Principal's News - 10 March 2017

Dear Parents and Friends,

This week we once again ask all families to reflect on the importance of the Church season of Lent. 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 when we focus on our relationship with God. It is a time of letting go of what prevents us from being the person we want to be. During His public life, Jesus faced temptation, suffered hunger, thirst and betrayal as well as 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.

I have included these thoughts from Pope Francis about our commitment to Lent.

• Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
• Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
• Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
• Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
• Fast from worries and have trust in God.
• Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
• Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
• Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
• Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

Himalayan Trek

It is with great excitement that we update our community on the Himalayan Trek that is currently being organised by two of our parents Mr Craig Donnell and Dr. Kaustuv Bhattacharya. As you my remember, the idea of the trek was originally planned for November 2015 but was postponed due to the serious earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2015.

On Friday 28 April 2017, the team of trekkers which includes our parents, will depart for Kathmandu, Nepal to make an ascent on Imja Tse (Island Peak, 6189m). Their mission is to raise $100,000 for the Rare Disease Research Fund at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and St Mary's School. Dr. Kaustuv, who is the paediatric metabolic specialist at The Children's Hospital Westmead, outlined the challenges that lay ahead for his patients and the need for further research to help find cures or treatments.   

In addition to the funds being raised for research in Australia, St Mary's Parents and Friends Association along with our students are organising educational supplies that will be carried up the mountain to donate to Shree Himalaya Primary School in Namche Bazaar. A list of what is needed is included in this newsletter so we hope that you can support us. A need for warm clothing for Sherpas and their families has also been identified due to recent hardship caused by the earthquakes and avalanche.

This will be a wonderful opportunity for our community to be involved in this needy cause. Further details are included in today's newsblog.

We wish the Trekkers every success in this very worthy mission to help those in need.  

Parents and Friends Association

This week we welcomed many new faces to our first meeting for the year which outlined the plans for the social activities that will take place in 2017. It was a delightful opportunity to engage our parents in the ways they can support the St Mary's School Community this year. 

Building Project

Gledhill Constructions are making good progress on the building site now that the traffic management issues have been resolved with North Sydney Council. Work to be completed during this month includes:

• Complete detailed excavation
• Shotcrete works to both elevations
• Commence in ground drainage plus hydraulics below basement slab
• Reinforce and pour concrete footings/shoring columns to Ridge Lane
• Prepare, Form, Reinforce and pour basement slab by April 12th. 

Enjoy a relaxing weekend!

Kind regards,

Beverly Coffey

Term 1 Week 3 2017

New Year 4 Classroom for 2017

Dear Parents and Friends,

It has been encouraging to see our new Kindergarten children settling into their school routines so happily over the last few weeks. Congratulations to all parents for your great support in this task. We also thank all the students of St Mary's for making the Kindergarten children feel welcomed.

Today our community gathered for the Opening Mass for the 2017 School Year to celebrate in a spirit of love and service. The theme for this year is '' The Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is His name." The action statement is: "Give praise and thanks to God always."

The theme is part of The Magnificat, taken from Luke's Gospel and is the Blessed Virgin Mary's hymn of praise to the Lord. It is also known as the Canticle of Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours, a special collection of scripture readings, psalms and hymns. Throughout this year we will embrace this theme and lead our children to understand and respect the importance of showing gratitude in our daily lives.

The 2017 school year commences with a student population of 372 students in eleven classes with a well supported teaching and support staff consisting of the following:

• 16 Full-time teachers
• 7 Part-time specialist teachers for Reading Recovery; Gifted Education; Literacy and Numeracy Intervention; Music and French (TBA)
• 6 Learning Support Staff
• 2 Office Administration

School building Update
The Building Project is underway again after a delay due to an updated traffic management plan needing to be approved by North Sydney Council. The project managers are currently organising their timetable and schedule for the site works but a completion date has been set for December 13th 2017.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Kind regards,
Beverly Coffey

Welcome Back to St Mary’s School for 2017!

Dear Parents and Friends,

May I wish you a very warm welcome back to St Mary’s School for the 2017 School Year. I trust that you and your families have enjoyed a happy and successful start to the year and feel refreshed and re-energized after the summer break.

St Mary’s Staff returned to work last Friday for their professional learning day and all members are very motivated for the school year ahead and look forward to working in close partnership with you in the weeks and months to come.

Over the holidays the building project has progressed well with all of the demolition work completed. Security fencing has been erected around the building site which will affect a part of the playground usage for this year. In order to compensate for this loss of space the recess and lunch times will be staggered across the classes. This will not affect the start or finishing times of the school day.

The Year 2 and 3 classes will be accommodated in the demountable buildings this year and Year 4 will be located in the former staff room which has been modified to allow for this change. We look forward to welcoming all the students from Year 1 to 6 this coming Monday and our new Kindergarten classes on Tuesday. 

Kind regards,

Beverly Coffey

Dear Parents and Friends

It is a sign of how busy our contemporary lives have become that December has crept up all too quickly and here we are composing our last newsletter for 2016. Throughout the last couple of weeks St Mary's has been abuzz with the end of year activities that have added to the long list of  events and activities for this year which make our school an exceptional learning community.

St Mary's has a rich culture of learning and one that encourages and expects excellence, dedication and commitment from all members, staff and students of the school. Our children are encouraged to reach their full potential, to be true to themselves, find their own personal interests and passions and improve all aspects of their learning as they grow from Kindergarten to Year Six. It is a holistic education that develops students' intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, physical, artistic and creative capabilities.

This year our teaching staff have been professionally challenged during the weekly Tuesday  afternoon staff meetings where they work in Professional Learning Teams (PLT's) to understand in greater depth the learning needs of all students in their classrooms. To do this, they have been using a variety of diagnostic tools and student learning data to further understand the student learning needs in implementing a purposeful program in line with the revised Australian curriculum. Our aim is to ensure all students, no matter what level, have measurable learning growth and are supported in a positive and encouraging environment. I thank all staff members for their commitment and loyalty to providing a learning environment where all students can reach their full potential.

I also extend my appreciation of the outstanding support provided by our parent community that continues each year. The generosity and level of compassion shown by the parents in the St Mary's community is very unique in so many ways. Blessings to you all!

As a Catholic school we are also privileged to have the Jesuit priests to guide and direct us spiritually throughout the year and remind us of our vocation to educate and care for children. On behalf of all the community I personally thank Fr. Andy Bullen, Fr. Michael Stoney and Fr. Daven Day for their great wisdom and compassion.

In the spirit of our theme for the Jubilee Year of Mercy let us all pray for mercy in the lead up to Christmas. Jesus was born into this world to show us how we can be merciful to others. May the message of Jesus' life live with us each day, knowing that God's love dwells within us, giving us the courage that we too can bring mercy to our world.

"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

With every blessing for a happy Christmas and safe and relaxing holiday.

Beverly

Term 4 Week 7

Dear Parents and Friends,

As the start of Advent heralds the move into the final few weeks of Term 4, our staff are engaged in completing end of year student reports, preparing for the end of year Mass and the various events that come together to make this such a very busy time in the school year.

Year 6 Graduation

It was a privilege last night to attend the Year 6 graduation Mass and dinner.  The Mass was a beautiful reflection of the past seven years, and it was a joy to watch the children celebrate together.  A sincere thank you to Julie Donnell and Di Gedeon for all your work in organising a wonderful evening which I am sure the children will remember for the rest of their lives.  

Swim Week at Monte

Next week we have the swim week program at Monte.  Swim week is part of our PDHPE curriculum and all children from Year 1-6 are required to participate.  Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered their time to help out with walking the children to the pool and back.

End of Year Mass - Thursday 8th December - 5.30pm

All children are expected to attend the end of year Mass in their school uniform to celebrate as a community our year at St Mary's.  I look forward to seeing you all there.

