Mrs Ryan's Fortnightly Reflections

Recently, I have been in and around many classrooms, listening to, conducting, and checking in on our whole school practice of daily check-in circles. Our data often indicates that our children are very tired before the school day begins. As an adult who needs to be readily available for the demands of the day, I strategically plan for quality sleep. I hope that sharing this data may raise awareness in our parent community about the necessity and importance of regular, good-quality sleep, particularly on school nights. I am sharing a link to an Australian website, Raising Children, which may help families gain a better understanding of sleep. Our primary-aged children, ranging from 5 to 11 years old, need between nine and eleven hours of sleep each night!

We are now in full production mode, and modifications to our normal learning program have been made to accommodate our rehearsals. There is a creative buzz in the area, and Mrs. Stewart is doing a great job of including and supporting all students in Years 3 through 6 in preparation for what next week will bring. Our evening shows are sold out, so thank you to the parents, families, and caregivers who are supporting and celebrating with us! Next week, there will be significant changes that will require flexibility and patience from our entire community. We are striving to over-communicate via Compass so that all parents are informed; please remember to check regularly.

Thank you so much to the many of you who came out to celebrate Book Week with us last week. It was a vibrant display of color and creativity. The effort, imagination, and teamwork likely happening at home were impressive. I understand that not all children enjoy dressing up; however, I estimate that 99% of our community was dressed up, parading, and proud! It was a wonderful celebration for our whole community!

Staffing for 2025 is in the initial stages. Staff members have shared their intentions for the year ahead, allowing St. Mary’s leadership to begin mapping out the 2025 academic year, making class plans, and starting the recruitment campaign for the new school year. Staff are entitled to change their intentions up until early November; however, having a plan is essential in a school of this size. St. Mary’s is very aware of the teacher shortage, so early recruitment will be critical. I hope to share an outline of the class structures early next term, so you are well-informed about what St. Mary’s will look like moving forward.

Our leaders have been working diligently to utilise data sets to best plan for improvement and progression at St. Mary’s. Before the end of the term, our School Advisory Council will be presented with our current data sets in key curriculum areas. A summary will be shared with the community in our final Term 3 newsletter.

We have 16 days left of learning before the end of the term, with lots to do and much happening! I look forward to seeing you all at various events over the coming weeks!

Take care and God bless,

Jasmine Ryan  

Principal