Newsletter - T1 W6 - 14/03/25

From the Principal

One of the Catholic Social Teachings that we teach students about is the Dignity of the Human Person. As students navigate their way through the challenges of teenage years, it's crucial to remember that our strength lies in our diversity. Each student, with their unique talents, perspectives, and experiences, contributes to the rich culture of our community. We remind students of the importance of accepting each other's differences.

Central to Catholic belief is that every person is created in God's image and likeness. This means that each of us is a unique and precious creation, deserving of dignity and respect. 

While we celebrate our differences, we must also remember our shared humanity. As a Catholic community we are united in our faith and called to love one another as Christ loves us.  Our differences should not be seen as obstacles for they allow us to learn from one another, broaden our perspectives, and build a more inclusive, compassionate community.

Catholic Social Teaching emphasises the dignity of the human person and the importance of building a just and equitable society. It is up to all members of our community to continue working to ensure St Mary's remains a school where people feel welcome, valued, and respected. Let us embrace our differences, celebrate our shared humanity, and live out the Gospel message of love and inclusion.

Open Evening
A reminder to families that the St Mary’s Open Evening is on Monday, 31 March 2025 starting at 4.30pm.

Have a great weekend

Michael Campbell
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 7
Monday 17/03/25 - NAPLAN Begins for Years 7 & 9 - SMCC
Monday 17/03/25 - White Card Training - SMCC
Thursday - Friday 20-21/03/25 - LEAD Conference - McAuley College, Grafton

Week 8
Monday 24/03/25 - White Card Training - SMCC
Tuesday - Wednesday 25-26/03/25 - Transitus Retreat - Tyalgum Ridge Retreat
Thursday 27/03/25 - College Cross Country - Queen Elizabeth Park

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
Saturday 6.00pm
Sunday 8.00am

Weekdays
Monday 9.00am
Tuesday 8.00am
Thursday 9.00am
Friday 9.00am
Saturday 9.00am

Adoration
Wednesday 5.00pm
Following 9.00am Mass Saturday

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am
Anointing of the sick
First Saturday of each month

Country Mass
Sunday, 23 March
Bonalbo 10:30am

Mission Team

We have certainly experienced our share of natural disasters on the Northern Rivers. However, as always it truly shows us the extent of our connection to our community. The gentleness and compassion shown to our neighbours last week is a true reflection of our values and standards in our community. 

Lent
We are moving through our Lenten Journey and this week can be a time to reflect on our own lives and see where we need to grow. It’s not just about giving up things like chocolate or social media, but about getting closer to God, improving ourselves, and helping others. Maybe this fortnight we can think about how we can make a small change that helps us grow spiritually.

The second week of Lent reminds us that the journey isn’t always easy, but if we stay focused on God’s love, we can be transformed and become better versions of ourselves, just like how Jesus showed his glory to the disciples on the mountain.

College Photos
Today we had the pleasure of seeing our students gather for their formal College photos for the year. Our students were excited and, as always, wore their uniforms with pride. This year we made the decision to take our group photos in homerooms. This builds on the community aspect of the College, and puts us in line with the other Catholic schools in our region. At SMCC, we actively build a sense of community through our vertical house structure. Our staff who hold the position of Leader of Student Wellbeing are commonly known as ‘Head of House’. These Houses are our base point for both our students and their families. Our students see these peers every day and the homerooms stay the same for the rest of their time at the College. It is a true family connection that is formed in these groups.

Building a Culture of Respect and Safety
At the heart of our Catholic faith is the call to love one another as Christ loves us. This extends to how we treat others in friendships, relationships, and online interactions. Creating a culture of respect and safety within our school community is a shared responsibility for both online and face-to-face behaviour. 

Practical Steps for Parents:

1. Open Conversations: Foster trust by talking openly and age-appropriately about online risks and the value of respect in relationships.
2. Model Respect: Demonstrate respectful communication and boundaries in your own relationships online and offline.
3. Teach Respect: Emphasise the importance of respecting themselves and others, both online and offline.
4. Encourage Critical Thinking: Help your young person question the messages they encounter in media and online spaces, including the risks of engaging with or sharing AI-generated images.
5. Engage in Faith: Discuss how Catholic teachings guide our understanding of love, respect, and human dignity.

Conversation Starters for Parents:
‘What does respect look like in our relationships with friends and family?’
‘How can we be kind and supportive to others, especially online?’
‘What would you do if someone treated you disrespectfully online or in person?’
‘How can we work together to make our community a safe and respectful place for everyone?’
‘What would you do if you saw a peer being bullied online?’

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

Evangelisation

LEAD
On Thursday and Friday, 20-21 March, thirty Stage 6 students will be heading to the LEAD Conference at McAuley Catholic College, Grafton. LEAD is about gathering with other young people from across the diocese for a common experience—encountering Jesus Christ and the Church, experiencing dynamic faith, being equipped for ministry and living the Christian life, and being empowered to impact the Church and the world.

