Term 3 Week 2 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,

Betty Schuhmacher, 50 Years of Great Service: This was my farewell speech for Betty.  We will greatly miss her.

I feel very honoured to say a few words about Betty.

Betty has made A Remarkable Contribution: To start with, Betty is one of the most introverted people I know, so for her to be sitting here at this assembly today is a great achievement in itself. In this day and age of data-driven outcomes and results in Maths & English, Betty reminds us of what also really matters. She has provided a huge sense of wonder and awe for our kids, and has done this for five decades.

This includes incredible, fun, and interactive themed displays for Book Week, Beef Week, ANZAC Day, and NAIDOC, making a place like Questacon in Canberra look second-rate. Her creations were mainly crafted from recycled cardboard, and her artistic visual and creative flair is truly inspiring for our kids and staff.

Not only did Betty create this awe and wonder for the students, but she also fed them – pasta for Italian-themed events, pies and lamingtons for Book Week, and of course, sausages & fairy bread. Needless to say, many tended to head to the library for a snack with Betty at these times. I generally added a couple of kilos during Beef Week library visits!

She has led A True Vocation:  Betty was a recipient of the Catholic Schools of Lismore award in 2016, for her great service to our school, presented in Coffs Harbour. It was the last ever award given out in our diocese. I was proud to have nominated her and she truly deserved this great acknowledgment.

She has always worked more hours than what she was paid, demonstrating a true vocation and dedication to our Catholic school community. Betty epitomizes what it means to take on a vocation in a Catholic school, always putting the students first. And you know what, it is more than obvious that she has deeply loved what she has done at our school.

Betty leaves An Unforgettable Legacy: Betty sits before you today, nearly 80 "not out," having given almost 50 years of service to our SMP community. Fifty years of service! Not many people here today are even 50 years of age. I often joke with her that the only way she will leave our school is in a pine box. Betty usually replied, "Let’s just make it a cardboard box." I’m grateful we didn’t actually have to get to that, and that we get to honor her here today, and she goes out the champion that she is.

I constantly ask myself as the Principal, the question, "Would I want to be a student at our school?" I have never answered no to this. Betty, you have contributed to this greatly, and I’m pleased we have a school community that recognizes people's talents, lets them shine, and allows quality staff to finish up on their terms, in their time. Betty deserved this and should be so proud of how she has shared her gifts and talents.

We will never see anyone quite like Betty again throughout our time here at SMP or anywhere for that matter.  When Catholic educators speak about Vocation, Betty comes to mind. God has abundantly blessed so many kids, staff and parents here at SMP, through the great blessing that Betty has been to all of us. Betty, we truly appreciate you, and on behalf of our community, especially our children, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For me, you have been a great blessing to so many kids & families.

Please join me in giving three cheers for Betty — Hip Hip / Hip Hip / Hip Hip!

I now ask Mr Aaron Beach, our Regional Assistant Director, who also knows Betty pretty well, to come forward and provide Betty with a certificate and present from our Lismore Diocese of Catholic Schools Director, Mr Adam Spencer.

Take care
John O’Brien

Assistant Principal's News - Mission

Term 3 Faith Dates – Jubilee Year Celebrations
We have a rich calendar of faith events this term as we continue to celebrate the Jubilee Year.  All families are warmly invited to join us for the following:

• 2 & 3 August – Social Justice Stalls, 5.00pm & 8.00am @ Church
  
  
• 6 August – Confirmation Reflection Night, 6.00pm @ Church
  
  
• 8 August – Mary MacKillop Feast Day (Sister Centre - new deck - 9.00am)
  
  
• 8 August – Confirmation Retreat Day, 9.30am–1.30pm
  
  
• 12 August – Sacrament of Confirmation, 6.00pm @ Church
  
  
• 15 August – Assumption Masses (Y4–10), 12.20pm + Assumption Liturgy (K–3), 2.20pm
  
  
• 22 August – K, Y1 & Y2 Prayer Service, 1.00pm @ Church
  
  
• 24 August – Fr Peter’s 50th Anniversary Mass, 9.00am @ Church
  
  
• 29 August – Years 3, 5 & 6 Prayer Service, 1.00pm + 3:16 Youth Group, 3.10pm–5.00pm
  
  
• 5 September – Father’s Day Prayer Celebration, 2.10pm @ School
  
  
• 12 September – Year 4 Prayer Service, 1.00pm @ Church (Holy Communion Focus)
  
  
• 10 September – Holy Communion Reflection Night, 6.00pm @ Church
  
  
• 14 September – Sacrament of Holy Communion, 9.00am @ Church
  
  We look forward to seeing you at these beautiful celebrations of faith and community.

