End of Term

This is our last newsletter for the term. Congratulations to all of our dedicated and hardworking students who have put in another huge effort this term to develop their skills across many Key Learning Areas. Thank you to our wonderfully supportive parent body and to the teachers for your hard work and dedication.

Next term we welcome Mrs Sue Branson back from Long Service Leave. I would like to thank Mrs Linda Walsh for teaching Year Two in Mrs Branson's absence. Mrs Walsh has worked very hard to ensure that Year Two were well looked after and continuing positively along their learning journey.   

Next term we farewell Mrs Jenny McCarthy on Long Service Leave. We hope that Mrs McCarthy enjoys her well-deserved break.

I hope you have a happy and safe holiday break and I look forward to seeing the students back on Tuesday 23 July.

Term 3 Key Dates

Staffing for 2020 will be allocated earlier this year than in previous years, so we encourage families to commence the enrolment process as soon as possible. 

Enrolments can now be placed online. Go to https://enrolments.stmarysc.nsw.edu.au/enrol/ or collect an enrolment form from Belinda in the Office.

For those without a direct deposit in place, please ensure that your school fee account is up to date. If you require another copy of your term 2 statement, please contact Belinda. Those with outstanding amounts will be sent reminder letters before the end of term.

Term 3 fees will be invoiced early August.

Is your current direct deposit enough to cover the minimum amount required? Perhaps it is time to revisit to guarantee your fees are paid correctly. Belinda is able to assist you with any fee-related queries, so please do not hesitate to contact her.

TERM 2 VALUE – Striving for Excellence

Winter is certainly here! It’s part of the cycle of life. The dying of the old in preparation for the new (in Spring). A time for rest and renewal. A time of contemplation.

During the winter school break, take time to reflect on how you are striving to live an excellent life for God.

Scriptures tell us that every Christian should strive for excellence in all that he/she does.  

 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That you may approve things that are excellent;” Philippians 1:9-11

For many today, living the Christian life is summed up in the words: “God is still working on me.” This is true. But God wants us to keep striving for excellence in our everyday living and conduct so we might reflect His own goodness in our daily living 

Excellent living is the kind of living that seeks to represent God’s character of holiness, love, mercy, forgiveness and righteousness in daily lives.

We need to continually strive to live the excellent lifestyle that is pleasing to God, and the only way we can do this is to practice a love, which comes from God and is therefore rooted in truth. If we are going to love people with an overflowing agape love (“your love may abound”), then we need to first open our hearts to Jesus’ love for us.

"I love Thee, I love Thee

And that Thou doest know;

But how much I love Thee,

My actions will show."

Lord,

From the rising of the winter sun to its setting, on these short winter days…

Make me short on mindless activity, long on reflecting on your love for me.

Make me short on being driven, long on paying attention.

Make me short on rushing and tiring, long on walking and wondering.

Make me short on focusing only on myself, long on looking beyond.

Make me short on mean thoughts, long on offers of words of comfort.

Make me short of obsessive lists, long on spontaneous acts of kindness,

Make me short on tradition as a habit, long on rediscovery and re-owning.

Make me short on false jollity, long on stilling and rooted joy.

Make me short on guilt, long on being merciful to myself.

Make me short on being overwhelmed, long on peacefulness

AMEN

Yoga and Mindfulness

We all know the benefits of moving for our mental and physical well-being. There are many wonderful websites and resources for teaching your child yoga as a calming routine. Yoga can help your child grow in confidence, as they master new poses and create a flow between the body and mind. Regular yoga poses help build, stretch and strengthen coordination, flexibility and balance. Concentration, attention, focus and the behaviour of students improves with the implementation of yoga techniques. Controlled breathing can assist with moments of anxiety and stress. Yoga does not focus on an ability level but allows you to be the best you can be. Kids yoga can include songs, story-telling and word play.

There are many sites available to visit if you want to try yoga at home with your children.

https://youtu.be/jSZvMHlw9vs?list=PL8snGkhBF7ngqv160qM0Uf9IDaBkGzpo5

Allow your child opportunities to experience calming activities: yoga, listening to music, playing an instrument, colouring-in, meditating and building with lego. Just like adults, children need time out from over-stimulation and constant activity.

www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au

MacKillop Girls Hockey

MACKILLOP HOCKEY REFLECTIONS

Regan- “ My experience was fantastic. Everyone showed really great sportsmanship. My coach was very fair and her name was Lisa Young. We stayed at my Aunty Lyn’s with Mum, Sam, Bec, Naomi and myself. We played eight games of Hockey. It took four hours to get to Newcastle. We stopped at McDonalds on the way. On the way up there I went with Ellie, Bec, Billie and Megan. I hope to get into the Mackillop Team again next year as I really liked the way we played and the different people I met. It is my favourite thing to do”

Bella – “My Mackillop experience was amazing. I enjoyed making new friends, being on the hockey field and having ice cream with my team. My whole experience started off a little bit edgy. My family car broke down on the highway!! It took us about an hour to get back on the road again! Our first day went really well. We won two of our games and lost one. The second day we won all three games. To celebrate we went to the beach and got some ice cream. Our last day we played our semi final and won that 2-0. We were off to the Grand Final against North Coast. After a busy few days we were a little flat and tired for the GF but we kept on chasing and chasing until we couldn’t move. We ended it in a 1 all draw which meant we were joint champions! We were all very excited. It came to presentation time. NSW said a few words and then they called up the Captains of Mackillop which were Georgia and I. We called our team up one by one and they received their medals. Then it was the announcement for the State Team. I was a bit nervous because I really wanted to get in. After three people were announced Issy was announced. I was so happy for her. Then after her I was ANNOUNCED. I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy. At least the car trip was successful after all!

