Mrs Ryan's Fortnightly Reflections

Welcome everyone to Term 3. It has been so lovely to have everyone back, smiling and already seamlessly settling into routines, learning, and school life! Thank you to the many parents who have already been onsite for various reasons, including meetings, celebrating 100 days, and supporting our much-anticipated production. The term is well underway, with a great vibe and energy laying the foundations. 

Next week, we will take centre stage with our bi-annual production. This event is no small feat, and it has been incredible to experience the parental support—from providing base costumes at home to sewing, painting, and creating. Please know we are very grateful, and we enjoy these events so much more when our community is in partnership. The St Mary’s staff have again stepped up, sharing their gifts and talents, and supporting the production in every way possible. Taking the show to the Paramount Cinemas is always a challenging decision due to the substantial cost. The reason for selecting Paramount is the quality of the viewing experience, the real production atmosphere, and how it elevates this event. Please be assured that financially, the costs of the production, alongside the ticket prices, cover all expenses and raise no additional funds. We thank our families for their efforts to attend! That said, our evening shows are nearly sold out, with tickets still available for the Wednesday and Thursday matinee performances. Any families or friends wishing to attend are encouraged to purchase tickets. I know our children will not disappoint! 

As we return from our mid-year break, this is a reminder about the St Mary’s uniform. As a school community, we agree to and are committed to the uniform, which can be purchased solely from Hip Pocket in Pakenham Street. Please ensure your child wears the complete St Mary’s uniform every day, apart from casual clothes for birthdays. We have observed a significant variation, with some non-uniform items, and hairstyles or jewellery that do not adhere to safe and acceptable standards. Classroom teachers will support the enforcement of uniform requirements and will communicate with families via Compass when a learner is out of uniform. Additionally, we have school beanies available for purchase from the front office for children who wish to wear one during the cooler months. Beanies are priced at $20. If any families are missing uniform items, there is a large collection of unlabelled clothing in the administration area. The administrative staff regularly call out named items to support their return. 

This fortnight, with the return to school, we have had an increasing number of toys being brought to school. While we understand the excitement of new toys, these become very distracting to learning, responsibility, and items regularly getting lost. We have a great deal of resources on our yards and in our clubs where toys and games are shared and owned by all. I ask all parents to support teachers in this and keep toys for home only. 

In Week 4, a reminder to all families that we will have two consecutive closure days. On Tuesday, 4th August, we will be closed to students for Semester One learning conversations. On Wednesday, 5th August, we will be closed for a CESL-wide Spirituality Day. We thank all families for organising alternative arrangements on these days. Learning conversations can now be booked through Compass. 

I look forward to seeing you at many of our events over the coming weeks.  

In Faith, Trust and Love. 

Jasmine Ryan  

Principal