Newsletter - T4, W9 - 13/12/24

From the Principal

This is the last newsletter of the year and I would like to acknowledge our students and families for their wonderful efforts this year. It has been a fantastic year of learning, faith formation and community building. Students are proud of St Mary’s and I can sense that pride through the daily interactions I have with students. 

On Monday night starting at 6.30pm in the Relihan Centre we will celebrate the successes of our students during our annual Celebration Evening. It will be great to see strong family support as we acclaim our students. I would like to mention those students who have left us this year to attain full time employment or secure apprenticeships. Congratulations and I look forward to hearing about your successes.

HSC results will be released on Wednesday, 18 December. Given the hard work our students have put in, I am anticipating some pleasing results. Congratulations to all students who completed their HSC examinations in 2024. 

On Thursday morning, I had the privilege of attending the Year 6 St Mary’s Primary School Graduation ceremony. I was very impressed with the students and look forward to welcoming most of them into the College in 2025.

We will farewell the following staff in 2024

• Michele McCaffery who will enjoy some well earned long service leave
• Paul McCaffery will be on leave in 2025
  
• Natalie Piccini from the front office will be moving to Queensland
• Anastasia Camuglia who works with our Welfare Team
• Michael Woerner will finish his time at St Mary’s after 10 years of service. The entire College Community thanks him for his contribution.
• Joe Lollback has moved into youth work, he was a valued Teachers Aide.
• Judy Keep will be moving to Queensland. She has worked as a Teachers Aide for a number of years.

We welcome Ms Ellen Hall to our community on a full time basis. Ellen teaches HSIE and Mathematics. She is an enthusiastic and gifted young teacher.

We will also welcome Ms Emily Webster to our community in 2025, Emily joins us from Xavier Catholic College Skennars Head. Emily comes to us with a wealth of experience and a proven track record of excellence. She will move into our Leader of Catechesis role.

December in Australia is always exciting, not because of the weather but because of the anticipation of Christmas. The Church does this via the season of Advent. In the Catholic Church, Advent is a time of preparation – for the birth of Jesus, our Lord. In churches, there are Advent wreaths consisting of four candles (three purple and one pink – the Shepherd’s Candle – joy) that symbolise hope, peace, joy and love. Christmas is also about family and celebrating the bonds that family has. 

The following message was sent to me by a friend and I thought I would share it:

Have a great Christmas.

Michael Campbell
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 10
Monday 16/12/24 - Celebration Evening 
Monday 16/12/24 - End of Year Liturgy
Monday 16/12/24 - Last Day of Formal Classes 
Tuesday 17/12/24 - Integrity Awards Celebration Day
Wednesday 18/12/24 - Leadership Day 
Wednesday 18/12/24 - Last day of the School Year 

Week 1
Tuesday 4/2/25 - Years 7, 11 & 12 First Day 2025 (Day 2 Timetable)
Wednesday 5/2/25 - All Students Return for 2025 (Day 3 Timetable)

Week 2
Tuesday 11/2/25 - Tuesday 12/2/25 - Year 7 Unity Day 2025

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
Saturday 6.00pm 
Sunday 8.00am

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

Adoration
Wednesday 5.00pm
Following 9.00 am Mass Saturday

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am
Anointing of the sick
First Saturday of each month 

Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Eve -Tuesday 24/12/2024
Mallanganee 5.00pm
Casino 6.00pm
Casino Midnight 12.00am

Christmas Day - Wednesday 25/12/2024
Casino 8.00am

Mission Team

As we reach the end of another memorable school year, it’s a time to reflect on all we have achieved together. This year, our students have excelled not only in academics but also in sports, the arts, and leadership, making us proud of the vibrant College community we’ve built.

Our academic results speak for themselves, with impressive exam performances and continued dedication in the classroom. Students have embraced the challenges of learning with resilience and enthusiasm. 

Outside of the classroom, our school’s commitment to the Casino community has been evident. We’ve seen outstanding contributions to community events, environmental initiatives, and leadership programs. These experiences have allowed our students to grow not only as learners but as thoughtful, responsible individuals who will make a positive impact on the world.

As we look ahead to the summer, we wish all our students and staff a well-deserved break. We can’t wait to see what the next year brings as we continue to strive for excellence and foster a supportive, inclusive school environment. Here’s to a bright future ahead!

Thank you for an incredible year!

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

Christmas Appeal
Each homeroom across the College has been collecting donations to go towards the Vinnies Christmas Appeal.

Thank you to those who have made donations. Hampers will be given to Vinnies after our Christmas liturgy on Monday, Week 10.

Kate Rowlands
Leader of School Evangelisation

Student Leaders Training Day
Our school leaders will be participating in a Leadership Day focusing on building Catholic Community relationships and future planning for 2025. This is an important day for our College leaders as it aims to provide an opportunity to better support our College community through well-organised initiatives and programs.

Aaron Kennedy
Leader of Pastoral Care 

Year 9 Ministry Class Fundraising for Share the Dignity
The Year 9 Ministry class recently took part in the Share the Dignity campaign, which aims to provide essential hygiene products to women and girls experiencing homelessness and disadvantage, particularly during the festive season. Through their fundraising efforts, the class created 13 care bags, including 2 Mum and Bub bags and 2 Teenage bags.

The donations included:

• 15 deodorants
• 15 tubes of toothpaste
• 25 toothbrushes
• 26 bottles of shampoo and conditioner
• Over 30 packs of tampons and pads
• 50 bars of soap and body wash

These care packages will be distributed to women and children in need around Christmas time, helping to ensure they have access to basic hygiene products during the holiday season. This initiative is a powerful reminder of how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of others.

