LINKS: Term Three, Week Seven

From the Principal

Healthier Choices at the Tuck Shop!

As you would understand and appreciate, our tuckshop is an outstanding part of our school community.

Jodie Jeans and Vanessa Schmidt do a fantastic job of keeping our young people's bellies full so they can learn and focus in class. Local health professionals and parents have communicated that they would like to see more 'green choices' at the Tuckshop. This is supported by the QLD Government "Smart Choices" Guidelines for schools. As such, we are having a 3-week trial of Green choices Monday to Thursday and a more "all in" option based menu on a Friday.

The purpose of this is to test the viability of this menu in terms of sustainability of menu choices, impact on associated costs, and the impact on number of orders being made. As you can imagine, a school tuckshop runs almost like a small business within the school, and while we do not make a profit on our tuckshop, we do need to ensure that it is financially viable. 

Trial Period: Weeks 8 to 10 Term 3

During this time, the tuckshop will introduce a selection of nutritious items.

We’ll be closely monitoring student interest and sales, and we welcome your feedback throughout the trial. If the response is positive, we’ll look at making these changes permanent and expanding the menu further.

Thank you again for your continued support and partnership. Together, we’re building a school environment that nurtures healthy habits and lifelong learning.

Further information is available through the following link: https://education.qld.gov.au/students/student-health-safety-wellbeing/student-health/smart-choices/fact-sheets

CTJ - Pupil Free Day

DATE CLAIMER - Pupil Free Day. Friday 5th September. Please ensure you do not send children to school on this day. 

Long Service Leave

Many of you would be aware that in 2017 and 2018 I lived and taught in Papua New Guinea. This year, PNG celebrates 50 years of Independence. As such, I have taken Weeks 9 and 10 as Long Service Leave and I am visiting my old school, where my brother is now Principal, to share in the celebrations for this milestone of Independence. During Week 9, Karra Suhr will be Acting Principal while John Shaw is away at Year 6 Canberra Trip. During Week 10, John will be Acting Principal. Bevin Goodes and Karra Suhr are also away during Week 10 at Year 9/10 Camp, so our Senior Education Leader, Chris Golightly will be spending the week in Goondiwindi to support our community. I would like to thank all of these people for their efforts in my absence.

A Message from the Parish: Fr John Fowles

Words like, Baptism, Living Waters, Born Again, fail to convey the enormity of this sacrament. Yet deep down we have heard the call to come to the fountain of life and love. May we refresh ourselves as Jesus invites us: “If any one is thirsty, let him come to me. May he/she who is thirsty come and drink who believes in me.”

The opportunity for our primary school children to receive the sacrament of Baptism is available for those children whose parents would be willing to support their child in their faith journey. To achieve this, please enrol your child for Baptism preparation classes for the 4th, 11th, 18th September 2025. This can be done by emailing the Parish on:  goondiwindiparish@twb.catholic.org.au

Classes will be conducted in the St Mary’s Parish Centre at 3:15 pm. Parents should accompany their children to these sessions. The dates of the Baptisms will be arranged once the classes are under way.

2026 Class Allocations

We will soon be thinking about staffing and class allocations for 2026. Our staff work with great care and dedication to ensure that we place students appropriately, knowing their friends, strengths and needs within the classroom. While we will not be able to accommodate all requests, if there is something that you would like us to consider when allocating staffing and classes for next year, can you please let me know before the end of Term 3.

Op Shop Volunteers

The St Mary’s Op Shop are seeking volunteers to assist. If you are interested, or know of anyone who would be interested, please contact Annette Billsborough on: annetteb06@bigpond.com

Angela Collins
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Hello St Mary’s community,

Book Week

Congratulations to all who participated in Book Week, whether it be the staff and students who dressed up in amazing costumes, or the parents and grandparents who made them. You certainly are a creative lot! As always, Book Week was a wonderful week. Our wonderful Teacher-Librarian, Mrs Petrie is the driving force behind it. Did you manage to get a look at the incredible classroom windows which were decorated for Book Week?

The downhill run of Term 3

As we move into Week 7, the energy across the school is high with students engaged in learning and preparing for upcoming assessments. And don’t forget our Starry Starry Night, on Friday 5^th September, which is generating so much excitement throughout our school!

A big thank you to our staff and families for your continued support. Let’s keep the momentum going as we head toward the end of term!

