As recently shared via Compass we are excited about the progress of our building project and as such note the changes to upcoming calendar dates:

• Friday 26th September – Last day of Term 3 On this day, STM staff will be packing classrooms in preparation for the move. Where possible, we ask that students remain at home. However, the school will be open to supervise students if alternative care arrangements cannot be made. 
• Monday 13th October – First day of Term 4 (Staff Development Day) As already scheduled in our school calendar, this will be a Staff Development Day with no students attending school. The focus of the day will now shift to relocating and setting up classrooms. 
• Tuesday 14th October – Students return All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will return to school on this day. 
• Friday 28th November – Staff Development Day (Curriculum Focus) To make up for the moved Staff Development Day at the start of Term 4, Friday 28th November will now be a curriculum-focused Staff Development Day. No students will attend school on this day.

A reminder that Monday 22nd September remains as a planned Staff Development Day (Spirituality focus) and as such NO students will attend school on this date.

Traffic congestion on St John’s Road of an afternoon continues to be a serious concern. A reminder to all STM parents/carers that cars are NOT PERMITTED to block St John’s Road while waiting for carline. If the entry driveway is full, cars should either pull over in a legal and safe space to wait or circle the surrounding streets until there is space available in the driveway. Police have contacted the school and advised that they will be booking cars who are blocking the road. The school office staff have also had many phone calls recently from irate members of the public. Please assist us in not blocking a public road. A suggestion would be to arrive at 3pm, I can assure you that at this time there is almost no one in the driveway.

We’ve had some wonderful celebrations recently, on Friday, August 15th, we joyfully celebrated a holy day of obligation with a Mass honoring the Feast of the Assumption. We are sincerely grateful to Father Michael for celebrating Mass in the STM School Hall, which was beautifully transformed into a sacred space for this special occasion. It was also heartwarming to hear our students confidently proclaim the responses and sing hymns dedicated to Mary.

We eagerly anticipate celebrating more liturgical events in our School Hall and hope that parents and carers will be able to join us.

Friday, August 15th remained a lively day with our K-2 and 3-6 Discos happening that evening. A huge thank you to our P&F for organising and running the discos, and to all the parent/carer volunteers who helped out. Everyone who attended had a fantastic time—including the staff!

The Book Week Parade on Thursday, August 21st was an absolute BLAST! It was fantastic to see so many students and staff joining in the fun and dressing up. This year’s theme, ‘Book an Adventure,’ truly came to life at STM, with characters from every genre, era, and place represented.

A special shoutout to our staff for bringing The Wizard of Oz to life with an incredible reenactment on stage!

Kind regards,

Mrs Melissa Vella

Fathers' Day is just around the corner, and we'd love for you to join us in celebrating the wonderful fathers and father figures in our school community.

Please join us for a special Fathers' Day liturgy led by our Kindergarten students on Friday, September 5th, at 8:30 a.m. in the school hall. We'll give thanks for the love and support they provide. The liturgy will be held after the P&F's delicious BBQ breakfast, so you can enjoy a great meal and then join us for this special service. 

As part of this liturgy, we would like to include photos of the special men in our lives. 

If you would like to include a photo in this reflection please email it to jensene01@dow.catholic.edu.au by Wednesday 3rd September.

Celebrating the Season of Creation: Peace with Creation
As a school community, we are joining with our global church to celebrate the Season of Creation, which runs from September 1st to October 4th. This year's theme is "Peace with Creation," reminding us of the urgent need to care for our common home and restore our relationship with God's creation.

In his encyclical Laudato Si', Pope Francis reminded us that caring for our common home is a profound moral and spiritual duty. He asked us to use this time for prayer, reflection, and action. This important work has continued to guide the Church, calling us to thank God for the wonderful gift of creation, to repent for the harm we have caused, and to commit ourselves to a more sustainable way of life.

Our Year 3 students will be leading us in a special prayer to commence this important season at tomorrow's assembly. We encourage all families to reflect on how they can be a part of this global movement for change, working towards a more peaceful and just world for all.

In English, the students have investigated what information holds authority over a topic which helped them to understand what pieces of information are trustworthy and reliable. They investigated Favel Parrett, the author of Wandi to work out how she gained reliable information to create the novel. Over the term they have looked at different animals and created their own opinions and researched facts. The children have created paragraphs based on facts, not their opinions of animals. They published their paragraph digitally to get in extra typing practice.

Hear from some of our students about why they think it's important to only rely on information that is true and factual. 

Addilyn M: “It's important so you can learn the correct facts. If it’s not factual, you might learn the wrong thing.”

Indie M: “You will find out the truth and if you don’t use reliable information then you could accidently tell everyone the wrong thing.”

Here's a hot tip from Sarv B about how to tell if the information is trustworthy: “go to websites that are popular like National Geographic Kids. You can also watch videos made by the CEO because they are trustworthy. Use websites that are recommended by adults and you can search on Government websites.”

Congratulations to Lenny.H for his participation in the NSW PSSA Rugby Union State Championships. Lenny played well, scoring a try in each game. He put in a solid defensive effort, backed up his team mates and played with good sportsmanship. Well done Lenny!

Please see attached P&F Meeting Minutes from the 4th August 2025.