When they return, we will be excited to hear about LEAD 2025.

Transitus
Eight Year 7 students will travel to Tyalgum on Tuesday and Wednesday 25-26 March to participate in Transitus. Two Year 10 students will also attend to assist in the running of the program. The retreat is an overnight experience that will allow students to build relationships with other students from throughout the Diocese as well as a chance for students to talk and share about their faith journey. 

We look forward to hearing about their experience once they return.

Kate Rowlands
Leader of School Evangelisation

Years 7 & 10 Vaccinations
The following vaccines are offered free of charge to Year 7 and 10 students at school:

Year 7 - Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (1 dose)- administered on site on the Tuesday, 1 April 2025.

Year 10 -  Meningococcal ACWY vaccine (1 dose). Administered on site on the Monday, 25 August 2025.

Please ensure consent is provided. To complete online consent parents/carers are required to visit the School Vaccination Program online consent portal. Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. All relevant information has been sent to parents/carers via Compass.

Thank you for your assistance and support in ensuring the success of this important public health program.

Aaron Kennedy
Leader of Pastoral Care

Learning & Teaching Team

For my newsletter piece this week, I’d like to give an explanation of the non academic award - the Integrity award, that we give out 5 times a year.

All schools are legally bound to provide parents with a non academic report of their child’s schooling experience.

The College has created our Integrity awards to fulfill this and to give parents frequent feedback on how their child is going to uphold the values of the College.

What does the Integrity award report on?
The Integrity Award reports on 3 core values of the College (we call them the 3 R’s): Respect, Responsibility and Readiness.

The report you get breaks these words down to explain what we look for when writing these reports.
Respect - how a student shows respect to themselves, their environment, their peers and the staff.
Responsibility - how a student takes responsibility for their actions and their learning
Readiness - how ready is a student when they are at school or at a class.

How often does the College report on these values?
The Integrity Award reports are sent out 5 times a year; twice in Term 1 and 3 and once each in Term 2 and 4.

How are these values reported on?
Each aspect of the report is based on a mark out of 4. 
4 - consistently
3 - mostly
2 - sometimes
1 - rarely

The aim for each student is to maintain an average higher than 3.2/4 across the whole year.

Are there rewards for these reports?
For students who achieve above a 3.2/4 average across a semester, an Integrity award certificate is given at a school assembly.

If a student maintains a 3.2/4 or above average for the year, they receive an Integrity Award certificate at the end of year Celebration Evening and they are invited to attend the celebration day at the end of the year.

Students who obtain an average in the top 2% of the College cohort receive the Integrity Badge at the end of year celebration night.

Why do we have this award?
The College maintains this award because it wants to showcase the success of our students in a wide range of activities.

We want to honour the students who are kind to people, are coming to school ready to learn and who look after the environment and the people in it.

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

NAPLAN Parent and Carer Information
Due to the recent weather events the dates for NAPLAN have changed and will now take place on the the following dates for Years 7 and 9:

Monday, 17 March - Writing Test
Tuesday, 18 March - Reading Test
Wednesday, 19 March - Conventions of Language
Friday, 21 March - Numeracy 

In preparation for NAPLAN, students will undertake activities this week to help them become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. 

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, Please contact the College.

Ashleigh Bailey
Literacy Coach

Canteen

Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the Canteen. Please contact the Canteen via the College office if you are available at any time to help.

Flexischools
Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to easily place all your canteen orders online at any time.

Download the Flexischools app from the App store or Google Play. Click here for details on how to set up your account. 

Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately.

There is a charge of $0.29 per order for using this service.

If you have any questions, please contact the Flexischools Customer Service Team via their website contact page.

The normal process of ordering from the canteen (cash, eftpos, morning lunch orders) is still available.

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Tuesdays         3.15pm to 4.15pm
Thursdays        3.15pm to 4.15pm

The Uniform Shop service is a cashless service. Methods of payment are by EFTPOS or online ordering via Flexischools. No fees are charged to families for using the Flexischools service.

Please note the following information for orders made via this service:

Tuesday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon on Monday
- Pick up available from the College office on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30pm - 4.00pm

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon on Wednesday 
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 4.00pm.

Orders not collected will be given to the student to take home.

Whilst all care will be taken to ensure that stock availability is correct at the time of ordering, there may be some items that are not in stock at the time of packing the online orders. In this case, you will be contacted to advise of an estimated time of arrival for new stock of that item or given the option of a refund processed through Flexischools.

All uniform shop order enquiries can be emailed to: cash-uniform@lism.catholic.edu.au

Second Hand Uniforms

Sustainable School Shop is an online shop dedicated to buying and selling of second hand uniforms. For more information ring 1300683337 or visit www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au.

 Please note that this facility is available for use with the new College uniforms only.