Dear Parents,

As we approach the end of term 2, we find ourselves at the midway point of the year. I will continue to encourage our students to finish the term strong as is the culture at St Mary’s. Please refer to the ‘Parent Teacher Interview’ article in this newsletter to find details of Semester 1 reports and interviews to occur before the end of the term.

Mrs. Jules Ramsay has quickly become ‘The Rock’ at St Mary’s since her move to full time work at the start of last year. Due to family commitments and a need to pull back from full time work, Mrs. Ramsay has decided to relinquish her full-time position as Clerical Administrator of St Mary’s. She will stay on in a casual capacity, initially to train the incoming person and then become available as the need requires.

Mrs. Ramsay joined the team in 2016 and took on a significant load of the Office work. She quickly became responsible for the newsletter and has made the document the wonderful piece of communication that it is today. Upon taking on the role in a full-time capacity, Mrs. Ramsay has been the heart of administration at St Mary’s. Her organisation, communication, administration and knowledge of the school’s financial system have been tremendous assets that I have come to admire. Mrs. Ramsay’s last day in her current capacity will be Friday 30 June.

I would like to acknowledge the wonderful commitment Mrs. Ramsay has made to St Mary’s during her time at the school. This was on full display last year during the local floods. Mrs. Ramsay made the incredible sacrifice to stay in town to ensure she could continue to work. I would like to thank Mrs. Ramsay for being a wonderful support to myself and the executive team and wish her all the best in the future that lies ahead.

The recruitment process to replace Mrs. Ramsay has begun and this will be announced early next term.

Regards,

Phil

Without justice, the world would fall into chaos. Justice is necessary for order whether it be in in a school, family, work situation as it ensures that everyone is held accountable for their actions. We live in a society where our actions help or hinder others, therefore we have a duty to give others our best. Justice encourages us to use our talents to serve with cheerfulness and for our actions to always take others into account.

Just people can show the following:
-Respect the needs and rights of others
-Comply with orders and laws
-Respect others' opinions and property
-Speak of others kindly
-Tell the truth
-Know how to keep a secret
-Fulfil their duties
-Have rational discussions with others 
-Keep their word
-Don't seek revenge

Jesus was and is our greatest guiding light, leader, and teacher with demonstrating what acting justly looks like. He was impartial, making fair decisions, and did not show favouritism and always acknowledged the truth and treated all people with dignity.

Acting justly requires action and not just words.

With winter well and truly upon us it is timely to remind everyone about our Winter Uniform expectations.

This is taken directly from the school's uniform policy. It is expected that all items of the uniform are worn appropriately and kept in good order. Students uniforms should present as clean and tidy. For health and safety reasons hair is to be worn tied back if longer than shoulder length. Hair adornments must be in a colour scheme that matches the uniform and kept to a minimum. Jewellery is also to be kept to a minimum.

Please remember that ties should be worn at all times to and from school. Top buttons need to be done up and ties need to be worn appropriately. If hair is longer than shoulder length it needs to be tied back. 

Thank you for your assistance.

    

Larna Pilon, Max Cuthbertson, Bronte Whittaker and Wyatt Braunberger

who celebrate their birthdays during this week.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

We are welcoming new enrolments for the 2024 school year.

Please enrol online before the 4th of August, however late enrolments are always accepted, at our website with the link below - https://smwms.nsw.edu.au/enrolment

If you require further information please call the school office.

Reports will be made available through the Compass App on Friday the 23rd of June at 3:30pm.

Bookings are made in Compass.

   

REGISTRATIONS 

CLOSING FRIDAY 28th of JULY

This year the UNSW ICAS assessments are online and will be held in August.

Participation in these assessments is at parents discretion.  There is no obiligation for your children to sit these assessments as they are not used in the schools reporting.

The ICAS assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment.  Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.  Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

All registrations and payment for 2023 are to be done online

To register and pay for your child please click on the following link and note that the special code for St Mary's is VNS280.

Cost for EACH assessment is $19.25, except Writing which is $23.65

The sitting windows for the ICAS tests are listed below, however the school will finalise the actual date of the tests in the coming weeks:

Writing - Monday 7 August

Digital Technologies - Friday 11 August

English - Monday 14 August

Science - Monday 21 August

Spelling Bee - Friday 25 August

Mathematics - Monday 28 August

The following events are in the calendar in the next few weeks.

The Compass Calendar is updated to show Mass times, sporting events, important events.

The SZAPP calendar is no longer updated, please do not refer to this calendar for important dates.

Day	Event	Location
Monday 19 June	School Counsellor Visit	At School
Tuesday 20 June	Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser - Beanie and Hot Chocolate Day	At School
	PSSA NSW Rugby League (for athletes who qualify) - 3 days to Thursday 22nd June	Wagga Wagga
Wednesday 21 June	Lake Cowal Excursion for Kinder to Year 2	Lake Cowal
Sunday 25 and Monday 26 June	MacKillop Rugby Trials (for athletes that qualify)	Forbes
Monday 26 June	School Counsellor Visit	At School
	St Mary's Kinder 2024 Information Session and Tour @ 9.30am	At School
Friday 30 June	Last Day of Term 2
Monday 17 July	Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 18 July	First Day of Term 3