Welcome back to the new school year. A special welcome to our new students and families who have joined us this year. It has been lovely meeting so many families at enrolment interviews or through the transition meetings.  

We also welcome the following new staff: 

We have had some unexpected staffing changes including Mr Martin and Mrs Cornelius taking some additional leave and Mr Jason Thomas (School Psychologist) moving to another school. I thank Jason for the years for service he has given to the students of St Marys District School and wish him well in his changed work circumstances. Mrs Jane Stewart, our new School Psychologist, comes with much experience, and we welcome her as a member of our Student Support and Wellbeing Team.

We have had a very settled start to the term across the school, with students being organised and prepared for learning with all their books and stationery ready and looking amazing in their uniforms. Thank you to all our families for their support with these things and well done to all the students for showing such a commitment to learning.  One again, we have started this year with a whole school focus on our high expectations around uniform, behaviour and most importantly learning. Having a clear understanding of these expectations supports every student to do and be their best while at school. I encourage parents and families to continue these conversations with your child about their goals, expectations and aspirations over the coming weeks. 

We have a beautiful environment at St Marys, in which to work and learn and the team of EFAs (Education Facility Attendants) and our admin staff have ensured that our school is looking spick and span for the start of the year. Thank you also to our staff for the extra hours they have already put in ensuring timetables are ready, units and lessons are planned and classrooms and learning spaces are prepared. This work has really supported our students successfully returning to their schooling and their learning.

Your child's Class Teacher will be sending home a welcome letter.  These letters will provide you with information about the school year as well as contact details for any questions you may have.  Please contact your child’s teacher or the school office at any time if you would like to talk more about your child, their learning or you have a question or concern and I’d particularly encourage you to do this if you have a positive to share.

It is extremely pleasing to announce that our Prep – 2 Playground is finally ready for students to use. These students arrived at school on Thursday morning this week to:

I'd like to remind families at this time of the year of a few things that will assist your child at school and assist us to ensure we are providing the best education and care whilst they are with us.

Attendance – Start the year right by making every school day count. Check out this new video.

Essential for good learning outcomes is students attending school every day. What may seem harmless can have a cumulative effect that significantly impacts learning. We acknowledge that students are not always well and able to attend school and thank families for communicating this to our administration team as soon as possible. This can be done via a phone call, message or through the Schoolzine App.  Attendance at school is a legal requirement and we have to follow this up accordingly following process and protocols as outlined in the Education Act.  We have the responsibility of following up on non- attendance and will make calls home to ascertain why students are away. We thank families in advance for your support with this. 

Drop off and Pick up

The school car parks are very congested places both in the morning and after school especially with spaces being limited. We have many school buses entering and leaving the grounds both of a morning and afternoon and they need to be able to safely navigate in and out of the school. Families are reminded to use the turning circle to drop off children in the morning and if parking to drop off or collect, to use the school driveway or the carpark in front of the pool.

Healthy Habits

A reminder to all students and families that we encourage the wearing of hats in our playground at breaks and in outside HPE lessons to be sun smart.  Primary children are expected to wear a hat when in the playground in Terms 1 and 4 and will be asked to play in shady areas if they have left their hat at home.

We have water hydration stations in the school for students to either drink hygienically from and/or fill up their drink bottles. Keeping hydrated in hot weather is very important.

Sleep is vital for healthy brain development and activity and at this time of the year, when school resumes, it is important to get a good night’s rest. Please support and encourage your child to turn off devices and retire at a reasonable hour as they start the new school year.

Kind regards,

Carolyn Watson

Principal

Every school day matters

Welcome back for another school year – we’re excited for what’s ahead!

Start the year right by making every school day count. There are lots of things you can do to set your child up for success:

Make sure your child goes to school, every day
Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

Get them excited for school
If you show a positive attitude and excitement towards school, your child will pick up on that.

The most common thing we hear from students, of all ages, is that school is where they can:
» spend time with their friends and teachers
» create new and fun experiences
» find their interests
» learn new things
» open up their options – for whatever future they want (whether that’s their dream job or to travel around the world).

