed a refreshing Autumn break with your families and are looking forward to working closely in partnership as a parish and school community this term. It will be a busy one!

We commence the term with some welcoming news about the Stage 2 Building Project. North Sydney Council has finally approved the Development Application and the process for tenders has commenced. As mentioned in our previous building update we are looking towards the end of June as a starting date for the project and once a program for construction has been timetabled I will notify the community.  Exciting times ahead!

This term we welcome Mrs. Robyn Harper as the Reading Recovery teacher for St Mary’s while Elizabeth Kaye is away. Robyn brings a wealth of experience in teaching literacy to the Year 1 classes and will continue with the program for the remainder of this year. Ms. Emily Barr will also be teaching part-time in the Year 1 and 2 classes as a support for literacy and numeracy during Elizabeth Kaye’s absence.

This term we will engage in a whole-school process of leadership of change. This is a structured process known as Change 2 where teams of teachers create a detailed plan to address a critical challenge the school is facing. The objective of the change in our school is for teachers to know the impact of their flexible, innovative practices on student learning. Measurable outcomes would see an increase in teaching skills and innovative practices; students involved in a range of learning modalities; pedagogical needs informing the design and fit-out of learning spaces and an increased sense of teacher creativity. There will be an opportunity for parents to have input as the process develops throughout this term. We look forward to this experience of professional development as we focus on increasing student engagement and enjoyment of their learning.

Enjoy a peaceful week ahead and a smooth start to the term.

Best wishes and God bless
Beverly

Dear Parents and Friends,

It is hard to believe that we have arrived at the end of the term. This has been a term filled with many wonderful learning experiences and great community building opportunities.

During the past few weeks I have been proud of the way in which you showed mercy towards others by supporting our social justice captains in their appeal for Caritas and the Jesuit Mission. Together we raised a total of $1650! Well done.

We say farewell to Ms Elizabeth Kaye for the remainder of this year while she moves to Blessed Sacrament Primary School in Clifton Gardens in an acting role as Assistant Principal. We congratulate Elizabeth on her appointment and look forward to her return in 2017.

Staff Development Day 
Tuesday April 26th is a Staff Development Day. On this day our whole staff will be involved in professional development on the new History Curriculum as part of the BOSTES requirements.
Term Two commences on Wednesday April 27th.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful, happy and safe holiday. Enjoy this special time of relaxation with your children and I look forward to seeing you all next term.

May God bless you all,
Beverly

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week I very much enjoyed participating in the Leadership Camp with our Year 5 and 6 students and their teachers at the Royal National Park in the Sutherland Shire. This Leadership Camp is an important part of our students' learning experiences as it's through this self-reflection and discovery that they develop and challenge themselves.

At St Mary's School we believe in the development of the whole person through these opportunities. We strive to achieve this by maintaining a dual emphasis on wellbeing and academic achievement across all aspects of school life. Our whole school approach is designed to create a learning community which is strengths - focused, engenders resilience and enables individuals to flourish. We believe our role extends beyond teaching academic competence to educating the heart and the mind.

I congratulate our Year 5 and 6 students on their excellent participation on the Leadership Day.

This week I would also like to share two beautiful letters which were chosen by Pope Francis to be included in his book of letters from children around the world. These letters were written by Luca and Thierry from Year 2 and I congratulate them on their excellent achievements. We have included both letters and the response from Pope Francis for you to enjoy.

May I wish every family a very happy and holy Easter in this special Church season.

God bless
Beverly

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome to Catholic Schools Week!

This week we celebrate Sydney Catholic Schools as inspiring places of learning and evangelisation.

Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) is responsible for the leadership, efficient operation and management of the systemic schools which educate around 71,000 students in 150 parish primary and regional secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

The allocation and administration of the funds provided by government and private sources for the operation of Catholic schools is a further responsibility of Sydney Catholic Schools. Its financial responsibilities extend to the administration of salaries for approximately 9,000 staff members (permanent, temporary and casual) employed in Archdiocesan schools and offices.

SCS works with schools in implementing its strategic improvement plan 'New Horizons: Inspiring Spirits and Minds' to provide support for schools and ensure that every student receives a high-quality Catholic education.

