LINKS: Term Four Week Seven

From the Principal

Term 4 is certainly racing along, and I would like to thank all of our staff for how hard they are working to ensure our students reach their full potential! I wish all students the very best of luck with finalising their work for the year!

New website

Our new website is live: https://www.goondiwindi.catholic.edu.au/ A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this happen. In particular, Mrs Tenille White, who has put in countless hours to ensure this happened - thank you!

2024 Career Development Practitioner

I would like to announce Mrs Carly Sheridan (better known as Miss Poole) as our Career Development Practitioner for 2024 and beyond! I know she will do an excellent job and ensure our students have the best opportunities with a range of pathways as they navigate their lives. Congratulations, Carly!

I would also like to thank Rachael Reeves who has worked so hard in this role. Her dedication, individual attention and rapport with students and the wider community has allowed our students to flourish in this area.

Instrumental concert

On Friday 3^rd November, our Instrumental Music students delivered brilliant performances. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to the Principal’s Forum in Toowoomba, but I have heard excellent reports about the performances on the night.  Congratulations to our performers, as well as Mr Sam Jessen and Mrs Benita Klowss for making this night possible.

Shaping Our Future Survey results

In August, all staff and parents along with a number of students were invited to participate in the Shaping Our Future Survey. This, along with information from our SRIP earlier in the year will help to develop our Strategic Plan that we will be working on over the next year. Thank you to all who were involved in giving us this valuable feedback. Below is a snapshot of our results.

Prep to Year 2 Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all Preps to Year 2s that participated in the Swimming Carnival on Friday 3^rd November. A huge thank you to Mrs Kath Spicer for her hard work in making this event possible for our students.

Musical Auditions

Congratulations to all who auditioned for “The Lion King” for 2024. It is a brave decision to audition for a part, and remember, if you got the part or not, you should be very proud of yourself for trying! I can’t wait to see “The Lion King” in 2024! Thanks to Mrs Benita Klowss and her team for the hard work making this possible.

Remembrance Day

Congratulations to 6R for the moving Remembrance Day liturgy on Friday 10^th November. I’d also like to thank and Acknowledge Georgia Henderson, Jack Coggan, TJ Galvin and Alex Galvin for their participation in the town Remembrance Day service on Saturday 11^th November.

Just a few reminders:  

• After school pick up

All students should be picked up at 3pm at the end of the school day. Should you be unable to get here by 3.15pm at the latest, you are welcome to use our Outside of School Hours Care facility.

• SRIP

Just a reminder that this year’s School Renewal and Improvement Process (SRIP) report is available on our website: SRIP Report

Miss Angela Collins
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Hello St Mary’s community,

I am not going to talk about how quickly the term/semester/year is flying by, or how many (few) days are left until the end of the school year and Christmas; I’m sure you are all aware of these things!

We are in full swing planning for 2024, finalising reports and the upcoming Awards night. Our students are madly finishing course work and assessments.

But sometimes we are so busy looking ahead or rushing around that we forget to take the time to look back and “smell the roses”. Here is something I recently read about smelling the roses:

Pay attention - to the good things around us. Be aware of God’s blessings.

Be thankful – for God’s blessings. Have a perspective of a glass-half-full rather than glass-half-empty

Be positive – and believe that God works all things together for good to those who love him – no matter what (Romans 8:28)

Enjoy life – by paying attention being thankful and positive; i.e. stopping to smell the roses, we will enjoy life.

Summarised from “Stop and Smell the Roses” https://m.biblestudyguide.org/articles/blessings/stop-and-smell-roses.htm

God bless,

John Shaw
Deputy Principal

Religious Life

Family Mass

Our final Family Mass is on Sunday 19^th November at 9:30am. During this Mass we will be looking at the Christmas story and completing a craft activity. Please join us for our last gathering for 2023.

