St Mary's Catholic School Wellington eNewsletter

Our Vision

St Mary's Catholic School is a Christ centred, inclusive community where individuals are supported to learn at high levels and to grow spiritually, socially and physically.

"We have gifts that differ, according to the grace given to each of us." (Romans 12:6)

Principal's Message

Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.

Pope John Paul II

Dear St Mary’s families,

Term 4 has started well with our students focused on their learning.

St Mary’s staff commenced the term with a staff development day focusing on new curriculum documents that have now been adopted across all learning areas. Thanks to Toni-Maree Charlton from the CEDB for leading sessions for our teachers.

A huge bravo to our AEOs Jo Hodges, Danielle Sears for making our Bunnings Garden project happen this week with the support of the Bunnings Dubbo Activities team. Thanks also to the many students who assisted and to Jo who has spent many months coordinating the project. Please check out our amazing Yarning Circle and Cultural Garden space at the front corner of the school.

We have recently completed interviews for staff vacancies across the school and will notify the school community of successful applicants once these have been confirmed.

We are excited to be hosting Grandparents Day on 5 November and looking forward to sharing our school with our Grandparents. This is a wonderful initiative for our school.

Sending our thoughts, prayers and blessings to all students taking the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday. May God bless you all.

Kind regards,

Mrs Leanne Clarke
Principal

Diary and Important Dates

Staff Development Day (Pupil Free Day)

Staff Wellbeing Focus with Presenter Daniela Falecki
Monday 3 November 2025

Week 3

Monday 27 October: SSA Touch Gala Day Ballarat | Marantha House visit Year 5

Tuesday 28 October: Year 10 Job Ready PCYC | Year 5 & 6 Gotcha 4 Life visit | Hear Our Hearts Bus Visit | SSA Touch Ballarat

Wednesday 29 October: Year 10 Job Ready PCYC | SSA Touch Ballarat

Thursday 30 October: Year 10 Job Ready PCYC | SSA Touch Ballarat

Friday 31 October: Year 10 Job Ready PCYC | All Saints Day Mass | SSA Touch Ballarat | National Teachers Day

Week 4

Monday 3 November: Maranatha House

Tuesday 4 November:

Wednesday 5 November: Grandparent Day Event

Thursday 6 November:

Friday 7 November: Year 2 Reflection Day | Year 5 Leadereship Day | Newsletter

Religious Education News

Sacrament of Confirmation
Please pray for students making their Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday for which they have been preparing for the last seven weeks. Congratulations to: Phoenix Brindley, Will Carney, Brodie Frogley, Frankie McGuire, Jackson Reid, Ebony Ryan, Oliver Spradrow and Jack Stevens. May the Holy Spirit stir within them.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Last Saturday was enrollment time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is open to students from Year Two or older, who have been baptised. If you would like to enrol your child in this Sacrament, please contact Chris Stevens urgently, as the preparation program has now begun.

Rise
The Diocesan RISE Youth Festival took place during the October school holidays at Ridgecrest Christian Education & Convention Centre, Burrendong. We are very proud of St Mary’s Wellington students Olivia Potter and Pippa Horton who attended this event. The festival was enjoyable and enriching. Our students had a blast. You can read the full story and see some highlights online here:

https://bathurst.catholic.org.au/rise-youth-festival-2025-a-joyful-journey-of-faith-and-friendship/

Jubilee Pilgrimage – Saturday, 1 November
Celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025 with a special day of faith and fellowship.
Mass at 11.00 am – Holy Family Chapel, Kelso, commemorating the first Mass over the Blue Mountains.
Pilgrimage Walk to the Cathedral of St Michael and St John, Bathurst.
At the Cathedral – Adoration, Reconciliation and quiet prayer.
Lunch – Shared sausage sandwich in the Cathedral grounds.
Join us as Pilgrims of Hope on this joyful Jubilee day.

All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is Saturday, 1 November. The St Mary’s community is invited to join us for Mass to celebrate All Saint’s day the day prior, 10am on Friday, 31 October.

Halloween - What’s that about?
Halloween is a Scottish shortening of the phrase All hallow-evening, meaning All Holy Evening or All Hallows’ Eve (English). Hallow is an old English word for ‘Saint’. It refers to the night before All Saints’ Day (1 November). All Saints’ Day celebrates all those who are recognised in the catholic church as residing in heaven. This led to Catholics regarding 31 October as a “holy evening”. It is with this tradition that many local traditions were created and mingled with the Christian festivities of All Hallows’ Eve. There are other connections for the ‘asking’ for lollies (maybe linked to an Irish custom where groups of farmers would go door-to-door collecting food and other items for a village feast and bonfire), or dressing-up (to scare away evil spirits).

