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- PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
- SECONDARY SECTOR REPORT
- WHAT MATTERS! TASMANIA 2024
- SUSTAINABILITY LEARNING CENTRE
- GRADE 11/12 CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE
- HARDING MILLER SCHOLARSHIPS
- GRADE 4/5 ART
- TERM 3 TASTER
- HANDS ON LEARNING - GRADE 1-2
- HANDS ON LEARNING - GRADE 3-4
- GRADE 3-4 NO WAY TO BULLYING
- GRADE 4/5 AND GRADE 5/6 PE with Miss Bramich
- "NO BULLYING" WEEK with Miss Bramich in PE, Health Education and Music
- KINDERGARTEN - GRADE 2 DANCING IN PE with Miss Bramich
- WINTER SPORTS RESULTS
- SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
- COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dear Parents/Carers,
In continuing to unpack the new DECYP values and connecting these to the important role each plays within our school context, this week’s value is Responsibility.
Responsibility – Stepping up and doing the right thing.
This value is essential in building a school culture where students are encouraged to step up and consistently do the right thing. The value of responsibility fosters personal growth and a sense of community.
For students at St Marys District School, responsibility is evident in the daily life of school through our high expectations and a focus on every student doing their best. Taking individual responsibility for learning supports every student to build positive wellbeing and academic outcomes and guides students to become accountable for their actions and decisions. Students are taught the importance of being a responsible member of our school community and how their actions have a direct impact on themselves and others.
The school promotes Responsibility through a variety of programs and initiatives aimed at developing leadership and positive decision-making, such as our student leadership groups, which are an integral parts of the school structure, providing students with platforms to voice concerns, propose initiatives, and take active roles in shaping the direction of the school.
Teachers and staff at St Marys District School play a crucial role in modelling responsible behaviour and mentoring students through our respectful behaviour and restorative practices. They encourage students to take ownership of their learning, set personal goals, and strive for continuous improvement. This support empowers students to make responsible choices, both academically, socially and personally.
The value of Responsibility at St Marys District School is about promoting a culture where doing the right thing is expected and celebrated, ensuring that along with students achieving academic success, they develop into responsible, conscientious members of our community. The value of responsibility, helps to create a safe, respectful, and productive school environment, laying a strong foundation for students' future endeavours.
NAPLAN 2024 St Marys District School
NAPLAN reports for Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students have been posted home. If you have any questions in relation to NAPLAN, please contact your child’s class teacher or Meg Burbury (AST Primary) or Stephen Smith (Assistant Principal 7-10)
My congratulations to all students involved in the testing this year, their application and positive attitude towards the testing was admirable. Our staff and students have much to be proud of, including our participation rates being above those of similar schools, Tasmania and Australia and our students achieving mean score results above similar schools for most tests and above Tasmania in Year 3 Spelling; Year 7 Reading and Writing and Year 3, 5 and 7 Grammar and Punctuation.
A summary of the school results is provided in the table below.
NAPLAN Summary Report 2024:
School Attendance – St Marys District School
Every school day matters
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.
This is 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, broaden 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 AST/AP. 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.
Explanations of absence, where known in advance, are always appreciated. A reminder that when your child is absent from school there are a variety of ways that you can communicate with us about that. These are:
- Phoning the Administration Office.
- Using the Schoolzine App.
- Sending an email to our school email address marys.district.school@education.tas.gov.au
- Replying to the daily text message
Bullying No Way
Bullying is a heartbreaking issue which as school staff we too often deal with. Bullying has no place in our schools and we all work hard every day to help eliminate this behaviour and protect our learners from the associated harm.
Last week, was the Bullying No Way: National week of Action which aims to inspire whole-school communities to be involved in finding positive ways to prevent and address bullying. Across the school, students in every class spent time addressing and responding to this year’s theme ‘Everyone: Belongs’ which shines a light on the power of belonging in schools, accepting and supporting one another. For more information go to the Bullying No Way: National Week of Action story and look for more stories about our week on our school Facebook page.
Mrs Carolyn Watson
Principal
We are fast approaching the halfway mark of Term 3, and we are excited to update you on the many highlights and upcoming events at our school this term!
