Principal's Message

Welcome back to all our students and families. Term Two promises to be action packed and learning filled. 

We trust you had time to rest and renew over the break and that the journey of Holy Week and the celebration of Easter filled your homes with hope, love and peace.

At the end of last term we stopped, took a breath and looked back over Term One to reflect on how we were travelling as a learning community. 

We asked you, our parent community for feedback via a survey and received 22 responses.

• 100% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that St Martin de Porres school has been welcoming and they feel a sense of belonging.
• 100% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that the learning their child/ren engage in at St Martin's is preparing them for the future. 
• 95% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that  St Martin de Porres school has provided the education they expect for their child/ren.
• 95% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that St Martin de Porres school has high expectations of their child/ren's behaviour and effort.
• 95% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that their child/ren is motivated by their experience of school
• 86% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that they know what their child/ren has been learning in the classroom.
• 77% of the respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement; I know how to support my child/ren's learning at home.
• 77% of the respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement; I know how my child/ren is progressing as  a learner.

Other comments from respondents included:

The relationship that she has formed with her teacher and the wonderful learning experiences that her teacher plans for have definitely made the most impact on my daughter’s motivation for learning.

My child is motivated more after a school event. i.e athletics carnival, excursions, family BBQ etc. I noticed this has always been the case.  Since last year she has developed a strong interest about animals after the zoo excursion.

Loving the team work in the classroom and the motivation to learn something new.

I'd like to be able to see more posts of class activities.

The positive reassurance and encouragement from teachers and friends.

Our staff has explored the data and feedback and looked at some actions we can take in Term Two.

We will ensure consistency across all year levels in providing fortnightly overviews of what is being taught at each year level. These will be provided via Seesaw and include suggestions, tips and ideas for you to support your child's classroom learning at home.

We will revisit our use of Seesaw to provide clearer information about each student's level of achievement within learning tasks and across a variety of learning areas and topics.

We will streamline 'take home' reading books and processes to support independent reading at home being a regular and positive part of home learning

We will help students prepare for three way learning conversations where they lead a conversation with their parent/s and teacher about their learning and achievement using evidence to support their judgements about their progress

A parent and student Maths evening will be provided to inform parents of how we teach Maths in the 21st Century and to give tips and tricks on how you can support your child/ren to thrive as young mathematicians. 

A Learning Together in Prep night will provide practical experiences and support for our beginning students and their families particularly in the areas of wellbeing and literacy.

An old African saying describes how a village is required to raise a child and at St Martin's, we believe it takes a whole community to educate a child.

We appreciate the partnership we have with families and our community. We are grateful that you take the time to provide feedback through survey responses that help us be even better in what we do. 

The survey remains open if you missed the opportunity and would still like to contribute.

https://forms.gle/aoGCsSS3ZVw5M3Ym7

Celebration of Mothers and Special Women

It takes someone brave to be a mother, someone strong to raise a child and someone special to love so unconditionally and selflessly.

We look forward to celebrating mothers, grandmothers and special women at our annual SMDP breakfast next Friday May 12th. Our hope is they will also receive some extra special treatment on Mother's Day - Sunday 14th May.

Congratulations to Manraj

At St Martin's we provide students the opportunity to shine across a range of curriculum areas whether it be in performances, sport, academic competitions or the Arts.

Back in March, during Catholic Education Week, Manraj's artwork was featured in a schools' exhibition and he was awarded first place for primary schools in the Creative Committee Award category. His artwork was titled  "Harmony Sydney".

Manraj received a trophy and $50 gift card which was presented at Monday's whole school assembly.

As the mornings get colder and days shorter, our transition from Summer to Winter uniform ends this week. From next week (Monday May 8th) all students should be in their full Winter uniform. Check the noticeboard page for more information.

Have a great week,

Regards,

Dan Ryan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all children within our care is paramount. 

2023 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2023. These are student free days. Staff use these days to further develop their learning and keep informed with current practice and procedures. 

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be outside of our control.