Building Works

I would like to thank all of the staff, students and our volunteers (Billy, Sr. Rosemary, Boe, Tom, James, Michael, Alex L, Daniel, Charlie, Alex B and Kempy) for helping with the class relocation over the past week. It has been remarkable to see how quickly we have been able to transform rooms into effective learning and work spaces. The children and staff are now all settled in their new routines and we are ready for work to commence! 

Staffing

This week we are very excited to welcome back Mrs. Branson and Mr. O'Kane. We thank Mrs. O'Keefe, Mrs. Evans and Mrs. McCormack for teaching Year 2 and Year 3 in their absence. 

Mrs. McCormack now takes on the role of Teacher Librarian for the rest of the term.

On Tuesday, Mrs. McCarthy held her last Music lessons for 2020. Jenny's passion and dedication to develop our students' musical abilities will be missed. We hope that Jenny enjoys her Long Service Leave. 

School Access 

From next week, there will be no front step access to the Office. Those who need to see Belinda or myself, will need to come through the Old Hall and use the internal stairs.

Morning temperature checks will continue in the Old Hall. Students will enter through the main doors and exit through the side door.  In the afternoon the bus lines will be held in the Old Hall. This will commence as soon as the builders fencing has been erected. 

Please remember that whilst we are faced with COVID-19, we request that all adult access is limited in the school grounds. This means that unless you have a need to visit the office or have a pre-arranged appointment, we kindly ask that you do not come into the school grounds. This is for the health and safety of our students and staff. Thank you for respecting this request.

National Reconciliation Week 2020

In 2020 Reconciliation Australia marks twenty years of shaping Australia’s journey towards a more just, equitable and reconciled nation.

Much has happened since the early days of the people’s movement for reconciliation, including greater acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights to land and sea; understanding of the impact of government policies and frontier conflicts; and an embracing of stories of Indigenous success and contribution.

Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We strive towards a more just, equitable nation by championing unity and mutual respect as we come together and connect with one another.

On this journey, Australians are all In This Together, this year's theme. Every one of us has a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.

This week at St Mary's we have learned about our shared histories and cultures and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Sharing Hayley's Story...

Year Six student, Hayley Francis, is a proud daughter of the Biripi people. She comes from a long line of strong women including her mother, nans, aunties and cousins. Hayley shares stories of her family and in the following story, she tells about her Great Grandmother and how she was stolen when she was six or seven.

"I know that when aunty Pam's Pop was out playing with his friends, his sister was stolen from the house and he never saw her again for another forty years. Mum's mum was also stolen. She has not found her real family yet. 

My aunty Valerie and her sister were red heads and had light skin and so were not recognised as Aboriginal, so when their parents heard cars coming they would hide the girls in a hole they made underneath their washing machine so they would be safe and not stolen.  My mum's grandmother was also part of the stolen generation."

My hope for the future is for everyone to find their people and where they came from and that it never ever happens again. I am grateful for Reconciliation week and Sorry day so people can stop and think about what happened and know that it was hard and scary for them.

Included below is a recording from a Sorry Day gathering in Taree involving Hayley's family.

Read more about NRW here https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-reconciliation-week/

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. The fun event aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

The 'Chicken Divas' artworks below were created by Madeleine and Elsie in Year Two.

Borrowed Technology

Please ensure any technology borrowed from school for use with remote learning needs to be returned ASAP so our students can use this during the day at school.

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!

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”(Jn 20:21). “I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. (John 15:26-27)

Let us all allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit enrich our lives and our communities.

 

Mini Vinnies

Our Year 6 Mini Vinnies students launch the Vinnies Winter Appeal next week!

Every year the St Vincent de Paul Society runs its Winter Appeal to collect items to assist people through the coldest time of the year.

A study titled “Poverty in Australia 2018” which was released last year showed that more than 3 million Australians are currently living in poverty. This figure includes more than 739,000 children aged 12 and under. The St Vincent de Paul Society is able to provide not only emergency assistance to these people – but also a hand up to a better life.

By supporting the 2020 Vinnies Winter Appeal, you are helping provide support to more than 40,000 people from the Canberra/Goulburn region who are currently living in poverty.

Donation of the following items would be greatly appreciated:

• New thick socks
• New gloves/mittens
• Coats and scarves
• Sleeping bags
• Blankets/doonas    (please make sure any used items are in reasonable condition)

Many thanks from St Mary’s Mini Vinnies Team

Week 5 has been an exciting week in the Library of St Mary’s! Due to the building works, Year 1 has moved in to the Library space and the Library has now become mobile, moving from classroom to classroom.

This week we have celebrated and participated in National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) as organised by the Australian Library. This is the 20^th year that the NSS has been held so an exciting milestone!

The book chosen for NSS this year was "Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas" by Lucinda Gifford who is not only the author, but also the illustrator of the book. This week in the library we have had fun reading the book together and letting our imaginations be ignited as we enjoyed creating our own fun story ideas, and celebrated the book with colour, glamour and fun.

Whilst there is no borrowing available from the school library at the moment, please feel free to use PM Readers (login details provided by your classroom teachers) and also Story Box Library and SORA.

Login Details:

Story Box Library - https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/

Username: St Mary’s

Password: stmarysc

SORA – access is via a tab on Microsoft Teams

Select the ACEN Membership and then enter your normal school login details.

Scholastic Book Club

Issue 4, of Book Club, has been distributed. Orders are due on the 4 June.

