Dear McAuley Families

I love this quote from Edith Sitwell as it defines winter for me and my family. Precious time to hunker down, get the slow cooker on and enjoy quiet times in hibernation. I believe we all need times like winter in our busy lives to physically slow us down and reconnect with those people and places we feel most comfortable in.

Uniform:  Thanks to much hard work and consultation the MCCS Uniform Sub-Committee are finalising future Uniform options. Clear directions and choices will be published in the coming days with Swans being able to stock all items required. The committee have worked to refine our uniform to make it more available, affordable, comfortable and usable for all students K-10. Please support the school by ensuring your children are in correct uniform.

Tell Them From Me Survey:  Staff, Years 4-10 students and families have been emailed the “Tell Them From Me” survey link. The survey closes on Friday 11 June at 4.30pm and we would like at least a 75% response rate. The unique link for the McAuley parent survey for McAuley is: http://tellthemfromme.com/h7gpp.

As you know the data and responses from this survey are an important part of our planning and future processes and this year will add value to our Strategic Plan 2021-2023 which is being formulated at the moment. Thank you as always for your candid input into the operations and future of our great school.

Western Region Athletics: Due to the rain and cold this week and next we have made the decision to postpone the Western Region Athletics Carnival being hosted at Tumut. Thanks to those who have already cooked or made arrangements to help out. A new date (most likely next term) will be advertised as soon as it can be organised. Thanks to Lyn Bathgate, Natalie Bartlett and helpers for their coordination so far.

Managing Big Emotions Workshop: We hosted a very informative and personalised workshop for parents with Rebecca Van Herk last week. Rebecca was able to tailor the workshop to answer both individual and group questions and provide some very practical advice on parenting. It is reassuring to know that we have a community that cares so deeply about being good mums and dads who can work in partnership with our school to guide our young people to be the best they can be.  There were a number of excellent resources forwarded to participants following the workshop. Should you like a copy of the articles and websites please let me know and I will send on.  

We are keen to continue with a series of parent education sessions and would welcome any suggestions into future activities and workshops.

Enrolling now for 2022:  Don’t forget we are enrolling now for 2022 with places especially in Kindergarten and Year 7 being offered. Numbers and enquiries are strong across all year levels. Please be advised (and let your friends know) of upcoming events next week in preparation for 2022:

• Kindergarten 2022 Open Morning and Parent Information Session Tuesday 15 June @ 10:00am.
• Year 7 2022 Parent Information Night Tuesday 15 June @ 6.00pm
• Year 7 2022 Student Orientation Day #1 Friday 18 June @ 9.00am.

As you know I am conducting parent and student interviews at the moment and it is really warming to hear so regularly that McAuley has such an excellent local reputation as a fine school and welcoming community. Thank you all for your positive talk and recommendations about our school.

Mary our Mother… Look after us.

Eamonn Moore, Principal

Beautiful Artwork by 5/6 as Year 6 students prepare for Confirmation in the Church at 6pm on Thursday 17th June 2021. 

Winter is here! 

The Vinnies Winter Appeal provides emergency relief to people at risk and experiencing homelessness. Your donation and support will help ensure that families at risk of homelessness get the financial and emotional support they need to keep themselves and their children safe.

Kindergarten to Year 10 students are invited to wear 'WARM, WOOLY' clothing on WEDNESDAY 16TH JUNE and bring along a donation for the local branch of our St Vinnies. Suggestions could include: Blankets, Large Jackets, Large Jumpers, Warm Gloves and Socks, Sleeping Bags or Cash donations. 

McAuley School recently celebrated Reconciliation Week. This year’s theme 'Heal Country' calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. McAuley School students participated in a variety of age appropriate activities in the classroom and discussed this year's theme.

Our students also participated in a colouring competition, provided to us by Centrelink. Carly Kennedy, Service Officer at Tumut Centrelink Office, visited our school to present the winning prizes. We would like to thank Centrelink very much for the multiple prizes.

World Environment Day is an International Day of Environmental Awareness and Action that happens on 5th June each year. Started in 1974 by the United Nations, each year WED is hosted in a different country, with events focusing on a central theme. World Environment Day 2021 is being held in Pakistan, with 'ecosystem restoration' as the central theme.

This year, we're starting from the ground up. We can't go back in time to when the world was a greener place, but what we can do is plant trees, clean our oceans and rivers, and make peace with nature that fuels our everyday lives. Ever since its creation, the United Nations has emphasised that WED should be seen as the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. 

Australia is one country that regularly participates in World Environment Day. At McAuley Primary School we organised some community members to visit and talk about issues that affect us. K-4 students invited Martin Canteros Paz, Waste Management and Strategy Officer at Tumut Shire Council and he brought along Neil, manager of the Valmar Recycling and Sorting Centre. Both men spoke about the importance of using the correct bin for our rubbish. They also shared with us some news about the new FOGO bin which will be introduced into the Tumut area over the next year. In our Year 5/6 classes we invited Cherie White, Public Officer at Riverina Highlands Landcare Network. Cherie spoke to our classes about the importance of the water catchment and looking after our very precious resource - water.

We are only as healthy as our planet, and we all depend upon a healthy ecosystem in order to thrive. We need to act as a unit to bring our degraded ecosystems. There are so many ways in which we can do our bit for the environment and help mother nature spring back to life! By doing things like planting trees, cleaning up riverbanks, or simply giving nature space to recover, we can increase their benefits to society and biodiversity. 

We hope you enjoy our Photo Gallery of the past couple of weeks!

Secondary Commerce students have been busy creating their own businesses! Using research and imagination the students have created products to sell. The students would now love your support. There will be a range of baked goods with ingredient lists available for purchase. Information on each business and products will be sent home with students this week.

Proceeds go to our school charities Caritas, Catholic Mission, St Vincent de Paul. 

Primary Stall: Tuesday 15th of June, Secondary Stall: Thursday 17th of June 

All care has been taken to avoid nuts and eggs but we are unable to say with certainty that there has been no contact with these products. We kindly ask that you speak with your child about the products they should choose or those they should avoid. 

Any questions please contact Heidi Stubbs or email heidi.stubbs@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you everyone. 

To support our ongoing ground and gardening projects we have a wonderful WINTER RAFFLE to win!

FIRST PRIZE: 4 X tickets to the "Winter Bites" Festival (your choice of either Adelong on 17th July or Batlow on 28th August) valued at $220

SECOND PRIZE: 1 x trailer load of wood valued at approximately $200. Free delivery within 30kms. 

If you have not already done so, please CLICK BELOW to order your tickets:

https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/form/24 

The raffle will be drawn at the 'End of Term Two Awards Assembly" on Friday 25th June 2021. Tickets sold can be returned with cash payment or can be paid to the school via the Qkr! app. 

Thank you "Winter Bites" Festival and Austin and Matilda Brown and Family for sponsoring this Fundraiser.

The eSafety Commissioner website aims to empower all Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online.

The website offers access to a range of online safety presentations and resources, free of charge.  Catering for all age groups, including parents and young people.

Please take a look at the following link; eSafety website