25 Years' DoE Service Award

Congratulations to Mr Rodney McGiveron for recently receiving a 25 Years’ DoE Service Award. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of Rodney’s almost 26 years working at St Marys District School and fantastic recognition of his hard work over a long period of time. Given that Rodney also spent his school years as a student at our school, his contribution to the St Marys District School community has been ongoing and enormous. Thank you, Rodney for all that you do!

2022 Class Structure

Classes for 2022 are as follows:

Kindergarten

Prep

1/2A     1/2B

3/4A     3/4B

5/6A     5/6B

7/8A     7/8B     7/8C

9/10A   9/10B   9/10C

11/12

We are excited that the 2022 structure allows for teaching teams to collaboratively plan together. Staffing for some of these classes are not quite finalised but I hope to be able to share teacher names with you on or before our 2022 class orientation, which is planned for the 14 December.

If your child is moving schools, for whatever reason, please make sure we are aware of their situation so that we can plan accordingly. This could impact the class structures listed above and is critical for us being able to maximise the opportunities and experiences for each child across the school.

In 2022, due to very low numbers, there will not be a class at the Fingal Campus of St Marys District School. All classes K-12 will be situated at the St Marys Campus.  I would like to thank the School Association Committee members and parents of current Fingal Campus students for their assistance and support with this transition. 

Grade 10 Dinner

On Monday 13December, our Grade 10s will have the opportunity to celebrate and reminisce the first twelve years of their education at their Celebration Dinner. Students will be arriving at school from 5.00pm and dinner will be served from 6.30pm. Once again, Covid 19 requirements mean that this event will have some restrictions around spectators viewing student arrivals.  For interested members of the public, we recommend viewing the arrivals from Gray Road.  Limited tickets will be available for students’ families to have the opportunity to view the arrivals from the internal school quadrangle. More information will be shared with parents this week.

Presentation Afternoons

Next week we will be holding three presentation events. We look forward to sharing our students’ achievements with you.

Due to venue density, we need to limit the number of visitors on site for these assemblies. 

We will endeavour to use our social media and newsletter to ensure we have lots of details and photos to keep you up to speed so that you can join in on the celebrations, albeit from a safe distance.

End-of-Year Reports

Next Wednesday, 8 November, students will bring home their end-of-year summary report. If parents/carers would like to discuss aspects of their child’s report, please make an appointment through the school office by 3:30pm Friday 10 December.

Kindest regards

Carolyn Watson

The last two weeks of term are packed with events and celebrations.  These will impact on canteen operations, with the Canteen being closed on the following dates.  Please ensure your child brings lunch to school on these days.  

To ensure the freshest stock is available next year, our current stock is not being replaced as it runs out. Students may notice that items they have ordered are substituted with an alternative product.  Our Canteen staff know our students' preferences very well and will do their best to make sure your child receives an appropriate substitude to their order. 

Thank you very much for your support of our school Canteen during 2021.

Basketball

This term we travelled to St Helens for a Gala Day. The schools that went were St Helens, Bicheno and St Marys. Our first activity was basketball. There were mixed students from the different schools. We did not know any of the other players. The basketball courts were very nice, and the day was really sunny. We got very hot while playing. We did several drills like dribbling, throwing and shooting hoops before starting the game. Then we played a game of basketball. Layla and I were in different teams, but we are not too sure which team won. It was just a fun game.  We finished playing at recess time. After recess we went to another activity.

We enjoyed the day, and we met many new people and made friends. We had a lot of fun.

Indi

Basketball

This term we went to a Gala Day at St Helens school. The schools who went were St Helens, Bicheno and St Marys. My first activity was basketball. I knew Indi, Illeyna and Paige in my group, but I did not know anyone else.

The first activity we did was some ball dribbling drills. We dribbled the ball back and forth. Then we did some throwing. We threw the ball to our partners. After this we practised goal shooting. We had to take turns dribbling the ball and have a go shooting for a goal. Later we were put into two teams. I was in Team One and Indi was in Team Two. When our number was called out we had to try to shoot for a goal. When my number was called out, I shot a goal.