God bless,

John Shaw
Deputy Principal

Religious Life

Welcome to week 7! On Sunday, fourteen of our students made their Confirmation with Bishop Ken. The students have worked hard in preparing for this sacrament and represented themselves and their families beautifully at the Mass on the weekend. We congratulate these students for continuing their sacramental journey. These students will begin preparing for their First Communion next term.

Father’s Day

Wishing all our fathers, grandfathers and father-like figures a very Happy Father’s Day next Sunday. To celebrate we will be holding our Father’s Day Liturgy on Thursday 4^th September at 8:45am in the Centenary Centre. This liturgy will be led by 1C. Please note the change in assembly time next week due to Consistency of Teacher Judgment Day (Pupil Free Day) next Friday 5^th September.

Wishing you all a wonderful fortnight!

Karra Suhr
Assistant Principal Mission & Identity

Secondary News

As we find ourselves in Week 7 of Term 3, within our St Mary’s School Community, we embrace the powerful concept of fitting in versus belonging. For optimal learning to take place, students need to feel that they are safe and that they belong. When learners experience belonging, they gain the confidence and agency to direct their own growth. This fortnight, we spotlight how sleep, cognitive load, growth mindset, and thoughtful feedback come together to empower learning agency. 

Creating Safe Learning Spaces and Managing Cognitive Demands 

Belonging matters as much as being physically present in a classroom. At St Mary’s, when students feel included, respected, and connected to peers and teachers, they are more willing to take risks, ask questions, and persist through challenges. A key part of belonging is reducing unnecessary demands on working memory that can hamper understanding.  

Understanding intrinsic load (the complexity of the material) alongside extraneous load (unnecessary processing demands) helps teachers design lessons that optimise capacity for learning. At St Mary’s, our approach this year includes clear instructions, chunked tasks, and modelling of thinking processes to keep the focus on meaningful learning. This all aligns with the explicit teaching model. 

Sleep is a foundational piece of this puzzle. Adequate rest supports memory consolidation, mood regulation, and attention (all essential for productive learning). Encouraging consistent bedtimes, routines, and reduced screen exposure before bed can boost daytime engagement and classroom focus. 

Quote from a Year 9 student: 

“When I know my classmates and teachers have my back, I’m more confident to try difficult problems.” 

Growth Mindset and Feedback in Learning 

We’re delighted to note how engaged our Year 7 – 10 students are, exploring creativity, problem solving, and practical skills. A growth oriented feedback culture is central to this engagement. Research on praise and motivation from a Stanford study shows how the type of praise influences persistence and performance. 

Key findings: 

• Intelligence praise (praising innate smartness) can lead students to view future tasks as judgments of fixed ability, reducing motivation and effort when faced with harder problems. 

• Effort and process praise encourage students to apply strategies, adapt approaches, and persist, often maintaining or improving performance on new challenges. 

Practical takeaways for teachers and parents at St Mary’s: 

• Emphasise effort, strategies, and problem solving processes in feedback. For example, say, “I like how you tried different approaches” rather than “You’re a natural.” 

• Present challenges as opportunities to grow, not as verdicts on talent. 

• Encourage reflection: ask students to describe the steps they used, what worked, and what they’d try next. 

• Pair praise with specific targets and growth oriented goals (e.g., “focus on the strategy you’ll use for the next problem”). 

• Foster a culture that values learning processes, views errors as information, and supports iterative improvement - both in the classroom and at home. 

Our students’ engagement in technology lessons demonstrates how creativity, collaboration, and practical skills flourish when learners feel safe to explore. Through projects that integrate design thinking, 3D modelling, and real world problem solving, students develop transferable competencies that prepare them for future challenges.  

We will continue building a culture where every student feels they belong, can safely take intellectual risks, and possesses the agency to steer their learning. Expect expanded opportunities for project based learning, reflective journaling, and a focus on growth mindset and effective feedback. 

Bevin Goodes
Assistant Principal Secondary

Pastoral

Mindset Matters

We all know the power that our way of thinking and our mindset have on how we feel and act daily. Students generally fall into one of two categories within a given time: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. For most of us we oscillate between the two.

Across our school, we have fixed and growth mindset posters similar to the one pictured in the Health room below:

We often refer to these posters when working with students in an attempt to swing a negative situation into a positive. This could include a fixed mindset about their academic ability or it could be around their thought processes around making friends or even separating from a parent in the morning.

