Principal News
The chilly winter days have well and truly settled in, but there’s still a great buzz around the school as we head towards the end of term.
A big thank you to all families who attended parent-teacher interviews this week. It was wonderful to see so many productive and positive conversations taking place. These partnerships are so valuable in supporting our students to thrive. We hope the Semester One reports provided clear detail and clarity as to how our students are performing and how we will continue to support each student moving forward. I want to thank the incredible staff at St Mary's for all the work that went into both the reports and the interviews. I had the pleasure of reading each school report, and it is clear all our students are kicking plenty of goals in 2025.
Thank you for taking the time to read our final Term 2 newsletter.
Invitation to join the class prayer
On the last Friday of term, we warmly invite parents and carers to join us for a moment of reflection in classrooms. After grabbing a coffee from the cart, you're welcome to visit your child’s classroom for a short prayer celebrating the term. We kindly ask that all visitors depart by 9am so our students can settle into their final day of learning.
A reminder that school will finish early at 1pm on Friday.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Congratulations to all the students who recently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was a beautiful and reverent celebration, with students and their families approaching this special moment with great respect and reflection. A heartfelt thank you to Father Martin, our Religious Education Leader Veronica del Castillo, and the Year 3 teaching team for preparing and guiding the children so thoughtfully. Reconciliation reminds us of the importance of forgiveness — both seeking it and offering it — as a path to healing, growth and peace in our relationships.
Year 5 Public Speaking
This week, we celebrated the finale of the Year 5 Public Speaking program — a valuable milestone that helps our students grow in confidence, clarity, and leadership as they prepare to step into their roles as senior students next year. A big thank you to Sandra de Geest for once again leading the program with such care and expertise, and to the Year 5 teaching team for their ongoing support. Congratulations to Amelia W, who delivered the winning speech, with special mentions to Zara and Dean for their outstanding presentations, rounding out the top three. While these achievements were impressive, the true highlight was witnessing the growth and courage shown by all students throughout the course.
Thanks to the many parents who were able to attend on the day!
Year 5/6 Lightning Premierships
Well done to all our Year 5/6 Lightning Premiership teams who competed in football, netball and soccer last week. Our students represented the school with pride, showing great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship across the day. A special congratulations to our mixed netball team, who went all the way and took out the title — it’s fantastic to have another trophy in the cabinet!
Kinder Visits
Our kinder visits continued this week, with our Year 4 students spending time with the children at Helen Paul Kinder. Next week, they’ll visit Holy Trinity, further building connections with our local early years settings. These visits are a wonderful opportunity for our students to develop their leadership skills and confidence, while also strengthening our sense of community. We’re looking forward to welcoming the kinders to St Mary’s next term for return visits, where the friendships and fun can continue on our home ground.
Holiday Program
Bookings for the MACSEYE July holiday program will close next week! Please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Designed with children’s input, the program offers a mix of creative activities, sports, games and themed days.
Welcome New Students
Last week we welcomed Freddie Swindles (Prep) and his family to St Mary’s — we’re so pleased to have them join our school community!
We also have a number of new students starting with us at the beginning of Term 3, and we’ll introduce them in the first newsletter of next term. It’s wonderful to see so many families choosing St Mary’s for their children’s education — a testament to the strong, supportive and vibrant community we’ve all helped to build.
New Arrivals!
We’re thrilled to share some wonderful news from our St Mary’s family — congratulations to Mrs Vanessa Gooden on the arrival of her baby boy, Patrick, and to Mrs Ally Mullany, who welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Margot. We send our warmest wishes to both families as they enjoy this special time together.
Wedding Celebrations
A big congratulations to Mrs Yang Song, who was married to her partner Michael over the weekend! We’re so happy for them both and wish them a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness together.
Thanks
Steele