Last week we welcomed our students back to Term 3. We have been pleased with the way that students have settled back into their learning routines and classroom environments.  It was wonderful to see the distribution of the SMDS beanies last week.  Students greeted this School Association Committee initiative with excitement and gratitude and the beanies are being worn pride.  Thank you to all who contributed to this wonderful addition to our school uniform.

I hope that families had the opportunity to enjoy some time together during the holidays. I know that many planned vacations interstate may have been interrupted or changed due to the recent developments with the pandemic and we continue to be grateful for the position our state is in compared to our mainland states. We have sent (and will continue to send) regular updates to families via our schoolzine email system to all families regarding any developments that may arise in in regard to the Covid-19 situation. I thank all families for continuing to monitor the situation and adhere to the recommendations including keeping children at home when they are unwell. The measures taken by the Department of Education have, been very conservative and seen as precautionary measures to ensure our safety.

Professional Learning Day

Teachers had a busy start to the term, undertaking a day of Professional Learning on Monday 19 July, furthering our whole school focus on teaching Vocabulary as one of the main strategies of our a Reading priority.  This term, teachers will be introducing specific vocabulary strategies into their teaching in every subject as we strategically work to build the vocabulary of every student. Increasing the number of words students know and can use with confidence is a key to success in all learning areas.  In upcoming newsletters we will share more information about this exciting work.

Celebrating Success

Sector assemblies held at the end of last term saw many celebrations of effort and achievement across a whole range of areas and endeavours. The DoE and school values of Respect, Courage, Aspiration and Growth were all recognised.  Congratulations to all who were recognised.

Staffing Update

Last term we advertised an Assistant Principal position, and I would like to congratulate Miss Ros Smith on being the successful applicant.  Ros will continue to lead the K-6 Sector of our school in this position as well as leading an element of our school improvement work across the whole school.  Currently this work is leading the implementation of a consistent Phonics and Phonemic Awareness approach in our K-2 classrooms and a Phonics intervention program across the 3-6 classes. 

At the end of last term, we notified parents of a change to staffing of the Grade 3/4 class. This term, Mr Gledhill will take on a Health and PE role across the 3-7 grades and we welcome Mrs Kaleigh Brown into the Grade 3/4.  Mrs Brown has worked across our school in a relief teacher role this year and our Grade 3/4 students are excited to welcome her into their class.  As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, Mr Wardlaw and Mrs Cornelius are both on leave this term, with Mr Bradley teaching the Grade 10 English students and secondary Music classes while they are away.

School Association

A reminder that we have a School Association meeting coming up in August.  I would ask parents to consider if they are interested and available to join the School Association Committee as there are still vacancies for parent members.  If you are interested to join the Committee please contact the school office and we will pass your details on to one of the Committee members, who will contact you with further information.

Warm regards,

Carolyn Watson

Principal

In the final week of Term 2, we had the pleasure of welcoming some of our fantastic St Marys Op Shop volunteers into the school.

The St Marys Op-Shop is the major fundraising arm for our School Association and over the years their generosity of giving their time to volunteer at the Op-Shop has supported our students in many ways including:

The volunteers enjoyed a tour of the school, guided by some of our year 9 leadership students.  Our students answered questions and gave the volunteers an insight into the school, and what it is like to be a student here.   Many of our volunteers don't  have a connection of any sort with the school, and this makes their contribtion to the school community so valuable.

Following on from morning tea, the volunteers were treated to a small video, expressing our appreciation for their support and presented with a certificate of appreciation.  

Our students have been very grateful to receive the timely gift of beanies, just in time for the coldest part of the year.  The beanies were an initiative of the School Association and funded by Op-Shop fundraising.   The beanies make a great addition to  the uniform, as do the hats students received last year. 

It has been my pleasure getting to know the volunteers a lot more over the course of the past few weeks, hosting them for the tour and morning tea, as well as working with them towards completing our mandatory fire evacuation procedures.  Their management of the Op Shop is very professional, they are welcoming and friendly to each other and our generous op-shop patrons.   If you have been considering volunteering at the op shop, but haven't been sure of meeting and working with new people, please do reach out to this friendly and supportive part of our school community.

