Newsletter - T1,W2 - 10/02/23

From the Principal

Welcome back to the 2023 calendar year! I would like to especially extend a warm, St Mary’s welcome to the  Year 7 students and all of the new students in each of the other year levels. I would also like to commend all parents on the way that most students have returned to school ‘looking the part’ and thank you for your support in ensuring our St Mary’s students remain worthy ambassadors of the College in the public domain.

I need to congratulate all of our students in Year 11 and 12 who sat their HSC last year, and who gained amazing results in their various subjects. It is widely acknowledged that last year did not go to plan and that it was all less than ideal, but in the end the students showed resilience and the hard work paid off. 

Congratulations to all of our graduating class of 2022. I hope they all have begun on the next part of their life’s journey with faith, integrity and knowledge.

I believe that 2023 is going to be an incredible year.  At last we have moved into the Mercy Centre and classes are running in these beautiful facilities which have been designed and furnished with 21st century learners in mind. We are looking at having some times later on in the term to invite our families, and the wider community to come into our College so we can showcase the learning and teaching which occurs on a daily basis. The work that is being done by staff for the learning and teaching of our students in this new space is inspiring. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Mercy Centre journey.

We welcome the following staff members who join us in addition to those who commenced in December when we began our new Compressed Curriculum model:
Mr Jed Lisetto - has been appointed as Leader of Catechesis for 2023. He is replacing Ms Helen Gooley who is on Long Service Leave for 2023. Jed comes to St Mary’s from Sydney. He is an experienced RE teacher and brings a strong element of faith to his classes.
Ms Emma Northam - is an ex-student of St Mary’s and has taken up the challenging and important role of Literacy Coach for 2023. Emma has extensive experience in teaching English and is most welcome back.
Ms Karlee McPherson - is another ex-student who has joined our College and is teaching in the HSIE area. Karlee has been teaching in Kyogle for many years and has joined us as a Stage 6 Modern History teacher. Welcome back Karlee.
Ms Emily Jones - has joined us as a Stage 6 Business Studies teacher, and HSIE teacher in the Junior school. Emily has been most recently working at Xavier Catholic College, and we welcome Emily to St Mary’s.
Ms Amy Houlden - has joined us as a part-time teacher for 2023. Amy is well known to the College, as she has taught our students at various times over the last several years, completing short-term contracts. It is wonderful to have Amy here this year.
Mr Greg Hay - is the newest member of our Religious Education team here at St Mary’s. Greg will be working with our students on a part-time basis for 2023. He has most recently been teaching at Alstonville High school, and has a wealth of teaching experience which will benefit our students greatly.
Ms Jacqui Rojo - will be well known to many families as she has been the St Mary’s Primary school counsellor for many years. Jacqui will be working in the same capacity across both schools this year. This extra counselling support has been made possible due to extra funding from the CSO to help support our students. Welcome Jacqui.
Ms Charlotte Kean - is our 2023 Youth Ministry Officer (YMO). Charlotte is a graduate from Trinity Catholic College in Lismore and we are very excited to have Charlotte working with our students this year.

On behalf of our College community, I warmly welcome each of these new staff members to St Mary’s in their respective roles and know that they will each make a valued contribution to the college during their time with us.

A number of existing staff have changed roles in 2023, so I offer this full list of Executive and Middle Management appointments which are effective for the 2023 academic year:

I would also like to introduce our Student Leadership Team for 2023. There has been a change to our team which was announced last year as our previous Captain, Holly Wall, has left school to pursue other employment. We wish Holly all the best for her new venture. Please also be aware that our Year 7 student representatives have yet to be elected. We anticipate that this will happen in early Term 2. 

Congratulations to all students who put themselves forward and to those who have been elected. It takes a great deal of courage to stand before your peers and offer your service to others. It is the epitome of the ‘Reach Out’ motto of the school, and we applaud their commitment to be willing to serve others.

Our ICT programme continues to develop and I would like to issue a reminder to students about the importance of storing these devices safely during the school day, especially at recess and lunch times when they should be locked away in student lockers. This is most important, especially with accidental damage insurance incurring an excess. I would like to thank our Leader of ICT - Mr Scott Taylor, for his work in ensuring each of our students has access to technology from the beginning of the school year.

