It is hard to believe we are already approaching the final few weeks of Term 3. It has been a busy and exciting time at St Marys, with many opportunities for our students to learn, grow, and shine. Here is a recap of some of the events of the past two weeks: 

Grade 6 Transition 

Last week, Grade 6 students from Bicheno Primary School and St Marys District School came together at Scotch Oakburn Valley Campus for a day of connection and fun. The program focused on team-building activities designed to strengthen relationships, build confidence, and encourage collaboration. Students had plenty of fun working together, trying new challenges, and celebrating their achievements. This is one of the many planned activities that supports successful transition for students into high school next year.  

Teacher Assistant Appreciation Week 

Last week we celebrated Teacher Assistant Appreciation Week, a chance to acknowledge and thank our wonderful TAs who provide such valuable support for our students and staff every day. Their care, patience, and commitment make a real difference in classrooms across the school. THANK YOU! 

Wheelchair Basketball 

Students from Grades 5–8 recently took part in a fantastic Sporting Schools program delivered by ParaQuad Tasmania. Wheelchair basketball was an engaging and eye-opening experience, giving students the chance to build empathy, teamwork, and an appreciation of inclusive sport. 

Jobs Expo at Launceston College

Our senior students attended the Jobs Expo at Launceston College, where they explored pathways and opportunities available beyond school. It was a valuable event that connected students with local industries, training providers, and employers, and helped them think about their future goals. 

R U OK?/Pyjama Day 

This week we marked R U OK? Day with a special Pyjama Day, encouraging conversations about mental health and checking in on one another. We are enormously grateful for the support of Casey (Live4Life Coordinator) in providing games and resources as well as the generous donation of food and her time to cook the BBQ. Our Year 10 leaders and Live4Life Crew, stepped up and worked collaboratively with staff and showed true leadership skills in their support of the day. It was wonderful to see the whole school community engage with such an important message while having a little fun at the same time. 

Student Wellbeing and Surveys 

Student wellbeing remains a strong focus at St Marys. Over the coming weeks, students will complete the annual Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. The insights gained from this will help us identify priorities and strengthen our approaches to supporting wellbeing and learning engagement. 

A reminder that the Family Satisfaction Survey remains open until 19 September. These surveys provide an important avenue for parent voice and contribute to our planning and review processes. I strongly encourage all families to take a few minutes to complete the survey. 

Winter Sport Wrap-Up 

The Northern High Schools Sports Association (NHSSA) winter sports rosters have now concluded. I would like to commend all students who represented our school in netball, soccer, or AFL throughout the season. Their teamwork, commitment, and sportsmanship were a credit to St Marys District School. 

Special thanks to Laura Swanson for her efforts in coordinating these fortnightly events as well as management, and support of all teams. Congratulations to our netball team on their Grand Final victory, and a special mention to Sienna McG who was named player of the match. Well done to all for their strong performances throughout the season. 

As we head into the final weeks of Term, I encourage all students to stay focused, continue to work hard, and make the most of the opportunities available to them. Every minute matters when it comes to your education, and I am proud of the efforts our students make every day. 

Meg Burbury

Acting Principal

DIVISION 2 NETBALL CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to our Winter Sports Netball Team on their Grand Final win.  

Isla (captain), Ellie, Mieka (DNP injured), Emily, Indi, Layla, Lily, Sienna and Claire (reserve). 

It was a very convincing win and a fantastic season for the girls.  

The final score was 40-9.  

Congratulations to Sienna, who was voted by the umpires as Player of the Match.  

Looking forward to another amazing season of Winter Sports Netball in 2026, with new look dresses kindly funded by our School Association.  

The entire SMDS community joined together on Thursday 11 September, for a day of wellbeing and connection.   RUOK? day started with a scrumptious pancake and muffin breakfast, with a lifesized fruit platter of bananas and apples covering the entire table!  It was lovely to see so many families join us for breakfast and a catch up.

Students then spent the day together in mixed age groups, participating in number of engaging, and fun wellbeing activities.  There were smiles all round, as students participated in board games, lego competitions, parachute games, newspaper construction, and more!  Students enjoyed a sausage sizzle and more activities and wellbeing exercises in the afternoon.

After school, we welcomed families into our classrooms to see childrens' work, connect with teachers, and see evidences of learning.  By far the highlight of the afternoon was the farm visit, where young and old got to feed the sheep, cows and chickens, collect the eggs and bottle feed Brian.  It was a beautiful afternoon on the farm, and lovely to see children all in a row on the fence, feeding the cows and watching Wally work with (run away from) Fabio the Ram, who was very excited to have an audience.

Everyone then joined together on the green for a snag and a catch up between families and St Marys Staff.  It was a lovely end to a day full of connection and wellbeing.

Thank you to Mrs Bennett, Janine, Erin, Max, Mr Stonehouse,  Casey and the Live 4 Life Crew, Student  Leaders, Dave for BBQ services, our EFA team for all of their behind the scenes work and everyone else for all of the hard work to make RUOK? Day 2025 a success!

