WEEK 2| TERM 4| 2020

Car Park Upgrade With our school experiencing considerable enrolment growth, this has impacted upon our parking options along Poole Street. At all times, our school is working with a strategic and future mindset to meet and address the needs of our school community. Our School Board began investigating this matter early this year and we worked in collaboration with Mrs Jessica Cristaudo (Whitsunday Regional Council - Coordinator Transport Planning and Assets) to apply for a grant through the School Transport Infrastructure Program. We are thrilled to share that our grant application has been successful and we are now in the planning phase. Our hope is to be able to provide increased parking along Poole Street and also designate parking along Gregory Street. We also are exploring a “Stop, Drop and Go Zone” to allow parents to perform quick drop offs and pickups. Once the draft plan has been completed, we will share this with our school community to gain feedback and input. To increase parking, all staff will park at the Church or along Gregory Street. We hope that this will allow greater parking spaces for all families, with the safety of our students being our number one priority. We remind all parents that the bus zone is simply that. NO cars are to park in the bus zone during designated bus times. This is an offense and places the safety of our students in jeopardy. I also ask that all parents remind their children to use the crossing at all times. Again, this is a safety matter. We thank the Whitsunday Regional Council for always supporting our school and we look forward to our new parking arrangements being completed over the coming months.

Colette Williams

Principal

Religious Life of our school

Mrs Billie Acreman wears a dual role as our school Chaplain and Indigenous Education Worker. Mrs Kristy Sylvester also shares the role as Indigenous Education Worker. Over the past four weeks, we have been collaborating to develop an action plan to provide lunch time activities to increase cultural awareness and also to provide our students with opportunities to encounter Christ in their everyday lives. There is a timetable located in each classroom, where the children can view what is happening and decide what they would like to be involved in during lunch times. We thank Billie and Kristy for investing such love and passion into their new roles! Lunch times certainly are a time of cultural awareness raising and encountering God. Our Parish is currently renewing their vision and mission. As a Church community, we have a very special prayer, which we pray each week during our weekend Mass. We invite all members of our school community to join us in praying for our Parish during this renewal process.

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for gathering us together and calling us to serve as your disciples. You have charged us through your Son, Jesus, with the great mission of evangelising and witnessing your love to the world. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern Your will for the spiritual renewal of our Par-

ish. Give us strength, courage and clear vision as we use our gifts to serve You. We entrust our Parish family to the care of Mary, our mother, and ask for her intercession and guidance as we

strive to bear witness to the Gospel and build an amazing Parish. Amen

Mrs Colette Williams

Principal

Miss Kristy and Miss Billie planning some exciting activities.

Lunch time activities with

Miss Billie and Miss Kristy

Miss Kristy and I have been keeping very busy at lunch times. Some of the fun activities happening over the term at play time are: making rain sticks, origami, paper chain serpent, macrame, wind streamers and Friday Funnies (bring your funniest joke to school and share your funnies!!!) Our student have embraced the variety of activities we have on offer. This week they have made mud paint, had story time, learnt how to do paper weaving, made their own personalised bag tag, started to decorate their leaves for their wreath making activity which will happen in week 8, had fun with play dough and done some aboriginal story drawings. These activities will continue throughout Term 4, so keep your eye out for some of the fun stuff the children will be bringing home to show you. Another exciting venture for this month will be celebrating Soctober. We will be holding this on Wednesday 28th October. All students are invited to wear the craziest socks to school and are asked to donate a gold coin. All funds raised will help the Catholic Mission provide education and health care for key projects in over 160 countries, including remote areas of Australia. These funds raised will also give children the opportunity for an enriched life, regardless of race, stigma, religion or gender.

Lunch time activities include Origami and mak-

ing your own “Bag Tag”.

Thank you Miss Billie and Miss Kristy.

Outside School Hours Care

OSHC At St Mary’s Catholic School we offer Outside School Hours Care for all of our students. Presently

we are offering this service after school from 3pm until 6pm. .

If you would like to use this service, please note parents will need to register their child before

they can attend. To register you must go to the following link:

https://prodadmin.myxplor.com/enrollment_v2/centre/KmS61Gbi94231OeGvnQPqvZMqg

Fun and games happen every afternoon

with Miss Rob and Mrs Lawless. And

check out afternoon tea...it is always very

yummy at OSHC!!

Book Week 2020

Book Week at St Mary’s will be held

during Week 3. Students are invited

to dress up on Wednesday 21 Oct as

their favourite book character. Our

Book Week parade will take place in

the Big Shed at 9am. We will be

having some awesome activities

throughout this week in celebration.

It’s a Girl!! Congratulations and welcome to a baby

sister for Maggie

Savannah Luigina Romano on 8th October 2020

weighing 8lb 2oz.

Mum and Baby doing well …..Dad and big sister

are very proud.

Congratulations to Sarah, Brendon and Maggie.

Flexischools is now operating at St Mary’s Catholic School. This online program allows for cashless

convenience. Download the App on to your phone or tablet. Once on the App, type in “Bowen” to

find St Mary’s Catholic School, place your order by 8.30am each Tuesday and Thursday. Please

contact the school office if you have any concerns.

23 Oct Sophie Palmero

23 Oct Lucas Poljakovic

24 Oct Keeleigh Muir If you are celebrating a

Birthday over the

holidays, we hope you

all have a lovely day!!!

4

TUCKSHOP HELPERS NEEDED

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 9am—2pm

PLEASE CONTACT THE SCHOOL OFFICE WITH

YOUR INTEREST.

New Members are welcome to join.