A message from Denis

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back to our families from the summer holiday break and a very warm welcome to all of our new families who have just commenced their journey with St Mary’s.  We hope that your time with us at St Mary’s is filled with joy, happiness, growth and connection.

It has been great to have a chat with families before and after school and see all of the smiling faces, happy and eager to return to school.  The Johnstone’s had a great holiday break filled with activities, family time, a getaway down to the peninsula and preparation with Hendrix and Zadie who started at a new school this year too.

I have been incredibly pleased with the way our St Mary's students have started back in 2026.  The school has been a calm and productive environment from our first day.  And I have to say that you couldn’t wipe the smile from my face seeing all of our students return through the St Mary’s gates last Friday.  St Mary’s is a special place with a special community and 2026 will be a great year.

SMAV 2026 School Leaders

At the beginning of the year I am always keen to work with our new group of school leaders and our Leadership Group of 2026 have already started strongly.  I am very much looking forward to what they can achieve throughout the year.  

Special shout out to our 2026 School Captains Scarlett Nickelson and Joseph Geary and our Vice Captains Alessandro Cuzzila, Finn Bishop, Matilda Sandri and Abigail Janides who have launched into the numerous responsibilities associated with their roles.  Extra special shout out to our Environmental Captains Julian Townsend and Mate Millardovic who have been helping me keep our school grounds in great shape, keep up the great work boys!

Belonging comes before learning

The start of a school year is an important time — full of anticipation, excitement and, for some children, a little uncertainty.

One of our core priorities at St Mary’s is ensuring every child feels a strong sense of belonging. Before deep learning can occur, children need to feel safe, known and valued. Children who belong, flourish.  This is why our students are currently engaging with St Mary’s beginning of year Respice Stellam units; to build their connection and familiarity with St Mary’s practices, routines and ways of working and to cultivate their sense of belonging at our school.  It is also the reason that one of my sign off phrases in our newsletter is stay connected.  I began using this sign off during COVID when the world was starving for connection, and it has remained a constant for my writing since.  Research consistently tells us that students who feel connected to their school and their teachers are more confident learners, more resilient and more willing to take academic and (safe) social risks.

Over the coming weeks, you may hear your child talk about time spent building relationships, establishing routines and learning expectations. This work is intentional. It lays the foundation for effective and successful learning throughout the year.

At home, some simple actions — talking positively about school (a staple of the Johnstone family dinner table is a simple but powerful ritual:  each person is asked What’s the greatest part of your day? And they pass it onto another person at the table), maintaining predictable routines, and encouraging children to share their experiences can greatly support your child’s start to the year. When children know that school and home are working together in partnership, their sense of security and confidence grows and we can achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year as we support each child to flourish academically, socially and spiritually.

School Advisory Council

This year we are refreshing our School Advisory Council.  A sincere thank you to outgoing SAC members; Nicholas Yaxley, Louise Cahill-Mulvogue, Lauren Bolton and Michael Love for your expertise, discussions and advice over the last several years.  

The School Advisory Council forms an important part of our school operations and is one that is a valued sounding board and advisory mechanism for our school’s Senior Leadership.

The following are some examples of the many ways the School Advisory Council may support the school and the principal:

• articulating and enacting the school’s vision and mission
• promoting the school’s Catholic ethos and culture
• promoting faith formation and development
• supporting school policies as required
• giving advice to the principal on issues such as school improvement plans and enrolment trends
• engaging in discussion with the principal about the annual school budget and other financial matters
• giving advice to the principal about the school master plan
• providing capital resource planning and maintenance support to the principal.

The composition of the MACS School Advisory Council calls for:

• Parish Priest (Ex-officio)
• Deputy Principal
• 2 or more parents of the school, including 1 who is an active parishioner of St Mary’s church

School Advisory Council members must commit to attending a minimum of 4 meetings (1 a term) annually.

If you are interested in joining the St Mary’s Advisory Council, please use the below link to express your interest.

SMAV SAC 2026 Expressions of Interest

Expressions of interest will close 20/02/26.

Thank you for your ongoing support of St Mary’s, please reach out if you have any questions regarding the SAC.

Never See a Need Without Trying to do Something About it

This year St Mary’s has a school theme that is near and dear to my heart.  It comes from Australia's very own patron saint, Saint Mary Mackillop.  Saint Mary Mackillop was a remarkable woman on many different levels, she had an unwavering drive to help those in need, especially the lowest of society that others shunned, an incredible vision for establishing Catholic Education as viable pathway for educating children and an amazing sense of courage to face challenges and overcome them.  I was Deputy Principal at Saint Mary Mackillop Keilor Downs some years ago and Saint Mary Mackillop’s mantra of Never See a Need Without Doing Something About it is one that I have sat with everyday since.

This year, each newsletter I will highlight someone who lives the Never See a Need Without Doing Something About it philosophy in action and deed.  This week, my example comes from our Grade 6 students and their budding relationships with their Foundation buddies.  We got the ball rolling late last year during Foundation transition and started the green shoots of the partnerships that we are seeing today.  Frequently on my yard walks I see our Grade 6 students comforting, advising, teaching and playing with their Foundation buddy.  And in turn I see the little Foundation students’ faces light up in smiles, turn from a grimace to laugh and from unsure to happy.  Our grade 6 Leaders look for and see the need in our newest students and try their best to help out, and do something about it.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal