Principal News
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s newsletter. It’s a busy and exciting time here at St. Mary’s, with so much happening across the school! There’s a fantastic energy in our community, and it’s been wonderful to see so many events that bring together not just our students, but our entire school family.
Collaboration is key to our students’ success, and I want to give thanks for the many positive conversations happening in the schoolyard. It’s great to hear about the wonderful achievements and milestones being celebrated within our community.
Year 6 Leadership Roles
At St Mary’s, we believe every student has the potential to lead, and that’s what makes our school outstanding! Every Year 6 student at St Mary's is given a leadership role, allowing them to develop confidence, responsibility, and teamwork skills that will serve them well beyond primary school. The students really look forward this opportunity as they progress into the senior school.
We are so proud of our Year 6 students for their outstanding leadership speeches, which showcased their passion and commitment to making a difference in our school community. A huge thank you to Ms Sam Sullivan and Mrs Michelle Perpina for preparing them so well, and to all the families for their support throughout this process.
Congratulations to all our Year 6 Leaders, we can’t wait to see you shine in your roles this year!
Dendy Swimming Carnival
A huge shoutout to our amazing Swim Team for finishing 2nd overall at the Dendy Swimming Carnival! Your hard work and team spirit made us proud.
Big thanks to Ms Sam Sullivan for organising everything and to Mrs Michelle Dolling, Mrs Marie Hird, and Miss Daniella Cortese for their support on the day. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Congratulations to the 9 students who have been selected to represent St Mary's at the Beachside Division:
Pablo B - 9/10 Breaststroke and 9/10 Freestyle Relay (Pablo broke the 9/10 Breaststroke record for SSV)
Lachie D - 9/10 Freestyle Relay (record)
David K - 9/10 Freestyle Relay (record)
Noah J - 9/10 Butterfly 9/10 Freestyle Relay (record)
Luca - 9/10 Backstroke
Elliot - 11 Freestyle
Evelyn - 11 Backstroke
Spencer - 12/13 Backstroke
Lucinda - 12/13 Butterfly
Well done, team!
Parent Teacher Chats
A big thank you to all the parents and caregivers who attended our Parent-Teacher Chats last Tuesday. It was great to discuss goals and aspirations for the year ahead and work together to support each student’s learning journey.
We also appreciate the time and effort our teachers put into these conversations. Our staff goes above and beyond to ensure the best outcomes for our students, and their dedication does not go unnoticed.
Dad's Cricket - St Mary's Vs Hampton PS
A big point of difference between us and other schools is our incredible P&F, who give parents many options to get involved in the school community.
The St Mary’s Dad’s cricket team have won their way into the final after a resounding win against Hampton Primary School.
HPS batted first and started strongly reaching 45 after 5 overs, before some tight bowling and excellent fielding efforts turned the screws and saw the Saints picking up wickets at regular intervals. Chad Jones finished with a wicket for 5 runs from his 2 overs and took two nice outfield catches. Jarrod Logan took 2 wickets, as did Dean Stephens. Col Edwards, Pete Sexton and Marcus Quinn one wicket each.
Pete Sexton pulled off a brilliant run out off his own bowling, using some fancy footwork to stop the ball before throwing down the stumps. Jarrod Logan took a stunning one-handed diving catch at mid-wicket to remove the HPS skipper.
HPS finished their 20 over innings at 9-124.
Troy Ogier opened the batting and signalled the St Mary’s intent by hitting the first ball of the innings for 4. He batted brilliantly making his 25 before retiring after only 16 balls.
Beau Turner, Jarrod Logan and Chad Jones kept the run rate ticking well above 8 per over and all retired at 25. Jones’ huge 6 into the Boss James practice nets was the highlight of the innings.
Adam Jacka and Marcus Quinn saw the run chase home, passing the HPS score in 16 overs and with the loss of only 1 wicket.
A great team win and on to the final versus Sandringham Primary School at Boss James this Wednesday the 26th of February at 5pm. We would love to see a big St Mary’s crowd to cheer us on!
Whole School Mass & Picnic
Thank you to everyone in our community who joined us for the Beginning of Year Mass on Friday. Special appreciation to our RE Leader, Mrs Veronica Del Castillo, for her preparation, and to Father Martin for hosting this beautiful celebration.
For more details, please visit the Catholic Identity page in this newsletter.
As we speak our amazing community is also gathered at the Hampton RSL celebrating the first month we have had together in 2026. Special mention to Sarah Kavanagh and the P&F team for organising.
Run Club
What a great turn out it was the first Run Club session for 2025. The weather turned it on for us, the 3km felt effortless (for the kids at least)! Run club is open to all students and their parents in Year 3-6 each Friday morning - starting at 8am. Thank you to the many parents and staff who joined the session! Head over to the Senior School News page for more photos!
School Open Days
A friendly reminder that we have now started accepting sibling enrolments for Prep 2026. If you have a child due to start school in 2026, please complete an enrolment form and return it to the school office by Friday, 28th February 2025. Forms are found online or can also be collected from the school office if needed. Submitting enrolments by this date will assist us in planning for new students.
We also invite prospective families to attend one of our upcoming school tours to experience our learning environment firsthand. Tours will be held on the following dates, and interested families can drop in anytime between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Families will be taken on a tour by our Year 6 students and then have the chance to chat with myself or our incredible Deputy Principal, Mrs Evelyn Whatmore following the tour.
Our first round of offers will be going out later this term, do not miss out on the chance to join the awesome community we have here at St Mary's.
Exciting News
Finally, I would like to share some wonderful news with you - Mrs. Santana is expecting a baby and will be welcoming her newest family member in the middle of the year! We are thrilled for her and her family during this exciting time.
As a result, Mrs. Santana will be taking leave from the beginning of Term 3. To ensure a smooth transition for our Prep students, we will be advertising for a Prep teacher to take over the class for Terms 3 and 4. Our priority is to find a teacher who will continue providing the nurturing and high-quality learning environment that our Preps have enjoyed so far this year.
Thanks
Steele Anderson
