Term 2 Week 9 2025

Principal's Message

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

Dear families and friends,

              Plenty of exciting things coming up

Thursday, 3rd July - 2.00pm Vision Achievement Assembly & at 2.25pm Farewell Betty Schuhmacher (do not tell her).  Parents welcome.

Friday, 4th July - NAIDOC Celebrations.  Parents welcome.

Friday, 25th July - 2.00pm Blessing of our two Renovations.  Parents welcome.

Friday, 1st August - Trucker Cap Grandparents Friday. We hope to see grandparents and family members join us on this exciting day from 9.00am - 11.30 am for our Grandparents. Our SMP kids can wear a Trucker Cap, alongside their uniform. We combined this with Grandparents Day this year, so our grandparents can see our school in a different light and join in these celebrations whilst also being able to attend the truck show on Saturday for those who have travelled.  Grandparents will see their grandchildren in class, hear from our Truck Drivers, have a shared lunch and some fun activities.   Approximate times:

• 9:00am - 9:30am - Interviews & talk with Truck Crew
• 9:30am - 9:40am - Can Kinder pull Yogi out of a Rut?
• 9:40am - 10:10am - Grandad & Grandma Challenge
• 10:10am - 10:45am - Grandparents check out their Grandkids in class
• 10:45am - 11:30am - Grandparents check out the trucks and have a shared Morning Tea/Lunch

Our grandmothers are invited to cook/bake their specialty dish to be enjoyed by all grandparents and guests for our shared morning tea/lunch, with the best plate judged by our Truck Drivers winning the inaugural 'This Grandma warmed a Truckers Heart Trophy, and a hug and photo with Yogi in his truck.  More info via Compass that was sent on Wednesday.  Grandmas may fill out details via this  Jotform.   We will select 2 Grandads to compete in a Grandad Trucker Challenge against our Truckers.

Our kids have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition SMP Trucker Cap.  This is optional and does not replace the school hat.  Cost is $25 per hat.  Hats can be purchased on the day, or in the lead up via an Event that has been sent via Compass.  As they are limited, I would pre-purchase as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.  Due to Compass, only one hat can be purchased per child.  Adults may wish to purchase whatever we have left on the day.

I know we have families involved in the Trucking Industry. If you would like to showcase one of your trucks on this day, please send me an email as soon as possible and I will see if we can make this work (we may not be able to accommodate all).  john.obrien@lism.catholic.edu.au

Due to the number of dress-ups and family events we will have this year, we will not be dressing up for Book Week or Parading giving, especially our mums, a bit of a break. 

Toilet Refurbishment 
The renovations of the two current spaces should be finished by the beginning of next term. Over the holidays, we will make a start to the refurbishment of the student toilets. This will take some time to complete, and we will be limited in some spaces, but the outcome will be very much worth it.  Our current toilets are not great; our new ones will be.

Tell Them From Me: Thank you very much to the families who completed these surveys. We had 89 families complete these. We will go through the parent results with families at our Parent Community Group meeting at 5:30pm on Wednesday, 30th July. This meeting will take place in our newly renovated staff space upstairs of the convent. Some light food will be served. Staff will look at the Parent, Student, and their surveys the first week after the holidays at a staff meeting.

Take care
John O’Brien

Assistant Principal's News - Mission

Dear Parents & Carers,

Please see below for our Term 3 faith calendar. Please see Miss Mac's newsletter items for additional dates.

• 3:16 Youth Group - 1st & 29th August (3:10-5:00pm)
• Year 3 Prayer Service in the church - 1st August (1:00pm)
• Mary MacKillop Feast Day - 8th August
• Feast of the Assumption Mass Years 4 to 10 - 15th August (12:20pm)
• Feast of the Assumption Prayer Service Kinder - Year 3 in the church (2:20pm)
• Kinder, Years 1 & 2 Prayer Service in the church - 22nd August (1:00pm)
• Father Peter's Special Celebration 50 Years as a Priest - 24th August (9:00am)
• Years 3, 5 & 6 Prayer Service - 29th August (1:00pm)
• Father's Day Celebrations - 5th September (2:10pm)
• Year 4 Prayer Service in the church - 12th September (1:00pm)

Attendance
This week we sent out automated attendance letters to parents of students who were sitting at an attendance percentage of 85% or below. Please be aware that we are mandated to send out these letters to parents as part of our obligations as a school to support student attendance.

As a side note, here are some interesting stats regarding student attendance you might not be aware of:

• 80% attendance for the 2025 school year is equivalent to 1 day off a week, every week (20 days so far)
• 80% attendance for the 2025 school year is equivalent to 6,000 minutes of lost learning time (100 hours)

School Jackets
We are now taking orders for school jackets. The price is $65 per jacket.

To make an order, please follow the steps:
1) Fill out the order form below.

2) Make payment for the jacket through the Compass event the next day after ordering or at the school office.  This allows the office to add your name to the list in the Compass event for easier payment.

