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Celebrating our Classroom Support Assistants During Teacher Aide Appreciation Week

As we celebrate Teacher Aide Appreciation Week, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated and invaluable Classroom Support Assistants. These individuals work tirelessly behind the scenes, providing essential support that enriches our learning environment and enhances the educational experience for students and teachers alike.

At St Mary's, we are incredibly fortunate to have a team of outstanding Classroom Support Assistants who go above and beyond in their commitment to the growth and success of our students. This week, we shine a spotlight on the incredible contributions of Mrs. Romer, Mrs. Hewitt, Mrs. O'Brien, Miss Skelly, Mrs Knight, Mr. Hayes and Mrs. McIntosh, and we extend our deepest gratitude for their dedication, passion, and unwavering support.

Thank you for being the guiding lights that illuminate our educational journey.

STEM Workshops -Solar Buddy and Anti-Bullying Program

On Wednesday, 6 September, our students have been invited to participate in an initiative to assist a child suffering from energy poverty. The students will work together to build a solar light to be gifted to an underprivileged child who does not have access to reliable powered light. Students will also participate in Anti-bullying conversations to build a stronger community within our schools.

Hosted by Crookwell High School in their school hall, the students will work collaboratively in a one-hour session to build their lights and write a letter to the child who will be receiving the light. Our children will receive letters in return from the recipient. 

The organisers will provide a shuttle bus. 

The sessions will include:

1. Discussion on bullying and who you could talk to. Building relationships with each other. 
2. Brief video and discussion on solar poverty and solar buddies.
3. Team building of solar buddies and writing letters to students receiving the lights.
4. Questions that the students can discuss together as a group.
5. Summary of what they have done throughout the session.

Outline

9.05-10.05 - Year 7 and Year 6 students from Crookwell Public School and St Mary’s 

11.45 – 12.45 - Year 9 and K-2 St Mary’s 

12.50 – 1.50  - Year 10 Yrs 3-5 St Mary’s 

Please note our local area consent form covers this excursion.

For more information on solar poverty, please visit www.solarbuddy.org

Threatened Species Day 

http://www.k2wglideways.org.au/

It’s Cats Play - teaching resources - Glideways

Happy Father's Day!

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. It is a day to give thanks for the gift of fathers everywhere and the gift they bring to family.

God our Father, we give thanks and praise for fathers, young and old.
We pray for young fathers who are newly embracing their role.
May they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for fathers around the world whose children are lost and suffering.
May they know God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers but who still mentor and guide us with fatherly advice.
We remember fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers who are no longer with us, but who continue to live in our memory, having nourished us with their love.
AMEN

Our Mother Mary’s Birthday - Friday 8 September

AND

ST MARY’S SCHOOL FEAST DAY

Next Friday we celebrate the Church feast of the birthday of the mother of God, Mary. Mary was the very first saint – the first follower of Jesus - from the moment she said “YES” to God’s request to become his mother on earth. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he made it clear that Mary is also our mother. The Bible records his last words to Mary: “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”  John 19:26–27. Jesus established that Mary is the heavenly mother of all of humanity to whom we can turn for help. How blessed our school is to be named St Mary’s.

On this special feast day, we give thanks for Mary (the patroness of our school and Parish).

We are all called to become saints, and so we ask Mary to pray for us that we may follow her example in better devoting our lives to God.

From MARY we learn to be…

HUMBLE – to listen to God and to surrender to God’s will and say “Yes”.

COURAGEOUS – when faced with tough times and decisions

TRUSTING - when all hope seems gone that God is with us and loves us

COMPASSIONATE - to go out of ourselves and reach out to others just as she did with Elizabeth

FAITHFUL - to love Jesus her Son and have faith that we are unconditionally loved and cherished

Our special Feast Day will begin with Mass at 9:30am. All are welcome to attend. Following Mass, the children will join together in stage groups to participate in a number of special activities to celebrate and honour Mary.

The children are asked to wear BLUE clothing to school next Friday.

Year 4 Excursion @ Australian Agricultural Centre 

On the 30th of August, my class went to the Australian Agriculture Centre for Sheep Week. It is an 8-minute drive from Crookwell and is near the wind farm. There were other schools there, including Crookwell Public School, Laggan Public School and Breadalbane Public School. 

