Newsletter - T2 W6 - 06/06/2025
From the Principal
As we enter the second half of the term, it is pleasing to witness the strong school spirit that exists amongst our students. This was evident last week during Beef Week, where there was strong representation in the annual Beef Cup competition against Casino High. Student attendance and participation on Beef Day last Friday was excellent. This makes St Mary’s a fantastic community to be a part of. At the core of this school spirit and our identity as a Catholic school are the Gospel values.
In the business of our lives, it can be easy to view these values as something reserved for Religious Education classes, Masses or specific religious occasions. I regularly speak to students about the power of Gospel values and how they are relevant to all of us in our daily lives, and how they should guide our interactions with one another, irrespective of our religious affiliation.
Gospel values are the attitudes, virtues, and principles demonstrated by Jesus that guide us in living a life of purpose and satisfaction.
The following examples are values that can guide us all.
- Love: Looking for the good in people, seeing the face of Christ in individuals we deal with daily. Showing kindness, helping others, reaching out, being present, treating people with dignity and compassion so people feel cared for, valued and respected.
- Compassion: Being attentive to others. I encourage students to notice if someone is sitting alone at lunch and offer them company by engaging them with their friendship group. Compassion calls us to respond with empathy and support.
- Justice: Seeking fairness so every individual has dignity, especially the marginalised and vulnerable. In a school context, this can look like standing up against bullying, advocating for what is right, or ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed.
- Service: Helping others through service to the community, seeking to look at what you can do for others rather than what others can do for you.
- Forgiveness: Forgiveness is crucial to building and maintaining relationships. Everyone makes mistakes, it is important to let go of resentment, apologise when necessary in order to keep relationships healthy. Choosing reconciliation rather than harbouring grudges allows us to live harmoniously in a community.
- Peace: Promoting understanding and pursuing common ground to solve problems without conflict.
- Truth: Acting with honesty and integrity in all our words and actions.
At St Mary’s, we are not just teaching these values in our Religious Education classes, we aim to embed them into the culture of the College.
Beef Week
Congratulations to all students who participated in the annual Beef Week Led Steer competition and thank you to all our staff who worked tirelessly in the lead up to the competition. We were very successful on the day, well done to Ruby Seed and Stella Dean for winning their age groups. There is a more comprehensive report in Mr Aaron Kennedy’s section of this newsletter.
Have a great weekend
Michael Campbell
Principal
Upcoming Dates
Week 7
Monday 09/06/25 - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 10/06/25 - Beginning of Semester 2 - SMCC
Week 8
Monday 16/06/25 - White Card Training
Parish Mass Times
Weekend Mass
Saturday 5.00pm
Sunday 8.00am
Weekdays
Monday 9.00am
Tuesday 8. 00am
Wednesday 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, 22 June
Tabulam, 10:30am
Please note that this weekend, Pentecost, June 7-8 there will be no Saturday Vigil 5.00pm Mass and on Sunday there will instead be a Celebration Mass at 9.00am, followed by Morning Tea in the Parish Hall.
Mission Team
As we celebrate Pentecost this weekend, we remember the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, transforming a room filled with fear into a mission field of courage and purpose.
For us at St Mary’s, Pentecost is a powerful reminder that the same Spirit who emboldened the first disciples is still moving in our hearts today. Whether it's standing up for what’s right, reaching out in kindness, or deepening our prayer life, the Holy Spirit invites us to be witnesses of Christ’s love in our school, our homes, and the world.
Let us pray this Pentecost to be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and awe of the Lord—so that we may be the light of Christ in all we do.
Beef Week
A massive thank you to everyone in our community who made Beef Week a raging success! We love seeing our young people engage in learning environments outside of the classroom. This Beef Week saw learning in Agriculture, Art, Community Service, and Sport.
Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission
Evangelisation
Family Mass
The Term 2 combined Family Mass with St. Mary's Primary School will be on Saturday, June 21. Mass starts at 5.00 pm and all students and their families are invited to attend.
SHINE
SHINE unites Youth Ministry (CSYMA) students in Catholic secondary schools of the Diocese of Lismore and will take place on August 21-22 (Term 3, Week 5.) The Youth Ministry program is offered to Years 9 and 10 students, allowing those with a willingness to nurture their faith an opportunity for Christian fellowship and spiritual formation. A number of senior students are invited to attend and acte as asmall group leaders across the event.
With a continued focus on peer-to-peer ministry, the two-day event combines elements of praise and worship, inspiring keynote speakers, student testimonies, interactive workshops, prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and Mass.
Students in the Year 9 & 10 Ministry classes can access the event via Compass for more details.
Kate Rowlands
Leader of School Evangelisation
Learning & Teaching Team
Corrective Reading Parent Morning
Parents of students in Year 7 and 8 who have been involved in the Corrective Reading program this year have been invited to a parent open morning and morning tea next Friday, June 13.
An invitation was sent by Mrs Alicia Nowlan to all parents involved in this initiative.
We are very excited to meet with you and have you see the work your child is doing and the progress they have made.
