Dear Parents, A little boy performing in a play about Jesus had struggled to memorise his line. In the midst of stage fright during his big performance, he caught his mother’s eye and she mouthed the line: “I am the light of the world.” With a huge smile on his face the boy declared: “My mother is the light of the world.” As Catholics we share a universal mother - the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus who truly could claim to be, “the light of the world”. Because Jesus had a human and a divine nature which cannot be divided, Mary holds the title of Mother of God. Today is the Feast Day of The Assumption of Mary. Let us take some time to reflect on lessons that we can learn from Mary, the mother of Jesus. 1. It's ok to be afraid, at first. When Mary was greeted by the angel Gabriel she

was struck with fear. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Many of us will be able to relate to being overcome with fear when we feel God asking us to do something. Mary teaches us that we shouldn't let fear paralyse us from accepting our calling.

2. No matter who you are, the Lord can use you. Mary was an unmarried teenager from humble beginnings and God chose her to carry out one of the most significant tasks in the entire Bible. This not only gives us an insight into Mary's character but it also reveals to us God's character. Mary was aware of her status but this didn't cause her to reject the Lord's calling. 3. Be available Mary's response, "I am the Lord's servant...May your word to

me be fulfilled," is fuelled by the third lesson that we can learn from her, her understanding that it is not your ability that matters to God, it is your availability.

4. Have faith. Faith is central to Mary's story. It is her faith that empowers her

to accept her calling despite the difficulties she might then encounter. Adapted from http://www.christiantoday.com/article/4.lessons.mary.the.mother.of.jesus/81180.htm AlannahFrancis

Mary’s human life helps her to be a bridge between earth and heaven helping us all to see what is possible. It is possible – to be born poor into a simple life, yet achieve mightily in life. to be uncertain about ourselves. to experience fear when opportunities arise and then accept with courage

what is offered to us. to persevere through times of sorrow and disappointment and to keep our

trust in God. to live our lives in hope, trusting that God’s spirit will be with us in all we do. Have a wonderful week, Terri Leotta APRE

42 Juliet Street South Mackay Q 4740 (PO Box 4124) Telephone 07 4951 1743 Fax 07 4951 4793 Email smm@rok.catholic.edu.au

Week 6 Term 3 - 15 August 2017

Calendar of Events

AUGUST

Fri 18 Cutter’s Care - 5B

Sat 19 Book Week begins

Mon 21 P & F meeting @ 6:30pm

Tues 22 Book Week parade

Wed 23 Year 5 camp - Action Challenge

Tues 29 Father’s Day Stall begins

Parish 9am weekday mass-Year 4P attending

School Board meeting

SEPTEMBER

Fri 1 Prep Father’s Night

Sun 3 Father’s Day

Mon 4 St Mary’s Book Fair begins

Tues 5 Parish 9am weekday mass-Year 3B

Fri 8 St Mary’s Feast Day-Mary’s Birthday

Tues 12 Parish 9am weekday mass-Year 3K

Art Extravaganza-School Hall @ 6pm

Fri 15 Last day of term 3

OCTOBER

Mon 2 Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

Tues 3 First day of term 4

Hello! It is great to be back at St Mary’s following my attendance at last week’s Catholic Identity study course in Brisbane. During the week we reflected on the changing nature of Catholic schools, both in Australia and overseas. I am glad to say that St Mary’s is a wonderful Catholic school, which provides a quality holistic education for our students. Our recently completed ECSI surveys which were completed in Term 2 also give evidence to this. Thank you to the staff and parents that completed this survey, we had one of the highest response rates recorded!

Healthy Recipe Attached to the newsletter is a fact sheet about ways to include colourful red and green foods in student lunches. There is also a recipe for some tasty meatballs, which are great snacks packed with vegetables. Welcome This week, we welcome William Coady from Mackay SHS, who is completing his work experience with Ms Parker and Mrs Kerrisk. Baby Congratulations Congratulations to Helena Vercilly (3K) and her family on the arrival of baby Gabriella. Mrs Motteram – Long Service Mrs Motteram (6M) will commence her long service leave next Monday and will return to school in week 2, term 4. During her absence, Mrs Andrea Pace and Mr Mitchell Casey will be teaching the class. Thank You Thank you to the families who have recently provided meals and baking for families in need. School Crossing – Safety reminder A reminder to all parents that travel down Juliet St to be mindful of safety when approaching the school crossing. Cars are to stay behind the solid white lines when the crossing supervisor is on the road. I thank you all for your support in this matter. Tuckshop – Change of opening days A reminder that from this week the tuckshop opening days will be Tuesday – Friday. Chess Competition Congratulations to Noah Strachan, David Degao, Kai-Yi Comerford and Kodi Friske who played at the Mackay Interschool Chess Competition yesterday. The boys played well against 150 other chess players from around Mackay, with Kai-Yi and Noah winning merit ribbons. Book Week Parade A reminder to all families that the St Mary’s Book Week parade will be held next Tuesday 22nd August on the basketball court. This event is always a highlight of our year, and I encourage all students to get into the spirit of Book Week and come dressed as a book character. Cybersafety talk for parents Attached in the newsletter notices is a flyer for the upcoming cyber safety talk, being held in our school hall on Tuesday 5th September from 7am-10am. We have world renowned cyber safety speaker Brad Huddleston attending, which is a great opportunity to learn from him. I encourage as many parents as possible to attend. Please contact the school office to RSVP.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Student Protection Processes The Student Protection Processes and Student Protection Guidelines for all Catholic Schools (Diocese of Rockhampton) have been updated and copies are available in the school office and also in the library. The revised Student Protection Processes and Student Protection Guidelines are now available on the Catholic education website www.rok.catholic.edu.au and our school website www.smmrok.catholic.edu.au