As part of these celebrations St Mary's School will hold our school open day next week on Thursday March 17th for the traditional Grandparents Day event. All families are invited to participate in the Liturgy, morning tea and visits to classrooms to see the learning in action.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Yours in peace,
Beverly

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week we ask all families to reflect on the importance of the season of Lent. As educators we talk to the children about the special ways they can show compassion towards each other and how love is a vital component in their lives, just as Christ made it the basis of His whole message to us.

Lent is a time that we focus on our relationship with God. It is a time for letting go of what prevents us from being the person we want to be. During His public life, Jesus faced temptation. He suffered hunger and thirst, betrayal and the agony and humiliation of crucifixion. He did not face these things so that we could be exempt from them but that we could approach our difficulties in life with dignity.

Recently, I read this reflection from a 14 year old girl: "I give up things for Lent, such as bread or lollies, to symbolise the sacrifice Jesus made during his 40 day fast. I am tempted each day by the things I gave up just as Jesus was."

Of course adults can still give up the equivalent of "bread and lollies" as external gestures of focus on the season of Lent, but more important are the internal matters which, if faced up to in a determined manner, will have lasting effects on the type of person we are beyond the 40 days of Lent.
God you are the focal point on our horizon. Give us the strength to follow the path that leads to you.

Vision for 2016

It has been a delight to meet with so many parents at the information night and the "meet and greet" occasion and communicate our vision for 2016. With a population of 326 students and 236 families we are confident of continuing to develop an excellent environment for learning and teaching. As explained at the parent information evening our vision for improvement in 2016 will focus on the following four strategic areas.

1. Catholic Identity and Mission: Curriculum differentiation in teacher's Religious Education programs to ensure that every student is engaged and learning successfully.

2. Learning and Teaching: Student learning is improved through a revitalisation of the Voice Learning Principles, flexible pedagogies and design of the learning spaces.

3. Learning and Teaching: Strengthen a culture of improvement through a systematic, reflective and evidenced based approach to learning and teaching through the Newman Project for gifted learners and personalised learning for all students.

4. Student and Staff Wellbeing: The safety and support of our school environment is strengthened through the implementation of the resource Kids Matters.
You will find further details on the school website for your perusal.

Parent Engagement

We encourage all parents to take part in the many social activities and information sessions that are scheduled for 2016. We commence next week with the first P&F Meeting for the year. Come along and hear about ways you can contribute to the school community which will benefit your child in their education.

This coming Wednesday February 24th between 8.00 am and 9.00 am Mr Tim Butt will give an overview of the school website and how to access particular information when using the Blogs. Tim will also give an update on the BYOD program in the school.

May the week ahead be a peaceful one.

God Bless,
Beverly

Welcome to the 2016 School Year

Dear Parents and Friends,

Happy New Year!

May I wish you a very warm welcome back to the 2016 school year. I trust that you have enjoyed a relaxing summer holiday with your families and now feel refreshed and energized for the busy year ahead.

A special welcome to the new families who join our school for the first time. We hope that you quickly feel part of the great spirit that is alive in our growing community. I would also like to welcome our new staff members and wish them a smooth transition into their new learning environment.

This year is designated to the Year of Mercy. The motto “Merciful Like the Father” (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure (cfr.LK 6: 37-38). We are fortunate to have Pope Francis as our leader of the Church with his warm smile, positive message and great compassion for all, especially the poor. His influence is enormous and his leadership a great model for all leaders at this time.

I wish all staff and families God’s blessing for 2016.

Yours sincerely,

Beverly

Dear Parents and Friends,

This is our last message for 2015 so I sincerely thank you for your support and generosity in everything that you do to make the community of St Mary’s so unique and special. This year has seen us celebrate together as a faith community in many eventful ways forming partnerships and recognizing the variety of talents we share.

I congratulate members of our staff who have worked together as a cohesive and dynamic team always dedicated to the vision of creating an excellent school where children love to learn. To our teachers who leave us this year may I wish you success and happiness in your new roles for 2016 and thank you for celebrating the journey within the faith community of St Mary’s.

A special thanks is also given to our Parish Priest Fr. Andy Bullen and the other Jesuit Priests of Our Lady of the Way Parish who very generously support our school community with their guidance and spiritual formation.

May the peace and joy of the Christmas season be with you and your families and may you enjoy a relaxing and safe summer holiday.

May God bless you all.

Beverly Coffey