St Vinnies Hamper Appeal Free Dress Day

Students will come dressed in Christmas colours on Wednesday 22^nd November. In place of a gold coin donation, we are asking students to contribute something to place into our St Vinnies Christmas hampers. Items may include non-perishable food items, new toys or books, Christmas treats or decorations and toiletries. These hampers will be collected and given to Care Goondiwindi and St Vincent De Paul.

Last Assembly

Friday 24^th November, the school will gather for our final Friday assembly for 2023. At this assembly, students will bid farewell to the year 10 and Year 6 students. Students will create tunnels for our Year 6 and 10 students to walk through at the conclusion of our assembly. Please join us at 8:45am in the Centenary Centre.

Year 10 Farewell

Our Year 10 students will finish school on Friday 24^th November. The students will take part in their final Mass celebration on this day at 9:30am. The students and their families together with staff will farewell these students at a special dinner Friday evening. We wish our Year 10 students all the very best for their senior schooling.

End of Year Mass

The end of year Mass celebration is scheduled for Monday 27^th November at 9:30am. This is a wonderful celebration where our prep students will perform the Christmas Story and we will say farewell to those members of our community who will be leaving us. All are welcome to attend this lovely celebration.

Year 6 Mass

Our Year 6 students will come together on Wednesday 29^th November at 9:30am for their final Mass. Students will be accompanied by their families for this celebration. We wish our year 6 students all the best with their high school endeavours.

We’re thrilled to announce that we have received a 2023 Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant for our project, ‘Buzzing Bees’. 

Students have been learning out bees, pollination and the positive impact bees have on our environment.

St Mary’s School is one of 1,107 primary schools and early learning centres across Australia to receive a Woolworths Junior Landcare grant to help grow our next generation of environmental champions.

The children and teachers are looking forward to getting their hands dirty and learning from this project – we’ll keep you updated!

Click on the Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant map to read more about our project and others.

Karra Suhr
Assistant Principal Religious Education 

Secondary News

Anzac day was held at the Town Park this past Saturday. Thank you to everyone who participated on the Saturday, or at the ceremony held on the Friday. Again we were so impressed with the respect on display at both events. We are very proud and impressed with the way students take on their ambassador role when representing our school.

We are thrilled to share the outstanding achievements of one of our students, Georgia, who has excelled in the TAFE QLD and University of Southern Queensland HeadStart Unit programs. She has demonstrated exceptional commitment and academic excellence, earning an overall high distinction grade for her University Unit in learner development. In addition Georgia has dedicated over 120 hours to work-placement, gaining valuable hands-on experience. These achievements reflect her dedication, hard work and overall proficiency within her chosen field.

Georgia has continued to pave the way for future students to pursue career pathways through these academic institutions. It is recommended that future students seriously consider taking advantage of what Tafe QLD and the University of Southern Queensland have to offer.

Well done Georgia, we are all proud of you!

Understanding the continuing risks to being online.

It is advisable to remain vigilant regarding the online content our students are exposed to. Social media algorithms have a significant impact, as engaging with posts related to violence can lead to a continuous feed of such content.

Students have the potential to be exposed to sensitive and violent images or videos. They might tend to also accepting social media posts at face value regarding global conflicts, and therefore feel themselves “taking sides" without a comprehensive understanding of the complex historical context behind these issues.

If you become aware of someone in need or vulnerable to such influences, please reach out to the existing support services, including the police, for assistance.

Mr Bevin Goodes
Assistant Principal Secondary

Primary Sports Report

Dates for Mac zone 2024 -  term 1

Darling Downs Aquathlon

Well done to the 11 students who participated in the Darling Downs Aquathlon trials held in Dalby last Friday.  A special congratulations to Jonathan Webb who has qualified for the State Aquathlon trials to be held in Hervey Bay in February next year.

P-2 Swim Carnival

Wow.. what a way to bring some rain… plan a swimming carnival!