This Halloween, the All Saints’ Day vigil, remember our deep Catholic traditions honouring those who have gone to heaven before us and the millions, if not billions, of Saints.

Mr Christopher Stevens
Leader of Ministry and Mission

St Patrick's Parish Sacramental Calendar 2025

School Information

Summer Uniform- Hats
All students have now transitioned into their summer uniforms for Term 4. An important part of the summer uniform is the school hat, which students must wear to access the school oval and basketball courts.

New St Mary’s hats can be purchased from the school office. $22 for a school bucket hat and $20 for a school cap (7-10 students only).

Gotcha4Life Visit (Week 3)
The team from Gotcha4Life will be back at St Mary’s next Tuesday 28 October and Wednesday 29 October. St Mary’s staff will be working with the team on Tuesday afternoon, while Year 5 (Student Voice Project) and 6 students (Year 7 Transition Session) will be involved on Wednesday. Parents and carers of Years 5 and 6 students are asked to check Compass for further information on the Wednesday sessions.

Secondary Exams
Year 9 and 10 exams will begin on Monday of Week 5. Year 7 and Year 8 students will sit their exams in Week 6. An examination timetable will be shared with families through Compass as exam weeks approach. Assessment weeks will be here before we know it and we encourage all Year 7 to Year 10 students to begin revising subject content and develop a study plan leading into these weeks.

Mr Allan Jones
Assistant Principal

Learning Matters

K-2

We welcome Mrs Wykes and Mrs Redfern to our K-2 team this term. All students are very happy to be back at school and are engaged in their learning. Please check that your child is returning their Library book each week and continue to encourage and support reading at home every night.

“Reading strengthens language and comprehension skills, improves concentration, and fosters creativity and empathy. It provides a valuable opportunity for parents and children to bond, and the presence of books in the home has been shown to increase academic success.”

Our Little Saints have commenced their Transition to School program. Little Saints are now attending for full school days each Wednesday. This week they visited the Kindergarten classroom to experience how the Kindergarten space works. “We are getting very excited about starting our Kindergarten journey next year.”

Mr Allan Jones
K-2 Leader of Learning

Year 3-6

Year 5 Spirit Day
Year 5 students participated in “Spirit Day” on Thursday in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Students receiving the sacrament practised their parts of the Mass and shared some information about their chosen saints. The rest of the class helped to support the Confirmation candidates by helping to make some symbolic decorations for the church and providing support for the initiation process.

Golden Book Reading Awards
Year 5 were also very lucky to be able to wear casual clothes to school as part of their “Golden Book” reading award. Year 5 students worked extremely hard throughout Term 3 to reach their reading targets set earlier in the term. Word has it that they also earnt themselves some chocolates as part of the prize. Congratulations Year 5!

Mr John Nugent
3-6 Leader of Learning

Year 7-10

PCYC Work Ready
Year 10 students will be attending the PCYC Work Ready course in week 3, Tuesday to Friday. They complete two days of employability skills, First aid certificate and finish with the White card training. Year 9 will complete the same course in week 9 of this term. We thank the PCYC in advance for providing these opportunities for our students.

Important dates for Term 4
Week 3: Year 10 Job Ready
Week 5: Year 9 & 10 Yearly Examination/assessment week
Week 6: Year 7 & 8 Yearly Examination/assessment week
Week 8: Year 10 Work Experience
Year 9 Try-a-trade day in Dubbo
Year 7/8 Burrendong excursion
Week 9: Year 9 Job Ready

Mrs Tammy Nugent
7-10 Leader of Learning

Sport News

NSW PSSA Athletics
Well done to Noah Whale and Mia Stevenson for your outstanding personal achievements.

School Sport Australia Touch Football
Good luck to Evie Whiteley who will be traveling to Ballarat to play for NSW at the School Sport Australia Carnival in Touch Football. Evie will have the opening ceremony on Saturday and start playing on Sunday. Good luck

Summer Trials
Summer Trials will be held on 20-21 November in Dubbo.
Summer trials include touch football, basketball, cricket, tennis and softball.
These trials are for players that play at a representative level. If you are interested please email Mr Thompson.

2026 Secondary Diocesan Touch Football Trials
Compass notes have gone out for the Secondary Diocesan Touch Football trials to be held in Wellington on 18 November. A reminder all students must be registered on the CSNSW website.

