Principal's Message

Celebrating St Mary’s Feast Day

Dear Families and Friends,

As we near the end of Term 3, it is wonderful to reflect on another busy and joy-filled week at St Mary’s.

Today, we came together to celebrate St Mary’s Feast Day with a beautiful Mass. It was a special opportunity for us to gather as a faith community and reflect on Mary’s example of love, service and her willingness to always help others.

As part of our celebration, our children participated in planting, symbolising Mary’s desire to nurture, care for and make a positive difference in the world around her. It was a lovely reminder that even the smallest actions can help something grow and contribute to making our world a better place.

Of course, no St Mary’s celebration would be complete without sharing food together! Once again, our children put their cooking skills into action, preparing a delicious morning tea for our community. These experiences of cooking, growing, sharing and gathering together are such an important part of who we are at St Mary’s.

Prayer

Loving God,

Thank you for the gift of our faith and for the inspiring example of the saints who have gone before us.

As we honour their memory today, may we learn to imitate their love, courage and service to others.

Bless our gathering, our food and our community as we share in this time of joy and fellowship.

May we continue to grow together in faith, kindness and love.

Amen.

This week we also recognised R U OK? Day, with our children participating in rotations and activities focused on wellbeing, connection and looking out for one another. These conversations remind our children of the importance of checking in with others, noticing when someone might need support and, most importantly, knowing that there are always people around them who will listen and help. A simple “Are you OK?” can be a powerful way to show someone we care.

I would also like to wish ALL of our Grand Final players the very best of luck for this weekend! What an exciting achievement to be part of a Grand Final. I’m hoping to get a sneak peek of each game and will be cheering you all on!

Next week, we will celebrate the end of Term 3 with our Footy Day. Children are invited to wear their favourite footy colours, and we will enjoy a special lunch together as part of the celebrations.

As part of our ongoing connection with Castlemaine Community House, we are asking each family, if they are able, to donate a non-perishable pantry item for the Community House pantry. This is a simple but meaningful way for our children to put our faith into action and support others within our wider community.

As we come to the end of another busy term, I would like to thank our children, families and staff for everything they bring to St Mary’s. I hope you all have a very safe, happy and restful holiday break, with plenty of time to enjoy being together.

Have a wonderful weekend and a fantastic final week of Term 3.

Gemma