We had a fabulous morning, show casing some very brave swimmers.  Even though the water temperature was cooler than usual, they were amazing to watch.  We were all very proud of your efforts.   A huge thank you to the year 6 leaders for helping out on the day.  Your efforts did not go unnoticed. 

Mac Zone Swimming Carnival 2024

Students who are wishing to compete in the Mac Zone Swimming Carnival in 2024, please note it is Friday 2^nd February (week 2).  Nomination forms will be sent out in the first week, and all nominations will need to be back by Thursday, 25^th January. 

“If you can’t outplay them, outwork them”.

Yours in Sport,

Kathy Spicer

(Kathy.Spicer@twb.catholic.edu.au)

Library News

Please ensure all student books are returned by Friday. It would be most appreciated!

Holiday reading

Whilst we do not offer borrowing over the holidays, reading is most definitely encouraged! A couple of online resources to keep kids reading are:

P-2- Reading Eggs online library

Kids News Website

Other ideas:

Visit our town library

Purchase a magazine subscription for Christmas

Re-read favourite books

Have a book swap with friends and meet up for a milkshake and book chat

Read one of mum or dads favourite children’s books

In the week 9 LINKS there will be a holiday reading challenge – keep an eye out for it!

If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail the library staff at:

goondiwindilib@twb.catholic.edu.au

Emma Petrie
Teacher Librarian

Careers

Super Charge your Job Search Activities

Did you know that only 20 per cent of vacant roles are advertised? If all you're doing is looking online and, in the papers, you're missing out on 80 per cent of the opportunities! Here are a few things that you can do to tackle the 'hidden job market'. Doing these will dramatically increase your chance of landing your next role.

1. Rally the troops

Friends and family: Make sure that everyone you know understands what you do and what you are looking for. They can keep an ear out for opportunities for you. This means chatting to all your friends, family (including distant cousins) and neighbours. Speak to the people you say hello to at the footy club and local school, the butcher, the hairdresser etc.

Professional associates: One of the first things many employers do when they have a vacancy is ask people in their office and in their networks if they know anyone suitable. You need them to put your name forward! So, try to catch up with people you know through work. This means current and former work colleagues, former bosses, current and former clients, current and former suppliers. It could even be people you meet on the train each day. Send emails, call and have a chat, have coffee, catch up for drinks, have lunch or even go for a run with them.

2. Make new friends

Develop new professional connections. Join professional industry associations and attend industry events such as breakfasts, seminars, discussion groups, networking functions, conferences, etc. This will help build your professional profile and increase your knowledge of industry developments, trends, and issues.

3. Court advocates

Many recruiters never advertise roles. They leverage their talent pool. These are formal or informal lists of people that the recruiters know, have known, or know of within certain industries or professions. Recruiters will go to these people first with new opportunities, before advertising, whenever they can. Find out who the key recruiters are in your industry and make friends with them. Arrange a meeting with them and then try to catch up with them for coffee every few months to keep your face fresh in their minds.

4. Jump the queue

Many businesses manage their own recruitment internally to save on recruiter fees. You need to let them know that you are available. Jump on to company websites and find out how they source new staff. Look at their career’s pages. You might have the opportunity to load up a resume and register for alerts.

Try to find out who their HR manager is and contact them directly (by LinkedIn or phone) so that you can get the scoop on new roles within the business. You might prefer to write to them directly. Send a dazzling cover letter expressing your passion for the industry and business, and detailing the relevant skills and capabilities you can offer. Don't be afraid to show some personality in your writing.

5. Become a LinkedIn all-star

LinkedIn is the place to be to network, to research companies and to find lost connections. It is where recruiters 'mine' for talent. Your profile needs to be really well written, complete, and target the next role you want. Make sure you use the headline to develop your personal branding. Profiles should be searching engine optimised so that recruiters can find you. Use the types of capability phrases and standard job titles that recruiters might use to search for someone like you. Have a great professional looking photo. Think of LinkedIn as your own promotional brochure and the audience as a future employer.

