Procedures, Planning and Organisation

The staff at St Mary's are doing their very best to remain positive and settled during these increasingly concerning times. All staff are wearing a mask when moving around inside the school and we all check-in each day. We are also not sharing food platters and are ensuring we are physically distancing in common spaces. Many of the staff, including myself, are already fully vaccinated and those who are not are mid-way through or have a date set.
Staff are ensuring our students sanitise each time they enter the classroom and are cleaning thoroughly each day. We also strongly encourage any students who display symptoms to get tested and stay home until their symptoms pass.
As of Monday 16 August, we will commence student temperature checks upon arrival to school. From
8.00am-8.40am, all students will be checked entering Morning Club. After 8.40am, we ask all students to enter via the front doors at the Old Hall. Parents of students who register a temperature over 38 degrees, will be contacted to collect their child/ren.
We would like to thank you for your vigilance with remaining socially distanced and offsite when collecting your children and for only entering the school grounds for essential purposes. Also, if your child has_ a birthday and would like to bring something to share, we request that there are individual serves for each child.
Updated health advice for families
The ACT will enter a seven-day lockdown from 5.00pm today, as a result of a COVID-19 case being identified in the community and positive wastewater detection's reported overnight. The lockdown will remain in place until 5.00pm Thursday 19 August 2021.
The ACT is also declaring all of NSW as a COVID-19 affected area. For residents in the surrounding NSW region, in approved postcodes, may enter the ACT for essential work and healthcare reasons only. Upper Lachlan Shire residents will not be able to enter the ACT without an exemption. Policing will be undertaking compliance checks across the ACT and you will be expected to provide proof of residential address and the reason you are moving about the ACT community.
The NSW Premier announced yesterday that, in addition to Greater Sydney, all people in the following local government areas are under a stay-at-home rule.
Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 5 August - 12.01 am 13 August:

• Cessnock
• Dungog
• Lake Macquarie
• Maitland
• Muswellbrook
• Newcastle
• Port Stephens
• Singleton

Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 7 August - 12.01 am 15 August:

• Armidale

Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 9 August - 12.01am 17 August:

• Tamworth 

Stay-at-home rules apply from 6pm 9 August - 12.01 am 17 August:

• Ballina
• Byron
• Lismore
• Richmond Valley

Stay-at-home rules apply from 1 pm 11 August - 12 :01 am 19 August:

• Dubbo

Following updated health advice from the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant about the growing risk to the
community, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas or have been there on or after the time the areas entered stay-at-home rules.
Travelling between Greater Sydney and regional NSW
If you live in regional and rural areas, you must not enter Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas unless you have a reasonable excuse.

Facilitating arrangements for access to, and contact between parents and children or siblings is also a reasonable excuse to enter Greater Sydney under the Public Health Order.
If you enter these areas for any reason, stay at home rules will also apply to you for 14 days after you were last in any of these areas.
This means that you will need to stay at your place of residence for 14 days, even if it is in a regional area unless you have a reasonable excuse. Attending school or early childhood education is a reasonable excuse.
At all times, please continue to: 

• closely monitor for symptoms for COVID-19 and immediately get tested should you have the mildest of symptoms, regardless of where you live or attend school. If you get tested for COVID-19 because you have symptoms or if you have been directed by NSW Health to do so, you must isolate at home until receiving your test result
  • refer to the NSW Government list of case locations and act on the guidance from NSW Health if you have been to any of these venues.

Remote Learning
Currently, I am putting plans in place for a smooth transition into Remote Learning, should this be required. Last week you were sent an email asking you to let us know if you intend for your children to learn at school or at home in the event of a lockdown. Children of essential and emergency workers will be able to be supervised at school, however, they will be participating in the one mode of learning provided by their classroom teacher. A skeleton staff will be available onsite. Your response to the email survey will assist with our planning. Technology and Access to Class Materials
Should we need to move to Remote Learning, your child will be provided with a variety of print and digital resources.
For access to digital resources, class virtual meetings and some daily tasks, MS TEAMS is the mandated platform. Other digital programs that may be used include Google Classroom (4-6) and See-Saw (K-3).
To log into Microsoft Teams use an internet browser or download it as a desktop or mobile app. Go to https://teams.microsoft.com/  and use your child's school email address and password to log in. These will be distributed again soon.
I recommend that you check your access for MS TEAMS soon. Instructions on how to download and log in to this application can be found here:
Printable_Handout_for_Families_Web_Client.pdf, Printable_Handout_for_Families_Chrome_Browser.pdf, Printable_Handout_for_Families_iPad.pdf

The School Explorers

Tomorrow we welcome children to our first (COVID safe) session of the School Explorers. This is open to any school-age children, regardless of their school choice.

The School Explorers allows our 2022 starters to become familiar with our school environment, the spaces and places, whilst offering a taste of 'big school'

Operation Christmas Child

Can you believe that it's that time of the year again when we collected items for the Samaritan’s Purse Project - Operation Christmas Child?

This project partners with local churches in developing nations to reach out to children in need by providing gift-filled shoeboxes.

As a school, we will aim to fill as many boxes as we can. Items can include small toys, hair accessories, a hairbrush, toothbrush, skipping rope, marbles, pencils, notepads, textas, handkerchiefs etc.  

