I would like to welcome everyone back to Term 3. I hope you have managed to stay warm and enjoy some relaxing time with your family over the break. 

We have opened this term commencing with full-time on-campus learning, following the restrictions and guidelines below.

The following applies to all NSW Catholic schools in the Archdiocese:

• All staff and students are expected to be at school unless they are sick or have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms or have a medical exemption.
• Wearing masks is recommended in all indoor settings for all staff in primary and secondary schools.
• If parents/carers, children or school staff have visited the Greater Sydney area, or other identified hot spots, they must get tested and follow the applicable advice. Please check the NSW Health Guidelines for further information. https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/nsw-covid-19-case-locations-map 
• Overnight excursions, camps, international excursions, visits to aged care facilities, and community events within school hours are not permitted.
• Staff and visitors should keep 1.5 metres apart from each other wherever possible unless they are from the same family group.

Parent/Carer Guidelines

Parents/carers are to:

• remain outside of school grounds where practical and maintain physical distance. (Thank you for your vigilance with this so far)
• follow mask-wearing requirements
• use the school’s mandatory QR code when entering the school (for important matters only). Please also remember to sign in following the standard visitor process.
• refrain from attending school assemblies and events.

Visitor Guidelines

Visitors are:

• restricted to visits for essential purposes only. 

Local Implications

• At this stage, the scheduled School Explorers Program, due to commence on 13 August can go ahead, with optional parent attendance.   
• Reading and Intervention Program volunteers are unable to commence until further notice.
• Tuckshop can still commence on 26 July, with our volunteers wearing masks.
• Our Year 6 School Camp will be rescheduled. As soon as we receive information about the new date we will send this home to our Year 6 families. 
• Other postponements include the Dental Clinic, School Photos, Book Fair and the NAIDOC Mass. New dates will be distributed soon. 

Please be assured our top priority is the safety of our students, staff and families. I thank you for your continued support and for the way you have commenced this term with care.

I would like to remind our parents and carers to continue your open communication with our teachers and staff. It is much easier to discuss and resolve issues when they arise rather than to wait for things to snowball. Please feel free to call or send emails, as required.

I would like to wish everyone a productive term full of learning and development.

Welcome back!

I would like to welcome Xavier Stallard and his family, Jen, Chris, Nicholas and Ellie back to the St Mary's School Community. We hope that you settle back in quickly and smoothly. It is lovely to see Xavier's smiling face around the school again!

Staff Professional Development

On Monday we shared a day with our Northern Region School colleagues and Fr Richard Leonard, via Zoom.

Fr Richard is a Jesuit priest with a long list of achievements. He has degrees in Arts and Education, as well as a Master’s degree in Theology. Fr Richard did graduate studies at the London Film School and has a PhD from the University of Melbourne. He directs the Australian Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting, is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Catholic University; has been a visiting scholar within the School of Theatre, Film & Television at UCLA and a Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has served on juries at the Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Warsaw, Hong Kong, Montreal, Brisbane and Melbourne International Film Festivals and he has lectured on faith and culture all over the world. Fr Richard has been published in America Magazine, Eureka Street, US Catholics, is a regular columnist with The London Tablet and is a regular guest on ABC Radio. He is the author of ten books, among the titles include Where the Hell is God? and What does it all mean? A guide to being more faithful, hopeful and loving. 

Fr Richard led an engaging day with 160 staff members on Jesus, Choosing and Mission. He connected our mission as teachers in a Catholic school with the challenges of living in society today, in the light of Ignatian spirituality. It was a thoroughly interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking day.