Please order using the Loop website: scholastic.com.au/LOOP

LOOP enables parents to order and pay for your child’s order online using a credit card or voucher if you have one.

• Click on ORDER
• OR Register first to save your details for next time
• Select your school and your child's class 
• Add your child's first name & last initial (so the school knows who the book is for) 
• Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue
• Follow the instructions for payment and submit
• Books will be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date
• Afterwards, there is no need to return paper order forms or payment receipt details back to your school! 

Principle 2: I'm One of a Kind during COVID-19.

Children and young people are individuals with unique needs and wishes. They are entitled to a voice of their own, to be respected for their intrinsic value in themselves, and to be recognised as integral members of their families. 

The following tip sheet has some very insightful conversation starters and activities to help you support your child/ren during these unusual circumstances

https://safeguardingchildren.acu.edu.au/-/media/feature/pagecontent/richtext/safeguardingchildren/_doc/principle-2--im-one-of-a-kind-during-covid-19.pdf?la=en&hash=9AA513EE393405A642E0949A82ACEDEC

Levy Refunds for all of the Canberra Goulburn, NSWCCC and MacKillop sporting events that were cancelled will be processed starting this week and should be completed by the end of next week.
Thank you to all that have been patiently awaiting their refund, it has been a lengthy process and we do apologise for the wait.

A letter from CECG Sports Coordinator Sherree Bush

Dear Parents,

In these unpredictable and uncertain times, we are attempting to keep any sporting pathways open for our students that are on offer, therefore we are continuing to plan Term 3 Archdiocesan sporting events as per usual. This may however change and each school within our Archdiocese will have a differing set of circumstances. Moving forward we have a few different scenarios that may play out;

• Schools may run qualifying events during PE lessons in order to put in to place measurements to submit times, distances and/or heights for athletics in the case we are able to hold the Archdiocesan Athletics Carnival as per scheduled on the calendar for Term 3 Week 5.
• In the case that this is not possible, previous years’ results may be used for consideration for the Archdiocesan Carnival
• If we are unable to hold the Archdiocesan Carnival these entry times, distances and/or heights will be used for the NSWCPS (MacKillop) Athletics carnival.
• NSWCPS (MacKillop) Athletics still is going ahead and will more than likely be held in Term 4.
• At this stage, the NSWPSSA Athletics carnival is also still going ahead at this stage

In the event that we are able to hold the Archdiocesan Athletics Carnival and CSNSW decide to cancel the NSWCPS (MacKillop) carnival we will still go ahead with the Archdiocesan Carnival as these results may still be used to progress to NSWPSSA should it still be held.

All of the above carnivals will follow the COVID-19 Guidelines from the Government for schools, sporting events and venues at the time of the event. This may result in reduced numbers and/or no spectators or parents being permitted at the event. In the event that there are no parents or spectators to be admitted and your school is unable to provide transportation for the event you may have to either transport your child or organise to carpool and drop them off and collect them at the completion of the event.

We understand that there may be some financial constraints so there is no pressure what-so-ever to compete at the Archdiocesan Carnival – it is up to your discretion and the circumstances that your family may be experiencing.

We apologise that we are unable to give any definite decisions as of yet, the circumstances are ever-changing and we will keep everyone updated as to any situational changes that occur. The safety and well-being of our students, staff and parents is a priority and we intend to keep within the guidelines that have been set by the Government at the time.

For St Mary's...

St Mary’s Staff are working together to plan a possible and maybe modified, Athletics Carnival towards the end of this term. As has been the norm during COVID-19 restrictions, we will need to constantly revise and work with authorities to determine how this will look.

We will endeavour to communicate outcomes as they arise.

As mentioned in Sherree’s letter, various sporting trials/events timetabled for Term Three are still planned for. This includes Cricket and Touch Football. 

Volunteers

Please be advised that until the social distancing regulations are relaxed, unfortunately, our volunteer-run programs will be on hold. This is to support the health of everyone. Thank you for your understanding.

NDIS Links

No Maths Club

Please be advised that Maths Club is on hold until further notice.

Year 4 – Amelia O'Brien and Ava Nicholson

Year 5 - Nate Kemp and George Skelly

Year 6 - William Heffernan and Ellie McCormack

School Spirit Award

Phoebe Selmes for striving for Excellence in all areas

Charlie Cramp for setting an excellent example in Music

George Skelly for setting an excellent example in Music

Bryce Foley for setting an excellent example in Music

With the current Covid-19 guidelines, fundraising is particularly difficult at this time. With all other Term 2 fundraisers cancelled, we would appreciate your support in buying a ticket in the 100 Club, run by Kindergarten.   

Tickets will be available for sale on Qkr.

All students should now be wearing their full winter uniform.

Items can be purchased from the Uniform Shop via Qkr or picking up in person on Tuesday and Thursday's only, 12-1pm

** Please ensure if you have taken uniform to try on, that you either return ASAP or pay for it, otherwise we won't be able to offer this any longer. Thank you **

Latest protocols for NSW Parishes

Parish Office

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to Parish Secretary, Janet Haynes or Pastoral Associate Sr Rosemary via email or call into the Parish Office at the Old Convent Building on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Email: Crookwell@cg.org.au

Website: http://cg.org.au/crookwell/Home.aspx 

Phone: 48321 633 

Address: 55 Wade Street (the Old Convent Building)

Crookwell 200 Years Celebration Calendar

The Crookwell 200 Years celebration calendar is available to purchase at the school office for $10, cash only please.