Emily Jones 
Leader of Learning HSIE

Learning & Teaching Team

Celebration Day- Tuesday, 17 December 2024
On Tuesday, 17 December 2024 we will be holding our annual celebration day event. This event is a rewards day for students who have actively achieved in the College's 3 R's - Respect, Readiness and Responsibility.  As part of these awards, Students who have maintained a 3.2/4 or above average on their Integrity Awards throughout 2024 are invited to participate in our annual Integrity Award Celebration Day.

Consent must be given via compass and a $5 per student payment will need to be made prior to Sunday, 15 December 2024.

The plan for this day is as follows:
8:50am - Students get their name marked off on the basketball courts
9:00am - Students make their way to Casino pool where they will have unencumbered access to the slides until 11am. From 11:00am - 12:00pm students will be able to utilise the pool area for free swimming time. Students are able to use the pool canteen whilst they are there.
12:00pm - Students will be gathered by staff and will walk back to the College. They will be permitted to stop at KFC or McDonalds to purchase lunch (with their own money) and bring it back to the College.
1:30pm - Afternoon activities will be conducted that students can choose from. These include movies, board games, handball, volleyball, basketball.
3:10pm - Students are dismissed

The College canteen will not be open on this day.

All other students will be supervised at the College in the morning and will join in the after lunch activities.

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Sports News

3 v 3 Basketball - Casino Indoor Sport Centre
The boys and girls basketball teams did an excellent job at the 3v3 tournament in Casino on Tuesday, 3 December.  We had ten teams representing SMCC for the day, with each team playing around 8 games.  

In our Year 7-8 male division, our teams took 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with the team of Thomas Zeller, Dane Turley, Joseph Formaggin, and Lewis Johnston getting the win for the day.

The female division was combined Year 7-12, and we had 3 teams representing St. Mary’s.  They all played hard and were competitive in all of their games, with one of the teams placing in the top 3.

Finally, in our Year 9-12 male division, St. Mary’s took first place, winning in the final by a score of 13-3, coming off of 4 x 3-pointers by Ashton James Marquez. Rounding out the rest of the team were Ollie Jenkins, Riley Newman, Callin Loy, Spencer Darragh, Max Hale and Colby Leeson.

Great job to everyone who participated!

Craig Beare
Sports Coordinator

Brian Lang & Keely Maguire
Coaches

Term 1, 2025 SMCC Sporting / Important Events

Exciting News for 2025: SMCC Sport Google Classroom
We are excited to announce a new initiative to help students stay up to date with everything related to school sports. In 2025, we will be launching the SMCC Sport Google Classroom to provide a dedicated space for students who are passionate about sports and want to stay informed about upcoming events, opportunities, and news related to their favourite activities.

How to Join:

• Students interested in participating in school sports can join the classroom using the following class code: nvv4uc6.

Parents/Guardians will also be invited early next year, so you can easily track what’s happening in the world of school sports and stay up-to-date with your child’s involvement.

We look forward to fostering a stronger connection between our school sports community and everyone who is eager to get involved!

Upcoming 2025 Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Events and Registrations
CCC 19's Girls Cricket - Tuesday, 4/2/25
CCC 19's Boys Cricket - Tuesday, 11/2/25
CCC Golf - Tuncurry -  Monday, 3/3/25
CCC Baseball - Tuesday, 4/3/25
CCC Volleyball - Friday 28/3/25
CCC Rugby Union - Tuesday 8/4/25 & Wednesday, 9/4/25
CCC Basketball 16's Boys & Girls - Sutherland - Tuesday, 13/5/25
CCC Basketball 18's Boys & Girls - Sutherland - Wednesday, 14/5/25
CCC Netball 15's - Penrith - Thursday, 29/5/25
CCC Netball 18's - Penrith - Friday, 30/5/25
CCC Basketball Opens Championship - Tuesday, 17/6/25 & Wednesday, 18/6/25
CCC 16 & Opens Basketball Trials - Thursday, 19/6/25

Link to Catholic Sport NSW

Sport Search (½ way down page) → Step 1 (click on CCC) → Step 2 (select sport). Registration & Calendar is also there.

Craig Beare
Sports Coordinator

Canteen

The last day for 2024 Canteen orders will be Tuesday 17 December.
The canteen will be closed on Wednesday 18 December as the staff prepare for the end of year and no items will be available for purchase or order. Please ensure your child is prepared with a packed lunch for this day.

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.

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 Christmas Holidays Opening Hours 
Monday, 20 January 7:30am to 1:30pm 
Tuesday, 21 January 9:30am to 1:30pm

Please note the following information for orders made via the Flexischools service after Monday, 16 December:

- Cut off time is 12pm on Monday, 20 January 
- Order Collection is available from the College on Tuesday, 21 January after 9:30am

Orders placed after 12pm Monday, 20 January will be available to collect form the College Office on Monday, 3 February between 9am-12pm 

Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Tuesdays         3.00pm to 4.15pm
Thursdays        1.30pm to 4.15pm

The Uniform Shop service is a cashless service. Methods of payment are by EFTPOS or online ordering via Flexischools. No fees are charged to families for using the Flexischools service.

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

Tuesday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon on Monday
- Pick up available from the College office on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30pm - 4.15.00pm

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon on Wednesday 
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 4.15pm.

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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