Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Term 4 could be described as the ‘silly season.’ The College year continues but in the background planning for 2025 is ongoing. There are many areas that require planning and completion in readiness for 2025. Beyond the local level there are many MACS requirements to be submitted. 

This Sunday Year 3 students will receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the 10.00am Parish Mass. The children have received cards, visits, emails, messages and kind words from College staff and other classes in recognition of the importance of the occasion on Sunday. 

💫 Year 12 Leadership

This coming Monday Year 11 students standing for 2025 College leadership positions will be interviewed by a College panel that will include a parent from the College Advisory Council.  Returning to Year 12 is exciting and serious business. Some Year 12 students next year will turn 18, ‘officially’ young adults. They may drive cars to school, be treated like young adults, but live within our College student expectations. Year 12 will be what our younger students will aspire to be, which is an immense responsibility.  The panel look forward Monday.

💫 Master Planning and Capital Works

Over the past two years 10 modular classrooms have been added on site in preparation for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 building works.  The classrooms are new, fresh, bright and provide an excellent learning and teaching environment. Teachers and students enjoy working the modular rooms. The modulars were built by ATG Construction who have established a workshop for the Modular section of their company in Seymour.  When Stage 2 begins construction four of the older portable classrooms near the Science Wing will be removed. 

Tender documents have been received for Stage 1 and once all tenders are reviewed there   will be an   announcement of the  successful company appointed to  complete Stage 1. Site work will begin in January and be completed in time for the 2026 College year. 

Tomorrow I will be paying my funeral respects to a beautiful soul and extraordinary teacher who even in her first years of teaching was like a duck to water. Sinead Ryan a mother of 2-year-old Kao, wife of Brendan, sister of Christian and daughter of Sharon and Bart will be farewelled by many at Padua College Mornington. Sinead was diagnosed with brain cancer and decided to be positive by raising funds for brain cancer research. Students loved Sinead. She was respected because she cared and always brought a smile to the classroom. Sinead educated young minds inspiring them to believe in their potential for greatness. 

Tomorrow I will reflect on how lucky life is for most and how unfair it can be for others and how we so easy take things for granted. Even when our day goes pear shaped… we all have those days, our world still holds it beauty.

💫 MACS Board Visit 

The new MACS Board will meet at St Mary’s in Thursday 14th November from 9.00 to 3.30pm. The visit will include a College tour, morning tea with the College leadership team, Fr Eugene and Advisory Council members and Principal presentation. The presentation will include various aspects of the College followed with a reflection and question time from the MACS Board. Representatives from MACS will complete a site visit on Friday 25th October.

At St Mary’s our term has begun well. We look forward to the weeks ahead knowing that Christmas is coming in 9 weeks. 

Best wishes

Wayne Smith

Principal

DipEd (ACU) DipREd (ACU) Bed (ACU) GradCertEdAdmin (Edith Cowan) 

GradDipREd (ACU) MEdAdmin (Charles Sturt) MTheoStudies (BBITAITE)