Week 3, Term 3 2025 - 29th July 2025
APC's Reflection
Why Parent Engagement Matters in Primary Education
Research consistently shows that when parents are actively engaged in their child’s education, students perform better academically, socially, and emotionally. According to a study by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), parent engagement is one of the most powerful predictors of student success. Children whose parents are involved in their schooling are more likely to attend regularly, achieve higher grades, and develop positive attitudes toward learning.
At St Mary’s, we believe that education is a shared journey and we pride ourselves on the parent engagement opportunities we offer our school community such as parent teacher interviews, our annual art show, youth mass and open classrooms before school.
We also value the ideas and leadership of our students, especially our Year 6 leaders who play an active role in shaping school culture. One of their recent suggestions to enhance parent engagement was to host a friendly sporting match involving parents, teachers, and students. We’re excited to announce that this idea has come to life!
Join us this Friday, 1st August, at 2:30pm on the basketball court for a lively game of dodgeball—a fun and inclusive way to build community spirit and celebrate the collaborative energy of our school.
Spelling Bee July 21 – August 22, 2025
St Mary’s students in years 3-6 will once again be competing in the annual Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. Students taking part in the Spelling Bee will be given 30 random words from their reading level word list. They have 25 seconds to spell each word. Students may not be familiar with all the words they are asked to spell. However, exposing students to new words and their definitions will help expand their vocabularies and encourage them to continue reading. The Spelling Bee allows students to complete 30 spelling words in a fun format where they have to aim for accuracy, to beat the clock and finish ahead of their fellow students right across Australia.
In preparation for the Spelling Bee, students may wish to use the online link to practice the online test: Play – Prime Minister's Spelling Bee
From the Principal
Baby News
Congratulations to Mrs Leigh Ford (Yr 5 teacher) and her husband Aaron on the birth of their daughter last Friday. Baby Penny is a little sister to Emilie (yr3), Byron (yr 1) and Maeve.
NAIDOC Celebrations – Friday
We look forward to many great activities to celebrate NAIDOC day. See the roster below for what is on offer during the morning and middle sessions. Students will participate in 3 of these activities. A reminder that at first break, we will have crocodile and kangaroo sausages for students and staff to sample.
Arts and Crafts with Mrs Tatchell LIBRARY | Cape Hillsborough Kahoot for Year 6 (class teacher) 6T CLASSROOM | Spear Throwing with Mr Rose YR 5 SOCCER FIELD | Boomerang Throwing with Tegan Ahwong OVAL (north end) | Damper with Mrs Ahwong and Mr Brooks BACK OF HALL (tents) |
Dance Video with Mrs Sibley (Move it Mob Style) HALL | Coaster decorating (Mrs Camargo and Mrs Gordon) PREP EATING AREA | Indigenous Games with Deadly Choices OVAL (south end) | Storytime with Miss Lenz MAKERSPACE | Face painting with Mrs Battaia and Mrs Simpson PREP classrooms |
Crepe Paper Flags (class teacher) 2L CLASSROOM | Craft with Emily Hanly 3P CLASSROOM | Weaving with Mrs Sorbello BIRDCAGE | NAIDOC Kahoot (class teacher) 5C CLASSROOM |
Australia v South Africa Cricket – Volunteers needed!
You may be aware that Harrup Park is hosting a massive weekend of Cricket, with the Australian Men’s Cricket team taking on South Africa in two, one day matches on Friday 22nd Aug and Sunday 24th Aug. The St Mary’s P&F will be hosting a BBQ/Drinks stall for this event, which is sure to be a great fundraiser for our school. We will require many volunteers who can assist in cooking the BBQ, serving, etc. I am sure that many of our parents, especially the cricket-loving dads will line up to volunteer at this awesome event! Link to Volunteer
St Mary’s Got Talent – Change of Date
Please note that we have changed the date for the St Mary’s Got Talent. The new date is Monday 25th August from 11:15am in our school Hall. Parents and friends are most welcome to attend this showcase of talent!
Centenary Sacred Garden – Blessing & Opening
I warmly invite all families to attend the official blessing and opening of our Sacred Garden on Tue 12th Aug from 8:45am. Bishop Michael McCarthy and Fr Matthias will preside at this service, with morning tea provided afterwards. If you are able to attend this event, please RSVP here.
Catholic Education Week
To mark this special week, a number of events have been planned at St Mary's:
- Wednesday: The whole school will come together at 9am for a liturgy led by our Year 2 students.
- Friday morning: Students will take part in NAIDOC-themed activity rotations, honouring and celebrating First Nation culture and history.
- Friday evening: We close the week with a fun-filled school disco:
- Prep to Year 2: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
- Year 3 to Year 6: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
From our Library
Book Week Competition
Would you like to give St Mary's a chance of winning a $1000 book voucher to purchase books for our school library?
