Principal's Panorama

Dear Families of SMOTA, 

Welcome to Term Two, our young people have hit the ground running and we are excited to see what their learning brings in Term Two.

This term we are excited to be welcoming two new educators, Mrs Natalie Williamson and Mrs Louise Reinke!

Mrs Williamson joins us from Ebor Public School where she was the relieving Principal for the past 18 months.  Mrs Williamson commenced her teaching career in the Lismore Diocese and brings a strong commitment to pedagogical practices grounded in Sharrat's 14 Parameters and a vast knowledge in instructional leadership and inclusive learning, all grounded in Catholic values. 

Mrs Reinke will be covering Mrs Lockwood's leave as Leader of Pedagogy and is the current Assistant Principal at St Mary's in Armidale. During her time with us, Mrs Reinke is looking forward to expanding her leadership skills in supporting educators in curriculum and pedagogical practices. Additionally as a local in the Guyra community, Mrs Reinke is keen to have the opportunity to be active in supporting her new school in her home community. 

Enrolments and Context

We have a couple of new students here at St Mary of the Angels this term, if you know of any parents or caregivers looking for an outstanding education, please let them know our enrolment period is now open!

For some current context for you:

• Nearly 65% of our enrolments are not religous or non-catholic
• 67% of our enrolment numbers are boys
• 29% of our Year One students and 67% of Year Two students have already achieved the end of year reading benchmarks!
• Current 2026 Attendance Rates and Attendance Levels across our school are interesting. Remember the Attendance Rate: is the number of total days attended by students out of the hours/minutes/days they can attend school and Attendance Level: is the number of students who are attending 90% or more of those days.
  • What can you see from the graph below?

ANZAC Day

We are looking forward to seeing all of our young people, in their full winter uniform and with a sprig of rosemary, joining us on Saturday, for the Guyra ANZAC March and Services.

The Dawn Service is at 5:45 am at the Guyra Soldier's Memorial Hall on Bradley Street. Later in the day, the ANZAC march will occur from Fourways Service Centre through to the Memorial Hall, gathering at 10:00 am and departing at 10:30 am.  

Diocesan Art competition: "Mary: Our Mother"

Calling All Young Artists! Our Diocese is thrilled to announce the launch of our 2026 Art Competition: "Mary: Our Mother." This is a unique opportunity for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 to express their faith and creativity. Whether it is a painting of the Annunciation, a drawing of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or a modern digital portrait of Mary’s strength, we want to see your vision!

The Reward: Winners will be announced during Catholic Schools Week (commencing 25th May), with prizes awarded for every Stage.

A Lasting Legacy: Selected artworks will be chosen to feature in our official Diocesan Angelus resources, becoming a part of our community's daily prayer life.

The Details: Entries must be no larger than A3. 

The competition opens Tuesday, 17th March and entries close Friday, 15th May.

Please contact Mrs Nugent for entry forms and full submission details. We can’t wait to see your masterpieces!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school and its mission.

Blessings until next time!

Zoe Nugent

Principal