Upcoming Events

Three-Way Conversations and Interim Reports

You are invited to attend a ten-minute three-way (parent/student/teacher) conversation on Monday 8 or Tuesday 9 March. This conversation will provide you with an opportunity to discuss how your child has settled into the new school year, their social development and engagement with learning.

At this meeting, the teacher will also provide you with your child's Interim Report, and Personal Plan, for children accessing additional support programs. The Interim Report gives you an indication of your child's enjoyment and interest in learning new things, ability to ask and answer questions, perseverance with tasks, work habits, ability to avoid distractions, follow school rules and collaborate with others. 

If you have any concerns before these Three-Way Conversations please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. 

To book a time slot please use the link below or respond to the link in the email you will receive today. If you have trouble booking through the digital Session Keeper please contact Belinda. Likewise, if none of the appointment times suit, please contact Belinda to arrange a more suitable time. 

https://smpscrookwell.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/13

At the end of Term Two, you will receive your child's Academic Report.

Northern Region Swimming

Congratulations to the St Mary's team of swimmers who competed at Queanbeyan last week. Thank you to Sally Croker for her team coordination and to our parent helpers who jumped in as the St Mary's timekeepers on the day.

I would like to congratulate the following six swimmers who are now heading to Narooma for the Archdiocesan Swimming Championships on 1 March;

Sethan Grove, Bridie Croker, Andrew Lawson,  George Skelly, Elkie Storrier and Charlotte Bensley.

P&F Meeting & AGM

Thank you to all the parents who came along to the P & F AGM and General Meeting on Tuesday night. Once again a strong P & F Executive team has been formed. 

Congratulations to Daniel Walsh who has been re-elected to the position of President. We also welcome back Allison Hewitt, who has taken on the position of Treasurer, and Mellissa Haynes, who has again accepted the role of Secretary. We also welcome Craig Croker, Rechell Naughton Catherine Culley,  Reane Strode and Jo Grove to the Executive Committee. Our sub-committee coordinators are James McCormack- Cattle Committee and Daria Lawson- Tuckshop. 

At this meeting, classes were allocated a fundraising event for the year. (See 'From the P&F President' in this newsletter.)  You will receive information about your class event, from the coordinator, as the year progresses.

Thank you to all our parents for your consistent support of St Mary’s P & F events.

Local Excursion Consent

This afternoon you will receive a Local Excursion Consent Form. This general consent form allows your child/children to take part in local excursions. Examples of a 'Local Excursion' could include going to the showground for our Cross Country Carnival or Todkill park for our Athletics Carnival, a visit to the Senior Citizens centre, planting with Landcare at Kiamma Creek, and the like.

Please complete and return the form to school as soon as you are able. 

Medical Action Plans

If your child has an Anaphylaxis or Asthma Action Plan, please ensure Belinda has the most up to date copy.

A "Consent to Dispense Medicine" form must also be completed for students who require regular medicine. If you haven't completed one of these, please see Belinda or go to the Parent Page of our website to find the form.

All medicine must be kept at the office, not in student's bags please.

Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the Church Season of LENT

Yesterday our school and Parish community gathered for Ash Wednesday Mass in the Church and received a sprinkle of ashes on our heads. Ash Wednesday begins the Church season of Lent when for 40 days, we are called to take stock of our lives and our relationship with God. The ashes on our heads is a sign to remind us that we are God’s children called to follow Jesus and live his way of love, peace, justice, compassion and mercy. The ashes remind us that we need to ask God’s forgiveness for the times we don’t act as Jesus calls us to; and we need to have a change of heart so that we can live in right relationship with God and each other.

We are now in The Church Season of LENT

During LENT we are called to take a good hard look at ourselves… How are we living our lives? Are we really trying to be like Jesus? Do we practise… compassion, mercy, justice, humility, forgiveness, prayerfulness?

Catholics are asked to practise three things during Lent to get them back on track

1. PRAYING – Catholics believe in the need to be spiritually fed/nourished with prayer, God’s Word (in Scripture) and the Sacraments. Praying is spending quality time with God. Pray the ‘Our Father’ or ‘Hail Mary’ really thinking about the words in the prayer; have a conversation with God; reflect on the Scriptures, or simply sit in a quiet place and BE with God. Take time to just BE in God’s presence, experience His love and receive His blessing by attending Mass. There are many websites dedicated to daily prayer and meditation. Sign up for free and receive daily emails. A couple of great ones are:

• 3-minute retreat; and Lenten Moments of Mercy loyolapress.com
• Daily prayers and Scripture; pray.com.au

2. FASTING – fast from those things that keep us from being close to God and from being the best person we can be (favourite treats, TV, computer, overindulgence, gossiping, selfishness).

