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CONGRATULATIONS

🎉 Congratulations to Miss Annie and her husband!

Miss Annie is thrilled to announce the arrival of Daisy May Howe! Both baby and

parents are doing very well. Wishing them all the joy and excitement as they begin this wonderful new journey of parenthood.

🎵Mad on Music🎵

We are excited to share that Mad on Music will be commencing at St Mary’s in term two.

Founded and led by Ashley and Lee Smith, Mad on Music is a small, family-run business offering high-quality, formal music lessons in a supportive and engaging environment.

The program offers tuition in keyboard, guitar and singing. Students participate in structured lessons and have the opportunity to prepare for and complete formal music examinations. The program builds strong foundational skills while ensuring lessons remain engaging, enjoyable and motivating for children.

Lessons will be held during class time (day to be confirmed). Times will rotate throughout the term to ensure children do not consistently miss the same class time.

A highlight of the year is the end-of-year concert, where students proudly showcase their progress and talents to family and friends.

We look forward to seeing our young musicians grow in confidence and creativity through this engaging and fun program! 🎶

A Message from the St Mary's School Advisory Council (SAC)

Hello St Mary’s Community,

I hope you have all settled well into the new school year. As always, the year is already moving quickly, with only five weeks remaining in Term 1. It has been wonderful to see so many students proudly wearing the new sports uniform and to be greeted each day by the refreshed school signage.

Last Thursday, the SAC held our first meeting for 2026. It was fantastic for us all to reconnect in person. We had some valuable discussions and identified several new initiatives that the SAC will continue to develop. I will keep you updated as this work progresses.

A key focus for the SAC since late 2025 has been supporting marketing efforts to increase enrolments for 2027. If you have walked along High St or through Miller St recently, you may have noticed our new enrolment posters. I would like to express my gratitude to all the local businesses supporting us by displaying them - please support these businesses where you can. The posters showcase many smiling St Mary’s students, which I believe reflects our community spirit beautifully. We are also working on another marketing activity that will be launched in the coming weeks, and we look forward to sharing this with you.

I am hoping for your assistance with one of our initiatives. If you are able, we would greatly appreciate your support in displaying a 1m x 2m vinyl banner on your home or business fence to help promote St Mary’s. Each banner includes eyelets, making it easy to hang using rope or nails. Increasing the school’s visibility benefits our whole community. If you are willing to display a banner, please let Loretta know in person or via email at school@smthornbury.catholic.edu.au.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Nelson Alexander Northcote once again for their generous support in funding our school signage. Their contribution has made a meaningful difference to our school’s presence in the community. If you are considering selling, renting, or seeking real estate assistance, please reach out to Paul Rodighiero on 0417 274 352 or complete the online form at: https://www.nelsonalexander.com.au/st-marys-primary-school/. For every property sold through a referral from the St Mary’s community, the school receives 10% of the agent’s commission once sold, and for every rental property that transfers to Nelson Alexander, the school receives a $200 referral fee.

Supporting those who support our school is a wonderful way to strengthen our community partnerships.

Kind regards,

Ryan Fort

Chair

📚ENROLMENTS ARE OPEN

Enrolments are now open at St Mary's Primary School for next year.

If you know anyone with a child commencing school, please encourage them to book a tour and experience our school in action. There is nothing quite like seeing our classrooms, meeting our students and staff, and getting a feel for the warmth of our community.

If you have a younger child starting next year, we ask that you please complete an enrolment form as soon as possible to assist us with planning.

St Mary’s is a great school with excellent facilities, a dedicated and highly skilled teaching team, and a strong sense of momentum. We are truly on the rise — and we would love your help in spreading the word.

Let’s continue to build our wonderful school community together. 🤝✨

New Communication Platform – nPortal

Just a reminder to ensure that you have downloaded the nForma App. Please note that all first aid notifications will also be sent home via nForma.

A few reminders

Read “nPortal General Guide for Parents.”
Log in to the new portal via https://portal.nforma.com.au/login or nForma for Parents APP.
Set up students' Medical Profile.”
View any “Notices” and “Forms” that may have been shared on the portal.

Please feel free to contact our Louise Alonso (ICT leader) via email lalonso@smthornbury.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions or if you are having any issues.

NAPLAN Testing

At the end of this week, a NAPLAN information letter will be sent home to families of students in Years 3 and 5.

NAPLAN testing will take place on March 11, 12, 18 and 19. We are sharing this information with families so you are aware of the dates; however, at school, we approach NAPLAN in a calm and low-key manner to ensure students do not feel any unnecessary pressure.

NAPLAN is simply one part of the broader assessment picture. It provides a snapshot of learning at a point in time, while our teachers continue to assess student progress every day through classroom learning and ongoing feedback. These day-to-day assessments give us the most meaningful understanding of each child’s growth.

We encourage families to keep conversations about NAPLAN relaxed and reassuring. The best preparation is a good night’s sleep, a normal morning routine and the understanding that this is just one opportunity to show what they know.

If you have any questions after receiving the letter, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher.

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