On Tuesday 9 September, students in Year 3 and Year 4 travelled by bus to Natureworld at Bicheno. It was a lovely warm day full of surprises and interesting learning opportunities. Upon arrival students had some recess then went on a guided tour.  Later, students had some lunch followed by a turn on the playground and visits to view more animals.  The following quotes are reflections about the trip. 

“At NatureWorld I liked Old Nanna the Sugar Glider and Dotty the Wombat. We were very lucky because we got to pat baby Bluetongue Lizards, and the Echidna came out.” (Lillee) 

 “I liked patting the baby Bluetongue Lizards. My favourite animal was the Tassie Devils. My favourite activity was feeding the kangaroos and playing on the playground. I liked the echidna.” (Jade) 

 “I loved Old Nanna the Sugar Glider and the baby Tassie Devils. I had the best time and the parrot was cute. There were way more animals that I loved including the white wallaby. It was the best and we got to feed the kangaroos, wallabies and ducks. I saw an echidna, Dotty the Wombat. The Tassie Devils were eating a dead possum, it was gross. One of the kangaroos held me when I fed it.” (Aria) 

 “I liked the Tassie Devils. I called three of them Jeffery, Jimmy Bob and Bobster. It was funny because Jeffery started to chase Bobster. I like how we were the first one to see the baby Tassie Devils. I also loved the feeling of Old Nanna the Sugar Glider.” (Harry) 

 My favourite animal was the Sugar Glider, the kangaroo and the Tassie Devil. The Sugar Glider was so soft. I laid with a kangaroo it was really soft.” (Rose) 

 “I liked watching the Tassie Devils eating a possum. The Eastern Spotted Quoll has spots and he was smaller than the others. He was super fast. (Lincoln)” 

 “I liked vibing with both the kangaroos.” (Coen).   

 “My favourite animals were the baby Tassie Devils and all of the kangaroos. I liked playing in the playground with Bob.”    (Jye) 

 “My favourite animal was the wombat. I loved patting the animals. It was fun feeding the animals. The birds were so cute. I loved patting the kangaroos. I loved the joeys, devils, birds, possum and kangaroos.” (Joan) 

“My favourite animal was the Sugar Glider because it was little. I also liked the parrot because it copies what you say, and I like the Tassie Devils too.” (Indi) 

“I liked the owl and the Sugar Glider. It was really fun and we saw kangaroos and cool birds. I like the Tassie Devils and I saw them eat a possum. I also saw a gold possum.” (Sadie) 

“We saw a Sugar Glider. We got to pat it, it felt really soft.” (Henry) 

 “I really liked the cute baby Tasmanian Devils. I loved feeding the kangaroos and seeing their little babies.  We got to see a little Sugar Glider. It was adorable. We got to see birds, owls, spiders and Spotty the wombat.” (Evie) 

“My three favourite animals were the kangaroos, Tassie Devils and the Sugar Glider. The reason why I liked the kangaroos was because there were so many joeys. The Tasmanian Devils were funny when they were feeding. The Sugar Gliders were soft and fluffy. I did not like the snakes because they wouldn’t come out.” (Lewis) 

 Seth liked the masked owls. 

We have had very good attendance at Lil which is fantastic. Last week we started creating a ‘bush tucker garden’ in the upper Kinder outdoor environment. This supports children to be culturally aware and learn about Aboriginal cultures and the importance of native plants. It provides children with hands on learning opportunities and fosters team work as well as communication amongst the group. It encourages children to care for and tend to the outdoor environment and the role that plants play. It provides a deeper connection to nature, Country and cultural heritage.

TERM 4 LiL & Pre-Kinder Calendar

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Once upon a time in Kinder we learnt about fairy tales. We have enjoyed listening and watching different fairy tales, our favourites and ones we have never heard before. We have built a wonderful castle out of boxes, drawn and painted castles, created a picture of the three little pigs using different media, learnt about dragons and written a poem about them and painted a picture.

We have been very excited to see that we now have a froglet that is about to lose its tail! And keep waiting for the others to catch up and develop.

We have potted our bean plants and are keeping them inside at the farm waiting for the frosts to end so that we can plant in our raised vegetable garden.

We also contributed to the ‘bush tucker garden’ in the upper Kinder space in the outdoor environment which was planted and created by our Lil group and Kinder. This garden is giving us the opportunity to learn about Country as well as to care for the garden.

In the last couple of weeks we have had a big focus on our name writing and numbers, especially number recognition 1 – 10, playing a group game of bingo using the bingo cards and also the 10 frame.

We are very much looking forward to the upcoming holidays.

Our Year 8–12 students have been busily creating artworks across a wide range of mediums, including clay, painting, textiles, and printmaking. It has been wonderful to see such creativity and variety, with so many impressive projects coming together in preparation for our upcoming exhibition.

