Dear Parents and Carers,

A Special Visit from Jo Briskey - Federal Member for Maribyrnong

On Monday we were honoured to have Jo Briskey, the federal member for Maribyrnong visit St Mary’s. Jo toured our school and facilities, addressed the school community at assembly and conducted a small group session with our School/Vice Captains. We thank Jo and Rene for their time and look forward to partnering with Jo and her office as the representative of our electorate. We are currently scheduling Jo to come in and talk to our senior students around parliament and their Civics and Citizenship learning units. What a great opportunity to hear from a sitting member of parliament and link their school learning to real life.

St Patrick’s Day - Catholic Education Week

Earlier today I had the privilege to attend MACS annual St Patrick’s day mass and concert in the park with Gen Trevaskis and our wonderful School Captains and Vice Captains. This year we shared the ride in, concert and ride back with the captains from St Theresa’s and their principal Michael Di Nuzzo. Each year all of the schools that make up MACS are invited to our beautiful Cathedral for an opening year mass led by our Archbishop Rev. Peter Commonsoli, followed by a festivallike concert in Treasury Gardens with performances by various student bands from the MACS high schools.

It was such a great day celebrating Catholic Education with our student leaders and a great opportunity for them to connect with other students from MACS schools.

NAPLAN

After navigating through some statewide technical glitches our Year 3 and 5 students have completed their NAPLAN assessments for 2026. The students and their teachers are to be commended on the calm and organised way in which these National assessments were conducted. A special thank you to Joel Magnabosco and Laura Cardillo for their coordination of the assessments.

Pilgrimage - Footsteps of St Paul

On Wednesday I was due to fly out with my North Western Principal colleagues on a pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey. We had undertaken planning, study and learning over the course of 18 months on the journey of St Paul to the early Christian communities and how his work was pivotal in establishing the early Christian churches. We studied his letters and learned of the demographics and social contexts of the region at the time and reflected on these lessons in light of our modern context.

Our travel pathway was through the UAE and the current war in that region has meant that our travel plans have been cancelled. While disappointing for us, my prayers are with the people of that region who have been ravaged by the fighting and destruction the conflict has produced.

Open Mornings

We have conducted two very successful Open Mornings for families of prospective enrolments at St Mary’s. I was very pleased with the large number of families who are interested in attending St Mary’s and finding out more about how we operate as a school community. I try not to talk too much on these days other than giving an overview of St Mary’s; rather I have our School/Vice Captains be the voice for St Mary’s as they are the best examples of what St Mary’s is able to produce. Huge thank you to Joe, Scarlett, Matilda, Alessandro, Finn and Abby for their wonderful tour guide presentations. Seeing our students represent St Mary’s so well to the wider community fills me with pride.

SMAV Child Safety and Volunteer Training

Thank you to those parents who attended the online session. Child Safety is paramount at St Mary’s and is an issue we are consistently working on. Look out for our fortnightly Child Safety updates in the newsletter.

A reminder that all parents and friends who would like to volunteer at St Mary’s must complete the training and associated documentation requirements.

We will be recording a session for distribution to those who missed out in the coming weeks.

Helping Children Settle and Grow in Confidence

By this stage of the term, many children have settled well into school routines. For some, however, the process of settling can take longer — and that is entirely normal.

Confidence develops over time as children experience success, connection and support. It is important that we avoid rushing this process or comparing children to others. Each child’s journey is unique.

As adults, our role is to offer reassurance, maintain consistent expectations and celebrate effort rather than outcomes. When children feel trusted and supported, they gradually develop the confidence to manage challenges independently.

Thank you for the strong partnership you continue to offer our school as we support the growth and wellbeing of every child at St Mary’s.

Never See a Need Without Trying to do Something About it

This week’s examples of Never See a Need Without Doing Something About It comes from a new staff member and a parent. I’ve placed them together for this entry as even though they enact very different roles at our school, their quiet and consistent way of helping is very similar. Both seek no recognition, would prefer to fly under the radar but are always among the first to put their hand up when help is sought or even before that; just step in and do what needs to be done. Because helping others is just part of who they are, helping those in need is something that is automatic for them. I thank them both for their support of our school and our community.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal

Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL)