Dear Parents and Carers, 

As we enter the final weeks of the school year, St Marys District School students and staff are making the most of every moment while also celebrating the contributions, achievements and growth that are evident across our school, not only in learning, but also in wellbeing and engagement. Staff are busy planning class groups and timetables for 2025, finalising staffing and budgets for the next academic year, and analysing and discussing data and school improvement actions as part of the Annual Review process.   

Students are busy finalising their assessments across all learning areas and participating in a range of transition, sporting and curriculum based learning opportunities ranging from Grade 7 Orientation Day to writing and posting letters to Santa. On Tuesday this week, the Hands on Learning Cafe students catered for the Meals on Wheels Christmas luncheon at our school.  This event showcased the growth in this group of students who planned, prepared, decorated and served a Christmas meal for Meals on Wheels volunteers.  My congratulations to the students involved and to Ken Stonehouse and Amanda Jordan for their mentoring and support.  Staff and students were thrilled to receive the feedback below. 

“Thank you Ken. You and your band of delightful helpers are a credit to you, the school and the ‘Hands on Learning’ program. Well done students: our clients, volunteers and staff members were very impressed. We really appreciate the attention to detail in providing our wonderful Christmas luncheon. The food was delicious, the table, decorations and flowers looked amazing and Santa and his gifts for all were a delight.” 

Congratulations to St Marys District School Association Op Shop Volunteers as the recipients of the inaugural Bright Futures program. The Bright Futures recognition program aims to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional contributions made by DECYP staff  and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that children and young people in our community are known, safe, well, and learning.  

Next Thursday 12 December, we are holding our Presentation Day Assemblies.  These assemblies are always great occasions to celebrate the successes, talents and efforts of our students in many different areas.  We are all looking forward to celebrating our students and their 2024 achievements with families and our broader school community.  In the following week, we are celebrating the end of a successful year with the following events: 

• Monday 16 December – Primary Beach Day 

• Monday 16 December – Grade 10 Celebration Dinner 

• Tuesday 17 December – Secondary Beach Day 

• Tuesday 17 December – Primary Christmas Celebration 

• Wednesday 18 December – Grade 10 Final Assembly 

• Thursday 19 December – K-9 Fun and Pool Day 

• Thursday 19 December – Final day for students 

End of year reports and evidences of learning are being finalised by teachers and our administration team. These will be posted home next week. It is important that students reflect on their final results and consider what this may mean for their approach to learning in 2025.  It may even be appropriate to set some learning goals for next year. Thank you to Meg Burbury, Stephen Smith and Sandra Cook for co-ordinating the reporting process and to Heather Gillies for managing the administration side of reporting.  

It is that time of the year where we also will saying goodbye to staff who are leaving St Marys District School.  At the end of this term, we farewell Alan Edwards, Scott Brown, Camilla Welsh and Emily Van Galen and I thank them for their contributions to our school community over their time as teachers at SMDS. Also leaving us is Pete Critch, Pete has been in the role of Youth Worker for 2024 and it has been tremendous to have Pete as part of our support team this year. Further staffing information will follow in our next newsletter.  

Regards 

Carolyn Watson 

Principal 

On Wednesday 4 December Kinder went on an excursion to Serpentarium at St Helens. The children were very excited to be going on a bus as some had never been on a bus before, and it “even had seat belts!”.

We spent some time in the kangaroo enclosure feeding and learning the different types: the Forester was the biggest. We then went to the snake handler's presentation and learnt about Cuddles the snake, how to handle snakes, what to do if we ever see a snake, some tips of what to do when walking in the bush and how to let snakes know we are around.

Whilst we were watching the presentation, handler Heather brought out the tortoises who just wandered around. The tortoises loved eating lettuce and spinach and ate out of our hands.  We had to be very careful not to tread on them. In small groups we wandered around all the enclosures looking at the different reptiles and looking at snake skins through the microscopes.

When we arrived back to school the children were asked about something new that they had learnt while on the excursion.

