Principal Talk with Mrs Lowe
Welcome back!
Firstly, I would like to extend a warm welcome back to all our students and their families. I hope you managed to enjoy a break from your usual in-term routines.
I would like to especially welcome back Mrs Branson from her long service leave break.
During the holidays we had some very dedicated parents offer their time to get our gardens looking spick and span. I would like to offer a huge thank you to Shaun and Ange Cuskelly, Jodie Garnham and Jackie Blowes for their work on the large garden bed behind the Murphy Building, top playground, front garden beds and the Peace Garden trees. They weeded, pruned, staked and mulched.
I would also like to thank Steph and Brad Knight for their work on the commemorative garden bed on the top playground. This area now has a selection of beautiful roses around Maxine's maple.
Term 3 Key Dates
| Thursday 25 July | CWA projects due |
| Friday 26 July | NAIDOC Mass - St Christopher's Cathedral Manuka ACT |
| Fridays in August | School Explorers Program 2/8, 9/8, 16/8, 23/8 |
| Wednesday 7 August | School Public Speaking Competition Years 3-6 |
| Wednesday 14 August | Northern Region Public Speaking Competition Years 3-6 |
| Thursday 15 August | Feast of the Assumption |
| Thursday 22 August | Archdiocesan Athletics Carnival |
| Saturday 24 August | P & F Social Function |
| Thursday 29 August | Fathers Day Mass |
| Tuesday 10 September | Cricket Blast School Cup Years 3- 6 |
| Friday 13 September | Official Opening of the Multipurpose Sports Court |
| Friday 20 September | Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition Boorowa |
| Friday 27 September | Stage 1 (Year 1and Year 2) Showcase of Learning 12.30pm |
| End of term |
Multipurpose Sports Court
With the completion of the front fence towards the end of the last term, our Multipurpose Sports Court is now ready for use. The students have industriously spread mulch around the court to allow student access so the winter mud is not walked onto the court.
With the help of Shaun Cuskelly, we are now planning the landscaping, including grass and defined paths. A working bee will be upcoming so please keep an eye out for the date and time in our newsletter.
Are you interested in being part of an organising committee for either Netball or Basketball? We welcome the formation of associations to get these sports running in our community. It would be great to see these sports offered in our community and our court used for this purpose.
The official opening of the Multipurpose Sports Court will be held on Friday 13 September.
Mufti Day
On Friday 2 August we will be holding a 'Favourite Sport or Sporting Team' Mufti Day to support Isabelle Galland and Bella Croker's State hockey trip. Students may come to school out of uniform and dressed in their favourite sporty clothes in exchange for a gold coin donation.
It has been decided by the school executive staff that this will be an event we organise for all students facing the large costs involved with state representative sport.
Annual Satisfaction Survey
An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified.
The surveys will be launched via email on 29 July and close on 9 August 2019 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the survey at the following link. https://www.research.net/r/stmaryscrookwellparent2019
Public Speaking
Our primary students are now working on their speeches for our 2019 Public Speaking Competition.
The class topics are as follows;
Year 3 – Best Friends - 2 minutes
Year 4 – Good Advice - 2 minutes
Year 5 – Don't Try This - 3 minutes
Year 6 – The View from the Top - 3 minutes
Students in Years 3-6 will present their speeches to their class over the next few weeks. Five students from each class will be selected to present at our school competition on Wednesday 7 August.
Following on from this, two students from each class are selected to represent the school at the Northern Region Public Speaking Competition, to be held on Wednesday 14 August at St Mary’s. This will commence with morning tea at 10am, followed by the competition at 10.30am for Years 3 and 5 and 11.15am for Years 4 and 6.
The NR Public Speaking Competition has been nominated as a Year 5 P&F event. If you are a parent in this class and can assist with donating food and/or preparing and serving morning tea on this day, can you please let me know. Parents and friends of students in our other classes are also welcome to help.
The Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition will be held on 20 September at St Joseph's in Boorowa.
Children’s Lunch Food Items
If you are choosing to send warm items to school with your child for lunch, please send them prepared in a thermos with the utensils required. Please be aware that we are not allowed to supply boiling water to add to items such as noodles and packet soups due to safety regulations.
Thank you for your understanding with this.
Pick-Up and Drop Off Reminders
The street directly out the front of St Mary’s is a Bus Zone from 8.30am-9.30am and 3.00pm-4.00pm. Please be aware that occasionally parents dropping their children off in the mornings in this bus zone have been fined by the police.
We recommend that in the afternoons if you have come to collect your children by car, that you walk with your child to the crossing near our bottom gate to ensure you are crossing safely out of the Bus Zone.
Enrolling Now
Staffing for 2020 will be allocated earlier this year than in previous years, so we encourage families to commence the enrolment process as soon as possible.
Enrolments can now be placed online. Go to https://enrolments.stmarysc.nsw.edu.au/enrol/ or collect an enrolment form from Belinda in the Office.