St Marys District School
PDF Details

Newsletter QR Code

13 Gray Road
St Marys TAS 7215
Subscribe: https://stmarysdistricts.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

st.marys.district.school@education.tas.gov.au
Phone: 03 6372 3900

3 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Welcome to our new school year, one which will bring both exciting and challenging opportunities. Staff and students have quickly established their respective routines.

Our Grade 10 Student Leaders have been busy planning for the year ahead and have some great ideas and activities planned. Our Grade 10 Student Leaders are:-

President - Jacob Viney,
Vice-President - Sam Dufty,
Secretary - Jade Kinnersly,
Treasurer - James Harrison,
Liason - Breana Singline,
House Captains - Liam Davern, Isabelle Jarvis and Jack Whelan.

I would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank our Grade 10 Student Leaders for taking up this valuable and important leadership role and wish them a great year.

We have a number of new staff and I would like to extend a warm welcome to Bronti Cooke, Hannah Coates, Ellen Redden, Claire Neyland, Ally Macqueen, Chelsea Feldmeier and Caitlin McCarthy.

We have over 50 staff members and 320 students, totalling 370 on site at times, which makes for a busy work place, especially when we have our parent and community help. In consideration of this, it is very important that if you wish to meet or speak to a staff member you may have to make an appointment or wait on a reply and someone will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

We will be streamlining our planning of school based additional activities and excursions by utilising an app to assist us. It will result in a paperless delivery of permission forms. For those who prefer paper we will also continue to provide this option. More information will be provided during the course of Term 1. All teaching staff who worked on day one prior to students returning to school, completed an extensive St Johns First Aid course. This will also support our excursion planning.

There are a number of things we will be focusing on this year. One is that we have an attendance officer who will assist parents and myself in keeping accurate attendance data, including offering support where needed. In addition, there are a number of students in the secondary are who are failing to wear their school uniform. The school has a uniform policy and it is endorsed by our School Association. One of our three main values is be respectful. To not wear our school uniform shows a lack of respect to those who do. If a student consistently comes to school not wearing uniform it will be addressed.

During the holidays I was in communication with the Department of Education in the selection of an architect to develop planning and managing the project for our redevelopment. I am happy to inform you that ‘60ty°’ were the successful applicants and they have been busy developing concept plans. I hope that those who were able to attend the meet and greet on Wednesday 1st March were able to see the concept plans of our redevelopment and provide their thoughts and ideas. The plans will be on show in the school foyer to enable everyone to view them and provide feedback if they wish.

Thank you to Shane Gould for her time, experience and knowledge she has been sharing with our swimming team. They have appreciated and greatly benefited from the experience.

We will continue in 2017 to use Facebook, Tiqbiz and SchoolZine as a means of communication.

As we prepare for our building works we will need to have a clean out, so keep your eye on our Facebook page for more information and perhaps a bargain. I wish everyone a great year and look forward to the development of our capital works project which is well underway.

Kind Regards
Bruce Campbell |Principal

School Calendar

Sync Calendar

School Calendar

Term 4 Commences

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

Pre Kinder Group 1 9-10am

All day

Grade 3 Sleepover

16 Oct 2025 - 17 Oct 2025

TasBGas Construction Skill Set Student interviews - Ref Tanya time tbc

All day

Construction Skill-Set Interviews

All day

HoL PL - KG, WI

All day

Kinder Excursion- St Marys Town Hall Children's Week

All day

Pre Kinder Group 2 9-10am

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

NC/LC Enrolment Interviews

All day

Grade 9 Camp - CYC Blue Lagoon

27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025

Immunisation Catchups - if required

All day

Grade 5 Camp Rostrevor

29 Oct 2025 - 30 Oct 2025

LIL 10.30-11.30 St Marys Hall

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

Transition visit 4 BPS Y6 to SMDS - OPTIONS Day

All day

World Teachers' Day 2025

All day

Student Free Day - Professional Learning

All day

Recreation Day (Northern Tas only)

All day

HoL Pyegana Dairy Co

All day

'Knock Knock' Performance K-4 PAC

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Kinder Excursion Serpentarium

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 PAC

All day

Sporting Schools Surf Groms Gr 5/6

All day

Secondary Athletics Carnival

All day

PAC/Common Room closed for Student Exhibition Set Up

07 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

RYDA (Simmons Plains)

All day

National Theatre Company Water Literacy Performance 3-6 2.15pm

All day

National Theatre Company Water Literacy Performance K-2 1.30

All day

2025 Student Exhibition

All day

Year 11/12 EOY Lunch @TBC

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

Inter-High Athletics @ St Leonards

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

Recurring event

OLYMPIC SWIM COACHING

Australian Olympic swimming gold medallist Shane Gould spent an hour coaching our secondary swim team this week.