“When you go in the bush you stomp your feet”

“Clap your hands”

“Use a stick to tap the ground and the tree’s”,

“Snakes are cold blooded”

“If you see a snake you stand still and don’t run”

As the year draws to a close, we would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all of our students for their hard work and dedication throughout 2024. With the busyness of assessments, report preparations, and the upcoming Presentation Assemblies, it has been a hectic and rewarding time for both students and staff. We are incredibly proud of the effort shown by our students as they approach the finish line of the school year! 

Our Year 10 Students – Final Weeks 

It has been a true pleasure to spend time with our Year 10 students in the final weeks of Year 10. We have cherished celebrating their achievements, growth, and memories during their journey with us. These students are heading off in various directions next year, whether that be further studies, training, or work, and we wish them all the best as they embark on their next chapters. 

We are excited to celebrate with our Year 10's in Weeks 9 and 10, as they reflect on the milestones they’ve achieved. A special mention to the Year 10 evening where students enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, followed by a fun movie and pizza – a fantastic way to unwind and connect before the year concludes. Thank you to Mrs Swanson and Mr Pinkerton for supporting this event. Our Year 10's will be heading off next Friday to Hollybank Treetops Adventures before having their Celebration Dinner and Final Assembly in Week 10.  

Changes to the Options and Electives Program for 2025 

As we look ahead to next year, we are excited to share some updates to our Options and Electives program. At St Mary’s District School, we are committed to providing a broad and comprehensive curriculum that caters to a range of student interests and future pathways. 

Students in Years 7-10 continue to follow core subjects aligned with the Australian Curriculum, including: 

• English 

• Mathematics 

• Science 

• Humanities 

• Health and Physical Education 

• Digital Technologies (Years 7-8) 

• Careers Education (Years 9-10) 

In addition, all students in Years 7-10 participate in The Resilience Project, which is an important part of our home group program, helping students build emotional resilience. 

Year 7 Taster Program 

In Term 1 and 2, Year 7 students will complete a variety of "taster" subjects to explore new interests and talents. These tasters are as follows: 

• Music 

• Visual Art 

• Foods 

• STEM 

• MDT (Materials Design and Technology) 

• Agricultural Science 

Year 8-10 Options (Year-long) 

From Year 8 onwards, students will select one option for the full year, with four periods per week dedicated to these subjects. Options include: 

• Farm, Food & Fibre 

• Music 

• Foods & Hospitality 

• Visual Art 

• Computer Graphics 

Year 8-10 Electives (Year-long) 

Students will also choose two electives to study over the year, with three periods per week for each elective. Electives include: 

• Food Sciences 

• Sports Science 

• Introduction to Psychology 

• Production and Performance 

• Materials, Design and Technology (MDT) 

Year 7-10 Short Courses (Two per term) 

Additionally, students will have the opportunity to participate in two short courses each term, with two periods per week for each course. These short courses provide students with the chance to engage in diverse and dynamic learning experiences beyond their regular subjects. 

We encourage students going into Years 8-10 for 2025 to carefully consider their preferences for Options and Electives. Please ensure these forms are signed by a parent or carer and returned by Thursday 12 December 2024.  

Gratitude and Support 

On behalf of the Secondary Teaching Team, I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to all parents and carers for their continued support and involvement in the education and development of our secondary students this year. Your commitment and partnership with us make a significant difference in the success and well-being of our students, and we appreciate all that you do. 

As we wrap up this school year, we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students over the coming weeks. 

Stephen Smith 
Assistant Principal 

As we move into the last couple of weeks of the year, I would like to share a collection of Primary Physical Education photos highlighting the range of learning opportunities in a fun, safe, challenging and innovative environment. It has been my pleasure to deliver an exciting HPE curriculum to our K - 6 students this year.

In 2025, I look forward to wonderful experiences/relationships with our Primary students and to provide a host of learning opportunities (physical skills and knowledge) to develop a genuine appreciation of personal wellbeing through active movement. 

Karen Bramich

HPE Specialist

Christmas spirit has well and truly sprung in Prep/1A! Students have been enjoying Christmas inspired craft and play stations during indoor and outdoor play opportunities. Our Santa and Rudolph newspaper art pieces are on display, and we are busy creating special decorations for our families. We are enjoying the time we have left together in Prep/1A, a wonderful way to celebrate a successful year of hard work and growth.

