Principal Report
St Mary's Feast Day
Today we celebrated St Mary’s Feast Day with a special liturgy and a sausage sizzle for all students.
St Mary has been at the heart of Catholic education in Hampton for many years. Our school has always been a place where faith, learning and community come together. As we celebrate St Mary, we are reminded of the values she showed through her life, including faith, courage, compassion and service to others.
These values continue to guide who we are as a school community. At St Mary’s, we want our students to be people who show respect, include others, act with compassion and make positive choices each day.
A big thank you to the staff and students for making today a special celebration. It was a lovely way to honour St Mary and celebrate the strong community we have here at St Mary’s Hampton.
Shout out to Free Agency Education Recruitment for putting on a free sausage sizzle for the students and staff and to David Hillgemann, Tim Arnold, Amanda McBride & Nat Jones for cooking the BBQ. How lucky are we!
Sacramental Program
The Sacramental Program is an important part of faith life at St Mary’s. It provides our students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their faith, connect with their parish and school community, and take an important step in their spiritual journey.
We thank Father Martin, our RE Leader Ed Simpson, and the Year 3 and Year 6 staff for their work in preparing the students for these special occasions.
Year 6 Sacrament of Confirmation
Sacramental Mass: Thursday 28 May at 6:00pm
Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation
Student Reflection Day: Tuesday 26 May, 8:45am to 3:00pm
Family Information Session: Tuesday 26 May, 3:00pm to 3:30pm
Sacramental Liturgy: Tuesday 2 June at 2:30pm
We look forward to sharing these important moments with our students and families.
P&F Annual Fundraiser
A reminder that our P&F Annual Fundraiser is on this Saturday 23 May in the school hall.
We now have over 80 confirmed starters, so it is shaping up to be a fantastic night for our school community.
Event details:
Date: Saturday 23 May
ime: 6:00pm arrival for a 7:00pm start
Venue: St Mary’s School Hall
Includes: Drink on arrival
Food: BYO platters and food
Drinks: Bar available on the night
Entertainment: Trivia, music and a disco to finish the night
A huge thank you to our P&F for the work that has gone into organising the night.
Year 4/5 Mums - Sarah K, Karina O, Emma M and Prep Mums - Rushani R, Lauren R & Amanda M have all been super busy today preparing for what will be a great night!
Battle of the Boots
The date is locked in and the mission is clear.
The annual Battle of the Boots will be held on Saturday 22 August 2026 at Boss James Reserve, Hampton.
After last year, there is only one thing left to do: bring that trophy back home to St Mary’s, where it belongs.
Recruiting is now well underway and Saturday training sessions have started. No experience is needed. None. Not even a clean pair of boots. All we ask is that you are willing to have a laugh, get involved and help St Mary’s get the win.
This is always a brilliant community event and a great way for our dads and families to connect. Whether you are a former star, a weekend warrior, or someone who has not kicked a football since primary school, we would love you to be part of it.
More details will come soon, but for now, save the date and start stretching.
Girls AFL 9s
What a great day for our Year 5/6 Girls AFL 9s team om Thursday!
Over half of the girls played their very first game of football! It was fantastic to see the girls play with confidence, support one another and give it a go!
Thanks to Troy Ogier and Ms Sam Sullivan for coaching!
Staff Update
As we prepare for Bianca Ludeman to begin parental leave for the birth of her first child, we are excited to share the Year 1 teaching team from Term 3 onwards.
Miss Maria Catsikakis will teach Year 1 from Monday to Wednesday.
Mrs Ewelina Santana will teach Year 1 on Thursday and Friday.
Both Maria and Ewelina are well known to our school community and will provide great care, structure and support for our Year 1 students.
School Closure Days
A reminder that St Mary’s will be closed on Thursday 4 June and Friday 5 June as our staff take part in our annual Staff Retreat.
The retreat is an important opportunity for staff professional and faith development. This year, our focus will be on personal and professional faith, as well as staff wellbeing.
MACSEYE will be operating on both school closure days for families who require care.
We thank families for their support and understanding.
Kinder Visits
Our Year 4 Kinder Visit Program has now come to a close and it has been a huge success.
We finished the program on Thursday with Year 4BD visiting Helen Paul Kindergarten. Across the visits, our Year 4 students have done a wonderful job representing St Mary’s. They have shown confidence, kindness and leadership while spending time with the kinder children.
These visits are an important part of building strong community connections with our local kindergartens. They also give our students the chance to be leaders in a different setting, helping younger children feel comfortable and excited about school.
A big thank you to our Year 4 staff and students for their enthusiasm, and to the local kindergartens for welcoming us so warmly. It has been a great way to strengthen the links between St Mary’s and our wider Hampton community.
Prep 2027 Enrolments
We are excited to share that our two Prep classes for 2027 are now at capacity.
This is a significant step forward in our strategic direction of moving towards being double streamed across all year levels in the years to come. It also reflects the growing confidence families have in St Mary’s and the strong reputation our school continues to build in the local community.
We still have limited places available in some other year levels for 2027. Families interested in joining St Mary’s are encouraged to contact the school office or visit our website for further information.
Thank you to all families for your continued support and for speaking so positively about St Mary’s in the community. This growth is something we should all be very proud of.
School and MACS Policies update
St Mary's follows policy and procedures as set out by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), which are reviewed in a cyclical manner.
Two policies which have been recently reviewed by our staff include the Bullying Prevention Policy and Complaints Handling Policy. We are required to notify our community when policy reviews occur, especially when they relate to child safety.
A full published suite of policies can be found on our school website.
Thanks
Steele