Term 1 Week 5 Newsletter 2025

Important Dates

Character Virtue:  C O U R A G E
What it looks like:   Courage is like facing your fears even when you're scared.  It's doing what's right, even when it's hard.
What it means:  Courage means having a brave heart and taking action, even in challenging situations.
Why it is important:  Courage helps you overcome obstacles and make positive changes.  It's the strength to stand up for what you believe in.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Week 5.

We will have a  Mass in our School Hall to celebrate Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday is the first day in the season of Lent.  All Catholics can observe Lent; it is a beautiful way to remember Jesus' sacrifice for us and prepare us for the Easter season.  We do extra prayers, fasting, and almsgiving during this season of Lent.

P&F Meeting - ALL WELCOME
Our AGM and first General Meeting was held last Wednesday.
Congratulations to our P&F Executive for 2025:
President - Ilka Grattan
Vice President - Michelle Howarth
Secretary - Kate Woodbridge

Note:  Keep an eye out for news about our upcoming Easter Raffle.

Student Phones - Parents are reminded that any students who bring phones to school are asked to drop them at the office in the morning.  Class teachers will give them time to collect the phone before they go home at the end of the day.

Uniform reminders relating to hair and jewellery
- Jewellery is not permitted other than a signet ring, a watch, a crucifix on a fine chain and one sleeper or plain stud earring in the lobe of each ear.
- Make-up or nail polish is not to be worn.
- Hair is one natural colour, clean, tidy, neatly cut, out of the eyes and tied back if long (this applies to both boys and girls).
- If worn, ribbons, hair bands, and clips must be maroon or, black or pink or made from the fabric of the school uniform.
- On Mondays, students are expected to wear black school shoes or all-black runners (no colour, including laces, brands or soles)

Sport

Western Region Swimming Carnival - Thanks to Mrs O'Brien and Mr Fuller for taking our swimming team to Wellington for the Western Regional last week.  Thanks also to the parents who provided transport and helped out with timekeeping.  We had some fantastic results, with a number of our students progressing to next week's Diocesan Carnival:

Hamish Meyers, Emily Lindsay, Georgie Meyers, Diesel Simpson, Connah Maas,
Frankie Simpson, Slater Gray, Harry Finlay, Jackson O'Connor, Georgia Grattan,
Matthew Sommerlad, Lucy Grattan, Cohen Quigley, Roy Larkin, Brock Eagleston,
Louie Knight and Sophie McAnally.

Congratulations to our Western Region Age Champions: 
Emily Lindsay and Diesel Simpson

Cricket Sessions - Congratulations to the Kinder students who have participated wholeheartedly in the Sporting Schools funded Cricket sessions run by Cricket NSW guru Matt Ellis and new facilitator Jen Baker. We are extremely lucky to have secured the services of such experienced providers for this program. Students in Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 will be learning fundamental movement skills, including throwing, catching, batting, bowling and running between the wickets.  Well done KB.

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Chess

Chess Club has kicked off for 2025, in the new Learning Centre at the back of the school library. 
We had over 25 students at our first meeting, who showed renewed purpose and commitment to "protect their King at all costs!"  St. Mary's will once again host the Western Zone Chess Competition in Term 2 in our School Hall.

Wellbeing

TUNING INTO KIDS...
As children grow into pre-teens and onto adolescents, it can be a turbulent time, and as parents and carers we can be left feeling like we are speaking a completely different language when trying to communicate with our child. Thankfully there is now more education than ever about how to navigate this time in your child's life, and how to foster strong, nurturing relationships. Tuning into Kids is an evidence based program that teaches parents and carers the skill of Emotionally Intelligent Parenting. Through these skills, parents and carers are able to become more aware of their child's emotions and responses to different situations, as well as attuning to their world and what is important to them. Amy Welbourne, Counsellor and trained Tuning into Kids facilitator is offering a condensed 1.5 hour version of what is normally a 6 week program, so that you can learn the key points from this training and start putting them into practice. 
Amy will also touch on the pros and cons of social media and its impacts on child brain development.

When:  Tuesday, 18th March 
Time:    5.30 pm to 7.00 pm
Where:  St. Mary's School Library
What to bring:   Notepad and pen

Thank you, Mrs Sue Nuttall - Wellbeing Leader

Religious Education

Shrove Tuesday (TOMORROW) - Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins).
Pancake Day is also known around the world as Shrove Tuesday. It falls on the day before Ash Wednesday each year, the first day of Lent. Pancake Day was originally a pagan holiday in which eating pancakes during Shrovetide week was extremely important. The word shrove is derived from the word shrive which means to gain absolution from one's sins, through penance, which is important before the beginning of Lent. In the Christian faith Pancake Day is sometimes referred to as Pancake Tuesday.

Ash Wednesday - Year 4 will lead us in our Ash Wednesday Mass this Wednesday, 5th March, at noon in our School Hall.  Everyone is welcome to join us in marking the start of this Lenten season by celebrating this Mass together.  

2025 Sacramental Parent Information Session - These have now taken place for 2025. If you have missed out on registering your child for one of the sacraments you need to contact Rosie Hosking, St. Brigid’s Sacramantal Coordinator via email at sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au

ST. BRIGID'S PARISH - MASS TIMES:  
St Brigid's:  Saturday - 6pm, Sunday - 9am and Sunday - 6pm
St. Laurence's Church:  Sunday - 7.30am

Awards

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:

HOUSE AWARDS:
Congratulations to the following students for gaining 10 points for
their Sports House for exemplary behaviour:

School Photographs

School Photography Date: 13/03/2025

ORDERING IS NOW OPEN...

Dear Parents,

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below. If you prefer to order using an envelope please visit your school office, collect an order envelope and hand your payment to our photographer on school photo day.

Two easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: WRP M52 MAB

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past

School Fees

Term 1 2025 School Fees are due on Friday, 14th March 2025.
If you wish to commence a new Direct Debit plan or have an existing Direct Debit plan in place that needs adjusting, please let us know via email:  k.bywater@bth.catholic.edu.au  Thank you.

Community News

BIRTHDAYS:
Celebrating their birthday this week are:
Lottie Woodham, Alfie Bonham, Tanner Howell, Harry O'Donoghue,
Aria Wright and Archie Chippendale.
We hope you enjoy your birthday!

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Canteen

MunchMonitor - We encourage all families to use the MunchMonitor online program for lunch orders. 

Volunteers for the Canteen - Thank you to our 2025 Canteen volunteers. 
The roster will be ready for publication next week.  

School Uniform