Principal's News

A Prayer for Mothers:

We remember our mothers with love for the tender way they care for us. 

Let us pray for our mothers and for the generations of mothers before them. 

You care for us, O God, 

As a mother cares for her children.

Bless, protect and strengthen all the mothers of the world.

Through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mum's in our community, whether you are human mum, you may also be a  puppy mum, a cat mum, an Aunty, a Grandmother or whatever motherhood looks like in your life, I hope you have had a special celebration. Happy Mother's Day also to your own mums, whether here on Earth or in heaven. Being a mum is one of the greatest gifts in my life and every day I am grateful that I was granted the opportunity to be a mum, and also for having an amazing Mum of my own. It is not an easy day for everyone, and I am mindful of this, so I hope whatever your circumstances I hope the day was enjoyable!

Thank you to those who were able to join us on Friday morning to mark Mother's day with a toastie, a dance and Mass. As a working mum myself I know how hard it can be to make it to these occasions and we appreciate those that can but understand we can't do it all! Thank you to the Dad's who supported the Mother's Day stall and the cooking of toasties- it was a small but mighty team and we are so grateful for your help on these days. 

Thank You to Our Working Bee Champions!

A heartfelt thank you to another small but mighty group – our wonderful Working Bee volunteers. Special thanks to Nat Dullard and Bernie Murray for their fantastic organisation and planning, which ensured the day ran smoothly and so much was achieved.

We are incredibly grateful to Bunnings for their generous support on the day, and to our parent helpers Sharon, Ash, Jo, and Troy—your time and effort made a big difference (and it was definitely safer having you out there than me... I still can’t tell the difference between a weed and a plant, so I clearly have more to learn!).

As many of you know, St Mary’s is blessed with spacious grounds, and with that comes a lot of upkeep. Any help we receive from our community is always appreciated and valued.

A special thank you also goes to Luke Maguire, who kindly organised a generous fruit donation from Woolworths. It kept our volunteers (and students!) energised throughout the week.

Thank you all for the love and care you continue to show for our school.

Communication at St Mary's 

As a new member of the St Mary’s community, I have spent time familiarising myself with the many ways we communicate and stay connected as a school. At the heart of everything we do is a strong commitment to working in partnership with our families, and I’m grateful for the warm welcome and open conversations that have supported this transition.

As always, your child’s classroom teacher is your first point of contact for any questions or concerns regarding their learning or wellbeing. Our dedicated teachers work closely with students and families and, when needed, reach out to the leadership team for additional support.

If there is something you feel needs further discussion, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the school leadership team. You’re welcome to email me directly at principal@smhastings.catholic.edu.au, and I will always do my best to assist you. You may also like to reach out to Naomi Corfield, our Deputy Principal and Wellbeing and Diversity Leader, at ncorfield@smhastings.catholic.edu.au. We’re more than happy to arrange a time to meet in person if that’s your preference.

At St Mary’s, we use a number of platforms to support clear and timely communication:

• Newsletter – for key updates and school-wide information
• Operoo – for excursions, permissions, and events
• Seesaw – for sharing learning and classroom insights
• Social Media – for reminders, celebrations, and snapshots of school life

We understand that having multiple communication platforms can sometimes be confusing, so we are currently working on a clear guide outlining when and how each platform is used. We’re also putting together a simple visual overview of our school leadership structure to help families know who to contact when support is needed.

We look forward to sharing these helpful resources with you in the coming week.

Have a wonderful week

Nicole Black