Lisa Bean

SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER

A wonderful day in the life of St Marys District School has just come to pass with the inaugural hosting of the Break O'Day Employment Connect (BODEC) "Our Futures Job & Education Fair”. This stunning display of community and opportunity was hosted in the Performing Arts Centre at St Marys Campus on Thursday 29 July.

The aim of the fair was to bring employers, and training organisations together to provide our students with a taste of the wide variety of further education and employment opportunities that are available in and around Tasmania, as well as nationally. Students were given the opportunity to chat face to face with more than 20 Tasmanian businesses and agencies on the day as well as to try ‘hands on experiences’ of a number of these industries.

A few of the most popular activities were the welding simulator (where Jasmine Mc scored an amazing 94/100 overall), the graphic arts displays and the ability to make your own mocktail at the mocktail bar! Our students were able to chat with Defence Force Recruiting, Sustainable Timbers Tasmania, Tas Hospitality Association, Real Estate Businesses, Farm Managers, Entrepreneurship Facilitators, Local and Federal Government Agencies as well as local employers, Utas and training providers.

One of the richest learning opportunities came from when our students were given small-group workshops on resume preparation as well as interview technique. Many students stated that they now feel far more prepared for an interview, having seen worked examples of both a good and bad interview, as well as being shown key tips and tricks to really impress the interview panel.

Students from grades 6-10 attended the fair and their engagement over the course of the day with the presenters and each other was outstanding. Many stallholders commented on the curiosity, manners, quality relationships and genuine nature of our students as they visited each stall. This is something that we can all be very proud of.

It is our great hope that this fantastic initiative continues long into the future, as it was very clear that our students benefitted immensely from this day. Many students came away with a far clearer picture of what interested them, as well as the steps required to achieve that goal.

Thank you to BODEC, as well as all of the knowledgeable, warm and engaging stall holders who made this day such a great success. Thanks also to the team of EFA’s and helpers who contributed to setting up and packing up this event as well as to Mrs. Lucie Cornelius, Mrs. Lynette Yodgee and Mrs. Carolyn Watson for being the driving forces behind this event. Finally, an enormous congratulations to Mrs. Cindy Kurtukoff and Mrs. Claire Bastick who brainstormed, created and drove this event from its beginning right through to being the last to leave late that evening. Overall, this was a fantastic learning opportunity, and a wonderful demonstration of the innovative and caring approach to futures and learning that is offered at SMDS.

Match Report – St Marys vs Queechy

It was a long, nervous ride in the bus to the home ground of the Queechy High School footy team. Some memories were still fresh from the brutal game last year. The St Marys boys came out fired up looking to take the chocolates for the first time this year. They played like men possessed, and from the sidelines it was clear the Queechy team were shocked by the tenacity of the younger and smaller opposition. It was a valiant effort, but the bigger bodies of the Queechy boys, along with surprising speed and skill, proved too much to handle. Jakobe Tatnell played his guts out all game and led by example. A couple of wayward shots at goal by Jack H and Kane J left us wanting, while Jack C had a blinder of a last quarter, booting our only goal. It was great to see both sides bury the hatchet by playing with great respect and courage.

During Term Two, Years 8 and 9 students worked hard studying the world's biomes in our HaSS Georgraphy Unit.  These students creatively demonstrated the characteristics of their choses biome with their "biome in a box" project.  Well done!

Students in chose to learn how to create zentangles in their last activities session, on a Friday afternoon. A zentangle is a free and unplanned play on patterns.  Creating zentangles is an international phenomenon used to reduce stress, increase wellbeing, and enhance relaxation.

Round 1 - ‘In-school’ ENE Country Gold selection trials

On Wednesday 21^st July, over 40 Gr 4 – 6 students demonstrated aspiration and courage by participating in the “in-school” ENE Country Gold sports selection trials.  At the St. Marys Campus, for more than 2 hours our students demonstrated their soccer, AFLW and netball sports skills, hoping to be selected for the next round of the selection process.  Our students entered these trials knowing that some students would be successful and some would not.  We are proud of all these students for demonstrating positive attitudes and behaviours. We would like to congratulate the following students who were selected to further showcase their sports skills at the ENE Country Gold selection trials. 

