Dear Parents and Carers,

A wonderful week of warm weather. Next week summer reminds us that Autumn has not arrived yet. Enjoy your weekend as February quickly passes us by.

💫 Master Plan

The College developed a Master Plan in 2022/23 to ensure the College kept pace with contemporary education needs.

Prior to the Master Plan:

2021 a new F-2 Primary Learning Centre was built on the old parish car park.

Funding: 2018 State Government Election Promise with a College contribution.

2023/24 Stage 0

A 3-6 Primary classroom was added to the primary buildings and rooms added to the Administration Centre.

Funding: College

2025 Stage 1

VCE & Senior Learning Centre completed in readiness for Year 12 2026.
Successful Funding Application through the Australian Government with a College contribution.

2025/2026 Stage 2

Two Science/STEM rooms to be added to the Monsignor Toms Science building.
Successful Funding Application through the State Government with a College contribution.

2025 Stage 3 Funding Application

Demolition of the secondary building (classrooms/library/staff amenities) and replaced with a single or double storey centre.
Funding: Application to be lodged through the Australian Government with a College contribution.

The Stage 3 Australian Government Capital Grants Program (CGP) Application will be completed in consultation with the MACS Capital Grants Assessment Team and ROAM Architects and submitted by no later than 21st March. Catholic Schools have to work very hard to receive grants from a small pool of funding. St Mary’ s is appreciative of governments and MACS support to improve our infrastructure.

💫 Staff

Mrs Brock remains on leave with her daughter Milly who is critically ill in Northern Hospital. Mrs Evans is teaching Jennine’s Year 6 class until Jennine returns. Mrs Gordon (Deputy Principal Operations) returns Monday following sick leave. Ms McKay remains on leave, continuing her treatment for cancer. Mrs Cinquegrana will return next week from New Zealand - Lisa’s sister is now in palliative care. Father Eugene is recuperating from heart procedures last week and will be taking each day lightly as he recovers. Blessings on all who are ill, their carers and on those wonderful health professionals for their skills, kindness and generosity of heart.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Smith family on the recent passing of Michael due to a motor vehicle accident on the Avenel road. Michael was a former College Captain (1999) and the Smith family has a long association with St Mary’s. Blessings on Michael.

Mr Grattan’s mother was farewelled recently from St Mary’s church. I recall meeting Dilva on the Seymour Bowling rinks in 2024. Bernie Dillon; Andrew Graham and I played in a Charity Fundraising Day at Seymour Bowling Club. Our second match for the day was against three ladies whose ages tallied over 200 years. Andrew and I thought we would be in for a win – Bernie knew better!

After three ends we had been thrashed by 90-year-old Dilva Gratton and her two teammates. We were way out of our depth. Blessings Dilva.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

Mrs McKeown began maternity leave on Friday. We wish Naomi and Aidan all the best for the upcoming birth of their first child. May the last weeks be blessed with calm; good health and excitement for the family to be.

💫 Welcome Amy

Amy Leahy the new principal of Sacred Heart Yea visited St Mary’s to meet and discuss developing closer links with our two MACS schools. Sacred Heart Yea is a Catholic Primary School founded in the charism of the Sisters Joseph of the Sacred Heart. This Australian Religious Order was founded by St Mary Mackillop. The ‘Josephites’ like the ‘Mercy’s’ were trailblazers in country Catholic education. The nuns in both Orders committed their lives to the legacy of their founding Sisters. Sacred Heart Yea now has a permanent principal who is committed to growing the school and St Mary’s is looking forward to supporting the students and staff.

💫 Swimming Carnival

A great day and well supported by families. One of our new colleagues said, “I have been to many carnivals, but this one was special and so well run by Ms Aldous.” Records were broken, our senior students were in the spirit, there was competitiveness, joy and laughter and now we wait for Ms Aldous to announce the House to raise the trophy.

💫 When Mosquitoes Bite

“When grace enters, there is no choice - humans must dance.”

When grace enters a room, we should dance but mosquito bites can blind us to grace's presence.

“We are celebrating with family & friends. Weather is perfect, and everything is an invitation to be joyful and grateful. This is "Sabbath" in the biblical sense: We are celebrating life - healthy, surrounded by loved ones, enjoying togetherness. Grace has entered, everything is wonderful, except for mosquitoes. Night falls, mosquitoes inflict bites and everyone loses focus, preoccupied with covering up. The irritation is too much, the picnic (the dance) ends because of a of little bites.”

Given the business within our everyday lives, mosquitoes of some type are invariably present. Life rarely comes to us pure, free from all shadows and from mosquitoes. And so, it is not always easy to dance, even in the clear presence of grace. Mosquito bites can cause us to lose the big picture, the picture that would have us see and celebrate grace, even in the face of some minor irritation. The challenges for us are to try to live more fully inside the present moment and not let heartaches or anxieties cheat us out of each day’s joys…... easier said than done.

The present moment never comes to us pure. And yet the challenge remains, an important and healthy challenge: Don't let mosquito bites within life blind us to the larger presence of grace!

"We think this is just another day in our life. It's not just another day; it's the one day that is given to us today. It's given to each one of us; it's a gift and the appropriate response is gratefulness. If we do nothing else but cultivate that response to the great gift that each day is, then we will have spent that day very well."

But that is a grace that does not come easily. Mosquitoes will make their presence known in our lives. That's a given. The challenge is to not lose sight of the larger presence of grace because of minor irritations but rather, ‘allow grace to enter and encourage each one of us to enjoy the dance.’

Best wishes

Wayne Smith

Principal

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

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

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Enrolments for 2026 are open!

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