Principals Message

Dear families,
Last week, I had a week of Long Service Leave to spend time with family which was fantastic. I cannot thank the school staff and leaders enough for stepping in and supporting each other throughout the week.
MAGNIFY SANDHURST
Knowledge Society – Classroom Mastery
Today, our staff travelled to St Mary’s Mooroopna for a day of professional learning. We joined St Joseph’s Nagambie and Sacred Heart Tatura. The focus of the professional learning was our behaviour curriculum and consolidation of our whole school routines.
Over the next few weeks, and especially next term, students and staff will witness some changes to everyday routines. While we are greatly fortunate to have such engaged and well-behaved children at St Mary’s, part of our ongoing learning into brain development and the neuroscience behind learning, we know that if we provide consistent, predictable routines across our school our students will further flourish.
Consistent practices and expectations coming from our staff will ensure that one less element of learning that students need not spend their cognitive load on. Their sole focus can be toward their learning.
MultiLit school visit
The week prior to last, we hosted Kylie from CESL and Alicia from MultiLit to witness how InitialLit has been rolled out within our F/1/2 classroom. Kylie and Alicia were both incredibly impressed by the focus of the children and the practice of Angela and Laura. They noted that the room was exceptionally organised and calm and that there was not a single minute wasted whereby learning could not occur. This is a huge celebration for our school.
Enrolments now OPEN
Any families who would like to enrol students for 2026, we ask that you please return your enrolment forms asap so that we can begin the process of planning how 2026 and beyond. If you require an enrolment pack, please contact Pete or Georgia in our office.
If you know of anyone who wishes to enrol at St Mary’s and receive a high level of education, care and welcoming, please encourage them to contact us.
Winter bugs and illness
As we now move into Winter, we are beginning to witness greater instances of common illnesses. To ensure that we keep our community healthy, we ask that if you notice any symptoms including; fever, vomiting, or diarrhoea, please keep them at home until they have fully recovered. Please see the recommended exclusion period for common illnesses.
Once again, I thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our school. Please do not hesitate to come and see me or email if you have any questions or concerns.
Vin Ryan