St Mary's Primary School Crookwell eNewsletter

Calendar

Term 2 2025
Week 5
Friday 30 May	CANTEEN -Sarah,Rebecca, Tristan Year 3 Class Mass 9:30am MacKilliop Football (Soccer) trials
Week 6
Monday 2 June	CANTEEN- Claire, Candice, Elizabeth Reconciliation Week- Aboriginal performance at 2pm
Tuesday 3 June	Rugby Union trials
Wednesday 4 June	Art Focus Day-Year 4 Holy Communion Session #2
Thursday 5 June	Mrs S Croker at Northern Region Principals meeting
Friday 6 June	SRC Fundraiser- Crazy Sock Day Mrs S Croker at Northern Region Principals meeting CANTEEN- Nicole, Libbie, Georgia
Week 7
Monday 9 June	Public Holiday- no school
Wednesday 11 June	Holy Communion Session #3
Friday 13 June	CANTEEN- Reané, Carina, Kat Year 1 & 2 Class Mass 9.30am

THREE-WAY LEARNING DISCUSSIONS

This Term, we would like to invite parents/carers and students to our Learning Discussions on Friday, 4 July. This is the final day of Term Two for staff and is a Pupil Free day. Your child's Semester Report will have been delivered to you on Monday, 30 June.

Appointment times ARE OPEN via COMPASS CONFERENCES for you to arrange a time BETWEEN 8:00am-3:00pm for Yrs 1-6 and 9:00am-3:00pm for Kindergarten. Each slot is 10 minutes in length.

If the opportunity to meet in person is difficult, we are also offering phone appointments for the day. Please select which option you would prefer when making your booking.

GOOD LUCK

As a school community, we wish the best of luck to Jobe Seaman, Flynn Storrier and Imogen Hewitt who were selected to participate in the MacKillop football (soccer) trials in Rooty Hill tomorrow, 30th May.

Also to Jesse Costello as he plays in the League PSSA in Blacktown next week.

ACCIONA GRANT

Last term, I applied for a small grant from Acciona to help repair and refurbish our shade sails over the quad area. We were successful in gaining $6000, which I hope will go a long way with this project. Acciona are very generous with Community funding and we are grateful for the continued support we receive from them.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICES

St Mary’s Primary manages Personal Communication Devices in line with the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Personal Communication Devices Policy and Student Acceptable Use of ICT Policy, available on the Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn website.

Rationale

St Mary’s understands that many students own a mobile phone or other communication device. These can be important before and after school, for students to contact parents and engage with the wider community.

However, personal communication devices can also represent a distraction within the School and limit educational and social engagement. Schools have a duty of care for students during school hours and for student and staff privacy.

All states and Territories in Australia prohibit the use of personal communication devices in schools during the school day, either partially or completely.

The St Mary’s community is reminded never to film or record anyone without their consent, and never to share images or recordings without consent. Sharing images or recordings without consent can violate Australian privacy laws and may be a criminal offence. This applies to staff, students, parents/carers and visitors.

St Mary’s is not responsible for personal communication devices brought to school, or liable for loss or damage.

These restrictions apply to all personal communication devices during school hours, on school grounds or at school events and activities.

OFF AND AWAY FOR THE DAY/OFF AND AWAY DURING CLASS

IF ITS OUT - IT’S GONE

Restrictions

Off and Away for the Day – all personal communication devices must be switched off and stored in bags or lockers at all times on school grounds or during off-campus school events (e.g. excursions). Mobile devices are not permitted during class or outside class, such as using social media or listening to music in the playground or during class changes.

CRAZY SOCKS

Please help our Term Two SRC initiative by supporting Crazy Sock Day next Friday.

PDH - CHILD PROTECTION UNITS

This term, all classes' PDHPE program includes mandatory child protection education. Some of the content taught in child protection education deals with sensitive issues. Our teachers deliver this content in an age-appropriate way. The specific content which will be covered in child protection education is shown below. For more information about child protection education, go to the Child Protection and Respectful Relationships Education section on the Department of Education’s PDHPE website.

The content which will be covered in child protection education includes:

Feelings and body reactions

Relationships with others

Rights and responsibilities

Family structures

Recognising and responding to safe and unsafe situations

Positive relationships and support networks

Strategies to stay safe and ask for help

Ways to show respect to others

Making safe decisions

REMINDER - Crossing/Parking/Drop off and Pick up

Please help us keep our students safe with your diligence to road rules and safe use of the pedestrian crossing. You will notice signs to assist you with the drop off and pick up regulations as directed by NSW Government. Please note the PDF attached for clarification of the driver obligations.

IMG_4749 _jpg290.06 KB

Drop_off_and_Pick_up_safety_tips.pdf

Drop_off_and_Pick_up_safety_tips _pdf 290.06 KB

All students are required to cross at the Crossing on Wade St and Colyer St.

Both these crossings are teacher-supervised every afternoon.

At NO stage are there to be students, parents or carers crossing the road in between cars and buses

CAN YOU HELP OUR LATEST PROJECT?

St Mary's school community are keen to revamp our school playground equipment. We have registered with RETURN and EARN and have been given the green tick!! Every little bit helps, and we will be doing our best to get a start on some funds to help.