Kind Regards

Wes Rose

Sacramental Preparation for First Reconciliation Dear parents and carers of children who are now in Year 3 If you would like your child/children to make their first Reconciliation in October this year, ready to receive the sacraments of Eucharist & Confirmation in the first part of 2018, you are asked to attend an information session on one of these dates: St Patrick’s – Sun 27th August 4.30pm St Patrick’s College Hall St Michaels – Sun 27th August after 9am Mass St Francis Xavier – Mon 28th August 6pm in the church St Mary’s – Thurs 31st Aug 6pm – St Mary’s Hall Please collect an enrolment form from St Mary’s, St Francis Xavier & St Michael’s Primary Schools, Cluster Office South Mackay, Parish Office West Mackay or at the back of all churches, to complete and bring to the information session. Please prepare a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate to attach to the forms.

Tuesday 15 August: SOLEMNITY: The ASSUMPTION of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Holy Day of Obligation

9:00am St Mary’s Church (including school) 12:10pm St Patrick’s Church 7:00pm Holy Rosary Church, Marian

Weekday Mass Change Tuesday 5.30pm Mass at St Mary’s: From Tuesday 8th August, the 5.30pm Tuesday

Masses at St Mary’s will be changed to 9.00am. This is to allow the two nearby schools of St Mary’s and Mercy

College to attend the Mass as part of our parish outreach to the schools and offer an opportunity for members of the

school and college communities to become more familiar with how the Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated.

Father’s Day Stall

There are many special Dads that deserve a special gift . There will be a Father's Day Stall located in the hall on the 29th August – 1st September (Tuesday – Friday) from 8am to 8:40am.

If we have any Mums or Dads available to help out on one of these mornings, can you please let me know - 0438 138 392. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you. Tanya Davies.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop is open everyday except Tuesday. If you would like to help out in the tuckshop, Sharon would love to hear from you. She can be contacted on 0447 750 240.

Wednesday 16 August Mark Mansfield Thursday 17 Help appreciated please Friday 18 Help appreciated please

Monday 21 Tuckshop closed Tuesday 22 Help appreciated please

A copy of the tuckshop menu is available from the school office, tuckshop or our school website www.smm.rok.catholic.edu.au

Book Week 19-26 August

This year the Book Week theme is

‘Escape to Everywhere’

with the Book Week Parade

being held on

Tuesday 22nd August

Remember to bring the book that relates to your character.

Happy reading!

TERM 3 WEEK 5 STUDENT AWARD WINNERS

Prep B Jordan for persevering in your written work about volcanoes. Well done!

Prep V Maddison for using interesting words in your writing and trying hard to do your best!

Nev for confidence when reading and writing tricky words. Well done! Year 1L Eleanor for a really great job writing short answers for your project. Robert for being a great investigative reporter on spider facts. Year 1P Demi for trying so hard to improve your reading. Keep it up! Zakayah for working co-operatively in maths rotations. Great job! Year 2B Ashton for the creativity you brought to your snow adventure recount. Year 2D Riley for being so helpful and positive in class. You are a delight! Jack for his impressive reading ability! Year 3B Caden for showing the virtue of friendliness. You are kind and fun to be

around. Year 3K Myah for your beautiful manners! You say ’good morning’ with a smile every day! Year 4A Myf for working diligently to complete all your reading tasks. Well done! Archie for being a computer wizard and taking responsibility for presenting

your work digitally. Year 4P Charlotte for displaying a growth mindset by taking on challenging tasks with

confidence and enthusiasm. Your ‘have-a-go’ attitude is inspiring. Year 5B Sienna for showing persistence in her work and growing in resilience. Year 5P Georgina for being a dedicated and conscientious worker! You always give

your best effort and work hard to improve! George for the commitment you are making to improve your maths. Great

work with your ‘Maths Online’ tasks! Year 6L Mason for always being the first to offer assistance while we were on camp! Ben for taking the time to include other students during playtime! Year 6M Tia for being such a happy, resilient and organised camper. You set a fantastic

example to others. Orlando for being such an excellent kitchen hand on camp. You nailed that

industrial dishwasher!

Our Weekly Achievers