Principals Message

Dear families,  

What a wonderful way to begin our year together. It was truly heartwarming to see such a strong turnout at our Opening Whole School Mass. Gathering as a faith community is always special, and the presence of so many families made the celebration even more meaningful.

Our students once again brought great pride to our community. Their reverence, respectful participation and genuine engagement throughout the Mass was a proud moment for us all. They demonstrated beautifully what it means to belong to St Mary’s, leading with care and respect.

Over the past week, our senior students have also spent time with Mrs Jamieson and myself reflecting on our behaviour expectations at St Mary’s. I could not be prouder of their shared understanding of how they can serve as role models within our school. They spoke thoughtfully about how they can model our four key expectations: Care for Learning, Care for Environment, Care for Others and Care for Self.

It has been wonderful to see this already in action. Our senior students are using positive language when supporting younger students. For example, if a younger student is running inside, a senior student might gently say, “Remember, when we show Care for Self, we use walking feet inside.” This approach focuses on what we want to see, guiding students toward the right choice rather than highlighting what they have done wrong.

This is leadership in its most authentic form, respectful, encouraging and grounded in our shared values. I am incredibly proud of our senior students and the example they are setting for our whole community.