SMC NEWS 2025 - Term 1, Week 3
Week Ahead
From the College Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thanks for a great start to the year and the support you are showing the College. It is very much appreciated by our staff at St Mary's College (SMC).
Firstly - All Families BBQ
What an outstanding event! Thank you to all who attended. It was wonderful to see parents and carers, siblings and extended families in support of your sons at the College. A number of parents made note of the fact that our Senior and Primary Leaders were tremendous in their support of the younger boys last Monday. We have a wonderful group of leaders this year and they have already made a positive start to their leadership journey at the College in 2025. I hope all families feel welcome and little more a part of our proud SMC community this year.
Our Catholic Identity - New EREA Charter
Many of you will be aware that we are owned and operated by Toowoomba Catholic Schools. At the same time, our history would tell us that we are proudly a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition and an Associate School of EREA (Edmund Rice Education Australia). EREA recently undertook a renewal process for their "Charter" at the end of 2024. The Charter document is the one that defines the EREA Touchstones in an Edmund Rice school. As an Associate school of EREA, we have adopted and embedded the four touchstones into our practice. These touchstones are:
- Liberating Education
- Justice and Solidarity
- Inclusive Community
- Gospel Spirituality
The feedback from the renewal process was that the current touchstones work very well in all Edmund Rice schools across Australia and that no change to the four basic touchstones was required. However, the narrative, or story, around the touchstones has changed. Summarising a complex document: EREA have acknowledged the importance of our First Nations people to our schools and culture in its narrative.
Staffing
This week, we welcome Ms Christine Wicks to the College who will work in the Mathematics department. Also, Ms Janine St Clair started last week in the AP Curriculum assistant role. Please make Ms Wicks and Ms St Clair welcome as they begin their journey at SMC.
Mr Kev Murphy, our AP Mission and Identity will take a brief leave of absence from the College to assist his family starting this week. We wish Mr Murphy well over the next few days. In the interim, I will oversee the AP role and some of the key duties.
2026 Enrolments
Many of you will be aware that we are in the middle of our main 2026 enrolments campaign at the College. Enrolments for all 2026 year levels close Easter 2025. It is possible that limited spaces will still be available after this time, but it cannot be guaranteed. Interest in the College for next year has been very strong!
The first Principal's Tour for 2025 is this coming Thursday 13 February to learn more about the College. All welcome!
A Reflection
Yesterday marked the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Calendar and the Gospel spoke about gratitude and the commitment required over time to "get the job done".
After Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon Peter, "Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch!" The Holy Father proposed Jesus' imperative "Put out into the deep water" as the motto of the Church. He did this because so often we in the Church today can feel that we're in Peter's shoes. In many areas of life, we can work so hard and seem to have so little to show for it. We're called, like Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave behind whatever might keep us from the Lord and follow him, being sent out into the deep water of the world to fish for souls. We're called, like St. Paul, to "work harder than any" of the rest, because of the Lord's great mercy, love and trust in calling us and sending us.
And together we pray on gratitude:
Dear Lord, thank you so much for another day of life on Earth. Thank you for another beautiful sunrise to enjoy. Thank you for the wonderful sounds of nature, from the cool breeze brushing through the trees to the birds singing melodies. I am grateful for allowing me another day to spend with my family.
Live Jesus in Our Hearts, Forever
Amen.
Adapted from https://www.catholicgallery.org/prayers/morning-prayers/
Sincerely
Brendan Stewart
College Principal
principal@stmaryscollege.com
Deputy Principal
Word of the Week – it’s back!
Some of you may remember that I have previously nominated a Word of the Week with the boys, and sometimes followed through with this in my newsletter article. The Word of the Week for last week, was ‘safe’. Interestingly, the word ‘safe’ can be used as both a noun and an adjective. I have a safe (noun) in my office – we found it under the stairs in the Dunne Building last year and our high hopes of finding something precious inside were dashed after our friends at Cohoes Locksmiths finally gave us access. But it was the adjective version of ‘safe’ that I wanted the boys to consider. We talked about taking risks vs staying safe, and the tension between those two. As parents, we often wish for a world where there are no risks, but we also know that our boys need risks to grow, especially as they get older.