Round 2 -  ENE Country Gold selection trials

On Tuesday 27^th July, St. Marys District School hosted the second round of Country Gold selection trials.  Grade 4 – 6 students from Bicheno, St. Helens and St. Marys participated in this regional selection process.  We would like to commend all the students who participated in these selection trials as they represented our school proudly.  Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in the ENE Country Gold teams for 2021.  We wish you all well in your team training programme in preparation for the Country Gold Carnival and AFLW Gala Day, both held in September in Launceston.

A reminder to all team members – It would be appreciated if all Country Gold Consent & Medical forms are returned to the school office by Monday 2^nd August.  Thank you.

If you saw our recent Facebook post about the grade 5/6 Science experiment, resulting in the creation of slime, you might be interested in how it works.

Slime is Chemistry!  Chemistry is all about states of matter including liquids, solids, and gases. It is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up of atoms and molecules. Additionally, chemistry is how these materials act under different conditions.

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid. A non-Newtonian fluid is neither a liquid nor a solid. It can be picked up like a solid, but it also will ooze like a liquid.  Slime does not have its own shape.   You will notice your slime change its shape to fill whatever container it’s placed in.  However, it can also be bounced like a ball because of its elasticity.

Please enjoy our photos of our last assembly and certificate winners.

Breakfast Club at St Marys District School caters to a wide variety of students from primary school to year 12.

Our program aims to provide a quick, nutritious breakfast to our students.  Breakfast club operates out of the cooking room for primary and interested secondary students, with an additional “toast station” in the common room available for secondary student access during the day.

Students access the program for a variety of reasons.  Some students have left home early and have travelled long distances to school and are ready for a second breakfast when they arrive at school.  Some students enjoy the social aspects of sharing breakfast with friends, while other students don’t have access to breakfast at home.

We are very fortunate to have a number of individuals and community organisations interested in supporting the program.  This has been by way of donations of goods such as: cereal, spreads, juice, canned fruit, long life milk and canned goods.

As community interest in supporting breakfast club has increased, we are asking that where possible donations are made in cash to the school for breakfast club.  This will allow us to allocate the money to a Breakfast Club budget, purchase fresh produce from our local businesses and reduce waste around cereal  and other food items which sometimes go out of date before we can use them.  It also assists us to plan and rotate meals that are offered at breakfast club, addresses storage issues and gives us scope to expand the program to provide lunches when needed.  If you wish to make a cash donation, please contact our School Business Manager on 0363723900 to make arrangements.  All cash transctions must be invoiced/receipted in line with Department of Education financial procedures.

If you prefer to donate goods, please contact the school to obtain a list of what we are currently in need of.   When donating goods please remember:   

• items to be well within the use by / best before date
• items to be unopened / undamaged packaging
• items do not contain nuts or nut products

On Friday 23 July Mr & Mrs David Schier, of long standing association and supporters of the school, visited to donate a generous amount of fruit cups, jams, baked beans, soups and bars to our program.  

These items will be used in our breakfast club (Prep - 6), at our toast station (7-10), as well as supporting recess and lunch options for students.

Other donations have come from the community drop off point at the St Marys Op-Shop, and Falmouth Community Centre by way of a  bi-monthly cash sponsorship.

Thank you for your generosity in supporting our students.

It's only two weeks into the term, but are you already looking for lunch box ideas?  Why not try this easy Zucchini slice recipe from the Family Food Patch recipes Booklet.

Families Tasmania offer a wide range of fun resources, created to support you and your family. From delicious recipes to nature play activities, crafternooning ideas to wellbeing, there is something for everyone! Build your food skills, get active or pick up some parenting tips.   Get the kids involved with their foodskills  activity sheets. Food skills | Families Tasmania

Hop over to their website today.

These notices have been sent home to parents in the last fortnight.  If you did not receive one and would like to receive a copy of the notice, please contact the school office on 63 723 900.

PRIMARY

East Coast Gala Day -  Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6 students

SECONDARY

WHOLE SCHOOL

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