Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to Term 2! I’m sure holidays came at the right time for families to take some much-needed time for yourself after the busyness and challenges presented in Term 1.
We begin the term in prayer, mourning the passing of Pope Francis - a humble and courageous shepherd of the Church. We give thanks for his inspiring witness of faith, compassion, and commitment to the people. Archbishop Prowse shared a powerful image of Pope Francis—his hand extended from the window of his modest white car, blessing and waving to those he passed. This simple gesture reflected a Church grounded in humility and closeness to others. It’s an image that resonates with me and speaks directly to our mission as Catholic educators: to lead with compassion and serve others with humility. We will gather together as a school community in prayer for Pope Francis.
STAFFING UPDATE
I’d like to begin by extending a thank you to Mrs Durnan for stepping into the Acting AP role last term, and to Mrs Afflick for increasing her days and stepping into the REC role—your leadership and support were very much appreciated.
We will farewell Fr George on Friday 16 May with morning tea to thank him for his support over the past five and a half years. Fr George’s final mass will be on the weekend 17 May. All families are invited to attend.
Congratulations once again to Mrs White on her appointment as Classroom Support Coordinator.
It was lovely to welcome Mrs Heffernan back from leave this week. The staff and students have very much enjoyed your presence in the classrooms. A warm welcome to Mrs Alves, who is joining our Classroom Support Team next week.
We welcome Fr Joshua Scott to St Mary’s on Friday 4 July. With a background in education, Fr Josh is keen to support the implementation of the RE Curriculum and provide resourcing where needed. We will organise a time for Fr Josh to be introduced to our school community.
CURRICULUM
As the students have settled back into school, there is a renewed focus on teaching and learning as we deliver explicit instruction. Every teacher is committed to teaching with a low variance curriculum to ensure we have no gaps. Teachers have an excellent understanding of what needs to be taught and when. We are committed to continuously investing in the delivery of excellent teaching and learning experiences. We will do this by focusing on three key areas:
- Improving the quality of curriculum resources available to teachers
- Delivering high quality professional learning for all teachers
- Implementing high quality assessment protocols
This week I engaged in learning walks across the classrooms. I saw students highly engaged in their learning and high impact teaching practices visible in all rooms.
To ensure our teachers are kept up to date with the latest in teaching and learning, St Mary’s Primary School will hold professional learning days throughout the year including on the first day of Terms 1, 2 and 3, without students. This week we focused on reading instruction. All professional learning aligns with our Annual Improvement Plan and is always set with our goal to improve student outcomes.
Enrolment 2026
St Mary's welcomes all who are wishing to enrol their child for 2026. Application forms for enrolment are available through our school website https://www.stmarysmoruya.nsw.edu.au/how-to-enrol Parents are asked to complete a web-based application. Parents wishing to enrol their child for Kindergarten for 2026 are encouraged to apply during the advertised period each year, 5 May – 30 May (late enrolments are accepted subject to places being available). All new families applying for enrolment are Interviewed by the Principal or Assistant Principal. Interviews for Kindergarten enrolments are conducted in Term 2 and Term 3 and parents are advised if a place is available. To be eligible for enrolment in kindergarten a child must turn 5 on or before the 30 July in the year of admission.
Our wonderful St Mary’s choir will be singing on Open Day on Tuesday 6 May. We are looking forward to welcoming new and existing families as they prepare for their child to start Kindergarten in 2025. Open Day begins at 9.30am with morning tea.
Next week we are celebrating Catholic Schools’ Week. From 5-9 May, St Mary’s will join with Catholic schools across NSW and the ACT to celebrate the annual Catholic Schools Week (CSW). We are immensely proud of our Catholic heritage and are committed to celebrating and showcasing the achievements of our students. Catholic Schools Week is about forging and strengthening relationships between everyone who has a stake in our schools – students, staff, families, priests, parishioners, and members of the wider community – by showcasing our activities and actions.
During Catholic Schools Week, we take the opportunity to highlight not only the best of what we do, but also what happens in our schools every day.
During Catholic Schools’ Week, our students will be involved in the following:
- Year 7 Information Night at Carroll College: Monday 5 May
- St Mary’s Open Day for Kindergarten 2026: Tuesday 6 May
- Feast of the Ascension Thursday 8 May
- Year 5 & 6 visit Carroll College on Friday 9 May to celebrate Carroll Day
- Mother’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy; Friday 9 May
MOTHER’S DAY
St Mary’s would like to warmly invite all mothers, guardians, and grandmothers to attend school between 7.45am and 8.40am on Friday 9 May. This year we are inviting parents and special guests to come and enjoy breakfast in the Hall. Fruit cups and muffins will be available for adults and cereal for our students. Following breakfast, Year 2 will be leading us in a special liturgy at 9.00am in the Hall.
