Term 3 Week 6 2024

Principal's Message

‘We do whatever it takes to lead the way in Love, Learning, Faith, School Spirit, Sport & Community’

Dear families and friends,

Legends of our Faith
Roby Curtis runs the Emmanuel City Mission (ECM) in Brisbane. With Mother Teresa as a mentor, he has the biggest heart for those on the fringes, who may have lost their way, who may suffer mental health & addiction due to the unpredictability and stresses of life. ECM is a sanctuary that welcomes the homeless each day, with a shoulder to lean on, a chat to have over hot food, with washing & shower facilities available alongside clothing.  Mass on a Sunday has plenty of babies, young, old, wealthy and those on the fringes of our society, altogether, as one  ... the way Jesus showed us.  Roby is a Catholic Legend!

Grandparents Day & Book Week
This was such a great day last week. We love having our grandparents spending time with their grandkids at school. This is so important to us. There was a huge turnout, we will need more food next year. Your grandkids are a credit to you and how you have influenced your family.  We have so much to learn from you.  Book Week was also great with kids (and mums) going to amazing lengths with costumes.  Is there a competition for Mums outside of school for best design that I don't know about?  Congratulations to Nate Ludlow on winning the $100 for 100 nights or more of reading.  He plans to purchase Lego from a shop in Casino.

Father's Day
I wish all our Fathers a great Father's Day on Sunday. Good men are crucial to our SMP kids and the success of our school and community. You deserve to be celebrated! I like to put on Beer and Pies for our dads, just like wine, beer and platters for our SMP mums. I know this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm keen to celebrate most dads as they would like and deserve to be celebrated, encouraging as many to turn up and share some strong fellowship together at our school.

Student Free Days
Last Friday of this Term (27 September) and the first Monday of Term 4 (14 October).  Staff will be working hard on our Explicit Direct Instructional Approach to teaching.  Another Student Free Day will be the day after our Christmas Concert, Friday 29 November. We have chosen to have 1 less student-free day available to us this year.

Take care
John O’Brien

Acting Assistant Principal's News - Mission

Family Mass

On Saturday 14 September we warmly invite all family and friends to our Whole School Family Mass at 5.00pm in St Mary’s Church.  All are welcome, we will have our beautiful school choir singing and will share a bite to eat after, with free pizza.  All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.

Toolkits
Over the next couple of weeks, your children will be revisiting the things in their day that might make their behaviours or feelings escalate and the tools and strategies they use to de-escalate and be Ready to Learn.  These strategies can be found in their Toolkits.  You might like to ask your child what parts of the day make them feel escalated and strategies they have in their Toolkits when things become a little bit overwhelming for them. 

Kristie Irvine
Acting AP - Mission

Leader of Faith

First Communion
Sunday 22 September - Mass 9.00am

All students involved in this sacrament should have received a letter through Compass giving details of the sacrament and by clicking ‘attending’ this will register your child for this sacrament. Any concerns, please contact Miss McDonald - phone or email.

Lessons have commenced in our Year 4 classes and we will be also meeting with Fr Peter or Fr Wilbur who will provide additional spiritual guidance during this time of preparation.

The important dates are listed below, please mark them on your calendar.

Mini Vinnies News
We congratulate Maddi Clarke elected as our President for Semester 2, Makaylah Morgan, Secretary for Semester 2 and Charli Scherf elected Treasurer for Semester 2. We also thank Mia Davis (President), Sophie Leadley (Secretary) and Mia Trustrum (Treasurer) who led our Mini Vinnies group so well through Semester One.

Mini Vinnies Sleepout / Sleepover at School
As you read this newsletter, spare a thought for our Year 6 Mini Vinnies group who spent last night (Thursday) sleeping out in the school Cola for 30 minutes in boxes, on cardboard or covered in newspapers to experience the feeling of homelessness. After this experience we discussed the feelings experienced in this situation and also watched a few inspiring clips showing young people doing great things to help others in the community. Later in the night it was movie time with a few treats in the Catherine Centre and a good night’s sleep on the wooden floor!!!!!

Karen McDonald
Leader of Faith

Sport News

In Week 5, Thomas McCormack and Toby Makejev travelled to Wagga Wagga to represent SMP as part of the Polding team. The boys played some fantastic football throughout the week, helping their team secure a spot in the grand final. Although they played hard against Sydney South West, they unfortunately didn’t come away with the win. However, their performances were so impressive that both were named as part of the NSW Development Squad. This is an incredible achievement for both boys. The entire Year 6 cohort loved cheering you on while watching the grand final via livestream.

In Week 5, a group of talented athletes travelled to Coffs Harbour to represent SMP at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival. Everyone who competed should be incredibly proud of their achievements. A big shout out to the following students who have qualified for Polding and will be heading to Newcastle to represent SMP in the coming weeks: Lyla Martin, Rachael Johnston, Eva Crompton, Ryder Birney, Marcos Barber, Rocco Jenkins, Lucas Myers, Thomas McCormack, Toby Makejev and Billy Stavenow.  SMP is leading the way in both sport and school spirit.