Some of the areas where taking risks can have exponential consequences are online and in relationships with others, particularly young women. What your son is watching and reading online can be hard to monitor, and I would advise you to be on the lookout for signs that your son might be developing an unrealistic and unhealthy mindset. I have included a link here to an interesting article. It is a confronting read, as it quite bluntly outlines the ‘teachings’ of Andrew Tate. Before you click through, I suggest that you ask your son if he has heard of Andrew Tate, and what he thinks of him. Tate presents himself as a friendly advisor to young men, and many of our boys here think he’s clever and good at making money. Underneath that are far more worrying messages – please click here to read the article.
Keep us up to date!
Parents and families are reminded that it is vital that your contact details are accurate and updated when necessary. If you move house, change phone numbers or have other changes to your life or household, it is important that these changes are reflected in the systems we keep here at the College. This information can influence how quickly we can make contact with families should your son need you, and can determine who is able to collect your son from school and/or school events.
There are two ways to make changes to your details –
Via the App
In the App there is a link to the Sentral Parent Portal. Once signed in here, you can use the menu to review your details and make changes if necessary. A change of phone number or address can be done here very easily.
Via College Email
If the change is more complicated, you can send an email to reception@stmaryscollege.com and this will be passed on to our administration staff for processing.
If the matter is confidential, or requires some support for your son, the best point of contact is his Mentor Teacher or House Leader.
Samantha Parle
Deputy Principal
parles@stmaryscollege.com
Curriculum
Academic Support Classroom (ASC)
Previously known as the Academic Integrity Centre, a name change has occurred this year to place an emphasis on providing support for students with their academic studies. If your son is referred to the ASC on a Wednesday afternoon, then his teacher has identified a need for extra support, and he will be provided with help from our Curriculum Leaders. Students may be referred for:
- non-submission of drafts
- significantly incomplete drafts (discretion of the CL)
- inadequate progress on Certificate or Diploma courses
- to complete extra point courses when at QCE risk (only via AP Curriculum)
- Academic misconduct – e.g. plagiarism, collusion, AI detection (for drafts)
Support may look like:
- Time to get up to date
- Conversations about assessment to help focus students
- Breaking down the task into manageable sections and monitoring progress
- Assistance with understanding concepts to help with completing
The Academic Support Classroom is an important part of ensuring that all students achieve to the best of their ability. Students and parents will be notified of a referral on the Tuesday prior. Failure to attend after a referral will result in an internal suspension.
Who do I contact for help?
Communication between parents and teachers is vital in supporting all students. If you have any questions about your son classes, please contact the classroom teacher directly. This can be done via email or by phoning the College.
If you have further curriculum questions and you have already contacted the classroom teacher, then please contact the relevant Curriculum Leader. Our Curriculum Leadership team for 2025 are:
Mr Russell Baldock: CL Mathematics
Mrs Eylece Blaikie: CL Arts & Music
Mr Kris Glass: QCE Alternate Pathways
Ms Joanne Irwin: CL Enhanced Learners
Mr Mitch Keogh: CL Humanities
Mr John Park: CL Technologies
Mr Christopher Parker: CL English & Languages
Mrs Shari Pauli: Director 5-9 Curriculum
Mr Louis Reen: CL HPE
Mrs Bernadette Rogers: CL Science
Angela Harris
Assistant Principal - Curriculum
harrisa@stmaryscollege.com
Student Engagement
St Mary’s College Formal – Thursday 27th March 2025
St Mary's College Year 12 Formal will be held on Thursday 27th March 2025 at Picnic Point Function Centre. At the invitation of the Principal, each Year 12 boy is welcome to attend the Formal and can choose to bring a partner to share the experience.