Shane gave up her free time to generously give our team some of her swimming knowledge.

The team have been training for several weeks with Mrs Fyle and Mr Wardlaw in the mornings before school in preparation for our Inter High Division 1 Swimming Carnival.

Shane Gould Swim Coaching
VIEW GALLERY
Shane Gould Swim Coaching
Click images to enlarge

Any other students interested in training with our team are welcome to join.

Information is available from Mrs Swanson or Mr Wardlaw.

Art News

The sixth and final board has been completed for the school Gym. Sara Greenwood and Lily-Mae Hayes did an amazing detailed design that took them 2 years to complete.

Both students chose Drama as their main option and completed the board with help from other people in their own time. Well done to both students for an excellent effort.

School Association

St Marys District School Association comprises staff, parents and guardians of students attending St Marys School and each year a committee is elected to represent the our school community.

School Associations have a number of roles :

  • Are to assist with managing the affairs of their school community. This includes providing advice and recommendations to the Principal on the general operation and management of the school.
  • Aid cooperation between teachers, students, parents and the community.
  • Develop parent participation and involvement in the school.
  • Approve the school budget, discuss and prioritise expenditure.
  • Raise matters of concern as noted by parents or committee members.
  • Contribute to the development of and approve school policies and a code of conduct.
  • Are required to hold a minimum of four meetings per year. These meetings are open to all members of our community to attend as observers.

Further information is available from Tasmanian State Parents and Friends website:

http://www.tasso.org.au

Our committee, has 2 community representatives, 8 parents/guardian representative and 4 staff members from St Marys and Fingal Campuses plus the Principal.

We welcome new members to the committee or just come along to see what happens. If you would like to join the committee then please fill in the below form and return to the school office or bring to the Annual General Meeting. If you have any questions then please contact the Public Officer (School Principal) on 6372 3900.

The AGM for the School Association will be taking place on the 30th March. forms are available from Returning Officer, Miss Janine Burt, or by clicking the link below.

LEARNING INTENTIONS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA IN PRIMARY

Kinder

In English, students will:

  • Recognise and write their names;
  • Use words to communicate with teachers and classmates;
  • Use their listening ears.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Recognise and write their own name with support or independently;
  • Use words to effectively communicate with their teachers and their classmates;
  • Demonstrate their skills in listening.

In Maths, students will:

  • Count to at least five with one-to-one correspondence (saying one number name for each object counted);
  • Complete puzzles with 8-12 pieces;
  • Understand that life has routine and predictability.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Count to at least five using one-to-one correspondence;
  • Demonstrate a complete puzzle with 8-12 pieces;
  • Recognise that life has routine and predictability.

Grade K/P/1

In English, Kinder students will:

  • Learn to recognise and write their own names.

Prep/1 students will:

  • Learn to use the sounds we know to spell out words;
  • Learn to identify characters and settings in stories;
  • Learn to identify the beginning and ending in a story.

Kinder students achieve this when they:

  • They recognise and write their names with assistance or independently.

Prep/1 students will achieve this when they:

  • Use their knowledge of letters to write out words;
  • Identify characters and settings in stories;
  • Identify the beginning and ending of a story.

In Maths, students will:

  • Learn to recognise common 2D and 3D shapes;
  • Sort out shapes according to their attributes,
  • Revise their understanding of numbers to 20;
  • Apply their knowledge of numbers to 20 using addition and subtraction;
  • Learn to solve word-based problems.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Name common 2D and 3D shapes;
  • Categorise shapes according to the number of sides, corners and curve of sides;
  • Use numbers up to 20 in addition and subtraction questions;
  • Solve word-based problems and explain their thinking.

Prep

In English, students will:

  • Explore syllables and rhyming;
  • Learn about the letters ‘t’, ‘l’ and ‘p’;
  • Continue to learn about concepts of print.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Demonstrate how many syllables they hear in a word;
  • Recognise and produce rhyming words;
  • Recognise and name the letters ‘t’, ‘l’ and ‘p’. They will know the most common sounds that each letter makes;
  • Recognise the difference between words, spaces, numbers and sentences;
  • Understand that words have spaces between them and we read left to right, top to bottom.

In Maths, students will:

  • Begin to learn how to subitise (recognise dot patterns);
  • Learn about the numbers one to five;
  • Practise counting collections up to ten;
  • Sort collections;
  • Learn that the final number they count is the total;
  • Learn about different times of the day.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Recognise dot formations on a dice and explain their answer;
  • Match number names, numeral and picture representations up to five;
  • Count up to ten items demonstrating the one-to-one principle and understand that the final number counted is the total;
  • Sort and classify objects and explain their rule of sort;
  • Understand that the arrangement of objects doesn’t affect how many there are;
  • Sequence family events in time order.

