SMC NEWS 2024 - Term 3, Week 9

Week Ahead

From the College Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, 

As this is the final newsletter entry for the term, I wanted to acknowledge a range of people in the community, given the busyness and importance of the past fortnight.

I hope all Fathers had a wonderful day last weekend for Father’s Day.  I’m sure your families looked after you and thank you for all you do for your sons and your continued support of the College.  It was wonderful to see many of you last Thursday for our Father's Day Breakfast!

Some of you may be aware that this week marks Child Protection Week in Queensland, and you will see various promotions around the College this week.  As educators, we understand that our most important work is child protection. 

Child Protection Week in Queensland is coordinated by the Child Protection Week Committee under the governing body of Act for Kids.

By promoting the value of children and focusing attention on the issues of child abuse and neglect, the objectives of Child Protection Week are to:

• raise the profile of all issues connected with child protection, including child abuse prevention, treatment, research, education, service provision and support for children, young people and families
• create a statewide umbrella focus for child protection, allowing government and non-government agencies to present a cooperative and coordinated community-oriented campaign
• support and value professionals and volunteer child protection workers by providing 'best practice' training and a forum to exchange ideas and information
• offer a framework to recognise advances in the field, and thereby contribute to better outcomes for all children and young people, especially those who have been harmed or are at risk of harm

The main message this year is that “child protection is everybody's responsibility” - support staff, teaching staff, leadership, and families in the community.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact the College.

School Review

The SRIP review was conducted last week at the College and the preliminary feedback indicates that the College is progressing well.  The panel indicated some celebrations and areas for improvement for the College for 2025 and beyond.  Thank you each parent and carer who was interviewed last week and again, I value the feedback.

Clearly, we have a very good school - with room for improvement - and I am proud of the job that we are doing together at St Mary's College.

Staffing News

Congratulations to Mr Zach Smith, currently at St Joseph's College, Coomera, for his appointment as Year 5 teacher for Nicola Crank in the coming months.  Mr Smith is a very experienced teacher and has had leadership experience at several Catholic schools in the Brisbane Archdiocese.  We will welcome Mr Smith at the beginning of Term 4.

At the beginning of Term 4, we welcome Ms Angela Harris, currently at St Joseph's College, Toowoomba, who will be Acting AP Curriculum while Ms Jade Love goes on Maternity Leave. 

Our Co-Curricular Activities

Our losses in Year 7, 8 and 9 Struddy's semi-finals in Brisbane this week marks the end of the season for players and staff of all Rugby League teams in the Secondary School. Our Rugby League participation, including the First 13, Year 10 and the Struddy's Cup is a huge commitment.  Our staff volunteer their time and carry a heavy load during the season.  I want to thank each of them for their efforts this year. 

Looking Ahead

• Year 11 and 12 Block exams begin
• Monday: First Nations Mass for Year 12 Students
• Tuesday: House Meetings
• Wednesday: Carnival of Flowers judging - West Street frontage of SMC
• Next week: Cultural Showcase evening (Tuesday night: 5 - 8 pm ERCC)

I am very much looking forward to the Cultural Showcase night next Tuesday during the last week of school at the College.

Thank you for your continued support of the College.  

Brendan Stewart 
College Principal 
principal@stmaryscollege.com

Deputy Principal

Health and Wellbeing

As we enjoy the spring (or is it summer?!) weather, I hope we are seeing the end of the ‘flu season’. There have been significant impacts on staff and students over the last season, and I am very grateful to the whole SMC community for your ability to adapt to our usual routines. Please continue to be careful with health and hygiene and follow the government guidelines with respect to more serious illnesses such as whooping cough, influenza, pneumonia and Covid-19.

The Year 10 cohort will have their second round of immunizations this week as part of the College’s part in the national immunization program. While this is a disruption to teaching and learning, the overall impact on the health of our community in the future is overwhelmingly positive. If, for some reason, your son misses out on his immunization at school, please follow up with your GP, Ozcare, or – in some cases – your local pharmacy.

Lockers

At St Mary’s College, boys are not permitted to carry their school bags around during the day. Bags are stored in lockers and secured with the College combination lock. Lockers are however, DAY LOCKERS only in that they should not be used to store belongings over night. Teachers will be working with boys this week to ensure that all of the lockers are left empty over the holiday period. If you could speak with your son regarding this, I would appreciate it.

Timetable Changes

As we come to the end of the term, we will be saying goodbye to some staff who are either taking leave or moving on to new opportunities. This will naturally have an impact on timetables which we will manage as smoothly as possible. If your son is to have a change in teacher for Term 4, you will be informed over the holidays. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please make contact with the College.

Samantha Parle
Deputy Principal
parles@stmaryscollege.com

Identity

Welcome to Spring, although the hot weather recently might make us all think we have proceeded directly to summer!