Share these positives with your child

Talk to your child about school

Open up a conversation with your child about what’s happening at school. It will help you to better support their interests and
confidence in learning. If you show an interest in school, they’ll know that getting an education is important and valued.

Celebrate the milestones

Big and small! Celebrate milestones such as making it through the first day or week of school. And remember: all milestones look different. If
it’s a big achievement for your child, it’s important to recognise it.

Set up a time to talk to your child’s teacher or principal
If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in
whatever way we can.

Know when to seek help
There is no weakness in admitting you need help. If your child has completely disengaged with school, and not attending at all, there is
support to help you. In the first instance, talk to us at school.

For more helpful tips, please check out the Anything can happen
website:   Anything Can Happen

Grade 3 – 5 Swimming and Water Safety Progamme (SWSP)

13th February – 24th February 

It only seems like yesterday that our students were stretching their red, green and blue house -coloured swimming caps over their heads and flip-flopping from the gym to the pool in their thongs whilst participating in last year’s Term 4 SWSP!!   

Our SWSP is well underway with 60 excited Grade 3 - 6 students knocking at the pool door between 9.00am and 2.20pm wanting to jump into the warm water! 

Each SWSP lesson commences as soon as our students leave their classroom.  Orderly and safe movement to the gym, active listening and following instructions are key ingredients to successful and safe aquatic experiences.  After changing into their swimming gear, the students walk to the pool, enter the pool space in the “welcome zone”. 

Students then do a “check-in” with how they are feeling in preparation for their lesson.  All students put a tick on one of 3 charts.  The green chart has a big smiley face indicating that a student is excited for the lesson and ready for challenges and to learn.  The yellow chart is for students who feel comfortable, confident and ready to swim but might feel a little unsure about something (eg. floating on their back for the first time, being in the deep water for the first time, learning to dive, or learning how to blow bubbles confidently).  The red chart is for students to share with their teachers if they have a worry.  The instructors (Miss Bramich and Mrs. Bennett) can then check in with these students so that they can tailor the session to ensure they have a confident experience.  

Over the last 3 days, our 60 Grade 3 – 6 students have swum 3 times each.  In the 180 student swims so far, there have only been 3 ticks on the “worried” chart!  How courageous and brave are our students – especially our young Grade 3 students?!  They are excited, keen, chatty, giggly and their self-motivation levels are in top gear!!!! 

Please enjoy these pictures as a snapshot of the first 3 days of the 2023 SWSP. 

Buddy class visits

What a wonderful start to 2023 we have had as we develop friendships across our school as part of our Buddy Classes Program.

On Friday 10 February and Friday 17 February our Grade 7-10 students visited primary classes and enjoyed activities together, both indoors and outdoors. 

New friendships were formed, old friendships renewed and lots of fun had by all!!

Please enjoy the photos of the students engaging in this school community building time

What a fabulous start to the 2023 school year we have had in the Primary classes. It was wonderful to see students arrive with eager faces last Wednesday morning after the lengthy Summer break. Unpacking and settling into new classrooms was followed by getting-to-know-you games and activities. Building a sense of community in each class is a vital step and supports each student to develop a sense of belonging to their new class, peers and teacher.

As we embark on a new year of learning I’d like to warmly welcome a number of new staff to our Primary team, all of whom bring a great deal of experience and are wonderful additions to our school:

Steph Connolly - Grade 1-2A Teacher	Terersa Kirk - Grade 3-4B Teacher
Nigel Holland - Grade 5-6A Teacher	Anna Wright  -  School Nurse
Angela Barratt - Educational Support Specialist

We are excited to be in the midst of the Swimming and Water Safety Program conducted by Miss Karen Bramich and Mrs Carol Bennett. The Grade 3-5 students are enjoying their opportunities in the pool and we are looking forward to seeing their development over the two week program.

During the first two weeks of Term One, the primary classes are collaborating with high school students to run buddy classes. This is an opportunity for links to be made between students in the primary and secondary classes and build further connections throughout the school.

We are very much looking forward to a year of learning and growth in 2023 and working in partnership with you.

Meg Burbury

Acting Primary AST

Launceston Cup day - Wednesday 22 February is a full day public holiday for staff and students at St Marys District School.

What a wonderful start our students have had to the 2023 school year. 