ELECTION INFORMATION
I have included some information from the National Catholic Education Commission on the 2025 Federal Election for your perusal.
St Mary’s Facebook Page
Are you following the St Mary’s Facebook Page? It is a great avenue for sharing the wonderful things that are happening in our school on a day-to-day basis and a positive way to promote our school to prospective families. Our focus is to celebrate student and staff achievement, classroom learning and school events.
Thank you to our Staff, Parents and Students who were able to attend the ANZAC Day March. St Mary’s was well represented, and I was very proud to be leading with our students. ANZAC Day is a significant event, and it was wonderful to see so many of our students participating and showing their support.
It was lovely to be back with the students this week. Please know my door is always open and I look forward to the term ahead.
Blessings on the week ahead.
Kind regards
Jo
Mrs Johanna Wain
Principal
WELCOME TO TERM 2!
We hope you had an enjoyable break and found the time to rest and recharge the batteries, ready for a busy term of inspired teaching and learning at St Mary’s.
To stay well-informed of the many exciting activities and events that our learning community has planned throughout the term, it is important to check our communication channels for details and any updates regularly. To ensure effective communication with our parents and carers, we have several channels available, including our fortnightly newsletter, Facebook posts, class weekly memos and COMPASS. Please refer to the COMPASS calendar for upcoming dates.
Next week we are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the innovative learning and faith development that occurs in Catholic schools every day.
STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY
On Monday 28 April, teachers in all schools in the Canberra/Goulburn Diocese spent the day engaged in quality professional learning dedicated to curriculum implementation. Our day was facilitated by Gillian Forrester, the Teaching and Learning Officer - Literacy, from Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn.
Our staff spent the day working with Gillian on how to effectively implement CECG’s English units of work and the accompanying resources. At St Mary’s we use CECG’s novel study units to enhance English reading instruction for students in Years 3 to 6. These units provide comprehensive, evidence-based resources that align with the NSW Curriculum, focusing on developing students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills.
Each unit centres around a carefully selected novel, offering a learning sequence, discussion prompts, and activities designed to engage students deeply with the text. The structured approach encourages close reading and thoughtful analysis, fostering a deeper understanding of literature. These units integrate writing tasks that allow students to respond to their reading, further reinforcing their literacy skills.
By incorporating these targeted programs and approaches, we strive to minimise cognitive load, optimise learning capacity, and foster a supportive learning environment for our students. Through deliberate practice, repetition, and gradual skill development, we empower our students to become confident learners who can effectively apply their knowledge and skills in various academic contexts.
Our Term 2 Novel Studies are:
Year 3 - Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon by Anita Heiss
Year 4 - Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
Year 5 - Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Year 6 - Us Mob Walawurru by David Spillman and Lisa Wilyuka
e-SAFETY
Helping your family stay safe on devices and apps
New built-in restrictions for Instagram Teen Accounts
Teens under 16 won’t be able to go Live or turn off protections from unwanted images in DMs without a parent’s permission under additional Instagram Teen Account protections. Meta, who own Instagram and Facebook, are also planning to make Teen Accounts available on Facebook and Messenger. Find out more
Apple adds child safety measures
Apple is introducing new measures to the App Store to better protect young people online. It’s part of a broader effort to minimise data collection and give parents more control over what's shared with app developers. Parents will be able to update their child's account age if they previously set it incorrectly, and will be able to consent to their child's age range being shared with app developers so they'll be shown more age-appropriate content in the App Store. Read more in Apple’s Helping Protect Kids Online White Paper
TikTok introduces new family features
TikTok has introduced new family pairing features giving parents additional tools to set boundaries and customise limits. A new in-app meditation feature is designed to help teens wind down after they use TikTok after 10pm. Find out more about TikTok and how to report online abuse or block someone by referring to the eSafety Guide.
K-12 PATHWAY
Monday 5 May - Carroll College Year 7 Information Night
An information session for families wishing to enrol their children at Carroll College in 2026 is being held on Monday 5 May. An information session will begin at 5:30pm followed by tours of the College between 6:15-7:00pm.
Friday 9 May - Carroll Day
Our Year 5 & 6 students will be going to Carroll College on Friday to join in the carnival celebration activities and to watch their ‘Battle of the Bands’ concert. Information about this event has been sent to Stage 3 families via Compass. Permission needs to be received by 2 May.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support of St Mary’s and I look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week with you.
