Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all who attended and our school cross country last week. We really appreciated the parents and families who came along to support our students. High levels of participation, fun, determination and competitive spirit were on display by all students. My thanks must go to our HPE team, Karen Bramich, Laura Swanson and Kate Howe, for their outstanding organisation, to our Student Leaders for their support of this event, and also to David Reid and the EFA team for their work in setting up and packing up for this carnival.

Secondary Sport also commenced last week with AFL, netball and soccer teams competing in Launceston. As always, our students participated with a strong competitive spirit and excellent sportspersonship.

Parent/Teacher Interviews and Sharing Evidence of Learning

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held for all grades this term. We value the partnership between school and home immensely and hope that all parents will be able to attend. Teacher will share evidences of learning and discuss learning progress and goals for for the second half of the year. Of course, these conversations do not have to wait until scheduled interviews, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Dates for sharing evidence of learning and parent/teacher discussions are:

Wednesday 19 June (Week 8)

Monday 24 June (Week 9)

Wednesday 26 June (Week 9)

Monday 1 July (Week 10)

Full Apprenticeships and School-based Apprenticeships(ASbAs)

We are always delighted when we hear our students have gained employment and are able to pursue the career pathway they are passionate about!

Congratulations to the following students who have gained a full apprenticeship.

Lenny - Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology

Ashton – Certificate III in Carpentry

Ned – Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

This year we also have four students participating in school based apprenticeships. Well done to the following students:

Scott – Certificate II in Cookery

Montanna - Certificate III in Business

Rebecca – Certificate II in Community Pharmacy

Riley - Certificate II in Agriculture (in the process of transitioning to a full apprenticeship)

An a school based apprenticeship is a paid, employment-based training arrangement, students in Years 10, 11 and 12  are able to combine work, training and education to gain a nationally recognised qualification, usually at Certificate II or III level – across almost every industry sector and training package. Thank you to the employers/businesses who are supporting students to undertake a school based apprenticeship with them. Our students learn so much from being in the workplace and being mentored by you.

Vaping

The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. As you may be aware, there has been a rise in the number of children and young people vaping in the broader community.

Vaping is similar to smoking cigarettes, but without the use of tobacco. Instead, the electronic cigarettes (vapes) heat a liquid until it turns into an aerosol. This aerosol is then inhaled.

The aerosol is not water vapour but is made up of different chemicals. Some of these chemicals can be harmful for the lungs, brain development and general health. Often, vapes contain nicotine, which makes them very addictive.

In supporting the health and wellbeing of our learners, the Department for Education, Children and Young People has adopted a harm minimisation approach to responding to vaping among children and young people. In line with this, all government schools are designated smoke and vape free areas. Signage displaying this is placed around the school property.

The Department is working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that staff, students and families are educated on the health impacts of vaping. The Department has developed a suite of resources centred on a dedicated webpage for vaping. https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/about-us/projects/child-student-wellbeing/vaping/  This page also includes resources on how to support your child. I encourage you to take the time to talk to your children about vaping. To make it easier to start this conversation, I have included a  vaping fact sheet.

If you are worried that your child might be impacted by vaping or is struggling with the topic, it is important to remember that support is available. Information is available on the fact sheet or the Department’s website.

Thank you for your continuing support in ensuring the wellbeing of all our students.

Carolyn Watson

Principal

Greetings to our Secondary School Community,

As we approach the halfway mark of another busy term, it’s important to reflect on the exciting ventures and accomplishments in our secondary community. Over the first part of the term our students have demonstrated exceptional talent, determination, and teamwork across various fields, setting us up for another successful term.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Miss Heather Barnett who is teaching HaSS this term.

Winter Sports:

Our Winter Sports season kicked off with a flurry of enthusiasm and dedication. I am immensely proud of our students who showcased their skills and sportsmanship on the field, representing our school with pride. I would also like to thank Mrs Swanson, Mr Innis, and Miss Cook for accompanying our netball, football, and soccer teams. Well done to our netballers and footballers on their wins – we look forward to seeing a win from our soccer team!

Cross Country:

The Cross Country on Friday 17 May was a testament to the spirit of endurance and resilience ingrained in our student body. Despite the challenges posed by the course – and the weather – our students exhibited remarkable grit and determination, embodying our valued of Courage and Respect.  Well done to those who participated. Thanks to Mrs Swanson, Miss Bramich, and Mrs Howe on their organisation and to our staff and student helpers who made the day such a success.

