St Mary's Newsletter

This weekend’s Gospel Jesus talks to us about service through discipleship. The bonds of discipleship are even stronger than the bonds of blood. Discipleship requires our very lives. As disciples we can no longer put ourselves first. We must be willing to spend ourselves and to be spent, to serve others in the day to day unfolding of life. We may find such commitment very demanding, but that is part of the cost of discipleship. God promises that if we lose our lives in this way, we will really gain them. If we are unselfish in the way we share ourselves with others, we will be enriched through our generosity. If we spend ourselves and are spent in our service of others we will be filled with blessings unimaginable.

Today’s assembly was an absolute delight for the St Mary’s School community. The students put on an entertaining and educational display of their learning. Also, well done to the students from Forte Music for their performances on the guitar and piano.

Steph will commence her maternity leave at the end of this term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steph for her commitment to St Mary’s for over 7 years and look forward to hearing about this new stage in her life. We hope to see you and your growing family around the school grounds and in the community when you are ready. Best of luck and may God bless you.

Students from Pre-primary – Year Six will be bringing home their Term Two Assessment Folders today. Please look through these and complete the reflection sheet/comment section and return to school at the beginning of Term Three Monday the 17th of July.

NAIDOC Week at St Mary’s was an excellent opportunity for staff and students to become more engaged and reflect on the important role that elders play in the lives of Indigenous Australians. Everything from learning more about the movement started in 1938 by William Cooper to creating beautiful prayers inspired by the hardships of Aboriginal people has been vital in our students' education and spirituality. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. More information is available on the following website: https://www.naidoc.org.au/.

Congratulations to St Joesph’s faction who demonstrated our school values the most this term. They received 15 minutes extra play time today.

Thank you to the families who provided valuable feedback about our school by completing the NSI Survey. The survey is now closed.

A survey went live on Audiri on Tuesday regarding interest from parents on changing the current school uniform. Please complete this survey before the 19th of  July .

Semester One reports are now available on Seqta Engage.

If you have already set up your account from the welcome email received, you can use the link below to access your reports:

https://stmarysmerredin.engage.cewa.edu.au/

Please email zoe.omalley@cewa.edu.au if you require further assistance.

There is no school for students on Friday 30 June. Staff will be engaging in Professional Development.

Term Three starts on Monday the 17th of July for Pre K – Year Six. Kindergarten resumes on Tuesday the 18th of  July.

As I sit here to bid you farewell, my heart feels heavy with a bittersweet mix of emotions. The time we have spent together has been nothing short of extraordinary, filled with laughter, learning, and unwavering support. The memories we have woven into the fabric of our lives will forever be cherished, serving as a reminder of the profound impact you have had on my journey. I would like to thank all students, parents, carers, staff, parish and community members for your efforts this semester in making St Mary’s School the wonderful community that it is. Thank you for what you do and enjoy the well-earned break from school.

God Bless and have a lovely weekend with your families,

Mr Andy DiCarlantonio

Principal

This term in Kindy we have been investigating our seasons.  In particular we have been looking at what is happening on our farms during each season and how the weather gives us clues as to which season we are in.  We had a special visit from a local farmer, Phil Gray who explained the seeding process and showed us the various seeds he plants as well as photos of the incredible machinery that assists this process.  We then explored what a seed is, how it grows and what it needs to survive. We had a go at growing our own wheat and lupin seeds and set up a test experiment by not watering some seeds and not providing sunlight to others.  The children have been enjoying completing their observation journals and watching their seeds grow.

MERIT AWARDS

Pre-Primary                                                  Year One/Two

Quinn Wahlsten                                            Corey Wadsworth

Rosie Brunetti                                               Halle Crees 

Isabel Davis                                                  Sana Creagh 

                                                                        Hayley Growden 

Year Three/Four                                          Year Four/Five

Gabriel Tirant                                                Emily Kermode 

Ella Bullock                                                   Layla Jacobson 

Celia Davis                                                    Logan O’Meagher 

Kai Wahlsten                                                 Patrick O’Neill

Year Six

Chloe Bartlett 

Jack Kermode 

Tayla Montgomery 

PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS

Stella Sharp 

Sienna Anderson 

Thomas Billing

Ella Gregory 

Camee Roberts 

The St Mary's P & F are once again holding a Picture Plate fundraiser!

Order forms / Plate templates have been distributed to class room teachers this week so please make sure you check your children's School bags! If you require another picture plate template for a sibling these can be obtained from the School office.  All of the information is on the flyer below and this is also OPEN to non St Mary's families! So please spread the word to your family, friends, next door neighbor etc..... the more we sell the more we raise for the P & F to be used for our children! An example of the Picture plate is in the St Mary's office for you to view if you have never seen this before. Thank you for your support. 

As part of the 2023 NAIDOC Week Celebrations the Shire of Merredin in conjunction with Orana Cinemas Merredin and Collgar Renewables will be running two free sessions of the Movie "The Last Daughter" based on the book of the same name by Brenda Matthews during the first weekend of the school holidays.

The movie is about:

Brenda Matthews is a proud Wiradjuri woman. She lives with her husband, Mark, in Bundjalung country, Queensland. Brenda is a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter and an aunty, a poet, a writer, a speaker and co-director of the feature film, The Last Daughter, a documentary of her life.

An unmissable First Nations memoir that tells of the shattering experience of being stolen, The Last Daughter is a story of heartbreak and healing that offers a path forward for all Australians. When Brenda Matthews was two years old, she and her siblings were taken from their parents. For the next five years she was a much-loved daughter in a white family, a happy child in a country town on the outskirts of Sydney, unaware of the existence of her Aboriginal family or how hard her parents were fighting for her return-unaware of her Aboriginal identity. Then, she was suddenly returned to her Aboriginal family, the last daughter to come home. Decades later, feeling a sense of something missing in her life, Brenda searches for her foster family and her beloved white sister, with whom she had had no contact. Along the way she uncovers long-buried secrets and government bungling, as well as a deep connection to family and to her Aboriginal culture. The Last Daughter is the story of Brenda's journey to discover the truth about her past, to unite her two families-and to foster a better connection between black and white Australia. It's a story full of heartbreak, love, hope and healing, one that shows a way forward for all Australians.

Bring the family and or friends to join us for the viewing of this movie. To reserve your tickets, click on the links below:

Saturday 8th July 10.15am

https://www.movietkts.com.au/Orana-Cinemas-Merredin/LASTDAUGHT/2023-07-08/10:15am/Cinema-01 

or

Sunday 9th July 3.10pm

Merredin: Saturday 6.30pm & Sunday 10.30am

Kellerberrin: Sunday 8.00am

Open Wednesday 8.30am-9.10am

Online Orders: www.quickcliq.com.au