Dear Families and Friends of St Mary's,

  Welcome to another wonderful, busy term at St Mary's Bowraville. We have had a really busy start to the Year with many sporting events, amazing learning opportunities, and opportunities to welcome and connect to our community. Looking ahead, Term 2 is going to be filled with many different opportunities for our children to let their lights shine.

Staffing Update

As families were notified during the week, Miss Jarrett will be finishing up at St Mary's in the next few weeks to prepare for the arrival of her baby.  Miss Jarrett has given our Grade 2/3 students the best start to their learning this year and we are so grateful for the amazing work she has achieved with all of our students at St Mary's. We will really miss you Miss Jarrett!

Mr Pascoe will be taking on the role of Grade 2/3 until the end of the Year - we are grateful that Mr Pascoe was able to do this to support our children with their consistency of learning and wellbeing.

Very sadly, our wonderful Miss Elsy will be moving North to Harvey Bay next week. Miss Elsy has been one of most valued Casual teachers at St Mary's for a number of years. We are really going to feel the loss of Miss Elsy as the children absolutely adore her! Miss Elsy, we wish you all the best with your move and your St Mary's familiy is really going to miss you!

School Bus

Can I please ask that Parents and families really try to give us notice as to where students are in the mornings, or if the bus pick up is not required. Uncle Dean's Mobile number is 0484 870 574, and parents can contact him directly in the morning. We are finding, that in particular, Monday mornings are often spent trying to locate children and being waved on by families. It would really assist our smooth bus run if you could please let Uncle Dean know if there are changes to pick up or if the bus is not required.

Thank you in advance families.

Compass

Compass is our prefferred method of communication to families. If you are yet to download the COMPASS App, please do so. If you need assistance with this please come in and see Aunty George or Leia at the front office. 

Hats

Can all families please check at home for student hats? If your child does not have one, they are $10 from the front office. We only have a limited number of spares, and an increasing number of children wanting them.

What do Vitamins and Sacraments have in common?

We often take vitamins to supplement our diet or give us something extra during busy times etc. Sacraments such as Baptism, Communion and Confirmation are just that for us…they give us a boost of Grace when we might need it. If your family is interested in being Baptised or receiving other Sacraments please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sacrament of Confirmation

This Sacrament will be celebrated on Sunday, 16th of July with Bishop Gregory. Lessons to prepare for this sacrament will begin soon. Please contact the school office if your child is Baptised and would like to receive this Sacrament. 

Happy Mothers Day!

Wishing all of our beautiful Mums, Aunties, Carers, Nans and Grans the most beautiful Mothers Day. Being a mum is such a busy, important job, I hope you find time this weekend to relax and enjoy your beautiful families.

Nadine

The safety of our students, families and staff is our highest priority. In order to best ensure this, the St Mary's leadership and staff, supported by the Catholic Schools office, plan for a number of possible incidents, emergencies or natural disasters that could take place at school or during the school term. The events of recent years have reinforced how important this planning is and we all have a role to play when it comes to emergency management, including families.

Our students participate in various safety drills and staff participate through training and safety drills. We’d like to share with you the role of parents and families in emergency management.

School Lockdown

A number of the situations we plan for include a school lockdown as one of the immediate safety actions to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We understand that some may understand the word ‘lockdown’ to mean there is an immediate safety risk to all students. It is important to understand that when a school initiates a lockdown this may not be the case.

Depending on the situation, the purpose of a school lockdown will differ. A school lockdown may be a preparation step for an evacuation, or a school lockdown may allow emergency services access to an area of the school without having to navigate past students. Regardless of the purpose of a school lockdown, no one can be admitted to the school grounds other than emergency services.

Should we initiate a school lockdown, parents and families will be informed via text message and Compass notification. We will also inform parents and families as soon as the school lockdown has been lifted or if there are any actions required of parents and families. It is important that you do not attempt to attend the school during a school lockdown. We understand that you may be concerned however attending the school may also add risk to a possible emergency situation, block emergency services or impede an evacuation.

