Newsletter Term 1 2025 20th February 2025

SRC representatives

Congratulations to our Term 1 SRC who will be working with Mrs Brown, Mrs Haydon and Mrs Curran. Our representatives meet fortnightly on Tuesdays, their role is to promote a positive school environment and to exercise student voice in the decisions made at our school. These students assist with significant student led initiatives as well as any daily responsibilities associated with their role.

Year 2 -  Laura Davis, Eli Nobes and Remy Magee

Year 3- Fraser Vogler and Lillian Venner

Year 4 - Evie Benson and Georgie Pearson and Edwin Bonney

Year 5 - Rhys Thomas and Sophie Chalker

Year 6 - Charlotte Foster, Rowan Mason Kerr and Hailey Muchena

Shannon House Captains - Eloise Flitcroft and Will Benton

Student Wellbeing

VIBE survey - how are you feeling?

VIBE stands for: Valuable Insights, Beliefs and Experiences (VIBE)

Students in Year 5 & 6 complete the VIBE survey weekly. Through this check in online, students have the opportunity to share how they are feeling and ask for help if they need it. Students are asked 5 questions, encouraging them to reflect on their emotions and  different aspects of their lives. This opens up avenues for our staff to step in and provide timely support to our students.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students - PLP Meetings 

Parents are invited to work together with their child to create their goals for the year. These PLPs (Personalised Learning Plans) are planned in collaboration with the child, the child's classroom teacher and Mr Benton, the AEO (Aboriginal Education Officer). We welcome family members to join us in early March for these meetings and support their child to reach these goals. Parents will be emailed an invitation in the following week.

NAPLAN

Dear Parents and Carers,

At the Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst, we are committed to fostering the academic, spiritual, and personal growth of every student. I write to you about the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and its importance for your child and our school community.

Why NAPLAN Matters
NAPLAN reflects key areas of literacy and numeracy, foundational to lifelong learning. Conducted annually for Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, it assesses skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and numeracy. While not the sole measure of ability, it offers a snapshot of progress and helps students build resilience under test conditions.

The Value of NAPLAN Data
For parents, NAPLAN data highlights your child’s strengths and areas for growth. For teachers, it informs targeted strategies to meet individual and class needs. On a broader scale, NAPLAN helps our schools:

• Identify trends and evaluate teaching methods.
• Allocate resources effectively.
• Enhance educational outcomes collaboratively.

Working Together for Your Child

NAPLAN is just one tool among many. Our schools approach it with a supportive mindset, encouraging students to do their best while emphasising their broader talents. Open conversations with your child about NAPLAN’s purpose can foster confidence, and regular communication with teachers ensures we are collectively supporting their learning.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN or how to support your child, please contact their teacher or the school leadership team.

Thank you for your trust and collaboration. Together, we are laying the foundations for a bright future guided by faith, learning, and service.

Yours sincerely,
Rachel Cranney
Assistant Principal (St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Orange)
Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst

NAPLAN will begin for Year 3 and Year 5 students on Wednesday 12th -Friday 21st March. Please ensure your child arrives at school with their Chromebook fully charged and working head phones which plug in to their Chromebook NOT Wireless headphones.

Bus Safety Week 17-23rd February

Bus Safety Week, from Monday 17 – Sunday 23 February, raises awareness among all road users on how to stay safe on and around buses, helping to reduce injuries and fatalities.

Bus Safety Week promotes safety for pedestrians, who should:

• plan ahead and don't rush for the bus
• obey traffic signals and cross with care
• avoid being distracted by mobile devices
• stand back from the kerb when waiting for a bus
• wait until the bus has gone then use a safe place to cross the road.

School-aged children might seem independent, but they still need a hand.

Remember:

• Always meet your child at school or the bus stop. Never wait on the opposite side of the road and call them across.
• Always supervise your child and hold their hand when walking to and from the bus stop/interchange and when crossing the road until they're at least 10 years old.
• Wait until the bus has gone, then use a safe place to cross the road.
• Encourage your child to take a seat quickly when they get on the bus and to buckle up if the bus has seatbelts.

