Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to St Mary’s for 2025! We have had a calm, smooth and rewarding start to the year and I would like to commend staff, students and parents for their efforts in contributing to a great start to 2025 for our community. Despite the temporary changes and arrangements due to our Roseberry St refurbishment project, everyone has rejoined St Mary’s for 2025 positively, productively and with a smile on their faces.

I hope you had a restful, regenerative and fun filled break with lots of quality family time. 2024 was a very busy year for most of us and at St Mary’s, we had a particularly busy end to the year with our building project being approved in early December and a mid December start time! Needless to say, I was in need of some rest and some switch off time which I was lucky enough to have. I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas (my favourite time of year)/New Years celebrations and family time.

The Johnstone’s got away to Jan Juc along the Great Ocean Rd for a week in January for a lovely recharging and nature filled break. I love it down there and will often say to Jess that I could happily live down that way if we could still have our community around us. There’s something wonderfully energising about the surf coast and ocean that I can’t get enough of.

We also have a new addition to our family, Snickers the Airedale Terrier. Despite my delaying efforts, we are now the owners of a very energetic puppy that is keeping us all busy and on our collective toes (and trying to not get them bitten). I haven’t had a puppy for over 15 years now so I had conveniently (or not so conveniently) forgotten how much work it is! But we are committed to the training and ensuring we are responsible pet owners with a well behaved dog, despite how long and how much effort it might take.

In other big news for our family Zadie started Foundation this year and joined Hendrix at Primary School. Having one drop off and pick has been amazing! Zadie has started really well and absolutely loves school, thank you to all of you who have asked about her. She even wanted to go to school last Saturday.

Build Update:

The January break was a busy one at St Mary’s with lots of demolition and excavation happening along the Roseberry St buildings accompanied by site meetings and planning. As with all old buildings we were greeted with numerous surprises as the works progressed. I have been very pleased with Smith and Tracey Architects, CA Property Group (our builders) and the support of the Project and Infrastructure Team at MACS as we navigated and fixed the issues as they had been uncovered before proceeding with the project. We have managed to stay largely on track from our initial timeline while improving the safety and sustainability of the buildings. It has been a great effort by our builders to achieve this. They have been working over the weekends and doing what needs to be done to keep our build on track.

Our grade ones who are currently working in the hall are on track to enter into their newly refurbished classrooms at the start of March. The concrete slabs for their classrooms have been poured and I have never been more excited to see, feel and walk on an area of concrete in my life! The classrooms feel safe and solid, with zero bounce in the floors. Next up in those rooms is plaster, paint, new carpet/pin boards and new touch screen displays to be installed across the coming weeks. Great progress and great things to come.

Our grade 2 classrooms are on track to have their concrete slabs poured this weekend. Their expected timeline will follow a couple of weeks or so after the grade 1 classrooms are ready. They will also be newly refurbished with new plaster, paint, carpet/pin boards and new touch screen displays, creating calm and inviting learning spaces for our junior school.

Getting the students back in their classrooms within the shortest turnaround that we could manage has been our priority and we have been largely successful in this effort. The new reception area, first aid room, offices and meeting spaces will have a mid term 2 completion date, depending on how the build timeline goes.

We will continue to update you as the build progresses.

Reminder, location of buildings has changed

A reminder that a number of classrooms and facilities have changed location due to our building project:

Reception, our admin team and First Aid is located on the back of the stage at the hall and entrance to the school during school hours is through the Ferguson St car park gate (please ensure all visitors report to reception on arrival)
The grade one classrooms are located in the hall currently
2B is located in the STEAM Room
2W is located in the room behind the STEAM Room, access via the Art Room

Beginning of School Mass

It was wonderful to celebrate our beginning of school mass with our students in years 1-6 and have so many parents come along. A big thank you to Father Desmond who celebrated a beautiful mass for us and highlighted the SMAV 2025 theme of Be the Light in his homily and words.

Our 2025 Grade 6 School Leaders had their badges blessed by Father Desmond and were presented them at the end of mass. We are looking forward to seeing them grow in their roles and take on the wonderful opportunity and responsibility that comes with being a leader at St Mary’s.

Be The Light 2025

If you have had a chat to me or listened to me speak at the end of last year or at the start of this year, you would know who enthused I am about our 2025 theme: Be The Light. Our 2025 theme comes from the Gospel of Matthew 5:14-16:

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Everytime I read or reservist this scripture, I find another layer or message to reflect on and contemplate how I can work on Being the Light or helping others Light to Shine. So this year, in each newsletter, I’ll be sharing an example of those I see Be the Light in my daily travels.

This week's example comes from a new Foundation student. One little person was struggling to separate from their mother and say goodbye in the morning and enter into the school day. A new little friend saw what was happening and walked up to the student who was struggling with a big smile on their little face and proclaimed “I know what we can do ____________, come over here and we can play together.” And off the two little people went, one supporting the other, on their way to having a great day.

The mother was very appreciative and happy that this new little friend, who had just met her child was ready to help out so automatically.

Our little person in this story not only let her light shine for her new little friend, she illuminated the pathway towards the possibilities of a great day and away from the darkness and scariness of being in unfamiliar territory.

It’s amazing how much light a little kindness, consideration and empathy can bring to others in our life. Our little people are often the greatest teachers of this, and us big people would be well served to learn from them and enter their light.

IMPORTANT reminder and information for new parents: Pickups and Drop offs

Please do not double park near the drop off bays or que along the street outside of the pink pickup/drop off areas. If you do, you risk fines or further action from council authorities. These actions create blockages for traffic and dangerous situations for cars and pedestrians from our school community.

If there is no space in the pink waiting bays for pick ups or drop offs you will need to circle the block or park your car in a permitted spot in the surrounding streets and walk in for pick up/drop off.

When waiting in the pink drop off bays at the end of the day, you must stay in your car and move up as the queue progresses. Please do not leave your car parked in the pink drop off/pick up bays unattended.

Double parking and blocking the street remain an issue at pick up times so please play your role in helping be part of the solution. Blocking off traffic access to our adjoining streets is a potentially dangerous activity and one that risks further action from council authorities.

Stay safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal

G@S