Having a positive mindset in times when we face adversity is particularly beneficial. Through The Resilience Project our students have become familiar with the words “I get to” instead of “I have to” to reinforce this mindset.

According to Dr Carol Dweck who is the Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and is the author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, there are 4 steps in changing one’s mindset from Fixed to Growth and they are relatively simple.

Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset voice.

Step 2: Recognise that you have a choice.

Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.

Step 4: Take the growth mindset action.

Our URSTRONG program teaches our students about the importance of self-respect and loving themselves for who they are. When working with students we encourage them to listen to their “inner voice” and counteract any negative thoughts they may have about themselves also known as ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) by saying a mantra 3 times over in their head. E.g “I am good at maths” “I am good enough” “I will try my hardest”.

These mantras help students to shift their focus, change their attitude and ultimately helps them focus on achieving their goals. 

For more information or pastoral concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Nicki Wyllie
Middle Leader: Pastoral

Nicola.wyllie@twb.catholic.edu.au

Sports Report

Darling Downs Track & Field Trials

Congratulations to the following students who were selected in the Mac Zone Team and will be competing at the Darling Downs Track & Field Trials on Monday 1st September and Tuesday 2nd September:

Hugo Aylwin, Thomas Gleeson, Lilly Bauer, Spencer Heeson, William Gleeson, Anthony Heeson, Thomas Wild, Laura Bourchier, Lucy Illing, Annabelle Makim, Willow White, Hunter Reid, James Benson, Joseph Rocks, Emmett Parcell, Oscar Browne, Bridie Doherty, Molly Gleeson, Violet Fairbanks, Payton McNaulty, Hudson Derbidge, Kingsley Wu, Charlie North, Georgia Wild, Piper Rose, Grace Vukovich and Charlotte Persse.

Families, please refer to my email for the Day 1 and Day 2 Program, Team List/Events and further information.

Tennis State Championships

Congratulations to Lotte Persse who represented Darling Downs at the Tennis State Championships in Cairns last week! Lotte was ranked 30^th overall and had such a great experience competing against players from all over Queensland. Congratulations Lotte!

Darling Downs Primary Netball Gala

Congratulations to the following students who were chosen to represent St Mary’s at the Darling Downs Primary Netball Gala on today. 

Championship Team:

Bronson White, Payton McNaulty, Georgia Wild, Bridie Doherty, Grace Vukovich, Lizzy Hayes, Kate Quinlan and Lotte Persse.

Challenge Team:

Emma McDougall, Patrick Gleeson, Bella McInnerney, Hudson Derbidge, Elsie McDonald, Molly Gleeson and Lucy Coleborn. 

Development Team:

Genevieve Capp, Georgina Mooney, Grace Morrissy, Eliza Brownlie, Matilda Uebergang, Addie Ommensen, Evelyn Cush, Shermayne Kogen and Lucy Illing.

Best of luck to all 3 teams and we can’t wait to hear how the day goes!

MacIntyre Schools Rugby 7s Carnival

We are excited to explore the opportunity of nominating St Mary's teams for the upcoming Rugby 7s Gala Day, to be held on Friday 24th October at Riddles Oval, Goondiwindi (please see the attached poster for more details).

Divisions Available:
- Under 10 Mixed Tackle Rugby 7s (9/10 years)

-Under 12 Mixed Tackle Rugby 7s (11/12 years)

(Please note: these teams will be playing contact rugby.)

Girls "Come and Try" Division 8-12 Years (A non-contact introduction to Rugby 7s, perfect for those wanting to give the sport a go in a safe and supportive environment)

If your child is interested in participating in either the competitive divisions or the "come and try" experience, please complete the expression of interest form by Friday 29th August:

Expression of Interest Form: https://forms.office.com/Pages...

Term 3 Primary Sport Dates

Term 4 Primary Sport Dates

Rommy Beckinsale 
Middle Leader: Sport

rommy.beckinsale@twb.catholic.edu.au

Cultural

Starry Starry Night – FAQs

Before the Event:

Do students wear school uniform?
No! You’ll wear whatever your House Captains have asked you to wear for your Cultural Shield performance, this could be free dress or specific performance clothes. If you're performing individually, follow what you’ve discussed with Mrs Klowss.

Is there seating, or should we bring our own?
Pack your camp chair, picnic blanket, or even a beanbag, whatever helps you get comfy under the stars!