AFLW Gala Day

The AFLW Gala Day has been one of the highlights of the term, bringing together students to celebrate athleticism and teamwork. It was inspiring to witness the passion and energy of our AFLW player, showcasing their passion for the sport. Well done to the team on their wins against St Helens District High School and Kings Meadows High School. Congratulations to the team on their success, and to our Year 9/10 boys' team who helped coach and umpire on the day.

Student Leaders

Our Student Leaders have been instrumental in fostering a positive school culture and supporting their peers throughout the term. From organising events to representing their fellow students, they continue to exemplify positive leadership qualities. Their dedication to serving the school community is commendable – as seen by their recent Assembly. I look forward to them facilitating Short Courses in the second part of the term, their MND Big Freeze event, and Free-Dress Fridays.

Changes to Student Management:

In response to the evolving needs of our students, we have implemented two key changes to our student management this term. Lunchtime detention sessions have been implemented to provide a more constructive approach to supporting student behaviour, focusing on reflection and growth. Additionally, the introduction of the Catch-Up Club aims to provide students with the opportunity to address academic challenges in a supportive environment, building accountability for students choosing not to complete tasks within their classes.

Class Groups

As we prepare for Semester Two, we will be reviewing our student and class groups. These changes will provide students with greater support to reflect their academic needs and their dynamic and changing friendships. If you have any concerns regarding this, please contact me via 6972 3900 or via email (stephen.smith1@decyp.tas.gov.au).

On behalf of our passionate and dedicated Secondary Teachers and Teacher Assistants, I thank you for your unwavering support of our secondary community.

Stephen Smith
Secondary AST

The St.Marys District School Annual K – 10 Cross Country Carnival was held in Term 2 Week 3 on Friday 17 May.  The carnival had two components. The Secondary Grade 7 – 10 events were held in the morning and the K – 6 races were held in the afternoon.  Please enjoy reading the highlights of the day and a montage of photos from all K – 10 eventsC

Primary Event

Within the PE Curriculum, our students from K – 6 had been engaged in:

• learning about personal fitness, how their bodies move
• what makes physical activity enjoyable
• developing skills for a life-long active lifestyle
• participating in activities in natural environments
• moving around people and objects in different environments
• how to apply strategies to enhance their own health, safety and well-being
• and to describe how regular activity helps the body stay healthy and physically fit

Our Cross Country Carnival nestles within this PE framework.  Our students moved safely and respectfully around our school grounds, including our wonderful school farm, identifying land marks, learning to read course maps, following directional instructions allowing all K – 6 students to navigate efficiently around the different grade courses.

All K – 6 events began at “The Starting Tree” and share the same finish line as our Grade 7 – 10 students.   Using a mobile phone fitness training app called STRAVA, our PE teachers were able to measure the distances of the K – 6 courses.  The Kinder Fun Run was 800m, the Prep course was 1.1km, the Grade 1 course was 1.4km, the Grade 2 was 1.8km and the Grade 3 – 6 courses are between 2 – 3.5km reflecting the longer distances required to run by our Grade 3 – 6s students selected to compete at the ENE Cross Country at Winnaleah on Wednesday 22 May.

80 K – 6 students competed at the carnival - dressed in their house colours. Students who wore house colours earned bonus house points at the Fashions on the Field Parade held before the running events.  Extra house points were issued for participating in house colours.  The bottom oval and around the courses were filled with students wearing red, blue and green!!!

We would like to congratulate the following students who were announced Cross Country Champions and Runners-Up for 2024.  The next newsletter will contain an ENE Cross Country Report.

The carnival would not have been such a success without the support from many people in our school community.  We would like to thank the HPE staff members who organised the carnival, prepared our students for the different courses and spent many hours marking out the grounds in preparation for the day.  To our Business Management and Administration team in the school office who ensure all families receive event notices and provide First Aid if needed – thank you.   Thank you to our School Leaders who support our HPE staff members in the planning and organisation of the day. To our EFA team members Dave, Rod and Craig on the school farm – thank you! Your support with pitching gazebos, mowing the courses, managing livestock and ensuring all aspects of the farm were safe, delivering the tables and chairs required for recorders and spectators was – as always – very much appreciated.  The Cross Country Carnival always attracts a large number of spectators.   Thank you to all our families who came along to support our event!  And finally, thank you to the 80 students who participated with such positivity and house spirit!!

