A message from Denis

Dear Parents and Carers,

Another two weeks have flown by at St Mary’s and we continue to be blessed with some beautiful Autumn weather for our students to learn and play in.  Term 2 learning is steadily progressing and gathering momentum as we move toward the halfway point of the term.  

In the Johnstone household life is in full swing with Zadie beginning basketball and her team getting their first win; more importantly she just loves being a part of it and having a go.  Hendrix is playing footy in his first season and loving it and like most families we continue to juggle the piano, jiujitsu and other events that pop up.  Life is busy but it is good-busy.  Oh, and Snickers seems to have hit his rebellious teenage years, deciding he currently doesn’t want to listen to us; that’s been fun!

The Value of Challenge in Learning

A key focus in our classrooms is helping students understand that learning is not always easy—and that this is a good thing.

At times, students will encounter tasks that require effort, persistence and multiple attempts. This “productive struggle” is an important part of how learning occurs. It encourages students to think more deeply, try different strategies and build resilience.

We continue to support students in working through challenges rather than avoiding them. Over time, this builds both confidence and independence.  At home, encouraging your child to stick with a task, rather than stepping in too quickly, can greatly support this approach and help them build the key skill of resilience in their learning.

Happy Mother’s Day

A very big Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mother’s, grandmother’s and mother figures in our St Mary’s community.  You are the heart of families, the glue that holds families together and an incredible gift to those you love.  I hope your day was filled with you being celebrated and made to feel special.

It was an extra special mother’s day in our house this year as both my mum and Jess’ mum have had some recent health challenges.  We had them over at our house for a brunch with the wider family, it was a wonderful day celebrating all that they have done for us over the years.

At St Mary’s the annual Mother’s Day luncheon celebrated its 20th anniversary with over 190 mums celebrating the special occasion.  As mothers, you are the first educators of your children, we thank you for your partnership and hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the joy of motherhood.

Spelling Professional Learning

This year, our key improvement goal at St Mary’s is around spelling.  We are implementing a new program in years 3 - 6 whilst continuing to strengthen our phonics and phonemic awareness approach in the junior school.  

Our teachers have been undertaking professional learning on enacting an evidenced based approach to spelling; understanding the morphology and etymology of words. In layman’s terms, this is the different parts of, and language origins of words.  Our teachers have been using this approach to support spelling in the senior years, with lots of word play, deconstruction and identification of smaller words within words.

Last Monday, our teachers spent the day learning in this space and planning for rigorous units of work in the spelling area.  We look forward with great anticipation to see how this approach can improve our spelling results.

Confirmation Preparation

Our grade 6 students have continued the preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation next week.  This year, we have had the privileged opportunity to share some of these experiences with our sister parish of St Margaret’s.

Last Thursday St Mary’s hosted St Margaret’s and St Mary’s families and grade 6 students for a Sacramental Information night in our school hall.  It was a great opportunity for families to slow down and discuss the gift of the Holy Spirit and Confirmation.

Today, we hosted the St Margaret’s grade 6 students and teachers for a reflection day prior to the Sacramental celebration next week.  WE are fortunate to have our own Father Desmond celebrating the Sacrament for our students and he spoke to the students about what they will be experiencing next week.  Thank you to Genevieve Trevaskis for all of your planning and preparation and to Lisa Apros and Alastair Ingham for your work and dedication in preparing our students.

P&F St Mary’s Disco

Tonight, shortly after this newsletter hits your inboxes, we strap ourselves in for the annual St Mary’s school disco.  This evening is always such an exciting and fun night for the students.  A big shout out to our P&F organising committee, in particular Anna Ruffo who has taken the lead and all of our parent volunteers for the evening.  Thank you also to our staff who are giving up their Friday evening to attend and support the event, looking forward to a great evening. 

Foundation 2027 Enrolments

Olivia and I have been meeting our prospective 2027 Foundation families over the past few weeks and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.  It has been pleasing to hear the highly positive reputation of St Mary’s out in the wider Ascot Vale community.  Thank you for being advocates of our school, our community and our educational practices.  

We look forward to welcoming numerous new families to our St Mary’s community later this year.

Never See a Need Without Trying to do Something About it

Over the past fortnight, one of our students quietly noticed that a younger child was often sitting alone near the playground during breaks. Without being asked, they began inviting them into games, introducing them to others, and checking in each day to make sure they felt included.

It may seem like a small gesture, but it reflects exactly the kind of community we are striving to build at St Mary’s — one where our students learn to notice the needs of others and take action with kindness, empathy and courage.

Our 2026 theme, “Never see a need without trying to do something about it,” is not only about big acts; often it is found in these simple, everyday moments that can make a profound difference in someone’s day.

As adults and educators, we are incredibly proud when we see our students living these values so naturally. They remind us that leadership begins with awareness, compassion and a willingness to step forward for others.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal