From the Principal 

Dear families

We hope you have enjoyed the long weekend if you were able to get away or at least have a change in routine. We send our prayers and thoughts to all of our families and their extended families who are affected by floods at this time. If anyone needs support please let me know.  In my role as principal the long weekend allowed me time to complete some online courses, complete paper work and gear up for the rest of the term. The staff are working hard on gathering and analysing data to inform their report marks and comments.

Term 4 is exciting as we work towards the year's end and prepare for Advent and Christmas, whilst also preparing for 2023 and putting the jigsaw pieces together. 

In the last few weeks we have had some Principal Forums to learn about the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the world strategy.   Please click on this link below to learn about what some of the students in our schools will be doing in the year 2030. 2030 MACS - Strategy share with community - Forming Lives to Enrich the World . I wonder what St Mary's Primary School will look like in 2030? 

This strategy has been two years in the making to support the new Governance model. 

The purpose is to form lives of faith, hope and love in the light of Jesus Christ. The vision is for every student to be inspired and enabled to flourish and enrich the world. This means providing a Catholic education being inspired by Faith and aiming to provide an outstanding education focused on the formation of the whole person.  

Today we farewell Mrs Stephanie Schultz as she leaves us to begin her maternity leave awaiting the arrival of number three! Stephanie has worked in the area of Literacy Intervention and we thank her for the guidance, support and knowledge that has allowed each student to have shown growth this semester. We look forward to meeting her new precious bundle soon and hope that it is not too long before she re joins the staff at SMPS.  

Next Monday 7th November we have the opening of our Art Showcase. Please join us at 3:20pm for the opening and a walk through our buildings and marvel at the talent of our students.  If you are not able to make it on Monday, please walk through in the following days and celebrate the artistic skills, colour and vibrancy displayed. We thank Sandra Renehan our Visual Arts Teacher, for sharing her talents, energy and passion with our  students and the wider community. 

Tuesday 8th November we have our 2023 Preps join us for their second transition in the morning and we have a parent/carer evening at 7pm. This will be the first time we have been able to hold this evening in a few years,  and it promises to be an informative evening, as well as another opportunity for our 2023 parents/carers to get to know each other.  Our Year 6 School leaders; Emelie, Jake, Ivy and Leo will be speaking to the families and sharing their memories of their Prep experience as well as their highlights of SMPS. It is my pleasure to work closely with these students as together we prepare their speeches and give feedback on each other's google presentations. I am immensely proud of their confidence when presenting, highlighting the value and importance placed on our Student Leadership Program. 

Please join us for our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday 11th November at 10:15am in the hall. This day is of great importance as we remember those who gave their lives for our country and allows us to have an appreciation of our way of life.  Praying for world peace is more important than ever as there is much unrest on the global stage.  Carmel Vozzo has prepared a lovey and meaningful liturgy and the children will be learning about the significance of the day and will be wearing the poppies that they will make in class. 

Monday 14th November is the start of our Indigenous focus week which will culminate  in the Smoking Ceremony on Friday 18th November at 2:00pm. The students will be participating in and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAA). Whilst this perspective is included in all Faith Based Inquiry Units incorporating Faith, History, Science, Economics and Geography, this week allows for a special focus culminating in the smoking ceremony that had to be moved from our School Building Opening earlier in the year. Please join us for this special ceremony, toddlers and other family members are very welcome. We thank Mrs Anna Heta for organising this prior to her maternity leave. 

Another not to be missed event is our inaugural Parent Soccer event on Wednesday 16th November at 5pm. The weather promises to be fine and a picnic whilst you watch the entertainment is a must. We thank the many parents who have organised this and the fun that it will bring. The emphasis is on fun rather than being competitive, but lets see how this looks on the field! Hopefully this can become an annual event. 

We thank our colleagues at St Mary's College for welcoming our students and teachers into their science labs. This morning our senior students had the opportunity of learning from the science team of Christopher and Marcia Rogerson. Their passion for science is palpable. 

Creativity and design is buzzing at SMPS. Please admire the creations of our Year 5 students and their prep buddies. The design brief was to make hats inspired by the Melbourne Cup. All students planned, designed, created and collaborated to make their hats using at least four different materials. Congratulations to our winners - Nicholas, Joshua, Carmen and Eleanor, Heidi and Amy. 

God Bless each of you,

Cathy