6. Digital revolution

Digital job boards are not just static job ad listing services like they once were. You need to know how to make them work for you. As soon as a recruiter or HR professional uploads a job ad, the job board provider instantly delivers the recruiter a list of suitable candidates from their talent pools. You need to ensure you are at the top of these lists. Firstly, you need to ensure that your resume contains the ‘keywords’ that will match the job ads for the types of roles you are interested in. Next, upload your resume up onto digital job board sites. In Australia, Seek and CareerOne are the main ones. Indeed, and other second tier job sites also give you this option. Some sites, like CareerOne, allow you to join individual company talent pools as well, so if you are given the option do this too. Finally, set up alerts so that you get early warning for any roles that are advertised. If you do all of this, you are going to be busy in your job hunting, but you will be rewarded with more opportunities and be happily in a new role much faster because you supercharged your job search.

Rachael Reeves
Career Development Practitioner

Student Council

Dear Parents,

We would like to inform you that there is a Christmas free dress day coming up on the Wednesday 22^nd November.  You can dress up as a Christmas character, a Christmas object, or Christmas themed (Christmas colours etc.) Closed in shoes, sun safe clothing and a school hat are essential. Instead of a gold coin donation, we ask that you bring in a Christmas appeal donation which will go to St Vincent de Paul. Please do not bring in items such as milk, bread, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, or anything that will go off or become mouldy.

Thanks,

The Student Council Executives.

(Lucy, Eliza, Josie and Anabelle)

Prep-Year 3 Awards Criteria

Prep to Year 3 Awards Criteria

Consistent Effort Award

Student who consistently puts in commendable effort into all aspects of school life

Student who consistently contributes during class discussions

Student who is self-motivated

Student who produces their best most of the time

Student who gives their best during specialist lessons and extracurricular activities

Encouragement Award

Student who has demonstrated growth academically

Student who has demonstrated growth socially

Student who has grown in confidence, maturity and motivation

Student who has demonstrated growth in their approach to learning

Christian Service

Student who is caring, fair, considerate and kind to peers

Student who is polite and well-mannered to staff

Student who is understanding, thoughtful and selfless

Student who is empathetic and sympathetic; consistently aware of the needs and feelings of others

Student who is willing to help others who are hurt or in trouble

Student who respects the rights of others and celebrates the strengths of others

Student who is thankful, polite, humble and honest

Performing Arts Award

Participates enthusiastically in all arts activities

Demonstrates great expression and creativity

Health & Physical Education Award

High level of participation in all sports events

Consistently demonstrates good sportsmanship and encourages others

Willingness to master new skills and improve personal performance

Positive and enthusiastic approach to health and physical education

Works hard to foster team spirit and display pride in sports house

Junior Sports Person Award

Awarded to a student from Prep to Year 3 who displays promising sporting potential. This award is chosen by our Physical Education Teacher.

Instrumental Music Awards

Given to students who have participated enthusiastically in the school’s Instrumental Program

Cultural Award (Junior Primary)

This award recognises a student who has represented the school in a range of cultural events and activities throughout the year. This award is chosen by our Arts Teacher.

Trent Gibson Award

Presented in memory of Trent Gibson, a former St Mary’s student. This award goes to a nine year old boy who:

Is worthy of recognition for the special person he is and deserves encouragement to always follow his dreams.  The recipient of this award lives life to the fullest, gives the best of himself, never gives up and will reach his potential with his determination and continued encouragement.

Catherine McAuley Award

Awarded to a student in Prep to Year 3 who exhibits the qualities of Catherine McAuley (the founder of The Mercy Sisters), whose qualities included compassion, humility, friendliness, prayerfulness, a strong sense of giving, courage, sympathy, peacefulness, gentleness and love. This award is voted on by all staff members.