Attendance at the Formal is not compulsory. Students who wish to attend must meet an 85% attendance rate for Term One. The Formal is an important event in the College calendar, and we understand its significance to the boys. It provides an opportunity for your son to experience a formal event and a chance to practice the social skills that are required.
A young man should know how to conduct himself appropriately at formal events - including formal dress, care for a partner, table manners and consideration for those around him. While we will address some of these aspects at the College, it would be appreciated if you could discuss these with your son as well, so that he is prepared to meet his responsibilities at the formal. The college will address the expectations of your young men over the coming weeks.
Attendance
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.
For parents new to SMC, you have access to School TV through our website. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. renowned psychologist has coordinated cutting edge resources developed by experts in the field to assist you in staying across what’s trending in your boy’s world and keeping yourself informed so as to approach a conversation with current and relevant information.
Mobile Devices Policy
At St Mary’s College we believe in creating an environment that maximises learning, fosters social interactions, and ensures the safety and well-being of all our students. This is why adopted a phone-free school policy since the start of 2024.
- When on-site, phones are switched off, stored in lockers for the school day.
- Phones may not be used during school, including camps, carnivals, excursions.
College Response:
- Failure to comply with the phone-free policy will result in the following consequences:
- First breach: phone reflection plan, phone handed in daily for a week.
- Second breach: internal suspension, phone handed in daily for a week
- Third Offense: external suspension, phone handed in daily for 2 weeks
Special Provisions
- In circumstances where a student needs to use his mobile phone for a specific purpose, this can be arranged with his House Leader or with another member of the Student Engagement Team.
Senior Drivers and Carpark
If your son has recently acquired his licence, can you ensure that he completes our Senior Drivers form link.
It is important the college is aware of the vehicle identification. The parking of vehicles in the student carpark is a privilege that our student’s enjoy. This privilege comes with expectation that all students will use this carpark responsibly.
College expectations are that the drivers using the student car park do so safely. Drivers are not to visit their vehicle throughout the day, unless they have direct permission from their heads of house. They are to enter and exit the car park safely. Failure to comply with these expectations may result in formal sanctions being applied and a restriction placed on use of the carpark.
STYMIE
STYMIE is a web-based reporting platform that aims to “empowers young people to ask for help when they need support, or if they are seeing or experiencing harm”. The St Mary’s Student Engagement team is notified immediately once a record is made by a St Mary’s student lodging a STYMIE. It is acted on as a matter of priority.
Stymie provides online reporting for schools. Encrypted, anonymous notifications are delivered within seconds to authorised recipients, who respond according to their wellbeing framework.
Matt Draper
Assistant Principal - Student Engagement
draperm@stmaryscollege.com
Primary and Middle School Curriculum
NAPLAN Testing
NAPLAN is fast approaching with testing taking place between Wednesday the 12th of March through to Wednesday the 19th of March. Our Years 5, 7 and 9 students will be preparing for the testing and participating in practice sessions this term. Students are also encouraged to visit the Public Demonstration Site which is an opportunity to practise NAPLAN type questions.
Please see below the 2025 NAPLAN Schedule. If your child is absent from the test session, they will be required to sit the testing during the schedule catch-up session. Should you wish to discuss your son’s participation in NAPLAN testing, please contact me at my college email at paulis@stmaryscollege.com.
Commitment to Learning and High Achiever’s Awards Ceremonies
Over the next few weeks, boys who received a Commitment to Learning Award or a High Achiever’s Award will be acknowledged with cake and a provided afternoon tea. Boys who are eligible for the awards will receive a calendar invite from the Junior Curriculum Office and will be provided with a certificate of their achievement on the day. The criterion for the awards is included below.
PAT-Reading and PAT-Mathematics
Throughout the first few weeks of term students in Years 5-7 completed PAT-Reading and PAT-Mathematics testing. We believe in providing the best possible education tailored to each student's needs. That's why we conduct PAT-Reading and PAT-Mathematics testing for students in Years 5-9. These assessments help us understand each student's strengths and areas for improvement in reading and mathematics.
By analysing the results, we can:
- Identify individual learning needs: Tailor our teaching strategies to support each student's growth.