We're pleased to confirm that St Mary’s new Playground Equipment has been approved and will be listed in the Return and Earn app on 27 May 2025

Any members of the community can select to donate some or all of their 10c drink container refunds to your organisation.

PASS THE WORD AROUND AS EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

How to donate through Return and Earn

RETURN AND EARN APP

You can select to donate your 10c refund to any charity, school, sports club or local community group featured on the app from any machines in NSW.

Simply:

Open your Return and Earn app AND search for your favourite charity under the “CHARITIES” menu
Press on its tile, scroll down and select ‘Set as payout’
Scan your app at your local Return and Earn machine or automated depot (using Tag and Drop)
Return your containers and press “TRANSFER” on the machine screen or follow the steps on the Tag and Drop screen at an automated depot.

100% of the refund will be donated to the donation partner that you selected to receive your payout.

RETURN AND EARN MACHINES

You can support our major donation partner by donating directly on the screens of your machines. Simply:

Return your drink containers
Press “DONATE” on the touchscreen to our major charity partner
Press “CONFIRM” to validate your donation. 100% of your refund will be donated to charity.

KINDER WOOD RAFFLE

Have you purchased raffle tickets for our Kinder Wood Raffle? Three prizes of wood loads are up for grabs! Don't forget to share them with family and friends. Extra books of tickets will be sent home to families today.

Sold tickets and money are to be returned by June 13, please.

Blue_and_Yellow_Illustrative_Bonfire_Night_Poster_2_.jpeg

Support Our School Community – Family Business Directory

We are proud of the vibrant and diverse community at our School, and we know that many of our families run incredible businesses. To celebrate and support each other, we are creating a Family Business Directory — a dedicated space on our School’s website where our families can discover, connect with, and support local businesses run by fellow School families.

Whether your business is big or small, online or brick-and-mortar, we’d love to showcase it!

If you would like your business to be included in the directory, please complete the form below with your business details. The directory will be made available on our website for easy browsing and searching by our School community.

> Family Business Directory information form

Thank you for helping us strengthen our School community and support each other’s ventures!

SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

Classes have commenced this week for students who are celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Sessions will run each Wednesday, 3:30pm-4:30pm in the Year 6 classroom.

Please keep our candidates in your prayers and thoughts.

CLASS MASSES

This term we have returned to stage masses which classes host at St Mary’s Church. We thank Year 4 and 5, who recently hosted their mass. It was a beautiful celebration with an important reminder of the importance of loving one another.

Tomorrow, both Year 3 classes will be hosting Mass at 9:30am. We hope to see many of our families join us.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL CRAZY SOCK DAY

Mini Vinnies Social Justice at St Mary’s

‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.’

However, not everyone in the world is as fortunate as us and many people struggle to survive from day to day, while we live in comfort, with three meals a day and a bed to sleep in each night. It can be easy to remain unaware of actual people who are experiencing an injustice like homelessness.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is very active in social justice advocacy. They not only support people who are experiencing hardship but also work to eliminate the problem. They attempt to do this by researching the problems to learn more about them and educating the wider community.

As a way of donating to the Vinnies Winter Appeal, the SRC have organised a Crazy Sock Day on Friday 6th June. Students will wear their crazy socks with their sports uniforms and bring along a gold coin donation.

Western Plains Netball Trials:

Last week, we had Max S, Jack S and Harley travel to Orange to trial for a spot in the Western Plains Primary School PSSA Netball team. All boys trialled well, showed great skill and sportsmanship. A special congratulations to Harley, who was successful in gaining selection in the NSW All Schools Boys team. He will travel to Victoria in October! We are very proud of you all!

NSWCPS Cross Country:

Congratulations to Imogen, Bridie, Macie-Lee, Elaine and Lizzie who are now members of the Archdiocesan Cross-Country team and will compete at the NSWCPS - MacKillop Cross Country Championships to be held on the 11th June.

MacKillop Hockey:

Last week, Tommy and Flynn took part in the Boys PSSA Hockey competition as members of the MacKillop Hockey team. The weather was not kind to them, but they played to the conditions. The experience is an achievement for both boys. Thank you to their families for supporting them. To wrap up the week, Tommy has been named as a member of the NSW Boys Hockey Team as goalie! Well done, Tommy!!!

MacKillop Rugby League:

Good Luck to Jesse, who travels to Blacktown to compete as part of the U11's MacKillop Rugby League team on the 2nd- 4th June. We can’t wait to hear how you go!

Rugby Union Trials:

*Change of DATE and VENUE

Date: Tuesday, 3rd June

Venue: Downer Ovals - Field 108. Melba Street, Downer.

Good luck to Bodi, Rory and Harry F, who will be travelling to Canberra on the 3rd June to trial for the Canberra/Goulburn Rugby Union team. We can’t wait to hear how you go!

Football (Soccer) Trials:

Good luck to Jobe, Flynn S and Imogen, who will compete as part of the Canberra/Goulburn Football team this Friday in Sydney for a spot in the MacKillop team. We can’t wait to hear how you go!

