Enrolling Now

We’re enrolling now for 2026! Applications are fee-free and can be made online. If your child is due to start Kindergarten next year, the best time to make your application is in Term 1 this year.  

Learn more about our school and the enrolment process here:

https://www.smtdow.catholic.edu.au/

What a truly amazing celebration we had last Thursday for our annual St Patrick’s Day Year 6 graduation fundraiser. A huge thank you goes to our Year students for their leadership on the day with all the events and to the parents who supported the event with all the green, delicious treats. Overall we raised a total of $867.20 to go directly towards the costs associated with the year 6 graduation. Well done everyone. A big thank you also goes to the Ryan family aka Paddy McWoozy and Miss Jessica, the Rose of Tralee for supporting the Leprechaun photo booth on the day. Please enjoy some photos of this wonderful event. 

We celebrated cultural diversity and the fact that we believe ‘Everyone Belongs’ in our community. We celebrated what it means to be a part of a diverse community made up of different nationalities, cultures, languages and religions. To help us mark this special day, we wore orange mufti and welcomed Cultural Infusion - where we experienced Bollywood dancing, Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and dances and drumming from West Africa. We also got to sample Asian cuisine with a delicious fried rice lunch, served by our wonderful Inspired by Christ Year 6 leaders and to top off this wonderful event The HARMONISERS will be back on Friday at the assembly to perform a cultural song for you. All money raised on Harmony Day will be donated to Caritas Project Compassion to support underprivileged communities build water tanks and clean, safe toilets and deliver hygiene kits to Samoa and Vietnam. A big shout out goes to some Year 3 students who spent lunch time creating beaded bracelets, rings and  necklaces to sell on Harmony Day, they raised over $40 to go towards project compassion.

Easter Hat Parade

Parents and carers are invited to attend our annual Easter Hat parade on Wednesday 9th April at 9:00am. There will be a short fun parade in the main playground where students will showcase their beautiful Easter hats.

New Student Advisory Group (SAG) for Semester one 2025

I am thrilled to introduce to you the new SAG team for Semester 1 2025. These students were nominated by their teachers because they are considered to be great advocates for respectful relationships and will be able to confidently represent the voices in their class. They have already shown us how to do a Daily Check in where we talk about how we are feeling and why each day. Next meeting we will discuss some student voice data gathered using the Safe and Respectful Schools surveys and how show us all how this data aligns with Gotcha4life’s 3 pillars:

-Build our emotional muscles

-embrace our village

-never worry alone

Waste Free Wednesday Week 7 Results

Kindergarten: %64

Year 1: %58

Year 2: %57

Year 3: %64

Year 4: %69

Year 5: %66

Year 6: %67

So the gold winners are: Year 4

And the Silver winners are: Year 6

Waste Free Wednesday Week 8 Results

Kinder: 64%

Year 1: 65%

Year 2: 82%

Year 3:  64%

Year 4: 54%

Year 5:  71%

Year 6:  50%

So the Gold Waste free warriors are: Year 2

And the Silver waste free warriors are: Year 5

Personalised Plan Meetings - Week 10. 

Parents and carers of students with a diagnosed or imputed disability will have an opportunity to meet with teachers either in person or via telephone in Week 10 this term to discuss their learning and/or wellbeing goals and progress towards these. Conferences will be set up on Compass for parents to book in. There are normally 2 formal meetings per year for students on personalised plans, however CEDoW have informed schools that some students on lower levels of adjustment, will only require one formal meeting. Teachers will inform parents of whether they will have 1 or 2 formal PP meetings at the week 10 meeting. Parents are always welcome to book in a meeting with teachers throughout the year if they would like to discuss their child’s learning or wellbeing progress and there are the formal parent teacher interviews held in Term 2 and optional interviews in Term 4. 

Kindergarten Home Reading Workshop

We would like to extend an invitation to all Kindergarten parents and carers to join Mrs Kelly and I to learn about how to best support your child with their home reading. We are offering 2 workshops where we will unpack the purpose of home reading, share some tips and tricks and some supportive instructional videos. These workshops will be held on:

• Monday 7 April at 9:00- 9:45 am
• Monday 7 April at 2:30-3:15 pm

Gotcha4life update (mental fitness week reflection): Pam Cheetham

Last week, our school community came together to celebrate Mental Fitness Week. We hope you had the chance to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with your loved ones, just as we did. It was wonderful to see students participating in a variety of mental fitness activities that helped them reflect, regulate their emotions, and enhance their focus in meaningful ways. 

