Term 4 Week 2 2025
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Community Engagement
Last Saturday evening, our students represented St Mary’s beautifully at the Pioneer’s Night at the Batlow RSL Club. We are extremely proud of the way they performed and read on the night — their confidence and respect were clearly on display. A heartfelt thank you to the families who ensured their children could attend; your support makes a real difference and helps strengthen our connection with the wider community.
Teaching position for 2026
We’re excited to announce the appointment of Georgina Whyte to our teaching team for 2026. Georgina will be joining us on a part-time basis, and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming her to St Mary’s. More information about staffing and roles for 2026 will be shared towards the end of the term.
Uniform
A reminder that students should now be wearing their Summer Uniform. Please ensure hats are brought to school each day, as the weather continues to warm up. Thank you for helping students stay prepared and sun safe.
Book Fair and Open Classrooms – Week 3
In conjunction with our Book Fair in Week 3, St Mary’s will be holding an Open Classroom session on Tuesday, 28th October (morning or afternoon). Families are warmly invited to visit and let students share some of the wonderful learning they have been doing this term. It’s a great opportunity for students to showcase their work while families are already visiting the school to browse and purchase books.
This is also a great opportunity to acknowledge Mrs Murray, for her dedication to ensuring students have access to great stories and quality literature, and for all the work she does in creating a welcoming and engaging library space. We are so grateful for the way she supports and inspires our students as readers.
We look forward to welcoming our families next week!
Ryan
FROM THE REC
We have had a busy start to term and week 3 will involve lots of activity. Our Year 6 students have begun their orientation into High School and had their first day at McAuley yesterday.
Next week, our Book Fair will commence and our Learning Journey open classrooms will be on Tuesday. On Friday 31st of October (Week 3) students are invited to wear their favourite socks, sports socks or crazy socks as part of Socktober! Socktober for Catholic Mission Month helping to raise funds and awareness to support children from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds in many countries around the world. Students are asked to bring a gold coin donation for this day.
On the 6th November our K-2 students will lead our school Mass and all families are warmly invited to attend.
In year 3/4 Religion we have been learning about the history of our Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese. While looking at this history we had the opportunity to learn about St Christopher's Cathedral in Canberra. This Cathedral is named after St Christropher who is well known as the patron saint of travellers, mariners, surfers and drivers. The legend of St Christopher is that he would carry travelers across a dangerous body of water and deliver them safely to the other side. This has meant that St Christopher medals worn by travellers have become very popular and many people carry or even wear St Christopher medals when they are embarking on journeys. If you would like to learn more about St Christopher I have attached a link below for your information.
https://youtube.com/shorts/x4Q9OUJKN90?si=fRl_UN_C8acFsoeh
I would like to share one of the many prayers of St Christopher with you this week.
“Protection” Prayer
Dear Saint Christopher, protect me today
in all my travels along the road’s way.
Give your warning sign if danger is near
so that I may stop while the path is clear.
Be at my window and direct me through
when the vision blurs from out of the blue.
Carry me safely to my destined place,
like you carried Christ in your close embrace.
Amen.
Jeanette Dumbrell
Religious Education Coordinator
CHILD SAFE ADVOCATE
Social Media Age Restrictions
The Australian Government is taking action to protect our children from harmful exposure to social media by implementing an age restriction ban that will be enforced from the 10th December this year.
This is vital in protecting our children from potential exposure to inappropriate online content, and bullying.
The changes aim to protect under-16s from pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features in the platforms that:
- - encourage them to spend too much time on screens – for example, by prompting them with “streaks” or streams of notifications and alerts, and - - - pressuring them to view disappearing content
- - increase the likelihood of exposure to negative, upsetting or manipulative content served up in their feeds by algorithms.
These features have been linked to harms to health and wellbeing – including increased stress levels, and reduced sleep and concentration.
The delay provides under-16s with the time to:
- - learn about social media’s benefits and risks
- - build digital, social and emotional skills
- - understand the importance of reaching out for help if things go wrong.
While the responsibility rests with the platforms themselves to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from having accounts, we can all play a part.
The link below to the e safety commissioner will provide you with information about how to discuss this with your child as well as vital information regarding the overuse of social media and its impact on young people. Please do not hesitate to contact me at school if you have any questions.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub
Jeanette Dumbrell
Child Safe Advocate
SCHOOL FEES
Term 4 school fees were emailed out to families. Please continue regular payments or pay in full by 7 November.
SECONDS SCHOOL UNIFORM
We are getting low on some of our seconds school uniform. If you have some uniforms at home you are no longer needing please send in to school to help us stock up our seconds.
YEAR 6 IN THE SPOTLIGHT
JESS
What's your favourite memory from your time at St Mary's? When we went to Ballarat on an excursion and I got to go Gold panning.
What are you most proud of achieving this year? Getting through to go to Gundagai to participate in public speaking. I spoke about "What mistakes teach us".
What was your go-to lunch box snack this year? Smiths salt and vinegar chips.
What High School are you going to? McAuley
What's one word to describe your 5/6 class? Chaotic!
What are you most looking forward to about high school? More choices of subjects such as Art and Woodwork.
What are you going to miss about St Mary's? All the friends I have made.
What do you want to do when you're grown up? Be a teacher.
RADIO NEWS
Next Tuesday SCARLETT & NAARAH will be our radio announcers.
Please tune in each week from 12.40pm to hear what is happening.
OPEN CLASSROOMS
Families and carers are invited to join us for our Open Classrooms Day next Tuesday the 28th of October. This is a wonderful opportunity to witness the fabulous learning students have been doing this year. Classrooms will be open in the morning from 8.30am-8.55am and in the afternoon from 3.10pm-3.30pm. We look forward to seeing you then.
CAKE RAFFLE
This week the RODMAN family will be baking.
Next week the SALMON family will be baking.
HOME COOKING
This week the GARNER family will be cooking.
Next week the DODDS family will be cooking.
BOOK FAIR
Purchases can be paid by cash or card or online. If ordering online you will need to bring in your receipt.
PIE DRIVE
Don't forget if you are ordering pies that orders and money are due in next week.
THOUGHT FOR THIS WEEK
BATLOW COMMUNITY INVITE