After we finished we were all extremely hot.

I really enjoyed the day

By Layla

A large team of secondary students competed in the Inter-High Athletics carnival in Launceston last week. St Marys students were up against teams from St Helens, Campbell Town, Star of the Sea, Flinders Island and Winnaleah.  Congratulations to all our students for their outstanding representation of our school and for their own personal achievements on the day. Outstanding accomplishments came from the following students who had an extremely busy program of events for the day:

Helayna McGiveron, Daniel Cook, Tysen Gamble, Hallie Thomson, Charlie Pou, Byron Ball, Zali Taylor, Caleb Broughan, Sage Lye and Mahalia Baldwin.

Congratulation must also go to the Grade 10 boys relay team for their amazing victory in the last race of the day.

Thank you to the staff and students who attended to run field events: Sue Bennett, Daniel Gidas, Sarah Tatnell, Elise Sliskovic, Lola de Boer and Georgie Featherstone.

Our team finished second in the junior shield, won the senior shield and finished second overall.

 Laura Swanson

Throughout the year we have seen our Early Childhood students grow and mature in many ways,  from “Look Miss Bramich, I’ve got a wobbly tooth!”, “Miss Bramich, do you like my new sports shoes?”, “I’ve got a new dog and my family is getting healthy because we take it for a walk everyday!”, and “ I can tie my own shoe laces now!”

Our students arrive in Term One with trousers touching their shoes, school dresses well below the knees, rolled up sleeves on school jumpers and school shoes slightly on the “big side” to grow into. So now that Term 4 is coming to an end, our children  are much taller, stronger and mature. Their school dresses seem much shorter, the wrist bands of jumpers are now higher on the arm, trouser hems mid-calf and new teeth in place. Some of our students can now reach the soap dispensers to wash their hands because their arms and legs are longer.  Some students can hang their bags on their bag hooks with ease or open their drink bottles or tie their shoelaces.

Through normal growth and development processes, our young students mature in many areas – socially, emotionally, academically and physically.  In PE, we observe, assess and guide your child’s development through a huge range of fundamental motor skills.   Detailed written progress is kept for every K – 2 student in 3 main areas. This weekly observation and regular recording of development, allows us to focus on individual and personalised teaching as your child moves from one grade to the next. My comprehensive HPE teaching also supports the Kindergarten Developmental Check completed by Mrs Bec Hibberd.

• BODY MANAGEMENT – balancing on the right and left sides of the body, forward beam walking, body rolling
• LOCOMOTOR SKILLS – walking, running, hopping, skipping, galloping, dodging, leaping, 2 feet jumping and landing on 2 feet
• MANIPULATIVE SKILLS - small, medium and large ball catching, throwing, rolling, bouncing, kicking, foot dribbling, striking/hitting

Please enjoy the following pictures of our students developing their eye tracking and hitting skills.

Karen Bramich

A great time was had by all at our recent Kindergarten excursion to Natureworld.  The bus was a hit, as always, especially with it being the first ride for many.  We enjoyed a tour of the park on the Pelican Express Train.  Devil feeding time was great fun, especially throwing peanut butter bombs for them to enjoy.  The kangaroos were very friendly and appreciated being hand fed ample quantities of food.  Many children were brave enough to hold a blue tongue lizard!  We saw many native animals and had a great time playing on the playground.  It was such a wonderful day! 

On Monday November 22, all Grade 6 students from St Marys and Bicheno Schools combined to spend the day at the Scotch Oakburn Valley Campus in Fingal. The purpose of this day was to ensure all prospective Grade 7 students for 2022 had an opportunity to spend time together as a grade and build connections.

Arriving at the Valley Campus all students were put into small groups accompanied by two Year 11 Scotch Oakburn leaders. These leaders assisted the groups through 4 different rotations of team building and problem-solving activities. Highlights from the day included the low ropes course and the crocodile pit where groups needed to practise listening to one another and working as a team to solve the problem. Students were pushed out of their comfort zones: whether it be making new friends, challenging themselves to solve problems in a group and exploring their physical strength. The day proved to be a huge success judging by the friendships made and the smiles on faces throughout the day!