Mary MacKillop Feast Day – Friday 8th August

We will celebrate the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first and only canonised saint, on Friday 8th August with a prayer service at school at 9am. Mary MacKillop devoted her life to educating the poor and serving the marginalised with courage, faith, and compassion. As an Australian Catholic school, her example reminds us of the power of faith in action and the importance of supporting those in need.

This day is a chance for students to reflect on her legacy and how we can be “people of hope” in our own school community.

Feast of the Assumption – Friday 15th August
On Friday 15th August, students in Years 4–10 will join with St Mary’s Catholic College for a special Assumption Mass at 12:20pm in the church. This is a Holy Day of Obligation—a significant celebration in our Catholic faith marking Mary's being taken into Heaven, body and soul. It reminds us of the hope we have in Christ and the honour we give to Mary as our spiritual mother.

Students in Kinder to Year 3 will mark this holy day with their own Assumption Liturgy at 2:20pm in the church. Families are welcome to attend either service.

Help Us Win $2,000 for Our Mobile Laundry Trailer Project!
We’re excited to share that St Mary’s Mobile Laundry Trailer Project has been selected as one of the finalists in the Greater Northern Rivers Community Funding Round for August!

We are guaranteed at least $500, but with your help, we could win the top prize of $2,000 to support our mission of providing free laundry access for vulnerable members of our community.

🗳 Voting opens Monday 4th August and runs until Wednesday 27th August.
💻 Vote at: greater.com.au/greaternorthernrivers

Every vote counts—please spread the word with family and friends and help us make this important service a reality!

Sam Irvine
AP - Mission

Assistant Principal's News Teaching & Learning

NAPLAN
Our Year 3 and 5 students received their NAPLAN results last week, and we hope that they are all very happy with what they achieved. 

Many of our learners have shown significant individual improvement, and we are especially proud of those students who have exceeded their expected growth.

As a school, we have achieved well above expected growth in our Year 5 Maths and Spelling and incredible growth results across all areas for our Year 3 students. These results affirm the strong learning culture within our school and highlight the effectiveness of the teaching and intervention programs we have in place.

We know that these assessments are just one part of your child’s educational journey, but they offer important insights that help us tailor teaching to meet the needs of every learner. Most importantly, we are proud of how our students approached the assessment with confidence, resilience, and a positive attitude.

If you have any questions about your child’s NAPLAN results, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Newcastle Permanent Maths Competition
This week, we had 38 students in Years 5 and 6 (with 2 extra high achievers from Stage 2) take part in the Newcastle Permanent Maths competition. These students were chosen based on the fact that they have achieved results in the top 25% of the country in their PAT Maths results. This is an incredible achievement for our students, and we are proud of every one of them. Results for this competition will be released at the end of September, and all students who took part will receive a certificate outlining their success in this competition.

ICAS
ICAS testing begins next week, with Writing starting on Monday. All parents should have been contacted to let them know their child is enrolled to complete the ICAS testing. If you have not heard from me and you believe your child is registered to take part in these assessments, please contact me so I can follow this up for you.

Felicity Wilde
AP Teaching & Learning

Stage 2 & 3 Instructional Leader

A reminder that the St Mary’s Public Speaking and Poetry Competition will be held this Term.  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. 

Kristie Irvine
Stage 2 & 3 Instructional Leader

Leader of Faith

Sacrament of Confirmation

A reminder of the following celebrations:

Next Wednesday 6th August - Reflection Night 6.00pm-6.30pm in the Church

Next Friday 8th August - Formation Day for ALL Yr 3 Students - Windara 9.10am - 1.45pm

Tuesday 12th August - Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Greg 6.00pm in the Church

All Yr 3 students will celebrate this special occasion with cake and cordial on Wednesday 13th August at 1.15pm in the school grounds.

Please check Compass for more details for each of these.

Sacrament of First Communion

For those students in Year 4 who earlier in the year made their First Reconciliation.

Wednesday 10th September - Reflection Night 6.00pm-6.30pm in the church.

 Sunday 14th September  First Communion  - 9.00am in the church. 

More details will come through Compass. 

Karen McDonald
Leader of Faith

Leader of Love and Community

At our last Vision Achievement assembly we celebrated a truly remarkable milestone – 50 years of dedicated service from our much-loved librarian, Betty Schuhmacher.

Betty has been an integral part of the SMP community for five decades, sharing her passion for books and her love of learning with generations of students. From the moment you step into the library, it's clear that it has been a space shaped by her creativity, warmth, and magic.

Over the years, Betty has transformed our library with breathtaking displays – from dazzling Beef Week creations to imaginative Book Week masterpieces – each lovingly painted and crafted to spark wonder and excitement in our students. So many hours have gone into these moments of joy, and they’ve created memories that will last a lifetime.

