Welcome to our first digital newsletter. We hope you enjoy the new format. If you have any problems navigating this newsletter please do not hesitate to contact Belinda. Please remember print copies are still available if required or preferred.

The newsletter will come out in an email, it can be accessed online and can also be read through an app. You can download the Schoolzine app (SZapp) and subscribe.

You will notice that on our digital newsletter interface online also gives you access to our up-to-date school calendar, our Annual Improvement Plan and links to our Social Media releases.

Thank you!

A very big thank you to Mrs. Rachael Croker for coordinating a wonderful swimming carnival yesterday. Thank you to all our staff and parent helpers as well.

It was wonderful to hear from one of our parents, serving on the Year 6 barbeque, that all of the students displayed beautiful manners.

I am pleased to also share that I heard, numerous times during the day, the students encouraging and congratulating each other. 

In the School Sport section in this newsletter, Rachael has included an article and photo gallery.

Term One Staff Professional Learning

One of our staff goals this year is to ensure that all staff are participating in regular and targetted Professional Learning. This allows our staff to maintain their professional teaching accreditation and ensures St Mary's staff are confident in providing the most current learning pedagogies.

This term I, along with some other Principals and Senior Staff in the Archdiocese of Canberra Goubourn, will be part of an Evidence Forum. This involves professional reading, vigorous discussions around various pedagogies and visits to schools who are leading in school improvement in Sydney and Perth. I am very excited to be part of this professional learning opportunity and cannot wait to share what I learn. 

Mr. Collinge and Mrs. Cummins will both be part of the Early Career Teachers Program and Mrs. S Croker and Mrs. Branson will train as their mentors.

Mrs. S Croker will train as our Child Safe Advocate and Mrs. R Croker our Data Analyst.

We will aim to keep you up to date with our staff Professional Learning as the year progresses.

School Counsellor

We are very fortunate this year to have gained our Catholic Care Counsellor Kate Dean for three days each term. Kate's first visit will be on 14 February, with subsequent visits on 14 March and 28 March.

Our school counsellor is available to speak with parents or students about a range of matters including development of strategies to assist with anxiety, resilience, coping, stress and well-being.

Reporting Schedule Changes

After listening to the feedback some of you provided in our 2018 Parent Survey we have decided to move our three-way interviews into Term 2.

We will trial the following schedule for this semester;

Term 1 - Week 5 - Interim Reports, reporting on how your child has settled into their new class routines

Term 2 - Week 5 - Three-Way Interviews

Term 2 - Week 9 - Academic and Social Report and Evidence of Learning Folder

Term 2 - Week 10 - Parent Teacher Interviews by request

The Catholic Education Office is in the process of designing a new report format that should be available for us to use by the second semester.

Around the school...

Some of our Year 3 students were ready for a quick photo after swimming last Friday.

Some of our new playground markings.