Please note - only orders that have been fully paid for will be processed.
Orders and payments close on THURSDAY 3rd JULY.  They will take 6-7 weeks to arrive after ordering.

KIDS and ADULTS sizing guides below.

CLICK HERE to order.

Mobile Laundry Trailer Update
We have now hit our $30,000 fundraising target to build our Mobile Laundry Trailer. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed in some way, shape or form. We are very hopeful to have this completely up and running by the end of Term 3.

Family Mass
A big thank you to all of the students and family members who came along to our combined Family Mass with SMCC last Saturday. It was great to have so many people come together to join our parish community. We generally only have one Family Mass per term. Next term we won't have a Family Mass as such, however, we will all come together for Father Peter's special celebration Mass on Sunday 24th August at 9:00am to recognise his 50th year as an ordained priest.

Sam Irvine
AP - Mission

Acting Assistant Principal - Teaching & Learning

St Mary’s Public Speaking and Poetry Competition 2025
We are excited to announce the St Mary’s Public Speaking and Poetry Competition will be held in Term 3.  Each class will hold its own in-class competition during Week 7, with selected finalists invited to present in a grade final.  Two students from each stage will then be chosen to represent St Mary’s at the Zone Finals, held at Holy Family, Skennars Head, in Week 9, Term 3 (Thursday 18th September).

This is a home-based activity, with students asked to choose a poem to recite or write and prepare a speech with the support of their families.

Stage Guidelines

• Kindergarten & Stage 1: Poetry recital only (30 sec–1 min for Kinder; 1 min for Stage 1)
• Stage 2 & Stage 3: Choice of a speech or poetry recital
  (1–2 min for Stage 2 poetry, 2 min speech | 2–3 min for Stage 3 poetry, 3 min speech)
  
  

Students are encouraged to learn their poem or speech by heart, present it expressively, and show confidence. Further details, including judging tips and presentation guidelines, have been shared by Holy Family. See attached.

ICAS Assessment Reminder
A reminder that ICAS registrations close on Monday, 28 July at 11:59pm.

How to Register:

1. Visit the ICAS Parent Portal
   
   
2. Enter our school access code: ZMX113
   
   
3. Add your child’s details and select the tests
   
   
4. Make payment and save your order confirmation
   
   ICAS Assessment Dates for 2025:

• Writing: 4 – 8 August
  
  
• English: 11 – 15 August
  
  
• Spelling: 18 – 22 August
  
  
• Mathematics: 25 – 29 August

Karen Faber
Acting Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Leader of Faith

Sacramental Dates and Information

Confirmation
Baptised Catholic students in Year 3 today received a letter to take home. This letter contains important dates and a form which needs to be completed and returned to the school office either next week or the first week back after the holidays.

Important Confirmation Dates

1. Tuesday 22nd July 2.30pm OR Wednesday 23rd July at 6.00pm Talk (40 mins max) given by Fr Peter/Fr Wilbur for PARENTS ONLY and GODPARENTS (if available)  in the new building near the bus shelter. 

   2.  6th August at 6.00pm - 6.30pm - Confirmation Reflection Night - presented by the children involved - for  parent/parents, family, sponsor ( if they wish) to attend - in the church

3. Tuesday 12th August at 6.00pm  Sacrament of Confirmation - in the church

More details of the above celebrations are contained in the notes.

Sacrament of First Communion  PLEASE NOTE - Change of Date
Due to another event to be held in Casino, we have changed the date of First Communion to Sunday 14th September at a 9.00am Mass in the church.  Those students in Year 4, who were Confirmed last year will receive notes early next term when we commence our preparation for this sacrament.

PLEASE NOTE:  If any baptised Catholic students in Years 5 or 6 who are new to school this year, have for some reason, not had the opportunity to make the above sacraments and wish to do so, please contact the school office in the next week.

Karen McDonald
Leader of Faith

Sport News

Representative Success:  SMP Students Stand Out in June
In Week 7, Zahryah Pirlo travelled to Sydney to compete in Polding Cross Country, putting in an outstanding performance. We're incredibly proud of her determination and effort. Great work Zahryah!

Jaxon Williams and Slater Gould represented SMP and the Richmond Zone at the Diocesan Rugby Union trials in Wollongbar. Both boys gave it their all on the field. A special shoutout to Jaxon, who earned a spot on the Diocesan team and will head to the Polding trials in Forbes next term. What a fantastic achievement!

A huge congratulations to Chase Roberts for representing Polding in Rugby League at the PSSA Championships in Blacktown earlier this month. Chase spent a full week travelling, training, and playing—showing incredible commitment and gaining valuable experience to support his development as a player. A massive achievement, well done Chase!

Athletics Carnival:  Success! 

A huge thank you to all our Teachers, Parents, and Students for a successful Athletics Carnival. We had so much fun, celebrated plenty of success, and truly showed how great our school is through Sport, School Spirit, and Community. 