For Catholics, fasting is a reminder that food and material things alone cannot make us happy. Fasting from things we enjoy can build will-power for the times in our lives when we need it most.

3. ALMSGIVING – Reach out to help the poor - support Project Compassion; look for works of love and mercy you can do every day; go out of your comfort zone, go over and beyond to spread Jesus’ message of hope, love and joy.

Focussing on our school value RESPECT during LENT

During LENT St Mary’s School Community will focus of the value of RESPECT.

Every person is made in the image of God.

Every person is the clearest reflection of God among us. 

Every life is created by – and belongs to – God, and so…

Every life is holy and sacred.

As a Christian community, we are called by Christ to value and respect ourselves and each other.

Jesus Himself said: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me!”  We should not treat everyone with respect as if they were like Jesus. We should treat everyone with respect because they are Jesus.

PROJECT COMPASSION … Showing RESPECT through Almsgiving

Lent 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, hunger, oppression and injustice. As a school community, during the six weeks of Lent, we will be learning about the needs of these communities and giving to this appeal.

You can learn more about Project Compassion here - www.lent.caritas.org.au

During Lent our Mini Vinnies team will be working to answer Jesus’ call to give alms (almsgiving). Let us all help them supporting PROJECT COMPASSION through raising money for ‘the least of our brothers and sisters’.

Please support PROJECT COMPASSION by sending along ANY change you can spare for the Project Compassion box.

Catholic Education History

This year marks the bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia. 

The first Catholic school in Australia was founded in October 1820 by Irish Catholic priest John Therry. The school, which Catholic historians believe was in Hunter Street, Parramatta, taught 31 students – seven of whom were Protestants. An Irish Catholic convict, sent to the colony being convicted of embezzlement, named George Marley opened the school for Fr Therry and ran it for three years. This school was transferred to the site of the present Parramatta Marist School junior in 1837. Parramatta Marist High School, now located in Westmead NSW traces its origins back to this first school. It seems at least two other Catholic schools were established in New South Wales before the school opened by George Marley. One school is thought to have opened between 1803 and 1806, the second early in 1817. However, both schools were closed by 1818. 

Next week, on Wednesday 24 February Mrs Lowe will travel to Canberra with our School Captains, Seth and Bridie, to take part in the Archdiocesan 200 Years of Catholic Education Mass in St Christophers Cathedral. 

Canberra Goulburn Swim Team

Congratulations to our six swimmers who have successfully become members of the Northern Region Swim team. We took a team of twenty-three to Queanbeyan last Friday and are very pleased to have such a large contingent as members of the NR Team. They will compete on Monday 1^st March in Narooma.

BRIDIE CROKER – Senior Girls Breaststroke and Butterfly

SETH GROVE – Senior Boys Freestyle

GEORGE SKELLY - Senior Boys Backstroke

ANDREW LAWSON – Junior Boys Freestyle

ELKIE STORRIER – Junior Girls Freestyle

CHARLIE BENSLEY – Junior Girls Freestyle

We wish them all the best of luck as they represent our Northern Region.

Registration is through the following link.

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/swimming

Registrations for the following NSW Primary Sports Canberra Goulburn Trials are now OPEN;

Football (Soccer) - Close 5th March

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/football

Hockey - Close 15th March

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/hockey

Cricket - Close 15th March

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/cricket

Rugby League - Close 23rd March

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/rugby-league

Touch Football - Close 27th April

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/touch

RUGBY PRIMARY GIRL'S 7's

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/rugby-union

GOLF - PRIMARY

https://csnsw.sport/sports/mackillop/golf

Please head to the Canberra Goulburn Sport Webpage for information regarding the trials and the link for registration.

https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/nominations

The full 2021 NSW Primary and Secondary Sports Calendar is now available. It includes dates and information or links to further information for Canberra Goulburn, MacKillop, CCC, NSW All Schools, NSWPSSA and School Sport Australia trials and Championships.

