St Mary's War Memorial School West Wyalong eNewsletter

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Week 7! It’s hard to believe we’re already approaching the final weeks of the term. The staff are committed and dedicated to continue to work hard to ensure our students finish the term strong. As we step into the first week of Spring, we also mark the beginning of National Child Protection Week —a time to reflect on the importance of creating safe and supportive environments for all children.

This Wednesday, West Wyalong will enjoy a half-day public holiday. At St Mary’s, we’re fortunate to have the entire day off in recognition of the extra time staff and students dedicated to our Twilight Swimming Carnival in Term 1. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to spend the full day at the show. I’m looking forward to hearing all about the fun and memorable experiences our students will have.

As mentioned earlier it is National Child Protection Week. This week is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of creating safe, supportive, and nurturing environments for all children. It reminds us that protecting children is everyone’s responsibility—families, schools, communities, and organisations all play a role. At St Mary’s, we are committed to fostering a culture of care and respect, where every child feels valued, heard, and safe.

A reminder that our inaugural Ignite and Explore Day will take place on Wednesday of Week 10. Students will enjoy a range of creative, hands-on activities led by staff, designed to spark curiosity and build connections across grades. Students have already selected the activities they’d like to engage in. This day will be a casual clothes day too!! The students are very much looking forward to it!!

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Bland Preschool to St Mary’s!
It was a joyful morning filled with smiles, learning, and connection. Thank you for visiting—we loved having you!

Remember my door is always open.

Principal

Damian Collins

Sometimes despite your best intentions, getting your children to school can be difficult. If your child is reluctant to go to school, it can be challenging, but there are several approaches you can take to address this:

Open Communication: Talk to your child to understand the reasons behind their reluctance. It could be due to academic pressure, social issues, or other concerns.
Positive Reinforcement: Encourage and reward your child for attending school. Small incentives can motivate them to go.
Involve Them in Solutions: Ask your child for their input on what might make school more enjoyable or less stressful for them.
Work with the School: Collaborate with teachers and school counsellors to address any issues your child might be facing.
Create a Supportive Environment: Ensure your child feels supported at home. Help them with homework and be there to listen to their concerns.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down the school day into manageable parts and set small, achievable goals to help your child feel more in control.

It's important to be patient and understanding while working through this. Every child is different, so finding the right approach might take some time.

This week at St Mary’s our focus value will be Knowledge. Knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit to help you choose the right path that leads you to God. It encourages you to avoid barriers that will keep you from Him. Sometimes we can make wrong decisions that lead us away from God. This might be when we face peer pressure from others, and we must make the right decision.

A Prayer for Knowledge

Term 3 Class Mass

Date

Class

Week 8

Wednesday 10th September

Kinder, Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3 Class Mass @ 12pm

Parents and friends are more than welcome.

Week 9

Wednesday 17th September

Year 4, Year 5 & Year 6 Class Mass @ 12pm

Parents and friends are more than welcome.

Week 6 Whatever You Do, Do Well Award Winners

June Cassidy	Dhiya Jeyadinesh	Audrey Redden
Olivia Brose	Jack Connellan	Bobby Davidson
Max Brose	Amity Speedy	Charlie Hague
Louis Morton	Paul Eza'awe	Abigail Sturgess
	Scarlette Orr

Our assemblies are held at school on Friday afternoons at 1:50pm in the School Hall. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

Week 7

Date and Day	Teacher on Leave or PD	Class	Relief
Tuesday 2nd September	Mrs Harland	n/a	n/a
Thursday 4th September (pm)	Mr Collins	n/a	n/a
Friday 5th September	Mr Collins	n/a	n/a

Bland Preschool Visit

Last Wednesday and Thursday, we were delighted to welcome the pre-kindy classes from Bland Preschool for a morning visit. The children had a fantastic time in the Kindergarten room, enjoying a range of craft and other fun activities. They even joined the rest of the school outside for recess, making the most of the beautiful morning and the opportunity to interact with our students. A special thank you must go to Mrs Turner for organising and facilitating these visits.

St Mary’s is pleased to offer a great tutoring opportunity designed to support student learning and growth. There is a retired gentleman named Jack who is multi-lingual and also highly skilled in helping children who struggle with mathematics. He has undertaken tutoring in Sydney for students from low grades to Year 12 but now lives in West Wyalong. He is very dedicated to this work and enjoys seeing the children advance and grasp what was previously difficult for them.

