Head of Junior School 

Junior School Class Teachers 2024

I’m excited to announce the team of teachers at the Junior School for 2024. Next year, our Early Year classes will expand to include Year 2, meaning from now on we will be a single stream, K to 6 Junior School. In fact, next year the College, for the first time in history, will be a Kindergarten to Year 12 College. 

Orientation Day is a vital part of the transition process from year to year. This Monday 27 November, all our boys in Year 3 to 6 will spend the day in their new classroom with their 2024 teacher. Boys in Prep through to Year 2 will have the morning with their new Class Teacher. 

Our Year 6 boys will be spending the day at the Senior School campus in the next stage of their transition to Year 7.

Classroom teachers for 2024:

Kindergarten:   Mrs Sandra Mazengarb

Prep:                   Miss Stacey King

Year 1A:             Ms Connie Abate

Year 2R:             Miss Emma Reardon

Year 3C:             Mrs Stephanie Coleman

Year 4P:             Miss Katie Pugsley

Year 5L:             Miss Mikayla Lack

Year 6B:             Mr Tom Beard

Leadership at the Junior School will remain the same:

Head of Junior School:                                        Mrs Josephine Messer

Assistant to Head of Junior School/REC:     Miss Amelia Daun

Director of Early Years learning:                      Mrs Sandra Mazengarb

Head of Learning Enhancement:                    Ms Sue Burrows

Kindergarten Orientation

Over the past 5 weeks our Kindergarten class for 2024 has been participating in a five-week Pre-Kinder program, engaging in activities such as visits Bush Kinder at the Senior School campus. This week we hosted their final session and their parents for the more formal part of their orientation. We are excited to welcome them next year as our 2024 Kindergarten cohort. 

Silent Discos - Not so Silent!

The Silent Discos for all year groups was a huge success. All boys and grils who attended had a great time, singing along with and dancing to whatever music channel or song they liked. All discos well attended. Thank you to our parents /carers for dropping off your son and collecting him on time.

Thank You Parents and Friends 

This year we have had the most wonderful group of parents involved in our P&F Association. They have supported the Junior School by providing a lovely morning tea for World Teachers Day, assisted with Mother's, Father's and Grandparent's Days, cooked sausage sizzles, organised Silent Discos, collected donuts for Donut Day, covered the cost of the survey for the playground, purchased a TV screen for the Junior School Hall and a new Portable PA System, which was delivered this week. More than that, they have been a delight to work alongside, discuss and organise events with. We would also like to thank them for donating their time in support of the Junior School. Thank you most especially to Abbey Doggett, Matt Gillie, Nick Finlay, Julie Pepperell, Maria Bond, Samm Harrington and Sharni Rickards.

Orientation Day: Monday 27 November

On Monday all boys from Kindergarten through to Year 5 are asked to commence the day in their current 2023 classroom. At 9.15 am, all boys will move to their classroom for 2024. New students to the Junior School will attend an information session with their parents in the Hall at the commencement of the day and move to their respective classes at 9.15 am.

Our Early Years boys will complete the morning session with their new class. Boys in Year 3 to 6 will have the whole day. We will finish the day with an assembly at 2.30 pm in the hall. A sausage sizzle will be provided for lunch. If you have any enquiries about the day, please call the office. Our Year 6 boys (Year 7 2024) will be heading straight to the Senior School campus at Austins Ferry for the day.

SMC Year 2 Boys’ Graduation

This year is a momentous one for St Mary's College as it will be the last year that SMC will have boys attending as students. On Friday 1 December, SMC is hosting a graduation for these boys in St Mary’s Cathedral. As it is a historical occasion, I was asked to invite one boy from each year group at SVC who has attended SMC (and is now classified as ‘an old boy of SMC’) to attend. Attending from SVC will be: Year 3: Gus Hardaker, Year 4: Ned Heddle, Year 5 and Year 6 will be away on camp/Canberra, Year 7: Will Anderson, Year 8: Edward Huigsloot, Year 9: Charlie Cubit, Year 10: TBD, Year 11: Darcy Berry and Tadhg Morgan, Year 12: Charlie Banks (GYC) and beyond, Tom Messer (SMC Year 2 class: 2009).

Next Week: Camp, Canberra, Excursions and Triathlon

Next week is an action packed one here at the Junior School. On Tuesday morning at 4.30 am, our Year 6 boys will be gathering at Hobart Airport in readiness for their departure to Canberra for 4 days. They will be accompanied by Miss Lack, Mr Beard, Miss Daun, Miss Odgers, Miss Boxall and Mr Ditton. We wish them all the best for what will be a memorable and educational four days.

On Wednesday our Year 5s will be heading off on their three-day camp. They will be staying at Orana but visiting the Cascade Female Factory, Maritime Museum, Richmond, and Port Arthur, as well as engaging in some fun activities at the Orana campsite. They will be accompanied by Miss Pugsley, Mr Sanders, Mrs Burrows, Mr Payne, Mrs Graves and Mr Boulter. Mr Franzin and Mrs Messer will also pay them a visit.

On Thursday our Year 4 class are heading to Risdon Brook Dam for the day for an excursion, and on Friday 1 December is the Annual Primary Schools Triathlon. Several students in Year 3 and 4 are entered in the Triathlon as well as a few Year 5 students. They will be participating in the Individual and Team events. We wish them all the best for their events.

Week 8

End of Year Assembly: Monday December 4

We are looking forward to you all joining us for the End of Year Assembly on Monday December 4 in the Nagle Centre at St Mary’s College. We will commence the assembly at 9.30 am and be concluded by 11.30 am. 

K to 6 to Pinocchio Pantomime

This is a reminder that on Wednesday 7 December, the Junior School boys from Kindergarten to Year 6, will be heading to the Botanical Gardens to watch the interactive performance of Pinocchio. We will be departing the Junior school at 9.30 am and will return by midday.

Kindergarten, Prep and Year 6 Buddies Excursion to Kingston Park