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Edward Shields has also returned to Sydney, representing SMP as a member of the Polding Softball team. We eagerly await hearing about his experience playing the sport he loves.  Congratulations, Edward!

On Wednesday, Two Stage 3 and one Stage Two Netball teams competed in the Netball NSW CUP at Lismore. The girls all played exceptionally well throughout the day, taking on various schools from our area. A big thank you to Mackenzie Pearce, Alice Shields, and Ellie Graham from the College for umpiring our games. It was greatly appreciated!

Dakoda Slater from Year 2 had the exciting opportunity to play in the Kyogle Turkeys U/8 Rugby League team during halftime at the Titans vs. Roosters game at Cbus Stadium over the weekend.  Among eight teams playing various matches, Dakoda’s performance stood out, earning her the title of Player of the Match.  She also had the privilege of meeting Lauren Brown, the Titans Women’s Player of the Match and even got her photo taken with her.  Congratulations to Dakoda—leading the way in sport!

Duke McKey, Darcy Hardwick, Ashton Newby, Ryder Birney, Emmett Pattern, and Felix Makejev had an exciting opportunity this past weekend, playing at halftime during the Roosters vs. Titans game at Cbus Stadium. Big shout out to these boys for leading the way in sports!

Matty King Cup

Preparations for the Matty King Cup are in full swing. This week we held trials for our Boys & Girls teams from Years 3-6.  Students will commence regular training - times and dates will be communicated via compass. Thank you to Mr Parrish, Mr Parsons, Mr O’Brien and Mr Bartlett for assisting in selecting teams.

Coraki V's Casino Girls Rugby League Match

We also have a Year 6 Rugby League girls team heading to Coraki to take on St Joseph's on Thursday 5  September at 1.00pm.  Our girls are pumped to play some footy! A big thank you to Mr Andrew Bartlett and Ellie Hannigan, who is an ex-SMP student and current student of the college, for helping get the girls ready.

Nikki Hammond
Sports Co-ordinator

Leader of Love and Community

Scooter Disco
On Friday 13 September (Week 8) we will be running a Scooter Disco for students at lunch time. Students will be able to bring their scooters in and ride around during lunch time whilst listening to music.  As always, please be mindful that the bus companies do not allow the scooters on the bus.  Students must have a helmet to be able to scoot.

Please see the flyer below for more information.

Wakakirri
This term, 47 students have been participating in our annual Wakakirri Performance. Wakakirri is a nationwide festival that provides students an opportunity to express thoughts and ideas through the art of storytelling and dance. Our theme this year is Belonging. The students have been giving up their lunch times to practise our dance and have put in so much effort and persistence. The students are getting ready to film next week. We have been blessed this year as we partnered up with the College to create our storytelling performance. We look forward to sharing the final performance with you all.

Hannah de Silva
Leader of Love and Community

K-2 Instructional Leader

Poetry and Public Speaking Competition Update
It is time for our Poetry and Public Speaking Competition! Students who nominated themselves for this event have already received a note outlining the guidelines and tips on how to choose their topics and prepare for the event.

In Week 7, each class will select their finalists, who will then have the opportunity to present to our Teaching and Learning team. The winners from each stage will be chosen to represent SMP at the zone finals.

The zone finals will be held at St Carthages in Lismore on Friday 20 September (Term 3, Week 9). We wish all our participants the best of luck as they prepare and practice their presentations to showcase their public speaking talents!

Reminder: Student Access to the MultiLit eLibrary
Home reading plays a crucial role in your child's learning and reading development. The Multilit eLibrary offers a fantastic selection of decodable texts tailored to your child's current reading level, allowing them to practice their decoding skills effectively. 

The MultiLit eLibrary now has an Ignite Series of Firecracker Books. These chapter books provide a higher level of challenge, helping students develop their reading skills and fluency. 

If you lost your login information or require further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher or Karen Faber. 

Karen Faber
K-2 Instructional Leader

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Lucas Marsden William Vidler Lachlan Hogg Aliera Gill Fenix Pratt Harrison Stokes Antonio Garzoni Wyatt Newby Nash Campbell Ashton Newby Sydney Pehi Jackson Ferguson Archibald Ferguson Archie Bultitude Heidi Bunting Arabella Scheepers Claudia McDonald Karnee Kingdom Traevon Hickling Jaxon Armfield Mackinly Walker Ruby Seed Axel Smith Curtys Aleckson Zoey Churchill Eboni Gibson Mia Davis and Mia Trustum who have recently celebrated their birthday, and to Charli Quinnell-Billett who celebrates tomorrow. 

Book Club Query

We have a book left over from the recent Book Club orders that have just been sent out.  It was an online order with the student name 'Lea Kang'.  The title of the book is Inside Out 2.  Call in at the office if this order belongs to you. 

Community News