Congratulations to Champagnat House, who proudly claimed both the inaugural Cultural and Carnival trophies! Best of luck to all students who have qualified for the Zone Carnival on July 31st next term, we can’t wait to see you smash it!  A big congratulations to our Age Champions, and a special shout-out to Lyla Martin, Bobbi Grissell, and Lucas Myers, who broke records on the day and will now have their names etched into our school’s record list—a remarkable achievement!

Cohen Parrish
Sports Co-ordinator

Leader of Love and Community

Yr 6 Acts of Hope
Today our Year 6 students stepped out into the community to take part in Acts of Hope – giving their time, energy and hearts to others.

Students visited St Michael’s Nursing Home, where they played bingo and shared laughs with residents, and Richmond Lodge, enjoying story time and card games. Others spent time with the little ones at St Mary’s Preschool, cleaned headstones at the cemetery, washed windows, and helped our groundsman tidy up around the school.

It was an afternoon filled with connection, service, and joy. Our students thoroughly enjoyed giving back and spending time with members of our community who appreciate it most.

SMP & SMCC NAIDOC Liturgy
All parents and carers are warmly invited to join us for our NAIDOC Liturgy on Friday, 4th July at 10:00am on St Mary’s College grass.

Our students will be participating in the celebration through song and dance performances and we would love for you to come along and share in this special community event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Get Ready for Trucker Cap Friday! 
Trucker Cap Friday will be here before we know it! If you’d like to grab one of our very own SMP Trucker Caps, make sure you place your order and pay through the event link shared via Compass.

We have limited stock available, so if you’re keen, don’t wait – get your order in early to avoid missing out!

These awesome caps will be the perfect keepsake for the day and a great way to collect signatures from our trucking legends during the celebrations. 

Casino Community Naidoc March
We invite all SMP students and families to join the Casino Community NAIDOC March on Monday, 7th July at 10:00am.

We will assemble at Graham Place and return there at the conclusion of the march for parent pick-up.

We would love our students to attend in full school uniform to proudly represent St Mary’s and support this important community event.

It would be especially great to see our Year 6 Leaders of Community & School Spirit and SRC members involved on the day.

We hope to see you there!

                                                                                                                                                                                       Nikki Hammond
                                                                                                                                                                       Leader of Love and Community

Tuition Fees

School Fee Statements will be issued at the end of this month by the Central Processing Team at the Catholic Schools Office.  Please ensure you are up-to-date with your nominated payment plan.  Any unpaid/overdue invoices from previous months will be shown as the Opening Balance. 

For Year 6 parents, the Brisbane Excursion is listed as Curriculum Excursion x 2 entries.  An error was made when entering the details and we are unable to change it.   

School Camps

Year 4 Camp Goodenough:  Monday 25 August - Tuesday 26 August
Payment of $235.00 and consent is due by 4 July 2025 - the last week of this term.  If you do not want your child to attend the camp, please decline the invitation.  The full payment only, can be made through the Compass Event or at the school office by cash or Eftpos.  We need the numbers finalised for catering and supervision for the camp.  The packing list for what to pack is under the Event Resources tab - Parent Resources.  You might like to get started over the holidays.

Year 5 Tyalgum Ridge Retreat:  Wednesday 12 November - Friday 14 November
A Compass Event has been created for the Year 5 Camp.  Go to the event and if you would like your child to attend the camp, please consent by 30 June.  If not, please decline by 30 June.  The camp cost of $350.00 has been billed to your School Fees allowing you to set up a payment plan to suit.  The full payment is due by 17 October.

Year 6 Brisbane Excursion:  Monday 3 November - Friday 7 November
All families have completed the Compass Event!  The camp cost of $820.00 has been billed to your School Fees allowing you to set up a payment plan.  If paying by instalments the below may be of some assistance:

First instalment/deposit - $250.00 due by Friday 1 August
2nd instalment - $285.00 due by Friday 5 September
3rd instalment - $285.00 due by Friday 17 October

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Zoe Formaggin Gabriel Esteban Louis Armstrong Jaxon Williams Myf Gray Natalie Pratt Larni Clark Addilyn Reilly Gracie Bahadori Bonnie Pearce Charlotte Bloomfield Saxton Purnell Sebastian Hogg Alexa Holdsworth Harper Williams Imogen Wells Spencer Really Jade Pirlo Ledger Gould Harper Dhu Paige Holmes Mason Cross Zahryah Pirlo Heidi Handford Zahli-Rose Marks Ruby Yates Charlie Somerville Eila Ford Faith Johnston Harrison Rose Charlie Rose Mackenzie Ferguson Vienna Johnson Jordan Hooper Kai Amey Thomas Miller Charlie de Silva Eva-Grace Boucher Peyton Fairfull Mackenzie Fahey Charlotte Bowen and Allira Walker who celebrate their birthday in June.

Term 3 Dates

Term 2 finishes on Friday 4 July (next week)

Term 3 commences on Monday 21 July

Our next pupil free day is Friday 26 September (the last day of Term 3)

Lost & Found

SMCC calico bag with a pair of Converse All Star sneakers and a Bronco Nation cap was found on the playground a few weeks ago.  Please call in to the office to collect.