Monday Morning PLTs
In 2025, the College has made a change to the way we start the week. Every week from 8:30am, our teachers of students in Year 7-10 meet to go over student work samples and to talk about writing progress.
Over the coming weeks, I will be breaking down our process, our procedure and the results we are seeing in our student work.
Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
Beef Week
On Wednesday, May 28 some students from the College participated in the annual Beef Week Led Steer competition.
Several of our students had a very early start to wash and/ or clip our steers and they all did a fantastic job. Thank you to Claudia Whitney, Kate Disson and Nash Taylor for preparing our steers and helping our junior students learn how to wash and clip steers correctly.
The College won many ribbons and placings on the day and was very successful in the Junior Judging with Ruby Seed (Year 7) and Stella Dean (Year 10) winning their age groups, respectively. Most Notably, the College came second in the Lightweight led steer class and second in the Hereford Speciality class. We also proved very successful on the hook for the Carcass competition, taking home the following results:
- 1st and 2nd Junior Lightweight Carcass
- Champion Hereford Carcass
- 1st and 2nd Lightweight (under 350kg)
- 2nd in Lightweight (351 to 400kg)
- Lightweight Reserve Champion
Aaron Kennedy
Agriculture Teacher
Beef Day Music Concert
On Beef Day, the Music students organised and performed a mini concert in the small COLA area, featuring a range of solo and ensemble pieces, including Year 12 HSC works.
The performances showcased students’ talents across multiple year groups. Staff and students enjoyed the performances, which added a lively and engaging atmosphere to the event.
Justin Hayward
Leader of Creative Arts
Sports News
Our latest bout of poor weather late last week and over the weekend has led to further event postponements. See below for the latest updates:
- Open Boys ‘Phil Tobin shield’ Rugby League, now Wednesday 11/6 @ Woodlawn
- North Diocesan Yr 7-9 Girls Soccer @ Lennox Head, now Wednesday 18/6
- ‘Len Diett’ U14, 16 & Open Boys Rugby Union @ Casuarina, now Wednesday 18/6
- U14 ‘Cochrane Cup’ Boys Rugby League, now Thursday 19/6 @ Banora Point
- U13, 15 & Open Boys ‘Country Cup’ Rugby League, now Thursday 03/07
- U14 NRCC Girls Soccer, now Tuesday 29/7 @ Byron Bay
- U14 Rugby Union 10’s, now Thursday 28/8 @ Wollongbar
Open Boys Hockey
On Thursday May 22, 13 students travelled to Goonellabah to participate in the NRCC Open Hockey competition.
The first game was against Mount St. Patrick’s College, Murwillumbah. It took a little while to get into the game, but we made a good contest going down 4-0.
The next game was against St Joseph's College, Banora Point, it was a much closer match. Jack Cooper was able to score a goal which resulted in us coming away with a 1 all draw.
St John’s, Woodlawn was our third opponent, we had a fantastic game in both attack and defence. Goalkeeper Hayden Aleckson made a number of great saves, while in attack, Gus Summers came close to scoring the winning goal in the final minutes. This resulted in an exciting, hard fought, nil all draw.
Our final game for the day was against Trinity Catholic College, Lismore, who came out firing, chasing a chance to win the whole day. We gave it our all, but Trinity won both the game and the day overall.
Even though the other sides had many experienced hockey players, we gave it our best and enjoyed the day. We are looking forward to next year!
Kate Rowlands
Coach
Beef Cup Vs Casino High School - Thursday, May 29.
Congratulations to Casino High School who has retained the annual Beef Cup trophy, beating the College by a margin of 6½ to 2½ points.
Meanwhile, St Mary's found success in Rugby League at Queen Elizabeth Park. Their Open Boys team secured a comfortable 46-22 win, and the Year 7-9 Girls also dominated with a 40-20 victory. The U13 Boys showed incredible resilience, coming back from a 0-22 deficit to snatch a 26-26 draw.
Unfortunately, it wasn't St Mary's day over at Colley Park. Despite close scores and excellent standards of fairness and sportsmanship, their Volleyball, Netball, and Soccer teams weren't able to secure a win.
See below for a brief overview of all of our Matches from the day.
Open Boys Rugby League
The Open Boys Rugby League team played their first match together against Casino High School. The first half was very close, with the College leading at halftime by a score of 18-12. In the second half we pulled ahead further, showcasing some impressive football skills and securing a final victory of 46-22.
Notable performances came from our halves, Rory McInnes and Finbar Stanfield, who not only scored tries but also orchestrated some excellent backline plays. To the delight of the crowd and a first ever for Finbar, he scored a try without a jersey. Max Hale made impressive runs up the middle, consistently driving the team forward, and a highlight of the day was Max’s chip kick in the final minute of the game. Other standout players included Noah Batchelor, Colby Leeson, Tom Ainsworth, and Riley Grant, with both Tom and Riley scoring a brace of tries each. For their first outing, all the boys played well and should be proud of their efforts.
