Principal's News Term 3 Week 1

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome back to our students and families for Term Three. It promises to be a busy one with many opportunities for learning and growth.

We commenced our new Term with a visit from Liga Miklasevics, a Canadian school principal from the city of Toronto in Ontario, who is here to see the learning in action at St Mary's. Liga is particularly interested in how the students develop strong skills in Mathematics learning and how the teachers differentiate across the curriculum to engage students in authentic learning. Liga is part of the principal exchange program which has been developed over the years between Australia and Canada to bring a global connection for leaders in schools.

It was a pleasure to be part of the Year 1A Liturgy celebrated in St Mary's Church this morning. I congratulate the children on their beautiful responses to their theme that God's love and nourishment is special to all children in the world.

The term ahead will be interesting for us all so we look forward to working closely in partnership with you as we encourage our students to be successful and happy learners.

Yours in peace,
Beverly

Principal's News - Term 2 Week 10

Dear Parents and Friends,

Leadership at St Mary's School starts at an early age. Students in Years Kindergarten to Year 6 are elected to the Student Representative Council and invited to give a voice into making their school a better place. Students experience leadership by being involved in Liturgies and School Masses, public speaking and special events for the St Mary's community. Our leadership program encourages students to become confident and articulate and to see service to others as an opportunity to make a difference in the community.

Our Year 6 students are developing their leadership skills in a variety of ways, enabling them to become confident, dedicated and positive students who are prepared to guide and inspire others. I am grateful to our Year 6 student leaders for their positive role modelling and willingness to give their time and effort to others in their first semester of Year 6.  They are true models of the spirit of St Mary's. Congratulations!

School Liturgies
Last Sunday our Year 3 students received the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. We congratulate these young people and their families at this special time. I would also like to thank our celebrant Fr. Michael, and the many staff members who supported our students and families at the Masses.

Celebration of Learning
Congratulations to our students who work hard each day to do their best. This has been celebrated in the school report and parent/teacher interviews this week. Thank you parents for supporting us at home. It is when the school and family work in a partnership that great gains are made by the students.

Student Performance
Today our Junior Band students performed a number of songs under the creative direction of Mr. Rod Herbert at our morning assembly. This was a most entertaining finish to the school term and a tribute to our hard-working students.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a restful, happy and safe holiday and enjoy this special time with your children. I look forward to greeting you again next term.

School Building Update
We are anticipating that the builders will be on site from Week 3 in the next term to commence the Stage 2 Building Project. Students who will be housed in the demountable classrooms will move across at the end of Week 2 after the preparation work is completed. A more detailed report will accompany this bulletin.

Staff News
We say farewell to Mrs. Sarah Lewis our Y 1 teacher, who is taking maternity leave until 2017. We wish Sarah and her husband Jed, much happiness for the coming weeks.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a restful, happy and safe holiday and enjoy this special time with your children. I look forward to greeting you again next term.

May God bless you all,
Beverly

Term 2, Week 8

Dear Parents and Friends,

The weekly merit and principal awards are given to students to encourage and challenge them to try their best in all facets of school life. I have noticed that a number of our students are responding well to the award for Mercy.

As you are aware Pope Francis announced a Jubilee Year of Mercy for 2016 which ends on the Solemnity of Christ the King on November 20 this year. Mercy, if pondered, could profoundly and mysteriously influence the way we live our daily lives. Using Pope Francis' words as a springboard can help us examine the call and challenge to be disciples of Jesus. In doing so, we too witness to the divine love that God has for us as proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future with hope. I congratulate our students who are showing mercy in their relationships with others and being the face of Jesus.

The Athletics Carnival last week was also a wonderful display of our students and their ability to try their hardest in team sports and individual events. Their ability to be resilient as well as encouraging others were positive traits on the day. I congratulate them all!