Building Works Update

The house next door is currently being demolished.  The Builders will take possession of the Site this Monday 5th December and we will start to see progress over the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued support of St Mary's School.
Beverly Coffey

Term 4, Week 3 2016

Dear Parents and Friends,

The month of October is traditionally where we reflect on the importance of Mary in our spiritual lives and all children have been praying the Hail Mary as part of their devotion this month. I hope they have shown you their special rosary beads.

Christians see Mary as a human being, who willingly allowed grace to work in her. St Luke tells us that from the moment that Mary was told that she was chosen to be the Mother of God, she expressed her natural human feelings: Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message and Mary pondered those things in her heart. All mothers ponder things about their children.

Mary, like us, had to strive to understand the mystery of the revelation made to her with regard to her Son, Jesus. She had to make her personal journey of faith as we now make ours. St Bernard called her Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea, our guide and our assurance as we journey on the through the challenges of our lives.

The most famous Mary Shrine in the world is Lourdes and it attracts more than six million visitors or Pilgrims to its Grotto every year. In a recent address Pope Francis stated why so many people visit Lourdes each year from every part of the world, so as to entrust to the mother of the Lord, the intentions which they bear in their hearts and ask for help and intercession.

Innovate Now for STEM

St Mary's has successfully applied to Sydney Catholic Schools for an Innovate Now Grant which will assist in the development of the STEM program at the school. It will allow the program to continue through 2017 and into the following year as a creative, engaging and relevant source of learning for the children.

Funds will be used to supply STEM classes with science and technology resources along with materials for hands-on activities. They will also build the school's intellectual capacity by providing STEM literature and facilitating professional development as well as connections with outside sources of expertise.

We congratulate Markus Powling and Tim Butt for their excellent efforts in designing this submission for the Innovate Now Grant.

International Teachers Day

All teachers are very appreciative of the generous gift from the Parents and Friends Association in honour of the teaching profession. On behalf of all the teaching staff I would like to thank Hamish Hutton and the P&F Executive for their wonderful coffee making machine and the delicious selection of coffee. It will most certainly will be well utilised!

Academic Excellence

I congratulate all students from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 on their excellent results in all ICAS competitions from the University of NSW. These competitions are sat by students from the Asia-Pacific regions and are highly competitive in the areas of Mathematics, English, Spelling, Science and Digital Technologies. A special commendation is given to Isaac in Year 6 for his outstanding achievement in Digital Technologies. Isaac will receive the prestigious medal for the highest achievement in NSW/ACT which is a wonderful recognition of his talent.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beverly Coffey

Term 4 Week 1

Dear Parents and Friends,

It has been delightful this week to welcome all the students and staff back from their Spring holidays and to see everyone looking so well and relaxed after the 2-week break. The classrooms have been abuzz with chatter and laughter as the students have enjoyed catching up with one another and sharing their holiday news.

It was lovely to welcome our new students and families:
Claudia (Year 1) and Hugh (K)
Caden (Year 1)
May your time at St Mary's be filled with great joy and learning!

The Year 2, 3 and 4 classes are particularly excited about being back at school as they are located in their new demountable classrooms for this term. At the moment they are busy designing a name for their new classroom which they will share at the Blessing Ceremony to take place shortly with Fr. Andy Bullen when he returns from his visit to Melbourne. We will invite parents to this occasion when a date has been formally set.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many parents who assisted with the setting up of the new demountable classrooms in making them attractive and welcoming learning spaces. Annie Austin and her team of helpers from the Lendlease company organised the outdoor spaces with a nice environmental touch and Simon Robinson and his team of generous Dads helped set up the technology in the rooms. All the staff and students greatly appreciated this support.

The Stage 2 Building Project will be commencing early this term and will be managed by Gledhill Construction Company. They have a strong reputation in the school building industry for excellent work so we look forward to welcoming them on site shortly.

The Year 5/6 classes are enjoying their excursion to Canberra this week and from all reports the students have been involved in some wonderful learning experiences. We have shared some photos of the trip with you.

My warm wishes to all students and families for a fulfilling and enjoyable Term 4.