Year 4 to Year 10 Awards Criteria

Consistent Effort Award

Student who consistently puts in commendable effort into all aspects of school life

Student who consistently contributes during class discussions

Student who is self-motivated

Student who produces their best most of the time

Student who gives their best during specialist lessons and extracurricular activities

Encouragement Award

Student who has demonstrated growth academically

Student who has demonstrated growth socially

Student who has grown in confidence, maturity and motivation

Student who has demonstrated growth in their approach to learning

Christian Service

Student who is caring, fair, considerate and kind to peers

Student who is polite and well-mannered to staff

Student who is understanding, thoughtful and selfless

Student who is empathetic and sympathetic; consistently aware of the needs and feelings of others

Student who is willing to help others who are hurt or in trouble

Student who respects the rights of others and celebrates the strengths of others

Student who is thankful, polite, humble and honest

Performing Arts Award (Years 4-6)

Participates enthusiastically in all arts activities

Willingly demonstrates expression and creativity in group and individual activities

Is encouraging of others and works collaboratively

Is prepared to share his/her talent and assist others where appropriate

Health & Physical Education Award (Years 4-6)

High level of participation in all sports events

Consistently demonstrates good sportsmanship and encourages others

Willingness to master new skills and improve personal performance

Positive and enthusiastic approach to health and physical education

Works hard to foster team spirit and display pride in sports house

Language Other Than English Award (Years 5-8)

Student who strives to achieve their best in Indonesian

Shows an interest in learning more about Indonesian

Aims to extend their language skills in Indonesian

Has a positive approach to L.O.T.E

Is more than willing to share their skills with classmates

Instrumental Music Award (Primary & Secondary)

Given to a student who has participated enthusiastically in the school’s Instrumental Program. This student has also represented the school musically at many school and community events.

Cultural Award (Senior Primary & Secondary)

This award recognises a student who has represented the school in a range of cultural events and activities throughout the year. This award is given based on nominations given by students.

All Rounder

A student who has represented the school with merit in several sports, has displayed academic achievement and commendable effort, has been involved within the community (eg. student council, community service, helped younger students, represented the school at public functions), has participated and contributed to the cultural life of the school (eg. choir, musical, The Arts lessons) and has excellent conduct, providing a positive role model for others.

Spirit of Mary MacKillop Award

For a Year 6 student who:

Displays tolerance, compassion, responsibility, respect, kindness and initiative

Epitomises Christian values on display at St Mary’s Primary School

Leads by example and is respected by all

Role model to all students throughout the school

Represented the school with distinction in Parish and community events

Sybil Slack-Smith Memorial Encouragement Award

Presented in memory of Sybil Slack-Smith, a generous volunteer in the St Mary’s Community. This award goes to a student in upper primary (Years 4-6) who is:

A warm, friendly and supportive student

Is community minded and is often seen participating in community events

Helps out/supports students within our school community

Plays a role in a variety of community events not just when representing the school

Shines their bright light wherever they are

Years 4 – 10 DUX

Presented to a student who has who displayed high academic achievement (minimum 80% A’s) across the curriculum throughout the year. 

Sports People of the Year – Years 4-6

For two Primary School students who have represented the school with distinction in sporting events throughout the year at a high level. This award is calculated on points allocated throughout the year.

Sports People of the Year – Secondary

For two Middle School students who have represented the school with distinction in sporting events throughout the year at a high level. This award is calculated on points allocated throughout the year.

Pope Francis Award (Secondary)

Pope Francis is well known and will be remembered for his ability to radiate the joy of the Gospel by weaving simplicity into their everyday approach to life. The winner of this award is presented to a student who displays humility and joyfulness while respecting others in their daily life. They demonstrate the qualities of Pope Francis in all they do.

State Opti-Minds

State Opti-minds Competition – On October 13 and 14, our Opti-minds Team 1 attended the State Competition at the University of Queensland in Brisbane with Mrs Racheal Reeves and Mrs Lex Adornato. Students attended an Ideas Market, followed by a Language Literature Challenge.