Students have been learning basic hand building techniques (pinch, coil, slab) to create a sculptural vase. They experimented with adding textures and patterns using tools and found objects, then combined these skills to build a unique, textured vase form. 

A firefighter from the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) is visiting our school in the last week of term to present a Home Fire Safety Program to our Prep to Grade 6 students.

Kindergarten students, whilst not receiving a structured lesson, can expect a visit from the firefighter, who will leave some free fun activites for the students to complete.

The age appropriate program is designed to raise fire awareness in children and includes fun in-class activities, videos, activity books, website www.tfseducation.com.au and giveaways.

Parents and other family members are also encouraged to participate by reading the information and assisting your child with the after school activities.

The TFS aims to deliver appropriate fire safety education to every primary school child in Tasmania and is  part of the TFS’s ongoing commitment to create a fire safe Tasmania.

Key Fire Safety Messages include,

Wake up - Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom

Plan and practice a home fire escape plan with the whole family

In a fire crawl low and go, go, go to the nearest exit

In an emergency call triple zero  

Keep flammable material at least two metres from the heater

If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, rock and roll

Keep matches and lighters away from children

Cooking - Turn it off before you turn away

Cool a burn under cool water for at least 20 minutes

Most house fires can be avoided. Make your home fire safe

More information www.tfseducation.com.au

EARLY CHILDHOOD

TFS receives regular requests from preschools and child care centres asking for firefighters to visit and teach children about home fire safety.

TFS does not deliver structured fire safety programs to children below primary school age. This decision was made based on research carried out by the Mental Health Services of the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne. This research indicated that:

• Children under the age of five had low retention of the information they had learned; and
• In some children, the information had actually stimulated their curiosity about fire and they had begun to play with fire.

TFS believes that parents and caregivers are the best people to make sure that very young children are safe from fire. To help with this, TFS has a fire safety website for parents, carers, teachers and students

TFS has also developed resources for young children that introduce them to the friendly firefighter characters that they will meet when they receive the School Fire Education Program, including a colouring book and stickers with home fire safety messages for the whole family.

Free giveaways for your preschool or child care centre are available here.

As a class we started the session off by building the special wheelchairs used for basketball. Richard from ParaQuad Tasmania discussed some rules about how the game works. He taught us that if we didn’t push the wheelchair more than two times without a bounce of the ball it would classify as travelling. When you are playing the game, you have  to bob up and down in the wheelchair to shoot a hoop. Picking up the ball is the trickiest part of the game; you had to put the ball on the side of the wheel to pick it up. We also learnt to use our hands as brakes when we needed to slow down or stop and to be able to change direction by holding one wheel still and moving the other. 

After we had learned some basic skills, we played a class game of wheelchair basketball. We found it hard to not use our feet to stop the wheelchair, and even harder to shoot the ball into the hoop because we couldn’t use the power from our legs.  

It was a great experience to learn what people may feel like in a wheelchair and understand what it means to not being able to use some parts of our body to move. 

Hope you enjoy the photos. 

Miller and Sophie – Grade 7 

Attack Asthma – Asthma Week 2025

This Asthma Week (September 1-7) Asthma Australia is asking parents to help flip the script and Attack Asthma for their child. It’s time we Attack Asthma before the symptoms start! Asthma is one of the leading causes of children ending up in hospital. New research by Asthma Australia shows that while most parents feel like they are confident in managing their child’s asthma, nearly two thirds live in constant fear of an asthma attack. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A daily preventer can help keep your child's asthma under control, reducing the chance of an attack. This means less time feeling sick or in the hospital and more time for them to just be a kid. Instead of waiting for symptoms like wheezing or difficulty breathing, use a preventer every day to help your child breathe normally.

Learn more about how to Attack Asthma here: Attack Asthma | Kids | Asthma Australia

Quitline Tasmania is currently providing FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to 

• Young People 12-25 

• Pregnant people and their partners 

• First Nations Peoples 

who smoke and/or vape and want to quit.  

NRT products help to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, irritability, mood swings and anxiety, making quitting easier. 

NRT along with behavioural support from our qualified counsellors = a greater chance of successfully quitting. 

Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Program | Quit Tasmania 

To get started today 

Call 13 7848 or text “FREENRT” 0489 077 077 

If you would like further support, please reach out to School Health Nurse, Anna. 

anna.wright@decyp.tas.gov.au 

Expressions of interest for the Newstead College residence for 2026 are now open!

View the details about the residence and express your interest here: Newstead Residence - Newstead College (education.tas.edu.au)

Please note, there have been significant changes to the management and processes associated with the Residence- view the PDF below for more information. 

These notices have been sent home to parents in the last fortnight.  If you did not receive one and would like to receive a copy of the notice, please contact the school office on 63 723 900.

PRIMARY

• Grade 3-5 Statewide Swimming and Water Safety Program -  Monday 15 September - Friday 26 September 2025