We would like to welcome our Grade 7 students and their families, particularly those from Bicheno Primary School and other students who have moved schools to join us at St Marys District School. During the first few days, all students have experienced both their core subjects and specialist subjects and have met their teachers. 

We have several new staff members working with your children this year and we are sure that they will enjoy their time with us.  We welcome Kathleen Davis (Weeks 1 to 4 English), Renee Kostiuk (Foods), Kate Howe (Outdoor Education), Harpreet Kaur (Mathematics), Christine Waters (English) and Anna Wright (School Nurse). 

Grade 9-10 students will continue to explore Options and Electives while our Grade 7-8 students will rotate through Tasters to better understand subjects available as Options and Electives for their future subjects.

Staff are busy planning the Grade 7 Camp which is scheduled for Wednesday March 8 through to March 10,  2023.  Students and staff will be staying at the Big4 Iluka On Freycinet. More information will be shared with parents by week three.

Short Course Options will continue in 2023.  Our first round sees staff and students working and having fun with our primary students and staff from Prep to Grade 6.  This is a fantastic opportunity to continue building relationships between students and staff across all sectors of the school.

The first of our carnivals is the Athletic Carnival.  The date is Thursday 30 March.  If you can keep this date free, it would be wonderful to see parents watch the successes of their children.  More information will follow outlining the day and the events.

We look forward to working closely with you, your child and extended family throughout 2023.

Sandra Cook

Secondary AST

SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS - FAQ

• Foster cooperation among teachers, students, parents and the school community, as well as fostering the value and benefits of education generally.
•  Participate in:
  • the development of school policies
  • the formulation and implementation of plans for the improvement of the school
  • establishing and reviewing, from time to time, the school's objectives, priorities, strategic directions and values­
  • the planning of financial arrangements necessary to fund those objectives, priorities, strategic directions and values
  • evaluating the school's performance in achieving those objectives, priorities, strategic directions and values
  • providing advice on the selection of the person to be the permanent Principal of the school.
• Provide advice and recommendations as required on any matter relating to policy with respect to State schools.
• School Associations can raise funds for the benefit of the school and to determine how those funds will be used.

Meet our new Kindergarten students!

We extend a warm welcome to our new Kindergarten children and their families.

Their first days at school have been spent playing, exploring, and getting to know each other.  They have had a fabulous time.

Grade 5-6B has been busy democratically developing our classroom expectations and the classroom culture we wish to develop for a successful year. We have identified collaboration as a key aspect for a successful year and developed our own class definition:

“To work in partnership with people you may know or not know to accomplish a job or project”.

We have also been focussing on inclusion, our inner and outer selves and how our differences help each other learn. Enjoy some of our inner-outer self-portraits.

There has been lots of engagement in education in all sorts of ways over the first two weeks of term:

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 3/4B welcome letter

• Grade 5/6B welcome letter

THE SMITH FAMILY SAVER PLUS PROGRAM

 A warm welcome to the 2023 school year and very best wishes to your school community from The Smith Family Saver Plus program ?

 Saver Plus can support families with Back to School costs.

 About the program:

 Over 55K Australians have saved $27 million and ANZ has provided more than $23 million in matched savings through Saver Plus.

• Saver Plus increases people’s financial confidence and strengthens their financial skills
• 85% of our past participants said they’re better prepared to manage environmental changes (such as cost of living pressures or unexpected bills) since completing Saver Plus
• 87% of our participants save the same amount or more 3 to 7 years after completing the program*

 Participants are paired with a savings coach and make regular deposits towards an agreed goal over a 10-month period. They attend online workshops to learn tips, tricks and information to grow their budgeting and savings skills. Once they reach their agreed goal, ANZ matches their savings dollar-for-dollar up to $500.

 The money from Saver Plus can be used towards education costs such as uniforms, text books, laptops, camps and extra-curricular activities such as sport or music.

 For more information please see the attached flier.

Smith_Family_Back_To_School_A4_graphic.pdf

Smith_Family_Back_To_School_A4_graphic _pdf 90.41 KB

Coles_Bay_Triathalon.pdf

Coles_Bay_Triathalon _pdf 3.05 MB