Cross Country Carnival House Points

There are 3 separate house point collections on Cross Country Day:

1. Secondary Grade 7 - 10 Champion Cross Country house points
2. Primary K – 6 Champion Cross Country house points
3. OVERALL K – 10 Champion Cross Country house points

The table below reflects these house results for the 2024 K – 10 Cross Country Carnival. 

On Wednesday 22 May we celebrated National Simultaneous Storytime.
Each year a picture book which is written and illustrated by an Australian is read simultaneously across libraries, schools, childcare centres, homes and more. This year the book was Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. Mrs Lee and the Kinder children joined Miss Rossi and the Prep/1 class in reading the story and creating our very own Bowerbirds.

What’s been happening in Kinder.

KINGS MEADOWS HIGH SCHOOL 2024

On Wednesday 8 May a group of secondary students travelled to Launceston to participate in the Northern High Schools Sports Association (NHSSA) AFLW Gala day event. We arrived to excellent conditions for football.

Our first game was against Brooks, who had a very strong team. Dominic and Connor stepped up into the coaching role for the entire day and did an excellent job of getting our girls into positions and managing changes, making adjustments and encouraging and supporting our team. The games were played in 2 x 10-minute halves on one full sized field and one half sized field. Our girls did an amazing job for their first ever game of football together. Brooks came away with the win in game 1.

The second game was against Deloraine, who were also strong opponents, and the game was quite closely contested. Our girls showed amazing bravery and were improving in confidence with their kicking, marking and tackling as the games went on. Deloraine won the game, but we did score a goal. Well done to Nikki.

Our third game for the tournament was against St Helens. There were some amazing football skills on show from both teams during this game and it was a very competitive game. Our girls dug deep and came back from behind to get their first win 15-12.

Our final game against Kings Meadows was our second win and definitely our best game for the day. We had lots of younger players (Grade 7 and 8), many of whom had not played before. These girls really stepped up in the last game to show excellent skill and some even scored a goal!

We are so proud of the way our girls represented our school and the improvements in confidence they showed with each game. Each and every one of the girls should be commended for their efforts, especially those who were playing for the first time. Congratulations to Arielle, Ava, Sienna, Molly, Mieka, Emily, Cortney, Laena, Savannah, Claire, Lily, Indi, Skhy, Nikki, Malika, Sahara, Charlize, Paige, Ellie and Ruby.

Thank you also to the boys who attended this event to help officiate. These boys signed up to coach, field umpire, goal umpire, boundary umpire and manage the team at the tournament. It was fantastic to see the leadership from the boys and the support they gave to the girls during the tournament. Thank you and Congratulations to: Connor and Dominic (Coaches), Jaxon and Wally (Boundary Umpires) Byron, Daniel and Lachie (Goal Umpires).           

Congratulations to our AFLW team for 2024.

Laura Swanson

We are into the third week of the mountain biking sessions, facilitated by Shredlys Instructors Lync and Simon and held at the St Helens Mountain Bike Trails. Students have been learning about bike maintenance and safety, using gears and dropper posts for uphill and downhill riding, body position, cornering and general bike handling. It has been wonderful to see the improvements in skill and confidence as the weeks progress. Thank you to Caitlyn and Pete from YConnect for providing the transport and yummy snacks and for making this opportunity available to our students. Please enjoy some photos of our weekly adventures on the bikes.

The day started with “Fashions on the Field” and we had to pivot at the last minute and hold it in the GYM due to a passing shower. Our dressed-up students put their best foot forward to win the bonus 100 points on offer for their house teams.  It was fantastic to start the day with so much enthusiasm and colour, and for all of our students to come together as a whole group to celebrate their House team. Congratulations to our best dressed winners for the secondary (Helayna and Wally), both in Dalamin. 