Existing parents would be aware that we pride ourselves here at St Mary’s on building productive partnerships between home and the College. As in all things, from time to time issues will arise. To contact any member of staff, please phone the College office on 6662 2255 or come to the office to make an appointment. We can also be contacted out of hours via email at: smccadmin@lism.catholic.edu.au.

You will find a detailed ‘flow chart’ outlining home-school communication reproduced below.

As we begin this new school year, let us remember that we are not simply embarking on a journey of academic pursuits, but a journey of faith and spiritual growth. May we be inspired by the words of St. John Paul II, who said, 'Education is a valuable good that helps to create a more just and supportive society. It is a fundamental right and duty of every person.'

Let us approach each day with open hearts and minds, ready to learn and grow in our knowledge and understanding of both the world around us and of our Catholic faith. May we find joy in the challenges that lie ahead, and may we support one another as we work towards our goals.

May this school year be filled with opportunities for personal and spiritual growth, and may the love and guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us every step of the way.

Wishing you all a successful and blessed school year!

Tracy Robinson
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 3
Tuesday 14/2/23 to Thursday 16/2/23 - Year 7 PAT Testing
Wednesday 15/2/23 - Commencement Mass 11:30am
Friday 17/2/23 - SMCC Breakfast Club commences

Week 4
Wednesday 22/2/23 - Ash Wednesday
Wednesday 22/2/23 - Year 7 Parent Welcome Night
Thursday 23/2/23 - Swimming Carnival
Friday 24/2/23 - Staff Development Day / Student Free Day

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
6.00pm (Sat) & 8.00am (Sun)

Weekdays
Monday 9.00am
Tuesday  8.00am
Wednesday 8.00am
Thursday  9.00am
Friday  9.00am
Saturday  9.00am

Adoration
Follows 9.00am Saturday Mass

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am

Country Mass
Bonalbo - 10:30am Sunday 12/02/23

From the Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Learning Innovation
The start of the year has been a successful one for SMCC. We began the year by celebrating our success in the 2022 HSC. Abby Martin was awarded the 2022 Dux of the College and 8 other students received distinguished and high achiever rewards. The public acknowledgement of our academic success was a fantastic way to start what will hopefully be a great year at the College.

SMCC Integrity Awards 
This year sees the school begin its new SMCC Integrity Awards. These are non academic awards that recognise student effort in and out of the classroom. These awards are based around the College’s 3R’s: Respect, Responsibility and Readiness.

The following slides contain all of the information that teachers are looking for in regards to these awards.

These awards will be filled in and published 5 times a year, with students earning both Integrity Certificates, St Francis of Assisi badges and reward days at the end of the year. The results of these awards will be available for parents to view on Compass.

Assessment Procedures
The assessment procedures for Years 7-12 students were published and given to students at the beginning of the new academic year last year.

In order to make sure that every parent is aware of the College’s expectations, these procedures will become available in the coming weeks on the left hand side of the newsletter in PDF form.

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

In this weekend's Gospel we hear the heart of the Law was and is: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... and your neighbour as yourself” (Matt 22:37-39). For Christians, following external laws is not the only thing we must do. Jesus wants us to demonstrate listening hearts, be courageous, be generous with our gifts and discerning with our decisions.

It has been a wonderful start to the school year with so much joy and happiness from the students as they settle back into their learning environments. We particularly welcome our new students in year 7, and the new additions in other year groups. We trust they find our community to be welcoming and hospitable. 

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the Leader of Pedagogy

Welcome to all our new families and welcome back to our existing families, it has been a great start to 2023 at the College.

I would like to make you aware that the Friday of Week 4, 24 February 2023, is going to be a Staff Development Day at the College, a student-free day.  The Mercy Centre is an amazing new space and we would like to ensure each classroom environment is rich with many effective learning opportunities.  On this day staff will be working together to learn, design and plan for productive and inclusive classroom environments that are rich with many learning opportunities.  More to come after our learning day.

Kelly Winters
Leader of Pedagogy

From the Leader of Pastoral Care

We welcome students back, ready for what 2023 will bring, especially our newest members of St Mary’s Catholic College, our year 7’s. We know and understand that the transition from primary school to secondary school can be particularly challenging for students but also parents who might struggle with knowing how to assist their children in settling into college life. The Catholic Schools Office has developed some great Transition Tip sheets which we will be including in our newsletters over the next few weeks. Please have a read of the first two here. Transition Tips Sheet 1 & Transition Tips Sheet 2
In addition to this our homeroom teachers will be making contact with parents to ensure each student is coping with their new environment. Please feel free to contact homeroom teachers, Leaders of House or myself if you have any concerns for your child.

Also, a huge welcome to our new enrollments in other year groups.

Finally, this year, we will be using Pulse, an online “Check in” platform, that provides students with a way to reach out for help when they need it and gives the Pastoral Care team an insight into student wellbeing, changes over time and the capacity to respond to individual students who need support. Students will be checking in during homeroom on their devices each Tuesday morning- “Check in Tuesday”. The Pastoral Care team will respond to students who ask for help and track changes in student wellbeing over time.

You may recall this information in the last newsletter of 2022 and we have included this flyer again in this newsletter for more information about this.

Michele McCaffery
Leader of Pastoral Care

From the Leader of Library and Resources

Premiers Reading Challenge 2023
The Premiers Reading Challenge is commencing on 27 February and finishes on 18 August 2023. Students are asked to read 20 books, ten of which can be a free choice, while the other ten may come from the extensive PRC Booklist. Sora has over 1700 books that are on the PRC list and we have over 300 in our Library, so there is much to choose from.

The PRC aims to encourage a love of reading and enable them to experience quality literature and to read more widely. It is open to all students, from Kindergarten to Year 10. Students who have completed this Challenge in Primary School are encouraged to continue participating. Those who complete the Challenge over four consecutive years will be eligible for a Gold Certificate.

Students should see me in the next week if they are interested in participating in this worthy Challenge.

Bev Champion
Leader of Library and Resources

From the Literacy Coach and The Leader of Learning - Numeracy

PAT Testing - Term 1, 2023
During Week 3, all Year 7 students will participate in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). Students in Year 7 will sit tests for Reading, Mathematics and Science. PAT tests are designed to assess each student’s current capability against the appropriate standard for their age. Unlike NAPLAN, the PAT assessments do not have a student/parent report. However, student data is available to our College and is a valuable source of information on each student’s development. 

Teachers use the results to track each student’s development from year to year. This information is a useful tool for identifying students requiring extra support or extension in their studies. The PAT testing process should be familiar to all students and should not be seen as a stressful “pass or fail” assessment. However, it is important that students try their best in these tests, as the information gained helps to inform our teaching, in much the same way that a fitness test would help a personal trainer design the right program for success. 

Students can prepare for these tests by making sure they have a fully charged device and a pen with them each day. 

Emma Northam & Mark Chivers
Literacy Coach & Leader of Learning - Numeracy

From the Sports Coordinator

Welcome back to all new and existing families. 2023 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for sport at SMCC. We have our College Swimming Carnival coming up in week 4 on the 23rd February at the Kyogle Memorial Pool. Families are more than welcome to come along and support students. Entry for spectators is $3 and current SMCC student entry is covered in the school levy. Events will begin around 10am and conclude in time for students to catch buses home.

Below is the College’s swimwear policy that promotes modesty and safety when participating in aquatic activities.

In other sport news, select students have been given a nomination form to apply for individual diocesan trials for opens soccer as well as opens, U15 and U18 and U16 boys and girls rugby league, respectively. These trials will be held on March 7th in Lismore. We wish these students all the best in their trials to make the Lismore Diocesan team.

Upcoming SMCC team events for term 1 include:

• Opens Boys and Girls Soccer
• Opens Boys and Girls Basketball
• Opens and Juniors Tennis Doubles.

Interested parties need to register their interest on the sports noticeboard outside the staffroom.

College Sports Uniform
Beginning in the 2023 academic year, the College will be implementing a full college sports uniform policy when students are representing the College for any sport competition. What this means is students will be required to wear their full college sports uniform to events demonstrating team cohesiveness and pride in our College. Students will not be permitted to wear any other non-school attire (e.g. hoodies, trackpants, hats etc.) to these events. Students that do not adhere to this policy will not be representing the College and will be asked to remain at school instead of attending the sporting event.