Natural Disaster

In the event of a natural disaster, such as flood or bushfire, the school leadership, supported by the Catholic Schools Office, will determine if it is safe for the school to open. If there is a probability the school may have to close part way through the day, the school will not open for that day as it is extremely difficult to evacuate a school site and ensure all students are able to go directly home safely.

In a bush fire or flood event it is important that parents and families have a plan to get your child/ren home from school, or into your care, at short notice. Please be aware that school buses may not be running and the school can not allow your child/ren to go home to an empty house or home with another parent without your permission.

Family Preparedness

How can you help us prepare for emergency situations? Please ensure that:

●      You have downloaded the school COMPASS APP and have allowed notifications.

●      Any changes to your contact details or custodial arrangements have been updated with the school.

●      You have a bush fire/flood plan in place that all members of your family understand.

●      In the event of a school lockdown or evacuation, directions in the parent notifications are followed.

It is always our hope that these measures will never be needed but it is also our responsibility to ensure our school community is prepared and informed should the need arise. 

We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

Nadine Slingsby and Nigel McIntyre, Work Health and Safety Manager, Catholic Schools Office

Farewell to Miss Taylor! We wish Miss Taylor all the best while she goes on Maternity leave and we look forward to meeting her new little baby soon!

On Friday 12th May students celebrated Mother's Day with the special people in their life. Families were entertained by singing, poem readings, class performances and a slide show with messages from our students.

On Tuesday 2nd May St Mary's students attended Hennessey Tape Oval in Bowraville to participate in our school cross country with some students qualifying to attend the next level, Zone Cross Country in Kempsey.

On Wednesday 10th May Cross Country qualifying students attended Zone Cross Country in Kempsey. Congratulations to these students and Best of luck to Sonny Draper who came Third Place in his race and has qualified for Regional Cross Country

On Monday 1st May our Year 5 & 6 Students attended Coronation Park in Nambucca Heads to  Participate in league tag with other schools– South West Rocks, Macksville , Urunga and Nambucca Heads.

Congratulations to our Term 2 Week 3 Award Winners:

K/1: Lance Breckenridge, William Lindsay, Djanaambi Chapman

2/3: Sofia Brunno, Regent Jarrett, Vanessa Brunno, Bradley Walker, Jayden Davis

4: Harry Duncan, Ariana Jarrett, Kobi Lawson 

5/6: Isabelle Hundt-Taylor, Martin Walker, Archie Duncan

On the 25th March Students and Teachers from St Mary’s Marched in the ANZAC day march in Bowraville. Martin Walker read a poem “In Flanders Fields” in front of the assembly. Sonny Draper, Archie Duncan and Harry Duncan placed a wreath at the Cenotaph.

On Friday 28th we celebrated Catholic schools week with our community and families over breakfast. Catholic Schools Week is a time to celebrate our shared faith, educational excellence and the importance of every student. Catholic schools offer an educational foundation for living life to the full through the development of the student’s spiritual, intellectual, physical, moral and emotional growth.

The Macksville Show was held on the 21st & 22nd of April. Our Students created a wonderful display  for the show with the theme around the display being  “Celebrating the Nambucca Valley”. Stage 3 painted the background which featured one of our local mountains Nguduum Juluum .

Students created artworks showing their favourite places in the Nambucca Valley through different types of media such as paintings, pottery, weaving , lego and cultural items and featured spots such as  Lanes Bridge, Wia Ora, Bellwood pontoon, V-Wall and local farms along with paintings of native flowers.

On Thursday 6th April students attended the community easter hat parade where they paraded their easter hats through Bowraville township with Bowraville Central School, Tallowood and Bowraville Preschool. After the parade students attended Bowraville Central School for easter activities and a sausage sizzle before returning to St Mary's for the Easter Raffle.