Dear Parents,

We have all made it to the end of another year. They seem to pass so quickly! It's hard to believe that the Preps have completed their first year, and the Year Six students are off to the world of secondary school!

I would like to acknowledge the amazing growth of our students over the last two years, particularly since the implementation of the explicit teaching approach. The students have a greater capacity to read, write and communicate, and to link, solve and connect work across all areas of Mathematics.

Special thanks to ALL the staff for their dedication and support of the learning across the school. Every member contributes to the team effort, so I thank each person for building up the school.

We say goodbye to Lisa Cherubin, Dinesha Rajasingam, Brigitte Di Gregorio, Natalie Enright and Lachlan McSpeddan as they retire, prepare for a new baby, move house and seek a new full time position.

We are fortunate to have a strong leadership team, excellent teachers, supportive Learning Support Officers and amazing Library and Admin staff. In conjuction with this is our close collaboration with the parish, especially Fr Michael and Sr Maria. It takes a village to raise a child, and with this team and your support, the children at St Martin's are in safe hands!

Thanks also to the members of the SAC, led by Joiebelle Zakanj. The Annual Report will be shared in a separate Compass email. We thank Kate Kelly and Ann Wang for their time on the SAC and encourage parents to consider taking on this role in 2026 (please email me your expression of interest).

Sincere thanks also to our PFA for their social and fundraising ideas. Just over $30,000 was raised this year, so 'Congratulations' to the Committee, the volunteers and the parents who supported the activities! Michelle Don Paul has been President for the past five years, and has decided to step back to the role of Vice President in 2026. We are so grateful for the passion Michelle has had for the role, and the desire to bring the community together.

In 2026, we welcome Co-Presidents Joel Harris and Jonathan Kadamani to lead the PFA. We thank them for their willingness to take on the role. I will meet with them in late January to plan the first events.

Year Six Awards

Each year the Specialist Teachers nominate one student for an award due to their participation, talent and skills in lessons each week. Congratulations to:

STEM / DT - Milana P

Italian - Xavier Di P

Performing Arts - Evie L

Visual Arts - Sofia B-B

PE - Josie McK

SSV Awards

These awards recognise students whose skills have taken them to the school district, zone, regional state level. Congratulations to: Annalise D and Zoe S

Watsonia RSL Award

This award was presented on 11 November to Allegra J who was recognised for her community spirit and kindness.

School Leadership Roles for 2026

It was also lovely to announce our Captain, Vice Captain, House, Religious Education, Arts, Sustainability and Library Captains at the End of Year Thanksgiving Mass. Congratulations to all students! I'm sure they will do an amazing job in 2026, following in the footsteps of this year’s leaders.

Captains: Olivia B and Riley T

Vice Captains: Amelia P and Joshua B

House Captains

Tours: Stephanie S and Isabel D

McCauley: Harper L and Xavier McK

Mercy: Harry D and Madeleine G

Xavier: Siena W and Abigail C

Religious Education: Chloe P and Liesel H

Arts: Gianluca B, Lukas I, Adele C and Giorgia B

Sustainability: Sam D, Orla A, Genevieve T and Amelia G

Library: Lola G and Jackson P

MACSEYE OSHC

Our OSHC Team provides a wonderful service for our community. Thank you to Adrian and George who help run the service.

'SMOT SPOT' - YOUR OWN PARKING SPOT

The Winners of the SMOT SPOT Raffle are:

SMOT SPOT 1 - J Lettoof

SMOT SPOT 2 - C Pereira

SMOT SPOT 3 - E White

SMOT SPOT 4 - J Belfiore

Runners Up

$25 Academy Uniforms - C Reynolds

$25 Academy Uniforms - S Seckin

Thank you to all those families who purchased tickets. Thank you to our FABULOUS PFA who have done an amazing job raising funds for improvements to the school. The staff and students are most grateful for everyone’s support!

ST VINCENT DE PAUL HAMPERS

Thank you for your generous donations to help others less fortunate this Christmas. St Vinnies were very grateful to see our donation tubs.

2025 SCHOOL REPORTS

These should be downloaded from Compass for your own records, as secondary schools will ask for a copy with enrolment. Thank you to the teachers for their efforts in completing these.

Please note that Compass will be unavailable during January, as the student roll over to the 2026 school year is completed.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT DAYS - 2026

The staff return to school on Tuesday 27 January. The students return on either Wednesday 28 or Thursday 29 January to take part in some assessments with their teacher/s. Please refer to the Compass news feed titled 2026 Student Assessment Sessions, that has been shared with families. Parents must book now via the school interviews link to secure your preferred day and time. Students attend only one 1 hour session. OSHClub will be available on these days. If your child/ ren will be absent during the Student Assessment Sessions, please place this absence on Compass ASAP.

BAPTISM

If your child has not yet been baptised, please consider whether you would like to celebrate this sacrament prior to them reaching the sacramental years.

Please contact the Parish Office on P: 9401 6338 to arrange this with Fr Michael.

CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES

The Christmas Mass times are available in the Parish Newsletter

Christmas Eve – Wednesday 24 December

Children’s Vigil Mass:
4:30pm Carols / 5:00pm Children’s Mass
Family Vigil Mass:
7:30pm Carols / 8:00pm Family Mass
Mass During the Night:
10:00pm Carols / 10:30pm Night Mass

Christmas Day – Thursday 25 December

10:00am Mass only

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The world changed on Christmas Day. God is with us.

Christmas is about the mission of Christ and of his body today, as we bring hope to those who have none. This vision is beautifully expressed in a well-known poem by American theologian, educator and civil rights leader Howard Thurman.

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.

Christmas is about the mission of Christ and all who follow him to transform the world.

Have a wonderful Christmas together with your family and friends, and a relaxing and safe holiday break! We look forward to seeing everyone return in 2026.

Thank you for your support in 2025. God bless!