Grade 1/2

In English, students will:

  • Learn to use predicting as a strategy to make meaning of texts
  • Learn how to structure a simple sentence.
  • Learn that vowels can have both long and short sounds.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Use their prior knowledge to make informed predictions about texts.
  • Write a sentence that has a capital letter at the beginning, finger spaces and a full stop. They will re-read it to make sure that it makes sense.
  • Recognise and use long and short vowels in words.

In Maths, students will:

  • Work with addition;
  • Work with place value.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Complete simple addition sums;
  • Recognise that numbers can be made up of tens and units (Grade 2’s-hundreds, tens and units).

Grade 2/3/4/5

In English, students will:

  • Learn the letter patterns associated with sounds, silent letters in words and the origin of words;
  • Use capital letters and full stops in their writing;
  • Explore proper and common nouns, verbs and adjectives in sentences.;
  • Begin editing their work;
  • Explore different parts of text, analyse and critique texts.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Apply the letter patterns required to represent sounds in words, use silent letters in words and understand the origins of familiar words;
  • Apply capital letters and full stops in their writing;
  • Experiment with and use proper and common nouns, verbs and adjectives in sentences.
  • Edit their own word and correct errors in their writing;
  • Identify different parts of texts, and analyse and critique books being read.

In Maths, students will:

  • Explore problem solving questions using written and oral questions;
  • Using addition, subtraction and multiplication processes to solves questions.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Understand the written/oral questions and determine how to answer them appropriately;
  • Line up numbers to add, subtract and multiply them and calculate the correct answers.

Grade 2/3

In English, students will:

  • Consolidate their existing reading strategies;
  • Learn new reading strategies.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Apply a broad range of reading strategies to make sense of what they are reading.

In Maths, students will:

  • Consolidate existing knowledge of two digit and three digit numbers;
  • Identify strategies when using addition of 2 digit and 3 digit numbers.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Identify two digit and three digit numbers;
  • Read and write two digit and three digit numbers;
  • Explain their responses when adding two numbers together.

Grade 3/4

In English, students will:

  • Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in text;
  • Explore how settings shape the events and influence the mood of narratives.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Can identify the use of descriptive adjectives to describe settings;
  • Can identify the use of descriptive adjectives to establish atmosphere;
  • Explain how settings can shape the events in narratives.

In Maths, students will:

  • Recognise numbers to at least 10 000;
  • Model numbers to at least 10 000;
  • Order numbers to at least 10 000.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Are able to place any four-digit number on a number line using an appropriate scale.

Grade 4/5

In English, students will:

  • Focus on how words sound and the patterns of these sounds in words;
  • Explore how letters and words look and the visual patterns in words;
  • Explore the meaning and function of words or parts of words;
  • Understand the origins and history of words and the effect this has on spelling patterns;
  • Understand the purpose of adverbs, verbs, adjectives and nouns;
  • Structure, plan and draft their writing.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Understand that English spelling words come from many other languages;
  • Understand that many ways can be used to learn to spell a variety of words;
  • Understand that the origins and the history of words impacts on their use of words in writing and spelling;
  • Apply adverbs, verbs, adjectives and nouns in their writing;
  • Structure, plan and draft their writing for optimal effect.

In Maths, students will:

  • Use the four operations (+, -, x, ÷) with odd and even numbers;
  • Calculate am/pm time;
  • Telling time on an analogue and digital clock;
  • Partition and arrange numbers;
  • Participate in problem solving and reasoning activities.

Students achieve this when they:

  • Can apply the four operations to create equations from odd and even numbers;
  • Tell the time in am/pm time zones;
  • Read analogue and digital clocks;
  • Split larger numbers into smaller unit for ease of calculation (partitioning);
  • Explain and justify their responses in problem solving and reasoning activities.

Grade 6

In English, students will:

  • Strengthen their vocabulary through word knowledge.
  • Students achieve this when they:
  • Break down words to examine their origins and apply this knowledge to similar words.

In Maths, students will:

  • Explore number and place value up to one billion;
  • Students achieve this when they:
  • Can explain and say the value of digits in large numbers;
  • Use their knowledge of place value to accurately say large numbers.

FINGAL CAMPUS KINDERS 2017

Welcome to the new Kinders at the Fingal Campus – Levi Woods (holding sign), Marley Paul (with Lego), Lexie Gamble (girl) and Xavier Winter (absent).

MEET OUR NEW KINDERGARTEN CLASS - ST.MARYS CAMPUS 2017

New Kindergarten Class
VIEW GALLERY
New Kindergarten Class
Click images to enlarge

GRADE 4/5 STANFORD/COOK

Grade 4-5 Stanford/Cook have begun the new term with enthusiasm and gusto. Students have commenced learning Chinese via a tele link with a tutor in Beijing, China. Students have participated in interactive lessons and are learning to count and greet accordingly using the Chinese language.