Our Winter Sports program continues to thrive, with students showing great enthusiasm and skill. Thank you to Mrs Swanson, Miss Smith and Mr Moon for supporting our students and to our student volunteers who help coach, score and umpire. We’re also delighted to host Prospect High School for a home round next Wednesday. We encourage all parents to come out and support our teams!
On Friday 16 August we celebrated No Bullying Day with the theme "Everyone Belongs." Students were invited to wear purple and participate in a collaborative artwork project, representing our commitment to inclusivity across all grades from K-12.
Looking ahead, Wear It Purple! Day on Friday 30 August promises to be vibrant and impactful. Our Student Leaders have organised for a BBQ and encourage students to wear bright colours in support of our diverse student community. This day helps foster a supportive environment for all students.
We also want to remind parents to keep an eye out for Evidence of Learning updates from teachers later this term. If you have any questions about your child's progress, please contact the School Administration Office to arrange a time to speak with your child’s teacher.
Additionally, our Year 5-8 and Year 9/10 Drama and Music students had a fantastic outing to Newstead College to see their performance of ‘Cinderella.’ Thanks to Mr. Emmerton, Miss Van Galen, Janine, and Antoinette for supporting students on this excursion.
Later this term, our Year 9/10 Drama students will perform a modern adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for our K-6 students, highlighting themes of overcoming conflict. We’re also planning School Socials for Kinder, P-2, 3-6, and 7-10 students. Stay tuned for more details!
Lastly, a reminder for Year 9 students to return their camp forms.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making this a fantastic term for our students!
Stephen Smith
Assistant Principal
Congratulations to Grade 10 student Arielle on being a prize recipient in this year’s What Matters! Writing Competition. Arielle and her family have been invited to attend the Presentation Ceremony in Hobart later this month. The St Marys District School community is incredibly proud of Arielle’s achievement – well done. Below is Arielle’s submission to the competition.
The Moonflower
By Arielle Da Graca
My mother has a plant. This plant has a flower. Every time it blooms, she calls me over. It has a name, like everything else in this world, but the name is not the important part, instead what it teaches is far greater.
Each flower blooms for one night a year and is gone by morning. It is a special flower, beautiful and alluring, but not many get to see it.
Those who have patience, discipline and faith, will not give up on seeing the moonflower bloom. They will keep it doused in a routine of watering, let it bath in the sun's illuminating rays and leave it to rest during the moon's dark and lonely shift. They will not get mad or disheartened when the flower does not come, for they know time is all that is needed.
And once the flower blooms, they will not leave and let the plant wither and die. They will care for it as they did before. Nothing is expected from the mending flower and beauty is seen amidst the little things.
A rare moment when the flower opens. But long before it happens, they will begin to realise the magnificence it truly holds, small things, unseen by looming eucalypts and pine, but witnessed wholeheartedly by the daisies and the ants. The way it provides cover for the small creatures, when it gently sways in the mellow breeze, how the intoxicating essence drifts in during awaiting breaths and the ambient feel encompasses entire realities.
And perhaps in these moments, the little things are just as grand and special as the ones with a larger size.
A seldom occasion when the flower is unmasked, but with a little tender love and care, more flowers will grow on this unassuming plant and beauty will unfold once more; tenfold.
SUSTAINABILITY LEARNING CENTRE
Our Kinder - Grade 10 students explored sustainability last week, through a range of hands on activities! Thanks to the Sustainability Learning Centre for their visit.
GRADE 11/12 CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE
Grade 11/12 students had a guest speaker visit from Christie Lange who has a art studio in Binalong Bay. Christie is a Sculpture and Ceramic artist. She takes inspiration from nature and her artworks explore ideas of cohabitation, ecology, adaptation, restoration and renewal. Students were inspired to hear about Christie’s journey as a practicing artist.
Applications are now open for Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarships. These scholarships support the academic achievement of young women in Australian public schools. The scholarships include: ✔️ A personal coach ✔️ High quality laptop with high-speed internet ✔️ Financial support for education expenses and tutoring ✔️ Prepaid expense cards for essential school needs ✔️ An enrichment program offering career experiences. Scholarships are open to young women commencing Year 9 in 2025. For more information on eligibility requirements and applications, visit: https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/learning/awards-scholarships-students/harding-miller-education-foundation-scholarships/ Applications close on 18 September. |
Grade 4/5 students have been working with chalk pastels to create their Jellyfish movement art. They explored different line and smudging techniques. Harry put a lot of effort in to his collage which was a large scale piece that used new and recycled materials. We read the book Searching for Cicadas and Harry created his own ecosystem inspired by the illustrations.