Parents and carers

Talk to your children about using  Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time they cross the road.

• Stop one step back from the kerb.
• Look continuously both ways.
• Listen for the sounds of approaching traffic.
• Think whether it's safe to cross and keep checking until you're safely across.

Bus Safety

Did you know if a bus has seatbelts, it is the law you must wear one? Seatbelts save lives.

In a crash, a seatbelt:

• allows you to slow down at the same rate as the vehicle
• spreads the force of the impact over the stronger parts of your body (pelvis and chest area)
• prevents you from colliding with the interior parts of the vehicle
• reduces your risk of being thrown out of the vehicle.

I extend my gratitude to those of you who joined us at our Opening Mass and the badging ceremony for our school leaders last week.

Ash Wednesday 

Wednesday 5th March  is Ash Wednesday and we embark on our Lenten journey, a period of 40 days that holds great significance in the Christian faith. This is a time for prayer, fasting, and acts of charity—a collective effort to strengthen our relationship with God and one another. For Catholics, Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting and abstaining from meat.

Our primary students (years 3-6) will combine with Catherine McAuley students Wednesday 5th March to celebrate the Ash Wednesday Mass at St Mary’s Church. The Mass commences at 12pm and families are most welcome to attend this event. K-2 students will have their own school-based liturgy. 

Project Compassion

Ash Wednesday also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Project Compassion 2025 reminds us that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come.

With your support, Caritas Australia has been able to assist communities around the world through income generation, water and sanitation, food security, education and disaster risk reduction programs.

Please give generously to Caritas Australia this Lenten season and help vulnerable people around the world, now and for all future generations. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow.

Project Compassion boxes will be sent home for each family. 

Adapted Jubilee Prayer

God our Father,

Thank you for your endless grace,

And for Jesus, who shows us your embrace.

Guide us to be faithful and wise,

Spreading your love beneath the skies.

As we journey on with hope in our hearts,

May we share the Holy Spirit, your light in every part.

For your glory and praise, now and forever,

Amen.  

ENGLISH - Reading

As part of our commitment to ongoing professional learning, the teaching staff of St Mary's will be attending a professional development day on Wednesday, 26th March. This will be a Pupil-Free Day.  It will be facilitated by Louise Dempsey, a New Zealand educator, experienced teacher and consultant. Please add this date to your calendar!

ENGLISH - Year 2

Next week in English, Year Two students will be studying the picture book Sophie Scott Goes South about a young girl who visits Antarctica with her Dad on an expedition. In preparation for this, we invited Tom (Mrs Curran's nephew) in to the classroom to share his experience of working in Antarctica on Casey Station. He showed the children some amazing photos and taught them some interesting facts about Antarctica. They loved the pictures of the Wedder Seals, King Penguins, Aurora Australis and were fascinated with the huge machines used to move the snow.

Here are some facts the Year 2 students discovered...DID YOU KNOW?

• There are no polar bears in Antarctica! (Luke)

• The snow storms can be so strong they need to hold a guide rope to walk in the snow between buildings. (Cecilia)

• They have to travel with a buddy so they don't get lost in the snow or the fog. (Levi)

• It's a really cold place. (Alexis)

• It is so cold in Antarctica that Tom's beard froze! (Jack)

LIBRARY CLASS DAYS 

Library Day for each grade is as follows:

TUESDAY: Year Four, Year One

WEDNESDAY:  Kindergarten, Year THREE, TWO BLUE

THURSDAY:   Year SIX, Year FIVE, TWO GOLD and ORANGE

Please remember to bring your library bag so you can safely carry your borrowed books home. Let’s take care of our books and enjoy our reading adventures!  