God bless and take care
Mrs Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal
Prayers for Pope Francis
Following the recent passing of Pope Francis, our school community joins with Catholics around the world in prayer and thanksgiving for his life of humble service, leadership, and faith. Pope Francis was a shepherd who deeply loved God’s people, especially the poor, the forgotten, and the young. His words and witness have inspired millions, including our own students. At our staff Professional Learning Day on Monday, we started in staff prayer reminding us of the challenging work Pope Francis has undertaken during his tenure. I included a video that showed a snippet of some of his thoughts and ideals he shared with the world: The life of Pope Francis
As a Catholic school, we are marking this important time of mourning with a special period of prayer called the novemdiales — nine days of prayer after the death of a pope. Each day, our classes are pausing at midday to pray the Angelus together. This beautiful tradition helps us reflect on Mary’s “yes” to God and reminds us of God’s presence with us during times of transition and hope.
We also hold in prayer the College of Cardinals, who are discerning the election of a new pope. We ask the Holy Spirit to guide them in wisdom and unity, so the Church may continue to be led with courage and love.
As we pray and reflect, we are reminded of the words of Jesus:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
This verse reminds us of Pope Francis’s faithful service and the loving care he showed as the shepherd of the Church. You are warmly invited to pray with us from home. Your child will be able to explain the process of the Angelus this week, where at midday we call and respond with the Hail Mary three times as we hear the midday church bells ring. Here is a simple prayer you may also wish to use with your children:
“Loving God, we thank You for the life and service of Pope Francis. Welcome him into Your loving arms. Be with the Church as we wait and pray for a new shepherd. May the Holy Spirit guide all who lead us in faith. Amen.”
May we remain united in prayer, hope, and trust in God’s care for His Church.
Sacrament of Confirmation
This term, Year 6 students who have been baptised Catholic will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Archbishop Christopher Prowse has prepared a informative video for parents: https://youtu.be/deAcBZ9hy6A
If you would like your child to make their Sacrament of Confirmation this term, we invite you and your child to the Sacrament of Confirmation Enrolment Meeting in the Sacred Heart Parish Church next week.
Important Dates:
- 5.00pm, Thursday 8 May: Sacrament of Confirmation Information & Enrolment meeting: Sacred Heart Parish Church, Moruya
- 5.00pm, Saturday 10 May, Commitment Mass for those receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish Church, Moruya
- Thursday 12 June: Faith Formation Sacramental Retreat Day for all candidates to attend as well as all of Year 6 students from St Mary’s, and St Bernard’s at Carroll College Broulee.
- 10.00 Sunday 29 June, - Sacrament of Confirmation Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher Prowse. Sacred Heart Church Moruya
ANZAC Liturgy
This week, Year 5 students led us in a reverent and reflective ANZAC Day Liturgy. Through prayer, readings, and song, they helped us to honour the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country in times of war, conflict, and peacekeeping. It was a respectful and moving tribute that reminded us of the importance of remembering and giving thanks for those who have given so much.
Mother’s Day Liturgy & Breakfast
You're warmly invited to join us for a special Mother's Day Liturgy on Friday 9 May, led by our wonderful Year 2 students. This meaningful celebration will take place immediately after our Mother's Day Breakfast and is a beautiful opportunity to honour and give thanks for the love and care of all the mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our community. We look forward to sharing this special morning with you.
Breakfast Club
In Week 4 we will be starting ‘Breakfast Club’ on a Monday and a Friday morning before school. We recognise that some days it is tricky getting out the door with full bellies and being at school on time, especially at the beginning or the end of the week. Breakfast Club offers students a warm, nutritious start to their day in a welcoming and supportive environment. Whether it's a piece of toast, cereal, or just a friendly chat to begin the day, all students are welcome for a gold coin donation. It's a great way to fuel up for learning and connect with friends before the bell rings. Keep an eye out for more updates.
During the holidays Calvin M (Year 4) and his familiy went to Samoa with his family. As part of their trip they visited some less fortuante schools and donated some books and school items from the school as well as some clothes. This is a true example of fopllowing in the footsteps of both Pope Francis and Jesus. Thank you to the Majer family for their kindess.
Mrs Carla Durnan
Religious Education Coordinator
Religion
Last term, Year 4 was tasked with presenting a dramatic representation of the week leading up to the death of Jesus and his resurrection. The liturgical drama came together brilliantly and our Year 4 students put on a fantastic show, capturing the emotion and how harrowing it must have been for Jesus as well as the confusion and sadness felt by the apostles and people closest to Jesus. This term, we learned about the life of Pope Francis and were very surprised with some of the facts we learned. Pope Francis had a lung removed at a young age, was once a bouncer at a venue in Buenos Aires and rejected materialism his whole adult life - much like his namesake St Francis of Assisi. We learned that if a humble young man can live such an incredible life and end up being one of the most influential people in the world - then we too can make a difference.