The Learning Intentions of this course is gaining Intercultural understand with recognising three organising elements:

  • Recognising culture and developing respect;
  • Interacting and empathising with others;
  • Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility.

Extract from the Australian curriculum-Intercultural understanding.

Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome to the year of the fire rooster, when all your dreams could come true. Based on the Chinese lunar calendar, New Year falls on January 28 in 2017, with festivities continuing for up to two weeks. Also known in China as the Spring Festival. Celebrations revolve around reunion, harmony and ensuring good luck for the coming year. In Chinese astrology each zodiac year is associated with an animal sign, plus one of the five elements - so 2017 is the year of the rooster, and the element is fire. It's a rare combination, last seen in 1957.

In English we have read the Fantasy book Beast Quest The Golden Armour by Adam Blade. Students wrote a story with the focus on text structure, with correct use of paragraphs, descriptive and informative language to enhance the reader’s interpretations of characters, setting and events.

The students used strategies to plan, draft and edit imaginative, informative and persuasive text aligned with the Australian curriculum ACALY1694.

STORY BY AMELIA MASON

Write a short fantasy story using the following words:

Crystals King Hugo The Forest of Fear Western Ocean Lady Louisa Simeon The Brave Catkins Bluefur Thunder Silversword

Once upon a time King Hugo sent Simeon Ther Brave to find the precious crystals that can only be found deep in the Forest of Fear for the Lady Louisa.

King Hugo gave Simeon the Brave the precious silversword that had belonged to the kingdom for longer than anyone could remember.

So Simeon set sail over the Western Ocean to an island that contained the Forest of Fear…….Suddenly Simeon heard thunder, he thought for a moment.

What could he do?

Then he suddenly remembered the silversword.

So Simeon drew out the sword from its packet and it worked just like an umbrella. Then he remembered about the mythical creatures call the Catkins and their leader Bluefur.

Legend says that the Catkins help whoever they want but be careful the Catkins can smell fear.

Suddenly a cat with blue fur appeared and then a whole litter of tabby cats appeared. They must be the Catkins though Simeon. Simeon approached the strange blue cats with care not wanting to scare them away.

“What do you want?” the blue cat asked

“I just want to find the precious cave crystals” Simeon replied

“As you wish” Bluefur replied

Then they were gone just as they left Simeon’s brain went click and he realised the Catkins had put the directions inside his brain.

After some time Simeon reached a cave that seemed to be glowing. “The cave crystals” Simeon cried. He went back to find his boat and set sail back on the Western Ocean to King Hugo’s kingdom.

The royal jewellers made lots of jewellery for the Lady Louisa.

And from that day on Lady Louisa had all the jewellery she wanted.

THE END

In Mathematics students completed a co-ordinated drawing using a grid reference system to describe location. Students also completed questions relating to interpreting maps. They used route, landmarks and directional language to complete location and transformation question. These activity align with the Australian Curriculum ACMMG113.

NAME ART

Grade 1/2 wrote their names onto a sheet of paper. They decorated the spaces between each letter with oil pastels, before applying ink wash over the top. Their names were emphasised with black paint.

Name Art
VIEW GALLERY
Name Art
Click images to enlarge

NDIS PARENT INFORMATION SESSION

On Tuesday 14th March representatives from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will be visiting our school to provide information regarding eligibility and types of support which can be accessed through this scheme.

If you believe that your child may be able to access support please attend this meeting.

The session will be held in Room 13, St.Marys District School, St.Marys Campus commencing at 3.30pm and concluding by 4.30pm.

If you are intending to attend this meeting, please RSVP to the school office by Monday 13th March. If you would like additional information, but are unable to attend on this day and time, please also pass your details on to our office.

BACK TO SCHOOL

A BALANCED LUNCHBOX

It’s that time of year again! And with it comes the annual lunchbox dilemmas. It doesn’t take long before the school lunch routine becomes boring, lunch comes home uneaten and it’s easier to reach for unhealthy options. Move Well, Eat Well have lots of tips on how to prepare a varied, balanced and tasty lunch.

Visit the link below for more information and resources for parents.

http://movewelleatwell.tas.gov.au/

BE A MATE

Please remember that a number of students within our school have serious food allergies and we request that all families consider this when making decisions about what to pack for their child’s lunch.

Anyone can Be a M.A.T.E. by following these five easy steps:

  • Always take food allergies seriously
  • Don’t share food.
  • Wash hands after eating
  • Ask a friend what they are allergic to.
  • Get help immediately if a schoolmate has a reaction.

More information is available on the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia Website.

https://www.allergyfacts.org.au/

Linc

Choose how to add this event to your calendar: