Principal's Message

As we head towards the last half of the term, students have demonstrated their learning in many ways. They have participated in Remembrance Day liturgies, joined lunchtime clubs, taken part in various excursions, and engaged in our swimming program and inquiry-based learning. 

It is a reminder that all our students have different learning styles. 

Some learning comes easier to students while others it takes a few more times before they feel confident.  At different times students can have a sudden burst of learning growth while others may plateau and need to be challenged. However, we know at St Martin de Porres that every individual is capable of success. We strive to do our best and a little bit more.

Students need teachers and family members to believe in them, to back them, and to know that they can achieve. At SMDP we set high expectations. We allow students to know that they don’t have to get it right the first time and mistakes are an important part of learning.  We want them to know that we will support them in trying and that they will reach what they are capable of. 

The ‘journey’ and the ‘messiness’ of the learning process are equally as important as what we see as the ‘finished product’ of learning. 

As educators, we often remind ourselves that learning is a cycle with opportunities for consolidation, clarification of concepts and display of understanding at each stage of the cycle. The opportunity to give feedback, to discuss strengths, challenges and areas for future focus, is an important part of the cycle, so please do regularly check Seesaw and feel free to chat to your child’s teacher at any time to discuss your child’s learning journey. 

Collaboration between parents and teachers is so very critical to student success in learning. When an open path of communication is created and modelled between families, students are encouraged to speak up when they have concerns. When parents and teachers are ‘speaking the same language’ and share a consistent message, we minimise the chances of a young person feeling vulnerable and unsupported. 

Over the next few weeks at our meetings, staff will begin the process of allocating students into their 2025 class groups. The emphasis, when regrouping, is on students maximising their learning and developing their learning powers such as resilience, collaboration and motivation. We are committed to ensuring that each class is balanced and that every student is placed with both some familiar friends and with some students who may be wonderful, potential co-learners.

I ask parents to trust in the process as our teachers are best placed to determine the learning needs of all students. However if you have any legitimate regrouping issues please contact me via email before Wednesday 20th November. A reminder that this is not an opportunity to ‘teacher shop’ nor request certain classmates. We assure you that student groupings are carefully considered, and we are confident in our rigorous process and decisions.

God bless and thank you.

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. 

2024/2025 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2024. These are student-free days. Staff use these days to develop their learning further and keep informed with current practices and procedures. 

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