St Mary’s Primary School is a small Catholic School located in the picturesque town of Batlow at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. The core values of St Mary’s are to develop a truly Christian community that endeavours to give witness to the Gospel values as expressed in our school motto: ‘Peace, Love, Joy.’ As a school family we are committed to achieving our mission of developing the potential of each child. We achieve this by acknowledging different learning styles and providing rich learning experiences. We emphasise the dignity and self worth of each person and instil in students the importance of community. We strive for educational excellence and prepare students to face future challenges with confidence and enthusiasm. Student learning and achievement is of great importance with significant focus to be placed on the further development of Literacy and Numeracy skills. Some unique features of our school are our small ‘family’ atmosphere, talented and gifted student classes, student leadership, and our continued commitment towards community involvement. St Mary’s School has a rich history associated with the Sisters of St Joseph whose values and traditions are still emulated and valued today. In early 2011, St Mary’s celebrated the Opening and Blessing of our new school buildings which included an administration area and staffroom and a substantial extension to the weather shed, thanks to support of the Parish and the local community. The Batlow community plays a significant role in the life of St Mary’s with students being encouraged to participate, support and take pride in their local organisations through programs such as visiting the elderly at the Batlow Hospital Daycare, CWA International Day, The Batlow Apple Blossom Festival, Pioneers Night and Anzac Day March/Remembrance Day. A consistent and whole school approach to reading, writing, spelling and Numeracy has been a major focus in 2011 and will continue to be developed in 2012 with the strategies developed used to improve..