Quotes from our State Opti-Minds Team

Josie Adornato – A part of our challenge was to make a 10-minute play in 3 hours without leaving the room. We had to make a few props and costumes. It was fun but difficult as a group, we had challenges. Some of us started arguing about what the play would be about. At that time I knew we had to work together as a group. That’s what brought us together. We really worked hard and did a good job. We worked well as a team, and we made a few friends along the way. We had the best experience.

Stella Reardon - Last weekend was AWESOME! I loved every second of it. I really enjoyed the spontaneous challenge because it was pretty funny and the whole team had to be very creative to finish it in time. We had the challenge "Language Fatigue" which Pip knew the meaning of. It took an hour to get the story line straight, but we got there in the end and it was fun. Our play was called ‘Slang’ and we just might be able to remember it, if we're lucky.

Olivia Houston - how to be patient with each other and work together as a team for such a long time. It was hard when the 1 of our 3 hours went by and we still didn't have a plan for our long term challenge. What inspired me the most was how well we memorised and enjoyed our challenge, even under all the pressure. 

Stella Reeves – State Opti-Minds was amazing! The University of Queensland was everything we hoped for as well as the challenge. Going away as a team really helped us realise how close we are-even though we didn’t spend a lot of time coming up with our solution. We did have a little disagreement, but that’s what brought us together. In the end we all ended up having a great time and we finished the weekend in Brisbane better friends than when we arrived.

Philippa Mooney – Opti-Minds state was so much fun and an amazing opportunity for all five of us. It was also great to see how other groups works together for the science show, spontaneous and giving out props before they performed. The spontaneous was really fun and we each came up with different ideas which formed out one plan. Overall it was an amazing weekend for all 5 of us and if we ever make it in future we will all know what it's about and how to do it next time!

Report Card Information

Curriculum: Prep – Year 6 Reporting

Report Cards will be sent on Thursday 30^th November.  Report Cards will be sent via the Sentral Parent Portal.

Parent Portal App/Browser: The Sentral system will push the report card to the Parent Portal. Please see instructions below.

App User

Open App

Student Info

Student Details

Academic Reports

Click ‘PDF’

Siblings: Top left corner will have student initials. For siblings, click the down arrow and select new student.  Repeat above steps.

Browser User https://sis.twb.catholic.edu.au/auth/portal

Log in to your account.

Select student from navigation panel on left

Academic Report

Click ‘PDF’

Siblings:  Click new student name on navigation panel on left. Repeat steps above.

Please find below explanations of the different aspects of our report cards.

Approach to Learning Scale:  We use a three-point scale (please see detailed explanation on the next page) instead of the traditional five-point scale.

Learning Profile:  This section will give parents a more detailed indication of student learning behaviours. (Please see table below). We use a three-point scale; Usually, Sometimes and Rarely.

Math & English Comments:  These will be written in a list format highlighting what significant areas students are to be commended on and what area/s need further development.

If you have any questions about the above information or if there are any issues with your report cards, please email: Tenille.White@twb.catholic.edu.au

Science Club

For Years 2-10

Wednesdays, 2^nd Break.

Meet at the Office with your lunch and water.

This week we learnt about Displacement and that an object that displaces its own weight in water will float, regardless of how heavy it is. 

Mrs Lou Cowley,
Student Support Services/Extension and Enrichment

Tuckshop News

TUCKSHOP

Just a reminder that Prep – Year 2 students must order ice blocks via Flexischools. They are not to be purchased over the counter please.

Week 9 Tuckshop Arrangements

Monday 27^th November - ‘Skeleton Tuckshop’ - We will have a reduced menu available via FLEXISCHOOLS

Tuesday 28^th November - Free Sausage Sizzle second break only. No First Break tuckshop available

Wednesday 29^th November - NO TUCKSHOP AVAILABLE   

Community News