Mr Alistaire Thompson
Sport Teacher

School Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning SPB4L

SPB4L Focus- ‘The Golden Rule’

The school will launch the Term 4 SPB4L focus next week. The “Golden Rule” (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) simply means you should treat others as you'd like to be treated. Students will reflect on times that they have or have not followed this rule and look for ways to make it a part of their everyday life.

Mr Allan Jones
Assistant Principal

Year 8 VALID Information

During Term 4, students in Year 8 will participate in the VALID Science assessment.

The VALID assessment is a NSW Department of Education online assessment available to
schools to assess and monitor student learning in science.

This is a diagnostic test, with tasks framed on Stage 4 outcomes and essential content in the NSW Science Years 7–10 Syllabus (2018). Students will be tested on their:

knowledge and understanding of science
understanding and skills in the process of scientific investigation
ability to evaluate evidence, make judgements and think critically
ability to access information and communicate scientific ideas.

The assessment can supplement existing school practices to identify how students are performing in science and to help teachers tailor their teaching more specifically to student needs. Students with disability may receive the same level of support during the assessment that they would normally receive in the classroom.
The assessment will be scheduled for our Year 8 students on Tuesday, November 4.
A personalised electronic report describing the knowledge and skills demonstrated by your
child in the test will later be available from the school.

Students are asked to bring headphones or earbuds that plug into a computer to enable
them to hear audio during the assessment. Earbuds used for mobile phones or other portabledevices may be suitable for use during the assessment. Student headphones will also be available.
Where required, the assessment platform provides an on-screen standard calculator that can be used for calculations.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Stevens.

Library News

Thank you to those students who helped kick off our favourite book sharing for Term 4 this week. Please keep an eye on the Term 4 timetable to know who's turn it is next. At the end of the term hopefully we will have some time for students who are keen to share again, to have another turn.

Save the Date!

Coming up in Week 4- Wednesday, November 5, St Mary's will be celebrating Grandparents Day. The day will begin with breakfast followed by Buddy Reading. Please encourage your child to start thinking about a book they'd like to share with Grandparents or their buddy. All students in Little Saints to Year 10 are asked to bring in a book on the day to share please.

Reading Rewards

On our first day back for Term 4, I was extremely excited to announce our Golden Book Trophy winners for Term 3. A huge congratulations to Year 5, who only just beat Year 4 by the narrowest of margins and in third place we had a tie between Year 7 and Year 3. It was our closest one yet!! 1/2R were our Mini Golden Book Trophy winners for fantastic work in phonics. A big congratulations also to our top Renaissance readers for Term 3- Liya Justin, Maeve Donovan, Jim Nugent, Rupert Comiskey, Stephanie Frogley, Bella Cummings, Brodie Frogley, Lochlan Hicks, Lillian McHugh, Levi Hall, Ryan Finn, Frederick Redfern and Amelia Wiggins. For their outstanding efforts in Reading they were treated to a delicious dessert bar in the library on Monday.

Well done to all students who put in a great effort with their reading last term. Hopefully your efforts paid off and you saw an improvement in your ZPD levels.It was fantastic to see students setting reading goals to work towards and it's now time to evaluate how we did and maybe set ourselves a new goal for Term 4.

Book Club
Book Club Issue 7 is out now and full of fantastic books in time for Christmas!! Our school gains free resources from any purchases made by families. You are under no obligation to buy, although if you would like to place an order you can either register online or send your order into the school office. Details to order online are on the back page of the catalogue. If you are having any difficulties with orders, please contact the school. Issue 7 is due by Tuesday October 28.

Mrs Hayley Jones
Librarian

Bush Tucker Garden

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to Bunnings Dubbo's Activity Team, our wonderful students, and dedicated staff members Miss Hodges and Mrs Sears for their incredible efforts in creating our beautiful new Yarning Circle. This space is a truly special addition to our school - a place for connections, storytelling, learning and reflection. The Yarning Circle holds deep cultural significance, representing respect, listening and the sharing of knowledge in a safe and inclusive way. It is an amazing space that will be appreciated and used by everyone in our school community for years to come.

We would aslo like to give a warm thank you to WACHS for providing the delicious lunch on the day. Your generosity and support made the occasion even more memorable and brought everyone together in the true spirit of community.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone involved - your hard work, creativity and care have helped create a space that celebrates culture, unity and belonging.

Early this year, our school was successful in a small cultural grant from the Bathurst Catholic Diocese.

Our new bush tucker garden is almost completed.

Feedback from our Cultural Advisory Committee was to include timber logs (like those shown in the photo) for seating in the Yarning Circle space.

With some of our families living on properties, we are asking, Do you have seating-sized logs at your place, that you would like to donate to our school's new Yarning Circle?

This will be a special way for families to contribute to a special area within our school, and a way our Yarning Circle will have locally sourced material. If you would like to be a part of this project, please call our office with your details.

Thank you.

Miss Jo Hodges and Mrs Danielle Sears
Aboriginal Education Officers

Traditional Indigenous Games

Exciting news!!! K-2 students have started learning Traditional Indigenous Games (TIG) with Mrs Sears & Miss Hodges, along with their teachers for sport. TIG incorporates Wiradjuri language through counting in Wiradjuri- Ngumbaay - 1, bula- 2, bula ngumbaay- 3, bula bula - 4, animal names, and the responsibilities of being the elders of a group. K-2 students are building their fine and gross motor skills along with building their knowledge of Aboriginal culture and language.

On Thursday our Year 5 students joyfully celebrated their Confirmation Spirit Day as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend.

This special day is a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together in faith, reflection and community, embracing the significance of this important step in their spiritual journey.

We are proud of their committment and excitement and look forward to supporting them as they continue to grow in faith and grace.

Wishing all our Year 5 students a blessed and meaningful Sacrament of Confirmation.

UNSW Curious Students Workshop Years 7-10

Today students from Years 7 to 10 attended the UNSW Curious Students Workshop, an engaging program designed to spark curiosity and inspire a love of learning through hands-on experiences. Throughout the day, students explored a range of interactive activities and experiments led by university staff and researchers. The workshop offered valuable insights into science, technology and innovation, while giving students a taste of university life and the exciting possiblilities that could lie ahead in their education journeys.

School Toilet Block Project

Construction has now commenced on the new toilet block in the school quadrangle area.

This project is an exciting step forward in improving our school facilities and ensuring more accessible amenities for our students.

Work is progressing well, and the project is scheduled for completion for the commencement of the 2026 school year.

We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding during this construction period.

Congratulations to the following Year 4 students who have received their pen licences!

Well done Aalyiah, Maeve, Mia, Scarlett, Lily, Lillian, Cooper, George, Jack and Sophie.

Ms Nicole Aleksandrovics
Teacher

Maranatha House Visit

Maranatha residents love to follow the Melbourne Cup and our visit with Year 6 on Monday helped prepare the facility for the big day. We had such a busy visit with the students helping cut out horses while sharing stories. Year 6 well done on such a lovely visit.

Louise Hennessy
Community Wellbeing Program Manager

St Mary's SRC would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all our wonderful students and families who generously supported the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child initiative this year.

Twenty Six very full gift-filled boxes have been sent to Operation Chrismas Child to be distributed around the world to those in need.

Your kindness and compassion will bring joy to children around the world who might not otherwise receive a gift this Christmas.

Each carfully packed shoebox is more than just a present - it's a message of love, hope and care from our school community to another child across the globe. We are so proud of our students for embaracing the spirit of giving and for showing such empathy and generosity.

Thank you for helping make a difference and for spreading the true meaning of Christmas through your thoughtful contributions.

We recently wished Father Carl a very happy and joy filled birthday.

We are so very grateful for Father Carl's kindness, wisdom and the gentle guidance he brings to our community each and every day. His warmth, compassion and faith inspire us all, and we feel truly blessed to share in his presence and leadership.

We hope your special day was filled with love, laughter and the company of those who cherish you the most.

WACHS Braveheart Competition

We are thrilled to congratulate Scarlett Eagleston on winning the WACHS Braveheart Day colouring-in competition.

Scarlett's creativity and talent truly stood out, and her beautiful artwork was chosen among many wonderful entries.

This achievement is something to be very proud of and we celebrate her success as a shining example of enthusiasm and artisitc skill.

Well done, Scarlett - keep shining bright!

Wellington Arts Centre Inc - Art Markets

This weekend Wellington Arts Inc. will be hosting a showcase for local artists. Over ten artists will be showcasing their work and most will be for sale! A Great way to support local small business and our local artists !
The Art Market will be held from 10-3pm both Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October at 136 Gisborne Street, Wellington.

Information Flyers

Parent Line

CEDB Attendance Information for Parents

2026 Enrolments

Friday 24 October 2025 - T4W2 Newsletter