Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3. Today the sun is shining and the students are having a fabulous time playing outside. I can't promise that the students, especially the youngest, won't come home a bit muddy again, but after so much wet weather and limited time on the oval, we had to let them out!

We welcome four new students and their families to St Mary’s. We were excited to see Leroy, Lucinda and Shonquay return to us as well as welcome little Ashantay into Kindergarten. May your time with us be happy and successful.

Term 3 Update COVID and Restrictions 
Last week, a letter was sent home to parents from Mr Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education. He indicated that his absolute priority this term is to keep teachers onsite, teaching the students in their classes. At the end of Term 2, several system schools and/or grades had to be closed due to staff absences. Projected numbers of COVID cases and other illnesses are likely to affect staff attendance at work this term. I have been directed to make some decisions to ensure staff workload is not excessive this term and that the focus remains on classroom teaching. 

With this in mind, we have decided to continue with Peter Pan rehearsals during class time but postpone the actual performance until Week 6 of Term 4. The additional time for preparation has taken a lot of pressure off our teachers and especially the Production Team. 

Unfortunately for now, parents are not able to be onsite other than dropping off and picking up their children. You may come into the office for short periods. Unless considered critical, meetings should be done remotely or over the phone. Please feel free to email your child’s teacher or me if you are concerned about anything. I understand that this is disappointing, but please know it is only for a short time. The Director is asking for everyone in the school community to do what they can, to keep the students and staff well and our school/classes open for face to face learning.

Sick Children/Household Contacts
Thank you parents for keeping your children at home when they are sick. There is a lot of illness in the community and everyday, many children present to the Front Office feeling unwell. Today each student will come home with more RATs. Please test your child if they display any cold or flu symptoms. Nausea and headaches seem to be common in our students. I suggest that you test your child for COVID if it has been more than a month since their last infection.

If your child tests positive, it is a requirement that you inform NSW Health and the school. Information will be confidential. Following seven days of isolation, your child may return to school if they are well.

When a parent or sibling has COVID, other children should, if at all possible, learn from home during this time. Children who are Household Contacts need to be tested before coming to school and then retested every 48 hours until the isolation period finishes.  

All children at home should be learning if they are feeling well enough to do so. Please refer to the NSW Digital Learning Packs for your child’s grade level learning. The website has been updated to include Term 3 learning.

Canteen
Some great news! Our canteen will be open from this Friday. Mrs Hayley Van Weerdenburg has been appointed to staff as our Canteen Manager. Mrs Van Weerdenburg has begun planning an exciting menu and is currently setting up a QKR lunch ordering system. You will receive information in the very near future. Cash may be used for Over The Counter food and drinks. Thank you in advance to those parents who will hopefully volunteer their time in helping out. Our wonderful Year 6 students will also be volunteering to assist Mrs Van Weerdenberg. 

Sacrament of Confirmation
Last Sunday, our Year 6 students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation in the presence of their sponsors, parents, teachers and parishioners. It was a beautiful ceremony and I thank Father Eden for making it so meaningful and special for the students. A special thank you to Mrs Jess Afflick, Mrs Megan Grant, Mrs Jessie White and Mrs Marg Croese for their work in preparing the students for this important stage of their faith journey.  

NAIDOC Week Awards
During NAIDOC Week each year, Catholic Education awards members of its community for their exceptional contributions to Aboriginal education in whatever area they work or learn. Nominations from school principals and teachers are considered by the Aboriginal Education team at Catholic Education. This year we are proud to announce that of the twenty NAIDOC Award recipients throughout the Archdiocese, three have come from St Mary’s. Congratulations to Morgan D and Emily F in Year 6 for receiving the Culture and Identity Awards and to Harper L in Year 5 for the Sports Award. Well done girls, you are a credit to your families and community and wonderful role models for your peers. 

Book Week/Book Swap
It's time to clear out the bookshelves at home and then get ready to fill them back up again! As part of our Book Week Celebrations on Wednesday August 10, we will be having a good old fashioned Book Swap. Between now and then, we ask that the students bring in their preloved books so we can get ready for the day. Please only send in books that are in a reasonable/good condition. Keep an eye on class memos for more information. 

New School Jumper
A special thank you to our Community Council parents for organising our new school jumper. Following a survey of parents, it was decided to replace the maroon V neck one with a much smarter looking navy button up jacket style. They look fabulous with the girls’ dresses as well as with pants and the kids love them!!   

The new jumper is NOT compulsory in 2022. We are transitioning over to it in the next two years and allowing both the maroon jumper and maroon jacket to be worn indoors. From 2023 however, the maroon jacket is to only be worn outdoors. It was originally intended to be an outdoor jacket but slowly crept in because the students didn't like the old jumper. The new jumpers are available to purchase/order from Aussie Embroidery & Workwear 02 44740037.

Wishing you God's blessings on your families.
Noeleen O'Neill
Principal