Will there be food, drinks, and glow products?
Yes! The amazing PEN team is organising food and drink for the evening, including alcoholic options for adults. They’ll also be selling glow products to help bring the party vibe.
Please complete the RSVP form ASAP so no one goes hungry or thirsty!

Arrival & Supervision

What time do we drop our child off?
This is an after-hours event, so students remain in the care of their parents throughout the evening. The event kicks off at 5:00 PM. If your child is in one of the first five performances, please arrive by 4:55 PM, ready to go!

Can our children play on the school playgrounds?
Please don’t. We’re here to support our performers and cheer them on! Instead, grab a glowstick product, spread out your picnic blanket, and enjoy some great audience participation.

During the Event

Where do students go when it’s time to perform?
Listen out for announcements from our Cultural Captain and School Captains over the microphone. They’ll call performers to the green room, which is accessed through the staffroom door in the undercover area.

Are parents allowed in the green room?
Sorry, no. The green room is a student-only space. A staff member will be on duty to help students get ready and stay calm before heading on stage.

Is it okay to sing, dance, and move around?
Absolutely! Starry Starry Night is a celebration—we want to see you singing, dancing, and having a great time. Bring the energy!

Cultural Shield Judging

Who is judging the Cultural Shield competition?
We’re thrilled to have Councillors Susie Kelly and Jason Watts on board as our impartial judges. A huge thank you to both for supporting our students and this special event!

Wrapping Up

Can we leave once our child has performed?
Technically yes, but we hope you’ll stay! The Cultural Shield winner is announced at the end, and the Secondary Band wraps up the night with a big song and dance party. It’s worth sticking around!

Running List

Choirs of Angels – Term 3 Rehearsals

A reminder for upcoming afternoon rehearsals to finish off Term 3:

Benita Klowss
Middle Leader: Culture

benita.klowss@twb.catholic.edu.au

Building Cultural Capacity one experience at a time.

Library News

Dress Up Parade

A thousand thank yous to everyone who helped a child to participate in the parade on Friday. Amogst the excitement there were last minute costume malfunctions, changes and requests and I can imagine some homes were not peaceful places on Friday morning so please know your efforts are very appreciated!

We had a blast at school looking at all of the costumes, colours were vivid and the question ‘who are you?’ was heard a thousand times! So much fun to be had. Please see Facebook for a slideshow of fantastic photos – thank you Danielle for putting this together.

Due to the rain we will have our scavenger hunts later this week so please keep an eye out on social media for pictures of the hunts – the children love them!

We are blessed in Australia to have such an event and whilst dressing up as book characters does not always mean every child is reading, it does mean that every child is aware that reading books and literacy is something to celebrate. Please see the images below for the winning books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s awards for Book of the Year. There are some fabulous reads here.

Happy reading!

If you have any questions or concerns, please email the library staff at:

goondiwindilib@twb.catholic.edu.au

Bookclub

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 6 is being sent home this week and is due Thursday 4^th September at 8pm.

Please note the quick turn around time for this issue.

Please order online through ‘the loop’ as we no longer accept cash orders at school.

All purchases contribute to funds for our school library with all popular fiction titles in our library purchased due to the funds raised through orders – we are most grateful for this – THANK YOU!

If you have any questions or concerns, please email the library staff at:

goondiwindilib@twb.catholic.edu.au

Student Support

Limited number of free Hearing Screeners Available

At St Mary's this year, we offered free Sound Scout hearing checks to all prep students. We still have a few free screeners available to use before the end of the year, so would like to open this opportunity up to any student in the school.

An estimated 1 in 10 children suffer from hearing loss which left undetected can lead to speech, learning and behavioural problems. The Sound Scout App allows us to screen our students through 3 interactive games, testing speech-in-quiet, tone-in-noise and speech-in-noise. Collaborating with the National Acoustic Laboratories, Sound Scouts have created this online hearing test app that delivers an immediate report, including next steps if a hearing loss is detected.

If you would like your child to have a free Sound Scouts hearing screener, please complete the form through the link below, and I will email you once the screener has been completed.

https://ssimpl.soundscouts.com.au/portal/players/intake_form/3730ec53-d30c-41f2-afe6-bcd4d072dab9/

Allison Marsh
Middle Leader - Student Support Services 

Guidance Counsellor

New Rural & Remote Mental Health Service

There is a new mental health service available to the people of Goondiwindi. They provide a non-clinical, peer led service to support your mental health recovery.