Grade 3 – 6 Swimming Carnival by Karen Bramich

On Wednesday November 24, our Grade 3 – 6 students marched to the pool to participate in over 16 swimming events designed for students of all swimming abilities.  Our Grade 3 – 5 students participated in the Statewide Swimming and Water Safety Progamme in October so were fully prepared to engage in a range of traditional swimming races, water safety activities, survival events and House relays.  Our Grade 6 students were fresh from their HPE Aquatic programme and were ready to have a great day of House competition and fun.

I would like to thank the many people who assisted with the planning of this carnival; our school Leadership team, Administration team, EFAs, teaching and TA staff members and parent officials on the day all contributed to a fantastic day.  The carnival results are:

NEW RECORDS

Grade 4 Girls Sienna McGiveron

• 25m Backstroke 23.02
• 25m & 50m Butterfly 20.90 & 52.58
• 50m Freestyle 41.87
• 50m Breaststroke 1.01.55

Grade 5 Girls Ellie Woolley

• 50m Butterfly 56.08
• 50m Breaststroke 54.96

Grade 6 Boys Wally Freiboth

• 50m Butterfly 1.08.00

SWIMMING CHAMPIONS

Grade 3 Girls
Champion:   Myra Cusack
Runner Up: Rayne Keenan

Grade 3 Boys
Champion:  Oliver Hibberd/Bentley Coker-Williams EQUAL

Grade 4 Girls
Champion:  Sienna McGiveron                         
Runner Up: Halle Gillies

Grade 4 Boys
Champion:  Fergus Burbury                              
Runner Up: Theo Piscitelli-Cole

Grade 5 Girls
Champion:  Ellie Woolley                                  
Runner Up: Sophia Syka

Grade 5 Boys
Champion:  Ping Li/Ollie Oberman EQUAL          
Runner Up: Brodie Faulkner

Grade 6 Girls
Champion: Henna Bunton                               
Runner Up: Mia Hibberd

Grade 6 Boys
Champion: Wally Freiboth                              
Runner Up: Bo Bryant

OVERALL HOUSE RESULTS

Fingal Students participated in Questacon – The National Science and Technology Foldable Flight webinar on Thursday November 4.   

All students participated in making paper planes.  It was a lot of fun.

Students took turns in throwing their paper planes and measuring the length of each individual flight.

Student threw their planes under 2 different conditions. The first flight was inside the classroom and the second flight outside in the playground.

Learning achievements from this activity enabled students to discuss how to pose questions for investigations and predict the effects of changing variables when planning an investigation.   In conclusion the best results occurred throwing paper planes outside.   

78%  doubled their flight length when thrown outside.   (11 out of 14)

• Students discussed distance travelled:
• Students discussed outcomes and influences.

   .

REMEMBRANCE DAY

11TH NOVEMEMBER 2021

Fingal students participated in Remembrance by honouring those who have fought in wars to keep us safe. Students joined the St Marys Campus Remembrance Service via Teams.  Students participated in singing the National Anthem and respecting the two minute silence to remember those who died or been injured at war. St Marys student leaders spoke of the bravery and the ongoing importance to uphold respect and gratitude for our past and present servicemen and women.

Fingal Grade 5 students lowering the flags in preparation for the Remembrance Day Service.

Grade 1  Beetle Life Cycle and Habitats

In Science students have been looking at  the life cycle of a beetle. The learning intention focused on how every living thing has a life cycle and has basic needs including water and food.  Students made a beetle and created its environment.

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

• School Levies and Charges for 2022  -  Kinder to Grade 6
• Kinder - Prep Transition Meeting  -  Tuesday 7th December
• ENE Swimming Carnival
• Presentation Day -  kinder - Grade 6  -  10th December 2021

SECONDARY

WHOLE SCHOOL