Creative thinking skills are always listed as desirable characteristics for 21st century learners. Last week, four of our Year 6 students participated in a creativity project with the advertising agency Clemenger BBDO as part of the Vivid exhibition. I was most impressed with Niamh S, Lucy, Niamh O and Isaac in their clever responses and project work around the topic of Drought as part of real-world solutions and outcomes implemented by the students. Well done students!

This coming weekend will see the demountable classrooms installed on site. Builders will need a couple of weeks to install them and make the area surrounding safe and secure. We are planning to move the classrooms across during the second week of the school holidays and have them ready for occupation at the beginning of next term. Further updates will be given next week.

Best wishes for a positive week ahead
Yours in peace,
God bless,
Beverly

Principal's News, Term 2 Week 5

Dear Parents and Friends,

What makes a Catholic school distinctive?

The answer lies in its attempt to generate a community climate which is inspired by the Gospel spirit of freedom and love. At St Mary's school we continue to strengthen our faith community whose values are communicated through the close relationships of its members, and a common belief in the presence of God. Thank you for your genuine efforts as we work together in this partnership.

May I also give a special thanks to our Yr 6 parents who co-ordinated the recent Lapathon. Julie Donnell and Diana Gedeon were instrumental in volunteering their time for the success of the day. Altogether we raised a very generous amount of $18 000. Congratulations to all!

Catholic Education in Australia has a wonderful record of volunteering which started with the Priests, Brothers and Sisters who, as members of Religious Orders were responsible for setting up an Australia wide network of schools and colleges. This was achieved with the support of Catholic people who, though mostly belonging to the lower socio-economic section of society, gave generously to support the purchase of property, the erection of buildings and the provision of teaching materials. This of course is not purely an historical reflection, for the same support is still occurring on a daily basis in thousands of schools throughout Australia.

When it comes to helping around the school by being an active member of a school committee, assisting in classrooms , supervising an excursion, listening to children read or coaching a computer team - this is the wide scope for parent volunteers. Volunteers are the life of healthy societies everywhere. We really appreciate your efforts.

Staff News
It is with great delight that we announce the appointment of Mr. Tim Butt as the Acting Religious Education Co-ordinator for the remainder of this year. We congratulate Tim and wish him much success in his new role.

This week I will be attending the Eastern Region Principals Conference  for three days so will be absent from the school. Mrs. Julie Hunt will be available for any parent consultation should any situation arise.

May I wish you a happy and positive week ahead.

Yours in peace,
Beverly

Principal's News, Term 2 Week 3

Dear Parents and Friends,

It has been a delight to observe the wonder and excitement in the children this week with the arrival of the chicken eggs as part of their lessons in STEM. Throughout this week the children have been drawn like magnets to the incubator watching the baby chicks emerge from their shells. Such engagement clearly proves the importance of developing this love of nature by providing opportunities for children to experience this type of learning. The teachers have captured these precious moments and directed the children to compose poems, narratives and beautiful art work for all to enjoy. We have truly been using our inspirational voice this week!

Stage Two Building Project is progressing along as planned with the architects working towards obtaining a construction certificate to commence the building works. Currently there are four builders who are putting in a tender for the project and this process should take up to approximately six weeks to complete. Work will also commence on the demolition of the presbytery garages to allow for the installation of the demountables as soon as the construction certificate has been obtained. We will notify all parents once this documentation has been approved and the construction is ready to commence.

This week we will also share the new Sydney Catholic Schools Parent Charter for your perusal. This document has been produced to support parents in their role as the primary educators of their child. It provides parents with the principles and expectations that underpin the partnership between parents and schools. It is an important touchstone for all partners in Catholic education, to help build school communities based on the enduring values of faith, hope and love.

I would like to thank all families for their patience around the operation of the online canteen facility. We are currently organising for Qkr to be used at La Tazzina to assist parents with the ordering of student lunches. We will let you know when this system is ready to go, but in the interim lunch orders will come through the school.

May I wish you a positive week ahead

Yours in peace,
Beverly

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