Jack does not wish to be paid for this service. The incentive for him is solely being constructively helpful and having the satisfaction of seeing good results.

As Jack has limited mobility (uses a walking stick and is quite slow-moving) it would be ideal if the students could come to his home to be tutored. He would like a parent or parents to accompany the students, for two reasons - firstly because they can then absorb his approach to the learning process he uses and so to help the children at home as necessary, secondly due to the fact that there are ethical / safety considerations which need to be upheld. He will obtain a WWCC once he has a few students to tutor. He has held a WWCC previously.

Please contact the school if you wish to take up this fabulous opportunity!!

DON'T FORGET!!!!

No School tomorrow September 3rd.

The West Wyalong Show Day is a half day public holiday in our town. In lieu of the St Mary's Twilight Swimming Carnival, CE Canberra Goulburn have granted approval for our school to close for the morning of show day.

This means children and staff will not come to school on show day and gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy a full day at the show. Bus companies have been informed of this change.

Happy Birthday to

Mikhaela Mariano & Xavier Walsh

who celebrate their birthdays during this week.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese Trials

If your Year 5/6 child has the ability to compete at a representative level in the following sports - Basketball, Cricket, Netball, Football (Soccer), Softball, Touch Football and Rugby Union - you are able to nominate them for the Archdiocesan trials.

Please note that the Archdicocesan representative sport trials are highly competitve and there is an expectation that children nominating for these trials have extensive experience in the sport and currently compete at a high level.

If you would like to nominate your child to trial for a sport please go to https://csnsw.sport

Basketball NSW Regional Primary Schools Tournament 2025

The BNSW Regional Primary Schools Tournament is coming back to the Riverina in 2025.

Please note that there has been a change to the tournament schedule, which is unfortunately beyond our control. Further details will be shared by the end of the week.

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.

Day	Event	Location
Wednesday 3rd September	West Wyalong Show Day
Friday 5th September	Father's Day Stall	At school
Sunday 7th September	Father's Day
Wednesday 10th September	K - 2 Excursion to Town Library - Author visit	Bland Shire Library
Friday 12th September	Todd Woodbridge Cup - Stage 2	West Wyalong Tennis Courts
Friday 19th September		At school
Tuesday 23rd September	St Anne's Catholic College Showcase - 10:30am	Temora Town Hall
Wednesday 24th September		At school
Wednesday 24th September	MacKillop Athletics	Sydney
Thursday 25th September	Police Fire & rescue Day	McAlister Oval
Thursday 25th September	Last day of Term 3	At school
Friday 26th September	Staff Development Day
Monday 13th October	Staff Development Day
Tuesday 14th October	Students Return	At school
Monday 20th October	Kinder Orientation - 1/2 day & Parent Information Session	At school
Monday 27th October	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Monday 3rd November	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Monday 10th November	Kinder Orientation - Full day	At school
Thursday 13th November	School Photo Day	At school

ST ANNE'S SHOWCASE OF TALENT 2025

Students will travel to Temora Town Hall on Tuesday 23th of September (Week 10) to attend the Temora Showcase of Talent. A Compass event will been sent out in the next few weeks for parents to action.

Students will be travelling by bus which will be provided by the school, departure 8.55am sharp and return by 1.00 pm for lunch.

Students should wear full school uniform and bring their hat, water bottle, recess and a piece of fruit.

The performance is linked to our English and Creative arts curriculum.

If your know your child will be absent on that day please call the school so they can be removed from the event.

We are welcoming new enrolments for the 2026 school year.

Please get your enrolments in for Kinder 2026 ASAP.

Thursday 13th November 2025

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School photography day is Thursday Week 5, Term 4. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link above.

Important Information:

School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school. Envelopes have not arrived at school yet. We will notify you when they do.
Don’t forget to order your sibling photos now - when you order your single photos.
Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day
Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
Past years’ photographs are available at school’s advancedlife & your advancedyou photo sites (follow the link above)

*Sibling photographs must be ordered either online, prior to the day of photography. A photograph will not be taken without an order. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at the school.

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St Mary's War Memorial School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at enquiries@advancedlife.com.au .

Reports available on Compass @ 3:30pm	TBC
Speech Day	Thursday 4th December
School Play	Thursday 11th December
Year 6 Graduation Dinner	TBC
Year 6 Graduation Mass	TBC
Final Day of School	Thursday 18th December