On Monday we went to High School for the day and got to experience what Grade 7 would be like. We started of the day by going to the PAC (Performing Art Centre) and we played a card game where we would take one that was cut in half and find the match, after that we got into two groups group one and group two. We then went and looked at the school. Group 2 went to English with Mr Smith and group 1 went to Maths with Miss Cook.  Then the teachers swapped over. After that we had some recess. Then group 1 had STEM then swapped over to Art. After lunch group 1 had farm and then swapped over and did cooking.  We made some scones with cheese and bacon (optional). That was the end of our transition day.

A team of eighteen Grade 3 – 6 swimmers headed to the pool on Tuesday 3 December to compete against students from Bicheno and St. Helens in 25m and 50m freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly races.  The final races of the day were the 4 x 25m Composite relays. 

Many members of our school community were involved in running the most wonderful carnival.  A team of Primary and Secondary students fulfilled the roles of timekeepers, judges, ribbon and equipment stewards, PA set-up and announcements, timekeepers’ runner, false start rope stewards, safeguarding buddies and recorders.  These students very competently worked along side some of our volunteer parents who carried out the roles of chief timekeeper and recorder. Thank you to Kellie Thomas and Renee Woods for your ongoing support of not only your children at the carnival, but all students who competed from all three schools. 

Over sixty races were held between 10.30am – 2.00pm culminating in ear-deafening cheering from all swimmers and spectators when the boys and girls relays were being held. 

After Miss Bramich welcomed all to the carnival and explained the rules and technicalities of the events, the carnival began.  Thank you to Elka, Lily, Cohen and Ella who completed a demonstration event, in order to show all swimmers the correct way to dive, push off, touch turn and finish races using the 4 competitive strokes. 

Our Team Manager for the day was Ms. Van Galen.  She reported back that our team of swimmers were well organised, were ready for their races at the correct marshalling time and they all demonstrated excellent behaviour throughout the day.  Thank you Ms. Van Galen for your leadership of our team.  Our team had a few students who were nervous about the carnival and were not sure if they would swim – they did!!  We are so proud of you.   

A special shout out to Asha who not only swam in her races, but swam in extra races due to a team member not being able to compete.  Great team spirit Asha, well done!  One of our team members attended as a reserve swimmer.  Despite not  being needed to swim in a race, she supported not only her team mates, but she supported the carnival by fulfilling the job of raising and lowering the false start rope during the afternoon races.  Great job Bella P.!! 

Throughout the day, acknowledgement and congratulations were given to the three St. Helens and Bicheno students who broke five new records between them. 

We would like to congratulate the following students for being awarded Grade Champion or Runner Up Champion. 

Please enjoy this collection of photos of our students at the ENE Swimming Carnival.

The Tasmanian Government is committed to the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, transparency and the responsible use of resources from all state service officers and employees.

Officers and employees should not expect to receive gifts; benefits; or hospitality; for doing a job they are paid for by the public to do. In most instances, a simple ‘thanks’ is enough. If you offer one of our employees a non-token gift, benefit or hospitality it should be politely declined or returned unless there exceptional circumstances.

Giving us gifts can be a risk to our high standards of ethics and integrity.
So that’s why we say ‘thanks is enough’.

Instead of a gift, we’d prefer that you send us a simple card, a letter or an email. We’d appreciate it!

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.

Copies of these notices can be found on our website:  Policies and Documents - St Marys District School

PRIMARY

• Primary Beach Day - Monday 16 December 2024
• Kinder - 6 Presentation Assembly - Thursday 12 December 2024  -  10.00am
• Prep - Grade 2 Splash N Dash Day - Thursday 19 December 2024
• Grade 3-6 Splash N Dash Day - Thursday 19 December 2024

SECONDARY

• Secondary Beach Day - Tuesday 17 December 2024
• Grade 10 Final Assembly -  Wednesday 18 December
• 2025 Option and Elective Notice
• 2024 Grade 10 Final Assembly
• Grade 7-12 Presentation Assembly - Thursday 12 December 2024 - 1.00pm
• Grade 10 Hollybank Excursion - 13 December 2024
• Grade 7-9 Pool and Fun Day - Thursday 19 December 2024

WHOLE SCHOOL

• School Levies and Charges for 2025   K-12