Term 3 has seen the next group of year 8 students in the Visual Arts space. So far we have been learning about composition and tonal values. Students have been experimenting with layering techniques and working with charcoal.
Grade 3-4 Kirk wanted to respond to our `Bullying- NO WAY!!’ week by showing how we feel about belonging and bullying in a few different ways.
After discussing what bullying looks and feels like some groups made posters and some made a trash bin to show what we need to do with unkind words and actions. The message is very powerful and clear. We will not tolerate them in our class or school!
After discussing how we can feel connected to our classmates, families and the wider community, the students wanted to add to our tree of belonging. Wow! What an amazing amount of support they are showing for everyone in our St Marys family.
In class we all have our own brown bag that any student can post a positive message into, to fill our bucket, and all students in the class are inclusive. Receiving a positive note gives us a smile for the day!
It Is so important to feel a sense of belonging and, when we feel like we have these strong connections, our positivity can support others to get through their rainy days.
Teresa Kirk and the amazing Grade 3-4.
GRADE 4/5 AND GRADE 5/6 PE with Miss Bramich
At the beginning of the Term, we warmly wished Mrs Kate Howe all the best for the remainder of the year, as she is about to welcome baby number 2 into her family. It is my absolute pleasure to deliver the HPE Curriculum to both these classes for the remainder of the year. Mrs Howe had planned for Sport Education for this term and after wonderful discussions with both classes, both classes have decided on the sport of “Netball” for the first unit of learning in Term 3.
Our first 2 lessons consisted of a fun range of team cooperative challenges designed to establish respectful relationships and set the expectations for the remainder of the year.
It has been wonderful to see to majority of our Grade 3 - 6 students demonstrate the capability of personal organisation by attending PE lessons with the appropriate gear:
- Water bottle
- Comfortable shorts, tracksuit bottoms, t-shirt. A change of PE clothing from Grade 3 – 10 is important as it:
- allows for comfortable movement
- protects the school uniform from damage (rips, tears, holes)
- keeps uniform fresh for the remainder of the day
- Suitable shoes for activity
In our first Sport Education lesson, the students and I discussed why the HPE Curriculum elements are important and how these could be achieved. Key elements are:
Being able to manage emotions during competition. How do students respond to fair play, bad sports, ugly winners, cheating? When might the learning of new skills present with challenges? This includes understanding new rules, tactics, court areas, playing positions, new physical skills.
How to apply problem solving strategies and skills that enables students to interact positively with each other; eg how to solve an umpiring issue, a breach of a playing rule?
What physical skills does the sport of Netball require? Players need to be able to run, leap, dodge, stop, throw, catch and pivot, but, so does the simple game of Dodgeball – so how do we use these skills to best “fit” the game of Netball?
How can students adapt their skills to be an efficient netball team member? Can a student who plays basketball or soccer be an effective netball player?
How can we include every one ? What about a student with a sore hand, someone who has never played before, someone who might have a physical disability (sight, hearing etc)?
How can players demonstrate fair play, follow rules, score correctly? Does “winning” or the idea of “competition” mean the same to all students?
Please enjoy this selection of photos demonstrating engagement in Cooperative Games and Sport Education.
"NO BULLYING" WEEK with Miss Bramich in PE, Health Education and Music
We all know that bullying is never OK. It is never acceptable, but we know that it happens. Sometimes we all need a reminder to think about our words and actions. This is the purpose of the National Week of Action against bullying across Australia. St Marys District School Primary and Secondary teachers have engaged in many different ways to engage students about bullying. The theme of this years ‘NO bullying’ campaign is “EVERYONE BELONGS”.
The key message to share with all members of our school community is:
When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It’s about embracing who we are, respecting everyone’s differences and standing up together against unkindness. Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We’re encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected and our voices are heard and valued.
It is important that this week is not seen as a “celebration”. It is a week of ‘awareness’, ‘reflection’, and hopefully, provides opportunities to change attitudes and behaviours to create welcoming and positive environments for all members of our school community.
This week in Primary PE, Health Education and Music, our students have engaged in many ways to remind us about how our school values (Respect, Responsibility, Growth, Courage and Connection) can be reflected in strong messages about kindness, inclusion, fairness and treating others as you would like to be treated.
