From the Principal...

Staffing News...

I would like to inform our school community of a recent staffing change in our Grade 2 team. 

Due to health reasons, Louella Kennedy has made the difficult decision to resign from her position as Grade 2 teacher on Mondays and Tuesdays, where she has been job-sharing with Jennifer Smith. Louella joined us at the beginning of 2024 and quickly became a valued member of our staff.  We sincerely thank her for the warmth, care, and dedication she brought to her students and colleagues during her time with us, and we wish her all the very best for her health and future.

For the remainder of Term 2, Antoinette Corp will continue to take the class on Mondays and Tuesdays.  We appreciate her stepping into the role and providing continuity for the students.

Looking ahead, we’re pleased to share that Stephanie Sutherland will return from parental leave in Term 3 and will take over the Monday/Tuesday Grade 2 teaching role.  We warmly welcome Steph back and look forward to having her rejoin our teaching team.

In other staffing news, we’re delighted to confirm that Dave Witchell will be continuing in his role as P.E. teacher. Dave has been a fantastic presence in our specialist program, and we’re thrilled to have him remain with us.

Thank you for your continued support.

BON VOYAGE

We would like to extend our warmest wishes to Sharen Maguire as she embarks on some well-deserved leave. Sharen will be commencing her time off this Friday, June 20, and is scheduled to return on Monday, August 11.

We hope this break provides her with the opportunity to relax, recharge, and enjoy some much-needed downtime. We wish her a restful and fulfilling break.

Safe travels, Sharen — we look forward to welcoming you back refreshed and reenergized in August!

Congratulations to Our Newly Confirmed!

We extend our warmest congratulations to the children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on June 13. It was a beautifully reverent ceremony, facilitated by Bishop René Ramirez along with Fr. Shabin, Fr. Peter, and Fr. Brendan.

Thank you to Ms Cameron, Ms Simi and Ms Riley for preparing the children so thoroughly for this event.  The children were presented with grace and reverence, a testament to their preparation and the support of their teachers and families. 

May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and inspire them as they grow in faith.

Congratulations once again to all!

Thank You!!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing P&F volunteers who provided our children with a delicious hot dog lunch last Friday!  We truly appreciate your support in making our school community so special. The smiles on the children’s faces said it all—thank you!!

See more P&F News on the P&F page of this newsletter.

End of Term Market

On Thursday June 26, at 3:30pm, our Year 3/4 students will be hosting our End of Term Market! The middle students are calling for donations from their families of delicious treats to sell at a cake stall, and we’ll also have pre-loved uniforms available for purchase. 

To top it off, there will be a sausage sizzle for everyone to enjoy.

Our 'End of Term Markets' are a great opportunity to gather as a community, purchase a treat from our cake stall, and grab a freshly cooked sausage in bread.

Semester One Reports

Our teachers have been working diligently behind the scenes to prepare end-of-semester reports.  This process may involve one-on-one interviews and assessments with each child in English and Mathematics, analysis of data collected at the end of units of work, as well as the collection of evidence on behaviour, effort and classroom engagement.  A great deal of time, work and thoughtful consideration goes into these reports to ensure they accurately reflect each student’s growth and learning journey.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and professional teaching team. Their deep knowledge of each student, strong commitment to learning, and genuine care for every child ensures that our reports are meaningful and insightful. We thank them for the enormous effort they put into this process and for the outstanding work they do every day to support and inspire our students.

This year you will notice a change in format for our reporting on Mathematics.  This year all Victorian schools are implementing a new Mathematics curriculum, Version 2.0, across all classes from Prep - Year 10.  The new curriculum is designed to improve mathematical understanding and problem-solving skills across all levels and places a much stronger emphasis on Number. 

In past reports, your child received three separate achievement standards for Mathematics:

* Number and Algebra

* Measurement and Geometry

* Statistics and Probability

These three standards have now been combined into a single overall Mathematics score. This score is based on the teacher’s professional judgement, supported by a range of data that reflects what your child has demonstrated they understand and can do across the Mathematics curriculum.

This new report format focuses on where your child is currently performing within the curriculum.  You’ll notice there is no achivement standard (dot point) indicating growth—this will be included in future reports, once there is enough data to track and compare progress over time.

Semester One reports will go live on Monday June 30.   

Student-Led Conferences

Student-Led Conferences will be held on:

* Wednesday July 2 from 1:pm - 6:00pm

* Thursday July 3 from 3:45pm-6:30pm

Student-Led Conferences, are a powerful opportunity for students to take the lead in sharing their learning journey.  During these conferences, students will reflect on their academic progress, showcase their work, and discuss personal goals and growth areas with you. 

Rather than traditional teacher-led meetings, this format encourages responsibility, self-awareness, and confidence in students as they articulate their successes and challenges.

Why Student-Led Conferences?

🎯 Promote student ownership of learning

💬 Encourage meaningful conversations between students, families, and teachers

📚 Provide insight into daily classroom experiences

Bookings are to be made through the School Interviews platform. Full details will be provided to parents shortly.

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating the hard work and progress your child has made. 

Staff Planning Days

Focused Preparation for Term 3

This week, our staff will participate in dedicated planning days to prepare for a strong and purposeful start to Term 3. These planning sessions provide valuable time for teams to collaborate and refine teaching and learning approaches across key curriculum areas.

Staff will engage in focused planning with our  Religious Education Leader, Michelle; Learning and Teaching Leader (Inquiry and Mathematics), Sharen; and our Literacy Leader, Jennifer. This collaborative approach ensures alignment, consistency, and targeted support for student learning.

To support this important work, Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs) will be taking some classes during the week. We thank our students and families for their understanding as we provide our staff with this valuable opportunity for professional growth and planning.

Scheduled Planning Days:

* Monday June 16 - Prep/One/Two

* Wednesday June 18 - Three/Four

* Thursday June 19 - Five/Six

School Website Update

Next Wednesday, June 25, a team from MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) will be visiting St Mary’s to collaborate with us on creating new content and gathering media to support an upgrade of our school website.  This will include updated photos, refreshed written content, and a clearer representation of our school’s identity, values, and learning environments.

The upgraded website will provide a more engaging and user-friendly experience for current and prospective families, better showcase the vibrant life of our school, and strengthen our online presence.  It’s a valuable opportunity to ensure our digital platforms reflect the warmth, spirit, and excellence of St Mary’s.

Gala Day

On Friday 13 th June, the students from Year 5 and 6 competed in the NorthcoteDistrict Gala Day. 

The children competed in Netball, AFL and Soccer.  The students participated very enthusiastically and enjoyed competing against other schools in the area. They achieved fantastic results especially considering that they were playing against much larger schools.

Netball Girls -1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses

Netball Mixed -1 win, 3 losses

Soccer Mixed - 0 wins, 3 losses

AFL Mixed - 3 wins, 0 losses

Congratulations to the AFL Mixed team who will now go onto the next level and compete at the Darebin Division Competition in early Term 3.  Thank you to the teachers for their expert coaching and to all of the parents who came and supported throughout the day.

See the Community News section of this newsletter for information on... 

* Carlton Football Club's offer to provide two free tickets to all families for their upcoming match against North Melbourne, Round 15 at the MCG, Saturday June 21st (starting at 1:20 pm).

* A survey on Traffic Safety in Thornbury

See the Wellbeing Section of this newsletter for some great memories of Prep/1 Grade 6 buddy activities.