Principal's Message

Wayne Wood

Principal

To our St Mary’s Community

Last week the Year 12 students presented me with letters of gratitude they have each written to the College. Written in their own way, their letters gave thanks to the wonderful opportunities St Mary’s has given them. Students also expressed their gratitude to their teachers for working so hard to support them through their time at the College. I was also very humbled to read many letters thanking me personally. 

It is wonderful to see students letting others know they are appreciated. Gratitude is a powerful tool for our young people and has many benefits. We know that expressing gratitude can make us happier, more positive and improve our wellbeing. Gratitude, however, is a tricky concept to grasp for young people. That is because empathy is closely linked to gratitude. We need to be able to understand another person’s experience in order to appreciate their actions and recognise that they are doing something kind and generous for us. This takes practice!

I take this opportunity to share my gratitude after what has been an extraordinary week at St Mary’s, especially with the urgent response to three meningococcal cases linked to our college. 

Firstly, I thank the Tropical Public Health Services team for their incredible support and care in response to what is a serious situation in our community. Their advice, generosity of their time, and their quick thinking has kept our community safe. I thank our parent body for your strong show of support and urgency in response to the antibiotic and vaccination rollout. Your collective actions have made a huge difference. I also thank our St Mary’s staff for their incredible work behind the scenes to ensure we provided our community with the best possible response. I thank our students and staff, who have been at the centre of this situation, for their composure throughout what has been a trying few days. Finally, I thank our entire community for your prayers of support. They helped tremendously. 

As you can see, we continue to be guided by our Mission Statement: ‘Through Faith, Hope, and Love we make a difference in our world.’ Not only are we seeking to make a difference in people’s lives, but we do it the St Mary’s way #FaithHopeLove. 

There are many more examples of this kind of work. 

I take this opportunity to express my appreciation and congratulations to all who contributed to our very successful Open Night. 

Despite the threat of rain and the impact of the flu/Covid we had a very healthy crowd on the day. I thank our staff who set up displays, prepared students for performances, cooked, and showcased so many wonderful things that happen at St Mary’s. We certainly had great feedback from the community about the displays and the interaction with staff. I also thank our maintenance team for their contribution to the day. 

I thank the many ‘Family Connect’ volunteers who assisted on the night. This involvement by our parents was noted by those in attendance and highlights the strong partnership with parents we share at St Mary’s. 

Among the great feedback we receive around our Open Night, the most positive is reserved for our Student Tour Guides. Many parents speak about the authenticity, enthusiasm and welcome that oozes from our students as they guide them around our college. For me, it is wonderful listening to our students speak with so much pride about St Mary’s. Thank you to every student who gave up their time to volunteer as a tour guide. 

As I continue the theme of gratitude, I wish to thank students and staff involved in our Year 9 and Year 8 Retreats. These retreats were conducted amid our meningococcal B outbreak. Whilst the medical advice was that it was safe to continue with our plans, I do appreciate the angst that some may have had as the situation unfolded. I thank parents for your support and trust. I especially thank our staff who volunteered to be part of these retreats. 

Finally, as we enter the final weeks of Term 2, I encourage students to “attend to the little things”. By this, I refer to the little routines that breed success. These routines around homework, uniform, organisation, and gratitude will ensure you finish this term well.  

God Bless