Available in Western Downs, Goondiwindi and South Burnett

Rural & Remote Mental Health’s CPSP team understands the unique challenges faced by people who live and work in regional and rural areas.

They have the necessary experience and systems to deliver real solutions that support you to live your best life.

They provide personalised community-based support to:

• build skills to manage your mental illnesses.
• develop social skills and friendships.
• build relationships with family.
• build capacity in managing day-to-day activities.
• increase educational, vocational, and training skills.

There is a link to their website where you can go to contact them and they will happily work with you.

Home - Rural & Remote Mental Health

You can also contact them on this number 0447224814, if you wish to find help with the process.

Paul Fomiatti
Guidance Counsellor 

E Paul.Fomiatti@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Careers

Exploring Health Pathways: Hands-On Learning for Year 9 & 10

Recently, our Year 9 and 10 students took part in Aspire 2 Health, an exciting and hands-on excursion hosted at Gateway to Training in Goondiwindi. This interactive experience gave students a unique glimpse into the daily lives of health professionals, sparking interest in careers within the health sector through fun and engaging activities.

Students enthusiastically participated in a range of hands-on health simulations and activities, gaining valuable insights into the diverse roles available in healthcare.

Looking ahead, this Friday during our Careers session, students will attend an excursion to the Heart Truck. A big thank you to Bec Uebergang for facilitating this opportunity. Stay tuned for photos and highlights in our next newsletter!

UPCOMING PATHWAY EVENTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST:

Tuesday (September 03, 2025)

CQUniversity - Nursing Open Day Webinar
Join us for the CQU Nursing Webinar!

Whether you're aiming to become an enrolled or registered nurse, or you're looking to return and advance your nursing studies, our TAFE and university-level nursing courses can help you prepare for a rewarding and meaningful career in healthcare.

Join this informative webinar to discover our flexible study options and seamless pathways, designed to support you from start to finish. With campus locations across the country and a renowned online learning platform, CQU provides the support and flexibility you need to succeed.

Plus, have your questions answered live by our course experts and the CQU Support Team.

Time: Details in link
Location: Online

Details and Registration:
https://www.cqu.edu.au/events/1153850/nursing-open-day-webinar

Behind The Job:
Reliability Engineer

What do they do?

Reliability Engineers focus on improving the performance and durability of machinery, equipment, and systems. They work in industries like manufacturing, mining, and energy to minimise downtime and maintenance costs.

What are their strengths?

• Technical and analytical skills
• Problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities
• Ability to design and implement reliability improvement strategies
• Attention to detail and project management skills

How do they get started?

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Industrial Engineering is usually required.

Next steps

Want to learn more? Check out resources on St Mary’s Career Tools website using the following link     https://stmarysgundy.careertools.com.au/ and The Good Universities Guide using the following link https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/ to explore study pathways, job opportunities, and industry insights.

If you're seeking information about specific career pathways or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch I'm always happy to help!

Karen Sullivan 
Secondary Teacher: Careers

karen.sullivan@twb.catholic.edu.au

PEN (Parent Engagement Network)

Our Parent Engagement Network forum for Term 3 was two weeks ago, 12 August. I would like to thank and welcome Sarah Prior who filled our vacant position becoming the inaugural Secretary of St Mary’s PEN.

The star of the evening was John Shaw who gave us a fantastic session on how children (and we) learn with some tips on what we can do as parents to help our children. If you couldn’t make it or want to re-cap; John has kindly provided his slides which can be found on St Mary’s website

https://goondiwinditwb.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/1412/science_of_learning_for_parents.pdf

We are really appreciative of the effort John put in preparing and delivering this.

The next event on the calendar is Starry Starry night next Friday 5 September. The kids have been working nearly as hard as Mrs Klowss and Mr Jessen rehearsing, and the Bishop has even given us a pupil free day so the kids are fresh to perform; so let’s show our support by coming along on 5 September from 5:00pm. Denise Ellis has taken on the PEN’s organisation for this event, but would love some volunteers for the bar and food stall, so if you haven’t already please see the below RSVP's:

Volunteer here: https://volunteersignup.org/CCJFP

To help us with catering, we kindly ask that you RSVP using the link below:

RSVP here: https://forms.office.com/r/WNxmWiU2yb

If you have any thoughts on how you can help PEN, or how PEN can help you, please feel free to reach out.

Mr Andrew Erbacher
PEN - Chair

COMMUNITY NEWS