MacKillop Touch Football Trials:

Good Luck to Jacob and Tommy, who will compete as part of the Canberra/Goulburn Touch Football team in Wagga Wagga on the 13th June. We can’t wait to hear how you go!

Upcoming trials:

NSWCPS (MacKillop) Golf - nominations close 15th August

Where can I find trial dates?

The Canberra Goulburn Sports webpage has the full calendar for Primary, Secondary and SSA events. https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/calendar

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Kind Regards,

Annie Cummins & James Edwards

School Sports Coordinators

School Cup - Netball NSW Expression of Interest (Year 3 & up)

This years School Cup will be held on the 24th June in Goulburn.

Students from Year 3 - 6 are invited to express their interest in playing through the link below. The teams will be split into year groups (Year 3/4 and Year 5/6).

**Last chance

Netball

Book Club

Issue 4 has been sent home today.
Please complete all online orders by Thursday, 5^th June 2025.

All orders must be placed via the Scholastic LOOP platform:
scholastic.com.au/LOOP

If you have any difficulties with ordering, feel free to contact me for assistance.

National Simultaneous Storytime

Last week, the children took part in National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). This year's book was “The Truck Cat” by Deborah Frenkel. It’s a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found. The themes are explored through the adventures of Tinka the cat, Yacoub, his owner and their B-double tri-axle truck.

Working Memory

Working memory involves keeping in the mind the information you need to complete a task.
Problems with working memory can affect kids in and out of school. But parents can help by teaching kids strategies that improve working memory.
When kids have trouble following instructions, it’s often a sign that they’re struggling with working memory. Breaking tasks down into smaller steps can help. Instructions with lots of steps are hard for kids with working memory issues. Instead, try focusing on one task at a time: “We’re getting ready to have dinner soon. It’s time to put your toys away. When you’re finished, let me know and I’ll tell you what to do next.”
When kids try to tackle too much at once it makes for sloppy work and creates anxiety.
Something like writing a paper requires a huge amount of working memory. Remembering important information. Coming up with and organizing ideas. Using the right spelling and grammar. Trying to do everything at once can be overwhelming.
In the classroom, educators help your child to break the task down into manageable parts.
For example, coming up with ideas. Then writing an outline. Then writing a draft…and so on. Doing one thing at a time will make it less stressful and more productive.
As parents, we can do the same at home. Routines are very helpful for kids with working memory issues. When kids get in the habit of a task it no longer needs as much working memory. Find a pattern that works and stick with it. And break tasks down into smaller steps.
Don’t expect kids to get it right away. Offering reminders and praising your child’s efforts will help them stick with the routine until it sinks in.
Tools like to-do lists and reminders also make it easier for kids to remember important
information. Help your child find tools that work — a reminder on their device or a homework planner, or a checklist that they’ll actually use — and make them part of the routine.
If your child has a neurodivergent diagnosis such as ADHD or executive functioning issues, it may be helpful to work collaboratively with your child's classroom teacher and other clinical professionals to develop strategies and support what best meets the needs of your child.
While medication is one strategy, it is not the only strategy, which is why, the best way to help children is to connect and communicate with all support personnel to ensure the right strategies are put in place to achieve the best possible outcomes for your child.

Weeks 5 Awards

Awards will be presented at the assembly on Friday 30th at 9.05am.

K - Harlow Travers, Archie Kensit

1 - Elyssia Camilleri, Edie Frost, Artie Knight

2 - Georgie Strode, Andy Storrier

3 - Tilda McIntosh, Jack Hewitt, Tommy Culley, Archer Moloney

4 - Digby Price, Henry Lowe

5 - Victor Hall, Connor Plumb, Mylah Burfitt, Flynn D.

6 - Imogen Hewitt, Harley White

Uniform - Artie Knight, Khloe Pickett, Jack Lowe.

Finding balance in an online world

According to a survey of 3,520 parents of children aged 2–17, during July/August 2018.

For more info https://www.esafety.gov.au/research/digital-parenting/screen-time

52% of parents think that their children spend too much time online.

What do you think? Do you find that you are waring/competing with devices at home? You are not alone. How do you find balance?

Here are some examples of 3 different family tech agreements that may help guide discussions in your family on this topic.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/when-kids-call-the-shots/201804/the-best-technology-screen-time-contract-kids

https://www.navigatingadhd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Edited-by-Stephanie-ScreenContract1.pdf

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/family-tech-agreement

If you would like to find out more about how your family can find balance, you can contact your Schools Student and Family Counsellor.

Mark Holberton

Mark.Holberton@mccg.org.au

Student and Family Counsellor

St Joseph’s Primary School - Goulburn

Mondays and Tuesdays

T (02) 4821 3510

St Mary’s Primary School - Crookwell

Wednesdays

T (02) 4832 1592

For our upcoming Art Days, we’re excited to explore the incredible work of the famous sculptor Michelangelo!

To help our students experience the art of sculpture hands-on, we kindly ask parents to send in a cake of soap with their child. The soap will be used for a fun and creative carving activity inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpieces.

Thank you for supporting this artistic adventure—we can’t wait to see what our young sculptors create!