A note from the Principal
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is the day before Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, it's a day for feasting and using up rich foods like eggs and fats before the fasting period of Lent begins.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance leading up to Easter. On this day, many Christians attend church services where ashes are placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross, symbolising repentance.
Lent is a solemn season in the Christian calendar, commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. During Lent, many Christians give up certain luxuries or adopt new spiritual practices to grow closer to God and prepare for the celebration of Easter.
As a school, we will commence our preparations for Easter with pancakes and class reflections this coming Tuesday, and a whole school Mass on Wednesday at 11am. All parents and friends are invited to join us.
P&F Social Night
This Friday evening commencing at 5pm, we have our first P&F event for the year being held at Station Square. If you are hoping to order a meal, orders must be made before 6pm to support Station Square in managing their dinner reservations.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week
RAK Week is next week! This is the week where we try extra hard to notice and acknowledge the good things happening in our world, and we go out of our way to lift up the spirits of others. Students will be sent home a participation flyer soon, with free dress being held on Friday 7th March.
Year 6 Camp Fundraising Meeting
There is a Year 6 Parent Camp Fundraising meeting booked for Tuesday 4th March at 9am in the staffroom. Typically, the Year 6 parents have been responsible for coordinating the school disco and other fundraising opportunities to support their children in going to camp. These opportunities will be discussed at the meeting.
Ring Central Telephony System
St Mary’s, along with Catholic Education WA (CEWA), will transition to Ring Central Telephony on the 5/6th March 2025. Ring Central has been chosen by CEWA to replace TEAMS Calling which has been problematic with handheld devices across the system. On these days, there may be disruptions to the phone systems. If this is the case, please contact teachers directly through SEESAW or come into the office.
NAPLAN
Commencing Wednesday 12th March, our Year 3 and 5 students will sit the NAPLAN assessments. NAPLAN assess students’ literacy and Numeracy skills and provides school with important information regarding individual and cohort learning that can be used for forward planning. Parent information has been sent home to already, alternatively it can be accessed HERE.
Network Access Control (NAC)
CEWA will be implementing Network Access Control on Monday 17th March. This process will allow CEWA to manage our system including printers and photocopiers, updates and security via a remote server. During this time, the school will experience network disruptions and possibly phone systems. If this is the case, please email katja.humphries@cewa.edu.au (who will be able to access this email on her phone) or come into the office.
Bishops Ordination
The Episcopal Ordination of Fr George Kolodziej SDS Bishop-Elect of Bunbury will take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 19th March. As a school, we will be taking a small representation of staff and students to join in and celebrate this occasion.
Harmony Day
Harmony Day in Australia celebrates cultural diversity, promoting inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for everyone. As a school we will be recognising this occasion on Thursday 20th March. On this day, all students are invited to wear orange.
Swimming Carnival
Thank you to Mr Skehan who coordinated a successful swimming trial yesterday in preparation for the Year 3-6 Carnival being held on Friday 21st March. This year, our Year 4-6 students will have the opportunity to compete in more events and compete for championship points. Whilst the carnival will have a competitive nature, it is important that the carnival runs in the same spirit that it always has. Whilst considerations for swimming styles may evoke discussions, disqualifying students will be a last resort. Thank you to those parents who supported the trials, and who have nominated to support at the carnival.
Interim Reports and Parent Meetings
This year, the Term 1 Interim Reports will go home on Friday 21st March. These reports give you information on your child’s school behaviours and social and emotional development, as well as their progress across the main learning areas. Following this, parent teacher meetings will be held on Wednesday 26th March. Teachers may request meetings with parents, and parents will have the option to do the same. More information will be sent home soon.
Staff Commissioning and All Sacraments Commissioning Mass
Last Sunday, we had all our students (and their families) who are making the sacraments of Reconciliation (Year 3), First Holy Communion (Year 4) and Confirmation (Year 6) and our staff attend Mass together. It was great to have our community come together in the one place and to share in a meal together afterwards. Thank you to those who contributed to the morning.
Important Dates
Please make note of the following dates regarding pupil free days:
Monday 3rd March – Labour Day Public Holiday
Monday 28th April – Staff Professional Development / Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 29th April – Staff professional Development / Pupil Free Day
Friday 30th May – Catholic Day / Pupil Free Day
Monday 2nd June – WA Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 3rd June - Staff Professional Development / Pupil Free Day
Monday 25th August - Staff Professional Development / Pupil Free Day
Monday 3rd November - Staff Professional Development / Pupil Free Day
Friday 12th December – Last day for students
All other dates are aligned with the Department of Education and can be found HERE
School Website
Our school website can be found HERE and contains more information regarding school operations and procedures.
Parent Information
An updated parent information booklet, including teacher email addresses and school operations, can be found on our school website under the school information tab or by clicking HERE.
Term 1 Calendar
Please take note of the Term 1 calendar found HERE for all upcoming events.
3-Year-Old kindergarten
St Mary’s will once again be offering a 3-Year-Old Kindergarten program commencing Term 2 on Thursdays from 9-12:30pm. To enrol in this program or to seek more information, please contact the office on 97324700. Please share this information with prospective families.
Enrolments
St Mary’s is open for enrolments and has places available across all year levels. Please share this information with prospective families, and contact the office on 97324700 should you be interested in a tour with the principal. More information, including an introductory video, can be found on our school website at http://www.stmarysdbrk.wa.edu.au/.
Thank you
Andrew Gammon
Principal
St Mary's School Donnybrook
Email: admin@stmarysdbrk.wa.edu.au
Website: www.stmarysdbrk.wa.edu.au
Location: 30 Bentley St, Donnybrook, WA, 6239
Phone: 08 97324700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St-Marys-Catholic-Primary-School-Donnybrook-1835840293345149/