Below is a snapshot of students engaging in Gotcha4Life mental fitness boosters like mindful colouring, the Circle of Control, and mindful finger mazes. 

Ask your child about these activities – they’ll be able to explain what each one involves and how it helps them.

Mental fitness isn’t just for students, but for adults too. This week, our staff focused on their own mental fitness by checking in with each other over delicious 'Mental Fitness Melts' at lunch, enjoying healthy snacks, participating in mindful colouring, receiving massages, and going on morning walk and prayer together. These activities have helped us all refresh and fill our cups as we approach the end of the term. 

Daily Check in Barometer

Last week, we also introduced the ‘Daily Check-In’ for all students. This initiative helps students recognize and express their emotions, while giving teachers insight into their emotional well-being. It ensures that every student starts their learning in a positive mindframe, with regular check-ins throughout the day as needed. It’s encouraging to see students using the chart and appropriate language to communicate how they’re feeling. This consistent approach and consistent language across classrooms and the playground is sure to have a positive impact.

It may also be helpful to use this image, language and  number scale with your child at home when discussing their emotions.

Mrs Amy Sammut - Assitant Principal

Mrs Pam Cheetham - Middle Leader 1

Community of Practice (CoPs)

I am  excited to share some important developments aimed at improving how we assess and support your child's learning. In Week 7, our teachers took part in a professional learning twilight session with colleagues from other one-stream schools in Helensburgh, Port Kembla, and Gwynneville. This session was part of an exciting pilot project focused on enhancing assessment practices across schools in our diocese.

A key goal of this collaboration is to improve consistency in how students work, particularly writing, is assessed. Differences in applying assessment criteria can make it challenging to track student progress accurately. To address this, we are refining our moderation practices to ensure clearer, more consistent evaluations. This will help us plan more effective teaching strategies and better meet the diverse needs of all students.

Our teachers are working with Professor Jim Tognolini to deepen their understanding of modern assessment practices and will develop a shared grading scale later in the year. This will ensure consistent application of criteria and enable more personalised learning experiences to support each student’s growth.

Through ongoing collaboration in Communities of Practice (CoPs), teachers will share insights and strategies to refine assessment and improve student outcomes. This initiative aligns with our school’s annual improvement goal: Students will demonstrate appropriate learning growth in writing and can identify their next steps in learning.

Our next step is the Staff Development Day on Friday, 11th April, where teachers will further refine moderation practices using student writing samples across all 4 schools. This work will strengthen our assessment processes and enhance how we support your child’s learning journey.

We look forward to the positive impact this will have on all students. 

STEM Enrichment Academy – Developing Future Innovators

This year, both Mr. David Ryan and I are participating in The STEM Enrichment Academy, with over 70 primary school teachers from all over NSW. This is an innovative year-long professional learning program designed to enhance teachers’ ability to collaboratively design integrated STEM curriculum for students.

As part of this initiative, Mr. Ryan has already begun implementing some Level One and Level Two STEM challenges into his classroom, engaging students in hands-on, problem-solving activities that encourage teamwork and critical thinking.

In these STEM challenges, students take on specific roles within their groups:

? Project Manager – Leads the team, monitors progress, manages the noise level, resolves conflicts, and is the only member allowed to ask the teacher questions.

? Team Reporter – Records data and submits the team’s final report.

? Supply Manager – Ensures the safe handling and use of all materials and equipment.

Level Two STEM challenge: Designing a Car for the 21st Century: Last week, our Year 5 students took on an exciting engineering challenge using the Engineering Framework to guide their thinking. 

Their mission? To help C4 Solutions, an engineering company known for innovative problem-solving, explore eco-friendly transportation solutions for a future without petrol.

The Task - Students were challenged to design and build a car for the 21st century that:

✅ Is ultralight

✅ Travels on wheels

✅ Is powered by wind

✅ Can move at least 3 metres

Students worked collaboratively, applying STEM principles to design, test, and refine their prototypes. It was fantastic to see their creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork in action! 

Here are some photos of the students creating their prototypes

Here is a clip of the amazing end results! See clip 

Mrs Chelsea McLeod - Instructional Coach