SMCC Swimwear Policy
With the swimming carnival scheduled for early term 1, the College would like to remind the SMCC community of the swimwear policy here at school. 

For all water, swimming and aquatic activities the following swimwear policy has been adopted by St Mary’s Catholic College. Hopefully this will make it clear what attire is safe and appropriate at College events and activities. The policy will now apply to students currently participating in water activities for Sport and for upcoming excursions and carnivals involving swimming. 

We want all students to be able to participate in aquatic activities safely and modestly. We are concerned about students’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

Prohibited apparel includes: non-swimming shirts, running shorts, compression tights, athletic shorts, undergarments, swimmers not covering buttock cheeks, thongs and Brazilian cut swimwear. These garments are either considered unsafe for water and aquatic activities or inappropriate due to their revealing nature. The aim is for everyone to have fun, participate and enjoy aquatic games and activities.

Weekly School Sport Term 1 2023
Weekly school sport for 2023 will remain using the same structure as sport in 2022. Thursday sport will consist of stage 4 students having sport in the morning during periods 1 and 2, whilst stage 5 students will have sport in the afternoons during periods 5 and 6.

Please see the details below regarding the sports available for each year group:

Year 7
Students will rotate through a range of scheduled activities as they transition into sport at high school. This will include Cricket, Lawn bowls ($2), Oztag and Ultimate Frisbee. A detailed timetable is below.

Year 8
Basketball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Tennis - Where: Casino Tennis Courts - Cost: Nil
Volleyball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Walking - Where: Various destinations around Casino - Cost: Nil

Year 9 & 10
Basketball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Golf - Where: Casino Golf Club - Cost: $5 per week
Tennis - Where: Casino Tennis Courts - Cost: $4 per week
League Tag - Where: Colley Park - Cost: Nil
Volleyball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Walking - Where: Various destinations around Casino - Cost: Nil
Gym - Where: Mercy Centre Gym (MCG) - Cost: Nil
Ultimate Frisbee - Where: Colley Park - Cost: Nil

Andrew Fitness
Sports Coordinator

From the Leader of School Evangelisation

Unity Day
Last Friday our Year 7 students participated in ‘Unity Day’ which helped students develop an understanding of what it means to belong to St Mary’s Catholic College. The day was led by staff and student leaders and students grew in faith and friendship whilst becoming more familiar with the Mercy and Marist charisms of the College. The highlight of the day was the scavenger hunt around the school where students were challenged to find objects ranging from foundation stones to items in the College Library. 

Commencement Mass
The whole College Community will be gathering for our Commencement Mass on Wednesday, 15 February at 11:30am. We are looking forward to celebrating the beginning of our 2023 calendar year.  Whole school masses have certainly been something we have missed at the College over the past two years. Christ is integral to our life at the College and it is important that we have the opportunity to  worship as a whole school community. 

Volunteer Opportunities

Mahaila Day
Leader of School Evangelisation

College Information

Lateness
One of the most important things you can do is to ensure your child is at school every day and on time. Even five minutes late counts as a partial absence and needs to be explained. This is especially important for the senior students, as each day away is the equivalent of two days due to the Compressed Curriculum.

Staying at School
Once students have arrived at the College, then they are in our care. They should not be leaving for any reason and certainly not without parental permission. Students are not to take themselves to McDonalds or other places without permission. If they do go to this establishment before school, they are not permitted to bring the food back onto school grounds.

Leaving during the day
Parents are requested to avoid making appointments for their children during school hours. If appointments are unavoidable, parents must fill in a ‘Notice of Appointment’ slip in the Student Planner. Students are to present the slip to their Homeroom Teacher or any teacher to be signed. Before leaving the College, the student is to report to the Office so that they may be ‘signed out’. Upon their return, the student is to go to the Office so that they can be ‘signed in’. The College does not permit students to leave the College grounds during school hours, which includes lunch breaks and sports afternoons. Should you need to get a message to your child during the day, please contact the College office and the message will be given during recess or lunch. Where possible, please avoid coming to the office and asking to collect your child.