Firstly, we went to a shearing demonstration. We saw them shear the sheep, and you could see how the shearers cut the sheep sometimes. Ouch. Then they took the wool and put it into bags and the worsted wool into a machine. I’ll talk about woollen and worsted wool later.

Next, we moved to keyring making. We were creating a wool keyring with Jo Marshall. We tied cotton around the wool strands. We bent the now tied cotton around the middle wool strands and went around the two lengths of wool strands. We went through the hole we created by tying it up five times

After that, we went to the ACI’s area and listened to Krisi Frost. She taught us about wool innovation and we watched a few videos about wool. We learnt about the process of wool. The wool goes off the sheep during shearing, and then you scour the wool. The sorting is when you separate the wool. The shorter parts are classed as woollen and the longer parts are classified as worsted. Afterwards, you send the wool through a machine to straighten it. Then you roll it. You can dye the wool at any stage.

After that, we went and got our lunch boxes. We ate our lunch with Year 3 and then played a couple of games, including Memory Tag and other versions of the game. Mrs. Skelly then got us to sing “Happy Birthday” for Mrs. Croker.

Then we went to learn about the properties of wool. We had to do a worksheet where we had to put down whether or not wool, wood, metal, and a few other things were soft, stretchy, fire-resistant, and waterproof, and then we had to say something that was made of that material. We did that in pairs. Then we went and looked at 3 microscopes that had wool underneath them. I could see the fibres. Then the teacher put a microscope on her phone and took pictures of things, including Quade’s scab. It looked weird.

The sheepdog trials were next; however, we didn’t get to see that because we weren’t let into the paddock to watch the sheepdogs. We went back to the bus to wait for Year 3, and on the way back the Year 3 people up the back sang “The Wheels On The Bus.”

Owen Moorby

Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival 

Friday 20 October (Week 2, Term 4). Compulsory for Year 2-6 students.

Please fill in the Compass permission note and transport details for your child as soon as possible. A bus has been booked, and names are now being added.

There is a choice for netball or touch football.

Emoji Quiz

Well done to the Culley, Moloney, Hayes, Hannan, Walsh, Galland, Reid, Strode, Plumb, Camilleri, Doran and Allport Families for completing the Emoji Quizz

Also to Bridie McCormack, Anna and Noah O’Brien, Lucas Charnock, Elkie, Flynn and Lyla Storrier and their families, and a mystery family!

Book Club

Issue 6 of Book Club was distributed last week.

Please order online through LOOP by TODAY 31st August.

Children who received a Voucher for Book Week bring to me by this date also.

Thank you

Containers after the cake stall

We have a small number of containers left over after the cake stall, without names. If you are missing one, please see Belinda.

Term 3 Tuckshop Roster

If you can help and haven't provided your name yet, please click the following link to complete the form. Tuckshop Helpers

More hands mean less work! Tuckshop is a great way to meet other parents.

Sticky Beak Bag Use

Please remind your child to put their sticky beak lunch bags into the baskets on tuckshop days. The ladies in the tuckshops are finding a big increase in having to use paper bags, which results in extra rubbish on the playground. 

The cool Kids Anxiety Program will begin Wednesday, week 1 of term 4. Expressions of interest for term 4  are now being accepted for children in years 3 - 6. 

The program will be run on-line over 10 consecutive weeks on Wednesday afternoons from 4pm. One parent is required to attend with their child at each session, two are welcome.

Would my child benefit from Cool Kids?

The Cool Kids program is being offered to children whose main struggle is with anxiety. Cool Kids covers a broad range of fears and worries including:

Social fears, Specific fears, Generalised anxiety, Separation fears. 

Cool Kids is not suitable for children whose main problem is low mood, aggression, hyperactivity, oppositional behavior or if they are autistic.

How to nominate your child

If after reading this information you would like your child to be considered for the program, please complete and return the attached Cool Kids Expression of Interest. Contact Belinda in the school office for the form

What Should I do if I Have Questions?

If you would like to discuss Cool Kids and whether your child would benefit from the program please email Cool Kids facilitator, Donna Spillman at donna.spillman@mccg.org.au or text/call 0498 460 086

Congratulations!

Top Point Scorer

Heading to Vancouver

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Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Mass

Parish Office