Dean Coggan
Coach
Under 15 Boys Rugby League
The U15 boys had a strong start against Casino High, holding their own for the first 15 minutes. However, a lack of field position and Casino's relentless attacks into their 20-meter zone made it increasingly difficult for the College to advance. Casino High managed to breach the College's defense just before halftime, taking a 16-6 lead.
Despite a determined start to the second half, the College was severely hampered by injuries, leaving them with only 12 players. This numerical disadvantage ultimately led to a 10-36 loss. Despite the defeat, the boys showed remarkable bravery and sportsmanship throughout the game. Campbell Stuart and Nashua Thomas were standout players, while Jackson Gay and Riley Formaggin scored the College's tries, and Nash Thomas kicked one conversion.
Craig Beare
Coach
Under 13 Boys' Rugby League
The U13s Rugby League boys achieved a remarkable 26-26 draw in an exciting match against Casino High School. Despite being down 22-0 at halftime, the team rallied after inspirational words from Captain Isaac McInnes, transforming into an effective unit. For their first game together, their impressive performance, particularly the incredible comeback, was something to be proud of. Tries were scored by Gus Morgan, Tallon Brown, and Toby Makejev, who contributed a hat trick.
Dean Coggan
Coach
Year 10-12 Girls Rugby League
The Year 10-12 Girls' game, played as 'league tag,' saw Casino High School dominate throughout. Despite the strong opposition, our girls gave it their all and performed admirably, showing excellent effort and enthusiasm against a larger, faster, and more skilled opponent.
Jacob Ludwig
Coach
Years 7-9 Girls Rugby League
The Year 7-9 girls competed against Casino High School for the Beef Week Cup at Queen Elizabeth Park. In a forty-minute game, St Mary's sportsmanship and teamwork shone through, ultimately leading to their impressive 40-20 victory over Casino High. Their tactical skills, game knowledge, and stamina were clearly evident. Congratulations to our St Mary's girls on this fantastic result!
Georgia Callaghan
Coach
Years 9-10 Netball
The game began evenly, but an early ankle injury just three minutes in quickly stopped play. We fought hard, even taking a two-goal lead at times, but Casino High managed to equalize by full-time. Ten minutes of overtime followed, resulting in a narrow 31-32 loss. Despite the frustrating score, the team played exceptionally well together and should be very proud of their efforts.
Ellen Hall & Kylie Parker
Coaches
7-8 Netball
Since Casino High could only field one Netball team and we had so many keen young players, we decided to host an internal Beef Week Netball match among our enthusiastic Year 7 and 8 students. The girls were evenly divided into two teams, Blue and White, and played a great game against each other. The Blue team ultimately won. Well done to Maddison Clark, Charli Scherf, and Miley Falls, who all played exceptionally well.
Karan Bengston
Coach
Under 16's mixed Soccer
The Under 16's soccer team started strong, pressuring Casino High. However, Casino scored two early goals, including one from an unmarked player, plus an unfortunate own goal, leaving the team three goals down at halftime. In the second half, the team showed renewed determination, but Casino High, particularly one dominant midfielder, eventually wore them down, leading to four more goals for Casino. Despite the 7-0 scoreline, the team played with heart and effort throughout the game.
Brett Anderson & Keely Maguire
Coaches
Open Girls Volleyball
In a thrilling Beef Cup volleyball match against Casino High on Thursday, our girls' team delivered an electrifying performance, despite ultimately losing 2-1.
We started strong, winning the first set 21-16 with powerful plays from Angel Codrington, Olivia Wilson, and Violet. However, Casino High fought back in the second set, adjusting their strategy and winning 23-21, even with Belle Wall's heroic efforts.
The decisive third set was a nail-biter, with both teams trading points. We, fueled by Lascelle Hayward's clutch serving, impressively recovered from a five-point deficit to tie at 12-12. Despite our tenacious fight, Casino High clinched the set 21-15, securing the match.
Darren Harper
Coach
Open Boys Volleyball
The Open Boys Volleyball team tried their hardest, but Casino High won both games, 21-14 and 21-6, in the best-of-three series. The first game was an evenly matched affair, with Casino High taking the lead late and holding onto it for a win. The second game saw Casino High go out to an early lead and never relinquish it, winning comfortably to wrap up the match 2-0.
Daniel Sekulic
Coach
Sports Calendars for 2025
Information about all upcoming sports in the College, Diocese and Catholic Schools NSW sport calendar. Please note some of these dates may change from time to time. Click on each one for the link.
St Mary’s Catholic College
Dio Sports Calendar
Catholic Schools NSW Sports Calendar
To check upcoming CCC events and registrations - Link to Catholic Sport NSW
Sport Search (½ way down page) → Step 1 (click on CCC) → Step 2 (select sport). Registration & Calendar is also there. CCC is a pathway and option for students to make a direct application to trial for a particular sport. The standard is usually high, depending on the Sport, therefore representative level is usually but not always the minimum requirement.
Below are some Sports (check website for all) and the date of the event. Check the website for when dates when applications close.
- CCC Basketball Opens Championship - Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th June
- CCC 16 & Opens Basketball Trials - Thursday 19th June
Craig Beare
Sports Coordinator
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.
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.