If you would prefer to send in a couple of dollars to go towards the $10 postage per box, rather than send in an item, this would also be appreciated.

Our boxes need to be filled and ready for collection by the end of this term.

The Assumption of Mary (15 August)

This Sunday is the Catholic Church feast of the ASSUMPTION of Mary. (The beautiful images show Mary being assumed body and soul into Heaven where she is welcomed by her Son). This feast day celebrates Mary as the chosen one; chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus the Christ.

The feast of the ASSUMPTION originated in the sixth century. It was titled the Dormition or ‘Falling asleep of Mary’. By the seventh century the feast became known as the Assumption of Mary. Today it is renowned throughout the world and is a public holiday in many countries.

The Scripture reading for this feast is called the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) coming from the term magnification - the action of magnifying something or the process of being magnified. Mary prays…

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name;

Mary accepted God wholeheartedly into her life and is full of praise. Her grateful heart overflows with thanksgiving. God is the great one in her life, working marvels beyond all imagining.

Although Mary is giving thanks for the honour accorded her, this is a self-effacing prayer: it is a hymn of praise for everything the Lord has done for his people as a whole (descendants of Abraham), as well as anyone anywhere who truly loves and reveres [fears] God.

And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Throughout their history, the people of Israel faced terrible enemies. Even at the very coming of Jesus they seemed to be at the mercy of the Romans. So we have the tradition of the Lord stepping in to champion his people; to champion the poor and downtrodden.

Jesus’ preached that the poor, humble and suffering would be exalted and the exalted will be humbled. It may not appear to us to be happening, but we are asked to trust in God that all will be made right. The whole of history – who is victorious, who is downtrodden, who is exalted, is in the Lord’s hands. How lovely it would be to live with faith, hope and love like Mary did.

Mary is a figure of hope for all who journey in faith. Even though she didn’t know where that journey would take her, she trusted that God knew. The feast of her Assumption is a beautiful testimony to - and culmination of - her faithful life journey. It also brings hope that all of humanity may one day share, body and soul, in eternal life in heaven with Mary.

• Boorowa Touch Football

Friday, October 15 

Years 2-6 (Compulsory all students to attend)

St Mary’s Mini Olympics

What a fabulous day both students and staff had last Friday, celebrating the 2021 St Mary’s Mini Olympics.

The program started with the Opening Ceremony, where our ‘Nations’ really embraced the party theme with great enthusiasm. This was followed by the lighting of the Olympic flame by Mr O’Kane.

Our nations then showcased their talents across a range of modified sports; athletics, artistic gymnastics, basketball, soccer, frisbee and shot putt.

A big thank you goes to Mr O’Kane and Year 6 for coordinating the activities, you did an exceptional job!

Stay tuned for our 2021 Paralympics to be held in a few weeks.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

Archdiocese Athletics

The AIS has been tentatively booked for Thursday 14^th October to host the CG Primary Athletics. Whilst there is no guarantee that it will be able to go ahead at this stage we still need to have this in place and still organise it as if it will be able to go ahead.

Those who have already registered will receive an email with further details. Please make sure you go online and register asap if you have not done so.

Currently the MacKillop Athletics (Primary) is on the Term 4 Calendar for the 29^th of October. There are thoughts that this may be run as a trial where the students are nominated and must meet qualifying times/distances/heights as the Wollongong, Parramatta and Sydney dioceses will not have a chance to run any carnivals prior to this as well. This will also give us room to move the Canberra Goulburn carnival later in Term 4 if this happens as well.

If all else fails and we are unable to hold anything we will use the entries to run a ‘Virtual Carnival’ and ribbons and age champion rewards will be sent out to schools. The students will also receive a certificate of their selection in the Canberra Goulburn Merit Team that qualified to compete at the NSWCCC or MacKillop Athletics. 

We have received information about a study involving an app developed to assist children with speech sound difficulties in rural Australia. 

Spy Bananas is a fun interactive game that has been developed by speech pathology researchers from Charles Sturt University to assist children in rural Australia who have difficulties with their speech sounds and are aged between four and a half and twelve years of age.

To participate in this study, you will require your child to use the app on a tablet for four weeks and to complete a questionnaire and interview to give feedback. Please see the information about how to register on the flyer below. 

Speech Sound Difficulties Study

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to Goulburn Parish Secretary, Sharon Cashman, via email or call into the Parish Office at the Old Convent Building on Thursdays only.

Email: Crookwell@cg.org.au

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

Phone: 48321 633 

Address: 55 Wade Street (the Old Convent Building)

St Mary's Staff Stepping Up To Breast Cancer

This August, the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is challenging all Australians to come together to Step Up to Breast Cancer.

Some of the St Mary's staff have stepped up to the challenge to complete 10,000 steps every day throughout the month and raise money for vital breast cancer research.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. This year 20,825 Australians will be diagnosed. That is why we have stepped up to the challenge to help fund the future of research and change these stats.

Please donate to our page and you’ll be helping the National Breast Cancer Foundation take one step closer to reaching their goal of Zero Deaths From Breast Cancer by 2030. 

https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/stmarysprimaryschoolcrookwell

Thank you!

Go 4 Fun