Billie- " Mackillop was once in a lifetime experience. I made so many new friends and learnt so much in just four days. I loved it"

Ellie-  "My experience at Mackillop in Newcastle was outstanding! We played three games the first day and won two, lost one. The second day we played three again and won all of them. On the final day we were in the semi final which was a very tough game but we won and made it to the grand final! It was also very hard. We got a goal first and then North Coast got one too. We didn't get another goal but they didn't either. It was one all at the end so was a joint win. They did presentations and PSSA selection. Two from our school made it- Bella and Issy and then we were off home!"

Bree- "My experience was terrific! Everyone was a good sport, my coach was very fair and patient. The referees were fair and polite. I thought everyone had a good four days of hockey, apart from the injuries. It surprised me that we would be live on our semi finals and finals. We had ice cream and went to the beach with our team and our coach to get to know each other. I hope that the four people that made it away to NSW will have fun and keep on playing hockey from out of our team. My experience was amazing and I will continue playing hockey and having fun."

Issy G- "Mackillop was a great experience for me. I was so excited when we won the whole thing. The presentation took a while but it was worth it. When we got our medals someone in our team asked if we could keep them! My favourite part was when they called my name out for the state team. I felt like I had butterflies all through my body. It was an amazing experience!"

Social Function

Our Term 3 Social Function, coordinated by our Year 3 families, will be held at the Crookwell RSL Club on Saturday 24 August, with the theme of "Gatsby Night".

Tickets will be sent home with each family as well as being available at the School Office and some local shops.

It's set to be a great night so be sure to put it on your calendar!

Tuckshop

The Term 3 roster is below. Please take the time to check your dates and if you are unable to do your allocated day, organise a swap. 

Our updated Term 3 Parent Calendar can now be downloaded here, or print copies may be requested from the Office. 

The poll about the Eftpos terminal at school to pay for school-based items such as uniform, fees and excursions, shuts tomorrow.

If you missed it and would like to vote, please click on the link below.

Beanies

A big thank you to Jodie Garnham for organising hand-knitted wool beanies, pony tail beanies and headbands, which were beautifully created by Margie Seaman.

These are available in limited stock at the uniform shop, as well as being on Qkr.

Beanies- $10

Headbands- $5

Reminder

A kind reminder to please check that the uniform your child/ren are bringing home belongs to you as we have a number of items which are missing and unfortunately, not yet returned to their rightful owner.

Parish Office

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to Parish Secretary, Janet Haynes or Pastoral Associate Sr Rosemary via email or call into the Parish Office at the Old Convent Building on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Email: Crookwell@cg.org.au

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

Phone: 48321 633 

Address: 55 Wade Street (the Old Convent Building)

Altar Roster

7 July- Ashleigh Bachta & Olivia Anderson

14 July-  Nathaniel Waters & Oliver Gray

21 July- Bella Croker

28 July- Eliza & Chloe Kemp

Please arrive 15 minutes before Mass to help Father prepare.

It is important that you contact another server to arrange a swap if you are unable to make it on your rostered day.

We would love it if some more children could join our Altar Serving team. Please contact the Parish Office if your child is interested. Training is provided and new children are rostered on with experienced servers.

Hockey

Currently, William Heffernan is in Grafton competing in the 2019 Hockey NSW U13 Boys Field State Championships where he is playing for Orange in  Division 2 as goalkeeper and also for ACT in Division 4 in the up field. From there he will go to Tamworth during the holidays to play in the U11 carnival. Good luck William!

During the holidays Issy Galland, Bella Croker, Ellie McCormack and Billie Skelly will travel to Parkes to compete in the U13 Girls Field State Championships. Issy and Bella are in the Divison 1 and Billie and Ellie are in the Divison 2. Best of luck girls!

CADS

Hopefully you were able to catch one of the performances put on the by the CADS actors as it was a great display! Well done, especially to our staff members and parents- Mrs Lowe, Mrs O'Brien, Mrs Simmons and Mrs Bensley.

Raffle tickets for sale

Issy G and Bella have raffle tickets for sale to help offset their costs to represent in their hockey team later in the year. Tickets are $5 each and can be bought via the school front office. 

The prizes are:

1st: Apple iPad WiFi (32gb)

2nd: NutriBullet RX 1700W 10 piece set

3rd: Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Watch

4th: Fitbit Alta Activity Tracker

5th: Sony Bluetooth Speaker

League Stars School Holiday Clinic- Crookwell

Accidental Counsellor Workshop- Crookwell

We all have a role to play in preventing suicide. Help us, by becoming a #LifelineQPRgatekeeper. Did you know that in Australia we lose 8 people to suicide every day? And 6 of them are men.

We all need to do our part in helping to prevent suicide. Gatekeepers are individuals who are likely to come into contact with people at risk of suicide.

Gatekeeper training aims to equip those individuals with the skills to recognise and respond appropriately to people at risk of suicide and assist them to seek appropriate help.

QPR strands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognise the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer (QPR) someone to help. 

The QPR training course will provide you with:

• Knowledge and skills to identify warning signs that someone may be suicidal
• Confidence to talk to them about suicidal thoughts
• Connect them with professional care

Lifeline South Coast will be delivering this QPR suicide awareness session face-to-face in Crookwell on Tuesday 9 July.

This is a FREE session for participants, but places are very limited.

Tuesday 9 July, 9.30am-12.30pm at the Rural Fire Service training room, 40 McIntosh Lane, Crookwell

If you are available to come along to this session, please rsvp to training@llsc.org.au ASAP. We will confirm your position via email.

 If you, or someone you know needs support, please call Lifeline NOW on 13 11 14. 

Scarecrow Challenge!

Crookwell Vacation Care