Available at: https://sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/calendar

Bus Safety Week

Bus Safety Week is coming up from Monday 22 – Sunday 28 February 2021.

As part of the Be Bus Aware campaign, Bus Safety Week raises awareness about how all road users can stay safe on and around buses.

YOU MUST SLOW DOWN TO 40KM/H WHEN BUS LIGHTS FLASH

Drivers must take extra care when driving past bus stops or along bus routes in rural and regional areas. Be aware of children crossing the road and slow down to 40km/h when bus lights flash. A stationary bus can impede your view of children near the bus.

https://youtu.be/_uctAAf9nYs

Bus safety in NSW – Drivers slow down near informal bus stops

Drivers must take extra care when driving past bus stops or along bus routes in rural and regional areas. Be aware of children crossing the road and slow down.

Volunteers Needed for our Intervention Programs

If you would like to assist with any of our intervention programs at school, please complete the form below or contact Belinda at the office. Grandparents and other community members are very welcome to help. We would like to offer intervention programs in Spelling, Reading and Numeracy. Volunteers will need a Working with Children Check.

Please click here: Intervention Program Volunteer Form

Sue Larkey Workshops

Sue Larkey conducting a LIVE FULL DAY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP.

Workshop Details
Friday 12th March 21 - 9 am to 3pm - NSW Local Time - AEDT (** 4 weeks away **)

These workshops are ideal for teachers, teachers assistants, early childhood educators, parents or carers.

This course is accredited and can be used towards NESA Accredited hours.

They will be another action pack workshop with lots of learning, interaction, sharing and practical strategies.

Workshop Content - Teaching Strategies for School & Home

• What is Autism Spectrum Disorder • Autism learning style
• Key teaching strategies from preschool to secondary
• Classroom strategies
• Promoting understanding in peers
• How to motivate and use special interests
• Visual strategies • Social skills
• Teaching play
• Strategies for playgrounds

Behaviour Support for School & Home

• What are ASD behaviours?
• Preparing child and staff
• Common playground issues
• Meltdowns
• Anxiety
• Transition strategies for school (preschool, primary and secondary) and home
• Repetitive and obsessive behaviours
• Sensory issues

On behalf of the P&F Committee, welcome to 2021. For those who don’t know me, my son Patrick is in Year 6, Thomas is in Year 3 and my daughter Lizzie is in Kindergarten. 

2020 Report

2020 saw an unusual year for the St Mary’s P&F association. Once again, we were fortunate to have such a dedicated team on the executive. I would like to thank the Secretary, Mellissa Haynes, Treasurer, Allison Hewitt, and the Vice-Presidents, Catherine Culley, Rechell Naughton and Craig Croker. I would like to thank Daria Lawson for her efforts in managing the tuckshop, and her team of volunteers for sacrificing their time to provide this service to the students. Once again, the tuckshop has been a great success and quite profitable in a year when fundraising was difficult.

I would like to thank James McCormack and his team of farmers for managing the cattle herd. Completely unaffected by Covid and with a great season, the cattle sales have provided a great source of income for the P&F. Cattle have been run and sold by McCormack, Culley, Hewitt, Croker, Millett and Walsh families.

Due to Covid, many of our fundraising plans were cancelled. However, the wood raffle, cookbook and 100 club were all successful and a special thank you to those who got behind these Covid safe initiatives.

With so many events cancelled, it was outside the box thinking, that had Catherine Culley push for a sheep muster. This proved to be a huge success, with many families donating sheep on the day to be sold at SELX. Thanks to Catherine Culley and Daniel Tarlinton who arranged the sale of the sheep and most importantly, the families who donated the sheep.

It is the generosity of the St Mary’s community that provides many funds that allow us to contribute financially to the many upgrades that we see around the school.

Notably, in 2020, the P&F contributed,

• $12,500 for resources in Key Learning Areas
• $14,000 towards 5 Clever Touch Panels for classrooms

All of this would not have been possible without the support and leadership of our school principal Mrs Sarah Lowe. It is Sarah’s dedication, and the work ethic of all staff, that has seen the schools’ substantial growth and continued success over the last few years.

