Return to Face-to-Face

It has been wonderful to have our classrooms nearly full again this week, with a 93.5% attendance rate. Staff and students are trying hard to maintain distance and cleanliness in our school setting. Thank you for your support with minimising your entry into our school buildings. When social distancing regulations are lifted for adults we will be able to relax our approaches and welcome back our parents and volunteers into our learning spaces.

Until further notice, we ask that all students continue to enter the school via the Office area each morning. The students will sanitise their hands and have their temperature checked before heading onto the playground for morning play. The students can play in the MP Hall, on the concrete areas on the top playground and the Library is also open for students needing a quieter space.

This week we have seen our students enjoying making up new games to play that do not involve touching or 'tip'. The boys photographed below at the bottom playground created 'Social Distancing Nests' out of bark and leaves.

Semester 1 Reporting

In response to the changed learning circumstances in Term 1 and Term 2, Semester 1 2020 reporting processes across our Archdiocese have been modified to provide parents with specific information about their child’s achievement and progress. Changes to reporting have occurred in every NSW education sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Semester 1 Report 

• The report covers work completed in both Term 1 and Term 2.

• Student achievement for Years 1 - 6 will be reported as an A-E grade for the three main core areas: Religious Education, English and Mathematics.  
• Student achievement for Kindergarten will be reported using a three-point scale for the three main core areas: Religious Education, English and Mathematics.  

• Other subjects may receive a grade if the teacher has sufficient evidence of learning.  In subjects where a grade is not possible, ‘Not assessed’ will be displayed.  This means that, although the learning throughout the semester has been rigorous, it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the student’s achievement in relation to the reporting Outcomes or Achievement Standards against the Grade Descriptors.
• A new section ‘Engagement with Learning’ has been developed to replace the ‘Personal and Social Capabilities’.  The new statements are based on the Australian Curriculum: General capabilities, and target four key areas of learning engagement: Thinking, Communication, Responsibility, Collaboration. 
  
• The inclusion of the ‘Engagement with Learning’ statements means that the General Comment section of the report is no longer required; the statements give detailed information on your child’s approach to learning.
• Student reports will be sent home at the end of this term, on Friday 3 July.
• Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences will be offered in Week 2 Term 3 - 27-28 July.

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 on Wade Street to cross safely out of the Bus Zone. Students will not be permitted to cross the road by themselves  - you will need to come and collect your child from the schoolyard.

Morning Club

At this stage, we ask that only families requiring this service to support their work send their children. It will resume for all families when all social distancing regulations are lifted. 

Enrolling Now

Please spread the word about our School Tours. If you know someone who is interested in learning more about St Mary's or who has a child ready to start Kindergarten in 2021, we welcome their visit. Social distancing regulations will be put in place for our tours.

Enrolments can now be placed online. Go to https://enrolments.stmarysc.nsw.edu.au/enrol/ to enrol now.

Enrolments packs are available from our School Office or can be downloaded from our website http://www.stmarysc.nsw.edu.au/enrolment.html

The School Explorers Program

Next term our preschool friends will be visiting each Friday afternoon to participate in The School Explorers, our school readiness program.

Attached below is the amended program dates, please share this around!