Calendar

St Mary's Feast Day

Last Friday, September 8th, we celebrated our school's feast day with great joy and enthusiasm. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a special occasion that holds significant meaning in the Catholic faith, and to us at St Mary's Primary School, and our students made sure to honour it in a memorable way.

Our celebration began with a beautiful Mass with Father Joshy guiding us to reflect on the virtues of Mary. 

Following the Mass, our students engaged in various Mary-themed fun activities. The students decorated biscuits with images and symbols associated with Mary, sang and played songs dedicated to Mary on the ukuleles and percussion instruments, modelled Mary symbols and created Mary chalk art and bookmarks.

As we celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our students learned about the virtues and qualities that Mary exemplified – kindness, humility, compassion, and faith. These values serve as a guiding light for us all as we strive to be better individuals and members of the St. Mary's School community.

I would like to thank all the teachers and staff, especially Mrs Therese Skelly, our Religious Education Coordinator, who made this celebration possible. 

Sharing Best Practice

I am excited to share an enriching experience Mrs Cummins and I had last Saturday at Merici College in Canberra. We had the opportunity to attend 'Sharing Best Practice' Professional Learning Day, centred on exploring evidence-based, high-impact teaching practices that can shape our students' learning journey.

The 'Sharing Best Practice' event was filled with inspiration, collaboration, and valuable insights into innovative teaching methods. It was an opportunity for educators from various schools to come together, share their experiences, and learn from one another to enhance further the educational experiences we provide for our students.

The day focused on evidence-based approaches that have been proven to impact student learning outcomes significantly.  One of the event's highlights was connecting with fellow educators as passionate about teaching as we are. We exchanged ideas, strategies, and success stories, which will enrich our teaching practices and benefit your children's education.

At St Mary's, we are excited to continue implementing these evidence-based practices into our teaching methods, ensuring that your child's educational journey continues to be engaging and enriching. We believe that every child deserves the best education possible.

Today, we shared our best practice with six staff from St Mary's Casino and a member of the CECG learning team, Bernadette Rayner. The visitors observed our Explicit Direction Instruction practice for English and Mathematics, viewed our data and listened to our change journey. We welcome back a second team from the same school on 12 October. 

Thank you!

Thank you to our Parents & Friends Association for funding the new blinds in the Year 2 classroom. They look terrific and will assist with heating and cooling the room.

Thank you to the Country Women's Association Day Branch for donating $100 to a student/s requiring support with funding a school excursion or camp. 

Join Us for a Night of Celebration: St Mary's 120th Anniversary Dinner Dance!

Ticket purchase details coming soon!

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, 21st October
• Time: 6:00 PM
• Location: Crookwell Services Club
• Attire: Cocktail attire 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Operation Christmas Child

In order to have boxes packed and ready for collection to be sent overseas, items for the Operation Christmas Child can kindly be returned to school by 23 October.

Below shows ideas for items that can be donated, if you wish.

The SACRAMENT of CONFIRMATION

Our Year 5 and 6 students will receive the Sacrament of CONFIRMATION over the next 2 weekends during Masses in Goulburn and Crookwell. They will be confirmed in their faith.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic faith (the other two being Baptism and the Eucharist, or Holy Communion). The Sacrament of the Eucharist can be received every day, but the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are only once received once in a lifetime. Confirmation completes (or confirms) the grace given by God in Baptism. During Confirmation Catholics renew their promises to follow Jesus in their lives, and they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen them on their faith journey.

Jesus’ apostles were the first to receive this special outpouring of the Holy Spirit when they were gathered together in Jerusalem in fear of being persecuted after Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus had promised them his Holy Spirit would always be with them. After his resurrection, his Holy Spirit came upon them, enlightening and strengthening them for the task of spreading His message of love, peace, and hope in the promise of the Kingdom of heaven…

²⁶ “I will send you the Helper^[a] from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth^[b] who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. ²⁷ And you will tell people about me too. 

We pray that our young people, filled with the Holy Spirit, will have faith, joy, hope, and courage in continuing  Jesus’ work of bringing love, peace, and justice to our world. We pray that they will deepen their personal relationship with Jesus through prayer, the Eucharist, a life committed to the moral values of the Gospel, Reconciliation, and a life of service, especially to the poor and needy.

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (Jn 20:21)

 “Send your Holy Spirit upon them
to be their Helper and Guide.
Give them the spirit of wisdom
and understanding,
the spirit of right judgment
and courage,
the spirit of knowledge
and reverence.
Fill them with the spirit
of wonder
and awe in your presence.
Amen.”

Remember, the Holy Spirit is there for all of us. God sent His only Son Jesus, who died so that the sins of humanity could be forgiven. Jesus rose to new life and with the help of His Spirit, all people may experience God’s Kingdom of heaven. The gifts of the spirit can help all to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to bring about the Kingdom.

Students have been busy participating in the Jump Rope for Heart Program for fitness and sport in recent weeks.  The program can help primary schools meet the mandatory weekly requirements for student participation in sport and physical activity and encourages students to build a positive attitude towards exercise, healthy eating, and heart health. The program will conclude on Friday 19^th September with a Skip-a-thon and a gold coin donation for the Heart Foundation.

Parents are welcome to watch down at the Multi-Purpose Court at 12.30 tomorrow.

Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival 

Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival – Friday 20^th October (Week 2, Term 4). Compulsory for Year 2-6 students. Please fill in the Compass permission note and transport details for your child/children as soon as possible. A bus has been booked, and names are now being added.

There is a choice of netball or touch football for Years 3-6. Year 2 will be playing Touch Football.

Those students wishing to play netball on the day have been invited to attend the Crookwell Clovers netball training sessions after school on Mondays from 3.30-4.30pm. Thank you to Reané Strode and Katie Price for coaching our netball teams!

MacKillop Athletics Championships

We have some very excited athletes who will be travelling to AIS in Canberra on Monday 18 September as members of the CECG Athletics Team. This is a wonderful achievement!

Flynn Storrier of Year 3 will compete in the 9yr old 100m and the Junior Boys 200m.

Grace McCormack of Year 4 will compete in the Junior Girls Shot Put

Henry Galland of Year 5 will compete in the 11yr boys Long Jump

Will Waldron of Year 5 will compete in the 1500m.

We wish Flynn, Grace, Henry and Will all the very best.

Tuckshop Roster

Sticky Beak Bag Use

Please remind your child to put their sticky beak lunch bags into the baskets on tuckshop days. The ladies in the tuckshops are finding a big increase in having to use paper bags, which results in extra rubbish on the playground. 

Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Mass

Parish Office