The Grade 7 students kicked off the races and headed out on the school farm. Congratulations to Sienna and Finn who won their respective events. First back in the Grade 8 events were Emily and Ryan. The motivational music was pumping (thanks to Mr Wardlaw and his running inspired playlist) and the Grade 9’s stepped up to the line. Congratulations Molly and Jaxon for their outstanding efforts to take out the win. Lastly, to our Grade 10 students who were probably overjoyed that this was their last school cross-country event EVER! Congratulations Helayna and Lachie, who both ran outstanding races.  A huge shout out to those students who came and participated to the best of their ability in this year’s cross-country event. The courage and commitment to participate helps to build resilience and self-confidence and gains valuable points for you house teams. 

Lastly, thank you to our wonderful staff and helpers. These events are only possible with the help of all staff. To Craig, who mowed the track through the farm, opened up all the gates and moved the stock. To Dave and Rodney who worked to help set-up and pack-up after the event. Also, to Montanna and Rebecca who assisted me to put up the marquees-your help was very much appreciated. It was quite cold out there, so a massive thank you to staff on checkpoints who were no doubt jogging on the spot to stay warm.  

Wishing our team the very best of luck for Friday at the Inter-High Cross-Country event at Kings Meadows.  

Combined Primary and Secondary House Results: 

DUNCAN- 1140 

DALMAIN- 1114 

BLACKWOOD- 840 

• Launceston St. Leonards Athletic Centre 

We are very proud to share the competition results of four St. Marys Primary students who participated in the recent PSST State Athletics Carnival. 

The carnival reflects respect and opportunities for students of all abilities.  Events included 100m, 200m 400m, 800m, 1500m, Long Jump, High Jump, Shot Putt and Relays for able and students with disability/impairment.  All athletes, able-body and those competing with disability/impairment, compete in sections, heats and finals in a range of track and field events listed above.  

Our four competitors achieved six state Top 10 placings!!  Congratulations to the following SMDS students.  

Hamish D. Grade 5    

• 800m 11th in the State 
• 1500m 10th in the State  
• 100m Heat 4 placing 
• Member of ENE Grade 5 Boys Relay 4th in the State  

Cohen P.C. Grade 6 

• 1500m 18th in the State  

Ella G. Grade 6 

• 100m 5th in Heat 3 
•  200m 7th in the State 
•  400m 7th in the State  
• High jump 3rd in the State 
•  Member of ENE Grade 6 Girls Relay 5th in the State  

Levi W. Grade 6 

• 400m 6th in the state 

• 200m 4th in the state 
• Member of ENE Grade 6 Boys Relay 5th in the state  

We would like to acknowledge the performances by all students selected in the Combined Regional ENE Team.  There were many top 10 places and courageous efforts by students from St. Helens, Bicheno, Ringarooma, Scottsdale, Winnaleah and Bridport. 

Thank you to the PE teachers, Admin staff members and School Leadership Personnel in each school who contributed to the organisation of this event.  We also acknowledge the many parents who committed to overnight stays in Launceston and arranged private transport to allow our students to compete on the day. 

Please enjoy a small selection of photos of the SMDS students who competed. 

Check out the transcript from Helayna - SLB President’s Report at this week’s Secondary Assembly:

On 19 March the ABC Morning Radio came to St Marys to do live interviews. They asked for students from our school to talk about our community and interests. This included me, Lachie Wood, Arielle da Graca, and Daniel Cook.

On 3 April our school hosted Speak Up! Stay ChatTY who explained the seriousness of mental health. This inspired the SLB to hold a Food Shorts Day in memory of the founder Mitch McPherson’s brother, Ty, who died by suicide.

On the day of the Footy Shorts Day, we also had a Day on the Green where the Grade 5/6 class and Mikayla Quilliam, Cortney Smith, Ava Howorka, Molly Patmore and myself played music at Recess. The day was a big success and we ended up raising over $100.

Moving forward to the start of this term, we have had many new experiences and opportunities.

All Year 10s were invited to be a part of The Beacon Foundation’s Polish Program on May 6, located in our Performing Arts Centre. The program’s aim and focus is to improve the readiness of young people looking for employment.

On 9May, our school’s agriculture and hospitality students were given the chance to attend Agfest. The whole time we were there everyone split up trying to find food, items for ourselves, or something to take home for our family. The agriculture students entered a competition for the biggest beetroot, and successfully came 3^rd. We hope our school will continue this excursion in future years, as it was an amazing experience.  

