Term 4, Week 8 - 25th November, 2021

From the Principal

Dear families,

It is hard to believe that the end of the school year has arrived!

The year’s end always brings with it a tremendous sense of accomplishment. So many things have been accomplished this year! From the production of our new school song, winning the March past at the Athletics Carnival, placing first at the Goondiwindi Eisteddfod to the Grade 6 Graduation Mass & Awards Night – our students have been involved in an extraordinary number of activities. Of course, we should not forget the tremendous amount of learning which has taken place during the year. All year our students have shone so bright!

To our graduates; Mitchell, Beau, Jacob & Kaylah – congratulations on your achievement. The St Maria Goretti staff wish you all the best as you move to your new high school. If this is your last child to leave St Maria Goretti, the staff would like to thank you for your support and for the guidance that you have provided for your child(ren). We look forward to hearing from the graduates in the future and we hope that each of them will have gained a firm foundation for their education while at St Maria Goretti. We know that many of you will visit staff members at the school in the next few years.

For those families who will be returning in 2022, school will begin on Tuesday, 25th of January. Our office is open from Tuesday the 18th-Monday the 24th of January as staff participate in professional development and beginning of the year preparation. Our uniform shop will be open during this time.

Academic Reports will be sent home to families next week. Please take the time to read over with your child and celebrate their achievements this year. I thank our staff for working collaboratively in finalising results for all our students.

On behalf of the staff, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

A Christmas Blessing

May love come alive within your heart as Christmas draws near. May hope

fill each room you decorate and bring joy to those you hold dear. May peace

be before you at every meal and faith ring through every song. For Christ is

alive, the light of the world may he bless you all season long.

Amen.

Yours in education,

Casey Robinson

Principal

Important Dates

Life and Learning in the Library - Highlights for 2021

Students,teachers and library staff have been learners and readers together as we have;

• Borrowed, read and listened to fabulous books found on our shelves 
• Promoted books we have enjoyed with book talks and book reviews 
• Challenged ourselves to broaden our reading choices by browsing carefully and taking part in  speed dating with books
• Celebrated Book Week with a wonderful dress up parade and heard a story from the International Space Station!
• Explored different types (genres) of books and where they fitted in the theme "Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds"
• Searched information in AccessIT (our database) to successfully locate books to match our interests 
• Learnt the main divisions in the Non-fiction classification system
• Practised locating information in Britannica online 
• Investigated the question "What have new worlds learnt from old worlds of the past?" by identifying keywords, locating relevant information in texts and videos and working together to record the most important learning from ancient civilisations. 

Thank you to Mrs Zalae Smith for the amazing displays, reading promotion, story reading sessions and hours of circulation and stock-take work.

There were 2 387 items issued and returned from the library collections this year!

Thank you to the Parent Forum for purchasing new books across the year.

Your support is such a valuable contribution to the literacy development of our students

Thank you parents for sharing and caring for the library books borrowed by your children.

There are some outstanding loans, teachers will be reminding students about these items so please locate them and return them to school as soon as possible. 

Christmas blessings and a happy, safe holiday to everyone!

Keep reading (see my recommendations in the Week 5 newsletter) and see you in the library in 2022!

Students of the Week

Student Shout Outs!

Sight Words

Parent Partnership Forum

Notices

Our Lady of the Southern Cross Parish - Mass Times

Sunday 28th November - 9am - Mass