Students are invited to pick up an entry form from the school library and then hand it in to a staff member at QBD Books, Canelands (no purchase required). Only one voucher per student per day can be submitted. Please click on this link for more details. Competition closes 23rd August.
Lynne Camargo
Library Coordinator
From the Office
Student of the Week
| PC | Athena C | For the positivity and confidence you have shown this term. It is wonderful to see you believing in yourself and completing all set tasks independently. Your teacher is very proud of you! |
| PC | Lincoln B | For the hard work and concentration, you have been bringing to learning new and challenging maths concepts this week. Keep up the amazing effort Lincoln! |
| PR | Evelyn C | For your amazing recount writing about your weekend. You wrote amazing sentences and even used our vocabulary word 'splendid'. Wow! What fantastic work! |
| PR | Maeve D | For your fantastic work in mathematics. You are able to confidently and independently partition numbers to 20. Keep up the fantastic work! |
| 1B | Reuben R | For noticing when someone in class needs some help and offering to help them. Your care and kindness has shone through this week. Well done Reuben! |
| 1B | Elsie B | For taking on feedback and using it to improve your writing. I love how you set the scene with your first sentence and used commas when listing items. Keep up the great writing Elsie! |
| 1C | Tane B | For your effort and persistence in mathematics this week. Mrs Cleaver loves the way you’ve been working hard to count forwards, count backwards, identify the bigger number from a group of numbers and make buddies to ten. What a fantastic job Tane! |
| 2A | Olive N | For approaching every task with focus and determination. Your kind and respectful manner makes you a wonderful role model to your classmates. Well done Olive! |
| 2A | Georgia B | For the fantastic problem solving and resilience you have shown when finding missing numbers on a number line. I’ve been blown away by your determination and fearless attitude—you never hesitated to give it a go! Way to go Georgia, keep up the great work. |
| 2L | Luis C | This week, you’ve shown fantastic confidence with your reading and word work—tackling tricky sounds and spelling challenges. You’ve done your best to stay focused during independent tasks and given each activity your best effort. Your growth and determination are shining through! What a fantastic way to start term 3! |
| 2L | Tyson M | Tyson, your thoughtful manners and kind words bring a gentle warmth to our classroom each day. Whether it’s a polite “please” or a genuine “thank you,” you lead by example, showing others how everyday kindness and respect can make a real difference. |
| 3M | Eloise C | For demonstrating exceptional creativity and imaginative storytelling. You have worked hard to develop an engaging introduction to your narrative and we look forward to seeing how your story unfolds. |
| 3M | Lish Y | For the positive way he listens to and reflects on feedback to improve his writing. Lish has a wonderful attitude to learning and sets a great example for his peers. |
| 3P | Remi P | For your excellent work during our English learning sessions this week. You used our vocabulary words to write interesting and creative sentences. Keep up the fantastic effort Remi! |
| 3P | Amelia B | For the hard work and effort you’re putting into your maths learning. It’s great to see you tackling tricky problems with persistence and a positive attitude. Keep challenging yourself Amelia—you’re doing an amazing job! |
| 4G | Edward D | For consistently being ready to learn each day. You arrive prepared, focused, and with a positive attitude, setting a great example for others. You are a valued member of 4G, and your contribution helps create a calm and focused learning environment. Keep up the great work Eddie! |
| 4G | Holly H | For showing great understanding and use of complex sentences in your writing this week. You’ve used a range of sentence structures to make your ideas clearer and your writing more engaging. Keep up the great work Holly! |
| 4R | Ila M | For your responsible and conscientious attitude to all tasks in the classroom. Thank you for always trying your best and for the shining example you set for your fellow class members. Keep up the fantastic work Ila! |
| 4R | Paulo T | For your outstanding perseverance when learning about decimals in maths this week. You always have a positive attitude and work hard to improve each day. Your determination is inspiring Paulo, keep up the great work! |
| 5C | Hailey M | For your amazing show don't tell sentences about The Grandest Bookshop in the World! |
| 5C | Hugo C | For your enthusiastic participation and consistent engagement in mathematics lessons this week. Hugo I admire your willingness to succeed! Keep up the great work! |
| 5C | Cohen M | For your buoyant enthusiasm and radiant energy, which brightens the classroom and bring smiles to everyone’s faces. |
| 5F | Sinead R | For your expertise in weaving words from the question seamlessly into your written answers during reading comprehension tasks. Thank you for showing thoughtful attention to detail. Keep shining! |
| 5F | Mila L | For setting yourself a SMART goal for Term 3. You were able to demonstrate your ability to plan a specific and achievable goal. We look forward to watching you work hard to achieve your goal. |
| 6C | Harlen C | For your listening skills and active engagement in our class discussion about our novel this term. It is great to see you sharing your knowledge with the class. |
| 6T | Gemma C | For your outstanding leadership skills showcased at the Challenge Cup. Your positive and encouraging demeanour towards all your teammates was truly inspiring. Well done, Gemma! |
Community News