On Wednesday 8May, our school formed an AFLW team to travel to Kings Meadows High School for the AFLW Gala Day to compete against other schools. A special thanks to Miss Smith and Mr Innis, as well as the Grade 9/10 boys or attending and mentoring the team. Our St Marys team had a good crack, as they won two out of four games.

On the 13 May, the Grade 8/9 and the 9/10 Homerooms participated in activities related to The Resilience Project. All students learnt how to be competitive, but at the same time demonstrate respect towards their opponents. These activities successfully taught us to keep trying until we reach our goal, no matter how big or small.

Last Wednesday, we had our first round of Winter Sports in Launceston. After the long bus ride from St Marys we were ready to be active. All teams played amazingly well for the first game of the year, and we hope to continue developing new skills along the way. At the end of the day we were all exhausted and ready to sleep, but first we had to make a quick food stop to refuel our bodies.

Finally on Friday we had our Cross Country, where we ran through the school grounds and all dressed in our house colours – Green for Blackwood, Blue for Dalmian, and Red for Duncan! This year, our participation rates have improved extremely, with more people running the course and showing school spirit by wearing crazy clothes. We started the day off with the Grade 7 students and worked our way up to the Grade 10's. Once we had lunch, the primary students were able to start, with secondary school students assisting them and helping at the finish line. A special thanks goes out to those who demonstrated leadership by volunteering to help throughout the day.

Our school has had an incredible start to 2024, as we have brought our school and community closer together. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.

Secondary students have been finishing off ceramic projects. Learning how to lino print. Grade 4/5 have been working on colour theory and landscapes as well as learning how to hand-build with clay.

RESULTS: 

 NETBALL 

NETBALL DIVISION 2: SMDS 34  KINGS MEADOWS 4 

NETBALL DIVISION 3: SMDS 16 CRESSY 0 

FOOTBALL 

SMDS 69 QUEECHY 43 

MIXED SOCCER 

SMDS 0 QUEECHY 4 

Recently Grade 3-4 Kirk completed a survey so that we could understand how they feel about reading, as well as uncover ways in which we could engage a love and pleasure in reading in our class.

The questions aimed to give an insight, not only into the genres that students preferred, but also the amount of time spent reading. It also explored digital media usage and other activities the students enjoyed. It was hoped that data from this survey would give scope to tailor reading activities such as comprehension, reading sessions and vocabulary teaching around interests and current attitudes, offering support and further resourcing as needed.

The survey led to some interesting data for reflection in our classroom, including the following points:

Reading enjoyment

94% of students surveyed stated that they sometimes or often liked reading. If they selected as liking reading ‘sometimes’, they added that this was because they enjoyed other activities such as playing outside or accessing digital media and games. This has led to some thoughts towards future planning to include more outside reading, perhaps having a reading den undercover, as well as exploring the option of digital sources to be used more often to enhance our skills in reading comprehension.

Difficulties of reading

12% of students surveyed expressed that they found reading challenging. All of these students are accessing our intervention program where 5 times a week that receive either small group or one-on-one support in specific and personalised areas of need so we will be able to monitor future reading progress and engagement to best support all needs in our class.

Genres of reading

Non-fiction books were stated as a favourite with just over half the students surveyed. The reasons they gave was that the enjoyed finding out facts and reading about topics they find interesting. When asked about novels some students were unsure about the word ‘novel’ but with the increased exposure to in-depth vocabulary work through the Marzano method we can ensure a good understanding in the future.

Overall reading in Grade 3-4 is enjoyed and engagement is positive. Whilst sharing our class novel, The Elephant by Peter Carnavas, the students are engaged, always asking questions and love to learn new vocabulary.

Here are some of the wonderful quotes from the survey:

Question:

What do you like about reading?

 "I like finding out about new things I didn't know before.”

 “Because of my yearning for new words.”

 “It helps me with my writing.”

 “It’s relaxing and helps my imagination.”

 Teresa Kirk.

Grade 3/4 Teacher.

The students enjoyed the opportunity to have some expert training and they worked together to practice skills which led to a game. Those who already play outside of school were great supporters to others and could demonstrate ways to throw and kick the ball. Everyone cheered each other on, and it was wonderful to see the encouragement on display.

In just two sessions every student improved on one or more of the skills and their confidence shone through.

Great teamwork Grade 3-4.

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