- In Music, our students have been learning songs with lyrics containing positive language. They have particularly enjoyed the “No Bullying” rap song
- In Health Education, some students have used their literacy skills and creative talents to draw cartoons about the topics looked at this week. They have been using their drawing and colouring-in skills to design t-shirts that express the key ideas about positive relationships.
- They have also looked at the PE notions of fair play, sharing, following rules and creating a welcoming environment for all and they have decorated the entrance to the gym with their motivational thoughts, kind words and feelings about bullying.
Please enjoy these snap shots of how our Primary students have contributed positively to sharing wonderful message to support inclusion, kindness and belonging during this week.
KINDERGARTEN - GRADE 2 DANCING IN PE with Miss Bramich
DANCE!! What is it?
- Dance is a way to express and communicate feelings
- Dance is a way to tell a story, create and write history
- Dance is a way to develop physical skills and fitness
- Dance is a way to develop music appreciation
- Dance is a way to promote social manners, respectful and acceptable behaviour
- Dance is inclusive of all people and abilities
- Dance is a fun leisure pursuit that can enhance a person’s wellbeing
Kindergarten to Grade 2 Dance Programme builds on the fundamental motor skills being developed in other PE units of learning. This includes running, skipping, side stepping, twisting, moving forwards and backwards, moving through the air and moving on the ground.
During Term 3, our Kindergarten to Grade 2 students will be learning many dances. The dances will include children’s folk dancing from different countries around the world such as the Kinder Polka from Germany, the A La Queue Leu Leu from France, The Shoe Maker’s Dance from Denmark and the Carnavalito from Bolivia just to name a few.
There will also be an emphasis on Australian Bush Dancing using the music from two Australian Bush Bands – The Cockies and The Bushwackers. So far The Wibbly Wobbily Snake, Paper Ball Magic, Simon Says Funky Beat and a modified Mambo have been favourites, not to mention The Chicken Dance and The Hokey Pokey!! Also included in the dance programme will be some Country Line Dancing and many opportunities for free dancing and movement exploration.
Our students will be looking at how different cultures around the world celebrate and use dance to communicate and tell stories. They will investigate how and why dance is choreographed and performed in different cultures with a focus on dances performed by Australian Indigenous First Nations people.
Scarves, balls of paper and bouncing balls with also be used to support the development of rhythm, which in turn will support the concepts “counting in”, understanding fast and slow beat and to distinguish between loud and soft dynamics learned about in Music lessons.
They have already used symbols and shape to understand the four different kinds of dance formations.
AND A FUNNY STORY TO FINISH……Some of my special music for teaching dance is not available in digital form and so I have quite a large collection of CDs in which to accompany many of the dances in this Dance programme. I have a small but loud early 2000s CD player that has 2 speakers that fills the gym with wonderful music. This ‘strange machine” and the “flat circles” (CDs!) had some of my Kindergarten to Grade 2 students very perplexed. I explained that I am very old and that CDs were a way to listen to music many many years ago using a machine called a CD player. I passed some CDs around so the children could touch, feel and look at them. I explained how they sat in a special slot in the CD player and the sounds were “read” by a special laser beam, reflected by mirrors and then the sound was sent out of the speakers to their ears. The question “Did dinosaurs listen to CDs?” was then asked!!
Please enjoy some Kindergarten – Grade 2 dance photos performed over the last 2 weeks.
ROUND 6 - WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST 2024
FOOTBALL
CRESSY DISTRICT SCHOOL: 103 defeated ST.MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL: 28
MIXED SOCCER
SCOTCH OAKBURN: 6 def ST.MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL 5
NETBALL
DIVISION 2:
ST.MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL: 35 def CAMPBELL TOWN DISTRICT SCHOOL: 6
DIVISION 3A:
ST.MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL: 21 def CRESSY DISTRICT SCHOOL: 9
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
- Prep - Gr 1 Walking Excursion - Thursday 29 August 2024
- Primary Assembly - Wednesday 21 August 2024
- Grade 3-4 Excursion - St Helens Serpentarium - Thursday 5 September 2024
SECONDARY
- Winter Sports - Winter Sports Home Round - Wednesday 21 August 2024
NOTICEBOARD