Principal

Year 12 complete the statewide VCE Exam schedule next week and look forward to their Graduation at the Flowerdale Estate Thursday 20th November. Students, parents, staff and invited guests will come together to give thanks to Year 12 for their service to St Mary’s and to wish them all the best for the entry into life after St Mary’s.   

💫 Capital Works. 

The Stage One Sacred Heart VCE Centre is nearing completion and Year 12 have been taken through the building - they were impressed with the size, design and understandably envious but happy that the senior students who follow on from them will have a state-of-the-art centre. Year 11 will tour the building before the end of November. 

The successful tender for the Stage Two Monsignor Toms Science/STEM extension will be announced before the end of the College year.  Work will begin during Term One 2026.  

At the end of November, the College will be informed of our Stage Three Funding Application to demolish the secondary wing and rebuild a new secondary centre.  If the application is not successful, we reapply in 2026. The building is long overdue for replacement. 

💫 Staffing 2026 

Parents will receive an update of staffing appointments for 2026. There are four long serving teaching colleagues retiring at the end of this year, three teachers moving interstate with Defence Force placements and three teachers on leave for twelve months – two travelling and one taking long service leave. Post covid staffing schools has been a challenge because there still is a teacher shortage. The pendulum will swing back when the teaching profession is seen as a career knowing one is making a difference. 

I have seen firsthand the countless number of times St Mary’s staff have made a difference in the lives of our students - students from all walks of life. Our staff are dedicated, and they want every child to feel success.  

💫 Cyber Security 

The security issues with SIMON have been taken seriously even though there was not a specific data breach. There was quick response from the College team when all SIMON user schools were notified. A Catholic Secondary College was cyber breached by the dark web this year and it has required many resources both financial and IT staff to work on the attack. The cost, frustration and inconvenience of a security breach can be overwhelming.  MACS as a system and our College IT team are always focused on risk minimisation.  

💫 Odyssey 2026 

In 2026 there will be a student competition to give the College Yearbook a new title. A title that resonates and links more closely to St Mary’s history. The first school for Catholic education in Seymour dates back to the 1880’s, which was not uncommon for many rural Catholic schools – started by lay teachers before religious came across for Ireland.  Next year, the annual magazine ordering process will move to online.  This will assist in keeping costs down and enable parents to order online as many printed books as families require. 

💫 Social Media Age Restrictions 

From 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps  to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account. The restrictions aim to protect young Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing. 

Age restrictions will apply to social media platforms that meet three specific conditions, unless they are excluded based on criteria set in out in legislative rules made by the Minister for Communications in July 2025. 

The conditions for age restriction are: 

• the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of the service is to enable online social interaction between two or more end-users 

• the service allows end-users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end-users 

• the service allows end-users to post material on the service. 

Please read the detailed information on the eSafety Commissioner website. It contains good information. 

💫 2026 Leaders 

Kelda Gilmore, Deputy Chair of the College Advisory Council, was a member of the panel to interview the Year 11 candidates for Year 12 2026 leadership. Following interviews the 2026 College leaders will be announced next week. 

💫 MACS Vision for Instruction 

MACS Catholic schools were the highest performance of all educations systems in Victoria in 2025 for standardised testing.  MACS schools also had the highest student participation rate. St Mary’s and the MACS system wide explicit teaching practices are achieving very positive student learning outcomes and we continue to improve and embed a commitment approach in all classes.  

The final weeks of Term Four will fly and make these weeks be kind to all families.

Best wishes

Wayne Smith

Principal

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