As we enter September, we also enter the Church’s Season of Creation. Pope Francis introduced this liturgical season to remind us that we are all interconnected in God’s creation. As such, we are all responsible for looking after the Earth. If you find time, please have a discussion with your son about how we might reduce, re-use and recycle in order to better look after our common home.

Hike for Homeless

Hike for Homeless takes place again this year at Jubilee Park, East Toowoomba on Saturday October 19th. Last year we had a team of staff and students take part for the first time. It’d be great to build on this in 2024 if we can. Families are more than welcome to enter as part of the St Mary’s Team.

https://www.mycause.com.au/events/hikeforhomeless

Jersey Day for PNG Immersion Project

Next March three members of staff will lead 12 students in an immersion experience in Papua New Guinea. A large part of this project is coming as guest to work on a village project based on the needs of the local community. SMC will raise funds to carry out the project, and one of our first fundraisers will be next week.

Wednesday Week 10 will be a jersey day. Students will be able to wear their favourite team colours (over the sports uniform if they are in the Secondary College) for a gold coin donation. All proceeds will go to the community project in PNG.

I hope that you all have a wonderful spring break.

God Bless.

Kevin Murphy
Assistant Principal Identity
murphyk@stmaryscollege.com

Curriculum

As I prepare to commence my maternity leave, I am pleased to introduce Ms. Angela Harris, who will be stepping into the role of Assistant Principal Curriculum from Term 4, 2024. Angela joins us from St Joseph’s College Toowoomba and brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education to benefit our school community. I am confident she will continue to uphold our values and drive our mission forward until my return in Term 3, 2025. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish our Year 12 students the very best in their final preparations for the upcoming external examinations. Your dedication and hard work have brought you to this pivotal moment, and I am confident that you will rise to the occasion and achieve great success. Remember, “Conanti Corona” – strive for the crown. 

 Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to excellence. I look forward to seeing the wonderful achievements and progress that the future holds for our school. 

 Year 12 External Exam Preparation 

The Queensland Study Hub is offering free master classes to Year 12 students to support external exam preparations for the following subjects: 

• General Mathematics 

• Math Methods 

• Biology 

• Chemistry 

• General English 

 Jade Love 
Assistant Principal - Curriculum 
lovej@stmaryscollege.com 

Student Engagement

The Leadership Selection Process for 2025 continues with quality speeches delivered recently on Assembly by those students shortlisted for Captain and Vice-Captain. The next stage of the process for these positions will be interviews with our college principal this week. All other positions of Student Leadership will be finalised shortly, with the 2025 Leadership Team announced next week.

This week, St Marys has been taking part in National Child Protection Week: 1-7 September 2024.

With this year’s theme of “every conversation matters”, the National Child Protection Week will continue to champion the message ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. 

This message captures the essence of National Child Protection Week, which aims to promote a safe and supported life for every child now and in the future. 

Next week, St Mary’s College celebrates RUOK Day on Thursday, 12th September. To find out more about this day you can connect to St Marys School TV SPECIAL REPORT: R U OK?Day | St Mary's College - Toowoomba (schooltv.me)

Yr 12 Engagement

The data used to make decisions on attendance at events below marked with * require a minimum of 90% attendance and is based on Term 3 attendance and Weeks 1 and 2 attendance of Term 4.

When calculating attendance, the following do not count as absences:

• Approved Educational Absences
• Medical Absence

However, the following do count as an absence in the calculation:

• Unexplained - absent
• Parent-Approved Absence
• Late to class / Truant from class.

The College looks forward to the following privileged and/or celebratory events with our Year 12 students:

• Monday 2 September - Friday 6 September: Mock Exam Block Privileges
• Monday 14 October - Friday 18 October: SWOTVAC
• Monday 21 October - Tuesday 12 November: External Exams
• Tuesday 12 November: Graduation Assembly and Clap Out* 
• Wednesday 13 November: Graduation Mass and Valedictory Dinner*           

Please note events marked with * require a minimum of 90% attendance

Merit Trip - Reminder

Every year, St Mary’s College acknowledges the positive efforts and exemplary behaviour displayed by students and invites them to attend a Merit Trip with students who have met the following criteria:

Semester 1 and Term 3 Data will be used to determine attendance on end of year Merit Trip

Criteria

• All Good and Very Good for behaviour learning attributes
• No Ns for any learning behaviours
• Attendance 90%
• No Suspensions 

Matt Draper
Assistant Principal - Student Engagement
draperm@stmaryscollege.com 

Primary and Middle School Curriculum

Literacy and Primary

As we approach the end of Term 3, it is now time for our teachers to collate assessments in the area of literacy. This process will help inform our teaching and learning practices and enable us to celebrate and determine the growth of each student.