English
We have started our new class novel “Kensuke’s Kingdom” by the wonderful author Michael Morpurgo. The novel is based very loosely on some of Morpurgo’s life experiences. This term we have also introduced daily paired reading fluency practice. It has been received brilliantly by Year 4 who read aloud from a different passage each week to a “reading buddy” who follows along and gives constructive feedback at the end. We will plot our progress over the course of the term on a graph so we can see how far we have come. Last term we started the Mayor’s writing competition and we will continue to improve our stories over the next few weeks as we learn about, and implement, specific sentence and text level writing rules.
Maths
So far this term has been all about fast paced daily reviews and learning how to represent different 3D shapes by both sketching them freehand and by also using isometric paper. Students have been using their prior knowledge to draw the shapes and imagine what they could represent in real life. For example a cylinder could represent a drink bottle, a mug or even a toilet roll! Cones could be used for traffic management, delicious ice creams or even to represent the beam of light coming from a torch!
History
Following on from our Journey and Exploration unit in Term 1, we are now learning about the first fleet and the initial struggles by the Europeans to settle in Australia. So far we have had an in depth look at the reasons why the British Empire were so desperate to expand the colony and we have studied what life would have been like living in England during the industrial revolution of 250 years ago. Life for the average person would have been very difficult with many workers being made redundant by new machinery and being forced into a life of poverty, starvation and eventually, crime.
Science
The topic of focus for Term 2 is the ever-fascinating world of chemistry. We have discussed how the study of chemistry differs greatly from the idea of “chemicals’. Chemistry is the study of what everything in the universe is made up of. So far we have learned that everything in the universe is made up of tiny particles called atoms and that they arrange themselves in different patterns to form elements, molecules, compounds, material and objects. We spent the afternoon having fun with play dough, constructing different atoms including Hydrogen and Helium. The reason these two are so important is that Hydrogen and Helium are the most abundant and also the first two elements formed when the universe came into existence.
PDHPE
With the St Mary’s Athletics carnival just on the horizon, Mr Hill has begun to put our Year 4’s athletic skills to the test. This week we have been focusing on the marquis event - the 100m sprint. We have practiced starting and sprinting techniques as well as the most important - how to stay in a straight line for 100m! Over the coming weeks we will build on our knowledge of the techniques required in field events and compete and record to see who will make it to the next level at Southern Region. Mr Hill’s run club is also paying off for many of our year 4 students with some outstanding performances late last term and ten students representing St Mary’s at Wolumla this week.
Visual Arts
Our talented Year 4 students have been exploring the vibrant world of contemporary artist Pete Cromer. Known for his bold use of colour and playful animal designs, Cromer inspired students to create their own unique animal collages with an Easter theme. Using layers of textured paper and a burst of imagination, each child brought their chosen creature, either a bunny or a chicken to life with flair and creativity. The finished artworks are now on display, brightening up our classroom with a wonderful mix of colour, personality, and artistic expression. Well done, Year 4!
Mrs Jessica Afflick & Mr James Campbell
Year 4 Teachers
Southern Region Cross Country
Welcome back to another busy term of sport. We kick things off this week with many students travelling to Wolumla to participate at the Southern Region Cross Country. We wish all of our runners the very best of luck as they make it up ‘Heartbreak Hill’ and towards the finish line of a tricky course at Wolumla.
St Mary’s Cross Country Team
Yr 6: Bella S, Abbie H, Mackenzie H, Andre L, Declan T, Dion P, Sam W, Oliver W, Liam Mc
Yr 5: Maya C, Matilda P, Aria T, Neiva P, Emerson D, Xavier E, Tommy D, Hugo D, Noah S, Alex S
Yr 4: Ashley H, Reign C, Bernie S, Akeyla F, Calvin M, Patrick W, Zane C, Patterson M,
Yr 2-3: Byron S, Bradley S, Jimmy D, Archer L, Rowan W, Rayne C, Camden H, Annabel T, Quinn A, Emilia K, Miller E
Any students who finish in the top 6 will progress to the Archdiocesan Cross Country at Mt Stromlo in Canberra on Friday 16 May. We wish all of our competitors the very best of luck and I look forward to sharing their results with you in the coming weeks.
MacKillop Rugby League
Beau Mc and Xavier E are competing at the MacKillop Rugby League event next Friday 9 May and we wish them all the best of luck. The boys will be competing against teams from Wollongong, Wagga, Parramatta and Sydney Diocese and is always a highly memorable experience for our students. We are very excited to hear how the boys go next week and share the results in our next newsletter.
CECG Soccer
Congratulations to Mackenzie H on her selection into the CECG girls soccer team late last term. Mackenzie will be playing against some tough competition on Friday May 30 in Sydney and we wish her all the very best of luck and look forward to hearing all about her experience next month.
Athletics Carnival Update
Mark Wednesday 18 June in your diaries for our school Athletics Carnival. This year, we will be moving our carnival to Captain Oldrey Park in Broulee. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
Mrs Megan Grant
Sports Coordinator