Thank you 
Anne Fredericksen

Teacher/Librarian

Bathurst Diocesan Community Sport

Dear Parents,

Keep up to date with sporting events and achievements across the Bathurst Diocese. Search CEBD community sport or use the following link. 

https://sites.google.com/bth.catholic.edu.au/cedbsportcommunity/

SEVERE REACTIONS TO ‘NUTS’ & ‘EGGS’
As some of our students have a ‘nut’ and/or ‘egg’ allergy, we ask that nuts, nut
products and eggs NOT be packed as part of school snacks and lunches.
Sometimes even contact with nuts or eggs can trigger the severe reaction. This
severe allergy is called ANAPHYLAXIS and can be life-threatening.
Please, NO eggs, peanut butter, Nutella, nut products, etc.

(Check those labels to see that products do not contain nuts.)

SPB4L 

SCHOOL DISMISSAL

It is important to us that our students remain safe while they are leaving the classroom at the end of each and every school day, until they are collected by a parent or carer, or board the bus. There is a  teacher on duty in the undercroft for the students waiting to catch buses. While there are teachers on duty at the two pick-up points, we still require cooperation from parents to assist us in making the process as safe and streamlined as possible. 

The students are lead by the teacher to the 'waiting area' where they are asked to be seated. At PCYC exit, the waiting area is on the seats near the bus bay fence. At Church exit, the waiting area for students is on the long seats under the trees.  Parents and carers are kindly asked to wait near the exit gates. You can then collect your child/ren from the waiting area or students can walk to the person collecting them when they see them. Please remind your child/ren that they are not permitted to play on the equipment, or in the cubby or sandpit after school, even if they are there with a parent. Your cooperation to assist us in ensuring all students get home safely is appreciated. 

All students form K-6 have been reviewing these expectations this week at school. 

I will: 

• walk with my teacher to my exit area 

• wait for the teacher on duty before walking to church exit or PCYC exit, along the path

• sit to wait and I will not play or run around

• stay inside the gate and only leave with the person arranged to collect me

• wait for my parent/carer and only exit the gate with them

• stay away from the play equipment, sand pit and cubby

• keep my device or phone in my bag

• take all my belongings with me

• only go to my designated pick up exit.

Medication at School-  Parental  Advice

If your child requires medication that needs to be administered during school hours, please bring the medication to the school office, where it is stored safely. This includes asthma inhalers.

Medication must be authorised by a Medical practitioner with a letter 

Students can come to the office at an arranged time to have the medication administered by trained First Aid Officers.

The office does not have Panadol, unless parents supply and complete a form for their child only.

Thank you 

Children with communication devices such as iPhones and Smart Watches must be handed to the school office in the morning before class and collected at the end of the day. This includes any device capable of taking photos.

Please support your child to meet this school requirement.

If you need to contact your child during school hours please call the school office.

ATTENTION: Public Speaking 2025 Dates 

The dates for the CWA Public Speaking 2025 are as follows:
Monday 26th May 2025             Morning session             Year 3                                                
Tuesday 27th May 2025            Morning Session             Year 4                                                   
Wednesday 28th May 2025       Morning Session            Year 5                                                  
Thursday 29th May 2025           Morning Session            Year 6                                   

Each student at St Mary's will present their speech to their class and one student from each grade from 3-6 will be selected to attend the regional finals in May. The Public Speaking Competition will be held in the CWA Rooms Byng Street Orange for our school finalists. 

St Mary's Uniform Shop

is run by  Parent Volunteers and is open from 8:45 am for an hour on  Friday Mornings. 

If you have put your order through Flexi schools it will be packed the following Friday and sent home with your child.

Dear Parents & Carers

Please label students' clothing , so we can return them from lost property with ease.

Clothes that don't have names will be returned to the clothing pool, if not collected by the end of term.

Thank you 

NO Parking in the Ten Pin Bowling car park

The bowling alley car park is for their patrons only. Please park elsewhere when dropping or picking up your children.

The PCYC has many parking spaces which can be used for dropping off and picking up.

Thank you for your cooperation.