It is with this in mind, I feel that the school, along with the P&F are in a steadfast position to capitalise on future growth and achievement. With continued support from parents and friends, I am sure 2021 will be another successful year, providing much-needed funds for improvements to the school that all students will benefit from.

I am pleased that we have been able to achieve so much in what was a difficult year and I am proud to have been a part of the P&F team.

2021

Our P&F Meetings will be held on Tuesday in Week 4 of each term in the staffroom at 7pm. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend these meetings.

I would like to thank the people who attended the P&F AGM and General Meeting on Tuesday night. It was a productive and positive meeting.

This year I have accepted the nomination for the role of President.

I would like to introduce and congratulate the 2021 P&F Executive Team - 

Secretary - Mel Haynes

Treasurer - Allison Hewitt

Executive Committee - Rechell Naughton, Catherine Culley, Renae Strode, Jolene Grove, Craig Croker

Cattle Fund Coordinator - James McCormack

Tuckshop Coordinator - Daria Lawson

The following is an outline fo the 2021 fundraising events for the year:

I look forward to working with you this year.

Daniel Walsh

(P&F President, 2021)

What is Sensory Processing?

Sensory Processing – or Integration as it is also known – is related to how we register and interpret sensory input in our environment and body. It is the way the brain receives, organises and responds to sensory input in order to behave in a meaningful & consistent manner.

As your child is exposed to various sensory inputs, they gradually learn to organise them within their brain and are able to give meaning to them. By organising sensations, your child is able to modulate their response and as a result, they seem to be more connected with the world and in control of their emotions. All of our senses need to work together for effective sensory processing. 1

If a child has difficulties with Sensory Processing they might:

•Show heightened reactivity to sound, touch or movement.

•Be under-reactive to certain sensations (e.g. not noticing their name being called, being touched, high pain threshold).

•Appear lethargic/disinterested; appearing to mostly be in their ‘own world’.

•Have difficulty regulating their own behavioural and emotional responses; increased tantrums, emotionally reactive, need for control, impulsive behaviours, easily frustrated or overly compliant.

•Be easily distracted, show poor attention and concentration.

•Have poor motor skills; appears clumsy, poor coordination, balance, and/or poor handwriting skills.

•Have poor sleep patterns.

•Display restricted eating habits or is a picky eater.

•Become distressed during self-care tasks (e.g. hair-brushing, hair-washing, nail cutting, dressing, tying shoelaces, self-feeding).

•Love movement; seeks out intense pressure (e.g. constant spinning, running around, jumping, crashing in objects/people).

•Avoid movement-based equipment (e.g. swings, slides etc).

•Appear floppy or have ‘low muscle tone’, tire easily and is often slumped in postures.

•Performs tasks with too much force, has big movements, moves too fast, writes too light or too hard.

What activities can help?

There are lots of tools and resources available to help provide sensory feedback to your child and help their body efficiently regulate. Each child’s needs are specific to them!

Working with an Occupational Therapist can further support your child to develop a sensory diet and find out what works best for them!

Some activities and tools for home or school may include;

§ Animal walks can provide great proprioceptive input, Support motor skills and are fun for all the family!

§ Have a Trampoline? Trampolining can help children to understand and feel where their bodies are in space

§ Swings allow for varied intensity of movement that may be needed for kids who under-respond or over-respond to vestibular input. Predictable, rhythmic swinging promotes calm and organization while unpredictable, arrhythmic swinging is alerting.

§ Weighted Blankets are great to support a child who may be anxious, fidgeting, difficulties sitting still, or seeking deep pressure touch

§ Nail Biting, Anxious, chewing on clothes? Try a Chewy toy

§ Fidget Toys target the tactile system and can be great regulators for attention

§ Need help with providing your child movement while they stay seated? Try Disc-O-Sit!

§ Visual schedules can help enable a child to see and understand what is going to happen next.

Useful Websites and Reads:

Book: The Super ids Activity Guide. By Dayna Abraham

https://childdevelopment.com.au

https://sensorytools.net

https://www.understood.org/

Class Awards

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to 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)

Australian Girls Choir

If your daughter is interested in trying out for the Australian Girls Choir, there is a tryout day in Canberra on 20 February. For more information, please go to ausgirlschoir.com.au.

Wellbeing Programs in Goulburn

League Stars Crookwell Program

Cricket Blast