Compass
Compass has replaced all other avenues of communication to students and parents. This communication includes but is not limited to:

• School Fees
• Attendance Information
• Emails
• SMS
• Payment of Excursions
• School Reports

It is vital that the College has the most up to date emails addresses and mobile phone numbers for parents and carers. Compass, on behalf of the College, has sent an email to all residential guardians with login details for access to Compass. We ask all parents and guardians who have yet to login to Compass please do so as soon as possible. If you have not received the email with your login details please check your junk/spam folder. If you cannot access the email please contact the College office to check if your contact details are the most up to date email address. St Mary’s Catholic College will no longer use Skoolbag as a means of communication in 2023. 

Please click here for further instructions on downloading and using the Compass app.

Change of Details
If details for your family have changed or do change eg address, phone number, emergency contacts etc, there is a form at the College Office to be completed as soon as possible please. Alternatively please email smccadmin@lism.catholic.edu.au with your new details.

Homework Centre
This is voluntary for students to attend. If students are attending they are to go to the library straight after school, not via McDonalds or any other meeting place. This is a quiet area for students to do assignments and homework. It is not for playing video games or socialising.

Mathematics Tutorial
All students are welcome to come to Maths tutoring in the library after school on Mondays 3.30pm - 4.30pm and on Thursdays by appointment with the classroom teacher. This is in addition to the Homework Centre which also operates in the Library. Teachers will be available to assist students of any age group or ability level and students are encouraged to bring any homework or classwork that they need help with or wish to revise. See you there.

Bus Travel
Any new student at St Mary’s Catholic College (this includes all Year 7 students) who travels by bus each day needs to complete a new bus application. These forms are now only available from Transport NSW. For more information please visit  www.transportnsw.info/schoolstudents

School Drive Subsidy
Any new student at St Mary’s Catholic College who travels more than 1.6km to the bus stop each day by car is eligible for School Drive Subsidy (Private Conveyance). To find out if you are eligible for the subsidy go to www.transport.nsw.gov.au/schooldrive

College Office Hours
Our College Office is open from 8.30am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. If you wish to contact the office regarding your student you can also contact them via email and the address is smccadmin@lism.catholic.edu.au

School Bus Safety-Bus Flashing Lights Campaign

The bus flashing lights campaign is due to run at the start of Term 1 2023 to highlight that motorists must slow down to 40km/h when bus lights flash.  

Key Messages

• Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.
• You must slow down to 40km/h when overtaking or passing a bus displaying flashing lights, unless a lower speed limit applies.

 You can help keep children safe by:

• Sticking to the speed limit and following the road rules in school zones
• Slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing unless a lower speed limit applies.
• Looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones or along bus routes
• Giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic.
• For more information visit:
  https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/be-bus-aware/bus-flashing-lights.html

Canteen

Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the Canteen. Please contact the Canteen via the College office if you are available at any time to help.

Flexischools
Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to easily place all your canteen orders online at any time.

Download the Flexischools app from the App store or Google Play. Click here for details on how to set up your account. 

Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately.

Please note that sushi orders will need to be placed before Tuesday afternoon at 1pm as Sushi will only be available for Wednesday orders.

There is a charge of $0.29 per order for using this service.

If you have any questions, please contact the Flexischools Customer Service Team via their website contact page.

The normal process of ordering from the canteen (cash, eftpos, morning lunch orders) is still available.

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Tuesdays         3.15pm to 5.00pm
Thursdays        2.00pm to 5.00pm

Payments of cash, cheque or EFTPOS are welcome.

Orders can also be placed via the Flexischools service. No fees are charged to families for using this service.

Please note the following information for orders made via this service:

Tuesday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Monday
- Pick up available from the College office on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Wednesday 
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm.

Orders not collected will be given to the student to take home.

Whilst all care will be taken to ensure that stock availability is correct at the time of ordering, there may be some items that are not in stock at the time of packing the online orders. In this case, you will be contacted to advise of an estimated time of arrival for new stock of that item or given the option of a refund processed through Flexischools.

All uniform shop order enquiries can be emailed to: cash-uniform@lism.catholic.edu.au

Second Hand Uniforms

Sustainable School Shop is an online shop dedicated to buying and selling of second hand uniforms. For more information ring 1300683337 or visit www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au.

 Please note that this facility is available for use with the new College uniforms only.

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