End of Term 3 Spelling Placement Tests Primary

We are conducting our End of Term 3 Spelling Placement tests. These assessments play a crucial role in our Promoting Literacy Development (PLD) program, helping us gauge the growth and progress of our students in their spelling abilities. The results from these tests will enable our teachers to tailor their instruction to better meet the needs of individual students, ensuring that every student is provided with the support necessary for their literacy development.

PROBE Assessments Primary

All Primary students will undergo an updated PROBE assessment in Term 4. This assessment is designed to measure the growth of students in their reading and comprehension skills. The data collected will assist our teachers in identifying areas where students excel and areas where they may need additional support. It is a valuable tool in shaping our instructional strategies to effectively meet our students’ diverse needs.

General Reminders Years 5-9

• Planned Absences: If you are going away for a planned period of time for any reason, please let the College know as soon as possible. This way, we can work with your family to ensure that all assessments are completed prior to departure and inform teachers so that we can plan appropriately for the absence, especially with practical subjects.
• Examination and Assessment Dates: Examination and assessment dates will not be changed for students going on family holidays. These students will receive Not-Rated (NR) for examinations. Assignments need to be completed and submitted on or before the due date (in class time/3:00 pm in Canvas).

Report Cards and Academic Achievement Years 5-9

The teachers are incredibly proud of your child's academic achievements this term. They have demonstrated a commendable work ethic, engaged actively in class discussions, and shown remarkable improvement in various subjects. Their commitment to learning has been inspiring, and we are confident that with continued effort, they will achieve even greater success. Your son's report cards will also be arriving at the end of this term. Take the time to review with your son their report card, and I encourage all parents to value not only the Grade Achievement your son achieves but also the very important Effort Grade. Look over this report card and discuss areas that you could improve in, and even set goals for the upcoming term.

Shari Pauli
Director of 5-9 Curriculum
paulis@stmaryscollege.com 

Head of Primary

Congratulations!

A big congratulations to Sid (Year 7) and Archie (Year 5) Geran for their amazing performance at the 2024 Wrangler World Youth Bull Riding Finals in Texas, USA! Both boys qualified for the final round, with Sid finishing 12th in the world standings for the 12-13 age group and Archie finishing 11th for the 10-11 age group. Outstanding job, boys!

Congratulations also to Kase Walters (Year 6), who represented Queensland at the Australian Cross Country Championships in Tasmania over the weekend. Kase competed against 50 of the best runners in the country and placed 22^nd overall (6th QLD boy out of the 12 of them in his age group to cross the line.) Kase, along with the other runners, ran in ankle-deep mud, icy rain, chilly 70km/h wind and sub-zero temperatures. A great effort, Kase!

Toowoomba Interschool Primary School Teams Chess Championships 

On Tuesday 27^th August, 7 students from St Mary’s College joined just over 400 other students from schools across the district to compete in the Toowoomba Interschool Primary School Teams Chess Championships. 

In a closely pack field with some of the best primary aged chess players, our students held their own. Unfortunately, we had a late withdrawal from our A team, so this impacted their overall placing. Team A placed 15^th with a score of 17 after the seven rounds and Team B was 34^th with a score of 14. 

I want to congratulate all the competitors for the way they played and represented the College throughout the day, and I look forward to further success next year. 

Mr Parker

Stephen Coren
Head of Primary
corens@stmaryscollege.com

Business Manager

Dear Parents and Carers, 

We are hoping to send September statements out this week, and I encourage you to review your statement to ensure all your payments have been allocated correctly and to check if you have missed any invoices.  If your account is not up to date and you have no payment plan in place, please contact our friendly accounts team to discuss options.  Where there is no communication or payment plan in place, we will follow our debtor policy to follow up on outstanding payments.

Extracurricular activities

The College is committed to ensuring that additional costs are not added to accounts where affordability is a concern. To participate in extracurricular activities that involve a cost, it is essential that your account is in good standing. Over the coming months, we will be contacting parents/carers if there are any concerns regarding account status.

Please discuss with your son the financial implications of participating in extracurricular activities, especially if the cost exceeds your household budget. We are available to discuss payment plans if your account is in order. Our accounts team will reach out to discuss eligibility if there are any concerns.

Support from the Accounts Team

We understand that families may face financial challenges at times. Our accounts team is here to assist you in any way possible. Early communication is key, so please reach out to us if you need support. We are committed to finding solutions to help manage your school fees.

For more information on fees, please visit our website here

Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
accounts@stmaryscollege.com

Community Updates

• The 2024 Catholic School Parent Survey is now open -  click here to take the survey
• St Patrick's Cathedral Annual Carnival of Flowers Presentation 13th - 16th September 2024