Principal
Mr Wayne Smith
Welcome to Term 3
💫There are No Winners
Sadly, the violence of war has no bounds. No words can do justice to what happened in Israel in October 2023 and now in Palestine and the Ukrainian invasion February 2022. Words cannot comfort the craziness of war. There are no winners and at the end of the day it is the ordinary folk, particularly children who suffer more than most. May common sense, extending the hand of compassion and forgiveness move the powerbrokers to allow people on both sides to live in peace and harmony.
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
‘Never, Never, Never Give Up"
Sir Winston Churchill
In 1940 during a speech at his boyhood secondary College, the late British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill said to the assembled students, "never, never, never give up". His message emphasized the resilience and determination shown by England during the WWII bombing blitzes in London and on other cities. Churchill’s resolve inspired the British nation to never surrender.
The ‘never, never, never give up’ attitude has led to extraordinary achievements throughout history. In every facet of human life and experience, human achievement has been endless and will continue to do so. Our world would be much the poorer if individual talents were not developed.
When our 4 children left home all those years ago, we gave Lauren, Isaac, Beth and Molly a fridge magnet with the quote, "never, never give up" as a reminder that in life growing and developing their talents leads to personal satisfaction. Like any parent, we did not want our children to be, “I could have been’s.“ We wanted our daughters and son to aim high and do the hard yards.
Our belief at St Mary’s is for every student to never give up and do those hard yards. Improvement and success require effort and resolve. We collectively work together to build self-esteem and belief in what is possible for St Mary’s students.
Term 3 is an important time for Year 12 – there is much to do in 9 weeks and much to look forward to. Both will require our senior students to be committed and show resolve as they enter their final chapter at St Mary’s.
💫Maintenance
The Maintenance team were busy over the break with many indoor and outdoor jobs to do. Nick, Nick, Shane and Paul Kennedy (part time) are a great team and work together for the good of our students and staff. They have pride in their work, and it is important to them and us that we care for our College home. The College electrical infrastructure can no longer cope with increasing power demands, especially during the winter months. During the Term 3 holidays there will be a complete power upgrade from the street that will require three days of electrical disconnection.
💫Teacher Recruitment
2026 planning has already been ongoing for weeks and will continue this term. Advertising for teachers is not like it was once – wait for the Saturday paper. In particular, recruiting agencies are more often than not where potential applicants connect to schools.
💫Staff
Mrs Richards, the IT Manager, was hospitalized during the break and has had major heart surgery. Andrea will be away for a lengthy period of time. IT Assistants Tyler and Oliver will step up and do a fine job while Andrea is recuperating.
Ms McKay (Art domain) will not return for the remainder of the year. Renae is continuing with her cancer treatment and recovery.
Mrs Brock will return during Term 3 from Carers Leave.
We welcome Mr Falls back to Year 6. Tony came out of Principal retirement to teach at St Mary’s and thoroughly enjoys being on College staff.
Following interviews in Term 2 Mrs Winnell has joined the College Finance team. Jessica quickly settled into her role under the leadership of Mrs Presti, the College Accountant.
Mrs Chithru De Silva and her husband have moved to Seymour from Packenham. Chithru will teach English and Humanities. When Chithru was a child in Sri Lanka, her family and friends were playing on a beach when the ocean quickly receded from the shoreline. Chithru and other children chased the water and started building castles in the sand. The parish priest and her father yelled for the children to come back. They found safety in a 4-storey building. From the time the water receded it took 7 minutes for the Tsunami to arrive on land, killing 35,000 people. Chithru has a Literature Master’s degree and has a half glass full attitude to life, always greeting students and colleagues with a smile.
Ms Jacinta Gallagher has joined the teaching staff from Assumption College. Jacinta grew up in a farming family in northeast Victoria and is looking forward to being a part of our College’s future. Jacinta studied Agricultural Sciences at university, worked in the sector and taught across all domains from 7-12.
Mr Stephen Garner is a retired PE teacher from Seymour College. Stephen has years of experience in PE and was very highly regarded during his teaching career for his knowledge of the PE domain. Stephen has come out of retirement to join our PE team for Term 3.
The Defence Force Schools Mentor part time position will be advertised this term.
💫 Stage 1 VCE Centre and Stage 2 Monsignor Toms Science Extension
The Stage 1 construction is on schedule to be completed for the beginning of 2026. Both buildings will be a welcome addition to the changing College landscape, especially as Seymour and district grows in population. Stage 2 will begin construction in January 2026. The designs will be included in a future Marian article and published on the College website.
💫 Day 1 Term 3 Staff Day - Metacognition
Michael Rosenbrock was the guest speaker on our staff professional learning day. A passionate educational leader and teacher, he was seconded to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) for 2 years. He is a passionate advocate for students in rural, regional and remote settings. Prior to working in schools Michael worked in the aerospace, automotive and software industries in Germany, the USA and Australia. Michael led teaching and LSO staff on metacognition, focusing on workable and practicable classroom strategies.
What is metacognition?
Metacognition addresses context and integration in everyday teaching and assists students to concurrently learn and develop their subject knowledge, subject skills and their ability to plan for, monitor and evaluate.
💫 Year 10 Work Experience Term 2
Staff had the privilege of visiting Year 10 students participating in the College Work Experience program. The students had a great time and gained valuable career pathway experiences. Mrs Kneebone, the College Careers Advisor, has received glowing reports on our student work experience weeks.
💫 Congratulations
Mr Dudfield on his selection in the Australian Brass Band to tour the Netherlands for a few weeks in 2026. Matthew and Ms Cheriton have brought new life to the College Music program. Matthew’s national selection is a highly acclaimed achievement and very deserving.
Mrs Wood has been invited to join the MACS Learn Reference Group offering advice on MACS Learning and Teaching pedagogies. This is a small group of selected MACS school leaders providing school insights to support the direction of the MACS learning and teaching renewal. Julia’s passion for learning and teaching is admired and respected.
💫 NCCD Information
The NCCD attachments are included regularly in the Marian for parent information. Please see the links below.
Non-government-schools-census-privacy-collection-notice
Disabled Parking
When dropping off students in the morning or collecting in the afternoon please do not park in the designated Disabled Car Spaces in the Parish and College Office car parks.
May Term 3 be kind to us all.
Best wishes
Wayne Smith
Principal
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