From the Director of Junior School 

Dear Junior School Families, 

It has been such an exciting few weeks for our students and staff. From the celebrations of Science Week to the wonderful adventures of Book Week, we have enjoyed a wide range of learning experiences together. A special thank you goes to our parent and carer community for your support – whether it was helping with costumes, assisting on excursions or joining in the celebrations, it has been so lovely to share these special moments with you.

Resilience and overcoming anxiety and worry

This week, our Year 4 and 5 students have been working with Psychologist Lisa Ford from The Resilience Co. Lisa has helped them understand their worries and anxiety and introduced practical strategies to manage these in different settings, both at school and at home.

We are also grateful to Lisa for leading a parent seminar on Tuesday night, where more than 60 of our families joined us to learn ways to support children with managing anxiety and stress. At the beginning of next term, our Junior School teachers will also be working with Lisa, focusing on how we can further strengthen wellbeing support in the classroom. I would especially like to thank Mrs Sarah Clark for arranging this valuable opportunity. Supporting our children’s wellbeing is central to their growth and success both inside and outside the classroom.

Excursion and parent help 

We are always appreciative of the time our parents give to support class excursions. To ensure we maintain appropriate staff–student ratios and comply with Catholic Education Tasmania policies, we do have limits on the number of parents who can assist. Venue capacities also play a role in these restrictions. Please understand that we cannot take every parent helper each time, but we do our best to ensure families have opportunities across the year.

2026 Pre-Kinder

This week, we welcomed our 2026 Kinders for their second Pre-Kinder session. The excitement was palpable as each child eagerly entered the Kinder rooms to be greeted by Ms Meg Kitchen and Mrs Danika Haeusler. Painting and the slide were particular favourites, as the children explored the spaces and began forming new friendships. Our Pre-Kinder program will conclude next Monday, and we look forward to welcoming 2026 Kinder families at our Parent Information Evening on Monday 8 September.

Focus on Responsibility 

This fortnight, we are highlighting the value of Responsibility. For our Year 3–6 students, this includes taking greater ownership of how they wear their uniform – ensuring blazers are worn to and from school and that the correct uniform is worn on the correct days. We ask parents to please support us in this, particularly in relation to the formal uniform on non-HPE days. If your child is unable to wear the full formal uniform, we require a note in their diary with a valid reason. Being part of the St Mary’s community means respecting our shared expectations, and we thank families for partnering with us in this.

We are also encouraging all students to be more responsible in looking after their belongings, especially lunchboxes and drink bottles. Too often, these are left behind on pathways after eating time, which can create tripping hazards and are sometimes still there at the end of the day. As many of these items are costly, we would appreciate you speaking with your child about the importance of being responsible for their belongings.

Presentation Values Certificates

Congratulations to the following Year 3-6 students who have received certificates for showcasing one of our four values over the past fortnight:

We are looking forward to acknowledging more of our students in our assembly on Thursday. We will include these certificates and pin recipients in our next issue of The Fountain.