Betty has read most of the books in our library, just so she could help every student find that perfect book. Her recommendations are legendary, and her kind, gentle way of guiding students through the library will be dearly missed. And of course, who could forget her signature phrases:
“Thank you for your little visit,”
“Come in, little people,”
“Come again.”

Our students have truly been blessed to have someone like Betty in their school life – someone who knows every corner of the library and every story on the shelves, but more importantly, someone who has always made them feel welcome.

As Betty turns the page to a well-earned retirement, we wish her all the very best. May it be filled with rest, joy, and plenty of time to enjoy the books she loves.

Thank you, Betty, for everything. SMP will never forget you. 

NAIDOC Day 2025
On the last Friday of Term 2, SMP joined with the College to celebrate NAIDOC Day. It was a great day for our school community to come together and recognise and celebrate Aboriginal culture – the oldest living culture in the world.

We began with a lovely prayer service led by Fr Wilbur. The Casino High School dance group performed a traditional dance, and our beautiful Year 2 students sang and signed My Island Home by Christina Anu.

Students then took part in a range of cultural activities. Keith Close spoke to students about traditional land practices, Michael Lambeth shared knowledge about hunting tools and weapons, and students from Casino High School ran dance workshops.

A big thank you to Aunty Sarah and Tara Freeburn for helping to organise the day.

We also had some of our students and staff represent SMP at the Casino NAIDOC March and activities on the first Monday of the holidays. Well done to those students who came along and proudly represented our school.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

🎤 SMP’s Father’s Day “Dad Joke” Video Competition! 🤣

This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the legendary art of the Dad Joke — and we want to hear yours!

We’re inviting all dads, grandads, father figures and students to take part in our SMP Dad Joke Video Competition!

🎥 What to do:
Record a short video (15–30 seconds) telling your best dad joke.
Costumes, props, and creativity are welcome — just keep it school-friendly!

📅 Entries close: Monday, 25th August]
📩 How to submit: Email to nicole.hammond@lism.catholic.edu.au
🏆 Winning jokes will be featured at our Father’s Day celebration and go in the running for fun awards like “Most Groan-Worthy,” “Funniest Delivery,” and more!

We’re looking forward to some serious belly laughing as we celebrate the legends in our lives – our SMP dads!

Nicole Hammond
Leader of Love and Community

Leader of Inclusion

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools has organised for free parent courses through OnLineTraining (OLT).

OLT was established in 2008 to provide flexible professional development for teaching professionals in the UK who support children and young people with special educational needs.In 2008, OLT began collaborating with education systems in Australia, initially partnering with NSW Department of Education to adapt their courses to suit the Australian education system. 

Parents may be interested in the following courses:

ADHD: This short course was developed with the help of Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia (PAAA). This course is aimed at supporting the parents and carers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Other people may also find it helpful, such as other relatives, teacher assistants and teachers.

Autism: This short course is directed at parents and carers of children with autism. Other people may also find it helpful, such as other relatives, teacher assistants and teachers.

Parents of children who’ve been identified on the autism spectrum have been interviewed to identify the issues that concern them the most. This is reflected in the videos throughout this short course.

Please find more information about the courses on the OLT platform linked here.

Paula McIntyre
Leader of Inclusion

Vision & Learning Achievement Awards ~ 3 July 2025

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Cadence Farrelly Josephine Williamson Alice Bruggy Tyler McPherson Tate Leadbeatter Tyla Sivewright Laisa Vakararawa Cooper Jung Leah Macintyre Flynn Zaiko Connor Farrelly Sophie Connolly Colby Randall Blake Formaggin Harrison Myers Callen Barnes Logan Hollis Felix Makejev Bethany Jones Elaina Delaney Oliver Rollinson George McKenzie Matilda Humphreys Duke McKey Paityn Taylor Hunter Pokarier Riley Richards Jeremy Williamson Riley Horne Hunter Martin Arlo Taylor Frankie Berry Nikolai Stylianou Elijah Aylward Tyler Edwards Lewis Creighton Ethan Zaiko Isobel Law Andrew Brooks Thomas Cruickshank William Wells Vann Hines Harrison Irvine Floranda Kingdom Xander Connolly Adeena Achamma Nithin Bowie Stubbin Charlotte Stringer Ivy Farr Bailey Reynolds Huxley Parker Willow Martin Hannah Martin Jack Capello Harrison Rock Bonnie Noble Emmanuel Melindo Zara Borello Capri Watson Lloyd Northfield Annabelle Sawle-Smith Cooper King Ivy Wilson Darbie Talbot Aylah Walker Darcie Webster and Island Smith who celebrated their birthday in July.