Principal's News

I am pleased to start this edition of our newsletter with another announcement of congratulations. This time we are congratulating Mrs Deanna Johnson and her husband Jem, who are expecting their second baby in September.  We wish them all the very best with this exciting addition to their family. 

We farewell Danni on Friday and wish her all the very best in her new school. We are also very happy to welcome Rachel Pickles to our office admin team. Rachel will be our new front of house and take on the roles that Danni performed. Please come and say hello and make her feel very welcome.

We had our annual school photo day today, which has seen many happy smiles, polished school shoes, beautifully pressed uniforms and shiny hair. I am sure your children will create stunning photos that you can keep for years to come and smile about in the future when they are all grown up.

Thank-you to all those families who came along to our parent/student/teacher interviews this week. It is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your child's teacher and set some goals for the year. If you did not make a time to see your child's teacher this week or were unable to come to your appointment time, please send your child's teacher an email and make a time to meet.

We wish our St Mark's District Swimming Squad all the very best for their competition on Monday and say a special thank-you to Miss Amerena, Miss Ryan and Mr Davies who have supported the children with try outs and training over the last couple of weeks.

Welcome Picnic 5.30 - 7.30 p.m.:

On Thursday 5th March we will be holding our annual welcome picnic at St Mark's and would love to see all our families come along and share a night of fun and socialising. There will be some large inflatables for the children to have fun on and lots of time to relax and socialise and meet the St Mark's staff and other parents of the children in your child's class. Bring along a picnic rug and and some yummy dinner and join in this enjoyable community event. Being part of the community and showing your child that you are engaged and connected to their school has shown to make a positive difference in a child's education. Children who's families are connected and active in their school do better at school. 

School Closure Day:

On Friday 6th March there will be no school for children, as the staff will be undertaking a professional learning day in the area of Religious Education and adult faith formation. All catholic schools are required to undertake one professional learning day per year that is dedicated to faith formation. We will be working with Michael McGirr, who is the Archdiocesan director of mission for Caritas Australia and author of many books.

School Advisory Council

We are still looking for some new members for our School Advisory Council for 2026. The group will meet 6 more times this year on a Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. The role of the School Advisory Council, in keeping with the objects of the MACS Constitution, is to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community, the parish and our school leaders. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Frances on 9262 2000 or email: principal@smdingley.catholic.edu.au 

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th May at 7.30 p.m. in the staffroom. This meeting will be our AGM.

School Tour Dates:

Our school tour dates for 2026 have already been very popular and the first four school tour dates are already booked out. Please share these dates with anyone you know who has a child starting prep in 2027 and invite them to book in for a tour by visiting our website.

26th February - 9.15 a.m.

10th March - 9.15 a.m.

13th March - 12.15 p.m.

17th March - 7.00 p.m.

19th March 9.15 a.m.

24th March 9.15 a.m.

28th April 9.15 a.m.

4th May 9.15 a.m.

14th May 9.15 a.m.

Handcrafted Products by Tiffany Murray

One of our parents, Tiffany Murray, has beautifully displayed a selection of handmade products in the glass cabinet located in the office area. These items are available for purchase.

If you're interested in viewing or buying any of her creations, please feel free to take one of her business cards, which can be found in front of the products inside the cabinet.