St Mary's Primary School Young eNewsletter

Welcome to the 2025 school year. I spoke with a number of students on their return to school and they were excited to be back and I am sure we have a number of parents who were pleased to see them recommencing school. I particularly welcome all the families who have children commencing at St Mary’s for the first time. I hope your time at St Mary's is a positive experience.

Our opening school event at the pool was unfortunately impacted by a storm. Even though it was good to see the rain, the lightning was not welcome. A hastily arranged move to the school grounds saw children playing under the sprinklers and in the hall while parents and staff mingled. Thank you to everyone who helped the function take place, even in a reduced capacity.

Wednesday saw testing commence across our younger grades with all other students commencing shortly. Testing data gives us valuable information about each child’s needs as well as areas in which they shine. It allows us to allocate resourcing to where it is most needed.

We have some significant events coming up in the next few weeks. I ask parents to please check the school calendar on a regular basis. Upcoming events include:

Friday 14th February School Swimming Carnival

Tuesday 18th February Opening School Mass

Wednesday 19th February Parent Information Sessions

Wed 26th - Friday 28th Year Five excursion to Borambola

More information about all these events will be communicated to parents via Compass either in the newsletter or as a note.

Community Council

The Community Council consists of parents who meet twice a term to support the school principal and offer advice on a range of issues that impact the school community. They also plan events for students and families with the aim of building community. An example of this was Wednesday’s planned gathering at the pool. Some events also have a fundraising aim such as last year's lamington drive. The meetings are a good opportunity to meet other parents, enjoyable and are not too long.

The council is always on the lookout for new members with meetings taking place on Wednesdays in weeks three and eight in the staffroom.

If you are interested in being part of the Community Council please contact the front office.

Council parking inspectors

This week we received this reminder for Hilltops Council.

Please be advised that Hilltops Council will be undertaking Parking Enforcement Patrols of the School and Bus Zones within Young commencing during the week of February 10-14, 2025. This action forms part of Council’s regulatory and enforcement obligations under the Road Rules 2014 and the Local Government Act 1993. These patrols will be ongoing throughout the 2025 school calendar year.

Rangers will patrol these areas at random intervals during the morning “drop-off” and afternoon “pick-up” periods. This program supports the NSW Government’s broader Safe Schools Program.

Nut Aware School

It is advised that schools no longer claim they are nut free schools because it is impossible for schools to check all foods coming into school. We claim we are a nut aware school and take responsible steps to ensure we provide a safe environment for all children. We ask parents to assist us in this by not including peanuts or peanut based spreads on sandwiches or in treats.

There are many other allergens that can lead to an allergic reaction and this can result in anaphylaxis such as allergies to dairy foods in which cse will will notify parents whose children are in the same class as the child with the dairy allergy.

If your child has allergies or any other medical condition and you have not informed the front office I ask that you do so immediately.

Counselling

St Mary’s is fortunate to have Mrs Danielle Hudson as our school counsellor. In 2024 she supported a number of students from across all year levels. At the end of the year she had to close her existing files so she currently has no students booked. All parents, even those who had a child working with Danielle last year, will need to fill out a new referral form. The link is below.

Danielle will be working in the school every Thursday and every second Monday.

https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

Swimming Carnival

Please ensure you have opted in to the Swimming Carnival and nominated events for your child via Compass.

Thank you to our generous parents that have emailed me willing to help out on the day. We appreciate your time! Please find below a link to a Roster for timekeeping - would all helpers please pop your name in a timeslot for when you are available. We are still in need of more helpers even if you are only available for an hour!

Thank you again for helping us - we love having you!

Parent Helper Roster

Swimming Carnival Reminders

Children may come to school by their normal bus and will be bused down using the school buses
Children may arrive at the pool after 8:30am. There will be no supervision before 8.30am
At the conclusion of the carnival parents must collect students from inside the aquatic centre and be signed out with Mrs Dal Molin.
Students must have a note to walk from the pool. Otherwise they will return to school by bus.
STUDENTS STAYING AT THE POOL MUST ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR OWN PARENT. They must provide a written note.
If time permits we will attempt to have presentations at the conclusion of the carnival, after that students will line up behind the stands, have the roll called and class by class head to the buses.
There will be no warm up swimming before the carnival. If children need a warm up swim that needs to be BEFORE 8:30AM and with their parents supervision.
Please ensure students bring sunscreen, a hat and plenty of food and water. There is a limited canteen available!
There is a competitive element to the day for our school representative opportunities but our main focus is inclusion and participation! We will have novelties and fun games for everyone to enjoy so please come along and have some fun!!