- Monitor progress: Track student development over time to ensure they are on the right path.
- Inform instruction: Adjust our curriculum and teaching methods to address common challenges and enhance learning outcomes.
Ultimately, these tests enable us to create a more effective and supportive learning environment, ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Shari Pauli
Director of 5-9 Curriculum
paulis@stmaryscollege.com
Head of Primary
Friday Sport
Term 1 interschool sport begins tomorrow for the Year 6 students. Teams, draw and other relevant information will be sent home by Mr Cowan today.
Students not participating in AFL will participate in skill development or chess at the College.
Sport Lessons - AFL
Sport lessons for Term 1 started on Monday and will continue until Weeks 6. Students are to wear their sports uniform to school on Mondays for these weeks.
Primary Playground
The Primary playground continues to be very popular amongst the boys. They are really enjoying playing together and are being respectful to each other and to the new equipment.
Year 5 Camp
We wish our Year 5 students all the best this week as they attend their first St Mary’s camp at Camp Somerset.
The boys are building friendships whilst they enjoy activities like the giant swing, archery, raft building, canoeing, low ropes and the koala climb. On Wednesday night they learnt about the history of St Mary’s and reflected on their part in the College. Tonight, they will play minute to win it games which will also build teamwork skills.
We look forward to hearing of their great experiences upon their return.
Communication
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact the class teacher in the first instance if you have any concerns or queries regarding your son’s education. A reminder that daily messages that are read by our captains on assembly are emailed to students which can also be accessed at home.
Stephen Coren
Head of Primary
corens@stmaryscollege.com
Business Manager
Dear Parents & Caregivers
The start of a new school year can be a bit hectic as we all adjust to new routines and ensure everything is organised. Hopefully, by now, routines are established, and everything is running smoothly.
Term 1 Fees Invoice
We have sent out the first invoice for the year. Please check your emails and ensure it is paid on time. If you are on a payment plan through Direct Debit or Direct Credit, please update it to cover the fees for the year. You can find all our fee information and our fee calculator on our website here. Please use your SMC code (top left of your invoice) for all payments.
Term 1 Fees Invoice due: 14 February 2025
Early Payment Discount for full year fee payment ends: 21 February 2025
Understanding Invoices and Statements
We often receive queries about Invoices and Statements. An Invoice is a single charge showing what is being applied to your account, while a monthly Statement shows all transactions for a set period. The February Statement will be sent this week.
Debtor Process for Late Payments
We strive to keep our school fees as low as possible, which requires all parents and caregivers to stay on top of their accounts. If you are unable to make a payment for any reason, a courtesy email or phone call is appreciated. All unpaid school fee invoices will receive a text reminder after the due date. If no payment is received, we will commence our debtor process. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please discuss with us to avoid action being taken.
Government Funded Back to School Support – Saver Plus
Saver Plus is a program organised through The Smith Family Organisation that can provide an extra $500 for education costs.
What is Saver Plus?
Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes, aimed at bolstering their financial skills to develop and maintain good savings habits. Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 62,000 people in starting to save. It helps overcome barriers to education expenses and sets participants up for a brighter future.
Eligible Savings Goals
Assist a primary or secondary school student’s education
Please see the attached flyers below for more information or go to the following website www.saverplus.org.au.
If you have any questions about school fees or your account, please contact our friendly finance department at 07 4631 7333 (Option 3) or email accounts@stmaryscollege.com.
All the best for Term 1!
Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
accounts@stmaryscollege.com
Community Updates
2025 Parents & Friends Association Raceday
Tickets are now available for the 2025 Parents & Friends Association Raceday on March 8th, 2025!
Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/CXUWU
Join us for an unforgettable evening of live horse racing, live music, and a delicious three-course meal.
Every ticket supports the St Mary's College Parents & Friends Association and helps fund essential projects for our boys.
If you would like to be involved in the race day, join us for a planning meeting on Tuesday, February 4th, at 6 PM at the Wilsonton Hotel.
