I still find it hard to believe that this will be our last newsletter of the year.

Throughout my career in education I have had the privilege of working in many incredible school settings, but never before have I worked with such a positive and committed team of staff and parents who give generously and contribute willingly.

We are also blessed with a diverse group of students who love to come to school to be excited about learning. SMDP is a special place where we look with excitement to the future and we continue to improve, grow and strive for excellence.

We wish all our wonderful staff a very happy Christmas and thank them for their generosity in their roles every day.

We say goodbye to Andrea Fernandes and wish her luck in her new teaching role at St Mary’s Altona. We wish Olivia Davis safe travels as she heads off to her European adventure. After 40 years in education we wish Denise Kelly a happy retirement. Her passion, commitment and dedication will be truly missed by all at SMDP.

We give thanks to our Yr 6 students and for those who have no siblings following them, we wish their families all the very best for the future and hope you will always hold a special place in your hearts for St Martin de Porres. It has been a pleasure to get to know each of them this year. They have been an incredible group of students and I am sure they’ll make such a positive impact in their life journey ahead.

To the students who are not in Gr 6, but are moving schools, we also send our good wishes.

Finally, a genuine thank you to all our students, as they are the reason we are here.

We thank them for making St Martin de Porres a special place and ask God to bless them and keep them safe over these holidays and we look forward to seeing them refreshed and re-energised for the start of 2025.

Introducing our 2025 Staff Structures

Next year we welcome our new staff who will be joining our school community. Olivia Allan, Marisa Te and Tessa Scott will be joining the SMDP community as classroom teachers. We welcome Tahlia Reed as a new Learning Support Officer. Lauren Middlebrook will be our new Numeracy Leader and Marlene van de Merwe our new Literacy Leader.

GRADE	STAFF
PN	Nell Denny
PA	Ally Dillon
1C	Caoimhe Donnolly
1 A	Olivia Allan
2A	Andrea Jensen (Monday- Thursday) Emily Wong - Friday
2M	Mhairi Connolly
3/4N	Nicole Hunter
3/4K	Kathryn Evans
3/4L	Lauren Middlebrook (Monday-Wednesday) Marisa Te (Thursday- Friday) Stella Lentini - 3/4 Intervention Teacher
5/6D	Sarah Dolan
5/6A	Alli Fisher ( Monday - Thursday) Tessa Scott (Friday)
5/6S	Simone Whitehead (Monday - Thursday) Nick Woodgate (Friday) Julie Barbey - Intervention 5/6 Teacher

Our 2025 Specialist Programs

ROLE	STAFF
Visual Arts	Jan-Maree Farrugia
Physical Education	Nick Woodgate
LOTE (Japanese) & Music	Jane Padden
Sustainability	Julie Barbey
STEM	Lucas Mangani/Shaun Lenaghan
Literacy Intervention	Marlene van der Merwe
Learning Support Officers	Kerrie Hartman Fenina Reataza Rebecca Ketsakidis Chris Braithwaite Olivia Marris Carolen Lauw Tahlia Reed
Library Technician	Fenina Reataza
Admin Officer Business Manager Enrolment Officer	Rexi Ninan Debbie Di Genova Fenina Reataza

Next year our leadership positions will be made up of:

STAFF	LEADERSHIP POSITION
Dan Ryan	Principal
Elise Coghlan	Deputy Principal/ Learning and Teaching Leader
Lucas Mangani	Catholic Identity/Digital Technology Leader
Lauren Middlebrook	Numeracy Leader
Marlene Van Der Merwe	Literacy Leader
Chiara Genovese	Learning Diversity Leader
Kathy Blythe	Wellbeing, Student Voice & Empowerment Leader
Simone Whitehead	Community and Partnerships Leader

I look forward to beginning the new year at SMDP before I begin my new position on Monday 3rd March in MACS as a Senior Manager School Leadership.

Have a safe and peaceful Christmas. Once again thank you for your generosity, I hope time with friends and families brings joy and your homes are full of love and laughter.

Dan Ryan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, well-being, and participation of all children within our care is paramount.

Changes to Eating Time

2025 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2025. These are student-free days. Staff use these days to develop their learning further and keep informed with current practices and procedures.

DATE	FOCUS
Thursday 30th January 2025	Staff Professional Learning Day
Friday 21st March	Staff Professional Learning Day
Thursday 5th &	Staff Professional Learning Day in RE
Friday 6th June	Staff completing First Aid Course
Monday 3rd November	Report Preparation and Writing Day
Friday 5th December	Planning day for 2026

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be outside of our control.

Noticeboard

Return Library Books

Uniform Donation

Sustanibility News

Welcome Back to School 2025

YR 6 Reunion - Class of 2023 & 2024